Evening star., 1940-04-28

holdings but for the wonderful ap-
paratus with which it has imple-
mented them and made them the
most accessible and available sources
OF any department of human knowl-
edge In the world today. We refer
specifically to the Index Catalogue
and Index Medicus. The British
Museum regards this catalogue as
the greatest ever achieved, and 1t is
the first subject catalogue worthy
Of the name. Its appearance marked
an epoch in the development and
improvement Of medical literature,
and there is nothing that approxi-
mates 1t in any field of knowledge.
To find what has been written on a
specific subject it is only necessary
to look In the alphabetically ar
ranged catalog which by the issue
OF new series is kept up to date. :. :.
Receives 1000 Medical Journals.
The Army Medical Library now
receives about 1000 medical journals,
and indexes every worth while ar
ticle IN every issue of every journal
OF almost every country and in al
most every civilized language, and
indexes not just by title but by every
subject discussed therein. The cata-
log also enjoys the distinction of
being the most accurate biblio-
graphic work ever produced.
Where there is no vision the peo-
pie perish, and we know that where
there is no library vision there will
only be a commonplace collection
of books. We feel that in the per-
son OF Archibald MacLeish we have
man OF vision, who will aim at
nothing short of cosmic complete
ness for our great national library.
America has contributed to the
world its greatest medical library,
with a coyerage approximating
completeness as near as possible
with human instrumentality. So
now let this country garner In the
vast records of human achievement
IN the field of general literature that
are now in the old country exposed
to the vicissitudes and hazards of
war, the caprices of totalitarian
government, threatening the Old
World with Armageddon. If civiliza-
ton in Europe is to be destroyed
through the onslaught of the die
tators, let America become the GUS
todian of the great heritage of the
ages-the iteratures of the world
before the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse began their macabre
ride through the land. Literature
is the expression of life in words.
and with the Library of Congress
as it's palladium it will be safe for
all time, where scholars under the
aegis of a gifted librarian can linn
the figures of the past and paint
with facile hands the pictures that
may point moral or adorn a tale
Whatever may be the outcome of
the European conflict, we know that
everything points to a concentra-
ton in America of the worlds ma
terials for research. OF the esti-
mated 100000 different books that
have been printed and distributed,
the United States has less than
half; in addition to this is the great
body of imprinted material, early
manuscript, documents accumulated
throughout the ages, and modern
records of fact, the raw material
from which literature is made.
This material, both books and man
uscripts, should be in our great
national library. In the originals,
where circumstances justify; micro
photograph copies, which cost about
$3.50 per volume, where price would
be much in excess of this, or where
purchase is impossible; but here
they should be, in form accessible
to students; and, may repeat. un-
der the palladium of our great ma
tional library. This is no dream,
but something that only requires a
vision and the cooperation of an
intelligent and aroused public. We
would not have to duplicate our
present buildings to house this ma
terial. for experts tell us that the
entire contents of the British Mu-
scum Library, If intercepted, could
be stored in small room. 4.
Mecca Of Scholars.
I have discoursed at some length
on these three great institutions, be-
cause I wish to show them as a
nucleus of what should be the great