TWENTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS, 1843-1845. 301 



elating a professorship of law with the University of Oxford — and his 

 honorable friend from Kentucky [Mr. Crittenden] no doubt well recol- 

 lected the passage — that "the sciences are of a sociable disposition, 

 and flourish best in the neighborhood of each other." He would make 

 no distinction. He must be permitted to say that he thought the Sen- 

 ate had already decided the question in regard to the extension of this 

 library by striking out the proviso of the first section and the whole 

 of the eighth section, which provides for professors on the subject of 

 natural sciences only. 



He saw no reason for any distinction between the moral and physical 

 sciences. If such a library as was contemplated b}- the honorable 

 Senator from Massachusetts was established, there would be no danger 

 of the physical sciences being slighted; but he hoped that these great 

 moral and political sciences, which so intimately concern the temporal 

 and eternal destinies of man, would have their appropriate space in 

 this great receptacle of human knowledge. 



He had been led to these remarks because his firm and solemn con- 

 viction was that we now have it in our power to do more good to this 

 nation in our day and generation by a judicious and wise application 

 of this $500,000, which has been put into our hands, than by the appli- 

 cation of the twenty-five or thirty millions we are in the habit of 

 annually appropriating. 



He was glad that it was the sense of the Senate that this subject 

 should go back to the committee to be matured and deliberately acted 

 upon, and that there was to be brought forward a plan of some great 

 and noble foundation which would realize, to the fullest extent, the 

 magnificent conception which suggested this donation. He was 

 opposed to any limitations; he was opposed to any distinctions between 

 the great branches of human knowledge. In the republic of letters 

 all stood upon a platform of equality, and if we have a library at all 

 it should be coextensive with the limits of human knowledge and with 

 the design of the donor — "the increase and diffusion of knowledge (of 

 all sound knowledge) among men." 



Mr. Samuel S. Phelps suggested a modification of the amendment 

 proposed by the Senator from Kentucky. It was to shape his proviso 

 so as to say "That in the selection of such books as were necessary to 

 form a complete library, due regard should be had to works of 

 science," etc. 



Mr. Crittenden accepted the modification. 



Mr. I. C. Bates protested against any proviso which would limit 

 the selection. It was wholly unnecessary, because no great national 

 library could be complete without the very works alluded to. 



Mr. J. M. NiLES did not think it came within the purpose of the 

 donation to establish a great national library. If the donor thought 

 that the best way of increasing and diffusing knowledge among men. 



