Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-04-11

From the Printers Circular.
The extension Of education, which eSpcci-
ally marked the fifteenth century in Europe.
had made manuscripts very valuable. and
some Of the earliest specimens of printing
were sold Is manuscript, a species ofexua
remuneration which the printers were Justly
entitled to reap, for a short time. as q repay
ment for the special dillicultic- under which
they labored. The processes of what was
long termed the art and mystery of printiu.
We're preserved rs secret by Gutenburg.
Faust and Schoefer. for q few years (thcir
workmen being probably sworn to secrecy,
but with no dIShonOmhle intention as may
bc inferred from the fact that the puh.ica-
tions of 1857 contained proud and almost
boastful assertion that they were manuiac-
tured by mechanical means Jensen was
dispatched privately by the King Of France
to study the new art; but no greater secrecy
Is TO be presumed from this than necessarily
attends the Introduction of any new and Use
iul invention that Simp.ites the manufacture
of any article iu general demand. From
time to time certain distinguished typo
grapherS have endeay1red u preserve ~ Sc
cret- some special process which they con-
sidered as giving them particular ad,antage~
Thus it Is said that Baskerville would not
reveal the ingredients of the ink which. In
his day, was considered remarkable for its
biacknes>. and that Iharr Of Spain initiated
his example; while Bodoni refused his most
h0nored visitors admittauce into one room of
his printing Office. in which. 10 Is supposed,
he adopted peculiar methods for printing
! sheets. E,enat the present day some trade
secrets are closely guarded, although many
things are freely proclaimed.
Another species Of secrecy-that relating
to the careful supervision of confidential
| public documents, books being printed for
/ secret societies. and the authorship of pam
| phletS or article>-ha, been most honomhly
maintained. Nhel treaties are prematureiy
| published in ncwsT apcrs. the copy Is obtain
ed from some leak, or yenal official. and not
from any Of the pr inters who set up or work
| off the original. So, too. where it Is desir-
able to conceal th, authorship Of articles OF
/ books, this Is rarely or never disclosed hv a
/ printer who becomes acquainted with il in
| the exercise of hi calling Most crelitlblt
| to the profession Is the story of Harding. The
| printer, who bravely bore Imprisonment
rather than reveal the authorship Of tho
Drapier Letters; and the printer. sitting il
his cell, calmly refusing the entreaties o
friends, must stand in a far noblcr light
than the church magnate and celebrated wit
who, dressed in the disguise of low Irish
clown, sat by listening to the noble refusal
and the tender importmities, only anxiou,
that no word or glance from the unfortunate
| printer should reveal that beneath the rough
dress of poor peasant was hidden Dean
Swift himself, bent solely upon securing hi
own safety at the expense Of the printer
Swift covered before the legal danger which
Harding boldly confronted; and unequally
as the world has allotted the need of fame t
the two combatantS, the wit and printer
both fought for the liberty of the press, unit
the sense of an outraged community released
the typogripher from the peril he 50 nobiy
encountered. Sir Walter SCOTS authorship
of the Waverley Novels. although known b.
twenty persons, including a number of print
ers. was 50 well concealed that the grca
novelist could not even in his matchlesS yo
cabulary find words Of praise sufficient to ex
press the sense of grateful acknowledgment
and wondering admiration for the matches
fidelity with which his mystery had bee
preserved In thousands of other instances
similar fidelity has been exhibited ; and it
part of the professional honor of printe
not to disclose wantonly, or from yenal INC
T tives. the secrets of any Office in which he
, | emplOyed