Evening star., 1933-08-27
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.


ing art printers Of the world has come
to George H. Carter, the public printer
for the most notable piece of de luxe
printing done in the big Government
craft shop In many years, which now
occupies special place as one of the
most distinctive contributions of the
present century in the Library of Con-
gress. This book contains a fasci-
mating account of the Vollbehr collec-
tion of historic fifteenth century books
as told by DR.. Frederick w. Ashley
chief assistant librarian of the Library
OF Congress in Coolidge Auditorium,
at the library, to- the eleventh annual
conference on printing education un-
der the auspices of the United Typothe-
tae of America.
AS DR.. Ashley's address was an au-
thoritative description and history OF
the famous collection of more than
5000 treasured books, including the
Gutenberg Bible, for the purchase OF
which Congress appropriated 81 500, 600
the public printer undertook to print
the address in a form befltting that
notable event.
Conforming to the style OF the ia
nous Bible, the address was set in IA
point Cloister black type, made up in
WV SOluH4ilo VI n lilies cdCll W tIlt
page. The types were set by hand and
shaved to obtain the close-fitting ef-
feet and color mass of fifteenth CEN
tury printing. All the initial letters
were especially designed and illumi-
mated with red or blue to conform to
those Of the Gutenberg Bible in the
Library OF Congress. The type pages
61ax8A inches in size, were printed on
10xl3-inch leaves to provide properly
balanced margins.
An appropriate title page was de-
signed with an Illustration of an an
cient printing office, and similar suit
able taIpiece was also specifically
drawn by an artist in the Government
Printing Office
Three full-page illustrations were re-
produced by the offset process They
show DR. Vollbehr exhibiting the book
of books its departure from the St
Paul Monastery in Austria, and its fina
resting place in the Library of Con-
gress. The text is letter-preSs printing
with special ink made by the labora.
tory of the Government Printing Office
Only 420 copies of the 32-page folio
were printed on handmade paper anc
artisttcally bound in parchment, the
cover bearing the title The Vollbehl
lSdAlobAAa tA2C oOOh VI bUOkS,
and q profile medallion Of Gutenberg
embellished in two colors. Each copy
was hand sewed and incloeed in 8
handmade case.
Upon completion of the limited edi.
tion, the type was melted SO that nc
more copies can be printed.
This Vollbehr folio was designed anc
printed under the personal direction
OF the public printer. assisted by Will
liam A. Mitchell, superintendent Of
planning. and Samuel H Musick
senior planner The hand setting
shaving and spacing OF the machine.
cast pages was the work OF Curtis c
De Neane, head compositor In charge
L. K. johnson. assistant foreman, wa,
in charge of the press work and credit
for the bookbinding is due to Joseph
B. Fitzpatrick. The art work was done
by Warren w. Ferris, printing designer
in the planning division.
Il X
There are unpretentious men in Con.
gress who hold notable distinction!
that their colleagues do not suspect
much less the world at large. Take
for example. the late dean of tn,
House. Representative Gilbert N. Hau
gen. former chairman of the House
Committee on Agriculture and co-au
| thor Of the McNary- -Haugen farm re-
lief bill Of several years ago. Hanger
had the utmost faith in his native
soil. in the real earth, for he fell
that there was true property value anc
that his proudest achievement in life
was to own as much as he could of tn,
soil of his country
Mr.. Haugen became the record hold
er Of farm land. with 3,945 acres-tht
largest amount of real estate on recorc
for any man in his county and fal
beyond. His estate comprised mort
than 1900 acres Of Iowa land, 80t
acres in Minnesota, 800 acres in Sas
katchewan, Canada, and 1000 acres il
North Dakota. In addition to this h,
also owned town property in fou
Iowa cities and towns. All Of his rea
estate was free Of mortgages or othe
incumbrance, with a single exception
There are now 325 works Of art IL
the Capitol building. Two of thos
were acquired during the past year
one bronze statue Of Charles Brant
ley Aycock of North Carolina. tn
work of Charles Keck, presented b,
the State and placed in Statuary Hall
the other a marble bust Of Nichola
Longworth. long a Representative ant
| Speaker of the House from Ohio, tn
work of Moses Wainer-Dykaar, tempo
rarily placed in the rotunda.
There are now IS statues presente.
by the States in Statuary Hall unde
an act Of Congress, July 2, 1864.
All the New England States are rep
resented in Statuary Hall. The Stat
Of Maine. however. has presented bu
one statue. The second statue, tha
Of Hannibal Hamlin. Is in prepara
ton.
All the Middle Atlantic States ar
| represented except the State Of Della
ware. Commissions have been givel
| for two statues for that State
OF the Southern States all ere rep
resented with the exception Of Loui
| siana.
The States that are unrepresente,
are Colorado. Delaware. louisiana
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mex
leo, North Dakota. Oregon, South Da
kota. Utah. Washington and wyoming
The States represented by but on
, statue are Arizona. Idaho, Maine, Mn
nesota and Oklahoma.
There are, therefore, 81 vacancies u
Statuary Hall; little less than one
half of the number already place,
therein must be added If all the State
are to be fully represented
But already Statuary Hall is over
crowded-to such an extent that Rep
resentative George Holen Tinkham o
Massachusetts, has given it the mel
name OF chamber Of horrors" ]
| would be impossible to place the othe
81 statues in this chamber, which wa
originally the Hall Of the Natioua
House Of Representatives. Also struc
tural engineers have advised that safe
ty demands that this dead weight stor
age be reduced. For those reason
plans are going forward for placin,
these statues In inches along the COT
ridor on the first floor which runs tn
length of the entire building mort
and south. Representative Robert Luc
of Massachusetts. former chairman Q
the House Library Committee. is sup
| porting that new plan for relocation
| of these statues.
contracts with American importers fc
an cn,trlIt that ubf1 mt thafr facforye