(The map accompanying this blog post may be found here.)
In this, a Nation but Newly Formed, the foment of Change falls upon us, and many know not where to turn. Some will turn to God, and some to the Politicians. Some will rise up, calling for Action; others will pursue the accumulation of Wealth. Yet all must base their actions upon something, upon some Precedent, whether they be aware of this Truth or no. Nothing that is human stands free of History, and all that is human Contributes to this great Tide. In this knowledge, I, William J. Carter, submit this plan for the establishment of a new Community, that of New Alexandria, which will seek to rebuild the Might of that Ancient Library of Alexandria, lost to Fire and Time. Within this community, shall Knowledge be available to All and preserved for All, so that the peoples of this the United States may know from what History their actions Follow, and what History they further Create. So shall No Man be able to state that he knew not what he did or what might come from it, and No Secret be lost to those who may wish it Hidden. All will be Recorded, all will be Protected, and all will be Witnessed, by those who heed the call of this New Alexandria.
At the very Center of this Community shall be the Great Library, around which all Else shall Revolve. It shall be Vast, and land shall be left open around it, so that it may Gain in Size, as it must do with time. All shall be stone within this Library, and all paved around it, for some Distance, so that it shall not Fall to the Consuming Fire which destroyed its ancient Predecessor. Around it, at some distance, shall also be the stately Dormitories, within which all who Serve the Library will reside. Halls for lectures and Education of both Residents and those who come seeking Knowledge shall also be Built about the dormitories. All land else shall be open for Development and for Cultivation by the Residents of New Alexandria, with only the Warning that such use must not Endanger or prevent the inevitable Growth of the Library proper.
All may come to Serve the Library. Not One shall be turned away, excepting he who is so Dogmatic in any belief Whatsoever, be it God or Science, or the causes of Politics or Man, that he may not put the pursuit and Preservation of All Knowledge above that of his own Petty Cause. Certainly, the Library shall perhaps most quickly draw Men of Learning, of Culture and high Literacy; and such will be first encouraged to come, as they may place the Foundation of Knowledge upon which the Library shall Flourish and Grow. But above the Men of acknowledged Learning may come also any who wish to Learn and to also contribute to the Collection of Knowledge and the Setting Down of History. He who was once a Slave may come, so that he may tell us of the Life and the Origins of Darker Men and instruct us in the Traditions and Lore that may remain from far Africa; so also may Women come, to Set Down the experiences of their Gender and to attest to what they Best Know, be it only the Raising of Children or the Stories of their Grandfathers. All knowledge is Knowledge, and all Experience is History, and though the Educated may be its Best and First Guardian, its Formation and Protection is limited not only to their Ranks.
Those who wish to Dwell in New Alexandria and to work within its Great Library must live within its Dormitories. These Penitents may freely seek Employment elsewhere or endeavor to Establish Businesses in the surrounding Lands, but also must they devote a Certain expanse of Time and Labor each week to the Upkeep and Maintenance of the Library; the Compiling and Printing of Works of Knowledge, to be Distributed and Sold beyond the bounds of New Alexandria; and the Education of those who come seeking Knowledge. Also must they contribute One Tenth of whatever Income they may Acquire to the Library, for the Growth of its Collection. Such Contribution may also be in the Equivalent Value of Written Works, be they Periodicals, Works of Fiction, Works of Science, of Great Thinkers, or indeed of any Material which may serve to Preserve and to Further the body of Human Knowledge.
No Man shall be Permitted to remove Works from the Library, but all Men shall be permitted to Study them within its Confines and many great Rooms shall be built within it for this Sole Purpose. At all Hours, shall the Penitents of the Library be hard at Work, Reading through these Works and Assembling the Knowledge there held into Materials more Succinct and suitable for the Understanding of the Common Man, which shall, as Aforementioned, be Compiled and Published. Also will the Library, which shall be Governed by Myself and a Council of its Members, chosen from those who have given not the most Money but the most Time to the Library, seek to Attract and Entertain Authorities and Figures of Interest and Renown, who may Lecture the People at Large and those of the Library in the Subjects on which they are considered Expert. So shall Knowledge both come to New Alexandria and be Dispersed from it, so that it remain always within the Flow of History, both Guarding and Freeing Knowledge for all of this great United States.
Thus, I, William J. Carter, submit this plan for your Inspection, you who Pass by and Read. Build with me this New Alexandria, so that, though the Nation be Caught Up in its own Waves of Change, Knowledge shall have Safe Haven within its Borders and nothing shall be Lost and Nothing Hidden. To any who see the Worth of this Cause, to those who Know or those who wish to Know and Weep to see anything lost to the Dark, join with me. Such an Endeavor is the Worthiest of all that is Man.
