1. An apparatus for document processing for use in a computer system having a processor, a storage and a display under control of the processor, the apparatus comprising: (a) a document framework stored in the storage, the document framework defining a plurality of model classes, each one of the plurality of model classes defining means for referencing data stored in the storage, means for creating a container object to hold a plurality of objects instantiated from one or more of the plurality of model classes and program logic means for processing the data and objects held in the container object; (b) means for instantiating a root model object from one of the plurality of model classes, the root model object containing a reference to data of a first type; (c) means for instantiating a plurality of additionally model objects from the plurality of model classes, each one of the plurality of additional model objects containing a reference to data of a type different from the first type; (d) means for creating a compound document from the root model object by adding at least one additional model object instantiated from the plurality of additional model objects to a container in the root model object, wherein the root model object and each one of the at least one additional model objects provide a hierarchy of model objects which represent a containership hierarchy of the compound document; and (e) means for processing the compound document by processing the root model object, which applies the processing to the at least one additional model object in the container in the root model object.