The Colfax chronicle., 1889-01-05
STONE IMPLEMENTS.
Many of Them SIM UScd fn Virginia and
Other Southern Statea.

Many of Them SIM Uscd fn Virginia ans
Other Southern states.
I All over our country we find man,
. interesting relics of the Indians. Stone
{ spearheads, arrowheads, hammers
chisels, knives, scrapers. ETC.. together
with pottery, some of burned or baked
clay, some cut from soft stone, as slate,
steatite, etc. Similar remnants of the
so-called stone age of mankind are
found in nearly every portion of the
globe, and, besides their interest as
curious survivals Of by-gone time,
they aid us toward discovery of the
prehistoric man. 1t is hardly of less
interest. or of less historic or scientific
value, to note how the stone age still
survives among us to no little extent.
Here in Virginia. for instance, many
people still scald their slaughtered
hogs in hogsheads or barrels, as our
barbarian progenitors boiled their meat
in skins, by heating stones and putting
them into the water until it is hot
enough for the purpose. The stones or
dinarily used in this way are roundish.
hard and very heavy black or brown
modules, sometimes called NEGRO
heads" or iron stones, although they
are compressed lava upheaved in strata
through crevices in the rock crust of
the earth at remote periods of geolog-
ical time.
We sometimes encounter stones that
are followed out in the center, often
to socket, and these not infrequently
are treasured by their finders as an an
cient Indian stone for mashing or
grinding corn, with the aid of stone
pestle; yet they are nothing more or
less for the most part, than discarded
stones once used by our rural brethren
for their gates to swing upon-many
gates in all parts OF the Common
wealth being still thus pivoted.
Many housewife in remote country
regions still has her stone weights.
more or less rough, but honest.
Wherever the old Kentucky rifle lin
gers there is likely to be found still a |
set OF soapstone bullet moulds; our log
cabins yet have rough stone and clay
chimneys, where they are not of mud
and sticks; in many humble house
hold, thin rock not always smooth,
Is the utensil for baking corn
bread, and the stone "mash trap" is
familiar to all our country boys.
The stone pipe, believed by many
to have gone out with the Indian.
is made and used to-day by many COL
ored folks and by no few white folks.
whenever soapstone, or steatite, is
found not only the stone pipe, but
many other articles supposed to be
archaic, are still manufactured, and
put to service by the ingenious and
thrifty. In such localities stone pans,
stone troughs for children, etc., are
still common. Some day they will be
lug up and attributed to the Indians,
Dr. even to their predecessors. A little ,
inquiry and investigation would show I
much more of the stone age still here ,
han we have reverted to.
1t is not rare to see stone sinkers in
lse for lines and nets in fishing; the 9
Int Is not yet superseded wholly by {
he match; there are clocks in the land
'et run by stone weights; stone novels, r
With dirt roofs, are not unknown in our d
Mountains; the colored ruffian, and .
ometimes the white one, carries 4
tone in a stocking, along with his a
azor, when on the warpath; many a 1
ider press and tobacco press are still h
1ade effective by stones swung at the a
nd OF their lever; and our small bows b
re all in their stone age whenever Il
hey can give their natures full and Il
zee play. h
we are not SO far off from the stone Fl
ge man as some imagine; many of the a.
nplements and relics supposed to be
rehistoric, and doubtless so in many
Uses, have their modern duplicates. c,
nd in some instances are all in use
nong us. Professor and DR.. James C.
of Virginia, has written a al
g book to prove the recent origin of I'll
an. and DR.. Arthur Mitchell. of Scot
nd, has published very interesting er
ork to illustrate how the past and w
esent are identical in many things; tr
ID so we may conclude that, as there ex
nothing new under the sun, so there M
nothing very old beneath that lumin. av
y.-Petersburg VA Indcr-Appeal. an
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FOOLISH AGREEMENT, be
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