Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-10-03
ANTIQUE INVENTIONS.
MODERN INVENTIONS KNOWN
CENTURIES AGO.
Plenty Of Them Are Merely Reprodn-s d
at the Patent Office Now-soms
Hatpins More Than TWEEN
~ Centuries Old.

tons OF modern times were many of
them thought Of and applied by the
nncients ages ago. Telescopes were
used by the astronomers Of Babylon
more than 3. 600 years back. The work
manship Of many Roman coins proves
merely By its exceeding delicacy that
the designs were made by powerful
magnifying glasses. II not with the
microscope. Gunpowder unknown
| 20 Europe until the twelfth century,
had been familiar substance TO the
Chinese and constantly employed by
them since before Christ. You can
ma at the Smithsonian institution, in
the collection Of remote antiquities,
many devices which are recorded at
the patent Office in Washington as new
ideas, says the Washington Star. For
example. there is fragment of a
soldiers bronze belt. more than ?. 900
years old, bound on the edge with
leather attached BY the McGill patent
paper fastener Of to-day-the ingenious
little continuance that is thrust through
two or more layers OF a substance and
bent down both ways TO hold them to-
gether.
The relics exhibited in this collec-
ton are mostly Of the bronze age.
from 1000 b, G. TO 400 b. q. Among
them are razors OF bronze. some Of
which nearly resemble in form the
razors OF the nineteenth century,
while others are crescent shaped with
modern handles. They are not in
condition now TO shave with. though
hardly less so than the tools employed
by the astute barber upon the custom
er who never pays a fee. Even more
wonderful is the safety-pin with which
the Roman women in the time before
Christ WAS born fastened their gar
ments. II was precisely like the
safety-pin Of the year 1891 A. d., with
the little coiled spring at one end and
the catch al the other. Fish-hooks in
the bronze age were in shape precisely
what they are now. with the same
barbs and the same bends OF which
the famous Limerick and Shaughnessy
types are merely copies. The ends Of
their shanks. 10 hold the lines, were
either hattened or looped. just as at
present In short. they were the same
articles exactly barring the nature OF
the metal.
In the Smithsonian collection re-
ierred 70 are shown hatpins with big
| round heads more than twenty CEN
turtles old. in all respects resembling
those Of to-day. though they may have
been employed merely to bind the hair
together Also there are ordinary
hatrpins equally ancient like those
sold At dry-goods shops on i street
and Pennsylvania avenue and likewise
thimblcs OF bronze with the customary
indcntations though such implements
are generally supposed 10 have been
invented IN the middle ages under the
name 81 thumb bells" Tweezers
and strainers after the modern fashion
are included tn the same assemblage
| 81 curiosiiies. Others OF the same
epoch are woven goods from the Swiss
lake dwellings that were built on piles.
bronzed heads from Rome actually
| plated with gold. bronze buttons made
! just like those Of to-day. bronze chains
with the same mesh precisely as is en-
ployed now by jewelers. FOR watch
guards, bronze mirrors, bronze bod
| kins bronze needless and bronze
siclilcs for cutting grass or grain. with
wooden handles the originals OF the
Mccormick reaper.
One OF the funniest things in the coll
lection Is small vase with hinge at
the top for cover-just like the mod
crn beer mug. II dates from before
| Christ. There are also stone mClds OF
the same epoch for casting bronze
knives spearheads. hatchets, sickles
and other implements precisely in the
/ manner followed now. An ancient
Etruscan vase shows mending with
rivcts after the same methods as Is en-
| ployed in this day. Even more extra
ordinary are poniards covered in ivory
\ perhaps hundreds OF thousands OF years
ago BY men OF the chipped stone or
palaolithic ages. with reindeer and
mammoths for handles.
Tho Romans before the birth of
Christ did everything with respect to
printing except to print They made
stamps, and stamped words and letters
on their pottery before baking it.
| These types were movable, and some
times single, though not usually So
On their lead pipe they cast inscrip-
tions in raised letters. Practically,
these would have served for printing
II their surface had been linked and
pressed upon the cloth or papyrus used
for their books and letters. II has
been said that necessity is the mother
OF invention yet the necessity for
printing existed in as great degree
as among any people. They had a
senate, which kept its journal; they
made speeches and orations; of the
making OF books there was no eng.
Laws and DEGREES were published to the
| people; in fact ut the same time a news
paper was circulated, All this was
done by handwriting yet they had all
the materials and much of the art of
printing in everyday use now. But
they never caught the final idea.