THE PURPOSE OF THIS MAGAZINE The PALIMPSEST, issued monthly by the State Historical Society of Iowa, is devoted to the dissemination of lowa History. Supplementing the other publications of this Society, it aims to present the materials of lowa History in a form that is attractive and a style that is popular in the best sense-to the end that the story of our Commonwealth may be more widely read and cherished. BENJ. F. SHAMBAUGH Superintendent THE MEANING OF PALIMPSESTS In early times palimpsests were parchments or other materials from which one or more writings had been erased to give room for later records. But the erasures were not always complete; and so it became the fascinating task of scholars not only to translate the later records but also to reconstruct the original writings by deciphering the dim fragments of letters partly erased and partly covered by subsequent texts. The history of lowa may be likened to a palimpsest which holds the records of successive generations. To decipher these records of the past, reconstruct them, and tell the stories which they contain is the task of those who write history. PRICE-10c per copy: $1 per year: free to members of Society ADDRESS-The State Historical Society lowa City lowa |