men of invention and industry-第43节

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in　the　year　1814　in　the　office　of　The　Times　by　the　father　of　him

who　is　the　present　proprietor　of　that　world…famous　journal。　　The

machine　of　1814　was　described　in　The　Times　of　the　29th　November

in　that　year；　and　the　account　given　of　it　closed　in　these　words：

'The　whole　of　these　complicated　acts　is　performed　with　such　a

velocity　and　simultaneonsness　of　movement　that　no　less　than　1100

sheets　are　impressed　in　one　hour。'　Mirabile　dictu！　　And　the

Walter　Press　of　to…day　can　run　off　17；000　copies　an　hour　printed

on　both　sides。　　This　is　not　bad　work　for　one　man's　lifetime。〃



It　is　unnecessary　to　say　more　about　this　marvellous　machine。　　Its

completion　forms　the　crown　of　the　industry　which　it　represents；

and　of　the　enterprise　of　the　journal　which　it　prints。





Footnotes　for　Chapter　VII。



＇1＇　Diary；　Reminiscences；　and　Correspondence　of　Henry　Crabb

Robinson；　Barrister…at…Law；　F。S。A。；　i。　231。



＇2＇　After　the　appearance　of　my　article　on　the　Koenig　and　Walter

Presses　in　Macmillan's　Magazine　for　December；　1869；　I　received

the　following　letter　from　Sir　Rowland　Hill：…　



〃Hampstead〃　　January　5th；　1870。



〃My　dear　sir；　



〃In　your　very　interesting　article　in　Macmillan's　Magazine　on　the

subject　of　the　printing　machine；　you　have　unconsciously　done　me

some　injustice。　　To　convince　yourself　of　this；　you　have　only　to

read　the　enclosed　paper。　　The　case；　however；　will　be　strengthened

when　I　tell　you　that　as　far　back　as　the　year　1856；　that　is；　seven

years　after　the　expiry　of　my　patent；　I　pointed　out　to　Mr。　Mowbray

Morris；　the　manager　of　The　Times；　the　fitness　of　my　machine　for

the　printing　of　that　journal；　and　the　fact　that　serious

difficulties　to　its　adoption　had　been　removed。　　I　also；　at　his

request；　furnished　him　with　a　copy　of　the　document　with　which　I

now　trouble　you。　　Feeling　sure　that　you　would　like　to　know　the

truth　on　any　subject　of　which　you　may　treat；　I　should　be　glad　to

explain　the　matter　more　fully；　and　for　this　purpose　will；　with

your　permission；　call　upon　you　at　any　time　you　may　do　me　the

favour　to　appoint。　　

〃Faithfully　yours；　



〃Rowland　Hill。〃



On　further　enquiry　I　obtained　the　Patent　No。　6762；　but　found　that

nothing　practical　had　ever　come　of　it。　　The　pamphlet　enclosed　by

Sir　Rowland　Hill　in　the　above　letter　is　entitled　'The　Rotary

Printing　Machine。'　It　is　very　clever　and　ingenious；　like

everything　he　did。　　But　it　was　still　left　for　some　one　else　to

work　out　the　invention　into　a　practical　working　printing…press。　

The　subject　is　fully　referred　to　in　the　'Life　of　Sir　Rowland

Hill'　（i。　224；525）。　　In　his　final　word　on　the　subject；　Sir

Rowland　〃gladly　admits　the　enormous　difficulty　of　bringing　a

complex　machine　into　practical　use；〃　a　difficulty；　he　says；　which

〃has　been　most　successfully　overcome　by　the　patentees　of　the

Walter　Press。〃





CHAPTER　VIII。



WILLIAM　CLOWES：　INTRODUCER　OF　BOOK…PRINTING　BY　STEAM。



〃The　Images　of　men's　wits　and　knowledges　remain　in　Books；

exempted　from　the　wrong　of　time；　and　capable　of　perpetual

renovation。　　Neither　are　they　fitly　to　be　called　Images；　because

they　generate　still；　and　cast　their　seeds　in　the　minds　of　others；

provoking　and　causing　infinite　actions　and　opinions　in　succeeding

ages；　so　that；　if　the　invention　of　the　Ship　was　thought　so　noble；

which　carrieth　riches　and　commodities　from　place　to　place；　and

consociateth　the　most　remote　Regions　in　participation　of　their

Fruits；　how　much　more　are　letters　to　be　magnified；　which；　as

Ships；　pass　through　the　vast　Seas　of　time；　and　make　ages　so

distant　to　participate　of　the　wisdom；　illuminations；　and　

inventions；　the　one　of　the　other？〃Bacon；　On　the　Proficience　and

Advancement　of　Learning。



Steam　has　proved　as　useful　and　potent　in　the　printing　of　books　as

in　the　printing　of　newspapers。　　Down　to　the　end　of　last　century；

〃the　divine　art；〃　as　printing　was　called；　had　made　comparatively

little　progress。　　That　is　to　say；　although　books　could　be

beautifully　printed　by　hand　labour；　they　could　not　be　turned　out

in　any　large　numbers。



The　early　printing　press　was　rude。　　It　consisted　of　a　table；

along　which　the　forme　of　type；　furnished　with　a　tympan　and

frisket；　was　pushed　by　hand。　　The　platen　worked　vertically

between　standards；　and　was　brought　down　for　the　impression；　and

raised　after　it；　by　a　common　screw；　worked　by　a　bar　handle。　　The

inking　was　performed　by　balls　covered　with　skin　pelts；　they　were

blacked　with　ink；　and　beaten　down　on　the　type　by　the　pressman。　

The　inking　was　consequently　irregular。



In　1798；　Earl　Stanhope　perfected　the　press　that　bears　his　name。　

He　did　not　patent　it；　but　made　his　invention　over　to　the　public。　

In　1818；　Mr。　Cowper　greatly　improved　the　inking　of　formes　used　in

the　Stanhope　and　other　presses；　by　the　use　of　a　hand　roller

covered　with　a　composition　of　glue　and　treacle；　in　combination

with　a　distributing　table。　　The　ink　was　thus　applied　in　a　more

even　manner；　and　with　a　considerable　decrease　of　labour。　　With

the　Stanhope　Press；　printing　was　as　far　advanced　as　it　could

possibly　be　by　means　of　hand　labour。　　About　250　impressions　could

be　taken　off；　on　one　side；　in　an　hour。



But　this；　after　all；　was　a　very　small　result。　　When　books　could

be　produced　so　slowly；　there　could　be　no　popular　literature。　

Books　were　still　articles　for　the　few；　instead　of　for　the　many。　

Steam　power；　however；　completely　altered　the　state　of　affairs。　

When　Koenig　invented　his　steam　press；　he　showed　by　the　printing

of　Clarkson's　'Life　of　Penn'　the　first　sheets　ever　printed　with

a　cylindrical　pressthat　books　might　be　printed　neatly；　as　well

as　cheaply；　by　the　new　machine。　　Mr。　Bensley　continued　the

process；　after　Koenig　left　England；　and　in　1824；　according　to

Johnson　in　his　'Typographia；'　his　son　was　〃driving　an　extensive

business。〃



In　the　following　year；　1825；　Archibald　Constable；　of　Edinburgh；

propounded　his　plan　for　revolutionising　the　art　of　bookselling。　

Instead　of　books　being　articles　of　luxury；　he　proposed　to　bring

them　into　general　consumption。　　He　would　sell　them；　not　by

thousands；　but　by　hundreds　of　thousands；　〃ay；　by　millions；〃　and

he　would　accomplish　this　by　the　new　methods　of　multiplicationby

machine　printing　and　by　steam　power。　　Mr。　Constable　accordingly

issued　a　library　of　excellent　books；　and；　although　he　was

ruinednot　by　this　enterprise；　but　the　other　speculations　into

which　he　enteredhe　set　the　example　which　other　enterprising

minds　were　ready　to　follow。　　Amongst　these　was　Charles　Knight；

who　set　the　steam　presses　of　William　Clowes　to　work；　for　the

purposes　of　the　Society　for　the　Diffusion　of　Useful　Knowledge。



William　Clowes　was　the　founder　of　the　vast　printing　establishment

from　which　these　sheets　are　issued；　and　his　career　furnishes

another　striking　illustration　of　the　force　of　industry　and

character。　　He　was　born　on　the　1st　of　January；　1779。　　His　father

was　educated　at　Oxford；　and　kept　a　large　school　at　Chichester；

but　dying　when　William　was　but　an　infant；　he　left　his　widow；　with

straitened　means；　to　bring　up　her　family。　　At　a　proper　age

William　was　bound　apprentice　to　a　printer　at　Chichester；　and；

after　serving　him　for　seven　years；　he　came　up　to　London；　at　the

beginning　of　1802；　to　seek　employment　as　a　journeyman。　　He

succeeded　in　finding　work　at　a　small　office　on　Tower　Hill；　at　a

small　wage。　　The　first　lodgings　he　took　cost　him　5s。　a　week；　but

finding　this　beyond　his　means　he　hired　a　room　in　a　garret　at　2s。

6d。；　which　was　as　much　as　he　could　afford　out　of　his　scanty

earnings。



The　first　job　he　was　put　to；　was　the　setting…up　of　a　large

poster…billa　kind　of　work　which　he　had　been　accustomed　to

execute　in　the　country；　and　he　knocked　it　together　so　expertly

that　his　master；　Mr。　Teape；　on　seeing　what　he　could　do；　said　to

him；　〃Ah！　I　find　you　are　just　the　fellow　for　me。〃　　The　young　man；

however；　felt　so　strange　in　London；　where　he　was　without　a　friend

or　acquaintance；　that　at　the　end　of　the　first　month　he　thought　of

leaving　it；　and　yearned　to　go　back　to　his　native　city。　　But　he

had　not　funds　enough　to　enable　him　to　follow　his　inclinations；

and　he　accordingly　remained　in　the　great　City；　to　work；　to

persevere；　and　finally　to　prosper。　　He　continued　at　Teape's　for

about　two　years；　living　frugally；　and　even　contriving　to　save　a

little　money。



He　then　thought　of　beginning　business　on　his　own　account。　　The

small　scale　on　which　printing　was　carried　on　in　those　days

enabled　him　to　make　a　start　with　comparatively　little　capital。　

By　means　of　his　own　savings　and　the　help　of　his　friends；　he　was

enabled　to　take　a　little　printing…office　in　Villiers　Street；

Strand；　about　the　end　of　1803；　and　there　he　began　with　one

printing　press；　and　one　assistant。　　His　stock　of　type　was　so

small；　that　he　was　under　the　necessity　of　working　it　from　day　to

day　like　a　banker's　gold。　　When　his　first　job　came　in；　he

continued　to　work　for　the　greater　part　of　three　nights；　setting

the　type　during　the　day