Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Clinton News Record, 1924-12-11, Page 703000,5* 41357, ,IWIelIRRATIMPNOP.06041* Clinton ; New‘ -R cord timeeironemstionsmr .Pr'oblerns' d Here hristmas but a short you will naturally be d 'with the ev -re- robiem of what to. we suggest that yon le to find <l satisi'ac- ea to the question in collection of Christ- articles. You will find example: Watches in yellow, green gold with 16. oveinents priced at a beautiful' gift box, ;notable Pearls, boxed, opular, at. WOO and up, ins, Men's Watches; voryi, a good assort - d priced right, Cuff etch Chains, Gents and Rings, Clocks, Silver- hina, Cut Glass, eta, rotas and Records H. Hellyar metrist and Jeweler IHE PARLIAMLNrA L` A ' RTreasure Nationaleal BY ISABEL AnmeTRONG, NLESS governments and departments of government can be induced to refrain' from issuing such exhaustive official reports and Canadian writers from blossoming on every concession and turning out prolific stores of literature annually, a beautiful, dignified and noble Canadian institution' is going to be cwamped. Even while day by day the tower of the new Dominion Parliament. Buildings n Ottawa is climbing higher and higher towards completion, the old Parliamentary Library, providentially saved in the fire of 1910, is struggling withthe difficult pro- blem of where to find sufficient room to accommodate the continually growing collection of books, bound reports and records,.and files of, leading Canadian news- papers. Already the tower seems to those standing near the base almost to pierce the winter sky. But it will probably be next September before it is capped and crowned, so carefully must each stone be laid in building for permanency. In the meantime, the joint Librarians of Parliament, Messrs. Tache and Burrell, and the members of their staff are patiently waiting for the day when the nation will give them addi- tional space for the more adequate housing of the treasures in books of which they are, guardians. Not that they would have disfiguring extensions or wings to mar the archi- tectural perfection of the library, which on this score alone, apart from all others, ranks as one of the richest jewels in Canada's casket, and evokes the admiration of Fine regard for detail was expressed by the builders of''the'seventies to the extent of chaste hand -carving of every narrow panel dividing the book cases, thereby providing a worthy setting for the volumes in rich bindings. Throughout all the past fifty years of the life of the library, special attention has been given to bindings of books as well as contents with the resultant glow of subdued browns, iteds, greens and blues and glints of gold leaf to give the wealth; of coloring of rugs of the Orient. The, venerable age of the marquetry floor into which the hard woods of Canada have been deftly fitted would scarcely explain the unevenness, Has it been thus' worn by the heavy tread of the makers of the Dominion's laws? The real explanation is the floods of water which swept in during the fire to a depth of several feet and caused the bulging irregularities; Among the statues of Canadian statesmen which are a, feature of Parliament Hill stands one of "Victoria the Good" representing her towards the close of her life, the queenly old woman, weighed down but unbowed by the cares of long years and human sorrows. The central feature of the library is Victoria of quite another era, the slender young queen.of nineteen at the time of her coronation, sculptured in gleaming white marble a statue as graceful es one of classic Greece. ' Nearby„a bust of the queen is placed on a pedestal at one side of.a corridor entrance, and across one of Albert, the Prince Consort, • A bust of Sir, Etienne Tachecompanions that ofSandfield Macdonald and it is interesting to note in this connection that the Tache who is joint librarian with Hon. Martin Burrell is great nephew of Sir Etienne, distinguished' in Canadian history. . During the early days of its career, the library served the purpose of a work - Shop. Within its walls were shaped and carved the blocks and ornamentations of stone for the old main buildings. It was formally opened with a sumptuous ball during the Alexander Mackenzie regime, between 1873 and 1878, the period of the building. The years which have intervened have witnessed theaccumulation of almost half a million books, including all official publications in Canada, the collection of records dating back to the beginning of history in "British North' America.” There is a complete set of the. Hansards of the Imperial Parliament and of the Hansards and other official records of the "sister dominions" in more recent years. News- paper files of leading papers, lodged in the vaults below the main floor date back to the be- ginning of these publications in the middle of the eighteenth century. While "official records" take precedence, large sections are devoted to history, philosophy, the fine arts and belle lettres and a collection of "Canadian authors" growing by leaps and bounds. No matter how obscure the Canadian writer, he or she is assured a public presentation in at least one place of honor—. the Parliamentary Library at Ottawa. The custom in the past has been to send a copyright copy of a book as soon as it appeared to the Parliamentary Library at Ottawa and another to the Brit- ish Museum, Mr. Tache, the general librarian, recently ex- pressed regret for the lapse of this regulation and the con. sequent possibility of publica- tions being lost in process of time. Who enjoy the privileges and derive direct benefits from the Library of Parliament? Cabinet ministers and their departments of government, senators, members of the Com- mons, people, whatever their age, position or rank, who are AND .RINDS .OF GIFTS FOR D AND YOUNG . ,fan'•Aa� a ria Cluf f's Shoe Store 1itWith Slippers ". ody Wears 'ens You Can't Go Wrong have "all sorts, bedroom s for the whole family, slippers for mother, evening slippers for sis- the only girl, down to test little Teddy Bears children. ;a will get many of his to here this year because Teves in giving articles re useful and of real ;wear and slippers snake holiday gifts. 'Presents ill be pleading reminders givers long after the Te are .past. ,gents for npress 'hoes Parliament Building, Ottawa — View from the south; Tower partially completed. visitors from all corners of the globe. In the past summer and autumn, thousands of tourists, ' large numbers of these motor- lets from across the line, stopped over in the Dominion capital with one very definite object in view, to see the Parliament Buildings; From all over Can- ada cavae pilgrims to "get a close up" of their own seat of government. Guests from the Mother Country and sister Do- minions paid their respects and strangers from many lands. One guide in particular with a fine feeling for dramatic effect has made a pointof winding up his personally conducted tours through the buildings with the entrance rotunda under the centre tower, then through the "Hall of Fame" with its high, gracefully vaulted ceiling to the library as a grand climax, He draws attention to the gray sandstone, quarried in On- tario and Quebec, used for the outside walls of the new main buildings which have replaced those lost in the fire on a bitter February night in war -time. Inside, the buildings are com- pletely lined with fossilized lime- stone which was brought for the purpose front Manitoba. Quebec contributed the white marble of the floors and the highly polished black marble for relief. It was only necessary to go a -field for the mottled green granite, used with discretion for ornamentation 'and pleasing contrast, In the centre of the rotunda under the tower rises a stately pillar enriched at the base with carvings and merging at the top into fan -shaped arches which form the roof. "This pillar, dedicated in July 1917 on the fiftieth anniversary of Confederation," says the guide, "represents Great Britain rising out of the sea, guarded by Father Neptune, as you will note in the carving at the base, and supported by her colonies, as symbolized by the arches. "The geometrical arrangement of the black marble surrounding the pillar•repre- sents the points of the compass pointing out to Britain's possessions over the Seven Seas, symbolized by the wavy circle of green marble." According to the inscription on the pillar, the Dominion of Canada, the Parlia- ment and the people dedicated the'buildings in process of construction to replace those destroyed in the fire "as a memorial of the deeds of their forefathers and of the valour of those Canadians who in the Great War fought for Liberties of Canada, the Empire and of humanity." Down at the end of the Hall of Fame, directly facing the centre pillar and main entrance under the tower, are the portals to the stately library which led the way in the erection of the first Parliament Buildings, and stands as a memorial to the deeds of the pioneers, the faith in their own country, the courage and the apprecia- tion of the value of beauty in national life of the men of the seventies who planned and put their ideals into effect. In the old days before the fire, the Library was a dominating feature of the majestic buildings which housed the Parliament of Canada. The addition of an extra story in the new buildings has hidden from the front the "House of Books,' and rather dwarfed it looking to east or west. To obtain a real appreciation of the circular building, tapering fluently to a peak one hundred and forty or one hundred and fifty feet above the ground, it mustbeseenfrom across the Ottawa River, above which it has been placed high on a cliff;'' Entering from the main building through the heavy double doorswhich helped to save its life in the fire, the first impression obtained is one of harmony of pro-• portion, soaring height,, and richness of coloring and ornamentation. From base to dome the round inner chamber climbs one hundred and thirty feet, the walls com- pletely lined to a height of forty-five or fifty feet byshelves filled with books, these made accessible by galleries with wroughtiron railings. Above a circle of tall win- dows—suggesting the Gothic --admit the light and from these the roof; arches, a symphony of blue pillared in soft gray. An octagon effect is achieved by eight corridors which afford entrance and divide the outer circle of the rotunda into a series of eight book -lined alcoves, used as offices for the staff or studies for senators and members who are making research during the session. ; Each corridor is enriched in front and along its walls by a series of hand -carved panels and above these medallions of conventionalized floral or leaf design; with the exception of r the two facing medallions nearest _ the interior, These represent mythological animals. Parliament Building, Ottawa—Main Entrance Hall look- ing towards North Corridor. In the centre of the rotunda, ander the tower, rises a stately pillar enriched at the base with carvings and merging at the top into fan -shaped arches which form the roof. c'. House.of Commons Chamber from the Speaker's Gallery. sponsored by senators or members, students and writers from far and near. When the House is in session, senators and members have right of way and continually there are calls upon the resources from the members, private secretaries, and messengers. Even when the House sits till seven o'clock in the morning for a budget or other important debate, the library staff must be on duty every minute of the time to give prompt service. Between sessions, the majority of calls come from the departments of government located in Ottawa. "Borrowing" is permitted by those fortunate enough to le vouched for by cabinet ministers, senators and members and these privileges even extend to cut of town, except under very special circumstances, the books are not allowed to go a great distance. During the holiday season, Ottawa is a Mecca for students intent upon obtain- ing material for thesis writing; authors from all over the continent, and a particularly large quota from the United States, frequently spend weeks and months in research work with the Parliamentary Library as their base. They find available most com- plete records of every description in both English and French. Prof. Wilson, of Dalhousie' University, Halifax, for example, has spent the greater part of the past year in the library, delving into "holes and cornets" of records and old newspapers for a bookon the Baldwin -Lafontaine period in Canadian history, covering the years from 1826-67. While the Parliamentary Library bad a miraculous escape in the great fire which demolished the Parliament Buildings in 1910, there war some loss, apart from the marks left upon the floor_ Some twenty or twenty-five thousand volumes were hopelessly damaged. Another loss keenly felt by those deeply interested in.the Parliamentary Library as a great repository for authentic Canadian; and other Empire records occurred some years ago. Records, documents, official publications and books carefully collected over a period of yearsfrom families of deceased members, senators and public men in various positions, as well as from other sources had been painstakingly set in order and catalogued and shelved in a six glory building rented for the purpose, The services were enlisted by the government then in office of American efficiency experts to re -organize the civil service and features in connection with departments of government. One of their "services" was to order withdrawal from the rented building and the destruction of the invaluable records and documents stored there, in the interests of economy] :1't-IUTISDAY, DECEhIL CHRISTMAS CAN IS TO THE careful buyer, and the buyer of Qual, lutes and" Novelties, we offer the Most choice an. assortnie11t. We invite you tosee thern and cc quality ansi pries. Pascal] Candies Direct from England, noted the world, over for Fancy 'o es A large assortment of Willard's Lowney's, and P, These make beautiful gifts. See Our Display of CANDY CANES FRUIT CREAMS CHRISTMAS STOCRIl HOMEMADE CANDIFi FRUIT and NEW MIXED NUTS E. VY 1-:.NDORS GOAD THINGS For Your Christmas Dina We have made every effort to assure a suc Christmas Dinner. Menu Olives Cocktail* Celery Florida Grapefruit with Candied C'herri, Campbell's Tomato Soup Cheese Wafers Turkey, Oyster Stuffing; and Cranberry Creamed Potatoes Apex Sifted Peas Beall Lettuce Shelled Walnut, With Premier Salad. Drcesini Westor.'s Plural Pudding, Orange Stow Mincemeat Pi.3 • McLaren's Jelly With Whipped ('r< r. Cheese (Roquefort, McLaren's Cream, s Layer Raisins Mixed Nuts Candied Fruit . Smiles an Chus After 'Dinner Mints Coffee Ri1c.y'a D W. T T. O'NEIL :1 Make .this Christmas a Rea! Get a Chesterfield Suite an( Everybody in the home will Then we have swell Piano and Bridge Lamps, Chairs, Rockers, Tables, Cedar Cheats and Smoker make very acceptable gifts for adults. For Children Toy Sets, Kiddie Cars, Baby Sleig High Chairs and .Children's Rockers will bring when Santa Claus comes; We are sole agents for the celebrated C,C.IMI. the World's Amateur Champions in 1924. A Large Stock of Hockey Sticks and 1'u, We urs well stocked With ALUMINUM WARE of all kinds COPPER NICREL PLATED WARE CUTLERY in Old Colony, Adams and Tudor Plate ELECTRIC HEATERS, TOASTERS and IRONS FLOUR BINS and BREAD BOXES in Grey and COME IN AND LOOK US OVER Clinton Hardware and Fwr THE STORES WITH A STOCK Furniture Phone: 104