Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-06-06

material preferable TO the clay tablets oil the
Euphrates Valley. Aud now as papyruss
could not be impressed u must be m irkeu
with coIor--or as we say with Ink. 80 tac
reed pen or brush was used to write OF
paint The pictures on papyrus. The wedge
shaped dots were no part OF the art. They
were but accidents due TO Asiatic circum'
stances, and the color instrument made COM
pletc lines. But the picturesque were rap
idly conveDtionalized into characters. n
phonetic system took the place OF the ideo-
graphic system, the hieratic and denote
forms Of writing followed. and while Asia
continued 10 use the euneiform character
on clay tablets, Egypt wrote freely with
color on papyrus.
As long as men dealt IN business with
men In their own towns or nei9hborhoods,
mans word was a. good rs his bond. Bu,
when q man had 10 make q contract with
man az a distance II became necessary to
have signed agreements. One OF the earli-
ct inventions was the seal with which TO
sign ones name. 10 WAS the first printing
press. The art OF engraving cane into
use. Seals were engraved. In Asia they
were on cylinders, 10 be rolled over the
surface OF The clay tablet. In Egypt they
we've mostly Fat seal Stamps, 10 be pressed
on soft substance. or possibly TO carry
ink or color TO the papyru..
Thu. at an early dag the race possessed
the art OF writing, the art oi engraving,
and used the two arts for third-the art
OF printing.
IL was long before the world had any need
Of what we call coin. When that want was
felt some one IN IOnil suggested the idea OF
having convenient Jumps Of the precious
metals, whose fncness and weight should
be certified. The idea was approved
and adopted. II was agreed that the
most Trustworthy certificate wonll be
that OF the city authorities. The ciyli-
cation Of Ionian cities in The ninth CEN
fury before Christ was me- precisely like
thu OF American cities in the nineteenth
century after Christ. The city authorities
were outside Of State prisons, and had good
regulations at home aud abroad. Now. the
eugrayer's art was applied % die-cnttlng.
The die was only seal to he impressed on
precious metal. The coin was metal, certi.
fed as TO weight and quality by the seal Of
the city. one aud another and another
city issued coin. Kings and republics
adopted the custom, which has continued
10 our day.
the history OF the arts, children born "
the art Of engraving and the art OF writing.
All forms OF ornament and utility made by
impression with dies or with carved blocks
are OF this progeny. The art Of Orna-
mental engraving ON metal introduced
Finiguera To the art OF copper-plate en-
craving for the printing OF pictures. The
same old art led to engraving wood blocks
.. aurlz gft1 nfsfIfrl. and To-
gends. The same art produced for Gut
tenberg his movable type. Each and
every product u these arts has been in ac-
cordance with the desires OF mankind uu-
der his varied conditions. Babylon, Nine
web, Memphis, and Athens did dot use the
arts they possessed 10 produce newspa-
papers, because they did not need or want
newspapers,
The history OF most Of the arts practiced
among men nay be- traced back from aye
TO age. the original inventor being one OF
the giants Of the early days.
And with this history must be noted the
distinct fact that the line Of civilization in
which we rank ourselves is long. UNI
broken line. There i no instance on re-
cord Of any family Of mankind emerging
from barbaric to civilized conditions, eX-
ccpt Whtn pdTDaIlNui HAS CoiH' III NVItl'
with and been educated and elevated by
the old original line OF civilization, whose
early home was Asaiic. Countless writers
on the history ri manLindare ignorant OF this
great fact or ignore it wholly. Theytwaddlc
aboutthc stone age, which ia pure imagiua-
ton so Far Is il concerns the history Of human
civilization. The stone age In New York
was three hundred years ago. The stone
age in parts OF England was thousand
yesrs ago. The stone age in the history OF
the world never was, for the remotcst age
OF which We know anything was that OF a
golden civilization, when men possessed
an the noblcSt arts. We trace the genealO-
" OF our American civilization without a
break backward along the line Of artS
handed down from generation to genera
ton. and nowhere in all the Tine do we
find any trace OF barblric origin or low In
telloctual powers.