The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-01-12

Concerning Umbrellas.
: The English commissioners Of pa
tents have rust printed a volume o.
tsA bridsements of Specifications re.
latiie ITO Umbrellas, Parasols and
Walking Sticks, covering q period
Of efglfty7sfx years, from 1850 to- 1895
and Containing agreat amount Of
curious, information - information
too ysthat fs syalnable - we'll . odd
for it-is,saitogether, official Ona 81
the London literary journals revivel
g. good old story in connection with
Il this Book Ass follows :sEetSs7ss,I "a
years oof, splendid watch nlness in
[ Lond Srin whel bailifs necessarily
watched the 6ors of Gore House and
acertaip dive lin In q modest terrace,
q little lower down the road, Alfred
tC0untS ,Orsay gave utterance to q
bhlesAorabl sentim eat. In reply to
prudent tfricn d, who yainly tried to
dissuade him from ordering q new
cafyiage that lhea did not need; and
peot.ld not pay for, the last Of the dan.
| dies declared that as long as he lived
|whntever he used should be the best
p6ffts kind. when he could no ion.
ger drive the best, carriage he, would
tcarTy the best umbrella ii town. The
7 prudent friend was set aside with 9
smile, and in another year, the beau
had retired to, his native land and
sentered on the last stage Of his career.
True to his word, when he, could not
Observation-Disclosures he had made
himself theiownerof a faultless Hging-
ham ',eand he! went to his aFtietie
gra yest Cha1nh rcy leaning soa the
l faiIft:est umbrella that could Be found
I In Paris. The pnrdplsHe that aI4er.
nate1y aided the tottering steps Snd
shaded the wan features of the faaipG
count, WAS the newest specimen OF,
contriyance, whose story Is almost
,cOextensiye with that Of civilization.
Umbrellas have q pedigree of ven
terabie antiquity Their efngies may
f.be found on sacred sculptuies, in the
bruins Of palaces and temples; theii
mysterious powers are cOmmemorated
| in the adcrnment ofantique vases and
the traditions Of superstitious faiths,
In the fifth incarnation Of Nishu,
when the god went down into hell,
ne ooIg "a LIS manu- sths saMe mPie,
nehl liat we use as oeience agaihs'
sun anu ram. ~ ...,s., -, !. -
kespreseats Dienysius descending t.
the. internal regions, holding Q, speci.
men of the same Ingenious contd-
vance, and from time immemorial
the right to bear a single umbrella has
been q, distinction in eastern lands.
1o,thiS uay, 70 pe tne i0iusot Haany
Eumpreiias Is 70 De isuoiime person.
age: 80. : - -
Inough craving preserved infne
aari ans. an ManuscfiPI IepresenU an
Angio1pa4on Top OF nlgn degree TAX
Ing tne an unqeI an umDfeiiar mace
Win ribs anda sloping handie, which
Is hei1 over nls ,neao py . oo0y-sef-
want tne genera use OF the umDreIa
IN England may De sald 70 nave com
menced no carrier tnan the elgnteentn
century.
In James the Firsts tame, the ma
Jorlty OF women no less than the men
scorned 10 screen themselves rom
tue sun and wind with the little
E9mbreiiaes MADE oiieather, some
| What ansWeraDie 70 the lofm o! NJ
Tie canopy ana nooped on Inc inside
| with divers little wooden hoops that
extends the umoIella ia pretty large
compassen-wh!ch Thomas Coryat,
IN ms "Crudities,'h ridiculed as the
absurdest contrlvance OF the fanciful
ltalians. ...7,.s
| Inc amount OF ingenuity EXPENDED
during the last eighty or ninety years
on improving the umbrella Is liiustra-
teddy the fact that this collection Of
abridgements OF speeifcatfon contains
abstracts OF w English patents, the
earliest of which was granted In DC
tober, 1855 ana the. latest IN July.
1861. Some or these patents are Tor
.Waiking-stlcks not furnished with
drapery, and many OF them refer only
to Improvements, or proposals Tor
the Improvement OF one or more or
the subordinate parts OF the mechan-
ism Of the umbrella, such as ribs, tips,
| handles feruies, nOtenes, springs.
But the majority OF the specifications
are OF contrlvances aHectihg the UNI.
brella's general design or principal
materials. Some of the schemes are
very :fanciful but the entire coIec-
ton is an entertaining exhibition Of
human ingenuity acting on,a trining
matter of convenience. Whoever
wishes for AN umbrella 80 fashioned
that its silk may be shut up within
the stick, may have his desire 6y buy
ing .rhabdoskidopheros:" The war
y n q N