Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-09-16
VoRMEs STATIONERY.

Is il no; strange, in these days OF
cheap stationery. To think OF time
when both parchment and papyrus
had become 80 rare and 90 exorsii-
anily expensive that both Greeks and
Romans we're in the habit Of using 8
palimpsest, which Was simply some
Old manuscript with the former wit
ing erased: Thus countless works of
authors now celebrated, aud whose
every word is held priceless in this
nineteenth century. were ruthlessiy
destroyed by their contemporaries
Verify these prophets lacked honor.
Many we're the expedients resorted TO
by the early scrioes for the supply OF
writing materials. There was D"
scribbling paper whereoE to jot down
trivial memoranda or accounts, but
the heaps Of broken pots and crockery
OF all sorts, which are 30 abundant 10
all Eastern towns, prove the first sug-
gestion for such china tablets and
states as we nov use. and bits OF
smooth stone or tiles were constantly
used for this purpose, and remain TO
this day. Fragments OF ancient tiles
thus scrubbed on tsuch tiles as that
wherein Ezekiel was commanded to
portray the city Of Jerusalem) have
been found in many places. The ISL
and II Elephantine. on the Nile. is
said to have furnished more than q
hundred specimens of these memoir
anda, which are now in various mu-
seums. One of these Is soldiers
leave Of absence, scrubbed on frsg-
ment Of an old vase. How little those
scribes and accountants foressw the
interest with which learned descend
ants OF the bsrbariaBs OF the isles
would one day treasure their rough
notes. Still quainter were the writ
ing materials OF the ancient Arabs.
who before the time of Mohamm-d
used 10 carve their annals on the
shoulder blades OF sheep; these sheep
bone chronicles were strung together
and thus preserved. After a while
sheep bones were replaced by sheep
skins, aud the manufacture of psrch-
ment was brought to such perfection
AS 10 place il among the retnements
Of art We hear Of veilums that
were tinted yellow, others white;
others were dyed Of rich purple.
and the writing thereon was ia gold
en- ink. with gold borders and many
colored decorations. These precious
manuscripts were anointed with the
oil Uf cedar 10 preserve them from
moths. We hear Of one such in which
the name o. Monammed ia adorned
with gsrlands Of tulips and carnations
painted in vivid colors. Still more
precious was the silky paper of the
Persians. powdered with gold and
silver dust, whereoD were painted
rare Examinations. while the book was
perfumed with altar of roses or es
sencc of sandal wood.
OF the demand for writing materi
ais one may form some faint notion
from the vast manuscript libraries oil
which records have been preserved,
as having been collected by the Ca
lipbs both Of the East and West, the
former 10 Bagdad, the latter in Anda
lus;s. where there were eighty grea,
public libraries. besides that vast one
at Cordova. We hear a SO OF private
libraries, such as that Of a physician
who declined an invitation from the
Sultan Of Bokhara because the car
riage Of his books would have re
quired four hundred camels. II all
the physicians OF Bagdad were equally
literary, the city could scarcely have
contained their books, as ~e hear that
the medical brotherhood numbered
$50 licensed practitioners.