two poets-第21章

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〃Well；　let　us　sit　here；〃　he　said；　and　taking　Eve's　hand；　he　went　to　a　great　baulk　of　timber　lying　below　the　wheels　of　a　paper…mill。　〃Let　me　breathe　the　evening　air；　and　hear　the　frogs　croak；　and　watch　the　moonlight　quivering　upon　the　river；　let　me　take　all　this　world　about　us　into　my　soul；　for　it　seems　to　me　that　my　happiness　is　written　large　over　it　all；　I　am　seeing　it　for　the　first　time　in　all　its　splendor；　lighted　up　by　love；　grown　fair　through　you。　Eve；　dearest；　this　is　the　first　moment　of　pure　and　unmixed　joy　that　fate　has　given　to　me！　I　do　not　think　that　Lucien　can　be　as　happy　as　I　am。〃

David　felt　Eve's　hand；　damp　and　quivering　in　his　own；　and　a　tear　fell　upon　it。

〃May　I　not　know　the　secret？〃　she　pleaded　coaxingly。

〃You　have　a　right　to　know　it；　for　your　father　was　interested　in　the　matter；　and　to…day　it　is　a　pressing　question；　and　for　this　reason。　Since　the　downfall　of　the　Empire；　calico　has　come　more　and　more　into　use；　because　it　is　so　much　cheaper　than　linen。　At　the　present　moment；　paper　is　made　of　a　mixture　of　hemp　and　linen　rags；　but　the　raw　material　is　dear；　and　the　expense　naturally　retards　the　great　advance　which　the　French　press　is　bound　to　make。　Now　you　cannot　increase　the　output　of　linen　rags；　a　given　population　gives　a　pretty　constant　result；　and　it　only　increases　with　the　birth…rate。　To　make　any　perceptible　difference　in　the　population　for　this　purpose；　it　would　take　a　quarter　of　a　century　and　a　great　revolution　in　habits　of　life；　trade；　and　agriculture。　And　if　the　supply　of　linen　rags　is　not　enough　to　meet　one…half　nor　one…third　of　the　demand；　some　cheaper　material　than　linen　rags　must　be　found　for　cheap　paper。　This　deduction　is　based　on　facts　that　came　under　my　knowledge　here。　The　Angouleme　paper…　makers；　the　last　to　use　pure　linen　rags；　say　that　the　proportion　of　cotton　in　the　pulp　has　increased　to　a　frightful　extent　of　late　years。〃

In　answer　to　a　question　from　Eve；　who　did　not　know　what　〃pulp〃　meant；　David　gave　an　account　of　paper…making；　which　will　not　be　out　of　place　in　a　volume　which　owes　its　existence　in　book　form　to　the　paper　industry　no　less　than　to　the　printing…press；　but　the　long　digression；　doubtless；　had　best　be　condensed　at　first。

Paper；　an　invention　not　less　marvelous　than　the　other　dependent　invention　of　printing；　was　known　in　ancient　times　in　China。　Thence　by　the　unrecognized　channels　of　commerce　the　art　reached　Asia　Minor；　where　paper　was　made　of　cotton　reduced　to　pulp　and　boiled。　Parchment　had　become　so　extremely　dear　that　a　cheap　substitute　was　discovered　in　an　imitation　of　the　cotton　paper　known　in　the　East　as　Charta　bombycina。　The　imitation；　made　from　rags；　was　first　made　at　Basel；　in　1170；　by　a　colony　of　Greek　refugees；　according　to　some　authorities；　or　at　Padua；　in　1301；　by　an　Italian　named　Pax；　according　to　others。　In　these　ways　the　manufacture　of　paper　was　perfected　slowly　and　in　obscurity；　but　this　much　is　certain；　that　so　early　as　the　reign　of　Charles　VI。；　paper　pulp　for　playing…cards　was　made　in　Paris。

When　those　immortals；　Faust；　Coster；　and　Gutenberg；　invented　the　Book；　craftsmen　as　obscure　as　many　a　great　artist　of　those　times　appropriated　paper　to　the　uses　of　typography。　In　the　fifteenth　century；　that　naive　and　vigorous　age；　names　were　given　to　the　various　formats　as　well　as　to　the　different　sizes　of　type；　names　that　bear　the　impress　of　the　naivete　of　the　times；　and　the　various　sheets　came　to　be　known　by　the　different　watermarks　on　their　centres；　the　grapes；　the　figure　of　our　Saviour；　the　crown；　the　shield；　or　the　flower…pot；　just　as　at　a　later　day；　the　eagle　of　Napoleon's　time　gave　the　name　to　the　〃double…eagle〃　size。　And　in　the　same　way　the　types　were　called　Cicero；　Saint…Augustine；　and　Canon　type；　because　they　were　first　used　to　print　the　treatises　of　Cicero　and　theological　and　liturgical　works。　Italics　are　so　called　because　they　were　invented　in　Italy　by　Aldus　of　Venice。

Before　the　invention　of　machine…made　paper；　which　can　be　woven　in　any　length；　the　largest　sized　sheets　were　the　grand　jesus　and　the　double　columbier　（this　last　being　scarcely　used　now　except　for　atlases　or　engravings）；　and　the　size　of　paper　for　printers'　use　was　determined　by　the　dimensions　of　the　impression…stone。　When　David　explained　these　things　to　Eve；　web…paper　was　almost　undreamed　of　in　France；　although；　about　1799；　Denis　Robert　d'Essonne　had　invented　a　machine　for　turning　out　a　ribbon　of　paper；　and　Didot…Saint…Leger　had　since　tried　to　perfect　it。　The　vellum　paper　invented　by　Ambroise　Didot　only　dates　back　as　far　as　1780。

This　bird's　eye　view　of　the　history　of　the　invention　shows　incontestably　that　great　industrial　and　intellectual　advances　are　made　exceedingly　slowly；　and　little　by　little；　even　as　Nature　herself　proceeds。　Perhaps　articulate　speech　and　the　art　of　writing　were　gradually　developed　in　the　same　groping　way　as　typography　and　paper…　making。

〃Rag…pickers　collect　all　the　rags　and　old　linen　of　Europe；〃　the　printer　concluded；　〃and　buy　any　kind　of　tissue。　The　rags　are　sorted　and　warehoused　by　the　wholesale　rag　merchants；　who　supply　the　paper…　mills。　To　give　you　some　idea　of　the　extent　of　the　trade；　you　must　know；　mademoiselle；　that　in　1814　Cardon　the　banker；　owner　of　the　pulping　troughs　of　Bruges　and　Langlee　（where　Leorier　de　l'Isle　endeavored　in　1776　to　solve　the　very　problem　that　occupied　your　father）；　Cardon　brought　an　action　against　one　Proust　for　an　error　in　weights　of　two　millions　in　a　total　of　ten　million　pounds'　weight　of　rags；　worth　about　four　million　francs！　The　manufacturer　washes　the　rags　and　reduces　them　to　a　thin　pulp；　which　is　strained；　exactly　as　a　cook　strains　sauce　through　a　tamis；　through　an　iron　frame　with　a　fine　wire　bottom　where　the　mark　which　give　its　name　to　the　size　of　the　paper　is　woven。　The　size　of　this　mould；　as　it　is　called；　regulates　the　size　of　the　sheet。

〃When　I　was　with　the　Messieurs　Didot；〃　David　continued；　〃they　were　very　much　interested　in　this　question；　and　they　are　still　interested；　for　the　improvement　which　your　father　endeavored　to　make　is　a　great　commercial　requirement；　and　one　of　the　crying　needs　of　the　time。　And　for　this　reason：　although　linen　lasts　so　much　longer　than　cotton；　that　it　is　in　reality　cheaper　in　the　end；　the　poor　would　rather　make　the　smaller　outlay　in　the　first　instance；　and；　by　virtue　of　the　law　of　Vae　victis！　pay　enormously　more　before　they　have　done。　The　middle　classes　do　the　same。　So　there　is　a　scarcity　of　linen。　In　England；　where　four…　fifths　of　the　population　use　cotton　to　the　exclusion　of　linen；　they　make　nothing　but　cotton　paper。　The　cotton　paper　is　very　soft　and　easily　creased　to　begin　with；　and　it　has　a　further　defect：　it　is　so　soluble　that　if　you　seep　a　book　made　of　cotton　paper　in　water　for　fifteen　minutes；　it　turns　to　a　pulp；　while　an　old　book　left　in　water　for　a　couple　of　hours　is　not　spoilt。　You　could　dry　the　old　book；　and　the　pages；　though　yellow　and　faded；　would　still　be　legible；　the　work　would　not　be　destroyed。

〃There　is　a　time　coming　when　legislation　will　equalize　our　fortunes；　and　we　shall　all　be　poor　together；　we　shall　want　our　linen　and　our　books　to　be　cheap；　just　as　people　are　beginning　to　prefer　small　pictures　because　they　have　not　wall　space　enough　for　large　ones。　Well；　the　shirts　and　the　books　will　not　last；　that　is　all；　it　is　the　same　on　all　sides；　solidity　is　drying　out。　So　this　problem　is　one　of　the　first　importance　for　literature；　science；　and　politics。

〃One　day；　in　my　office；　there　was　a　hot　discussion　going　on　about　the　material　that　the　Chinese　use　for　making　paper。　Their　paper　is　far　better　than　ours；　because　the　raw　material　is　better；　and　a　good　deal　was　said　about　this　thin；　light　Chinese　paper；　for　if　it　is　light　and　thin；　the　texture　is　close；　there　are　no　transparent　spots　in　it。　In　Paris　there　are　learned　men　among　the　printers'　readers；　Fourier　and　Pierre　Leroux　are　Lachevardiere's　readers　at　this　moment；　and　the　Comte　de　Saint…Simon；　who　happened　to　be　correcting　proofs　for　us；　came　in　in　the　middle　of　the　discussion。　He　told　us　at　once　that；　according　to　Kempfer　and　du　Halde；　the　Broussonetia　furnishes　the　substance　of　the　Chinese　paper；　it　is　a　vegetable　substance　（like　linen　or　cotton　for　that　matter）。　Another　reader　maintained　that　Chinese　paper　was　principally　made　of　an　animal　substance；　to　wit；　the　silk　that　is　abundant　there。　They　made　a　bet　about　it　in　my　presence。　The　Messieurs　Didot　are　printers　to　the　Institute；　so　naturally　they　referred　the　question　to　that　learned　body。　M。　Marcel；　who　used　to　be　superintendent　of　the　Royal　Printing　Establishment；　was　umpire；　and　he　sent　the　two　readers　to　M。　l'Abbe　Grozier；　Librarian　at　the　Arsenal。　By　the　Abbe's　decision　they　both　lost　their　wages。　The　paper　was　not　made　of　silk　nor　yet　from　the　Broussonetia；　the　pulp　proved　to　be　the　triturated　fibre　of　some　kind　of　bamboo。　The　Abbe　Grozier　had　a　Chinese　book；　an　iconographical　and　technological　work；　with　a　great　many　pictures　in　it；　illustrating　all　the　different　processes　of　paper…making；　and　he　showed　us　a　picture　of　the　workshop　with　the　bamboo　stalks　lying　in　a　heap　in　the　corner；　it　was　extremely　well　drawn。

〃Lucien　told　me　that　your　father；　with　the　intuition　of　a　man　of　talent；　had　a　glimmering　of　a　notion　of　some　way　of　replacing　linen　rags　with　an　exceedingly　common　vegetable　product；　not　previously　manufactured；　but　taken　direct　from　the　soil；　as　the　Chinese　use　vegetable　fibre　at　first　hand。　I　have　classified　the　guesses　made　by　those　who　came　before　me；　and　have　begun　to　study　the　question。　The　bamboo　is　a　kind　of　reed；　naturally　I　began　to　think　of　the　reeds　that　grow　here　in　France。

〃Labor　is　very　cheap　in　China；　where　a　workman　earns　three　halfpence　a　day；　and　this　cheapness　of　labor　enables　the　Chinese　to　manipulate　each　sheet　of　paper　separately。　They　take　it　out　of　the　mould；　and　press　it　between　heated　tablets　of　white　porcelain；　that　is　the　secret　of　the　surface　and　consistence；　the　lightness　and　satin　smoothness　of　the　best　paper　in　the　world。　Well；　here　in　Europe　the　work　must　be　done　by　machinery；　machinery　must　take　the　place　of　cheap　Chinese　labor。　If　we　could　but　succeed　in　making　a　cheap　paper　of　as　good　a　quality；　the　weight　and　thickness　of　printed　books　would　be　reduced　by　more　than　one…half。　A　set　of　Voltaire；　printed　on　our　woven　paper　and　bound；　weighs　about　two　hundred　and　fifty　pounds；　it　would　only　weigh　fifty　if　we　used　Chinese　paper。　That　surely　would　be　a　triumph；　for　the　housing　of　many　books　has　come　to　be　a　difficulty；　everything　has　grown　smaller　of　late；　this　is　not　an　age　of　giants；　men　have　shrunk；　everything　about　them　shrinks；　and　house…room　into　the　bargain。　Great　mansions　and　great　suites　of　rooms　will　be　abolished　sooner　or　later　in　Paris；　for　no　one　will　afford　to　live　in　the　great　houses　built　by　our　forefathers。　What　a　disgrace　for　our　age　if　none　of　its　books　should　last！　Dutch　paperthat　is；　paper　made　from　flaxwill　be　quite　unobtainable　in　ten　years'　time。　Well；　your　brother　told　me　of　this　idea　of　your　father's；　this　plan　for　using　vegetable　fibre　in　paper…　making；　so　you　see　that　if　I　succeed；　you　have　a　right　to〃

Lucien　came　up　at　that　moment　and　interrupted　David's　generous　assertion。

〃I　do　not　know　whether　you　have　found　the　evening　pleasant；〃　said　he；　〃it　has　been　a　cruel　time　for　me。〃

〃Poor　Lucien！