TIIIRTY-TIIIRD CONGRESS, 1853-55. 607 



influences, have operated upon them severally, and the 

 records of the results ought to be here for the inspection 

 and instruction of the representatives of the people them- 

 selves, and of the whole world. 



But, if every other description of books is avoided or 

 crowded out, there is one which surely ought not to be. 

 If the resources of the institution are to be exclusively or 

 mainly devoted to science rather than to general literature 

 and knowledge, it ought, at any rate, to have within its 

 walls a perfect and universal library of science and art — 

 not merely modern science and recent researches, but all 

 the publications, of all ages and all countries, that illustrate 

 th*c progress of science, as such. If we cannot have a uni- 

 versal library, give us, at least, a scientilic library such as 

 no other nation can boast. 



One advantage of a liberal expenditure for a library, not 

 to be thought lightly of in a government resting entirely on 

 popular opinion, is that it results in something that shows 

 for itself; the people can see in it what has become of the 

 money. It would forever grow before their eyes, and, in 

 all coming generations, from its unapproached and ever ex- 

 panding magnitude, would be an object of perpetually in- 

 creasing national pride. Under the present policy the funds 

 disappear, as they are expended, however salutary their 

 application may have been, and the only monuments are a 

 few volumes, admirable no doubt in their form and sub- 

 stance, highly appreciated by scientific societies at home and 

 abroad, but never seen by the people. 



The short time allowed them, the necessary consequent 

 inadequateness of their investigations and deliberations, 

 and the impossibility of an}' legislative action by this Con- 

 gress, restrain the committee from reporting an}' bill to the 

 House ; but, in view of all circumstances, as a measure of 

 peace, as a mutual concession, which in such a matter is the 

 only way of settling a difliculty, they would express their 

 conviction that the compromise adopted at an early day by 

 the Board of Regents ought to be restored, and that all de- 

 sirable ends may be ultimately secured by dividing the in- 

 come equally between the library and museum on one part, 

 and active operations on the other. 



The only other suggestion the committee have to make 

 is the expediency, in order to avoid all embarrassment in 

 future, to have each division of the institution placed under 

 its proper and distinctive head. Let the secretary have 

 charge of the active operations, preside over the scientific 



