Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-06-11
Some Curious Facts About Window
Glass.

For centuries the houses Of our ances-
tors were not only without window. glass
but without windows, and many years
passed after they began to make openings
in the facades Of their habitations before
the use OF window-glass became general.
During the Gallo. Roman epoch the
houses of the rich, built in the Roman
style, received their light almost wholly
from an interior court Of dtTSum. This
mode excluded all idea Of window. We
do not speak of the houses of the poor.
They were only miserable huts, whose
only light was received from the door.
How long this obscurity lasted it is i'm
possible to tell; certain IL is, however,
that windows did not begin to make their
appearance in France until toward the
Carlovingian epoch, and that as late as
the middle of the fifteenth century win.
dow glass was an object of luxury among
the French. AT that period windows
were closed in France in some instances
by wooden blinds, in others by waxed
linen or oiled paper, as Is evidenced by
this passage in an account dated 1454 i:
1.-TWO ellis Of waxed linen for the win
dow of the chamber of the said queen
an chateau de MeLan." And this other
Four wooden sashes TO hold the paper
for the windows of the seid chamber in
position, and oil for the paper to render
II more transparent"
A writer Of the fourth century was the
first to say anything about window.glass.
He says somewhere that the soul sees and
distinguishes objects through the eyes of
the body "as through windows furnished
with glass"
The ancient authors say nothing about
closing the opening in their window. sash
with anything but white. transparent
stone. Probably their "white stone" was
leaves of tale, such as is still, used for
window. panes in certain parts Of Russia.
The Romans used another natural
| product, sort of shell, to close the
few windows they had, and in the
sashes of the filters of the patricians
The learned have frequently discussed
the question whether the ancient Romans
| used glass in their windows or not, and
the question would still be open TO dis
cussion If IL had not been settled in the
affirmative by discoveries recently made
in the RUNS Of Pompeii. It is pretty evi.
dent from the thickness and general ap.
pearance of the window-glass Of Pompeii
that 1t was nodded and not blown.
1t is probable that glass blowing was
known in France as early as the thirteenth
century, and yet two centuries later win.
| dow-glass was very rare even in the royal
palaces. In 1913, when the Duchess OF
/ Berry retired to the chateau Of Montpen.
sier, the Receiver General had some sash
made for the windows Of the chateau, in
| order to close them with waxed linen, as
there is ne glass 10 be had" More than
a century later, in 1867, 1t is very curious
to see the steward of the Duke Of North.
cumberland propose to take the glass out
| of the sash of His Lordship's chateau and
keep it in secure place during the time
the chateau is unoccupied. Because y
| saws the careful and economical steward
1.-The glass in the window of this and
1 other chateaux and houses are injured and
spoiled by the high winds, il would be