PUBLIC SCHOOL LIBRARIES OF NEW YORK. 239 POOK IV. Chapter VI. and District Libraries. There are also, in the State of New York, 172 Libraries attached to Academies and Seminaries, under the Public School general supervision of the Regents of the University, who annually report to the Legislature, inter alia, the number of volumes, and the estimated value of the books in each Academy. These 172 Libraries contained, in 1855, 91,296 volumes, and their estimated value was 88,432 dollars (or £17,686 sterling). The following is a comparative view of these Academy Libraries in the years 1848, 1850, and 1855, respectively: ries of Rhode Island. In Rhode Island, within the four years 1846-1849, District Libra public Libraries were established in every town of the State, with only four exceptions, and mainly by the exertions of the enlightened and energetic Commissioner of Public Schools, Mr. Henry Barnard. These Libraries are small, but are composed of well-selected books, and are accessible to the whole population. Another public-spirited man, Mr. Amasa Manton, of Rhode-Island, has been the chief founder of ten Libraries in as many villages of that State, which now contain in the aggregate upwards of 5000 good books.2 Even in the newer States-such as Indiana and Mi 1 Sixty-eighth Annual Report of the Regents of the University of the State of New-York, March, 1855, 173–225. 2 Jewett, Notices etc., 63. BOOK IV. Chapter VI. chigan-progress is being made in a similar direction, Public School and by express legislative enactment. Indiana provid and District Libraries. ed, in the law which laid out the State into counties, for the appropriation of a piece of land in each county to the establishment of a public Library. In Michigan "the law has for several years made it the duty of the supervisor to assess a half-mill tax, upon each dollar of the taxable property of his township, for the purchase of a Township Library.... The constitution of the State provides that 'the clear proceeds of all fines assessed in the several counties for any breach of the penal laws shall be exclusively applied to the support of said Libraries." 'Although, it is added, 'according to the returns there are (1847) but 300 Township Libraries in the 425 townships of the State, from which reports have been received, still there is a very gratifying increase in the number of these Libraries, and the extent of their circulation. There are thirty more such Libraries reported this year than last, containing in all 42,926 volumes, which is 6938 more than they contained, according to the reports received in the year 1846. These libraries circulate through 1349 districts, which shows an increase of 268 over any former year. Communications received from several counties afford very gratifying evidence of their increased usefulness." "1 1 Jewett, Notices etc., p. 185. ... Visible and tangible products of the Past, I reckon up to the extent of three: Cities, ... Tilled Fields, and Books. In which third, truly, the last invented, lies a worth far surpassing that of the two others. Wondrous, indeed, is the virtue of a true book. Not like a dead City of stones, yearly crumbling, yearly needing repair; more like a Tilled Field, but then a Spiritual Field: like a Spiritual Tree, let me rather say, it stands from year to year, and from age to age (we have Books that already number some hundred and fifty human ages); and yearly comes its new produce of leaves, Commentaries, Deductions, Philosophies, Political Systems; or were it only Sermons, Pamphlets, Journalistic Essays,-every one of which is Talismanic and Thaumaturgic, for it can persuade Men. CARLYLE (Sartor Resartus, 105.) CHAPTER I. THE IMPERIAL LIBRARY OF FRANCE. What comic scenes are graceful, saving thine? In Valour's self-devotion were thy men; Thy women far sublimer: But foul stains At last thou bearest on thy plume; thy steps Follow false honour, deviating from true. A broken word bears on it worse disgrace Than broken sword. Ere while thou knewest this: LANDOR. § 1. FOUNDATION OF THE OLD LIBRARY OF THE KINGS OF FRANCE. (1364-1593.) BOOK V. Chapter I. The Imperial THE first beginnings of the National Library of France are, as we have seen already, to be traced to the collection, brought together in one of the towers of the Louvre by King Charles V., and dispersed during the Library at Paris. English invasion. Lewis XI. seems to have taken some pains to collect books, at an early age; and, soon after his accession, he gathered what remains could be yet found in France of the old Royal Library. The collection thus formed received rapid augmentation by the |