THE LIBRARY OF LOUVAIN UNIVERSITY.
[To TII• EDITOR or TER "SrsorAroa.") SIR,—Sir Alfred Hopkinson recently announced, through your columns, the generous action of the John Rylande Library at Manchester in offering to house and catalogue any books that may be collected towards the restoration of the ruined Library of Louvain University. The offer is one which cannot be welcomed too warmly, and will greatly facilitate action in the direction desired by all those who reprobate the act of uncivilized barbarism committed by the German Army. There is, however, some danger lest the various efforts which are being made in this direction should overlap and lead to confusion, and it is desirable that steps should be taken to combine and co-ordinate them. For example, the Classical Association (on the initiative of some Cambridge scholars) issued an appeal to its members some months ago for contributions of books, and it is possible that other movements to the same end are on foot. It is plainly possible to combine such efforts with that of the Rylands Library, and I think I can say, on behalf of the Council of the Classical Association, that they will be ready to merge their appeal in the larger scheme announced by Sir A. Hopkinson, which provides not only for the collection of books, but for their storage and cataloguing.
The central co-ordinating organization, however, which the situation requires should be of a national character, and capable of entering into communication with similar organiza- tions in other countries. It may therefore be of interest to your readers to mention that a Committee formed of members of the Institut de France recently approached the Council of the British Academy with an invitation to the Academy to co-operate in the formation of an International Committee for the restoration of the Louvain Library, which. ould act through national Committees in each country concerned. The invitation was accepted, and a Committee is in 'process of formation under the leadership of Viscount Bryce, the President of the British Academy.
It will he obvious that there is nothing in this action on the part of the British Academy which is in the. least incompatible with the offer made by the Rylands Library. It merely provides for that co-ordination of effort which is required by the generous rivalry which now exists to . repay a portion of our debts to gallant Belgium, and to make-good, so far as in us lies, one of the crimes against humanity of which the German Army has been guilty. The notification of the existence of this international organization may be of interest to all who are concerning themselves with this matter.—I am,
[Admirable; but we must not forget, as was lately pointed out by a correspondent of the Spectator, that Germany owes a debt to the Library of Louvain, and that we must see it is liquidated. We hate reprisals, but this will, be no reprisal— merely the restoration of stolen goods. We must not burn or pillage a German library to make up for the evil done at Louvain, but we can quite justly say, " You shall not keep your plunder."—En. Spectator.]
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