The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-03-03

was named from the soft light OF the
moon. The richest silver mines were
those of Spain. 1t was wrought ihto
cups. vases, lamps; adorned the mel,
NETS and shields of warriors, q
formed the costly mirrors with which
the Roman ladies shocked the austen
itv of Lactentius or Jerome. The
beautiful silver coins Of the Greek
and Roman cities Gil modern col
lections. Five other metals-iron,
copper, lead and tin-were employed
by The ancients for various purposes;
they made steel by a rude process,
and brass without discovering zinc
For many years no addition was
made to the sacred seven. Three
thousand years passed away before
it was suspected that the number
could be increased-a memorable eA-
annie Of the slowness Of human ap-
prehension. At length, in 1890 an
timonv was added TO the metallic
family: and far off from the period Oh
the discovery of a new world the
chemists were about 10 enter upon
fresh fields of science scarcely less
boundless or inviting.
A second metal, bismuth, came IN
almost with the Reformation. Zinc,
perhaps the most important OF the
new family, may have preceded the
others; it was certainly described
long before. 1t is, indeed, curious
to notice how that bright metal had
been constantly forcing itself upon
the attention of careful observers
and had yet been wholly overlooked.
had been used by the a%ncients, IN the
form of an earth, to color copper into
brass and give it a shining surface
ike gold, was seen dropping from the
furnaces Of the middle ages, or melt
ed in rich flakes from their walls.
Two magieians or philosophers a
last detected the error Of ages, and
Albertus Magnus and Paracelsus
probably both discovered that zinc
was as ind~estruetible and as free from
foreign substances as gold. 1t seem
ed a pure element. P~aracelsus, who
was fond of penetrating to the source
Of things. admits that be could not
tell how the bright metal grew; nor
in the height Of their magic renown
was it eve. foreseen that the rare
substance the ~sorcerers had discover
ed would one day shed knowledge
in tongues of fire, from London to
Japan.
Two centuries followed, during
which no metallic substance was dis
covered. Paracelsus found no sue
c~essor; Albertus, almost the first mar
Of science liz Europe, was remember
ed only as a ~sorcerer. 1t was not IN
til 1888 that the vast field OF metallic
discovery began to open upon man.
Two valuable and well known metals
platinum and nickel-among sew
eral others, first appeared about the
middle of the eighteenth century
The number of the metals now rap
idly enlarged; ~galvanism lent its aid
to dissolve the hardest earth, and at
length, in the opening Of the nine
teenth century, a cluster Of brilliant
discoveries aroused the curiosity OF
science.
Each eminent philosopher seemed
to produce new metals. Berzelius
discovered three, Davy, the Paracel-
sus of his age, is the scientific parent
of fve-potassium, sodium, barium,
strontium, calcium. The number adj
vanced until already more than fifty
metals, of various importance, have
been given to The world. The new
experiments in light have been added,
casium and rubidium, and no limit
can now be fixed for the metallic fam
ily, which for many ages embraced
only sever MEMBERSHIP emblems
of the ruling gods.