Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-11-28
cAsApNGss AND DURABILITY
Old Time Productions Superior to Mad
ArfIcIe.-f.h..,, -.

VI" Time Productions superior to Mod
ern Artieies-tb heap Paper,
Inc applratiou of science TO the useful
arts mas not been an unmixed blessino
u has rendered many things cheap that
were once very costly. It has made
numerous things common that were
formerly scarce. Ii has shortened Tho
Tune required 10 produce various articles
needed for the common wants of life II
mas been chiefly employed for PRODUCING
Things quickly and cheaplv. II has enf7
siituted very common and sometin, 90
waste materials for those that ,ye,,e -, =,
ana possessed OF considerable value for a
variety OF purposes. 1t has explained
many Old processes, like that of making
steel, leather and mortar, but has not
improved them. In truth, these and
many more articles made before the era
OF scientific invention were much
superior to any produced now.
NO steel Of modern manufacture eouaIs
that made at Damascus, centuries before
there was a science of chemistry. No
leather compares with that made by the
oaracens. specimens of which are nre.
served IN many public museums and lri
Vate collections III Europe. The mortar
ana cement used iii the construction Of
buildings in the old cities of Italy WAC
much superior to any produced in any
part of the world today. What il true
OF mortar is substantially true of Iricl,
The brick made By Nebuchadnezzar. ac.
cording To report of a traveller. HAVING
outiasted their original purpose, are now
employed for paving the streets Of mod
ern Bagdad. The temples built by tn,
shepherd kings of Egypt are still in
good state of preservation, having been
used IN turn by the believers in three or
four forms Of religion.
Science has greatly cheapened the pro-
ductlon of paper, but it has given us an
article that is very perishabe. The gov
eminent OF Prussia lately commissioned
some chemists and expert manufacturers
10 examine the paper used for official
records OF the greatest importance to the
hatlon, the registers Of marriages, births.
and deaths, and that employed for print.
ing books, magazines and newsr,aners at
home and abroad. They have lust sub
united report that is as alarming as if
Is interesting. They state that the paper
on which many public records are written
or printed will not last fifty years. Some
used twenty years ago is already exhibit
ing signs of decay. OF ninetv-sevep
German and foreign magazines and
other periodicals of the better class
examined the commissioners report
that only three Of them can go down
TO posterlty, the paper on which the
Others were printed being so poor that it
Will lose all its strength in from twenty
10 NIFTY years. Some of the paper on
winch magazines are printed is decaying
so rapidly that near approach to the
date of the issue can be determined with
out referring to the year of publication.
The three magazines that seem destined
TO immortality are printed on paper made
from cotton and linen rags, while the
Others are printed on paper made from
substitutes like straw and wood pulp. In
the preparation of all the cheaper kinds
OF paper scientific methods have been
employed and many chemicals used. The
paper on which many of the very old
books and magazines were printed il
pronounced to be in a perfect state of
Such is the case with
most of the paper used in books printed
from forty to hundred years ago.
Paper made from straw, wood pulp
and other similar materials by the en-
ployment of chlorine and caustic alkalies
may answer for printing newspapers and /
cheap novels. but something better should /
be used for printing standard books, Off |
cial reports and magazines. The people /
who live during the next century may be
grateful to the manufacturers who sub (
sgssF.. 81 g.rRN- -.
soda and produced the paper on which I
our sensational novels and tariff speeches ]
were printed. They will, however, want |
the deeds TO the property they hold and |
the books in which they are recorded. /
The report made by the experts in Prus-
STA should claim the immediate attention /
Of our national, state, county and NUM- |
cipal officials. Il should also interest tile
publishers of library editions of standard
works. Chicago Times.