The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1889-03-08
rAcTs ABOUT PAPER.
some Interesting historical Notes Gone
cerning rs origin.

some NM&EFHMNfhA A1A%tVEAtF4A
cerning tss origin.
We have ralxed up the following facts
from few mnsty tones. which we
trust. will please numerous corres-
nondents and prove as interesting TO
them as it has been laborious FOR ms to
unearth them 1t Is not known when
paper was first made from linen rags,
nor to whom we owe the invention.
DR. Plideaux Is of the opinion that
linen paper was brought from the East.
because many OF the Oriental manu-
scripts are written upon IL. Mabilon is
OF the opinion that the Invention be-
longs to the twelfth century. One of
the earliest specimens OF paper from
linen rags yet discovered is a doeu-
ment. with the seal preserved, bearing
date A. ID. 1889, signed by Adolphus,
Count of Schaumburg. Casiri, how
ever, asserts that there are In the Es-
curial a number of manuscripts. both
upon cotton and linen paper, which
were written prior to the thirteenth
century. The invention was early in
trodueed into England, for some acts
in existence of John Cranden, Prior
OF Ely. made on linen paper. bear date
/ in the fourteenth year of the reign of
| King Edward H., A. d. 1893; and lin the
| Cottonian Library are said to be several
writings on this kind of paper as early
as the year 1885. Some twenty years
1 ago Mr.. Thomas Wright. in a note to
| the London 4thsa9stol. wrote: Il have
made little discovery, which, Think.
| will be considered curious in the his
tory OF paper | believe that the first
| traces of the use Of paper in Western
| Europe are found toward the end OF
! the twelfth century and we have no
| reason to suppose that it was In use in
| England until the thirteenth or the
beginning Of the fourteenth. 1t is un-
| derstood TO have been brought west
ward from Italy. where it was in use
earlier; and l believe that our word
paper-a corruption, of course. OF
papyrus-is considered to have been
borrowed. with the article itself, from
the French. | saw, years ago in Paris
Il believe they belonged to the royal
collection Git was in the time of Louis
Phillippel la few of the earliest docu-
ments on paper known, belonging to
Western Europe. in the period since
the Romans, which interested me much.
They consisted OF receipts, or rather
bonds, for money borrowed from the
Jews in the time of Coeur de Lion,
given by chiefs who were starting fol
his crusade. and. il | remember we'll
the paper resembled much that of the
, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. except
that it was of a rather coarse texture. il
would seem as il, In the West, its use a
this early period was known principally
among the Jews. Now am just pass
ing through the press an edition OF 1
glossary of Latin and English-or, a
we are accustomed TO call il, Anglo
Saxon-words of, think. not later thar
the middle of the tenth century. w,
may safely look upon it as the Englisl
: of the days of Athelstan: and in the par
of which have just received the proc
: | find papyrus, paper. The wor.
paper does not occur in DIR. Bos
: worth's, or any other Anglo-Saxof
dictionary, but we have here evidence
: that it was in use in our language at |
very early period and there cannot b.
: a doubt that we derive it from the An
: glo-Saxon and have not taken it fron
the French of the Middle Ages. Bu
{ this fact leads us TO another, namely
: that our Anglo-Saxon forefathers. I
have the word in an Anglo-Saxon forr
: in their own language, must have bee
pretty well acquainted with paper il
2 self. and no doubt they found tn
t Roman paper in use on the islam
! when they came. 1t is fact, indeed
, which opens to us several other:
equally new, in the social history {
our Anglo-Saxon forefathers- nee
} hardly add that paper probably neve
+ went entirely out of use in Wester
< Europe after the Roman times, and
e little research might still throw som
] curious light upon its history durin
r the early Middle Ages. 1t certainl
e was not supposed before that it migl
a be in use among the Anglo-Saxons. =
Y TIE Ptza,- lTfIT