The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-08-30
rAs rAins,s.
lpereas Alssazias.l


 The thimhls ia . nuech invention sAaa was 6rss hrongAs ss England h i6os U one loha LoAing, who began its manc- hctuse st lslinxsoa. asar Inadca. gaininy thereby both hcoes and prc6s. lss namS uas dnzived tem tAe verdi thumb cd oell. being fos . loag time called sham- hle, and only lately tkimhle. Old re- cords say tAna thlmAaes uere Srss wcrn ea the thnmbs; bue - eAn scarcely cen- csivs hew tAsy could se ef mueh uss tAsre Formerly thsy wsre maAs ofhrass and 'ircn oaly, but q lac yeaxe stael sfases. gold, horn, rcfy, and even peAsl and glass have all oGoa used tcx m6l3nG thimolsA sAw seme VT beausifsl oass ia chiaa that wsss saaissselv carved oi pearl. and eeuad visA gold. and ihe end also of gold. TAese pearl thimojes are quite as coss4 aad ias psessier tAsn thoss made snsissly of goid. usually sAess is . pearl skeaah G tAe seiasors, and dAin,y nssdlehook of pearl. edged with gold, 10 acecsnpany the ihimhle, and the whole is incloeed h a excuishe litsle pocket csss shapsd like bcch and bound Ia sA,in aad pearl
 A shimble ospsd hy the qaeen-esnsors cf Siam is shaped hts . iosas had. tAis being the royal howss of that country. snd almost eyssysAing about the ceuss oeasing, ia a freaeor os less deesee. sou,e impress of the losps. This thlmhle is of gold, shlekly seudded vith diamonds that are SO ayrangud e 10 form the lady's name and tho daas of her marriage. b was bridal sifs ifo0 ,he king, who. has- ing seen the kAgiisA and American ladies a, his court using ,himbles, took this method of introducing them among his own people.
 h Nsplss. vssy psssay sh.mbles con. posed of lava from Nouut vesaviuk are occasionally sold, but rAshes as eus,osities than fot re. uiflisy, being, from the sx- tseme hsitfleesss o( tho lava. veFy easily hscken. have heard also of thimblss made u ssPAsi;:ssss from .he Dead sea and ot one composed of ftagmen, cf the old elm tree ai Cambridge, Mas, under which General Washington stood ~hen taking command ci the United States army IF July, is75 bat do no, suppose that any cs them were ever intended to bs used in sewing.
 h the ordinary man nulAc,ufe os gold Aaa essS0k tutWUeNs tutI PtASet bt tb& metal are introduced into d,e and then punched into shape. aat in iAiis the French have a way of their osn. quite different from ours, for making gold ,h,mbles iha, are said ,o be much more durable than those made ,n the usual way Yieess ot vesy thin shee,-.fon aIe cut into disks of about ,wo inches in diameter. TAese. after being heated to redness, arc struck by means of punch into succession of holes of gradually ,d- creasing depth 10 gise the proper shape. The thimble Is then trimmed, poliahed and indenied around its outer surface with tiny holes. IL n next converted into steel by a process called cemen,a,ien. then tempered, seoured, and broagh, 10 blue color. Afer all this Is completed thin sheet of gold n introduced into the inie- nor and fAstsnsd to the steel ey man. drel, while gold leAi is attached hsmiy by pressure to the outside. the edges being teamed in a small groove made 10 re- ceive them. This completes the opera tion, and turns out very beautiful thimble that wi!l last for years. The steel used in its eonstiactioh xiii scarcely wear out in long lifetime, ard the gold, il worn away, Is easily replaced.