A single and practical plan for the formation of a complete and useful
library and _respository_ of _universal_ literary knowledge.
The design which I propose in the following few lines, is one which I
should imagine nearly all the more learned and literary of your readers
would _wish_ to see _already in existence_ and when I show that it might
be effected _with very little trouble and expense_ (indeed _no_ trouble
but such as would be a _pleasure_ to those interested in the work), and
that the greatest advantage would follow from it,--I hope that it may
meet with favourable consideration from some of the numerous, able, and
influential readers and correspondents of your journal.
I am the more induced to hope this from the fact of such a wish having
been partially expressed by some of your contributors, and the excellent
leading articles of Nos. 1 and 2.
What I propose is simply this: the SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT of _all_ the
existing literary knowledge in the world that is considered _of value_
by those best qualified to judge, disposed in such a manner as to answer
these two purposes: 1st, to give a general connected and classified
_view_ of the literary treasures of the whole world, beginning from the
most ancient in each language and department (including only what is
valuable in each); and, 2dly, to afford the greatest possible _facility_
(by means of arrangement, references and _indexes_) to every inquirer
for finding _at once_ the information he is in search of, if it is to be
found _anywhere_ by looking for it.
There are two ways in which this work might be accomplished, both of
which were desirable, though even one only would be much better than
none.
The first and most complete is, to make a real COLLECTION of all those
works, arranged in the {294} most perfect systematic order; and, while
doing so, to make at the same time a corresponding classified
_Catalogue_.
The chief (and almost the only) _difficulty_ in the way of this would
be, to find a _room_ (or suite of rooms) to contain such a library and
repository; but such would probably be found if sought.
The other way in which this object might be attained is by the formation
of a simple CATALOGUE in the same order, such as does already exist and
lies open for public use (though only in manuscript, and not so
accurately classified as might be) in the noble library of the Dublin
University.
This plan would be _far easier_ than (besides forming the best possible
_basis_ for) that so urgently advocated by MR. BOLTON CORNEY (Vol. i.
pp. 9, 42, 43.).
Of course so extensive a design would require to be distributed among
many hundred persons; but so does any great work: while, by each
individual undertaking that department in which he is most interested
and most experienced, the whole might be accomplished easily and
pleasantly.
The great fault of antiquarians is, that they are constantly _beginning
at the wrong end_: they fix on some one piece of information that they
want to get, and devote a world of labour to hunting about in all
directions for anything bearing on the subject; whereas the rational way
obviously is, to have the whole existing mass of (valuable) knowledge
_classified_, and then the inquirer would know _where_ to look for his
purpose.
Of course there will always remain much knowledge of a miscellaneous and
irregular nature which is picked up by accident, and does not come
within the scope of the present design; but this is generally of a
trifling and fugitive kind, and does not at all controvert the principle
above laid down.
In conclusion, I have worked out a tolerably complete series of
arrangements for the above design, showing its practicability as well as
usefulness, which will be much at the service of any one who can use
them for the furtherance of that object.