The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1894-09-14
A BOOKS CLOTHING.
BINDINGS MADE FROM THE SKIN or
HUMAN BEINGS.

BINDINGS MADE FROM THE SKIN or
HUMAN BEINGS.
TIon,as CarlyIe's Grur Speech At the Din.
nor rarty--A meek of Cnrda Made From
the skin Of 1ndlaas-The Troubiesolns
ensakworma'' and Their nnvasss.
'sro be strong backed aud neat
bound, . says Charles Lamb, is the de-
sideTatum Of a volume. Magnificence
comes after p In spite, however, OF this
axiom Of the gentle Ella, not q few Of
this we'll thumbed, torn and dogs cared
fayorites turned their backs to the spec
tatoT, coverIess Upon goodiy row Of
encyclopedias and books which are no
books the jealous essayist burst forth:
II confess that 1t moves my spleen to
sec these things in books clothing
perched upon shelves, like false saints,
usurpers Of true shrines, intrudors into
the sanctuary, set cut Ia an ar
ray Of Russia on Maroeco, when q tithe
OF that good leather wonld comfortably
reclothe my shiyering folios, would
renovate Paracelsus himself and en-
able old Raymund Lully 20 look like
himself in the world. never see these
impost0rs but long to strip them to
warm my ragged veterans in their
spoils."
OF curios in tho way Of binding there
exist in England several examples In
the Exeter museum there ia 20 be found
volume bound in the skin Of George
Cudmo-o, who was executed In 1880 for
poisoning his wife. In tho library Of
| Bury st. Edmunds there is life OF
Corder, F" murderer, bound In piece
Of his own skin In the library Of Mex
borough House there were formerly two
books bound in the skin Of Mary Bate
man, the Yorkshire witch who was
hanged early in this century.
In 1921 a man named Norwood suf-
/ fered the extreme penalty for the muir
der Of girl, and the following trades
mans account OF book in the inilrmary
library explains itself;
Bristol, June, 1928. Richard
Smith, Esq, DIR. to H. II. Essex. To
binding in the skin Of John Norwood a
variety Of papers relating to him, el
los, the same being lettered in Latin ON
each side Of the book The True Skin OF
John Norwood. /"
Whether the skins of hardened Grim
finals are more easily eurried and dressed
than those OF ordinary mortals must
confess sln unable 20 judge.
It was at dinner party that Thomas
Carlyle gave vent TO his opinion as to
binding books with human skins, The
dyspeptio sage had 80 far sat In moross
silence. An unpleasant feeling hnng
over the party, many Of whom had been
specially invited to hear his eFFatic
views A genial old gentleman was en-
deayoring to infuse a little warmth into
tho assemblage by playfully remarking
| 10 young political enthusiast who sat
beside him, 'eThe British people can af-
ford to laugh at theories. /"
This remark woke up Carlyle, and
speaking for the first and only time
1 during the evening he observed In his
usual i'll bred way; "Sir, the French
nobility Of 100 years ago ssid they could
afford to laugh at theories. Then came
man who wrote book called The
Social Contract. The man was called
Jean jacques Rousseau, and his book
was theory and nothing but theory.
The mobiles could laugh ut this theory,
but their skins.went to bind the second
edition VI this book. y
Ii is a matter Of fact that during the
horrors Of the French revolution tanner
les were established IN various parts OF
France where the skins Of the victims OF
the guillotine were tanned, and many Of
these were used to bind books on account
of the fine grained surface exhibited aft
er being cuFried
At the Chicago exhibition one OF tho
curious exhibits was pack Of playing
cards which had been manufactured
from the skin of some captured Indians.
remember to have seen ut an old Curl
osity shop on New Oxford street only .
few years ago pieee Of hard, dry,
tough, leathery skin, which, was as.
snred, was the tanned hide Of Maori.
The tattoo marks were plainly visible
OH Its surface, and on examining IL with
q poweyful glass the grain Of the human
skin waa clearly shown.
Il Ia speaking Of the binding Of books
one cannot refrain from alluding In pass
ing to tile enemies of books--enemies
that usually make their depredations
upon bindings. These insects, popularly
known as bookworms, are found in pa
per, leather and parchment. The Larvae
Of Crambus pinguinalis will establish
themselves upon the binding of hook,
and spinning q robe will do II little tn
Jury. A mite-sAcarus eFuditus--eats
the paste that fastens tho paper over the
edges 0f the binding aud SO loosens it-
Tho caterpillar of another little moth
takes its station IN damp old books be-
tween the leaves and there commits
great rayages. Burns has addressed 90
these boolSworms an epigram which be-
trays the cynical huInor Of the poet;
Through and through the inspired ienyes
VI nsggots make yenF wlndlRgs;
But, ob, respect his lordsAtp's taste
ALd spare bis golden binaingsl
The little boring wood beetle VIII alse
attack books and hrs been known e
penetrate through several volumes Ar
instance IL mentioned Of 2 7 folio volumes
being perforated III . straight line bg
the salne insect ~ such Q inanner thai
BY paseing . cord throuRh tho perfect
round hole uaade by IL the ~ volumes
could 50 raised n once. The wood heetle,
Tie same variety tiaat has left pipholes
III ChtppandRls apa other On chairs aRd
bureaus, destroys prints and epgragings,
whether ffamed Or kept N . poEtfolio.
The deathwatchp Is likewise accused
n being 4 aapredator o. hooks a. lesssl
according 10 flse ststemelts of tlle kaepel
81 tlle Aahnlolean nlusaum, Oxford
Arthuz Hayden