Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-06
Additions TO the
Library of Congress
To the Editor of The STAR

The Star recently referred to Wash
ington as an educa Sonal center of
growing Importance, citing the museums
and various other sources of knowledge
and information. First in this connec-
ton comes the Library of Congress.
The beautiful palace of knowledge on
Capitol Hill is now looked to by INTEL
lectual people from everywhere for
mental food. and Librarian Putnam has
brought 1t to an enviable pitch of per
lection.
Among the important features of this
great institution which bid fair to i'm
crease In usefulness. especially in an
international capacity, are the collec-
tons Of books in the Slavic and Mon
golian languages. A recent visit to the
Chinese section of the Library revealed
q collection of 100000 volumes in
Chinese and $4,000 more in japanese.
Tibetan Manchu and Korean. Our
increasingly friendly relations with the
Chinese Republic will be served in a
marked degree by such an adjunct to
the Library, which is useful also to the
many who are interested in missionary
and other work requiring a knowledge
OF these languages. Under the mali
agement of DR.. Hummel, this mass of
sible to all corners.
Perhaps even more important is the
Slavic section of the Library of Corr
gress. Starting over 20 years ago with
what was practically donation to the
American people by Gellnadius Yudi1i,
a merchant of Krasnoyarsk. Siberia,
this collection has grown to 100000
volumes, of which 100000 are in the
great Russian. the mouthpiece of a
hundred million people. The first man
ager of this collection was Mr.. Alexis
V. Babine of Tambov. Russia, and he
is again III charge of it, and his assist
ants are Messrs. Rodionov and Tuny-
eiey, Of the Ural region and Odessa re-
spectiVely, proud Of their recently ac-
CURED American citizenship, and able,
by reason of their perfect knowledge OF
both languages, to serve American anu
Russian readers alike. They are men
of university training and well adapted
to the task of making all that Is best
in Russian literature, science and art,
etc, Immediately available to all ap-
plicantS.
II may be asked in what way does
this Slavic section serve the American
people, and it will be answered that
there is an increasing interest here IN
things Russian, aside from political ano
commercial matters. The language IT.
self is rich beyond the imagination OF
those to whom 1t is stranger, COM
bining the fiexibility Of ancient Greek
with the terseness of Latin and Arabic,
and with harmonic beauty all its own,
as witnessed by the singing of Chaliaplr
and others. It may be expected that
time will work such changes to the
Russian government as will bring us
into closer connection with that great
people. comparable IN population and
general intelligence to our own. Then
the Slavic section will prove an even
more valuable adjunct to our relations
with Russia.
This leads to the suggestion that an
other language collection should De
established In the Library of Congress
to embrace the Spanish. The wnole
history of America from its beginnings,
is bound up to large extent in Span
ish books and manuscripts, and the
vast population south of us uses that
language, so that 1t is time that there
should be a separate storehouSe of Span
ish books and manuscripts, under IN
dividual management and housing
That will fit in finely with the work OF
the Pan-American Union and serve as
one more bond Of unity and under
standing Of our people with the grow
ing and highly intelligent nations te
the South, to say nothing Of its educa-
tional value to us.
The Library building is soon to be en-
larged, and 1t may well be expected that
Librarian Putnam, with keen eye tc
the usefulness of the great institution
over which he has SO long and ably pre-
sided will not fail to see the advantage
of further specializing in language coll
lections therein. A Spanish section may
be called necessity, and in time we
should also have sections devoted to
German, Italian and French languages
and literature. all under native man.
ayers and as available to all applicants
as are the admirable Slavic and Chinese
sections at present.
LINDSAY S. PERKINS.