HAMMOND BLACKBOARD SUPPORT.

THE NEW CRAYON-HOLDER. (FULL SIZE.)

THE ASSEMBLY" SCHOOL DESKS AND SETTEES.

CHAPTER XIX.

LIBRARIES.

five and six thousand volumes, aside from the library of Mr. Mackenzie, bequeathed to it about the same time. In 1778, however, this fine collection was almost entirely destroyed by fire, a small portion of the books only being rescued from the flames, and of these many being broken sets. The Providence Athenæum, founded in 1753, the Salem Athenæum in 1760, and the Portland Athenæum in 1765, small collections, but well selected, the special library of the American Philosophical Society at Philadelphia, and a state library of three or four hundred volumes, at Concord, New Hampshire, complete the catalogue of public libraries of any considerable importance at the close of the war of the Revolution.

Ar the close of the Revolution, there were very few public libraries in the country; hardly any, indeed, away from the colleges and large towns, and even these, few and small as they were, were not generally accessible. The oldest of them all was that of Harvard University, which commenced with the bequest of Harvard's books in 1638, but had been completely destroyed by fire in 1764. Great efforts were made to restore it, and before the commencement of the Revolution about $20,000 and considerable quantities of books had been contributed for that purpose. It could, however, hardly have had more than 10,000 or 12,000 vol- The period immediately subsequent to the umes at that period. The only other col- war was not favorable to the multiplication lege libraries then in existence (all of them or growth of libraries; for, being among small, but two or three of them containing the outgrowths of an opulent and luxurious. many valuable works,) were the library of civilization, we could hardly look for their Yale College, founded in 1700, which had increase amid the poverty and financial rereceived important additions from Bishop vulsions which continued till nearly the Berkeley and other English gentlemen; the close of the last century. Between 1783 very small library of William and Mary, at and 1800, ten colleges and one theological Williamsburg, Va., founded, perhaps, two seminary were founded, and some of them or three years earlier; that of the Univer-as, for instance, Bowdoin, Georgetown, sity of Pennsylvania, founded in 1749, also D. C., Williams, Dickinson, Transylvania, small, but valuable; that of New Jersey Col- and the University of North Carolina-now lege, at Princeton, founded in 1746; that of King's, now Columbia, College, founded in 1757, and containing at the close of the Revolution not more than 2000 volumes; and the few hundred volumes which had been collected, as nuclei of libraries, in Brown University from and after 1768, Dartmouth College from 1769, and Rutgers College from 1770 to the close of the war. Of proprietary libraries, the oldest and best was the Philadelphia Library Company and Loganian Collection, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731, which in 1783 contained about 5000 volumes. The Redwood Library at Newport, R. I., incorporated in 1747, though not a large collection, possessed considerable value to the classical and theological student. The New York Society Library, founded in 1754, had attained to considerable size prior to the war, but suffered much from the vandalism of the British sol- The war of 1812 was followed by a period diers, its books being carried off by the of severe financial distress, and it was not knapsackful and bartered for grog. In 1795 till about 1818 that any considerable efforts it had only 5000 volumes. The Charleston were made for the establishment of libraries. Library Society was founded a year or two Between 1818 and the present time, not earlier than the New York Society, and at only have more than one hundred colleges the commencement of the war had between | been organized, each of which has a library

possess respectable libraries, but they have been mainly accumulated within the last forty years. Of other libraries, we can find no record of even one, of any importance, founded in this period.

In the period between 1800 and the close of the war of 1812, there were five colleges and two theological seminaries organized, all of which now have libraries of considerable importance. To this period also belong the beginnings of the Boston Athenæum, now the fourth library in the country in the number of its volumes, the first library of Congress, which was destroyed by the British in 1814, the noble collection of the New York Historical Society, and the commencement of the special libraries of the American Antiquarian Society at Worcester, and the American Academy of Natural Sciences at Philadelphia.

tion for purchasing this library, in his judicious selections, and careful expenditures, Dr. Cogswell, the librarian-in-chief, has established a claim to the gratitude of all scholars.

of some size, and many of them from 10,- of the founder of the library, purchased a 000 to 25,000 volumes, but there have also lot adjoining the north side of the library, been established more than twenty theo- 80 by 120 feet, and erected an additional logical seminaries, with considerable collec- building, somewhat larger than the original tions of books; most of the state libraries, one, which he presented to the trustees. beginning with the valuable State Library at Mr. Astor has also, at different times, made Albany, of over 50,000 volumes, the Con- considerable donations for the purchase of gressional, Astor, Smithsonian, Boston Pub-books. The present number of volumes lic Library, and other free libraries; most in the library is somewhat more than 120,of the libraries of the learned societies, and 000, nearly all acquired by purchase. In the extensive collections of the historical his long and careful bibliographical preparasocieties, three or four proprietary libraries of some note, all of the subscription libraries, known as mercantile, institute, mechanics', or apprentices' libraries, and those connected with young men's Christian associations and with churches. Within the same period also, and mainly within twenty years past, great numbers of special librariesscientific, commercial, agricultural, mining, humanitarian, or devoted to the promotion of particular departments of art or literature -have been founded, while in all the states Sunday School libraries, and in many of them school-district, town, and academical libraries have been formed. Prior to 1840, there were many instances in which writers who desired to investigate certain periods of history, or certain sciences or arts, were compelled to visit Europe in order to pro-ry building) include not only the college licure from the great libraries of England or brary proper, but also the society libraries, the continent the necessary facts. The ne- and the libraries of the divinity, law, and cessity for this is now nearly obviated. The medical schools. The whole number of volgreat libraries of Cambridge, Boston, New umes is about 125,000, but the library is York, Philadelphia, and Washington, though very miscellaneous in character, and incomneither of them so complete as they should plete in certain departments. be, yet together furnish material for the prep-erable sums it now has at command for puraration of works in most departments of sci- chases are applied to make good its deficienence, literature, or art, and they are every cies as far and as fast as possible. year becoming more and more full in the topics heretofore deficient.

The library of Harvard University has grown up since 1764, when the original library was destroyed by fire, by numerous donations of books, and, in quite a number of instances, of entire libraries, as well as by donations and bequests of money from friends. These donations and bequests cannot fall much short of $150,000, and it has now a fund of $26,000, the interest of which is applicable to the purchase of books, and the sum of $5000 per year, for five years from 1859, pledged by William Gray, Esq., to be applied to the same purpose. The various collections of books in Gore Hall (the libra

The consid

The Boston City Library, a free public library, now ranks third in this country. It The best free library in this country, and was founded in 1848, in accordance with a the largest, is the Astor Library of New law of Massachusetts providing for the esYork. It was founded by the bequest of tablishment of town libraries. Hon. Josiah $400,000 by John Jacob Astor, of which Quincy, jr., then mayor of the city, gave $75,000 was to be appropriated for the build- $5000 toward it; Mr. Bigelow gave $1000; ing, $120,000 for the first purchase of books, Mr. Everett and Mr. Winthrop, large donaand the remainder invested, and the interest tions of books; Mr. Joshua Bates, of Lonapplied to the management and increase of don, $50,000, besides several thousand volthe library. The original building, with its umes; Mr. Jonathan Phillips, $10,000; and furniture and shelving, opened in 1854, cost others, smaller sums. The building, erected about $120,000, the excess over $75,000 be- at a cost of $363,000 by the city of Boston, ing from accrued interest. The $120,000 is one of the finest library rooms in the expended for books purchased about 80,000 world. The present number of volumes is a volumes. The shelf-room (13,000 feet) be-little more than 100,000, and is increasing ing likely to prove insufficient for the wants at the rate of 8000 volumes per annum. of the library, William B. Astor, Esq., the son | During the present year (1861) also, it will