The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-01-09

| leader ana student. AND 1t appears
that he took advantage of the liberty
allowed him and cut out from the
pages of an ancient missal some ex-
tremely rare illuminations in colors
and gold. Fortunately he offered them
for sale to a conscientious collector,
who identified them at once, and
through his instrumentality the thief
was convicted and sent to the peni-
Tertiary, where his sentence is about
to expire. But the librarian never
recovered from his remorse and NOR
tification. A few weeks after he was
taken i'll and did not long survive.
While the doctors gave a medical
name to his disease his friends knew
that his heart was broken.
Father Ehrle has already begun to
prepare an exhibit for the St. Louis
exposition which will include fac.
SMILES of some of the most impor-
tant objects in the library. AS I told
you the other day, the pope himself is
taking a deep interest in the matter
and is giving it personal attention.
The manuscript treasures in the Vat
ican surpass in number, value and in
terest those of all other libraries CON-
bined, because they have been accu-
mulating since the Christian era be-
gan, and for centuries the art of read
ing and writing was limited almost en-
tirely to the clergy. Collections of
books and writings were rare outside
the churches and monasteries, and
every work of value was usually sent
to the pope.
Here they have the most precious
book in the world, which is known as
the Codex Vaaicano, the earliest
known copy of the Bible, and the only
one that is anywhere near perfect.
Three or four pages of one of the epis-
ties of St. Paul are missing in the
original, but they have been supplied
by copies from other texts. The manu-
script is in Greek, and once belonged
to the Emperor Constantine the
Great. From this manuscript the or
binary translations of the Bible have
been made, and in the recent revision
by a committee of scholars it was con2
stantly consulted. Its value is be-
yond computation. No amount of
money could buy it, and the cardinals
will not permit it to go to St. Louis,
although it was the first thing I asked
for; but if we cannot have the original
we are going to- have an exact fac
simile, which has already been ordered
by the pope, and Father Ehrle is max
ing it. 1t is probable, too, that the
facsimile sent to St. Louis will be per-
mitted to remain there gift to the
library of Washington university,
| whose buildings are occupied by the
officials of the exposition.
The next most important copy Of
the scriptures was discovered in an
old monastery on the summit of
Mount Sinai, and is now in the I'm
perial library at St. Petersburg.
1t is probable also that Father Ehrle
| will reproduce for St. Louis the ear
liest known copy of Virgips Aeneid,
| which dates back to the second CEN
tury and is in very good condition. He
has also the original manuscript of
Cicero's ode Republica," the most i'm
portant of the literary and legal
works of that great Roman, and it is
| now being prepared for publication by
Miss Ballou, of Chicago, as wrote
you the other day. She is student
at the American School of Classical
Studies, and is working here under the
direction of Father Ehrle.
The Vatican, it seems to me, is the
last place that one would look for
relics of Martin Luther, but in one of
the cases in the library are several i'm
portant manuscripts from his pen;
| and they are regarded as great prizes,
for his autographs are scarce. The
monastery at which Luther lodged
when he came to Rome is down on the
old Piazza de Populo. under the fam
Gus Pincian hill, where the fashionable
people of Rome promenade, and
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