Library of Congress Editorial
Dec. 25. 1851
“Fire Rages the Library of Congress”. When I heard about this I was devastated. Who would do such a thing on Christmas Eve? What is especially surprising to me is that no one knows how the fire started and Washington is one of the most secure places in the country and they can’t even figure out how a fire started?! What if wasn’t a person who purposely did this but a freak accident or a fireplace problem? Until the fire fighters find something we wait and hope for the answer. I think it was purposeful because it happened on Christmas Eve and that kind of circumstance sounds planned to me. But I could be wrong but I doubt it. If it is a person who did this it is probably local gangsters, a mad politician or a mental disturbed citizen. This fire is also a sign of tragedy and it is sad that in this joyful and happy holiday season that something terrible such as this would happen. I think this act has definitely saddened the entire American public. Sadly, many parts of the Library did not make it; the Thomas Jefferson part that was contributed to the library in the 1820s was completely destroyed. Also, most of the 55,000 volumes were destroyed in this tragic incident. Apparently according to some newspapers the President is going to speak about the fire soon. I expect him to speak from the heart about the tragedy. The library means a lot to every President and I expect it to be the same for this one. The library doesn’t just mean a lot to the President but to the people that work there. Sadly they will not be able to return to work for one year because of the amount of damage. It also means a lot to the American public. The library is one of the biggest in the world and serves one of the largest countries in the world. The Library of Congress means a lot to everyone. I look forward to it re-opening.