Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1882-12-23
THE Art PRESERY4 T9PE IND
ITS HISTORY.

IL IS diiiicult to say at what period of the
worlds history people did not have ideas upon
tins subject, which We're the germs of what
was to come in after ages. The impression
OF the hand or foot, or Of some other Object.
made in soft mud or clay and then hardened
by time, OF baked by the heat of the sun, must
have suggested simple and intelligent mode
OF conveying an idea, before the invention
oil any KIND OF writing. Accordingly these
and other signs are found to compose the
chief characters OF the earliest writings of
which We have any knowledge, and which are
called symbolic.
We find certain evidence that more tina,
1900 years before our era method OF
multiplying impressions, or, in other words.
printing existed; and If we come down to
he time oil the great city OF Babylon.
which owed its chief greatness to Nebuchad,
nearar, who died SOL years before Christ,
We see the brick with which every importan,
structure was composed the name Of thar
wicked king is stamped thereon; and the
'amping mus, have been done with a dis
or type, on which was raised character
capable OF producing an impression.
The ruins OF Babylon at this day consist
mainly OF three mounds: I. Babil, probably
the temple OF Belos. q. The Kasr, or
palace OF Nabuchadnezzar. This is an ire.
gular square, about 700 yards each way
surmounied with the remains OF a squares
structure, the walls Of which are composed
OF burnt brick OF pale yellow color. Of ex.
cellent quality, bound together with lime
cement and stamped with the name of Nebu.
chadne,zar. ;. mound now called Amran.
OF Irregular triangular shape. and supposed to
be the runs OF palace older than Nebucha.
dnezlars, Tor bricks have been found there
inscribed with the names Of more ancient kings
he Oh.
worth while TO print inscriptions upon material
destined to be built into their dwellings. are
gnes that The process was not only an uncom.
mon one, but also that there probably existed
a, the same time more advanced and more
elegant mode OF impnnting in their domestic
and ornamental arts. In fact, We have speci
mems existing of articles OF different form and
sizes, from foot high to the size Of a sipne,
to which purpose the latter were probably
applied, as their shape indicated they had been
worn as hnger rings, OF hung about the
meek IKE charm or amulet-and all
stamped with some characters. After this a
long time elapsed before the practice Of trans
iefrlng characters from a die to any subslan.
ee' or IN other words, printing was known
To any, even comparatively civilized people
There Is reason to believe that printing
from characters engraved upon wooden blocks
VAS known to the Chinese in the sixth century
though We scarcely hear anything OF its appI!
cation ior four centuries after, until the adyan
'ages OF the art became SO manifest thai we
are told that IN 95a Flung Taou and lie Yu.
Two ministers OF the Latter Han, memosali1ed
me hione to have the " Nine Classics ~ |
which had hi,her to existed only in the |
and printed, and in |
,nou. twenty years copies were in circulation. |
na, was no'eintl the close to the ,hir,een,h
century that most OF the literature Of former
'ses, which had also existed only as writing
aPon manuscripts, had been printed
Inc original method Of printing vas from
blocks Of wood. The subject TO Le printed