Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-07-29
WHAT BECOMES OF BOOKS.

uo,r Literary TREASURES Perish bU FIRE,
Flood aud DecaB.
The world hos never had 30 many
books Us to-day, and but for the destroy
ing agents that keep pace with the prog
rcss of book making the present rapid
multiplication Of books would soon usurp
for printed volumes an undue share OF
space suitable for their preservation.
The rain and the sunshine, the frost and
tho thaw, gaslight aid heat, mold and
decay, children and servants prepare
The books in modern households for the
kindling of fires sooner or later, OF for
the junkman, the modern undertaken OF
literature.
1t is estimated thAt not less than
$4,000 new books are published ovory
year, running through editions nuinbOr-
ing from ! 900 to 81, 00O volumes. There
are now l, 1000 900 printed books in the
British Museum library, and there are
5000, 900 books in the Bibliothequo Ma
tionale OF Paris. Our American libraries
arc wonderfully large for new country,
and it is believed that there are larger
collections OF books in libraries now than
ever before. Bibliophiles OF today do
not trust the old stories OF the enormous
number and value OF the books destroyed
at Carthage and at Alexandria. Even
with the steam press, which has been
working half century, it is extremely
difficult 10 collect half million different
books in modern library, and the nc
counts Of old writer's of the wonderful
extent OF ancient libraries are doubted,
because OF the scarcity OF books before
the invention OF printing. While some
bibliophiles estimate that probably no.
oao-thousandth part of the books that
hayo been are still extant, they are not
disposed 10 mourn their destruction, for
doubtless mountains OF rubbish were TO.
moved which, if the cleansing fires had
not come, would have rendered dc.
structive measures necessary for sheer
want OF space i'll which to store 30 many
volumes.
The libraries OF MSS. collected by the
Egyptian Ptolemies were doubtless fa-
nous throughout the world, and when
they were burned in Caesars Alexandra
un war B. @. 4S, at Alexandria, and
again by the STacons, A. d. $40, All
immense loss was inflicted upon man.
kind; but, although Gibbon, the histor-
inn, accepts the story that TOO, 900 vol
umes were thus destroyed, many book
men gravely doubt it. These volumes,
like all the manuscripts OF the early
ages, were written on sheets of parch
ment, with wooden roller at each end
so that the reader needed only TO unroll {
portion at time. The next great dc
struction OF books was at Carthage, wher
100000 books are said to have beer
burned.
With heathens burning Christian
writings and Christians retaliating upor
pagan literature, books disappeared
rapidly in the twilight of civilization
Mohammed destroyed books because i
they contained what was in the Koral
they were superauous, and if they con
tanned anything opposed to it they wer'
immoral. Twelve thousand book
printed i'll Hebrew were burnet
at Cromona in 1869, and at til,
capture OF Granada Carolina
Nimenes made bonfire Of 5000 copie
Of the Koran. The treat monasti
libraries dell under the teeth OF time il
the Reformation. The books were de
ytroyed to scour candlesticks, cleal
boots and light fires. Some we're sold
grocers and soap sellers for wrappin
purposes, aud merchant, for 4
yhillings, bought two noble libporie
containing paper stock enough to los
him ten years. Many books from tn
first presses, including Cartons transli
iion of the "Metamorphoses of Ovit
and probably his "Lyf Of tn Erie {
O1onforde," were torn up to cove
the bottom OF pans in the baking I
pies.
The great FIRE in London, in 1865, r
duccd many priceless collections to Gil
dcrs, including an immense stock +
moved for safety to the vaults OF $
pnul's Cathedral
The shells Of the German army
1870 fired the great Shasbourg Librar
containing the records Of the famo'
law suits between Gutenberg, the fir
printer, and his partners, upon whiC
depended the claim of Guttenberg to IL
invention Of "the art preventative of 0
arts" In that fire also the first print,
Bible, and many other priceless volum
were consumed.
Mohammed H., when no capture
Constantinople in the fifteenth centr
ordered the books Of all the churches
well as the 10000 manuscripts in t
library of Emperor Constantine to
thrown into the sea.
An IMMIGRIR1'S BATH.