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An experiment with the artificial aging of paper which--in contrast with the usual practice--was carried out at relatively low temperatures (i.e., 50-95 degrees Celsius), and not on laboratory handsheets, but on naturally aged paper from the commercial production of four centuries, produced results justifying the thesis that there may be at best an accidental agreement between the results of artificial aging at high temperatures and natural aging. The chemical processes that take place as paper ages appear to take different temperature-specific courses, so that it is not possible to draw any conclusions from short-term expiration at one (elevated) temperature about the long-term expiration at another (room) temperature. If artificial aging cannot be dispensed with despite this uncertainty, aging should take place at 80 degrees Celsius and 65% relative humidity. The data collected are displayed in 24 tables and 10 figures. (Author/SD)