Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1889-01-18
THE LOST ARTS.
Buried Secrets of the Feats and Sciences Of
the Ancients.
From the Peoria Journal

the Ancients.
From the Peoria Journal
Notwithstanding the great advances in
invention ard manufactures Of the present
century in most respects, there are many
wonderful arts and sciences in which the
aoeienta have never been cqualed and the
sectict Of which has long since peusbed.
In the lcltera OF the Catholic priests who
irst visited China, which were 6rst pub
lished in France 200 years ago, they relate
that they were shown a glass, transparent
and colorless, which was filled with IL
quid made BY the Chinese, which to the
observers appeared to be as clear as water.
This liquor was poured into the glass;
then looking through 1T, it seemed to be
ill: With fishes.
This was not owing to any popularity Of
ihe Auid bat % the glass itself The Chi
a-e CONTESTED thut they did not make
,r 'l apl 'hat 'lev we're the plunder of
na4et many centuries be-
na.- ehaa ~ l4cture on The
los, Arts," in speaking of malleoble
glass tells Of Roman, who, in the age Of
Tiberlus, had been banished, and returned
TO Rome. bringing u wonderful cup. This
cup be dashed upon the marble pavement
and it was crushed but not broken, by the
fall. Although somewhat dented with n
hammer he easily bent it into shape again.
1t was brilli.nt and transparent but not
brittle.
He further stoted that the Romans OBJ
tanned their chemistry from the Arabianp,
and that they brought 1t into Spain eight
centuries ago. in the books of that age
there Is a kind OF glass spoken of that i
supported by one end, by its own weight,
in days time would dwindle down to a
line line, so that it could be curved around
ones wrist like a bracelet.
The art of luminous painting was known
to the Japanese 900 years ago, and an ex-
traet from one OF their old writers has
been translated as folows:
Zone Su Ng0h many years ago had a
picture of an OK Every day the OK left
the picture frame TO Craze and returned tc
aleep within it at night This picture
came into the possession of the Emperor
Tai Tsung of the snpg dynasty a. D.
go 99S) who showed it to bis cour'ierI
and asked tdem for an explanation which
none Of them, however, could give.
"a last certain Buddhist priest sale
that the Japanese fonnd some nacreous
substance within the flesh of IL certain kind
Of oyster they picked up when The rock.
were barred at low tide, and that they
ground this into color material and tEer
painted pictures with it which were lngisi
tlc by day but luminous 10y night.
The secret simpl, was that during the
lay the figure Of the OK was not visible
AMI it was therefore said that i lett thC
frame TO go grazing.
In The year 1878 the twentieth Of Q1een
Elizabeth . reign, one Mark Scallot, a
blacksmith, made lock consisting of elev
en- pieces of iron, steel and brass, with q
hollow key to At, that altogether weighed
but one grain Of gold lie also made a
gold cham composed of forty three links,
which he fastened to the lock and key. IN
the presence Of the queen he put the chan
about the neck of Il flea, which drew il
with eases after which he put the lock ant
key, flea and chain into pair of scalcs
ind they altogether weighed but one grain
and half
Myermecides, IN ancient carver, was SC
proficient in microscopic mechanism thai
he made an ivory chariot with four wheel,
and as many haruessed horses in so smal
a compass that fly might have hidden
them All behind one of its wings.
rhe same artisan made il ship with all
her decks, masts, yards rigging and sails,
which took up scarcely more room than the
chariot.
The Damascus blades, as marvels Of per.
feet steel, have long been famous and even
those used in the e.usades are as perfect
to-day as they We're eight centuries ago
One on exhibition in London could be put
into scabbard almost as crooked as q
corkscrew and Leut every way without
breaking. The point of the sword coulC
be made TO touch the hilt.
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