The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-25

A lady and gentleman on their way
to France having met by chance, and
become mutually agreeable. the former
intent on going to Rome, the other to
Mentz where n grand celebration was
about to take place in honor of Guten-
berg. the former, at the parting, said
home of art, the wonder of the world
don't so to Mcntz He persisting she
pouted very prettily, and exclaimed very
innoccntly, Lar me. you surely are moi
going to that little town, where the peo-
pie nre all mad over poor printer
Gutenberg. the inventor OF movable
types, so prolific of effects upon the
civilization Of the world, was indeed n
poor printer. So poor as not to have
whcrcwithal to purchase material for tho
first Bible the WORLD had ever seen in
print. That Divinity, however, which
shapes all ends, had provided him a
hacker Jand banker in one F'nst,
goldsmith. This man looked sharply af
ter his interests as all good bankers
usually do, while Gutenberg looked
sharply after his apprentices all Of
whom he had bound to secrecy. When
the ancient Book of books, and others
not SO ancient were fetched freshly from
the types. and exposed TO sale, at prices
runous to the scribes-who mnrreilei
much over the beautiful wOrk--tliey all
cried with one voice-Doctor Faustus,
and the Devil. Hence. 1t may be reason
ably inferred. that the Office hoy
who had been seen on his way
to the stationers shop with the
precious burdcn-his lip sealed With
nm oatil--came to be called the printers
devil.
Let him who Is unfamiliar with the
Black Letter and the splendid pen-print
OF the clerics OF the Roman Church look
into Merryweather's "Blbliomania In the
Middle Ages or into Isaiah Thomass
History OF Printing" or into the more
recent works OF Thomas Frognali Dib-
din. which last he will find In the State
Library. and my word for II, he will
not be disposed thereafter TO undervalue
the pen work and press work, respec-
lively, of the old Scrbes and the old
printers. The first printed books took
Typographical form, and style from those
of the manuscript One unlearned in the
old photography might very readily mis-
take a work OF the pen and brush for one
OF the types.
Mobiles May Be Printers.
Gerard Meerman mentions that to fol-
low any other manual profession than
printing was accounted derogation to
on Its professors. Hence 1t was very
early practiced by many who were OF
noble families, and even by eminent
ccclcsiastics. John Guttenburg was, in
1865, received inter anlicos by the elector.
Aoolphus. and the Emperor Frederic
III. permitted printers TO wear gold and
silver; an 10th Topographic and
Typothetae were honored by him with
the privilege OF wearing coats of arms"
This is the bright side OF the old print
ers' picture and now for one of it's
darkest. The old printing firms. like
many another Of recent time, here In
Virginia. and elsewhere throughout the
world. were not always as continuous OF
their name and style as they might have
been, possibly, to their own advantage.
we find Fust no longer associated with
Gutenberg in business. but with Schoef-
fer, the inventor OF metallic types with
cast faces.
The new firm of Fust & schofrer was
established Mt Mentz. in what has been
called the third great era of printing
In order TO give n bird's-eye view of the
old press work as we'll as some OF its
difficulties. / shall at the risk of rope
tition, introduce passage from one OF
the historians OF the divine art of print
Ing. The Bible, alluded to In this con-
ncction, is known to book fanciers as
"Fust e. schoeners." dated l46o-'62.
This edition was Il very expensive
work: it was five years in the press and
1t was calculated that the expense
amounted to four thousand forms be-
fore they had printed the twelfth sheet.
The work was admirably executed. It
was this edition of the Bible, as some
authors say, OF which Fust took a num-
Ter of copies to Paris. where he sold
them. first for six, then for five hundred
crowns each, which were the prices
commonly given to the scribes for very
elegant (manuscript) copies of the
Scriptures. He afterwards. by degrees,
reduced the price 10 thirty crowns. 1t
Is said that the purchasers We're igno-
rant that these copies were printed and
that it was the policy Of Fust to mako
them believe they were written.
'"rhey We're an exact limitation of the
best manuscripts. AS he lowered his
price his sales increased; and people
we're astonished by his producing copies
he lessened his price to thirty crowns
all Paris, was perplexed and agitated.
both on account of the number of books
produced, and the uniformity of them
1t was believed, that he had made
league with the devil: and he was accused
Of being magician. His lodgings wero
searched by the officers of police-several
Bibles were found-and the red ink with
which the ilumnators had made the
great capitals at the beginning of each
chapter, was pronounced to be his blood
Fust led. and escaped the death which
awaited such hapless victims of super
-