Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-10-30
TIE BRITISH MUSEUM.

TIE BRITISH MUSEUM.
Ancient Racks and s'n""~crIpt*-Tnc
Relies 81 Twelve Hundred Years.
The following is an extract from
letter of Hon. Joseph Mc.iill's, pub
lished i'll the Chicago Tribune:
Monday and to-day "Wednesday I
devoted to the British Museum. Mon
day a. M. Ispent among the
BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS
in the great hall containing the libra
ries of George Ill. and George Nv. and
the great Granville Library, donated
to the Museum, tog Their with the i'm
mense additions made thereto during
the past forty years. I cannot under
take to name the rare things saw, but
will mention few. I saw the Maza-
rine Bible, from the press of Guttcn-
berg and Faust, dated Mentz, 1455,
believed to be the first copy ever print
ed on movable types. It was beauti-
fully executed and Illuminated. 1 saw
scores of printed books bearing date
before 1475; an original copy OF the
"Tales of Caunterburye," by Chaucer,
147G-only one other copy in existence.
saw a .ieopy of the first
edition of Columbus letter or record of
his discovery Of America, written eight
months thereafter, printed in Latin, in
Rome, 1893. saw copy of Shaks-
peare's "Romeo and Juliet" London,
1597,-frst edition. just look at the
date! Also, of liking Lear" 1905
first edition, and "Mcrry Wives of
Windsor, first edition, 1919. Also,
a copy Of the first collected edition OF
Shakspeare's plays, 1923; all be-
queathed by David Garrick. I also
saw Shakspeare's autograph to deed
for the purchase OF a piece of land, ard
q mighty poor specimen of penmanship
it was. 1 saw the manuscript contract
of Milton and his publisher for "Par-
adise Lost" and Millions signature
thereto. Some Of the English manu-
scripts date back to A. d. 623.
There is also to be seen
the Bull of Pope Leo x, comforting
on Henry VIII. the title of Defender
of the Faith" There were letters in
French written by William the Con-
querer. There were autograph letters
of all the noted historical characters,
as Kings, Queens, Princes, Dukes,
Earls, authors, composers, orators,
poets, statesmen, Generals, Admirals,
etc., produced by Great Britain and
Europe for thousand years past. I
was perfectly bewildered with the null
titude of them. I saw the original
manuscript of the New Testament
"Codex Alexandrian," of A. D. $50, in
Greek, on parchment. I believe there
are only two older copies extant,- one
in the Vatican and one in St. Peters
burg. I saw the Parliamentary records
since William the Conquerer, and the
original Magma Charta extorted from
King John Gt was nearly faded out).
But weary you with the enumeration.
The afternoon devoted to the gal
leries containing specimens of natural
history, and portion of the collection
of
ANTIQUITIES,
including the ancient coins md jeweled
ornaments. Some of the coins dated
back to the early days of Greece. No
jewelry store IN London or Paris can
equal in design or beauty of these spe.
cimens of jewelry. Indeed, the modern
ones are mere limitations of those of
Greece and Rome.
This afternoon was devoted to
ANCIENT sTATUARY,
which fills dozen great halls, some of
them 200 by so feet. The collection of
"Elgin Marbles" from Athens is i'm
mense. I never formed any concep.
ton of sculpture before. It is almost
a lost art to the moderns. They can
not even copy the originals, much less
conceive originals to compare with
those produced by little Greece
The collection from Egypt is pro-
digious, shiploads of works
of art in marble and granite
Get black granite) and marble of vari-
GUS colors. The Egyptian statuary ex-
ceeds that of Greece in size, running
into the super-collossal, and all of it is
constructed or cast after a peculiar
type, as shown in pictures. The Greek
statuary is bold, graceful, faithful to
life, wonderful. But nearly all of the
specimens, thousands in number, IRE
more or less broken or defaced-some
of them mere fragments. Vandals and
barbarians made sad havoc with them.
I came away both days so tired that
limbs, eyes, and brain ached, and I was
one big ache from the top of my head
to the sdiespfnay feet: tell you it is
the hardest KIND Of work, this thing Of
sight seeing, if one goes at it deter
mined to fird out things, and look
deeper than the surface of goide-book.
descriptions. never look ut the lut-
ter.) ,zt
TIE BRITISH MUSEUM LIBRARY
contains over 1000, 900 volumes, and as
many manuscripts and pamphlets. The
main rcading-roOm is circular, like the
Chicago Ia. k, but ten times as large,
being 40 feet in diameter by the same
i'll height,-being, III tact, vast dome
or howl. It contains 100, 600 of the
most-used and called-for Volumes, but
none Of the rare and curious old books.
There are stalls or seats and desks for,
perhaps, 500 readers, and they
are mostly full continually. Here
the books and magazines arc
made, and half these readers I
saw were authors. No books are loaned
out, or allowed to lie taken out Of the
building, The books are arranged on
the shelves very much as the Boston
and Washington Libraries. The guide
complained Of the error OF having the
rooms too high, and of the enormous
amount of ladler-work for the servants
in fetching and erlacing books. In the
new rooms the shelves are not more
than 8 or 8 feet high but the aisles
have iron gIatings, so that you can see
up two or three stories and down rs
many. In fact, the aisles are simply
gridirons. Two or three copies OF all
copyrighted books must be given to the
Grand Library.
Dress Plainly.
Some one has given the following
reasons why people should dress plain
ly on Sunday. These reasons are as
valid any other day in the week:
It would lessen the burden of many
who now find it hard to maintain
their place in society.
It would lessen the force of tempta-
tions which often lead men to barter
honesty and honor for display.
Ii there was less strife in dress ut
church people in moderate circum-
stances would be more inclined to at