The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-05-06
Continued from pageI}
THE WORK OF THE BIBLICAL
COMMISSION.

teresting After the film has been de-
veloped and quite dry it is mounted on
gutta percha. A layer of tissue paper
is placed over the gutta percha, and
the whole is covered with fine linen.
This composite is then ironed and the
photo is rendered practically indie
structible Paris is the only place they
found artists to do this work, and
there thirty volumes of photographs
have been mounted, six volumes for
each Bible. All these photos will go to
the Vatican library, but so far only
two volumes have gone there, merely
to give the Holy Father an idea Of
the scheme. By Easter, however, all
the photos will be in Rome
Considering the vastness of the task
and the long periods mentioned as
necessary to terminate the work,
asked the Abbot within what time he
believed it might be concluded. The
reply was that if the same proportion
1of work which the commission has
accomplished in the past continues to
be maintained in time to come, the
task will be finished in about five
years. When this is done, it may be
the lot of another commission to test
the accuracy of st. Jerome himself
Referring again to the earnest work
done by his collaborators, the great
Benedictine observed one of his great
est difficulties has been to find exactly
the right sort of men for the labor. A
man may be wonderfully learned, but
there are very special attachments re-
quired in him who undertakes an ardu-
Gus task that demands so much pa.
tience and knowledge.
Of course, pursued the President OF
) the Biblical Commission, it would have
; been out of the question to have i'm.
posed this work upon other
than religious order The
expenses would otherwise be
more than the Holy See could bear
For instance, no less than four or five
hundred pounds year could be offered
to superintendent of the Commits
sion, If he were other than a religious
and proportionate salaries should be
paid to each member of the body. As
matters are, all that is needed is the
bare expenses incurred by the body
and the cost of the materials used in
the work.
'As for myself" went on Dom Gas
quet, II have given all I had to 1t In
negative manner, in as much as
used to make about three hundred
/ pounds year by my writings and lee
! lures, which must now be sacrificed
while | am engaged here"
r Regarding the sources from which
funds have come SO far, Abbot Gas
quet has some interesting things t
! say. Private subscriptions have JUS
! kept the commission going. The only
! body that came forward en- masse has
;. been the Belgian Episcopacy, which
J, guaranteed a sum annually while the
: work is in progress. Various eccle
t siastics here and there have given gen
4 erous subscriptions. Last, year Piui
e x. felt deeply touched when DR.. Gas
quet told him of one OF the first sub
scriptions sent him, viz, that OF on,
dollar from an old woman in tn,
United States.
The Abbot then conducted me t,
z the. room in which the works alread,
collated and printed are stored away
+ and showed me specimens Of the tire,
s kinds of paper used. The first kind Il
IS ordinary paper, the second is made I,
Il last fifty years, and the third thick
a strong, handmade paper, is supposet
to last forever. All around the room
;, specimens Of the work achieved by tn
! Commission were carefully tied up, tn,
: whole giving an impression OF thor
2 oughness and completeness, and, abov,
g all, OF a degree OF patience worthy 0
g Job.
+ And as I descended the histori
e Aventine could not help thinking o
d the labors OF the Church and the age
,tl she has been cherishing the Books o