Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/practicalguideto00unse_1 THE ROTUNDA — READING ROOM, A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE LIBRARY of CONGRESS PAINTINGS WITH 92 KEY PICTURES AND OTHER ILLUS- TRATIONS AND THE LIBRARY QUOTATIONS FOSTER. & REYNOLDS. WASHINGTON Copyrights 1 9 0 3, by Foster & Reynolds CONTENTS Bronze Doors 58 Fountain 58 » Exterior Decorations 58 Entrance Pavilion 58 Vestibule 59 Grand Stair Hall 59 Commemorative Arch 60 Martiny Staircases 60 South Hall 62 South Corridor 66 Representatives’ Reading Room 68 Senate Reading Room 69 Reading Room Lobby 70 East Hall 71 Librarian’s Room 72 (not open to the public) North Hall 72 North Corridor 74 THE SECOND FLOOR. North Corridor 76 East Corridor 78 Stairway to Reading Room 79 South Corridor 79 West Corridor 80 Southwest Gallery 81 Southwest Pavilion 82 Southeast Pavilion 82 Northwest Gallery 83 Northwest Pavilion 83 Northeast Pavilion 84 Reading Room 85 Book Stacks 88 THE PAINTINGS AND OTHER DECORATIONS. Adventure 82 Architecture 81 Art (Dodge) 83 Art (Pratt) 58 Arts (Cox) 81 Book Series 71 Bronze Doors 58 Civilization 86 Civilization 82 Clock 88 Conquest 82 Discovery 82 Elements 82 Family 72 Fates 78 Fountain 58 Government 70 Graces 80 Greek Heroes 66 Human Understanding II Penseroso 78 Joy and Memory 66 L’Allegro 78 Literature (Barse) 78 Literature (Dodge) 83 Literature (Hoisay) 72 Literature (Pratt) 58 Martiny Sculptures 60 Minerva (Adams) 59 Minerva (Vedder) 79 Mosaic Mantels 68 Muses 74 Music (Dodge) 83 Painting 81 Peace 83 Quotations Race Heads 58 Poetry (Walker) 62 Poet’s Boys 62 Printers’ Marks 77 80 Science (Dodge) 83 Science (Pratt) 58 Sciences (Cox) 81 Sciences (Shirlaw) 80 Sculpture 81 Sculptures 58 Seals 84 Seasons (Benson) 80 Seasons (Pratt) 82 Senses 77 Sibyls. 77 80 Spectrum 69 Statues 85 Virtues 76, 79 War 83 Windows (States) 88 Wisdom 76 v* This “Practical Guide” is a reprint of the chapter on “The Library of Congress” in the W asking-ton Standard Guide . The other chapters of the Standard Guide . devoted to the Capitol, White House, Treasury, Monument, Arlington and Mount Vernon, will be found just as complete and satisfactory. RESEARCH LIBRARY GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy. THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS And its Mural Decorations. *** The eighty-six key pictures of paintings and architecture are miniatures from the volume of reproductions entitled “Book of the Paintings of the Library of Congress,” published by Foster & Reynolds, who publish also The Library Paintings reproduced in the original colors. T HE Library grounds adjoin those of the Capitol. The building faces west upon First street, and the outer walls have a frontage upon four streets (First, East Capitol, Second and B streets). The grounds and the seventy residences upon them cost $585,000. The foundations were laid in 1888, and the building was begun in 1889, and was completed 1897. The net cost, exclusive of site, was $6,032,124.54. The original architectural plans were prepared by the firm of Smithmeyer & Pelz. These were modified by those of Edward Pearce Casey. The building is of the Italian Renaissance order of architecture; jt has three stories, with a dome; and is in area 47oX340-ft., covering nearly 3 1 / 2 acres of ground, with four large inner courts, 150 by 75 to 100-ft., and nearly 2,000 windows render it the best lighted library in the world. The plan and arrangement are shown in our diagram. The building con- sists of a great central rotunda, which is the reading-room; from which radi- ate book-stacks, and which is inclosed in a parallelogram of galleries and pavilions. > The building material employed is for the exterior walls white granite from New Hampshire, and for the inner courts Maryland granite and white enameled bricks. There are three stories. On the ground floor are the copyright office, reading room for the blind, and superintendent’s office. The first floor con- tains the reading room (where the books are consulted), the librarian’s room, periodical reading room, Senate and Representatives’ reading room, and map room. The pavilions and galleries of the second floor are devoted to 56 The Library of Congress. exhibits of engravings and other collections, including rare books, first edi- tions, portraits of the Presidents and other personages. Exterior Decorations. — The Dome is finished in black copper, with panels gilded with a thick coating of gold leaf. The cresting of the Dome above the lantern, 195-ft. from the ground, terminates in a gilded finial, representing the torch of Science, ever burning. The thirty-three windows of the corner pavilion and of the west facade nave carved heads representing the several races of men. The types are : Russian Slav, Blonde European, Brunette European, Modern Greek, Persian, Circassian, Hindoo, Hungarian, Jew, Arab, Turk, Modern Egyptian, Abyssin- ian, Malay, Polynesian. Australian, Negrito, Zulu, Papuan, Soudan Negro, Akka, Fuegian, Botocudo, Pueblo Indian, Esquimau, Plains Indian, Samo- yede, Corean, Japanese, Aino, Burmese, Thibetan, Chinese. The Bronze Fountain, by Hinton Perry, represents the Court of Neptune , with conch-blowing tritons, sea nymphs, sea horses, serpents, frogs and turtles. The Entrance Pavilion has sixteen rounded pillars with Corinthian capitals. Four colossal Atlantes support the pediment, on which are sculptured Ameri- can eagles, with supporting figures of children. In the windows are nine colossal portrait-busts in granite : Emerson and Irving, by Hartley ; Goethe, Franklin and Macaulay, by Ruckstuhl ; Hawthorne, by Hartley; Scott, by Adams ; Demosthenes and Dante, by Adams. The sculptures over the en- trances by Bela L. Pratt typify Literature, Science and Art The Bronze Doors. Bronze Door — Printing. — By Frederick Macmonnies. — Minerva presiding over the “Diffusion of the Products of the Typographical Art.” Two winged figures of youthful genii are, as her envoys, conveying to mankind the bless- ings of learning and literature. By Minerva’s side is her owl ; other sugges- tions are the hour-glass, the old-fashioned printing press, the stork (as the bird of home), and a Pegasus. The legend: “ Homage to Gutenberg (Gu- tenberg was the inventor of printing, Germany, 1400-1468.) In the panels idealizations are of Intellect and Humanities, Bronze Fountain — Court of Neptune. THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS — FROM THE CAPITOL. 58 The Library of Congress. Bronze Door — Writing. — By Olin L. Warner. — A mother is instructing her children from the written record of the scroll. On’ one side is an Egyptian scribe with his stylus, and a Jewish patriarch; on the other, a Greek with a lyre and a Christian with the cross. In the panels are Truth with mirror and serpent and Research with torch. Bronze Door — Tradition. — By Olin L. Warner. — Tradition is typified as a woman reciting her story to a boy. Listening to the tale are four representative types of mankind — a Norse war- rior, with winged cap and battle-axe; a shep- herd with his crook ; a primitive man with his stone axe, and an American Indian with his arrows. The Indian figure is a portrait of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perces. In the left panel is Imagination with the lyre, emblematic of recitation and song; in the right stands widowed Memory clasping the sword and helmet of her dead. The genii below support the wings of Imagination and the memorial urn. Entrance Pavilion — Vestibule. The Minerva of Defensive War and the Minerva of Wisdom and the Liberal Arts, sculptural figures, by Plerbert Adams, are repeated in eight pairs. The white marble of the vestibule is from Italy. The gold of the ceiling is like that of the dome, 22-carats fine. Bronze Door — Tradition. Entrance Pavilion — Grand Stair Hall. The Central Stair Hall is a magnificent apartment, unsurpassed by any other entrance hall in the world. It is lined throughout with fine Italian marble, highly polished. On the sides rise lofty rounded columns, with ela- borate carved capitals of Corinthian design; while the arches are adorned with marble rosettes, palm leaves and foliated designs of exquisite finish and delicacy. The great height of this entrance hall, rising 72-ft. to the skylight, PLAN OF THE FIRST FLOOR AND DECORATIONS. THE NORTH STAIRWAY IN THE CENTRAL STAIR HALL. 6o The Library of Congress . with its vaulted ceiling, and the grand double staircase, with its white marble balustrades leading up on either side, exhibit an architectural effect which may fitly be termed imposing. The newel posts of the stairway are enriched by beautiful festoons of leaves and flowers, and are surmounted by two bronze lamp-bearers for electric lights. The staircases are ornamented with twenty- six miniature marble figures by Martiny, carved in relief, representing in em- blematic sculpture the various arts and sciences. This beautiful and spacious entrance hall has been described as “a vision in polished stone,” and, taken in connection with the grand corridors and the richly decorated Reading Room, the Library may be pronounced the finest marble interior in America. Commemorative Arch. — The spandrel figures by Warner are of Students , one a boy, the other an old man, for books are alike for the instruction of youth and solace of age. The panel, with fasces and eagle on either side, records : Erected under the acts of Congress of April 15, 1886; October 2, 1888, and March 2, 1889, by Brig.-Gen. Thos. Lincoln Casey, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A. Bernard R. Green, Supt. and fc ngi- neer. John L. Smithmeyer, Architect. Paul J. Pelz, Architect. Edward Pearce Casey, Architect. Martiny Staircases. — In the south stairway railing the sculptures are: Me- chanic with cog-wheel, Hunter with rabbit, Vintager with grapes and wine glass, Farmer with sickle and sheaf of wheat, Fisherman with rod and fish, Soldier with helmet, Chemist with blowpipe, and Cook with steaming pot. The buttress figures are of America and Africa, supporting a globe showing these continents. On the balustrade above are Comedy, Tragedy and Poetry. The figures of the north stairway are: Gardener with rake and spade, En- tomologist with net and specimen case, Student with mortar-board cap and book, Printer in paper cap with press and type, Musician with lyre and music book, Physician with mortar, retort and serpent, Electrician with telephone and electric light, Astronomer with telescope, globe and compasses. On the buttress are Europe (with lyre, book and column) and Asia (with dragon vase). The balustrade figures are Painting, Architecture and Sculpture. In the cove of the ceiling are Martiny’s flying half-figures supporting the device of lamp and book. Tablets bear the names of Moses, Herodotus, Dante, Homer, Milton, Bacon, Aristotle, Goethe, Shakespeare, Moliere; Cervantes, Hugo, Scott, Cooper, Longfellow, Tennyson, Gibbon, Bancroft. The Points of the Compass radiate from a conventional sun inlaid in brass in the floor, surrounded by the Signs of the Zodiac. The Building faces west. America and Africa. THE ROTUNDA — READING ROOM. 62 j} The Library of Congress. The Muse of Lyric Poetry. Entrance Pavilion — South Hall. Poetry. — By H. O. Walker. In Lyric Poetry, the central figure is an ideali- zation of the Muse, laurel-crowned and striking the lyre. She is attended by Passion with arm upraised responding to the strains, Beauty, and Mirth, Pathos with eyes raised to heaven, Truth, and Devotion with bowed head. Poets’ Boys. — Six paintings present ideals of youthful subjects of the poets: Boy of Winander. Emerson— Uriel. This was the lapse of Uriel, Which in Paradise befell, Once among the Pleiads walking, Said overheard the young gods talking. One, with low tones that decide, And doubt and reverend use defied, With a look that solved the sphere, And stirred the devils everywhere, Gave his sentiment divine Against the being of a line: Wordsworth— The There was a Boy; ye knew him well, ye cliffs And islands of Winander! — many a time, At evening, when the earliest stars began To move along the edges of the hills, Rising or setting, would he stand alone, Beneath the trees, or by the glimmering lake ; And there, with fingers interwoven, both hands Pressed closely palm to palm and to his mouth Uplifted, he, as through an instrument, Blew mimic hootings to the silent owls, That they might answer him. — And they would shout Across the watery vale, and shout again, “Line in nature is not found, Unit and Universe are round; In vain produced, all rays return, Evil will bless and ice will burn.” As Uriel spoke with piercing eye, A shudder ran around the sky; The stern old war-gods shook their heads, The seraphs frowned from myrtle-beds. Boy of Winander. Responsive to his call, with quivering peals, And long halloos, and screams, and echoes loud Redoubled and redoubled; concourse wild Of jocund din! And, when there came a pause Of silence such as baffled his best skill: Then, sometimes, in that silence, while he hung Listening, a gentle shock of mild surprise Has carried far into his heart the voice Of mountain torrents; or the visible scene Would enter unawares into his mind With all its solemn imagery, its rocks, Its woods, and that uncertain heaven re- ceived Into the bosom of the steady lake. Hall of the Poets. 63 This boy was taken from his mates, and died In childhood, ere he was full twelve years old. Pre-eminent in beauty is the vale Where he was born and bred: the church- yard hangs Upon a slope above the village school; And, through that churchyard when my way has led On summer evenings, I believe, that there A long half-hour together I have stood Mute— looking at the grave in which he lies ! Comus. Adonis. Milton— Comus. Comus, the enchanter, in the wood at night, listens to the song of The Lady, and at its conclusion exclaims: Can any mortal mixture of earth’s mould Breathe such divine, enchanting ravishment? Endymion. Ganymede. Shakespeare— Adonis. Adonis, the young hunter loved by Venus, unmindful of the entreaties of the goddess, left her side to hunt the wild boar, by which he was slain. Venus discovers him. She looks upon his lips, and they are pale; She takes him by the hand, and that is cold; She whispers in his ears a heavy tale, As if they heard the woeful words she told; She lifts the coffer-lids that close his eyes, Where, lo, two lamps, burnt out, in darkness lies. “Wonder of Time,” quoth she, “this is my spite That, thou being dead, the day should yet be light!” Keats — Endymion. The story runs that from her silver chariot of the moon, Diana beheld the shepherd boy Endymion asleep upon Mount Latmos; and enamored of his beauty, descended to press a kiss upon his lips. Night after night in her course across the heavens, the god- dess paused to caress the youth; and Endymion, each time but partially awakened, was conscious of her presence only as the sweet vision of a dream. Tennyson— Ganymede. When Jupiter came down to earth, to seek a successor to Hebe as Cupbearer to the Gods, he took the form of an eagle, and flying over Mount Ida, saw the Trojan Prince Ganymede, whom he carried off to Olympus. Tennyson in his “Palace of Art” de- scribes, as among the pictures decorating its walls, one of Ganymede borne aloft by the eagle — Or else flushed Ganymede, his rosy thigh Half-buried in the Eagle’s down, Sole as a flying star shot thro’ the sky Above the pillar’d town. 6 4 The Library of Congress . Joy and Memory. Joy and Memory are idealized in the painting above the arch in the west wall. Joy is attended by a boy with a lamb ; Memory sits by a sculp- tured marble. The composition sym- bolizes the dual office of poetry as giving expression to the joyousness of life and as commemorating the men and the deeds of the past. The inscription is from Wordsworth: The Poets, who on earth have made us heirs Of truth and pure delight by heavenly lays. In the mosaic ceiling are names of poets : Theocritus, Pindar, Anacreon, Sappho, Catullus, Horace, Petrarch, Ronsard, Longfellow, Lowell, Whittier, Bryant, Whitman, Poe, Browning, Shelley, Byron, Musset, Hugo, Heine. South Curtain Corridor. Greek Heroes. — By Walter McEwen. The paintings have for their themes incidents in the Greek myths of Paris, Jason, Bellerophon, Orpheus, Per- seus, Prometheus, Theseus, Achilles and Hercules. Paris. — When Juno, Minerva and Venus contended as to which was the fairest, they left the decision to Paris, a shepherd boy on Mount Ida. To influence him, Juno promised him power, Minerva martial glory, and Venus the most beautiful woman in the world. He decided in favor of Venus, and she gave him Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta. Paris accordingly repaired to the court of Menelaus. and Helen eloped with him to Troy. The Greeks, making the cause of Menelaus their own, besieged Troy to recover Helen, and the Trojan War followed. Theseus sailed with a company of Athenian youths and maidens who were sent as a tribute to King Minos of Crete to be given over to the Minotaur, a monster half-bull and half human, which fed on human flesh. Ariadne, Paris at the Court of Menelaus and Helen. The Greek Heroes . Achilles. Hercules. Pandora holds the fateful box, from which were to be let fly into the world all human ills, only Hope remaining to bless mankind. Hercules having killed a man was condemned to serve Omphale, the Queen of Lydia, as a slave. Appareled in feminine dress, the hero was put to spin- ning and other woman’s tasks. Achilles w is disguised by his mother as a school girl and sent to a distant court in order that he might not be enlisted in the Trojan War. The wily Ulysses set out to find him, and assuming the character of a peddler displayed his wares. The girls chose feminine trinkets, but Achilles was attracted to a man’s shield and casque, and thus revealed himself. the daughter of Minos, fell in love with Theseus, and gave him the clue of the labyrinth, by which he was enabled to reach and slay the Minotaur. Ariadne set sail with the hero for Athens; but on the way, at the isle of Naxos, Minerva, in a dream, directed Theseus to desert her, and in obedience to the command he sailed away and left Ariadne sleeping. Prometheus having stolen fire from heaven, Jupiter created the first woman, Pandora, for the punishment of mankind, and sent her to Prometheus. He refused her, and vainly cautioned his brother Epimetheus not to accept her. Theseus. Prometheus: Bellerophon. 66 The Library of Congress . Jason. Orpheus. Bellerophon, commissioned to slay the Chimsera, a monster with lion’s head, goat’s body and dragon’s tail, receives from Minerva the golden bridle of the winged horse Pegasus, by whose aid he is to accomplish the task. Perseus was sent by King Polydectes to slay the Gorgon, Medusa, a crea- ture of aspect so terrible that whoever looked upon her face was turned to stone. By the aid of Minerva Perseus beheaded the Gorgon, and returned to the court of Polydectes, as that monarch was celebrating with a banquet a forced marriage with Danae, the mother of Perseus. The hero came just in time to rescue his mother by confronting the King and his company with the Gorgon’s head and so turning them into stone. Jason was the leader of the expedition of the Argonauts, who went in quest of the Golden Fleece. This was the fleece of a ram, which was preserved by the King of Colchis, and guarded by a dragon. By the aid of the sorceress Medea, Jason was successful and brought the Fleece back to Athens. Orpheus, having failed to bring back his wife Eurydice from the realms of Pluto, retired to Mount Athos. Here his solitude was invaded by the Thracian women celebrating their Bacchic rites ; and when he repelled their advances, in their fury they stoned him to death. Representatives’ Reading Room. Mosaic Mantels. — By Frederick Dielman. The mantels of Italian marble are the richest and most beautiful adornments of the building. The mosaic panels (exceeding 7 feet by 3 feet in size) have for subjects Law and History. Law, a woman of radiant countenance and wearing the aegis, is enthroned upon a dais. At her feet are doves of peace, the bound volume of the sta- tutes, and the scales of justice. She holds a palm branch toward Truth with her lilies, Peace with twig of olive, and Industry with artisan’s cap and ham- mer ; and interposes a sword against skulking Fraud, Discord with malign serpents, and Violence with sword and torch. History . — In the center stands the Muse of History with recording pen and gold-clasped volume. In the panels are names of great historians : Herod- otus, Thucydides, Polybius, Livy, Tacitus, Bseda, Comines, Hume, Gibbon, Niebuhr, Guizot, Ranke, Bancroft, Motley. On the left side sits Mythology with recording stylus and globe symbolic of the myths £>f the worlds. Beside her are a winged Sphinx and Pandora’s box. On the right is the venerable figure of Tradition, and by her with a lyre sits a youthful poet, who will sing the story that she tells. In the distance back of Mythology, rise the Pyramids Representatives’ Reading Room. 6 7 Mosaic Mantel— Law. of Egypt, back of History the Parthenon of Greece, and beyond Tradition the Colosseum of Rome. The oak tympanums over the doors are by C. H. Niehaus with mo- tives of Minerva’s owl and the American eagle. Pictorial Spectrum of Light. — Carl Gutherz has painted in ceiling panels idealizations of the seven primary colors: Indigo, the Light of Science. Blue, the Light of Truth. Green, the Light of Research. Yellow, the Light of Creation. Orange, the Light of Progress. Red, the Light of Poetry. Violet, the Light of State. Senate Reading Room. The Senate Reading Room ceiling is decorated with a gold ground on which are floating female figures. Above the mantel is carved the shield of the Union surmounted by the American Eagle. (By Adams.) Mosaic Mantel — History. 68 The Library of Congress. Entrance Pavilion — Reading Room Lobby. Government of the Republic and the results of good and bad administration are symbolized by Elihu Vedder in five paintings as follows: Government . majestic of mien and laurel-crowned, holds the scepter, and a tablet, on which is Lincoln’s characterization : “A government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Genii bear the sword of authority and the bridle of restraint. The oak typifies strength. Good Administration, the genius of America, is seated beneath an arch, of which each stone fills its office of support for all the others, as every State Government. Good Administration. must contribute to the upholding of the Union. She holds, evenly balanced, the scales of justice, and supports a shield whose divisions represent the idea of political parties. In her lap is the open book of the laws. To one ballot urn comes a youth to cast his vote; his books indicate that intelligence must qualify for the franchise. Into the other urn, public opinion winnows the wheat from the chaff. The fig tree and the wheat fields indicate domestic tran- quility. Good administration insures peace and prosperity. Peace and Prosperity are symbolized by a goddess who extends laurel wreaths in token of encouragement and reward to Agriculture and Art. p eaC e and Prosperity. In the background is the olive tree. Corrupt Legislation has gathered to herself cornucopias of gold, the sources ot which are shown by the corruptionist placing his bribe in her sliding scale. That the Briber has purchased legislation is indicated by the book of the law which he holds on his own lap, and by the overthrown ballot urn at his feet Corrupt Legislation. Anarchy. The Book Series. 69 The Cairn. Oral Tradition. The strong box, the coin and the busy factories tell of his prosperity. Honest Industry, with empty distaff, sues for recognition in vain. The factory chim- neys in the distance are smokeless. The flying leaves of the vine presage decay. Anarchy , holding aloft as a brand the flaming scroll of the Constitution and clutching the cup of madness, is here the presiding genius amid universal wreck and ruin. Serpents are twisted in her hair. One foot rests upon the Hieroglyphics. The Pictograph. downfallen arch of the State; with the other she is spurning religion, learn- ing, art and law. Ignorance and Violence are assisting in the overthrow. The broken mill and cog wheels typify the ruin of industries. The tree is withered and dead. The bomb with fuse alight foretells the end. Entrance Pavilion — East Hall. The Evolution of the Book. — By John W. Alexander, a series of six panels: 1. The Cairn erected by prehistoric man on the seashore, a mere heap of boulders to commemorate some notable event. 2. Oral Traditions . — The Ori- ental story-teller, relating his tale to a group of absorbed listeners. 3. Hiero- glyphics chiseled upon the face of a monumental tomb by the Egyptian stone- cutter. 4. The Pictograph , or picture writing, by winch the primitive Ameri- can Indian records on the painted buffalo robe his rude story of the war trail The Manuscript. The Printing Press. fJSf J Z<>Z*Z*>Z j r W If iZ<>Z<>Z<>Z | R Jj j **** I PZ*>Z% \ . // J>Z<%>Z f XCoZoZ m !%%%% \ § W?W: 1 ■z W&& I - •;S xS H d) .W) ps OS OS •5 .2 ps .52 ^3 II £ « cp _ , 2 & tO M OS 2 ’B ^ ! B os 3 -p 2 X3 _ CD > )2 H •"! S 5 a js «+H W S .2 as OS rP to > o ^ -4— > « C/3 “ ^ * X* » 2 aS -3 P g u tuo 2 • *n ps ■ S ■ S « ° S P | ^^2 H.?3: a s 2 « p eu o 72 The Library of Congress . and the chase. 5. The Manuscript engrossed and illuminated by the monastic scribes of the Middle Ages. 6. The Printing Press. — Gutenberg, the inventor of printing, is reading a proof which has just come from the press. The Ceiling Decorations are em- blems of arts and sciences, with names of Americans who have achieved distinction in them : Archi- tecture — Latrobe, Walter, architects of the Capitol. Music — Mason, Gottschalk. Painting — Stuart, Allston. Sculpture — Powers, Crawford. Poetry — Emerson, Holmes. Natural Science — Say, Dana. Mathematics — Pierce, Bo wd itch. Astronomy — Bond, Rittenhouse. Engineering — Francis, Stevens. Natural Philosophy — Silliman, Cook. Medicine — Cross, Wood, McDowell, Rush, Warren. Law — Hamilton, Kent, Pinckney, Shaw, Taney, Marshall, Story, Gibson, Webster, Curtis. Theology — Mather, Edwards, Channing, Beecher, Brooks. Librarian’s Room. In the ceiling of the Librarian’s room is E. J. Holslag’s idealization of Literature , as a woman of benign aspect; she holds a scroll, and is at- tended by a youthful genius bearing a lamp. The theme is repeated in other female figures in the corners be- low, with the symbols of book, torch and lute. The ceiling decoration shows the Greek lamp, Minerva’s owl, books, palms, girls with garlands and heralds of fame. The wall and ceiling quotations are given elsewhere. Floating Scroll Bearers. North Hall of Entrance Pavilion. Entrance Pavilion — North Hall. The Family. — Charles Sprague Pearce’s paintings have for their theme The Family, and Religion, Labor, Study, Recreation and Rest, as elements of civil- The Family. The Family. 73 Labor. Study. ization. In The Family the central figure is the child in arms, which the mother holds out to crow a welcome to the father just returned from the hunt. There are two older sisters in the group, while the grandfather and the grandmother look on with fond affection. In Religion, two worshippers kneel before a stone altar, from which ascends the smoke of their sacrifice. Labor is represented by two young farmers clearing the land. In the other panels are girlish figures; in Study, with books and compasses; in Recreation , Recreation. Rest. delighting in the music of pipe and tambourine ; in Rest, reclining by an invit- ing pool. Above the window two floating figures support a scroll with the wise saying of Confucius : “Give instruction unto those who cannot procure it for themselves.” In the ceiling are names of educators : Froebel, Pestalozzi, Rousseau, Comenius, Ascham, Howe, Gallaudet, Mann, Arnold, Spencer. Religion. 74 The Library of Congress . North Curtain Corridor. The Muses.— Edward Simmons. M elp omene , Muse of Tragedy, has the tragic mask. T he genii hold laurel crown and brazier of fire, suggestions which are repeated in the other paintings. Clio , Muse of History, whose records are of heroic deeds, has for symbols a wreathed helmet and torch. 1 halia, Muse of Gaiety, Pastoral Life and Comedy; faun with Pan’s pipes; Euterpe— Lyric Poetry, Mistress of Song. Terpsichore— Choral Dance. Urania — Astronomy. Calliope— Epic Poetry and Eloquence. Clio — History. Thalia — Gaiety, Pastoral Life and Comedy. Erato — Love Poetry. Polyhymnia — Inspired Song, Sacred Music. comic mask. Euterpe, Muse of Lyric Poetry, the Mistress of Song, has a flute. Terpsichore, Muse of the Choral Dance, is striking the cymbals. Erato, Muse of Love Poetry, has a garland of white roses; a crouching lioness typi- fies her universal sway. Polyhymnia, Inspired Song and Sacred Music — an open book. Urania, Astronomy — mathematical instruments. Calliope , Epic Poetry and Eloquence — scroll and peacock feather. THE MOSAIC MINERVA. By Elihu Vedder. 7 6 The Library of Congress. Prudence. Courage. Patriotism. Fortitude. THE VIRTUES. THE SECOND FLOOR Entrance Pavilion — North Corridor. The Virtues.-— Geo. W. Maynard’s paintings of floating female figures, in the Pompeiian style, on a vermillion ground, symbolize the Virtues. Fortitude is armor-clad, with casque, cuirass and greaves, buckler and mace. Justice sup- ports a globe, and holds a drawn sword. Industry’s emblems are the spindle, distaff and flax. Concordia, with olive branch, pours from a cornucopia grains of wheat symbolic of the prosperity of peace. (See South Corridor.) Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Philosophy. — By Robert Reid. Wis- dom holds a tablet. Understanding has a scroll. Knowledge holds a book. Wisdom. Understanding. Knowledge. Philosophy. Philosophy s attitude is of. reflection and meditation; in the background is a Greek temple, the ancient home of philosophy. The Senses.— By Robert Reid. In the ceiling the Senses are idealized as beautiful young women. Taste is sipping from a shell; the accessories are bunches of grapes. Sight contemplates herself in a hand glass; she is at- tended by a peacock, pleasing to look upon. Smell inhales the fragrance of a full-blown rose, plucked from a bank of flowers by her side. Hearing presses North Corridor. 77 Taste. Hearing. Smell. Touch. Sight. THE SENSES. of sciences and industries — Geometry, Meteorology, Forestry, Navigation, Mechanics, Transportation. Sibyls. — The sculptures in the vault, above the west window, by R. H. Perry, represent the Sibyls, or ancient prophetesses, who interpreted omens, delivered oracles, and foretold the future. The Sibyls here portrayed are the Greek and the Eastern or Persian. In a corresponding position in the south corridor are the Roman and Scandinavian. In the border of the arch above this win- dow is in obverse and reverse the Great Seal of the United States. Over the east window is the JVe stern Hemisphere. to her ear a shell which murmurs of the sea. Touch looks with delight upon a butterfly which has alighted on her arm ; by her lies a dog. Ancient Games are shown in small ceiling panels, suggestive of the relaxation and recreation which must lighten labor and study — Throwing the Discus, Wrestling, Running, the Finish, the Wreath of Victory, the Triumph. Printers’ Marks, the distinctive emblematic devices, answering to trade- marks, used by printers and publishers on the title-pages of their books, are employed as motives in all the entrance pavilion corridors of this floor. There are fifty-six in all, the earliest being that of Fust and Schoffer, 1457. The marks in this corridor are of American and British publishers ; the supporting figures are griffins and swans. The trophy medallions are filled with symbols Temperance. Justice. Concordia. THE VIRTUES. Industry. 7 8 The Library of Congress. Entrance Pavilion — East Corridor. Literature. — In the ceiling George R. Barse, Jr., has painted a series of female figures personifying the departments of Literature. Lyrica (Lyric Poetry) with lyre, Tragedy with tragic mask, Comedy with laughing mask and tam- bourine, History with palm branch, scroll, and scroll-box, Romance with pen, scroll and wreath, Fancy musing as in a day dream, Tradition with a Nike or Winged Victory, Erotica (Love Poetry) with tablet and pen. The Fates. — In ceiling panels W. A. Mackay has taken for his theme the Thread of Life as spun by the Three Fates fabled by the ancients to preside over the life of man and control his destiny — Clotho, who spins the thread, Lachesis, who twists it, and Atropos, who cuts it. Clotho is here with her distaff. The child is just ushered into life. There is a twig of a tree. The legend runs : “For a web begun, God sends thread.” In the second panel is Lachesis, with her loom. The child has become a mature man, the tree is in full bearing, and from its boughs the man has plucked a measure of fruit. The legend reads : “The web of life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill to- gether.” Lastly is seen Atropos, with her shears; and before her the decrepit old man on crutches is sinking to the ground, his face turned to the setting sun. The tree is withered and bare. The inscription is from Milton’s “Lycidas.” And slits the thin-spun life. Comes the blind Fury with th’ abhorred shears The inscriptions below the three panels give this adaptation of Cardinal Wolsey’s similitude of the life of man to that of the tree: This is the state of man. To day he puts forth The tender leaves of hopes; to-morrow blossoms, And bears his blushing honors thick upon him. The third day comes a frost and nips his root, and then he falls. The Printers' Marks are Italian and Spanish. The Commemorative Tablets, at the end of the corridor, bear the names of American printers, type founders and press builders: Green, Daye, Franklin, Thomas, Bradford, Clymer, Adams, Gordon, Hoe, Bruce. L’Allegro, II Penseroso. — Paintings on the Wall, by W. B. Van Ingen, are idealizations of Milton’s L’Allegro and II Penseroso. L’Allegro, or Mirth, a fair-haired, blue-eyed woman, reclines amid the flowers and sunshine of a summer’s day, attended by playful children. Milton’s invocation is given: Come thou goddess fair and free, Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles. In Heaven ycleped Euphrosyne, Nods and becks, and wreathed smiles, And by men, heart-easing Mirth. Such as hang on Hebe’s cheek, Haste thee, nymph, and bring with thee And love to live in dimple sleek. Jest and youthful jollity, II Penseroso , or Melancholy, is pictured as a dark-eyed, dark-haired woman, in pensive reverie, in an autumnal wood; and the poem is quoted: TTail, thou goddess, sage and holy, And looks commercing with the skies, Hail divinest Melancholy, Thy rapt soul sitting in thine eyes: Come, but keep thy wonted state, There, held in holy passion still. With even step and musing gait, Forget thyself to marble. The marble arches and domes are elaborately carved, and have a wealth of symbolic decorations. Trophy medallions in the six 4 ome S represent The Stairway to Reading Room. 79 II Penseroso. L’ Allegro. Drama (masks), Music (lyre), Sculpture (carved figure), Literature (lamp and book), Architecture (a column capital), Painting (palette and brush). Architecture is represented by the names in gold. Roman and the Colosseum, Agra (India) and the Taj Mahal, Athens and the Parthenon, Gizeh and the Pyramids. For Sculpture are named the Farnese Bull, Laocoon, Niobe, Par- thenon Pediment; Venus, Apollo, Zeus, Hercules. Stairway to Reading Room Rotunda, Minerva. — By Elihu Vedder. From the east corridor a stairway ascends to the balcony of the reading room; on the wall of the landing is Elihu Vedder’s mosaic of Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom. She displays a scroll upon which is inscribed a list of the Sciences, Arts and Letters. She carries her spear; upon her breast is the segis, with its Gorgon’s head, plates of steel, and bor- der of twisted serpents; and at her feet lie hel- met and shield. On her right is the owl ; on her left a statuette of Nike, the Winged Victory of the Greeks, standing upon a globe, and extend- ing the wreath of victory and the palm branch of peace. The background shows a fair stretch- ing landscape, and the sun of prosperity sheds its effulgence over all. The enrollment on the scroll reads : Agricultural, Education, Me- chanics, Commerce, Government, History, Astronomy, Geography, Statistics, Economics, Sculpture, Architecture, Music, Poetry, Biogra- phy, Geology, Botany, Medicine, Philosophy, Law, Politics, Arbitration, Treaties, Army, Navy, Finance, Art of War. Stairway to Rotunda. Entrance Pavilion — South Corridor. The Virtues.— By Geo. W. Maynard. Patriotism supports on her arm the American eagle, which she is feeding from a golden bowl. Courage , wearing a casque, is equipped with sword and buckler. Temperance pours water from a pitcher. Prudence has for symbols the mirror and the serpent. 8o The Library of Congress. Tne Seasons, By F. W. Benson, The Seasons.=By F. W Benson, The Seasons are personified by female figures, with varying landscape and development of vegetation. Spring with a bud, Summer with a lapful of full blown blossoms, Autumn with flying draperies, and the falling leaf ; Winter in a landscape cold and bleak. The Graces.— R W, Benson in ceiling panels celebrates The Graces, the ancient goddesses of whatever is lovely in nature, human life and art. Aglaia , patroness of pastoral life and husbandry, with shepherdess crook, sits on a bank of flowers, and blossoms are in her hair. Thalia, patroness of the arts, is seated upon a marble bench, by her side is a lyre for Music, in the back- ground a Greek temple for Architecture. Euphrosyne, patroness of human loveliness of person and mind, contemplates in a mirror her own fair face. The Printers’ Marks are French; their supporting figures are wood nymphs, fauns, tritons and mermaids, with Pan’s pipes, conch shells and dolphins. The Trophy Medallions of the ceiling contain symbols of trades and indus- tries : Printer, Potter, Glass Maker, Carpenter, Blacksmith, Mason. Two panels illustrate the modern Baseball and Football. Sibyls .■ — Above the west window are sculptures by Perry, of the Roman Sibyl, pictured as an aged crone, who from beneath her veil delivers the oracle to a warrior clad in mail; and the Northern Sibyl clad in fur robes, a Norse warrior attends her utterance. Above the windows are the Caduceus and the Mace, ensigns of authority, and a medallion map of the Eastern Hemisphere. Entrance Pavilion — West Corridor. The Sciences. — Walter Shirlaw’s ceiling paintings comprise a series of female figures ideal of the Sciences. Zoology clad in skins of wild beasts caresses a lion. Physics holds the torch of investigation. Mathematics has a scroll on which geometrical lines are drawn, and her foot rests upon a block of geo- Aglaia. Euphrosyne. THE GRACES Thalia. 'Southwest Gallery. 81 metrical solids. Geology , with a globe, mineral, fossil shell ; the earth and the moon are shown. Archeology, with Minerva’s helmet, a marble scroll and Zuni vase, is seeking to decipher the record contained in an ancient book. Botany, standing upon the pad of a water lily, analyzes its blossom. Astron- omy, with feet planted upon the earth, holds a telescopic lens and the sphere of Saturn with its rings. The moon is shown in its crescent phase. Chemis- try’s symbols are glass retort, hour glass and serpent. Southwest Gallery. The Sciences — The Arts. — By Kenyon Cox. In the Sciences Astronomy in the center measures a celestial sphere; the other figures are Botany, in dress of green and gold; Zoology, toying with a peacock; Mathematics, with a numeral frame on which the heads count the year 1896. In the Arts Poetry, laurel-crowned, sings to the lyre; the other figures are Sculpture and Paint- ing, Architecture and Music. Above the doors and windows are inscribed names eminent in science and art, running in this order from the north entrance : Homer, Michael Angelo, Raphael, Rubens, Milton, Leibnitz, Dalton, Kepler, Herschel, Galileo, Aris- totle, Ptolemy, Hipparchus, Lamarck, Helmholtz, Phidias, Vitruvius, Bra- mante, Mozart, Wagner. The ceiling medallions by W. B. Van Ingen are female figures typifying Painting (at work at the easel), Architecture (drawing a plan of a building), and Sculpture (chiseling a bust of Washington). The Printers’ Marks are of German craftsmen. Tablets record names distinguished in the sciences: Cuvier for Zoology, Rumford for Physics, LaGrange for Mathematics, Lyell for Geology, Schliemann for Archaeology, Linnaeus for Botany, Copernicus lor Astronomy, Lavoisier for Chemistry. The Arts. 82 The Library of Congress . Southwest Pavilion. The Discovery and Settlement of America are the themes of Geo. W. May- nard’s decorations. The four wall paintings are allegories of Adventure, Dis- covery, Conquest and Civilization. Adventure , clad in armor of gold and purple robes, holds a drawn sword and the Caduceus, or Mercury’s magic wand. On her right is the genius of the England of Drake’s time; on her left that of the Spain of the sixteenth century. Discovery wears the sailor’s buff jerkin of the sixteenth century. She supports with one hand a rudder, and with the other, upon her lap, a globe charted with the map ascribed to Leonardo da Vinci (about 1500), the first one known to show America. The genius on her right has a chart and a paddle; the one on her left a sword and a back-staff, which, like the astro- labe shown in the supporting shields, was a primitive quadrant. Conquest firmly grasps her sword, while her genii display emblems of victory; one has the palm, typical of Spanish achievement in the South: the other the oak, suggesting England’s acquisitions in the North. Civilization s emblems are the torch and the open book; those of one genius, a scythe and a sheaf of wheat; of the other, a distaff and spindle. In the ceiling Mr. Maynard has pictured Courage, Valor, Fortitude and Achievement, idealized in woman’s form. Courage, clad in scale-armor and a lion’s pelt, is equipped with shield and studded war club. Valor, wearing mail, holds a drawn sword. Fortitude, with flowing robes, carries the ornamental column which is the emblem of sustaining strength. Achievement, in Roman armor, points to the eagle of ancient Rome as the symbol of victory. The Seasons. — In sculpture reliefs, by Bela L. Pratt, the Seasons are symbolized as female figures: Spring , as a young woman sowing grain; The Seasons. Sculptures by Bela L. Pratt. Summer , seated amid flowers; Autumn, a mother nursing her babe, while a boy stands near her with bunches of grapes; Winter, an aged woman gathering fagots ; an owl is perched on the withered tree. The series is re- peated in the other pavilions. Southeast Pavilion — Second Floor. The Four Elements are symbolized in the wall and ceiling paintings by R. L. Dodge and E. E. Garnsey. In each panel a central figure as the personifi- cation of the Element supports emblematic garlands, the other ends of which are held by genii in the corners. Reclining figures are accompanied with symbols, and other symbols are seen on the standards and in the borders. Northwest Gallery and Northwest Pavilion . 83 The Sun, as the chariot of Phoebus-Apollo, is the central decoration of the ceiling; and surrounding it, in order corresponding with the wall panels, are further symbolizations of the Elements. Northwest Gallery. War and Peace. — By Gari Melchers. War represents the return from battle. The dogs of war strain at the leash; then, foot soldiers with spear and buckler; the King on his white horse, riding over the prostrate bodies of the slain; the color-bearer and herald proclaiming victory, and the wounded car- War. ried on litters or attended by nurses in the rear. In Peace, the scene is a procession of worshippers who have come to make their votive offering at the shrine of the deity. The effigy of the goddess is borne in state; an ox is led as the chief offering. In the company come a mother to pray in behalf Peace. of her child, the sick to ask health, a poet to offer his laurel wreath, and a sailor lad with a ship’s model in token of gratitude for succor at sea. The Names on the walls are: Wellington, Washington, Charles Martel, Cyrus, Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Charlemagne, Napoleon, Jackson, Sheri- dan, Grant, Sherman, William the Conqueror, Frederick the Great, Eugene, Marlborough, Nelson, Scott, Farragut. Northwest Pavilion. Art, Literature, Music and Science. — By W. L, Dodge. In Art a student is drawing from a model, while a sculptor is seen chiseling a sphinx, and a woman decorating a vase. Literature has for its leading personage the Genius of Wisdom holding an open book, with Tragedy and Comedy, a poet about to be crowned by Fame, and a mother instructing her children. In Music r Apollo is accompanied by other musicians. In Science Electricity, with phono- 8 4 The Library of Congress. graph and telephone, kneels to receive from winged Fame the laurel wreath of renown; Franklin’s kite is seen on the ground. Steam Navigation is repre- sented by an inventor holding a model of a propeller; Agriculture by a farmer binding grain ; Medical Science by anatomists examining a skull ; Chemistry by a retort, and the application of Steam Power by a tea-kettle with the steam escaping from the spout. In the ceiling is an allegory of Ambition by the same artist. Various aspirants having attained the utmost verge of human endeavor, with eager gaze and arms outstretched, reach toward Glory, floating far above them, bearing a wreath, and attended by her winged horse Pegasus and trumpeting Fame. Northeast Pavilion. The Seals of the United States and the Executive Departments are the motives of the decorations by W. B. Van Ingen and E. E. Garnsey Wreathed panels contain patriotic sentiments; female figures idealize the Departments whose seals they support emblazoned on shields. Treasury and State. — For one is shown the familiar Treasury building; for the other the Capitol Dome and the Washington Monument. ’Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world. — Washington. Let our object be our country, our whole country, and nothing but our country. — Thank God! I also am an American — Webster. War and Navy. — The genii supporting the seals are equipped with Army and Navy swords ; for the Army are the Roman standard (modified to show the initials U. S. A.) and the Bunker Hill Monument; for the Navy the masts of the battleship Indiana and Decatur’s rostral column at Annapolis. The aggregate happiness of society is, our ought to be, the end of all government. — To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. — Washing- ton. Agriculture and Interior. — For Agriculture the background is of a farming country, in that of the Interior is represented the Indian’s tree sepulture. The agricultural interest of the country is connected with every other, and superior in importance to them all. — Jackson. Let us have peace. — Grant. Justice and the Post Office. — The symbols are the Scales of Justice, and a bronze statue of Mercury the messenger of the gods. Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or polit- ical ; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations — entangling alliances with none.— J efferson. The Great Seal of the United States in the ceiling is surrounded by a decora- tion comprising the forty-eight stars of the flag; the cardinal winds, North, East, South and West, represented by blowing faces, and symbolical of the geographical divisions of the Union; fruits and grains as typical products of each section of the country; and the cornucopia of Agriculture, dolphin of Commerce, lyre of Art, and torch of Education. Encircling the whole is the conclusion of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (see the Arlington chapter) : That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. The Reading Room . 85 The Reading Room. The Reading Room. — Ascending the stairway from the East Corridor we en- ter the Visitors’ Gallery, where an excellent view is afforded of the Rotunda or central Reading Room. The vast apartment is imposing in size and effective in architectural design and color scheme of marble walls and pillars and tiers of arches and balustrades, and the uplifted dome with its elaborate stucco ornamentation. The room is 100-ft. in diameter and 125-ft. in height ; the pillars are 40-ft. high, the windows 32-ft. wide. The richness of the color effect lies in the marbles, of which the dark are from Tennessee, the red from Numidia, and the shades of yellow from Siena. The stucco ornaments of the dome are in old ivory, and comprise a great variety of designs — among them Martiny’s female figures supporting cartouches; Weinert’s winged half-figures; winged boys with wreaths and garlands, torches, lamps, swans, eagles, dol- phins and arabesques. The Symbolical Statues. — Upon the eight piers are female figures of colossal stature. Above each is a quotation chosen by President Eliot, of Harvard : Religion , by Baur, holding a flower. What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? — Micah vi: 8. Commerce, by Flanagan, holding miniature locomotive and ship : We taste the spices of Arabia, yet never feel the scorching sun which brings them forth. — Considerations on East India Trade. History, by French, with book and reflecting mirror: One God, one law, one element, And one far-off divine event, To which the whole creation moves. — Tennyson. Art, by St. Gaudens and Dozzi, laurel-crowned, with a model of the Par- thenon for architecture, a brush and palette for painting, and a mallet for sculpture : As one lamp lights another, nor grows less, So nobleness enkindleth nobleness. — Lowell. Philosophy, by Pratt, with book: The inquiry, knowledge, and belief of truth is the sovereign good of human nature. — Bacon. Poetry, by Ward, with scroll : Hither, as to their fountain, other stars Repairing, in their golden urns draw light. — Milton. Law, by Bartlett, with the stone table of the laws and a scroll : Of law there can be no less acknowledged than that her voice is the harmony of the world. — Hooker. Science, by Donoghue, with a globe and triangle and mirror : The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament slioweth his handiwork, Psalms xix: 1 . Bronze Statues. — Looking down from the railing of the gallery under the dome, stand sixteen bronze statues of characters distinguished in the several fields of learning and achievement represented by the symbolical statues : Religion — Moses (by Niehaus) and St. Paul (by Donoghue). Moses is represented as the great law-giver, with the Tables of the Law delivered on Sinai. St. Paul has sword and scroll. 86 The Library of Congress. Commerce — Columous (by Bartlett) and Fulton (by Potter). Fulton holds a model of his first steamboat, the “Clermont.” History — Herodotus , the “Father of History” (by French), and Gibbon, historian of the “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” (by Niehaus). Art — Michael Angelo (by Bartlett) and Bee-thoven (by Bauer). Philosophy — Plato and Bacon (both by Boyle). Poetry— Homer (by St. Gaudens) and Shakespeare (by Macmonnies). Law — Solon (by Ruckstuhl) and Kent (by Bissell). Solon, the Athenian law-giver, holds out the scroll of “The Laws” ( Oi Nomoi), and supports a reversed sword twined with olive. James Kent is represented as holding the manuscript of his celebrated “Commentaries on American Law.” Science — Newton (by Dallin) and Henry (by Adams). Prof. Joseph Henry holds an electro-magnet, suggesting his work in electro-magnetism. The Progress of Civilization, by E. H. Blashfield, in the Collar of the Dome, which is 150 feet in circumference, is a symbolism of the twelve na- tions and epochs which have contributed to the world’s advance. Each is represented as a seated figure, winged, and bearing emblems suggestive of its peculiar attribute : Egypt ( Written Records) holds a tablet of hieroglyphics, and the Egyptian taucross emblem of immortality. On the throne is the cartouche of Mena, the first king of Egypt. At the feet of the figure is a case of papyrus scrolls. Judea ( Religion ) wears the vestments of the Jewish High Priest. The emblems are scroll and censer. The stone tablet bears the Hebrew text, Levi- ticus xix : 18 : “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Greece ( Philosophy ) is a classic figure wearing a diadem; the symbols are scroll and bronze lamp. Rome ( Administration ) is pictured as a Roman centurion in armor; the em- blems are the sword, the fasces and baton of auth' rity, and the marble column. Islam ( Physics ) costumed as an Arabian, has as emblems glass retort and book of mathematics. * Middle Ages ( Modern Languages) is accompanied by the emblematic ac- cessories of casque and sword typifying the Age of Chivalry, Gothic cathedral for architectural development, and papal tiara and keys of St. Peter for the part of the Church. The face is a characterization from Mary Anderson’s. Italy {Fine Arts) has brush and palette for painting, satuette of Michael Angelo’s David for sculpture, violin for music, capital for architecture. Germany ( Art of Printing) is represented as an early printer, in fifteenth century garb, reading a proofsheet from the primitive hand press. The face is a characterization from that of Gen. Thomas Lincoln Casey. Spain ( Discovery ) appears as a navigator, in sailor’s leather jerkin, hand on tiller and sword in lap; by his side a globe, at his feet model of a caravel. England {Literature) , laurel-crowned and in Elizabethan costume, holds Shakespeare’s plays, showing facsimile of the title page of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” 1600. The face is a characterization of Ellen Terry’s. France {Emancipation) is the animated figure of a woman wearing liberty cap and tri-color jacket, and equipped with sword, drum and trumpet. She The Library of Congress. 87 is seated upon a cannon, and holds out the “Declaration des Droits de FHomme” of 1798. The features are of the artist’s wife. America (Science ). — The scientific genius of our own country is typified by an electrical engineer, with book and dynamo. The face is a characteriza- tion from that of Abraham Lincoln. The Human Understanding. — In the Crown of the Lantern, Mr. Blashfield has painted The Human Understanding, in the allegorical figure of a woman floating among clouds, and attended by two children genii. With uplifted gaze she is looking from finite human achievement, as indicated in tne fresco of Civilization below, to the infinite, which is beyond. One of the genii holds a closed book, the other beckons those below. The Windows. — The stained-glass decoration of the great arched windows, by H. T. Schladermundt, is a composition of the arms of the Union and of the States, alternating with torches and wreathed fasces. With each State is given the date of its ratification of the Constitution, admission into the Union, or Territorial organization; the series begins with Delaware. The Clock over the entrance, by John Flanagan, is of marble and bronze; the details are Signs of the Zodiac, flight of Time, Seasons, Day and Night. The Library was founded in 1800, Congress appropriating for it $5,000. It has twice suffered by fire — in 1814, when the Capitol was burned, and in 1851. Special collections acquired have been Thomas Jefferson’s Librarv. the Force Historical Collection in 1865, Smithsonian Library in 1867, Toner Collection of Washingtoniana in 1882. A prolific source of accessions has been the copyright system, which requires the deposit here of two copies of e\ery copy- righted work. The library contains more than 1,300,000 books. Any one may use the Library, but books may be drawn out only by mem- bers of Congress, the President, Supreme Court, and Government officials. The Book Stacks devised by Mr. Bernard R. Green consist of a series of cast-iron frameworks supporting tiers of shelves, and rising in nine stories to the roof. Each of the two large stacks has a capacity of 800,000 volumes ; the smaller stack 100,000 books. The book shelving now in the building amounts to 231,680 running feet, or about forty-four miles, which will accom- modate 2,085,120 volumes of books, reckoning nine to the foot. The capacity of the additional shelving, which may be placed, is about 2,500,000 volumes, and the ultimate capacity of the building for books is therefore upward of 4,500,000 volumes, or somewhat less than one hundred miles of shelving. An ingenious mechanism delivers books from the stacks to the Reading Room. From the Reading Room an endless cable runs down to the basement and up through the stack to the top, and back again. To it are attached book carriers. When a book is called for at the desk, the slip is sent by pneumatic tube to the clerk in the book stack; he puts the book into a receptacle, from which it is taken automatically by the book carrier and carried to the Reading Room, the whole process consuming but a few minutes. In like manner the books are returned. For the convenience of Congress, books are sent directly from the Reading Room to the Capitol through a tunnel. %\)t JUbtarp Quotations The Poets, who on earth have made us heirs Of truth and pure delight by heavenly lays. — Wordsworth. Art is long and Time is fleeting. — Longfellow. The history of the world is the biography of great men. — Carlyle. Order is Heaven’s first law. — P ope. Memory is the treasurer and guardian of all things. — Cicero. Beauty is the creator of the universe. — Emerson. This is the state of man : To-day he puts forth The tender leaves of hopes 5 to-morrow blossoms, And bears his blushing honors thick upon him. The third day comes a frost and nips his root, and then he falls. — King Henry VIII. (Adapted}. Beholding the bright countenance of Truth in the quiet and still air of delightful studies. — Milton. The true University of these days is a Collection of Books. — Carlyle. Nature is the art of God. — Sir Thomas Browne. There is no work of genius which has not been the delight of mankind. — Lowell. It is the mind that makes the man, and our vigor is in our immortal soul. — Ovid. They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts. — Sir Philip Sidney. Man is one world, and hath another to attend him.— Herbert. Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything. — As You Like It. Books will speak plain when counsellors blanch. — Bacon. Glory is acquired by virtue but preserved by letters. — Petrarch. The foundation of every state is the education of its youth. — Dionysius. The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. — St. John i: 5. In the Librarian* s Room . Litera scripta manet — The written letter remains (Literature endures). In tenebris lux — Light in darkness. Liber delectatio anima — A book is the delight of the mind. Efficiunt clarum studio — They make clear by study. Dulce ante omnia Musa — The sweetness of the Muse before all else. The Greek Heroes. One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. — T ennyson, Ulysses. A glorious company, the flower of men To serve as model for the mighty world, And be the fair beginning of a time. — Tennyson, Guinevere. To the souls of fire, I, Pallas Athena, give more fire j and to those who arc manful, a might more than man’s. — Kingsley. Ancient of days ! august Athena ! Where are thy men of might? thy grand in soul? Gone glimmering through the dream of things that were. — Byron, Childe Harold. Ci)t iLtbrar? (Quotations The chief glory of every people arises from its authors. — Dr. Johnson. Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. — Tennyson. W isdom is the principal thing 5 therefore get wisdom ; and with all thy getting get understanding. — P roverbs iv : 7. Ignorance is the curse of God, Knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to Heaven. — 2 Henry VI. How charming is divine Philosophy.- — Milton. Books must follow sciences and not sciences books. — Bacon. In books lies the soul of the whole past time. — Carlyle. Words are also actions and actions are a kind of words. — Emerson. Dwells within the soul of every Artist More than all his effort can express. No great Thinker ever lived and taught you All the wonder that his soul received. No true Painter ever set on canvas All the glorious vision he conceived. No Musician, But be sure he heard, and strove to render, Feeble echoes of celestial strains. No real Poet ever wove in numbers All his dream. Love and Art united Are twin mysteries, different, yet the same. Love may strive, but vain is the endeavor All its boundless riches to unfold. Art and Love speak ; but their words must be Like sighings of illimitable forests. — Adelaide Proctor, Unexpressed . There is but one temple in the universe, and that is the body of man. — Novalis. The first creature of God was the light of sense ; the last was the light of reason. — Bacon. The true Shekinah is man.- — Chrysostom. Only the actions of the just Smell sweet and blossom in the dust. — James Shirley. Science is organized knowledge. — Herbert Spencer. Beauty is truth, truth beauty. — Keats. Too low they build who build beneath the stars. — Young. Man raises but time weighs. — Greek Proverb. Beneath the rule of men entirely great The pen is mightier than the sword.— Bulwer Lytton. The noblest motive is the public good. — Virgil. A little learning is a dangerous thing 5 Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. — Pope. Learning is but an adjunct to ourself. — Love’s Labour’s Lost. Studies perfect nature, and are perfected by experience. — Bacon. Dreams, books, are each a world ; and books, we know, Are a substantial world, both pure and good.— Wordsworth. With the Muses . Descend, ye Nine, descend and sing 5 Wake into voice each silent string. Oh, Heaven-born sisters, source of art, Who charm the sense or mend the heart. Say, will you bless the bleak Atlantic shore, And in the West bid Athens rise once more l — Pop* (Adapie£\ perry's "COURT of NEPTUNE.’ ENTRANCE PAVILION. ENTRANCE PAVILION. MARTINY STAIRCASE. THE COMMEMORATIVE ARCH NORTH CORRIDOR OF ENTRANCE PAVILION. benson's "seasons/' Mi THE CENTRAL STAIR HAj This apartment, which has been styled u a vision in polished stone,” is a fitting er harmony of adornment, in the perfect adaptation to the purpose for which it is intenc legend of Mr. Vedder’s mosaic of Minerva runs : Nil invita Minerva quae Monti memorial, more enduring than bronze.” Or, more freely rendered : “ Minerva was a contributed, each his part, to produce the perfect whole, are all American citizens, and, | design and execution the building is a product of American talent, art and workman., )F THE ENTRANCE PAVILION. .e hall to the superb building. In the dignity of its proportion and design, in richness and :he Library of Congress stands to-day as America’s highest architectural achievement. The :um aere perennius exegit* “That was not an unwilling Minerva who fashioned this best when she builded this monument.” The architects, painters and sculptors who have is been pointed out, it may well be for us an occasion of patriotic pride, that in conception, ( STAIRWAY TO ROTUNDA GALLERY. SOUTH CORRIDOR, ENTRANCE PAVILION. WALKER S ‘ MUSE OF LYRIC POETRY. warn iiiii walker's "endymion. ^ELPOnE/yfi SIMMONS’ MCEWEN S HERCULES. WALTER MCE WEN S PARIS.' GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE 3 3125 01214 2861