Evening star., 1933-01-15
New Riches of Library Of Congress
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Bookworms, especially these with an
antiquarian cast of mind, win find that
new riches have accrued to the Library
OF Congress during the last year in the
form of variety of books. manuscripts,
prints and other material, much Of
which Is unique in character From
science and technical subjects, the
scope Of the new accesSions extends TO
romance and religion. The Library sci.
dom has enjoyed a more profitable
twelvemouth.
In the realm Of romance Americans
will find chief interest, doubtless, in
the acquisition of copy of Samuel
kirkham's English Grammar, a much
thnmbed little volume, and the very
copy which Abraham Lincoln, at %
years OF age, presented to his sweet
heart, Ann Rutledge. This remark
ably interesting volume was turned
over to the Library by Miss Jane
Hamand of Schaller, Iowa. she having
induced William Rutledge of Milton,
Mont, son of Robert, brother of Ann,
to part with it.
In 1881 Lincoln was working as a
clerk in Denton Offutt's general store
at New Salem. ILL.,. and there became
acquainted with Ann Rutledge, daugh-
ter of the village innkeeper. The fu-
ture Enlancipator still was in the days
of freight study. He had heard where
a copy of Kirkham's Grammar could
be obtained and walked II miles to get
1t. After he had mastered the work,
he gave it to Ann, who was studying,
preparatory to entering the girls acad-
erny at Jacksonville. The value OF the
book is enhanced by the circumstance
that on the title page appears the line
written in Lincoln's hand: Ann M.
Rutledge Is now learning grammar"
Discovery or the work Is due to in
defatigable efforts of Miss Hsmand In
tracing the Rutledge family to Iowa
and finally discovering the possessor
of the grammar in Montana. The Lii
brary of Congress prizes the accession
SO highly that 1t has been placed in
the same case which contains Lincoln's
Bible, wherein he entered the records
of his marriage and. the birth of his
children.
Some Late Acquisitions.
Although the new Folger Library de-
voted exclusively to Shakespeare,
stands across the street from the Ii
brary Of Congress the latter does not
intend to suspend Its own collection OF
Shakespeareana nor reject acceSsions.
OurlnS the year. IL mas received from
DR. Mary G. McEwen of Evanston, Ill,
the collection of Shakespeare material
collected by her husband, the late DR..
Ernest Lewis McEwen.
When Dino Grand, italian minister
of foreign affairs, visited Washington
during the past year to confer with
President Hoover, he took occasion to
present to the Library what is described
as monumental work, published by
the municipality of Genoa. containing
proofs that Christopher Columbus was
actually a native of that Italian port.
There are about as many other cities
claiming Columbus as claimed Homer.
A fascinating collection of early Eng
lish and American almanacs was re-
ceived from D. Everett Waid of New
York City. Some of the English al
manacs antedate 1700, while the
American editions run from pre-Revo-
lutionary dates up to 1850. Illustra-
tions included are by such notable fig
ures as George Cruikshank, Kate
Greenaway and Thomas Mast. Of spe-
cial interest is a horoscope forecast
that Gin 1918 or 1914" the German