The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-08-11
OUR CENTENNIAL LETTER.
Chinese Carving-AmcrIcan Book Trade
Association
From Our Special Correspondent.

PHILADELPHIA, July 26.-China exhibits
pagoda or Chinese tower IN miniature, foul
and a half feet high.e z has ten stories
each story capped by a projecting roof. Pa
godas are used in China as observatories foI
cities. Chinese cities are of fsur classes
In a city of the fourth class there are five
ragodas; third class ten; second class ff.
teen; first class twenty The towers are gen.
orally from one hundred and fifty to three
hundred feet high. The pagoda stands on
the center of an ivory base, representing a
plot of ground enclosed by a fence of ivory
posts, supporting carved ivory pannels,
Seemingly lowered lace, so delicate is the
workmanship. In the area is a portal; in
the plot above the tower are four trees laden
with fruit, with representative citizens of
the celestial land, enjoying themselves with
in their grateful shade. The tower is hex
agonsl and slightly pyramidal. AT each
edge is a round support, running from top
to bottom. These six supports brace the
main portion of the structure, which consists
of beautiful lace carving. Each story is en-
circled above the capplng of the next lower
story by railing, similar to the fence, and
from the four corners of the ten cappings
are suspended as many bells. The exquisite
piece of ivory carving is worth $600.0O gold.
| The China ivory balls are wonderful. one five
| inches in diameter has fourteen smaller ones
enclosed, each three-fourths of an inch in
diameter. Within a hollow sphere twenty
three similar ones, each moving free of the
other. The operation of making the won
| derful balls is simple. The solid sphere of
ivory is taken, and the fourteen or other
number of holes bored, until they have
reached points, say half incn from the CEN
ter. A small sharp carving instrument, the
cutter of which must be on sharp angle
with the handle is introduced into each
| hole, and by careful cutting, a small ball
may be freed in the center of the mass. 1t
will hardly be spherical. This process is re-
! peated as often as it is represented by the
number of spheres to be freed. The outside
| sphere is then manipulated, with that ar
| tistic touch, so peculiar to the Chinese, and
| forests. figures, groupings, appear in bas re-
| lief. To the young men of America. who
dislike the more utile, but less ornamental
occupation of cutting wood, and desire to
test their skill on ivory as stimulant, will
state the ball spoken of in this connection,
required the constant employment of one
celestial one and a half years, and can be
bought for tw o hundred dollars in gold. The
Chinese have no superiOrs in the field of
carving in ivory, and no visitor to the exhi-
bition should fail to see their exhibits.
THE AMERICAN BooKTRADE ASSOCIATION.
This institution, whose importance in the
field of education, deserves a full and COM
prehensive notice, occupy a structure in
and is the only two story pavilion in the
building. Tie plan l17x34 feet base, hav-
ing three platforms, each supported by six
teen light iron pillar, and connected by two
bridge platforms. On the main platforms
are erected paviliOns, divided by rail stand
ards into four spaces each. and on the bridge
platforms are wall standards. The second
story is twelve feet above the floor; the rail
ings are in open iron work the decorations
on the graceful pillars are in claret sage, and
brown colOrs with guilt The building is
regular little beauty, and cost $1,000. The
gentlemen to whom the boOk-trade of the
country stands indebted for the convenience
the building furnishes, and the complete
ness of each detail of its organization, are
Messrs. Blackiston, Remsen, aRd n. X. Mon
acheSi.
RARE WORKS.
Among the many rare books gathered by
the association fOr exhibition, is a four centu-
ry Bible, printed at Venice in 1476, "evi-
denIly with prophetic Intention" Douay
(CathOlic) bible of 1910, a curiouslit copy,
supposed to have belonged te John Milton;
a fac-simile of the first English scripture,
Tyndales 1926 a King James OF 1911; the
Mathews Bible of John Rogers, 1549, and
several American bibles. The association
has also prepared a neat little pamphlet, |
giving sample texts in one hundred and six |
ty-fOur languages, with informatiO as to the |
society's work Copy of Elliott's Indian |
lea, which only Mr.. Trumbull can read the |
Aitkin bible, the first printed here in Eng |
lish, by RObt. Aitkin, 1881; Collins quarto |
bible, Trenton, 1791 handsome bible, |
printed in beautiful style, $3.50; curious |
old Ductch bible OF 1852. The oldest estab- |
lishment in the country, originating with |
Christopher Sower, ST., at Germantown. Pa, !
in 1888, who established the first type fOun- |
dry in America, and who printed quarto |
German bible, after Luther's thirty fourth |
Halle edition, which he finished, printing |
1900 copies of it in AZ. This was the first |
bible printed in this country in European
language. 1t was proceeded eighty years by !
Elliots Indian bible, but it was not till forty
years afterwards, 1871, that the first Engli' 'h
bible was printed in America. The firm ex-
hibit two of the first Sunday school tickets
printed in America. A New York house
exhibits in this department two eighteen
karat pen and pencil cases, each with dis-
mond in the head, value 5000. Another one
firm displays an eagle made of three thOus-
9nd gold pens. One firm exhibits apparent
ly what is a small roll of thin paper, but is
half inch in length. Another firm a ream Cf
paper, 6x1S, weighing 20O0 pounds, with
trimmed edges, called the Monarch.
The French is considered the finest collec-
ton of books in the building. 1t is worth
$40, 600, and nearly half has been already sold
to John Hopkins university. Among the
rare works are Balbus de Janua, Cathollcon
of the fifteenth century, in a superb binding
of that era which has required SlXtn mOntnS |
of uninterrupted labor. The French also
display a copy of Montesque's-"L lie Temple
de Guide " in quarto, the binding of which
cost three Thousand francs. There are fifty |
exhibitors from France in this department.
Germany has one hundred and forty-five
exhibitors in this department, who show
8, ,O9S books and 235 periodicals. A very fine
bible is exhibited, Hexaglot, in Hebrew
or Syriac, Greek, Latin, English, German
and French. Spain displays playing cards.
Sandwich Islands, photographs.
Mexico has the best literary exhibit from
any Spanish American country. Norw'y,
mostly statuary. Peru in her bookcase ex-
hibits cigars exclusively; let us hope that
this is simply to impress the vulgar with the
idea "nO putting needed" This box is
locked hence the Inference. Japan, an
English and Japan dictionary, with five hun
Switzerland has but small
exhibit, and they are done up in red bind
ing. This is strange for land of thinkers,
writer's and scholars. Turkey, a line c fined
ical works. One firm from Jersey City show
coil of lead for pencils, 4, 600 feet in length.
The above is but tTifling sketch of this i'm
portant association, but is valuable as evil
dence of the accomplishment of the book
men of the United States. | am indebted
for these facts to Prof. Dorsey Gardner, one
IF the elearest-headed writer and authors of
the New York press, formerly of the Round
Table. j. b.
PRENTICE MELEORD writes ftom the
"There are many famous
i. Il. Anpr hot nod /