The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, September 06, 1940, Image 7
THE SUN. NEWBERRY. S. C. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1940
American Newspaperdom Joins in Honoring
Johann Gutenberg, Who Gave the World the
Invention of Printing From Movable Type
The first printing: press, such as the one used by Johann Gutenberg
who 500 years ago invented printing as we know it today. Constructed
almost entirely of wood, the inked form was placed on the drawer-board
of the press in the foreground, a sheet of paper was placed over the types
and the form pushed under the press. Pressure was applied by the turn
ing of the iron bar and screwing the platen, or suspended flat surface,
against the paper and types. Only 300 single-page impressions a day
could be printed with this press. Modern newspaper presses can turn
out 38,000 complete newspapers every hour.
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
T HE American press dur
ing 1940 is paying hom
age to Johann Guten
berg, who 500 years ago in a
little workshop in the free
city of Strasbourg, now in
Germany, invented the art
that makes possible the mod
ern newspaper.
Gutenberg’s invention—the
discovery of a technique for
casting from lead individual
types bearing individual let
ters, which can be arranged
into lines for the printing of
words and sentences—makes
it possible for you to read
what is on this page.
City-wide celebrations honor
ing the father of printing, in
which newspapers are actively
participating, are being held dur
ing the year 1940 throughout the
western hemisphere as thd result
of the outstanding promotional
work of Douglas C. McMurtrie,
chairman of the Invention of
Printing Anniversary committee
for the International Association
of Printing House Craftsmen, an
organization made up of 6,000
printing foremen and superin
tendents, and leaders of other
graphic arts groups.
The significance of Gutenberg’s
invention can best be evaluated
by looking backward into the
world before the invention of
printing. There were books be
fore Gutenberg invented printing
with movable types, but each of
them had to be laboriously hand-
lettered by a scribe or copyist.
Months were required to produce
a book the size of the average
novel. When a scribe completed
his work, he had not the several
thousand copies that make up an
edition today, but only one copy
to show for his efforts. The price
of this single copy had to include
the several years’ salary for the
scribe, the cost of parchment on
which the book was written, and
other expensive materials, plus
profit. A man who owned a book
in the days before Gutenberg,
owned an object of curiosity to his
neighbors. Bibles were so ex
pensive even few churches could
afford a copy. Because of the
scarcity and costliness of books,
there was no popular education as
we know it today and many suc
cessful business men in the days
before Gutenberg could neither
read nor write. They had to call
in professional scribes to perform
those simple tasks for them.
Inventor Born in Mainz.
Johann Gutenberg, the invent
or of an economical process of
printing, which made possible
public education and the modern
newspaper, was born of aristo
cratic parents in the free city
of Mainz about the year 1400.
During his youth he was forced
to flee Mainz and seek refuge in
Strasbourg, about a hundred
miles down the Rhine, because
of an uprising of tradesmen and
craftsmen against the aristo
cratic families in his native city.
There is evidence that Guten
berg was engaged in his printing
experiments in Strasbourg at
least as early as 1436. This fact
is brought to light in testimony
in a lawsuit at Strasbourg in 1439
which was occasioned over a part
nership dispute. In this court
case, settled in favor of Guten
berg, a witness for the inventor
testified that three years previous
he had been paid a sum of money
“solely for what had to do with
printing.”
When the inventor stated his
printing experiments at Stras
bourg, he had many principles
and ideas at his disposal which
helped assure the success of his
endeavors. He had a counter
part of the printing press in the
presses that had been used for
centuries in vineyards for the
pressing of grapes to make wine.
Oil paints, which were being used
by the artists of the period, would
adhere to metal, and with slight
adaptation, serve as printer’s
ink. In the year 105 A. D., the
Chinese, Ts’ai Lun, invented pa
per, and although it took a thou
sand years for the secret of pa
per making to reach Europe,
there were paper mills in all parts
of Europe by the time of Guten
berg. Paper gave the inventor
an inexpensive material on which
to print and did away with the
expensive parchment on which
had been printed the costly man
uscript books.
The Chinese had also invented
the process of wood block print
ing which was known in Europe
by the time of Gutenberg. By
this slow and cumbersome proc
ess the portions of a wooden
block bearing text or pictures or
both, which were to appear on a
page were cut away. The carved
face of this block was inked with
water-color ink, a sheet of paper
was placed atop the inked sur
face and the text or pictures
w imprinted upon the paper
t ^ebing the back of the sheet
with a padded block. It was
much more practical for the
Chinese, because of the thousands
of symbols in their written lan
guage, to carve out an entire
page and then dispose of it after
using it, than to work out a sys
tem for the use of movable types.
There is evidence that the Chinese
had experimented with movable
or individual types before the time
of Gutenberg, but they had to
abandon them because of the
multiplicity of symbols in their
language. There is no evidence
that knowledge of these Chinese
experiments with movable types
reached Europe before the time
of Gutenberg.
The Latin Donatus.
It is interesting to note that
among the very first products of
Gutenberg’s printing press were
17 successive editions of the
"Donatus,” a Latin grammar, so
called from the name of its au
thor. This inexpensive printed
book enabled schoolboys of the
early Renaissance to speak and
write the language which was
then the universal language
among educated people in every
country in Europe. Contrary to
popular opinion, he completed
the printing of these editions of
the Latin “Donatus” before he
attempted to start work on his
Earliest known portrait of
Gutenberg, from a copperplate
engraving published in Paris in
1584. (Courtesy Ludlow Typo-
graph company.)
first famous Gutenberg Bible,
which is sometimes erroneously
referred to as the first printed
book.
What is believed to be the
earliest still existent specimen
of printing produced by Guten
berg is the fragment of a German
poem on the last judgment. It
was printed about 1445 and of it
there is preserved for posterity
only two sides of one leaf .neasur-
ing about three and one-half by
five inches. Because of its sub
ject matter, it is known to stu
dents of printing as the “Frag
ment of the World Judgment.”
After Gutenberg had developed
his experiments with printing to
a stage of practicable perfection
around 1440, he returned to his
native city of Mainz. Following
his return to Mainz, Gutenberg
started making plans for produc
tion of his first Bible. All of the
wealth left him by his aristo
cratic father had been used up
on his earlier experiments and in
order to carry out production of
this Bible, Gutenberg was forced
to make two large loans from
Johann Fust, a capitalist of
Mainz.
In 1455, the same year in which
is believed to have been complet
ed the famous Bible, Fust de
manded repayment of his loans,
plus interest. Gutenberg was un
able to meet Fust’s demands and
as the result of a lawsuit which
followed, Gutenberg was dispos
sessed of his work shop and print
ing equipment and the exclusive
right to his invention.
Following the tragic court
battle with Fust, Gutenberg is
known to have set up another
smaller printing shop and to have
printed a Latin dictionary and at
least one other edition of die
Bible. The inventor, however,
never prospered in this enter
prise and in his last days he was
dependent on a financial pension
granted him by the Archbishop of
Mainz, presumably for his work
in pioneering printing.
After wresting the printing shop
and equipment from Gutenberg,
Fust took with him into partners
ship a lad named Peter Schoeffer,
who had been one of the scribes
of the manuscript books and later
one of Gutenberg’s helpers. The
firm of Fust and Schoeffer was an
outstanding financial success and
went on to produce some of the
most beautiful books of the Fif.
teenth century.
Friend Claims Press.
Following Gutenberg’s death
early in 1468, the press and equip
ment in his possession at that time
were claimed by a friend, Dr.
Konrad Humery, who had bought
them for him.
No one knows where the fathei
of printing is buried. There was
a story that his body had been
interred in the Church of St. Fran
cis at Mainz, but a search for it
several years ago proved unavail
ing.
Gutenberg’s claim to the honor
of being the inventor of printing
with movable types has been
questioned in the past and the
claims of some rival contenders,
based largely on legend, have
been advanced. However, no
competent historian today ques
tions the specific documentary
evidence on which rests the fame
of Johann Gutenberg.
Although Gutenberg never re
ceived the financial rewards of
the Edisons and the Fords and
many other inventors of this mod
ern era, he undoubtedly had the
satisfaction in his last days of
seeing mankind carrying on the
work he had so successfully pio
neered. In the twilight of his life
he saw printers he had trained go
into Italy and Switzerland to
establish the first presses there.
The Seventeenth century saw
the rise of the most powerful mod
ern manifestation of Gutenberg’s
invention in the form of the print
ed newspaper. The very first
printed newspaper in the world
was started in Germany in 1612.
A newspaper began publication in
England in the year 1622.
America’s first printed news
paper to go beyond one date of
publication was the weekly Bos
ton News Letter which first saw
the light of day on April 24, 1704.
The 24th day of the month ap
pears to be a good one on which
to start a newspaper for on Jan
uary 24, 1775, there appeared
Benjamin Towne’s Philadelphia
Evening Post, America’s first
daily newspaper. Towne’s paper
had previously been a weekly
publication.
From these pioneers have de
scended the thousands of Ameri
can newspapers, including this
one, which have had and are daily
exerting such a profound influ
ence on the lives of everyone.
Every word printed in these mod
ern newspapers during printing’s
500th anniversary year of 1940,
is a monument to the inventive
genius of Johann Gutenberg.
Plan Back-to-School Wardrobe
Of Style-Right Wash Apparel
By CHERIE NICHOLAS
S TOP, look, listen, Miss
Collegiate and Miss
Teen-age and Miss Junior!
This should interest you.
It’s all about assembling a
back - to - school wardrobe
within a minimum clothes budget
that will turn you out looking the
part of a fashion sophisticate. Well,
here’s letting you in on the secret
—it’s just a matter of planning your
clothes collection in terms of swank
wash apparel. Follow up this idea
and you will have the joy and satis
faction of achieving a style prestige
along with the best of yodr sorority
group. As to economy, that’s the
best part of the story.
Modern wash materials are more
amazing than ever. The handsome
weaves with a suiting woolish fin
ish, the crepes, the spun rayons
(one of the marvels of the age), the
eye-appealing rayon and other syn
thetic silks and satins (fit for a
queen), the smart suedc-finish
cloths, the stunning corduroys, the
handsome plaids and stripes (three
cheers for ’em), the color-gloried
prints are that convincingly good-
looking they definitely outclass any
thing in the way of wash fabrics
that has ever gone before.
As to this wide range of versa
tile weaves, their adaptability to ev
ery conceivable sort of all-purpose
wear is astonishing—a miracle in
modern times! Pajama costumes,
slacks, shirts, house coats, swim
suits, negligees, afternoon dress-up
frocks, party gowns and “prom”
formals, in short a schoolgirl’s ev
ery need is met in the wash-apparel
specialty shops and in departments
devoted to washables these days.
Recently the National Wash Ap
parel association presented a highly
fashion-significant style show in Chi
cago. The hundreds and hundreds
of most intriguing college, school,
career-girl and junior fashions,
styled throughout, as they were, of
swank wash fabrics, was nothing
less than a revelation. We are show
ing three representative types from
this gala autumn style revue in the
accompanying illustration as a fore
taste of the endless modes you’ll be
seeing in the new fall parade.
Plaids are going to be better than
ever this season. The happy school-
farin*' miss pictured to the left in
the group, is wearing a gay Mexi
can checkerboard plaid. It is shirred
at the shoulders, has a swing skirt
which conforms to fashion’s call for
skirts that at least create the im
pression of slimness, whether they
have pleats or net. There is smart
color contrast in the leather belt and
of course there are decorative pock
ets.
The attractive junior frock cen
tered in the picture uses plain ver
sus check in its makeup. The ma
terial is rabbit-woolish in its soft
ness. The skirt brings soft-pleat
fullness to the front in latest style-
approved manner. Novelty breast
pockets, a girlish neckline and a
yoke back and front together with
a soft wide belt are distinguishing
style details. You can get this mod
el in football brown, loyal blue and
kick-off red.
Stripes are still the talk o’ the
town. See the clever use the de
signer makes of stripes as illustrat
ed to the right. The skirt is of the
bias-cut swing type. There is a dou
ble-action styling given to the back
of the blouse. A leather belt tnd
buttons in three colors give a telling
style flourish. Touch-down green,
football brown and college blue, the
colors in which this model comes,
are passwords that will admit this
L,mart dress to college environs with
acclaim.
(Released by Western Newspaper Union )
Evening Snood
The popular snood is playing a
dual role. Not only does it serve
as a protector for windblown tresses
during the day. The latest is the
jewel-encrusted snood that you wear
as here shown. An evening snood
is to be coveted for it not only is
a gay flatterer but it is a friend
indeed in that it gives you a confi
dent poiseful feeling that your hair
will stay put.
Changes Fastening
In Separate Skirts
Slide fasteners, modem miracles
that they are, occasionally give a
heavy look to the left side of sep
arate skirts. To eliminate this dif
ficulty one designer who specializes
in clothes for the college girl plans
to have all of her newest skirts fast
en at the center of the back.
Longer Gloves Is
Late Style Edict
For once in her life fashion is
logical! With those youthful short-
sleeved, chubby fur jackets which
top the list of must haves this fall
longer gloves are definitely the
thing. Because while bare midriffs
• may be a smart whim in evening
clothes, you don’t want that effect
between the end of your gloves and
the beginning of your jacket sleeves.
American glove manufacturers
have taken account of the important
short-sleeved,fur jacket fashion and
have figured out that the eight-but
ton length glove is perfect with most
of these jackets. It’s long enough
to cover the exposed part of the
arm, but not too long to be comfort
able under the jacket sleeve. And
you can have it in the classic slip-
on type or, if you like to be a bit dif
ferent, in a mousquetaire — the
straighter-cut, closer-fitting glove
with the buttoned opening.
And whichever style you prefer,
you have a stunning range of fall
colors to choose from.
Towering Turbans
Reaching Skyward
Turbans are likely to reach sky
scraper proportions by fall, if the
new designs are any indication, for
they seem to be draped higher and
higher in every new collection. Some
are brought up to a high peak in
a triangular draping and some are
elaborately twisted and looped to
reach magnificent proportions.
New Hat Silhouette
Even hats are taking to the nar
rower silhouette in the new creo
tions shown for early fall wear.
AROUND
•h. HOUSE
Hems of Interest
to the Housewife
To sharpen doll scissors or
needles, cut or stitch a few inches
through a piece of fine sandpaper.
• • *
To keep books on shelves or in
cases in good condition sprinkle
them occasionally with powdered
camphor.
• * •
Save left-over pieces of soap in
small sugar or salt bags. Use the
bags in cleaning the bathtub or
lavatory. The bag and soap serve
both as a sponge and a cleansing
agent.
• • •
When making biscuits, dough
nuts, cookies and jumbles, the
softer you can handle dough after
turning it onto the board and the
less you handle it, the better re
sults you will get.
Keep the sifter holes on spice
boxes closed, otherwise the spiece
will lose much of their flavor.
• • •
When separating the yolks from
the whites of eggs, break them
over a funnel. The whites will
pass through, leaving the yolks in
the funnel.
QUALITY AT A PRICE
> Outstanding Binds Valua sf
1/rilT Tbs Outata
RrNI R"®* 4 s* 1 *
IlLlll 7 sbifft* or 3
3~10c
Common Sense
It is a thousand times better to
have common sense without edu4
cation than to have education with
out common sense.—Robert G. In-
gersoll.
Better for Trying
Those who try to do something
and fail are infinitely better than
those who try to do nothing and
succeed.—Lloyd Jones.
Test of Friendship
We only need to face the “test”
when we realize the priceless
worth of “an unchanging friend."
—Royston.
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