The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-15
BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW.

my oppression hlu vi bIilu OplVoihoh W
the divine will. Bricks are no longer made
with straw, and il is only in Ireland some
remote places In Continental Europe and
in New and Old Mexico and Central and
South America that mud huts or dobe
dwellings exist in tho structural compost
ton Of which straw enters as an element.
Going back TO the beginning Of things,
there can be no doubt that burnt bricks
are result OF the successful making oipot-
terry, for all theearly nations had at one time
recourse to the sun to dry the water out Of
their bricks and thus secure the resisting
consistcncyin adhesion that was and is
the strength OF bricks in buildings, bridges,
notifications aud acqucducts. The Egyp-
lians, TO whom until recently We traced
The dawniugs Of our civilization, have left
little il anything in or about their great
structures 10 evidence what thoy were AZ
brick making or q brick using nation.
Limestone was too near at hand, and the
great Quarrics OF syaniic, out Of which
they cut thousands Of monoliths, some Of
which survive to this our day, bearing IN
scrptions that tell the story Of many dy-
nastics There arc few monuments any
whore else In the world than Ia
Egypt that vic with the eternal
hills in pcrpeiuity. The Pyramids
stand out IN grave aud reverend majesty
against that sky whose beauties are a
wonder, and in an atmosphere that has
littlcoicorrosiycpowor Thcctcmal sphinx
looking forever out into the future and
giving no sign is today as II was 3, 800
years ago These are tho enduring monu-
mont that have withs,ood the gnawing
tooth OF time, while all that Nincyah,
Assyria and Babylon erected oi viaducts,
bridges and hanging gardens ON foun-
dations OF brick have cumblcd
into dust, leaving but little in the
great mounds that mark their foundations
10 tell the story OF their existence. Moth.
iug but few cylinders covered with tho
cunciiorm characters that the greatest Of
Semitic peoples have lott toll the story Of
Saigon, ur OF Mcrodach, tho supreme FL
or B.,al vi Babylon. Such Of these cylin-
dcrs as have been rescued from the mounds
IN aud near the site Of Babylon, the scene
of successive civilizations, bear the marks
oi lire, each bearing a compete record or
being chapter In continuous story. all
ol them, ~ Nc now know. thanks To the
patient labor OF many Asyriologis.s,
stored la libraries akin in form aud slruct-
urc and cailloguing to ourmodcn libraries,
where also tablets were filed thatcontaincd
psalms IA sublime ~ those attributed 10
David, aud fall OF ~ deyout spirit. In
Assyrn, MS Prot. \. II. Saycc tells us. the
tablets were baked in thc kiln after being
inscribed, and ior this purpose holes wcrc
made in the clay TO allow the escape OF
supcrluous MOISTURE, anl thc lear Of imc.
urc prevented them from being made
of great Hzc. Ia the moro south,
cn climate Of Babylon the tablets
wcp generally dried In the sun, the result
being the disintcgaiion OF the clay Ia ia,
course Of centuries, tho surface 81 th,
brick being sometimes reduced TO pow
I der, while at other times the whole brick
has been shiycfrd into atoms. OF thcs,
tablets, rroi. sayoc tells N, that apart from
the records VI "tho banking firm" OF th,
/ fsihi family, which carried oa It's busi
ucss irum the time Of NcbuchadnczIr an,
bis predecessors TO that II Darius llys
iaspis, We posses, ~ yet but few OF III,
tablets that once stocked the libraries 81
labylonia and mus, still bc lying buic,
beneath the ground. Tho main bulk o.
the existing collection OF tablets and cyl
udcn have been rescued from the wrccl
Ut the great library OF Niueyah, which
occupied one Of the upper room
In thc palace Of Assur Bini
rh a, tho modern Kouynujik
It's long way irom these tablets OF kiln
died clay 10 lho most modern method d
kiln-dr.cd brick by the process Of Due
bcrF Of Berlin, ~ clearly dcscilcl q
the paper Boy him mad bciorr the con
ycuton OF hncknikcm at their lin
session la ths city on Tuesday. Al
the way along tho centuries th,
make Babylon holy In history m
links may be- found that bind he brick
maker ofth.s LAY with tAc plastic artist
whose work has enabled Prof saycc /
rcIcur ilr the scholars Of this era Ga
i prayers and litm,cs oi tao nations whic
it IS nov generally c1ncol arc the yci
, foundation Of all civilization. Tho orr.
mental cutabli,ur-, pilastari AMI column
. Ut terra Gotta that now arr
. freely introduced In architectural.
q constructed buildings hal the
= counterpart In Nincyah and Babylo
q whose Gorgeous AMI richly decorated pa
"a | noes IL lriFk worn 4U tU.f,,.tIi,., ,,,,,,,..,