Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 207, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1919 — NOT MEANT FOR CIRCULATION [ARTICLE]

NOT MEANT FOR CIRCULATION

Volumes in Ancient Library of Alexandria, Egypt- Were Not Infrequently 150 Feet. Long. How would you like to have to read a story written on a sheet of paper 150 feet long? This task faced those who made use of the famous library at Alexandria, for the universal writing material In that dav was papyrus, parchment not coming into use until three centuries later This collection contained 490,000 books, and when it was burned treasures of the literature and history of ancient days beyond all price were lost. The library was destroyed by accident when flames spread to the shore from the fleet which Caesar had set on fire. The reed, from the Inner covering of which papyrus was made, still grows In Egyptian marshes. Thin strips of It were cut off and laid close together. A sheet was formed by laying strips across these at . right angles, after which the material was moistened, pressed and dried. The paper thus made had a fair writing surface, but was not very durable. UnlessThnhdW' with extreme care papyrus scrolls found nowadays will crumble into dust. The sheets, sometimes made 150 feet long, were called “biblot,” from which the modern Bible and book are derived. The Ink used was made of gum and lampblack. Papyrus was not only used in Egypt, but a large amount of it was exported. Excavations in the ruins of Herculaneum have brought to light many thousands of these scrolls.