The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-08-13

number from Ireland; and that uniortunate
country loses now, every year, by forced
emigration, more than the reign of Louis
AlN. lost Tor France; and the legisla lon Of
England IN the one case, is far more onpfes.
siye and insidious than that Of France iu the
other Revolutions have ruined industry in
France, more than intolerance. We have
seen the result Of that of 1889. That of 1880
decided many Of the workers in glass 70 emf.
CRATE to Belgium, where factory Of looking
glasses was soon opened.
There are now six factories ia Englaed. one
IN Belgium, and anumber of little ones FL Ger.
many; but French plate glass has nohlv sus-
tanned ITS old renown, and like French silks
and French wines stands at the hea of the
line. For the last twenty years, Che Royal
Factory OF St. Gobain, and the Inannfactnre
OF Grey, have common agency and depot at
| New York, and this establishment supplies the
Union with looking glasses and plate glass
The use OF large mirrors has become much
more fashionable among us; and, in fact there
is no liner decoration for our saloons The
retail stores have made immense advance by
the use Of plate glass, and we need but walk
along Broadway, to see how generally Il has
| replaced the old fashioned windows.
American industry has not yet been serious
| ly turned to this manufacture and INN ation
from France England and Germany supply
all that is sold in the United States The
tact is, that vast capital and eOnsUmato skill
are required to bring to perfection The varied
operations which transform into q snlendid
mirror the rough plate Of glass, which, IS in
the iron trade, we might call pigglass The
grinding, thepolishings and the silveliF Fe.
9uire costly machinery great ahiliti
vent breakage, and vast expenditure q
money.
This is not the case with common window.
| glass which is now successfully manufactured
| on large scale, at Boston, Pittsburg, Baltit
more, and in the State Of New Jersey. Ven
ice also furnished the first panes Of window
glass, and in the fifteenth century, the kings
| Of France, wishing to encourage this branch
of industry, ennobled all who were employed
| in the manufacture, and granted them eXten.
sfve privileges. Long after, the gentlemen
! glass workers never worked but with sword
at their side. The window glass manufacture
was first begun in England in 1867, in Crutch-
ed Friars, London, and in 1855 the art received
a great improvements from Sir Robert Mansell,
! by the use of coal fuel, instead of wood but
within the last few years the French plate.
glass has superseded the use of common win
| dow glass in the mansions and dwelling houses
in the finer quarters Of New York and our
other great cities 1t is, indeed, dearer; but
! the plates are so thick, aud the glass so pure,
that they last forever while cylinder or crown.
glass breaks or becomes rusty and opaque after
few years use
Another use Of glass is, in roofing, for sky
! lights. and also in sidewalks and floors, TO
turn baserlents to advantage Rough glass,
for sky lights and glass.tlles, OF one or two
inches, arc manufactured in France, and are
in great demand here. With some openings
in the floors, covered by these tiles, dark base.
ments can now be used, even in retail trade,
which were formerly fit only as place to
store empty boxes and discarded furniture.
But we have lately seen glass, fragile as il
is, put to new use--that Of building. ThL |
walls of some of our saloons have, Of late
years. seemed made Of glass and as far back
as the days OF Solomon, rabbmlcal stories tell
| us of chamber in the palace OF that monarch
paved with blocks Of clear, transparent glass,
| under which flowed canal full OF fish, so that
| it seemed apond. But coming to more anthem
! tic sources, VIC know that glass entered e1ten-
sivcy into the Roman mosacs, and that in
| blocks of various COOTs it formed the material
of many OF their tesselated pavements. Thick
sheets of glass, of various COlOrs, were also at
tachcd to the walls and ceilings Of apartments;
and in the year 50 before Christ, SoaurUs de-
coratcd in this way a compartment or tier, In
/ his gorgeous theatre. In the modern eOnser-
vatoTies or green houses, glass is the chief ma
IGIldl DuJ uOb I'LL "a VIC ~ ottl
Palace had we seen whole structure, OF any ex-
tent, raised of sheets of glass.
Such are the many uses Of glass, to which,
if we add its employment in optical and phi
losophiCal apparatus, we cannot but thank the
Almighty Tor teaching man to transform the
apparently worthless sand and sOds into ma
teTial so brilliant, transparent and useful that
the poets Of all days have made it the theme Of
their most beautiful comparisons, and even
the inspired prophet employs itagain and again
in his description Of the heavenly Jerusalem:
"a sea Of glass like crystal is before the throne
Of Cod" and, further on, ''the sons Of God
and ''the city itself is Of pure gold like to
clear glass, and the streets as II we're transpar-
eut glass