Evening star., 1936-09-20
About Well-Known Folk
In Books, Art, Politics
ENGLAND Joins in. Celebrating the Tercen'
tenary of Harvard University. Booth
Harrington Once INDUCED in Art.
nv ROBERT CRAWFORD.

~HE crimson Of old Harvard
never Haunted itself more ma
jestically to the breeze ana
Il "Fair Harvard" was never sung
with more feeling and gusto than last
Friday, when Franklin Delano Roose-
welt. President of the United States,
addressed his alma mater. 1t was
real homecoming for him and on ev-
ery hand Hello, Frank" was heard.
In remote lands and even the Islands
OF the sea the tercentenary OF the
famous university is being celebrated.
Over in England the bells OF South
Vark Cathedral, which Is near the site
of John Harvard's home, pealed forth
fnerrily in his memory on last 1nurs-
day morning and there was special
service in the chapel which bears MS
name. The Bodleian Library at OK
ford University, which was, by the
way, the first European university TO
recognize the Harvard degree, cele-
brated the tercentenary with an ex-
hibition of rare books and manu-
script illustrating the relations be-
tween oxford and Harvard IN the
seventeenth century. Although Jonn
Harvard was graduated from Cam
bridge, the first graduate Of Harvard
was Benjamin Woodbridge, an Oxford
man. One of the rare books is New
England,s First Fruits" published in
1e43, and describing the Harvard
building as every faire and comely
Within and without" The Puri-
tans of the time must have looked
upon oxford as q wicked and corrupt
place, for it is recorded that EngiSn
Puritans sometimes sent their sons
to Harvard that they might escape
from exposing them to prelacy and
temptation to lewdness at both OK
ford and Cambridge"
The Library Of Congress Exhibits
the Beautiful Rogers Bible.
1t is delightful to read Mr.. Bruce
Rogers own account of the concep-
ton and making of the oxford Lee
turn Bible, also known as the Bruce
Rogers Bible, now on exhibition IN the
rare book division Of the Library OF
CONGRESS. The rare simplicity ano
beauty of the binding and the format
of this great book can only be most
thoroughly appreciated by those IA
miliar with the infinite pains, art and
skill in craftsmanship which were
necessary to produce one Of the great
est masterpieces in twentieth century
printing, and indeed can compare
favorably with book making IN any
century. Ones ego rises considerably
when permitted to turn over the pages
of this beautiful book and have an
expert explain all the intricacies OF
its makeup. One of the most gra-
cious attributes Of scholar or an
artist of any kind Is to make the
other chap feel he, too, knows some
thing, or at least has an intelligent
understanding of the subject being
discussed. The curators of the rare
book division have this charm.
The atmosphere surrounding the
making of the Bible, the reposeful
contemplation of creating the work Is
attributed by Mr.. Rogers. to the de-
lightful days at Oxford, spent IN
company with Mr.. John johnson
printer of the university, and his
staff Of executives. He speakes Of
the lovely English countryside, the
effect OF the long and deepening
twilight, and says after the days work
they would 60 to see some splendid
old country house near Oxford, or
some church or aims house and then
drive home in tho twilight to Mr..
Johnson's pleasant house and garden
at Old Headington, where the next
days work would be discussed, and
he adds: Surely no book has ever
been produced under happier or more
auspicious circumstances"
Mr.. Rogers explains that the prof.
ect of making a new folio Bible origi-
mated in, or at least it was precipitat-
ed by, the request Of Mr.. o. F. Mors-
head, librarian at Windsor Castle, for
q Bible that should make q fitting
present from the late King George,
to the Memorial Church at Ypres-
the place where 50 many gallant
British soldiers gave up their lives.
Mr.. Morshead, after visiting the three
English Bible printing houses, ex-
pressed the opinion that none Of the
folio Bibles shown him was hand
some enough for the purpose so near
to the heart Of the King. He how
ever finally chose one printed some
years before at the University Press.
It was little later, Mr.. Rogers says,
that M. Humphrey Milford decided
1t was time to plan a new Bible that
should, in its arrangement, combine
practicality ss a pulpit book with
beauty as specimen Of printing. It
was in 1929 that Mr.. Rogers was
called in council.
Rogers Bible Printed
On Unique Paper.
The search for what Mr.. Rogers
considered suitable paper on which to
print the Oxford Lectern Bible, Is
described in an interesting way;
"Some time before the Bible was even
contemplated I had discovered at the
Hayle Mil of Messrs. ]. Marchan
Green & Son, London, a small lot Of
very beautiful paper which they had
made number of years earlier from
fiber from the Orient. For whatever
reason, no more had ever been pro-
duced and this experimental lot was
all there was in existence. When
work on the Bible was well under way
I recollected this paper, and I found
on investigation that there was
enough to print single copy, provided
that no more than 20 or 80 sheets
were spoiled in process. After con-
siderable persuasion the Messrs.
Green agreed to sell me the lot and
it was shipped to oxford just before
the printing began" In describing
the excellency Of the work he goes on
to say that not q single sheet was
damaged throughout the printing.
N