The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-08-18
BEGINNING OF BOOKS.
Early Work of Gutenberg, Faust,
SchoefTer and Caxion.


When and where the first attempts in
the art of printing were made cannot
be with certainty asccrtained. because
the earliest work printed by Gutenberg
bore neither date nUr name. The reason
FOR this was obvious. The earliest
rinted books were made to resemble
writing and sold as such. This much is
ccrtaiIl-that movable wooden types
were first employed by him about the
year HIS.
In 1445 he returned to Mayence and
formed great friendship with johann
hes Fust, or Faust, who agreed to loan
him 500 guildcrs at 6 per cent for five
years: but -four years passed before the
wealthy goldsmith would advance the
money, bccauSc Gutenberg would not
admit him into the secret of his business.
In 1II9 the first money was advanced
and Il printing Office set up.
1t was Necessary 10 have assistance i'll
the printing: Office, md one Peter
SchoeiIcr was engaged, he being
mechanical" Peter kept his eyes open
and soon found that wooden types were
too slow to make. and he discovered the
art OF cutting the letters i'll matriX so
that the letters might lie cast singly.
Instead of telling Gutenberg, his en-
ployer, he went to the money lender and
persuaded him to advance more money,
so that Schoetfcr might work at his i'll
vention apart from Gutenberg. So
pleased was Faust that he gave Peter
his daughter Christian in marriage.
William CaXtOu, secretary 10 the
| Duchess OF Burgundy, had seen the kyle.
graphic printing of Lawrence CoStcr in
Haarlcm and the printing of movable
blocks as invented by Gutenberg. lie
saw the great opportunities printing
would afford. and, with the aid of Colard
| Mansion, set up printing press at
Drugcs in HI. The first book he print
| ed was the "R%cucil," or summary 'of
| the IIiStoryes of Troye." compiled by 4
friend Of his, Raoul lc Fcvre, priest and
chaplain to the Duke Of Burgundy. 1t
was printed and published at Brugcs
and was soon followed by the printing of
| Latin Grafton delivered there by DIR.
| Russell, bishop of Lincoln, at the cere-
mony of proclainling the Duke and
Duchess of Burgundy. Another work
| from the pen of KaoTl lie Fcvre was
translated into English and printed by
Caxton, entitled The Game and Plhy
of Chess" treatise of moral and politi-
| cal offices and duties and the graduation.
| of social ranks founded on the places
and moves" respectively assigned to diff
ferent pieces on the chrsSLourd.
The first book printed in England was
"The Dictes and Sayings of Philoso'
| pheres," a collection of anecdotaA wise
| and witty sayings OF ancient philoSo-
| pliers. 1t is stated in Il notice at the end
| Of the volume to have been finished ION
| the xviii day of the moneth Of NOvembre
and the seventeenth we're of the reign OF
Kyng Edwd the w." The title bears
| the words. "Emprynted be me. William
Caxton, Westnlinistcrc, the ycre of our
l Lord, m,occc, lXXvii."
The first book to be printed with ii.
| tie page was issued in 1883 by Wynkeu
| de Verde, the successor Of Caxton.-
| John De Morgan i'll Donahues.
The Waltz King.
81 saw Johann Strauss, the dead waltz
| king, in Boston in 1871 ut the World 5
Peace Jubilee" said a Cleveland profess
sional man. "He was a little 'chumping
| chack' of fellow, as Il German citizen
| remarked to me at the time, and the only
| mark of genius that l could discern
| about him aside from his hair was the
| impression that he was full of waltz
| rhythm to his very finger tips.
He led his own waltZes as if he ador-
| ed them. You don't get the same idea
from Sousas rather stereotypcd march
leading. but Strauss thrilled and trem-
bled and swayed and bobbed like Il man
bitten by waltz tarantula. He had n
violin in his left hand, and he used both
fiddle and bow as bntons. Then he'd
| clap the violin to his chin and saw away
for dear life. How he did bring out the
| rhythm of the Beautiful Blue Danube
and Wine, Wife and Song 1t seems to
me that we don't hear any real waltz
| playing now. And the king is dead
Cleveland Plain Dealer.