CAPE TOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1748, 2 August 1862, Page 3

CAPE TOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY

[From tho " Cape Town Mail and Advertiser, 1 ' May 12.] Mb. Fairbairn's Address. The annual meeting of the South African Public Library was held on Saturday, and was very numerously attended. Mr. Fairbairn, M. L. A., being called to the chair, Major L'>ngmoie read the report of the committee which detailed the principal events and proceedings connected with the institution during; the year. Ou the motion of Mr. Arderue, the report was adapted; and on the motion of the Rev. Mr. Morgan, a vote of thanks was passed to the committee for their services. Mr. Fairbairn then pioceeded to deliver the annual address, and spoke as follows: — Ladies and Gentlemen, — Since your annual meeting last year, this Institution has been favoured with a gift of great value by our late excellent Governor Sir George Grey. It consists partly of manuscript copies taken before the art of printing was known in Europe, and early printed editions of works that have shone like stars in the firm sment of literature for many generations, and which in their youthful dress, with decorations significant of manners and fancies long vanished from life, are much esteemed by the philosophic historian, as well as by the curious antiquary. From the rarity of some of these fragments and flowers of an earlier world, their beauty and perfect preservatiou, the venerable libraries in the most famous abodes of learning, would have acknowledged such a gift with gratitude, as a priceless addition to theii stores. For it is not always nor often that bibliographic pearls can be puichased with money. Taste, judgment, correct and wide knowledge of the facts that form the basis of this particular pyramid of science, with watchfulness and good fortune, muse come together to establish a successful collector. These have been at work for many years to bring the Grey Library to that state of maturity in which we receive it. But highly as we prize this rich gift, as a possession and a trust for future ages, we experience a more profound and pleasing sentiment of regard towards the giver who as selected us from all the world to be the recipients and gunrilians of this treasure. What he saw in us to justify this preference I am sure I do not kuow ; but I know that it was not dove hastily, n>>r uuder the fresh influence of feelings which some events connected with his Government here might have awakened. Deliberately, and in adaptation to the general idea, and to the other constituent parts of a scheme of progress in Smthern Afric.i which he meditated fro.ii the moment he accepted the offices of Governor and High Commissioner, if not before,he resolved to leave here one memorial of himself, the peculiar charm of which would increase year by year for ever. That memorial is not limited by the literary antiquities of Europe. With equal care lie searched for what may be called the antiquities of the long descended tribes of this continent, and of some other lands — their words, their language, manners, customs, laws; and illustrations of- these form a part of this princely donation. In many of its asp-jets the government of Sir George Grey in South Africa will be regarded as a remarkable era iv our history. Frontier life has made great progress towards a sense of security by which the passions of mutual fear and hatred between the African and European races, hostile to moral as to material improvement, have quietly decayed Geographical discoveries iv the interior and along the coasts of the sea, the rivers and lakes, on which commerce may assume its proper residence, following each other almost month by month, have enlarged our views of the destinies of our race, and awakened a rational hope that a continent which has been fierce and brutal since the dawn of historical time, may yet have an intellectual life like the other grand divisions of the globe. Iv our own coiner of it, the great obstacle to advancement thai seemed to render bright anticipations visionary— l mean its unwieldiness from the absence of navigable rivers or aims of the sea as means of communication and transport— -has begun to yield before the stupendous powers of heat and electricity, which the inventive genius of imn has recently tamed and trained v servo him. To other countries these inventions give vast additions of wealth, but with us they are essential to life as a progressive; community. Their introduction during the government of Sir George Grey, with tue commencement of corresponding' public works of great influence, as poitious of our industrial system, throw a cheerful light forward from the present days, but in this place on ibis occasion, we would think chiefly of what has bjen done directly for the soul and heart, by collecting, storing up, and liberally distributing the food and medicine of the mind. This considerable callectiou of books, with free access to all who may wish to consult or pursue them has ever had the praise of strangers. In their new abode, in union and communiou with a Museum already rich, and arranged with saience j and taste; in a sweet and quiet garden, terminated in prospect by a College expanding into a univeisity-— this iustution has now every quality to fix the affections of a man like Sit; George

Grey — one endowed with large discourse, looking before and after, discovering the fruit in the bud, and disposed by habit to view with com placency the early developments of society, to which a single mind may sometimes give a permanent direction towards truth and/ virtue. Normanby we forget that exactly one hundred years ago, previous to the date of this honourable trust, Joachim Nicholas Dessin, a junior merchant in the service of the Dutch East India Company, bequeathed to this country a considerable collection of books, with som? manuscripts and paintings, to serve, in his own words, as a "foundation of a public library for the advantage of the community." He also left a sum of money, equal to about £200 towards the conservation and increase of the collection. Sixty years afterwards^ this collection, as we see by a catalogue dated 1821, , consisted of 4,565 volumes, in the German, French, and Dutch languages, with many finely executed editions of the works of Gieek and Roman genius. It embraces a considerable range of literature — as literature was estimated one hundred years ago at the Cape, for Mr. Dessin accomplished the good work here, as the incidents of human life brcught private collections to public sale. And I may stale in passing, though I draw no infereHce from the fact, that the main bodj and bulk of this collection is theological, there being in this department 150 thick folio volumes, 420 thick quartos, and 454 reasonably dense octavos, besides treatises on cognate topics in numerous volumes devoted to other subjects. Many of these works are valuable, as depositories of learned men's opinions on subjects that perplex every rational creature at some period of life ; and many are eminently curious, as unconscious, and, therefore, faith ful expositions of the views entertained in successive ages of material brute, human, and divine natuies. In this light, the actual history of our rare, is the natural history of the individual. Sensations feelings, fancies, ever struggling upwards to apprehend order and the safety of power, while half blinded in clouds and peopling darkness with the wild shadows of our own fears and passions, still minister to the intellect the materials of that Ideal Universe which does not change, wax old, or pass away. Of the human mind in Europe we have in this form, a history satisfactory on the whole, from the fickle, capricious, irritable, and cruel reign of the gods of the early Greeks and the Druids, through the dynasties of enchanters and evil demons, up to the time when riper knowledge and surefooted science unlocked the secret throne of unity, and dissipated ten thousand dreams by tho glance of a single truth, These books, whatever may be their character, true or false become correct witnesses of the past. In the book we see the author, and in the author we see the age. For no man mikes himself. He is made by all that is, aud all that has been. We do not know much of the benefactor who will ever be remembered, aud more and more honoured as the founder of this noble Institution, but what we learn of him is pleasing. Born in Germany, at Rostock, in the Duchy of Mecklenburg, "he emigrated to the Cape," says the author of an able work on this Colony, "about the middle of last century, and he came Secretary to the Orphan Chamber. Dessin was a tolerably well educated man, fond of Society, and being of lively entertaining manners, became a welcome guest in all parties. Collecting books was his favourite pursuit ; but he is said not to have been a man of science and literature; and it must have been by exr traordinary diligence that he was enabled to bring together somany valuable publications,and to form such a library in Cape Town. Mr. Dessin died unmarried, and by the manumission of his slaves afforded a proof that whilst be endeavoured through life to add to the knowledge and improvement of others, he had not forgotten to direct his own conduct in the paths of benevolence and humanity." The consistory of the Dutch Reformed Church were named by Mr. Dessin curators of this collection, and still are its faithful guardians. But it was not till about sixty years afterwards that effectual measures were taken to make it directly " advantageous to the community," by bringing it up to the front, awd keeping it abreast of the knowledge, science, philosophy, and literature of progressive humanity. In 1818 the Colonial Government issued a proclamation, settiug forth that as the wine trade is the source of opulence, and comfort to the inhabitants of this colony, from that source should be drawn such material revenue as shall contribute to the permanent welfare of the rising generation; and therefore a charge of one rixdoliar shall be paid to the Collector of Tithes for the gauge and measure men t of each cask passed through the market, and that the Collector of Tithes shall not carry the amount of the charge to the account of the Collector of this branch of the revenue of which he has the receipt ; but, after paying the amount of the Ganger's salary and bis incidental expenses, shall deposit the remainder in the Government Bank, there to create a fund for the formation of a Public Libary, which shall he open to the public and lay the foundation of a system which shall place the means of knowledge within the reach of the youth of this remote corner of the globe, and briug within their reach what one of the most eloquent of ancient writers has considered to be one of the first blessings of life—' Home education.' This considerate provision for intellectual culture continued for about ten years, but finally ceased with tile repeal of the charge on wine. Since that time the maintenance of the institution and augmentation of the Library has depended on the annual subscriptions of individuals, who thereby acquire a right to use the books as in a Library of circulation. This gives a local character to that Library. The guardiaus of the institution study the tastes of the people. So far as they succeed in this study, the tables and shelves of the Library will be characteristic of the place and the age. A mau is known by his books as well as by bis company, and I am disposed to think that the catalogue of this collection up to the present year will, when completed reflect honour on the community, md give pleasure to all who sympathize with pure morals and improving intelligence. Iv concluding this glance at the history of this institution from its birth, one hundred years ago, we eunaot but express grateful feelings towards other private benefactors who have contributed both books and money to it from time to time, and we would be insensible to the great significance of the fact were we to overlook the testimony to its spirit and power by the Colonial Legislature iv its liberal grant in aid of this beautiful structure. Many good works they have done of late. I would not detract from the glory of material things by comparing, much less by contrasting it with tl»e splendours of intellect. But, as in many compounds and organisms of nature, the preseuce or the absence of a single ingredient or of a single tissue, however small as to the whole, will make a thing to be what it is, beautiful or ugly, good or eril, living or dead: so, in the very complex organism of society, a sober nook for the dwelling of thought, where rising generations may hold converse with the spirits of wise, and just, aud cheerful men, may decide whether ours shall be the ridiculous cifi-

lization of China, where ancient custom seems as powerful as instinct is with the lower animals or the bounding civilization of Europe, springing lightly from discovery to discovery, from invention to invention. Of one thing many of us are witnesses. Since this Library was opened to the public in 1822, a change has cotne over the whole of educated life. 1 might say of life down to its lowest forms. It is perhaps too soon yet to specify the prejudices that haye vanished, the Idols, as Lord Bacon names them, which have been overthrown. They may still have some worthy worshippers,and I would not without cause, offend sincerity, however mistaken. But I may venture to say that no man here will now affiim that slavery is a good social institution — that African sheep are better than sheep with golden fleece — or that soft roads in deep sand are preferable to hard ones. A thousand influences have ro doubt been busy, and I would not claim for books I what may partly be due to conversation but what is conversation where there are no books ? And who shall say how many thoughts, most productive in other nri'ids, may have been carried from this place into society, even by a careless or casual reader, that have elsewhere brought forth precious fruit? lam therefore confident of the future when I see the local legislature so early disposed to acknowledge the power of beauty in buildings, as well as the grandeur of strength in the rail and locomotive. By adopting this and similar institutions, they evince their superiority to the barren race of mortals who call themselves practical men ; who regard as nothing, whatever cannot be measured or weighed in definite portions; who think nature herself wild and out of her wits when she painted the lily or breathed perfume on the' violet ; still more when she gave to a stupid fishf in the dark recesses of the ocean, a shell o perfect form an 1 exquisite finish. We may augur well of a country when men cultivate their reason and indulge their taste. For reason without fancy is dead. It required much shouting and many shoulders to the wheel before a sensible motion began io the mass of South African Society. The smallest obstacle stopped it at first. It has now acquired weight and impetus sufficient to crush even opposing rocks to powder. We are now on the track of noble minds. By daily intercourse, much of their elevation may be obtained, or even something of their genius. • There are in this age certain symptoms of uneasiness in the intellectual world that have always preceded revelations of great truths. As in the early days of Kepler and Galileo, of Bacon aud Newton, of Black. Fnnklin and Davy, men feel the limits of their knowledge, and press impatiently against the barriers of the unknown, The whole creation gioans and travails as with some gigantic birth It may equal the three laws of Kepler, Galileo's revolutions of the spheres, the new Logic of Bacon, the sublime conceptions of Newton in gravitation and optics, the Latent Heat of Black, the electricity of Franklin, the definite proportions of Chemistry, and the grand discoveries or inventions of Watt, Davy, or Stephenson. The experience of the last hundred years make it a weakness to despair of seeing again ultimate truths even in political science and morals like those demonstrated by AJam Smith. That we may give a suitable welcome to such messages from beyond the present boundaries of human knowledge, we should know generally at least, what has already been done To those who would themselves be discoverers this is still more practically important, and this Institution aff>rds the meins of making such preparation comparatively eisy. I have read somewhere of the First Napoleon, that after the last defeat had closed his political life for ever, he sent for a distinguished member of the Institute and desired to be put in possession of the last results of all the sciences; for said he, "I propose to pursue discovery in a manner consistent with my glory, beginning where others have been airested, especially in Goobgy and Botany, with their hundred arms and branches ; and 1 shall investigate, with this view, the great mountain chains that traverse America i'rona North to South." Napoleon was tlion about forty- five years of age. In his youth he was trained to exact thought, aud on his return from his marvellous campaign in Italy, in 17.97, he avoided pomp, seeking among the crowd, the useful and celebrated man to converse with him on the art or science in which he had signalised himself—" talking," said the newspapers of the day," of mathematics with Lagrange and Laplace, of metaphysics with Sieyes, of poetry with Chenier, and of legislation and political economy with DaHnou." His determination, therefore, to pursue victory into the realms of science, by starting from the goals which others had oulj reached, though with something Imperial in it,, was uot unworthy of a soaring spirit. But it was uot to be: and I only allude to this anecdote, for the truth of which I do uot vouch, that what the French philosopher was not permitted to do for Napoleon this institution will do, or is designed to do for auy who will or can receive the gift. The last results of scientific observation, the last conclusions of philosophic thought, utter tones mo«e or less full from some one or other of these volumes. But while werejuce in ourwealtb, let us not over-rate it. A list of books, yet absent from the various departments of fact and thought, twice or three times more numerous than thosewe possess, could be extracted from the catalogue of any one of some scores of libraries in other parts of the world ; and it is clear that the ordinary revenue of the Institution will never fill up those blanks, for it does not even keep pace with the fresh literature of the age. This, I thought, was a fitting occasion to call to mind the circumstances of almost the only Institution of which the praise of strangers has made us proud— that it was founded by the liberality of a private individual— that private individuals, stranges, and foreign societies have contributed largely to its stores and convenience, both with books aud money — that Sir George Grey, in his private capacity, has just enriched it with a gift greater iv money value then all. the rest ot the collection — aud that the public, through the Government, only contributed a small sum annually, for about ten years, to a Public Library, devoted to the advantage of the whole community —until the recent contribution to the building. The time is come when, to justify our self esteem, we should do more for ourselves, uot merely as individuals., but as a people; aud I do think that a sum adequate to the demand I have poiuted nut, may be expected from a Government Legislature animated by the. awakened energy ot this community, in anuual grants for ten or twelve years. To this Assembly, and now even to the general public, words are not needed to show that education, or at least the mere power of reading, without access to good books, may be useless or even pernicious. If no books, useless ; if books that depart widely from reality and intelligence, filled only with such stuff as dreams are made of, not the dreams of serene genius, which, like thosaof Homer and Shakespeare, might ex-alt the slumbers of Jove, but the shadows ot distempered minds unequally developed, luxuriating in discontent, arrogauce, and selfishness — such books composing the bulk of modern cheap literature iv England,

Fiance, and America are pernicious, even when not shamefully or even covertly immoral. To give, at a great expense, the answer of reading to the people, and to leave them without models, leaders, or guides to the pecuniary instincts of artificial authors, or circulating libraries, is to stop at a state of culture short of fruit; as if the husbandman should labouriously prepare the glebe, for the winds to supply the seed. We know what kinds of seed these sightless carriers scatter, whist iig at their work, while men sleep. Though the grants for Public Education are not excessive, nor adequate, if we regard ihe need only and not our ability to satisfy it ; yet, rather than neglect this article of well selected libraries, I think we should gain by the transference of a considerable amount frcm the one branch to the other. I trust this will not be necessary, for the prices of the books I allude to are now very moderate the average price of thirty or forty thousand volumes, being under rather than over six shillings and eight pence. So that for this Library, Metropolitan and Public, an annual grant for £1,000 or £1,500 for books alone, would bring it in ten years up to the level of the human mind at this epoch. For this public recognition by the Legislature would draw supplies from other, sources, as it had done already to a liberal extent ; and in 1872, the Cape would raok in this respect with the oapital cities of every other country that believes iv the immortality of the soul ; which it will not do till 100,000 volumes rest on the shelves, I would therefore recommend that a local committee, o.r commission, be appointed for this special purpose, namely with the advice of meu of competent literature and knowledge of the world in Europe, to frame, from catalogues of existing libraries, lists of works required for the augmentation of our collection in the various departments, within which a scientific classification embraces human knowledge. I make t iis proposal with the most perfect confidence that it will be speedily adopted, perhaps on a more liberal scale, accomplishing the great work in a shorter time. For I will not believe that you will long linger behind your brethren in Europe; men assuredly of the same blood and brain, and not naturally superior; when their genius presents to you on easy terms the means by which they have risen and are sustained above the clouds and miasma that fume from ignorance, up in the broad fields of universal truths, where the day star never shuts his eye. And the present condition of the human understanding, the work of knowledge and science, gives the world assurance that its best days are yet to come. Up to a recent period everywhere, as still ov.er large portions of the globe, man lived much'in a world of' his own. The phenomena of God's world awoke his enquiries, but he could but imperfectly apprehend their relations. They spoke to him an unknown tongue, for which he long sought an interpreter in vain. In his distress he appealed to Fancy aud Imagination, and these two gay and sparkling will o' the wisps supplied the aching void by projecting images of humanity over the whole face of nature. The sun, moon, stars, the air and ocean, the rivers, springs, and groves, were as persons, or the body of persons, related to them as conciousness is to matter in our frame. Everywhere there was a mind or soul with passions like our own. All motion had a spiritual cause and moral meaning. Storms, thunder, earthquakes, eclipses of the sun and moon, were expressions of indignation or of conflict ; as the gracious influence of Spring spoke the joy and goodness of the rosy-bosomed hours, lavishing their tenderness on the human race. These children of fancy' increased and multiplied in number and in power, some throned above the clouds, some ruling in the gloomy regions of death, but millions watching mankind in their daily walks, ready to spring upon them like tame tigers for the most trivial neglect or unlucky word. What was worse, they could be bribed to exert their powers of mischief by enemies and expectant heirs. On the testimony of fancy and imagination these facts were received, aud the intellectual power bade its logical faculty work out of them systems of religion, morals, aud social or political conduct. Tlie fruits o£ this science may be seen in the legends of the most quick witted people of aucienl times, and eren in their history after they had excelled all the rest o[ the world in beautiful and sublime conceptions. The people of whom were Homer, Eschylus, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, were the slaves oi dreams and omens in their political as well as in their domestic life. The mutilation of some rude statues of Hermes, on the ere of a warlike expedition in the days of Socrates, created more dismay and terror in Athens than would have an army of half a million of Persians. They believed that those divine protectors, having beeu thus grossly insulted, carried away with them alienated sentiments — wrathful and vindictive instead of tutelary and sympathising. Drought, deluge, and pestilence were ascribed to such powers for such offences. We see the great commander of the Grecian armies sacrificing his innocent daughter to purchase a fair wind,, and the Athenian people their most virtuous citizen, lest these powers should be offended at some disrespectful word, or neglected ceremonies he was charged with, — a charge which his noble defender, Xenophon, gravely denies. The Roman mind was haunted by the same fanciful notions of the uui verse, deterred even in the time of Tibeiius from a most beneficent undertaking for the good of Borne, lest' the river Tiber should be offended, while multitudes of beasts and men were cruelly slaughtered to please him whom they called the God of Light, Music and Poetry. Through the middle ages. Western Europe retained much of this imaginary world, down, as I have hinted, almost to our own times. Within the last two centuries, Lapland witches could live by selling hurricanes to Princes for revenge, or fair winds to whale fishers in the North Seas. The activity of these local spirits was still admitted, but with a change in our sentiments. Instead of courting their favour or forbearance by offeriugs of flowers and fruit, the blood of brutes, or of young women, we seized those who served them and put them t-> death with every refinemeut of torture, To such extravagances were the wisest and best men betrayed by correct reasoning from false premises. So chaotic, wild, irregular would this world have been had man made it. Aud yet these primitive fancies were in the Hue of truth. The method of investigating nature, more faithfully observed since the days of Lord Bacon, ha 3 conducted to this conclusion, that mind is everywhere present, not indeed a mind inferior or only equal to that of men, but one of whose ideas all the phenomena- of the universe are simply manifestations. His mode of action is not sttbh as the human mind would have chosen at first or followed through the succession of changes since the creation ; but yet it is such as the human mind approves with, veneration and delight in proportion as it is comprehended in every instance. Fancy and imagination, therefore, reported truly that in all the phenomena of nature there were indications of intellect, purpose and rational power. But it is impossible to think of

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