The old and the new Peru

by Marie Robinson Wright

CHAPTER XIV
THE NATIONAL LIBRARY—PERUVIAN WRITERS—PAINTING AND ILLUSTRATIVE ART

DR. RICARDO PALMA. DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY, LIMA.

In accordance with the liberal principles of an independent nation, one of the first acts of the government, after the inauguration of the republic, was to issue a decree on the 28th of April, 1821, creating the National Library. Freedom of the press was established at the same time, and other measures were adopted by which the newly emancipated people could enjoy opportunities for gaining knowledge that had not been available under colonial rule. The Liberator, General San Martin, realizing the importance of providing every means for the better education of the masses, took advantage of the first occasion that presented itself to forward his liberal plans. Not only was public instruction established on a broad basis, but the spirit of inquiry was stimulated by encouraging the publication of reading matter, and by giving literature a permanent place among the national institutions. Formerly, the means of gaining information had been very limited, in consequence of the strict rules which governed the distribution of books.

The patriotic motive that guided the Liberator in founding the National Library is evident in his decree, which declares that “as ignorance is the strongest pillar of despotism, free governments should adopt an opposite course, allowing mankind to follow its natural impulse toward perfection.” The library was first opened to the public on the 17th of September, 1822, with a collection of about twelve thousand volumes. Many of these were of great value, as the long residence of Spanish state and church officials in the viceregal capital had resulted in the introduction of the best European literature, some of which, interdicted by the Holy Office, had been concealed for a long time, and came to light only with the triumph of the Independence. All the works printed by the press in Peru since its first establishment in 1580 were placed in the National Library, which was enriched with rare editions of the Bible; a curious volume on palmistry, dated 1449, presented by General San Martin; a breviary, printed in Venice in 1489; and an edition of Plato of still older publication, as well as complete sets of the writings of classic and modern philosophers and scientists. The nucleus was chiefly derived from the convents, which had been the great repositories of literature in colonial days, and many Latin books, in folio, were acquired, treating chiefly of religious subjects. The library was established in a building formerly occupied by the College of Caciques, famous under the viceroyalty as an institution that provided for the Christian education of noble descendants of the Inca emperors.

When the Chilean army occupied Lima in 1881, this flourishing institution, which was among the most important in America, was destroyed, the valuable collection, then amounting to about fifty thousand volumes, being in part carried off to Chile and the remainder publicly sold at auction by weight.

The restoration of the National Library is largely due to the efforts of its present director, Dr. Ricardo Palma, who worked with zeal and enthusiasm to recover a treasure which he recognized as of priceless value, since it represented not merely intrinsic worth but also the standard of intellectual recreation which the public demanded after half a century of free government. Dr. Palma repurchased some of the precious volumes put up at auction, and secured rare old manuscripts that had been sold as waste paper. The portraits of the viceroys, all of which had been torn down from the walls of the library by the invading soldiery, were recovered, with two or three exceptions. This collection is one of the most notable in America, as the portraits are consecutive examples of the art of three centuries, and provide a unique study for the connoisseur. They have recently been removed to the National Museum. The loss of the library was one which no effort could entirely replace, and the Peruvian people regretted it as a bitter calamity; everything possible was immediately done toward making a new collection. Other nations expressed their regret and sympathy, and many gifts of valuable works were received. Spain, Argentina, the United States, and Ecuador sent generous collections of books, many patriotic Peruvians made donations from their private possessions, and, in 1884, the National Library reopened with twenty-eight thousand volumes.

At present the library consists of fifty thousand books and manuscripts, arranged according to a systematic classification. The library building occupies a central location, and is a typical Spanish edifice, built around an open court, or patio, with upper and lower corridors, which were originally the cloisters of the College of Caciques. The rooms used by the National Library extend the full length of the building, and include, in addition to the book section, a commodious reading-room, furnished with modern desks and lighted with electricity; the library is open to the public in the evenings as well as during the day. On the bookshelves, a very important place is given to the collection sent by the Smithsonian Institute, of Washington, amounting in all to five thousand volumes. A recent acquisition, known as the Quixote collection, embraces the most notable editions of Cervantes, among others that of Argamasilla, which was printed with silver type, and one issued in Argentina in 1905, the latter being the only edition published in South America. This classic of old Spain has been translated into eighteen different languages, and the Library of Lima has copies of all except the Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, and Dutch editions. The library has also been enriched by a gift, from President José Pardo, of sixty volumes, the scientific collection of the celebrated ornithologist, William Nation, purchased by His Excellency for the section of natural sciences.

INTERIOR OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY, LIMA.