Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-02-26
The First Paper Maker.

VINO was the first paper-maker? If
the reply to this query should be, as
is quite likely, that some old-time in
ventive genius was the man, IL will he
Incorrect. Tie date of the invention
and the founding of paper making is
not definitely known. The common
wasp was, however, the inventor. The
big wasp's nest. which was always kept
mt safe distance and often Knocked
down with stone during the rambles
OF boyhood, was composed of paper of
the most delicate and elegant kind As
spiders were spinners of gossamer webs
OF intricate and exquisite pattern when
primitive man went about dressed in
the shaggy skins of beasts, and could
neither spin nor weave the beautiful and
fine cloth fabrics of TODAY, so little
wasps, when people of later and some.
what more advanced age had recourse
TO such rude and unsatisfactory sub-
stances ms wood, stone and brass, the
bark OF trees and the hides of animals on
which to preserve memoranda, were
making material OF far greater excel
lence.
They made their paper, too, by very
nearly the same process employed by
man mt the present time. Indeed, sew
eral of our best discoveries in regard to
building, architecture and manufactures
OF various kinds, if they have not been
derived from acute observation of the
work of certain animals, including in
sects. have, when compared with their
constructions and their manner of max
ing them, been found to show wonder
fully close resemblance. The beaver
gave men their earliest and most SER
viceable knowledge concerning dam
building, and to-day no workman can
surpass this animals skill and precision
in the erection of such structures.
Nature is n great teacher, and espe-
cially does the paper making Of the
wasp illustrate how valuably sugges-
tive she may sometimes be; for, assur-
edly, the wasp was the FIRST TO show
that 1t did not always require rags to
manufacture paper, that vegetable fibers
answered for this purpose and could be
reduced to pulp, and that to make the
paper strong and tenacious the fiber
must be longer.
The first thing the wasps do when
about to build nest is to collect, with
preference for old and dry wood, fibers
about one-tenth of an inch long and finer
than hair, and put them into bundles,
which they increase rs they continue on
their way. These fibers they bruise into
n sort OF lint, and cement with a sizing
of glue, after which they knead the ma
terial into paste, like papier mache, and
roll up ball; this they trample with
their feet into leaf as thin as tissue
paper.
The ceiling of the wasp's chamber, to
the thickness of nearly two inches, is
often constructed by putting, one above
another, fifteen or sixteen layers or
sheets of this prepared paper, and be-
tween these layers spaces are left, so
that it seems as If number of little
shells had been laid near one another.
Next they build up terrace composed
OF an immense number of the paper
shells, until light and elegant struc-
ture, like honeycomb, has been con-
structed, and in the cells thus formed
they rear their yonng.
That the wasp was the first paper
maker will, we think, hardly be dis
puted. As patent laws did not probably
exist in the days when wasps first began
TO multiply on the earth and to build
their houses of paper. the field has been
an open one up to comparatively later
days. and has been well improved and
enlarged upon. The quality has been
much improved, the quantity greatly
increased and the uses to which paper
has been successfully adapted are many
and marvellous. The wasp was building
much higher than he knew when he
went in to the paper uIaking business
He was a genuine Christopher Colum-
bus and really discovered the paper
world.