Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-01-20
The Lost Arts.

We lear d great deal about "Fhe Lost
Arts" and'mote about the progressive
ness Of the present age; bit if we care
fully look back upon the past Se shalt
find abundant evidence that there is littles
at the present day, that is new upon the
earth. Where shall we find the Phoidias
of modern days : How eagerly, and at
what immense cost do we look for the
paintings of the g Ancient Masters Al
though our forefathers on the English
isle, until within comparatively recent
period. never knew the luxury of window
glass, the ahcients knew more about It, Inf
many respects, than We do at the present
day. 1t is even thought that the early
Egyptians understood the, uses of the
telescope, and that the Pharaohs ogled
each other with an instrument similar to-
what we cali an opera glass. At all
events, in rnoulding and coloring glass
we are yet but ithitators! In the manu-
factory of metals, for aught that we know
Tubal Cain might have been our superior!
At all events in the most essential particu<
lars Of the manufacture of swords we are
far behind the ancients. The art Of teni-
pering steel, as known to them, has long.
been "a lost art" In the mixing of
paints and colors, who in modern times
can prepare tint that will hold its color
like that found upon: many relics, which
date their origin centuries before the dawn
of the Christian Era, or who can. rival or
even equal the "Tyrian dye y The idea
of the steamboat, is thought to;haye beef
not entirely unknown anterior to- the
foundation of Rome, certainly the steam
engine was not: Five thousand years
ago the Egyptian Pharabhs' constructed
canals, which to this day are without
rivals upon the earth, and who dt the
present day, would take contract to hew
out and transport, overland; granite
blocks that would weigh 1900 tons eachi
as was done by the ancient Thebans. The
man that would undertake it certainly
ought to be awarded the contract of rais-
ing the Aquila. Stevens, in his travels;
tells us that he found railroads, built
thousands of years ago with irofr-coyered
grooves. Animal magnetism is no new
thing under the,sun, and the arts Of magic,
as practiced by the ancients, must GER
tainly be cIassed among "the lost arts"
We might thus 60 on and fill column or
more, but enough. a,; 40. ,r
Notwithstanding all this, the present IS
emphatically an cage of progress" Pho
great distinctive feature between the
present and the ages of antiquity is found
in the utilitarianism of modern times!
Formerly, all wisdom was hidden in the
bosom of the Aristocracy. Thanks to the
printing press, which comes nearer to q
new idea than any other thing Of which
moderns can boast, knowledge has come
TO be popularized: 1t has been dragged
from the sanctum' of the ancient priest,
and alchemist, and been spread broadcast
b. fore the people. Christianity has intro,
duced new religion, a religion Of the
heart, and consequently religion 70. the
people, who have been lifted up, by it,
from the condition of semi-brutes, and
taught to know and respect themselves,
and to employ knowledge for the COM
mon benefit Of ALL instead of allowing it
to be confined to favored few, as a
power to oppress the multitude.
When the modern discovers principle;
his first effort is to turn it to some practi-
cal account. When the ancient Egyptian
discovered the power of steam his only
idea was to make a toy of it. The an
cient alchemist sought for principles in
his art, merely for the purpose of gaining
new power by which to deceive and OPP
press his fellows; the modern chemist
prosecutes his studies to benefit his race,
and add material strength and power to.
the people. 1t is the successful effort of
the modern to utilitarianize the knowl-
edge that has come down to him, which
makes all the difference between him and
his progenitor of three thousand years
ago. It is this idea that has produced the
wonderful development in material pro-.
gress which we witness to-day. Coupled
with this, as already stated, we have the
ennobling tendency Of Christianity. The
two, guided by wisdom and humanity;
may yet once more advance the human
race to that proud position, "a little lower
than the angels" in which the Creator
placed it, in the day that he looked upon
all created things and pronounced them
good Mining and Scientific Press.