The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-03-23

ii
hundred wears. the same old prncess OF
copying by hand with pen and INK. was IN
use. The sacred writings ana histories
an we'll as the poetry Of the old masters IN
the realm Of thought, were thus transmit
ted to US.
Before the birth Of Christ, Eumenes,
King If Pergamos, the second OF the iam'' |
" Of Attalus, desired to increase his libra
ry, which was the largest in Asia, or the
world. This excited the Jealousy Of ftol'
emy Of Euergetcs, the second OF Egypt:
His cruelty had banisbed the most learned
men from his KingdOhp, and thinking to
cripple the resources oi'hiS enemy, nc, oy
an edict, forbid the expectation OF any
Papyrus from his kingdom, which was
used as substitute for paper. Papyrus
was the inner bark Of plant found grow
ing in the swamps Of Egypt. Ine men
Of PeVgamos at once substituted the SKIN
Of animals, calling it after their city Per.
gamenta." This was in every respect
more desirable article. The very means
employed to contract the energies OF ge,
MUS, were the ones designed by the hand
of Providence to bring about the greatest
amount Of good 10 men.
When the Savior went into the temple
Mt Jerusalem; Is his custom was on the
Sabbath. from the scroll Of parchment
which hc held, he read to the startled
Jews that wonderful prophecy" This
/ day is the Scriptures fulfilled in yonr
ears"
Paul, when he wrote words OF encour'
ngement or Of admonition, to the Chris
tians in different places. wrote on the same
kind of skins. Parchment became scarce
in the middle ages, and therefore many
valuable manuscripts were erased anu
others written upon them. The ePIstlcs
Of jerome were thus discovered. Ihe
monk, in his cell, patiently spent his life,
often in pcrusing the thoughts OF others.
faithfully portraying word and lne.-and
with careful claboratencRs, most skillInlly
embellishing them. Sometimes hny years
were expended on one Of those illumina-
ted missals; perhaps life time on Plato,
or on some old poet. To those whose
wondering gaze is fastened in admiration
on these relics Of o darker age, which was
the precursor Of the brightness OF this,
the names Of the authors OF 30 much rare
industry, in very many instances, Will be
to them forever unknown.
These parchment volumes come down
to us, fresh and brilliant, from those wri-
ting rooms in the old monasteries, and as
tonish US by their beauty and splendor.
At Upsal, In Sweden, there Is preserved q
volume known as the Silver Book. the
Gothic Gospels. II is large folio volume
of violet colored parchment; in which part
of tho New Testament Is impressed on
each page 10 silver letters. The beginning
Of the Gospels, and Of the Lord g, Prayer,
are 10 gold letters. II was donc by i'm
pressing gold or silver foil ON each letter
or word. This book, magnificent rs It is,
is far exeelIed by one now In Franc. Yet
it has the English arms, and must have
been made in some English monastery
"Thc book Of the passion Of our Lord. in
characters composed of no material. -
The book Is made Of the finest vellum.
Each letter and characteF is cut outOf the
page-the alternate leaves being Of clear
blue. ...t.... T..
All the manuscripts made In the Middle
Ages, were illuminated moro or lees with
colored initial letters-strAnge and quaint
devices, and imaginary figures, done with
exquisite delicacy aud taste. l,y-,,. ..-.
John Gutenberg, native of Maycnce
in Germany made the discovery Of mover
BILE type, without the means to carry out
the design. he revealed The dise0Sery u
John Faust, . wealthy citizen Of that
place. "Inventive genius and construc'
tive skill seldom being the pcrogative oI
one mind" Peter Schoeffer, an engravcr,
was employed to make the type; &C
we'll satisfied was Faust with the result ol
his labor, that it is said that he bestowed
his daughters hand in marriage upon
Schoeffer. The house Is still shown where
their press was set up.
Said onsOfI Che most erudite aud finished
scholars Of the present time: 1t is Q
thought full Of interest, that the book pre-
sented first to the astonished and startled
world, was Gods own" When Guttesn
berg raised the proof sheet" And God
said let there be light, and there Wal
. light" Showing that the word Of God Il
not bound. The printing press was 9
new monarch. The intellect Of man ami
: inexhaustable mine of wealth, to furnish
} ore which the spirit Of man, when re-
deemed by the cross Of Christ, could en-
Tighten the world.
When in 1887 statue Of Gutenberg
Of Mayence was opened, High Mass wai
performed by the Bishops, amid the pa
CENTRES Of Romanism and that first print
ed Bible was displayed to the assemblag'
taken from where 1t had been kept I
sealed book SO long TO the common peo
ple. II was the germ Of millions Of Bibles
which have spread Christianity through
the habitable globe" krom about l44(
to 1862, it is singular fact that the ar
Of printing was for those twenty year
kept secret by the printers Of Mayence
In Paris, the King and the Archbishop
purchased Bibles Of Faust, and what wa
, their surprise and horror was to find then
not only copies, but exact fac-similies o
each other. The devil had all the mar
vel laid to him. Faust was arrested, ant
to save his unlucky head, he was obliged
tn reveal to the wonder stricken monarch
his new process Of producing books
From this new process arose the stories
Of Faust and Methistophses, and the ob
vious name Of devil.
: The Chinese practiced printing will
wooden types in the fourth century, bu
: made no new discoveries.
, Castor, of Harlem, carved on the barI
, Of trees for the amusement Of his nieces
] and nephews, and observing the marks
which the bleeding bark left on paper, h
, made wooden types about the year l43O
: William CaxtOn, Holland merchant
5 in 1474, cmigrated to England, taking th'
new art with him. His printing Ofilc'
was in one Of the chapsls IN Westminis
ter Abbey. Within year after this
ninety -four presses were In full operates
c in the different cities Of Europe, IN.
. correctors Of the press, from the aReentl
9 until the eighteenth century weFO vsEy
different persons trOsA the mOdern pres
D readers. The most learned end bFilliAA
men Of their time, were Hike Erasmus Q
E Rotterdam. Men Who q later date.