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Show LEHI FREE PRESS. LEHI. UTAH American Newspaperdom Joins in Honorinn NATIONAL AFFAIRS Johann Gutenberg, Who Gave the World the Invention of Printing From Movable Type Reviewed by CARTER FIELD Newspaper American press 1940 is paying homage to Johann Gutenin a berg, who 500 years ago the free in little workshop now in of Strasbourg, city the art invented Germany, that makes possible the mod- THE (Bell Syndicate h ern newspaper. Gutenberg's invention the discovery of a technique for casting from lead individual lettypes bearing individual be arranged ters, which can into lines for the printing of words and sentences makes it possible for you to read what is on this page. celebrations honoring the father of printing, in which newspapers are actively participating, are being held during the year 1940 throughout the western hemisphere as the 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 superintendents, 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 before Gutenberg invented printing with movable types, but each of d them had to be laboriously 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 Bibles were so exneighbors. 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 successful 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 inventor of an economical process of printing, which made possible public education and the modern newspaper, was born of aristocratic 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, abcut a hundred miles down the Rhine, because of an uprising of tradesmen and craftsmen against the aristocratic families in his native city. There is evidence that Gutenberg 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 partnership dispute. In this court case, settled in favor of Gutenberg, 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 Strasbourg, he had many principles and ideas at his disposal which helped assure the success of his endeavors. He had a counterpart 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 paper, and although it took a thousand years for the secret of paper making to reach Europe, there were paper mills in all parts of Europe by the time of Gutenberg. Paper gave the inventor nil j - y f 4L s- - i an inexpensive material on which to print and did away with the expensive parchment on which had been printed the costly manuscript books. The Chinese had also invented the process of wood block printing which was known in Europe by the time of Gutenberg. By this slow and cumbersome process the portions of a wooden 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-colo- r ink, a sheet of paper was placed atop the inked surface and the text or pictures were imprinted upon the paper b nbbing the back of the sheet back paneL The waistline is fitt4 and small, as princess waistline are, and a big fiuKery sash bow calls attention to the fact! This dress is particularly pretty in plaid gingham because the froml and back panels are cut bias. Bui it's also sweet in percale printed with red cherries or pink flowers, or in white pick, with bright ri rac braid. Certainly your daughter will want it in more than on material, when she sees how nice she looks in it! The simple diagram design is so easy that lots of girls can make it for mm.:. t f t 1 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-boarof 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 turning of the iron bar and screwing the platen, or suspended flat surface, against the paper and types. Only 300 single-pag- e impressions a day could be printed with this press. Modern newspaper presses can turn out 38,000 complete newspapers every hour. d a padded block. It was much more practical for the Chinese, because of the thousands of symbols in their written language, to carve out an entire page and then dispose of it after using it, than to work out a system 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 with 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 author. 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 plus interest. Gutenberg was to meet Fust's demands and as the result of a lawsuit which followed, Gutenberg was dispossessed of his work shop and print-inequipment and the exclusive right to his invention. the tragic court Following 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 the Bible. The inventor, however, never prospered in this enterprise 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 partnership a lad named Peter Schoeff er, who had been one of the scribes of the manuscript books and later one of Gutenberg's helpers. The firm of Fust and Schoeff er was an outstanding financial success and went on to produce some of the most beautiful books of the Fifteenth century. Friend Claims Press. Following Gutenberg's death early in 1468, the press and equipment 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 father of printing is buried. There was a story that his body had been interred in the Church of St. Francis at Mainz, but a search for it several years ago proved unavailun-ab-le g ing. Gutenberg's claim to the honor of being the inventor of printing with movable types has been Earliest known portrait of Gutenberg, from a copperplate engraving published in Paris in 1584. (Courtesy company.) Ludlow Typo-grap- h 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 Gutenberg 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 measurby ing about three and one-half its subinches. to stuknown is it matter, ject dents of printing as the "Fragment 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 production of his first Bible. All of the wealth left him by his aristocratic 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 frorn Johann Fust, a capitalist of five Because of Mainz. In 1455, the same year in which is believed to have been completed the famous Bible, Fust demanded repayment of his loans, WNU Service.) WASHINGTON In following the which have already started and will continue until election, it would be wise to bear a couple of points in mind by way of discounting. There is no possible way, for example, for any poll to measure the efficiency of a political machine in (1) getting the voters it knows will be on its side registered, (2) in getting the registered voters it knows are on its side to the polls on election day, and (3) to put it mildly in the activity of its watchers in seeing to it that its side has a fair count on election night. The first state by state poll which most of us have seen shows, for instance, that New York and Pennsylvania both lean to Wendell Willkie by the percentage of 52 to 48. Now if you go shopping around for bets among the politically well informed, you will discover that if you want to bet on the Republicans winning that you will have to give odds in betting on Pennsylvania, whereas in betting on New York you can have even money easily, and may even find persons willing to give you a 5 to 4 Bplls City-wid- e hand-lettere- It First state by state poll encourages Willkie backers . . . Wheeler disappointed because Willkie won't use isolationist issue. SCOTT WATSON By ELMOWelle Union.! rn (Released by B ttch mn a I I LKIN 1L LtFARTMENT questioned in the past and the claims of some rival contenders, based largely on legend, have been advanced. However, no competent historian today questions the specific documentary evidence on which rests the fame of Johann Gutenberg. Although Gutenberg never received the financial rewards of the Edisons and the Fords and many other inventors of this modern era, he undoubtedly had the satisfaction in his last days of seeing mankind carrying on the work he had so successfully pioneered. 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 modern manifestation of Gutenberg's invention in the form of the printed 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 newspaper to go beyond one date of publication was the weekly Boston News Letter which first saw the light of day on April 24, 1704. The 24th day of the month appears to be a good one on which to start a newspaper for on January 24, 1775, there appeared Benjamin Towne's Philadelphia Evening Post, America's first daily newspaner. Towne's paper had previously been a weekly publication. From these pioneers have descended the thousands of American newspapers, including this one, which have had and are daily exerting such a profound influence on the lives of everyone. Every word printed in these modern newspapers during printing's 500th anniversary year of 1940, is a monument to the inventive genius of Johann Gutenberg. wager. Illinois Percentage. percentage for Illinois is stronger 53 for Willkie to 47 for Roosevelt, but obviously this poll cannot measure the efficiency of the Cook County machine of Mayor Edward J. Kelly. But with all this cleared up, the fact remains that the first state by state poll was enormously encouraging to the Willkie backers. They have realized, as was told some time back in these dispatches, that the only possible hope for Willkie would be to carry both New York and Illinois, or to break the South. This last, this writer pointed out 10 days ago, would be extremely unlikely, despite the very large number of individual Democrats in the South who are personally for the "Democrat," as they regard him, who has the presidential nomination on the Republican ticket. The polls show that the preponderance of the Democrats in the South is even stronger than some of us had believed in view of Willkie's appeal below the Mason and Dixon's line. Close Race Expected. What really encourages the Republicans is that the state by state poll shows that Willkie CAN be elected! Strange as it may seem, there has been an element of doubt way back in the minds of a good many folks who are enthusiastically for Willkie. They had not been talking very much, but they had figured that it was impossible to break the South, and that New York and Illinois would be delivered to Roosevelt by the big New York and Chicago machines. So the campaign becomes a horse race, one that is apt to keep the folks up until all hours on election night. At least that is the view now, with full knowledge that President Roosevelt may throw a monkey wrench into the machinery any time between now and November 5 by some overwhelmingly important move in connection with the war, Willkie No Isolationist. Willkie is virtually ruling out two issues, what might be called the in ternational or isolationist issue and that involving farm payments. In doing so he is vastly distressing some of his most ardent supporters. There is a considerable group that believes the isolationist issue would elect Willkie hands down. There is a smaller Burton K. group which believes Wheeler the agricultural pol of administration Roosevelt the icy is cockeyed, and if properly pounded hopes. home, would ruin third-terShrewd political observers are inclined to agree with the larger group, and to disagree with the smaller. In other words, they believe that Willkie could win on the isolationist issue, but that to threaten the AAA checks would mean sure defeat in the farm belt. And Willkie MUST carry the farm belt, the entire group of north central states from Wisconsin to the Dakotas and south to Kansas, to have a chance for victory. Wheeler Disappointed. One of the most disappointed men in the United States over the failure of Willkie to take isolation as his paramount issue is Sen. Burton K. Wheeler of Montana. Wheeler has been almost as prominent in the fight against conscription in the senate as he was when he led the fight which defeated President Roosevelt's court packing bill in 1937. Before the Republican convention at Philadelphia, Wheeler told friends that if the G. O. P. was smart it would make the campaign on the "keep us out of war" issue. The la Barbara Bell Pattern No. 1942-signed lor aizea 4. , 8. 10 and 12 years. of Size may require V,i yards Send order lot teriaU yards of rle-ra- CTKCLK PATTERN DEPT. New Montgomery are. CaUL Saa FrincUoe Enclose IS cents la coins for Size Pattern No. SEWING HI Nam Address (! Jlsk Me knottier A General Quiz Q i The Questiom 1. Why is Colorado called fh Centennial state? 2. To what type of road did a Scotch engineer give bis name? 3. What two great Oriental cities were founded by the British? 4. What Is the most widely used word in the world? 5. What is the line that follow of all great men remlne) "Lives and her hat IXlTH big vv new patent leathers, she'll us"? 6. What is the name given to th look charming as a spring morn present royal house of Italy? ing, when she steps forth in 7. Which of the United Stat breezy little day frock made over It s very sim- has the greatest water area, Calipattern No. 1942-ple, very smart, with pretty neck fornia, Minnesota, or Michigan? line and short sleeves outlined by two rows of braid, and with braid The Answer $ and buttons to trim the front and 1. It was admitted into the Unloa in 1876, the Centennial year. Service to Humanity 2. Macadam. 3. Hongkong and Singapore. Public office is a public trust 4. "Amen" is believed to be the The discharge of duty to one's most fellow-mewidely used word, being emof the work resisting violence and maintaining order ployed by 1,000,000,000 Christians, and righting the wrongs of the op Jews and Mohcmmedans. 5. "We can make our lives subpressed, is higher and holier than the following of visions. The serv lime." 6. Savoy. ice of man is the best worship of 7. Minnesota. God. Henry Van Dyke. roll-bri- m n, ! IN A CIGARETTE AS MILD AS A CAMEL, IT'S GRAND TO GET EXTRA SMOKIN. SLOWER BURNING ME MEANS MORE PLEASURE PER PUFF AND MORE PUFFS PER PACK hj TO "TMSi 7 f - y .j A ' fcswsr"- S3 fc $k b 1 ' NANCY LOVE, noted aviatrix k J I fes5fSS m pift. EXTRA lS 5 rCrt 15 of L!iJ 011 rer. Jr0 pT A n Urgeat- - D f I SMOKES "EXTRAS'' WITH SL0WER "BURNIf,e j!fl ill E S THE CIGARETTE OF COSTLIER TOBACCOS n7A Villi nn C IB ARE AN INFLUENTIAL PERSON The merchant who advertises must treat you better than the merchant who does not. He must treat you as though you were the most influential person in town. As a matter of cold fact you are. You hold the destiny of his business in your hands. He knows it. He shows it. And you benefit by good service, by courteous treat ment, by good value and by lower prices. |