Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-18
CURIOUS STORIES.
PRESERVATION OR DESTRUCTION
OF MANUSCRIPTS AND BOOKS.
How the Writings OF Tacitus, the
Historian, and Bach, the Musician,
We're observation-disclosures of I'M
pOrtnnt Works from a single Copy.

The recent recovery Of n package OF
letters. written by distinguished literary
personages Of Great Britain from the shop
of an old female dealer in pins and nee
dies, ribbons. thread. and other notions,
who was using them to wrap up her
wares, is an incident which has frequently
had a parallel in literary history. a
letter is essentially fugitive In It's nature,
and when once started on its travels no
man can say when or where II Will come
10 light Men who receive letters from
distinguished people occasionally prize
them highly. but generally the frequency
with which they are received lessons their
value. and TO a man who receives fifty
letters Il day a communication from II dis
tlnguished novelist or poet is little more
esteemed than IA mlssive from the tailor
informing his correspondent that his new
clothes are ready for use. Both 80 to-
gether into the pigeon-holes of his desk,
and after these are fun are together
hacked away in old trunks and boxes,
where they gather dust until the re-
cipicnt dies. Then they are dragged out
by the heirs or executors, who, in all
probability loath 10 undertake the serious
labor II separating the chaff from the
wheat, cOnsign all together to the flames
or the waste-paper bag. Thus IT happens
that immense quantities Of literary mat
ter that might interest and edlty the
reading world Is lost by rcaeon Of the
ignorance, indifference or laziness OF peo-
Die who care nothing fer these relies or
greatness. sold as waste-paper for what
they VIII bring, precious memorials OF
men whose memory the world delights
to honor go into the hands Of persons
stiu more ignorant and Indifferent, and
are used to wrap buttons and butter anu
herrngs. as curl-papers, or 10 lght ifes'
4 package here and there rescued from
these ignoble uses by chance survives
as q hint Of the general destruction tnat
is continually going on. There Is. there
fore. no little Of the romantic In the MS
tory OF Il letter. Employing as II does
the Utmost thoughts ana feelings OF the
writer. IL contains more Of his own per
sonanty than any other variety OF NE
rary work: IT is bit of himself. but
after leaving his hand and starting on
its travels it IS subject 10 all the Vcissl-
tudes that might BE- supposed TO attend
the career - an adventurous man, anu
even more. for IL has not, like the man.
the choice Of what route II Will take 10
oblivion. but must go that which Is iaiu
out for it by chance, caprice, or ire VIII
OF those who handle II ana contfol us
fortunes.
CARE OF MANUSCRIPTS.
Quite the contrary might BE- supposed
10 ha tho case when the manuscripts OF
literary works are concerned. n literary
project Of any considerable lehSth ~, 10
the author, d matter OF the proiouhhest
Importance When completed, II repre-
sents the work Of lahorious months, often
OF many years. 1t embodies his pest
thoughts. the brightest conceptions. the
profoundest cogitations. the abicst intel
lectual efforts Of which ne IS capable.
Tie is proud OF II. as "A man naturally
Is Of anything on which he has done
his best. and he sees points In winch IL
is superior T. any other work Of similar
KIND that has ever come under MS notlce.
1t is not strange. therefore, that ne
should prize his papers above all other
possessions as ne regards them as war
rantee deeds TO Immortality. To pro-
fcssional writer, they are his most pre-
cious property. and. too often, indeed
his only estate. The being the case he
regards them much as an Investor looks
on his bonds and mortgages, and guards
them with the same jealous eye. Even
after the book which has engaged the
authors attention for many years has
found n publisher the manuscript or
first sketch Of IL is kept by the writer
az the mother keeps the little shoes
and tiny frock OF her first born. though
he has grown to mans estate. wears a
pointed beard. and carries hooked
cane. But not infrequently the manu-
script doe. not find publisher. at least
during the life OF the writer. and AT
his death the precious package is subject
cd to the same vicissitudes that befall a
letter. when not Immediately destroyed
il is kicked from pillar TO post. now In
the hands of one who, half condescend-
ingly. reads a page here and there, I'm
order to find out what 1t is all about.
now in the care Of one who consigns il
to ihe darkness of an old trunk in
garrett. until. finally. IT either obtains an
audience through the appreciation Of
some chance owner. or perishes mis- .rably
AT the hands OF a vandal. who neither
knows nor cares anything about It's con-
tents. Literary history is full Of Incl
dents which show on what tender
threads hangs the fame Of great authors.
bV what trivial accidents the memory Of
famous writer's have been kept alive.
Volumes might be written on the ro-
nance of manuscripts, as we'll as on
that OF letters. for strange as may be
the accidents that have befallen the
epistolary correspondence Of the great,
il is not whit stranger than that Of
their manuscripts.
TAC1TCS AND BACH.
The famous history of Rome, by one
NJ fln prp af
has connected with its preservation t.
our times a curious bit of ron ia"o. which
illustrates the fate OF mlEu~crlpts in
general. No ancient WrifiIf, except per
haps. the Bible. had a better chance or
preservation, for the Roman Emperor,
Tacitus, proud Of the work of his learned
ancestor. ordered complete copies OF the
annals" 10 be placed in every library in
the empire. This Was done in a. u. 21J,
and at the same time the Emperor COM
manded great number OF other copies
10 be made for distribution among the
learned men Of Rome and the provinces
so that no worthy person should be with
ont the history of his own country. AS
lucitus reigned only a few months he
probably died ERE this project was fully
carried out. but IL Is certain that at the
time OF his death there were several hun
dred copies OF the annals in az many
different libraries in Rome and the pro-
vincial towns. or all these, however. only
one IS known 10 have survived. and We
owe our hh""ltdSe VI hoinuH history u
one solitary manuscript, found by a
scholar in a monastery in WestDhalia.
When discovered, 1t had been much mu-
tilated. the rats had eaten away portions
If the parchment. mold had oblterated
the writing on some Of the pages, bot IT
was the only copy. and kindly hands
patched IL up. transcribed its dim letters
and gave us the history of Rome as It
came from the pen Of the great orator.
History would have sustained an irIepara-
BILE loss had that manuscript not been
found: but music would have suffered still
more but for the chance which preserved
the writings of the immortal Bach. AT
this day. and with our appreciation OF the
talent OF the marvellous contrapuntist. II
seems incredible that no one connected
with his family the school Of music over
which he presided. or the church where
he ofCiated as organist, should have
cared for his rnanuscri3ts but such was
the case. There Is a story, indeed that
hIc gong dnvnted Innch tlme 10 cnnylnn his