American College Libraries [pp. 714-723]

AM[ERICAN COLLEGE LIBRARIES.
reason, time because it is the movement of the universal
rational energy. There is nothing great in the world but
.hind
ART. IX.-A\IERICAN COLLEGE LIBRARIES.
Since the venerable clergy of Connecticut assembled, in 1700,
to found Yale College, laid their forty folios upon a table, each
saying "I give these books for the founding of a college in this
colony," the shelves of American college libraries have been
stored with theology alrd sacred learning in far larger proportic-n than with other literature and science. An examination of
the catalogue of Harvard College library, printed in 1830, when
it contained at least fifty thousand volumes, shows that more
than a tenth of the titles described theological works. Judging
from the systematic index, one would think the proportion to be
a fifth. Few other colleges have been able to print their library
catalogues; but those of Brown University, and Bowdoin College,
exhibit the same general truth. At Princeton the proportion is
one-sixth. Such facts are explained by the original design of
our early colleges, to rear a Christian ministry for the country;
and they indicate, of course, the larger ratio which theological
studies once bore to the whole culture of mankind. We who live
uin the new world of thought and acquisition, have need of other
nutrimnent; and he who should feed on this alone, would be as
unfit for the intercourse of present life, as the geologic fauna for
the present condition of the earth. College libraries remind us
too strongly yet of that ancient time; they have not a due proportion of the new learning, literature and science. In the
Beowdoin catalogue, (1873), the titles of books written by authors
whose names begin with A, fill 35 pages,and are in number say 525.
Of these, only 116 are on subjects not theological, or were printcd within this century. The whole catalogue has 742 pages, and
about 11,200 titles. If the proportion throughout be the same,
theL whole number of books not antiquated, and not religious, is
onily 2,436; a small supply for the actual wants of a college. A
sii,ilar examination of the Providence c-talogue, indicates that
hbout a quarter of the vwhole is theological or ancient. Old
loOks are cha rming to the bibliophile; but college students need
om Lhinn else tIan curiosities, or even profound erudition.
LcternLig flourLihed before our time, but science is mainly of
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[Oct.