Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-09-17

two lifts in the stacks which deliver
books to the desk.
Furniture Harmonizes.
Throughout, the library furniture
is finished in light gray-green to
harmonic with the gray-green of
the walls. Mohair hangings, dyed
to match the walls, are hung at the
windows. Floors are of linoleum in
notified green.
The library contains all the uni
versity collection except the law
and medical books, which are housed
separately in the buildings of the
law school and the school of medi-
cine.
Books bearing the stamp 1921 as
the date of acquisition show that
the establishment of the library
goes back to the time of the found
ing of the university, which was
chartered by act of Congress in 1921
as Columbian College,
In those early days many books
were imported from Europe, and the
arrival of a consignment for the
library was an event. On Saturday,
October 4, 1923, the Columbian Star
reported: The ship Electra has ar
rived at Philadelphia, having on
board the philosophical apparatus
and books for the Columbian Col
lege. They will probably be received
at the college in the course Of
few days"
Some of the more notable collec-
tons that have been acquired for
the library are the library of the
late Prof. Richard Helmet of the
University of Vienna, in Germanic
philology and literature and cog
nate branches; the library of the
late Prof Curt WachSmuth of the
University of Leipzig. in Greek and
Roman literature, archaeology and
history; the Mount Vernon Above
of international law. political his
tory and the social sciences, founded
through the generosity of Andrew
Carnegie; the library of the Amer
lean Institute of Architects, which
is on permanent deposit as loan
collection; representative collec-
ton of Spanish American books, the
gift of the governments of His
panic America; the Charles C.
Swisher Above of books on history,
established by the Charles c.
Swisher History Club in honor of
DR.. Swisher, member of the facul-
ty from 1896 until 1927 and now
professor emeritus of history; the
Chauncey Mitchell Depew Public
Speaking Library, the gift OF Mrs.
DepeW.
Exhibition Planned.
Rare and interesting volumes from
the library will be shown from time
to time in exhibit cases built into
the loan desks adjacent to the
main reading room and the reserve
book reading room.
A few such items in possession of
the library are:
A very fine example of incunabula
(books printed earlier than 1900
AID, before the invention of NOV
able type, "Summa de Casibus Con-
scientiae." a theological work by
Astesanus de Aste, printed at Ven
ice in l478 by Johann of Cologne and
Johann Manthen, who were among
the most important of the early
Venetian printers.
A copy of Boccaccio's II Filocopo"
printed in Venice in 1912.
Sir Isaac Newton's "Opticks,"
printed in London in 1921, during the
lifetime of the great mathemati-
clan, scientist and formulator of the
law of gravity.
A second issue of the first edition
of "Alice's Adventures in Wonder
land" with AZ of the Tenniel illustra-
tons This issue is of particular in
terest because it was printed in
New York in 1866 from the original
plates, which were brought to
America when, for political reasons,
the first edition was temporarily
suppressed in England. Thus. the
American issue actually appeared
earlier than the English edition, and
is identical with the first issue, ex-
cept for the title page.
The early history of the university
is represented by such items as
the manuscript journal OF Luther