Evening star., 1938-01-09
Life Work of John Davis Batchelder Gave
Value to Books and Manuscripts of
Many Corners of World.

arrangements. whereby their treas
ures are made available to the Nation
and protected against harm during
their own lifetime and thereafter in
custody OF the Library that belongs
to every citizen of the United States.
AS arranged for the present exhibit,
the items occupy rows of cases on
the second floor of the library, directly
at the head of the winding stone stairs
that lead up from the magnificent
entrance hall. Here IL q case dedi-
Gated to the Orient. It contains a
Burmese fan book, a Ceylon fan book,
Tlbetan prayer wheel, q wheel OF
jade inscribed with the emblems of
Confucius. an Arabic inscription
painted on glass, q hand painted
Chinese book Of the theater, an Arab
saddle book, Persian and Sanskrit
manuscripts. Let's take q look at one
Of these fan books.
Their lacquered leaves spread like
long, thin wings of gold and crimson,
embossed with raised letters of ma
hogany red, and these curious char.
acters that run like an intricate design
up and down the leaves tell some
story of Buddha in Pail.
QUITE as interesting is the prayer
Y wheel from distant and nys-
terious Tibet, its handle fashioned
from some exotic reed that supports
wheel Of bronze, decorated with In
scriptions. Inside this bronze wheel
Is the manuscript Of the prayers, and
praying is simplified thereby, for one
spin Of the wheel and all the prayers
are said!
A brilliant blue and crimson glass
panel, backed by design as fine as
f1ligree in gold, presents a quotation
from the Koran, painted in black
characters outlined in white, In Arabic.
Likewise from Arabia is the saddle
book" The saddle book is, in fact,
three telescope leather cases, one in
closed within the other, in the smallest
OF which are the numerous cards finely
inscribed in gold, with feathery flour
lShes OF crimson and blue-the Koran,
which the hard-riding Arab bears
with him, slung from his neck or from
the horn of his saddle on leather
thongs, and reads as he rides or when
he stops for rest. along some desert
route.
Another "card book" Is in Sanskrit.
It's long, thin leaves Incredibly bril-
liant In illuminated lettering, with
vivid and distinct hand-painted bor-
ders and thin wooden covers.
The science display presents the
FIRST" books on scientific subjects
down through the ages. There is, for
example, that first physics, genetics
and zoology book, written or transmit
ted by Aristotle in the 4th century
B. c. Then the incunabula edition,
dated 1491, of the book In which Sa-
crobosco popularized Ptolemy's system
Of the universe and made it known
to the world, with the hand-written
notes of that long-dead scholar in
scribed in its wide margins.
Next comes Galileo in the march Of
the centuries. And he Is here repre-
sented In q book that confirmed Co.
pernicus' system Of the universe and
announced his invention, the tele-
scope. The book Is the frst Latin edi-
ton and its flyleaf illustration shows
Aristotle and Ptolemy conversing with
Copernicus "a bold Illustration for
those days.
Here also is the first complete edi-
tion on the theory of gravitation, by
Sir Isaac Newton. with an excellent
engraving of Newton. and Newton's
own copy. inscribe( BY himself on the
dyleaf, 1881, with q flourish after his
name.
This science case. in fact, Is q good
example Of the chronological order Of
the subject matter-which Is the de-
velopment Of science In this instance,
and Of the advances In printing and
bindings. Il reprasentA, - veil. The