Evening star., 1934-04-15
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

The nearing complexion OF tne
beautiful temple of archives at the
apex of the Mall Triangle in which
are to be preserved the priceless docu-
ments of this Government, and the
legislation pending for institution of
new department of Government
headed By an expert arch'vist to Sc
lect and restore and preserve these old
papers of posterity, emphasizes the
work that the Government has been
doing for many years along this line.
A few days ago the press of the
country rather inconspicuously re-
corded the death of the man who is
responsible for this entire system of
preservation-Rev. Franz Ehrle, late
librarian of the Vatican. James D.
Preston, librarian Of the Senate Lii
brary, who recently has been making
an intensive study Of such work and
methods SO as to have a treasure
trove of old manuscript papers which
cover the entire life Of this Govern
ment, properly preserved has been
impressed by the debt which this
Nation owes to Father Ehrle and the
methods he developed.
At the seventh annual Conference
Of American Archivists in Cincinnati
Ohio, in 1916, Gaillard Hunt, the
veteran archiviSt of the State Depart
| ment and custodian of the, great seal
of the United States, paid tribute to
the work being done in the Library
of Congress by William BurWick
whom he credited with having had
greater experience along that line
than any man in the United States
and discussed the methods employed
, there, and said The plan followed
in the library at the Vatican of plac-
ing sheets of paper between two
sheets of crepeline was tried (after
the German liquid method has proved
unsatisfactory and has been adapted
to American principles" He exhib-
tied specimens of the work done in
the Library of Congress and con-
tinued: THE head of the Italian
school is the subprefect of the Vatican
Father Franz Ehrle. He invented the
method Of placing papers between two
sheets of crepeline with paste that
had some poison in it for the benefit
of the bugs. Mr.. Hunt also recounted
his impressions while making a per-
sonal study in the Vatican Library,
and emphasized that the work in re-
storing and preserving important
government documents is far different
than that used generally in the United
States in binding beautiful books for
private collectors or for exhibition
He found that in this country the
printers and binders had come to
subordinate the preservation of the
manuscript to their own skill and
artistry SO that the work was super
fine-and that official manuscripts
required different care.
Mr.. BurWick, the Library Of Con-
gress expert of international recogni-
ton, also presented paper at the
same conference, in which he also
emphasized the debt this Government
owes to Father Ehrle. saying:
THE system Of preserving manu-
scripts in the Library of Congress was
adopted about l6 years ago Gin 1900
as an experiment based upon Father
Ehrle's experiments and the method
in the library Of the Vatican and set
forth by him before the conference
Of archivistS at st. Gall, Switzerland.
Tested. developed and adapted to our
peculiar needs here in America. it has
proved fully competent to all the de-
mands made upon it, and its basic
principles may now safely be regarded
as correct and the best known so far
as absolute preservation and repair
are concerned"
Back from the grave today comes
this voice of the greatest authority of
his century in such matters:
There is hope only in the common
initiative Of all the ministers of pub
lie instruction and all the curators Of
libraries interested in these questions.
And even if one country, or one or
another Of the largest institutions
richly endowed think they can be suf-
ficient unto themselves, the wholly
international interest of the science
which these questions touch, imposes
upon them land quite specifically be-
cause of their peculiar faculties) the
duty of cooperating with all their
knowledge and all their power for the
preservation of the treasures which
are preserved in libraries less well en-
dowed"
1t is because Congress has at last,
after many years of indifference, while
devoted individuals like Father Ehrle,
Gaillard Hunt and William Burwick
have been cooperating in endeavor-
ing to properly preserve for posterity
the paper treasures of this Govern
n1nnt-tha vrrittoT1 Of ~
Nations greatest statesmen, its fun
damental documents-Congress has
finally recognized its duty to posterity
and the world in having its archives
properly preserved that legislation is
to be passed which will make the new
Hall of Archives a mecca for students
from all over the world.