The New York herald., 1921-01-23

searching beats fox hunting" said the
Englishman Arber. and he knew. At
this moment a cohort OF ambitious
antiquaries are as busy IN combing
garrets, sorting out the contents Of OLD
rsgbags, raking old book stalls and
blowing the dust Off back and top
shelves for tones or booklets. They
are as hopeful of success as are Man.
haitian police on the chase for gun
toters.
Nor is such a comparison either un-
fair or odious, for after those little
books kings once searched like
Diogenes with his lantern, or French
soldiers after things that bite. 1t is
really astonishing, in these days of free
publication, to realize how printers
ink used to make crown wearers smart.
Bent pins set point upward on kings
seat were as blunt nothings compared
to Brownist tract.
To speak of lanterns Is to show the
constant need Of literary Diogenes.
That the book world needs such a
character is here demonstrated before
your eyes. with forty-eight living de-
scendants of John Alden, and an esti-
mated eighty-five thousand Mayfower
descendants--many of them rich.
what field for the unscrupulous
profiteer to exploit. The temptation
to be a literary crook is great. Here
are two forgeries Of the signature Of
Capt. Miles Standish.
We have snatched many a fearful
joy as we trailed scrap" Of print
through the garret at 10 Doelen STRAIT
in Amsterdam or the old Elzivir stores
| in Leyden, or the book stalls along
the Seine, or the book shops on the
Gina in Toxic. Last September with
two American Episcopal bishops Ito
be tautologicaD of the American dele
cation In tow, we showed them the
spot where the Pilgrim Press In Choir
Alley must have ratified. Descendants
Of this first American printer. and liv-
| ing in Maine and Connecticut re-
spectively, they bore his name. We,
that had so often snooped around Ley
den with Archivist Dozy or the his
torian. Prof Biloxi. and an ex-Mayor
Of New York with a Dutch name, had
a new sensation.
Well, here in Gotham are two speci-
mems from Brewster's press OF the
score or less printed by him that
reused the wrath of King James. Long
before the era Of the Pilgrims, Of whom
we know, Thomas Cartwright. the
Puritan, and Whitgift, Archbishop of
Canterbury--once eating at the same
table. when students at Cambridge
fought a mighty battle OF the books.
Here. lying before us. from Brewster's
anonymous press, is Cartwright's "Con-
futation." Behold. in the printers
decoration. the bear and the serpents-
symbollcal of war indeed, but showing
blunt frankness as opposed to subtlety.
When one thinks OF Robert Browne.
modern father of Separatism. and OF
Cartwright at Middelburg, Neither
lands. and of William the Silent's first
great proclamation. in this Dutch city
Of religious liberty--which later was
the magnet. attracting the Pilgrims
into Holland--he need not wonder at
what Americans have done. They
reared at Middelburg tablet In honor
OF these layers Of the corner stone
alike of the Dutch and the American
republic To the scholar this title page
OF Cartwright's. printed by Brewster,
swings open the door Of history. One
must read English diplomatic history
to realize II.
Vital was this matter OF Pilgrim
printing and book making. While
many causes wrought to force their
migration beyond sea, the immediate
occasion was the ending Of the Pilgrim
Press in Choir Alley. and the logical
failure therefrom OF the ssparatists'
propaganda In England 1nfuriated at
the activity Of these Brownists In the
neighboring republic, King James set
spies At every port In his realm TO
head of any ana every consignment Of
these internal Brewster books. The
royal fool even went 20 far as to de-
mand OF the Dutch Government the
cxtradtion Of these pestilential here
tics The repIy of the Dutch 10 the