The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-09-02
F.om the Ne,o Orleans Prssbytrian.
The Heal Inventor Of Printing.


| GEsTLEaES: You would obge me by inserting
in your valuable paper the following lines, which
| may prove not uninteresng to the friends OF eel
| ence and historical truth.
Under the head Of discoveries and Inventions"
| read in the Family Christian Almanac for 1850,
page 90, historical fact, "Printing invented by
Faust, l44l; made public by Guttenburg, l45o;
brought into England by William Caxton, l47l !"
This il not correct, the invention OF printing dat
ing far back as the year 1923.
In Holland, (or more correctly the Netherlands,)
about nine miles from the metropolis, isacity called
Harlem. beautiful forest or park, bordered
with country seats, Is, as 1t were the common gar
den Of all the citizens Of HARLEM, and seems, In
the warm season, to invite one 10 walk under the
shady foliage OF oah trees the age OF which must
be counted by centuries
On beautiful afternoon, in the summer of the
| year lf23 citizen Of Iiaariem, named Laurens
| Janszoon Roster, man Of little over fifty years
| old, accompanied by two or three OF hie grand
children, went 10 the above mentioned park. Hav'
ing come TO certain spot-which Ia called to this
day "the eight point because it Is the central
| point of eight lawns, which the park in all
directions grandfather Roster took possession Of
one of the benches planted on this beautiful spot
To pass the time, he cut with penknite, from
piece of green wood, the first three or four letters
Of the al lphabet, for the of his grrud children,
the first elements Of reading. Thcse letters
were we'll finished that he thought it worth while
to preserve them, by wrapping them carefully IN a
piece of paper and then putting them in his pocket
In the evening, while sitting in the midst OF the
family circle, Roster had entirely forgotten his
wood engravings, nor did he dream of The conse-
sequences Of his sitting upon them. But going to
bed, and undressing himself, he took the Little
package out Of his coat pocket, and oh how great
was his astonishmcnt when, upon opening H. he
beheld his letters plainly printed ON the paper
wherein he had wrapped them up.
This simple event created i'll Rosters ingenious
mind that sublime idea through which the art OF
printing originated, and since light and blessing
have spread over the whole earth
Laurcns Roster, practising the matter over and
made
some time he was able to print with wooden types
and ink paper. Not resting, and wiser by ex
lar that he could print book with movable me
tallic types The first one printed by him was u
school book, under the title of Spsgel onsr Behou
denis-Mirror of our Salvation.
Roster, not capable OF doing all this work alone,
got hands to assist him, and of them left
his house certain night and set of for Mentz,
taking with him great many of the instruments,
types, &c, and brought, by this dishonest act, the
art of printing over to Germany; where Faust and
Guttenburg made 30 many further Improvements,
that every who beholds the blessed results OF the
art of printing, in ditiusng knowledge and wisdom
all the earth will honor their memory with
praise and gratitude unconscious that the honor Of
the invention is not theirs, but belongs to Laurens
Janszoon Roster.
Roster born in the year 1870, and died in the
year 1899. IL is said that he was the Roster Il. e.
Sexton) Of the cathedral of HARLEM, his name be
ing Laurens, the soh of John, (Janszoon,) ) adding
to this the name of his employment, which was a
standing near the Cathedral, and on an open
plain market place, just between the church and
his house, his grateful fellow citizens erected some
time after his death, his statue, which "a standing
| there till this day.
| But now some say "This ia all fine story, but
where is the proof of its TRUTH" Please read few
lines more.
More than two centuries passed away, and not a
single soul in Haarlem in the whole country
doubted that l.. Jz. Roster was the inventor of
printing. But in following times Germany, aided
by the French, attempted to undermine the found
alton on which the invention as only belonging 10
! Roster grounded. Holland saw this. and anx-
ious to bring the truth TO light, the Harlem So
cicty of Science, in lsOS, offered premium of a
| double golden medal (worth about five hundred
gulders) for the best written dissertation on the
! question, whether there any ground to deny
! HARLEM the invention of printing with movable
yRss BY L'0Fen' ''n''oon Roster before the year
| Three answers were received, but none of them
were considered TO merit the offered prize; and
three years after the same question was again pub
lisncd for competition.
A very modest man, who for more than twenty
years had gathered and searched for these matters,
sent his ans Ia volume about two inches thick)
in 1914 TO the Iaarlem Society of Science. Hls
work underwent most critical examination; bot
praise and glory the uttcrancc of the said
society in 1916, ~ the author whose name proved
TO be Jacobus Koning. He was the man who had
gloriously defended the honor of Iaarlem and
Roster; who had called host of witnesses from the
grave, by old books, old manuscripts, paper
! marks, cscutchcons, &c, and all doubt concern
ing the invention of Roster had vanished forever.
HARLEM having now the proofs of her rights
celebrated, IN the summer of 1923, the fourth Jubt
lee of Rosters invention. II solemn day.
All the members of the society, and thousands Of
citizens and strangers, went fret to the cathoc raj,
where discourse delivered by one Of the most
eloquent professors of Leyden University. After
that the socioiy, with koning in their midst,
marched in procession through the streets towards
the came spot where Lsurens Roster, four hundred
years ago, had cot the fret letter. At the arrival
of the train, large linen cover was taken down,
and a simple, but solid and well executed monu-
ment to the honor Of Laurcns Janszcon Roster, as
the inventor of the art Of book printing, presented
itsef 20 the eyes Of thousands and Thousands,
shouting for Roster, for Harlem, and for Koning.
AS SOON as the dissertation of Koning pub
! lshed il was translated into French for the sake
of foreign countries. The city of Harlem has in
possession many of'the original copies of l.. kos-
ter's printings, and numerous other proofs which
testify the very truth Of all which is above related
which treasure is occurred in the city hall, and is
! preserved as bulwark against any attack upon
the right Of Rosters invention in 1923. Besdcs oil
this the church register is now also there. wherein
can be found, "thst l.. Jz Roster died in li39." ls
! there any nation who can show any book printed
/ before that Year.
! hope 10 receive copy 1.-THE French TRANSLATION
! of the above-men toned work of Jacobus Koning
in the course of this year, and intend to present IL
to the Library Of the Second Municipality. Every
| one who will read this precious book will be satis
fed and say, 'this must be the truth"