Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-03-18
Things not Generally Known.

Keys were originally made of wood
and the earliest form was simple
crook similar to the common pick
lock. The ancient keys are mostly
of bronze, and Of remarkable shape,
the shaft terminating on one side by
the wards, on the other by aTing.
Keys of this description wersspres-
ented by husbands to wiveSS and
were returned again upon diYcrce or
separation. ~ Il
Hats were first made by ASwiss at
Paris, 1404 A. d. They te imen-
toned in history at the Wf5odWhen
Charles VII. made his t$riumphal
entry into Rouen, in 1A40sI'He wore
a hat lined with red .yelYet, and sur
mounted with rich Inc of feath
els. 1t is from. th1 1fAlgn that hats
and caps me dats3 hick hsnceforth
began to take the place. of the chap
crons and hoods that had been worn
before in France. Previous to the
year 1910 the men akd women of
England aaHs wore s'"sslnit wooden
The custom of croyAibg the poets
originated among tlf13Greeks, and
was adopted by the Romans during
abe empire. 1t was revived. in the
twelfth century by the Emperor of
Germany, who invented the title of
poet laureate. Tho French had roy
al poets, but no laureates. The title
existed in Spain, but little is known
of those who bore it. The tradition
concerning the laureate in England
is that Edward ILL.,, in 1867, emula-
ting the crowning of Petrarch at
Rome, in 134l, granted the office to
Chaucer with yearly pension. In
1880 the laureate was made patent
Office. From that time there has
been q regular succession of laure-
ates.
Until the close of the eighteenth
century the finest muslins in use were
imported from India. The earliest
mention of cotton among the classic
nations of antiquity is by Herodotus,
who speaks of it by the name of tree
wool, which name it still bears in
German and several other continent
al languages. Cotton was not known
in Egypt until about 500 years be-
fore Christ. Then it appears pro-
bable that it was imported, for all
the cloths found enveloping the num-
mics of earlier ages have proved on
examination to be linen. Cotton
cloths are mentioned as having been
imported into London in 1896, the
knowledge of both the culture and
manufacture having probably been
conveyed there by the Moors and
other Mohammedan nations. The
former were the means of first bring
ing this manufacture into Europe.
Fun IN TIE FAMILY. What a health
full thing to have one jolly person in
the house, ready to laugh at anything
lulicrous, or even able to create
sport at any time, There are enough
to reflect on the sad side of life, and
its irritable side and its sober side.
We need one or more to show the
mirth that often trembles just below
the surface of painful things. a
real, hearty laugh dissipates many
illusions, sweeps the twilight out of
our imaSinations, and brings honest
daylight. But it must be real. No
dry, hacking laugh. 1t should be
spontaneous, outbursting, irresisti-
BILE, infoctious. We have seen men
fall to laughing, who had not heard
the cause of mirth, but only had
caught the contaGion Of other men )
laughing. 1t is hard not to laugh
with men who are in earnest about it..
TIE Mormon temple at Salt Lake
City has been in course of construc-
ton for twenty years and is not yet
finished. 1t is built of Utah granite
and its total cost will be over $2S,-
600 900.