Evening star., 1940-02-18
America Preserves
the Records
BIZ Frederic J. Hdskin.

nprar1an-has recently been developed
quietly In this country under the auspices
of the National Archives This new
position is destined to be of great value
in the field Of historical research and the
finding Of positions for many qualified
workers. '
Certain white-collar w. P. A. employees,
working on the historical records survey
In the various States, have discovered,
when their immediate projects were fin-
ished, that they had qualified themselves
for. State or county archivist positions.
Some universities, notably Columbia, are
giving courses in archival administration.
Scion j. Buck, director of publications at
the National Archives, has been appoint
ed visiting professor of archives admins
tration at Columbia, where he lectures to
graduate students every Saturday morn
ing during the academic year.
National Archives was established by
congressional action in 1894, and the steel
filing stacks, and search rooms-their
walls covered with index cabinets-have
been available to researchers only a COM
paratively short time.
University students, writer's research
ers and Government employees, however,
are increasingly aware of the opportu-
nifty now afforded them for examining
documents and doing original work which
can be thoroughly documented. Every
day sees an augmented number Of re-
searchers registered for work in the
search rooms. Telephone and mail in
quiries are mounting weekly. Members
Of Congress. alert to the services which
the National Archives can render, are
constantly calling for information from
Senate records, from State and Justice
Department records or those relating to
activities of the Navy Department in past
years, the Bureau of Marine Inspection
and Navigation, the National Recovery
Administration and other agencies.
For example, Navy records have been
studied for information on the wars with
the Barbary States. General Land Of
flee records have yielded data about pub
lie lands in Texas many years ago and
about Spanish grants in California A
writer who desired information about
Alexander Hamilton's background in st.
Croix was able to find what he wanted
in Virgin Island records Of the Interior
Department. Another writer wanted to
trace the history Of the ship Alena, now
the Australia. The ship was built by the
British in 1912, was used by the Confed-
crates as blockade runner some so years
later, then captured and sold. All this
information was found by consulting rec
ords of the Treasury. Justice, Navy and
Commerce Departments, and was CO.
ordinated Perhaps the most interesting
part OF the story was the ending, mas
much as the Australia is now in active
service on Chesapeake Bay. The extent
of the service is almost unlimited, and
this catalogued storehouse of historical
information is filling q need beyond ex-
pectation.
All types Of subjects for authenticated
historical articles, in fact, are continu-
ously offered through the documents
placed on view In the main exhibit hall
at the National Archives, Treaties
signed by the United States with other
countries during the course Of this Ma
tion's history can be seen there-such
important bits Of parchment as the
French instrument Of ratification Of the
Louisiana purchase In 1903, the Hay
Pauncefote treaty of 1901 and, perhaps
most interesting of all, the treaty Of
Texas with Great Britain in 1888, and
King George I1I's ratification Of inde-
pendence for the American Colonies.
A recent exhibit comprised a series of
letters, commissions and bonds showing
how many men of letters at one time or
another served the Government in off,
cial capacities. These include John How
ard Payne. Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walt
Whitman, Bret Harte, Francis Scott Key,
James Fenimore Cooper, James Russell
Lowell, Washington Irving and many
other notable Americans whose impor-
tance to history increases as the decades
pass.
There Is, among other rooms, q divi-
sion OF motion pictures and sound re-
cordings and small theater where pic
lures may be shown and the sound tracks
heard. This division is empowered by
law to accept from private sources such
Aims as are historically accurate and sig
nif1cant, as well as to preserve depart
mental Aims which may be of Importance
to posterity. For example there are many
news films there, and probably y COM
plete photo record will be filed on the
visit last year to the United States Of
King George vi and Queen Elizabeth.
The collection of films is now near
100000 feet. There are some 5000, 900
still pictures and slides, and approx
mately 5000 sound recordings. Genera
tions to come will be able to see the great
figures of the present period, rs We today
might have seen such personages as
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson
and Abraham Lincoln had invention not
been 50 laggard
Many newspapers have printed pic
lures showing the scientific treatment
which documents are given by the Ma
tional Archives to rehabilitate and
strengthen them. This lamination
process involves coating the paper on
each side with thin, transparent cellulose
acetate foil applied under heat and pres-
sure in an hydraulic press. Services are
often performed along this line for other
archival institutions For example town
records Of Boston, Mass, covering the
period 1634-1660 had become mouldy. Ma.
tional Archives undertook IN rs~xor>