Morning journal and courier., 1891-05-02


 "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be-; and that which is done is that which shall be done," said the Preach CT, and Wendell Phillips in his we'll known lecture on the "Lost Arts" adds the weight of his testimony to confirm the statement. In the debris of the past we find the beginning of modern arts and inventions. Sometimes the very names we attach to them proves this, as, for instance, the word electricity takes us back to the Greek ''electron," amber, which Thales, six hundred years before Christ, experimented with and found that when rubbed it possessed the power of at tracting light and dry articles In the Twelfth century the learned priests of Etruria drew lightning from the clouds by means of iron rods, as did Franklin six hundred years later. Layard found in the ruins of Ninevah what Sir David Brewster pronounced to be a magnifying glass, and nearly four thousand years ago the Egyp- tians and Assyrians watched the courses of the stars through ''sliding tube" telescope. All the mechanical powers the screw, the pulley, the wedge, the in clined plane, the wheel and axle-were known to the builders of olden time, as is proved by the existence of monuments which required all such appliances in their construction, as well as thorough knowl- edge of engineering and exact mathematics. The ancients, too, were expert in dyeing, weaving and working glass. It is said that they had process for making glass mal- leable, so that it could be spun into gar ments and dyed in every shade of the rain bow.
 Heron of Alexandria was an eminent mathematician of his day, 100 B. c. In of which steam was the motive power, and he invented double force pump, used as a fire engine, and anticipated the turbine wheel with his hydraulic clock.
 The coin-in-the-slot machine is as old as the Christian era. In the Egyptian tenn ples devices of this kind were employed for automatically dispensing the holy wa ter. A coin of five drachme dropped into slot in vase set piece of mechanism, like well-sweep in motion, valve was opened for an instant and portion of the water ran out into the palm of the hand. Whether naughty lit these machines to give forth the purifying liquid by offering spurious coins, or but tons, if they had buttons, we are not told, but it is probable, since even boys and their pranks are nothing new under the sum-"
 At the little museum at Old Caerleon- upon-Usk, England, are found many Roman remains that were dug from out the soil of that region. Among them are hair-pins of wood and ivory, one of bone with q gold head; shears, rings, bracelets, implements for dressing the nails, stile, and waxen tablets for writing, and, most curi- ous of all, safety pin upon which the one now in common use is modelled. A tray eler who visited Caerleon about seven hun dred years after the Romans left it made note of another convenience supposed to be of modern origin, as among the rem nants of Roman splendor he found tstoves constructed with wonderful art to transmit heat insensibly through narrow tubes"- the forecast of our house furnaces. It may be only travellers story, but in paper published in 1632 has been found hint of a curious phonograph. Captain Vosterlitch, having returned from @ voyage in Australasia undertaken by or der of the states of Holland, reported that l in country south of the Strait of Magel- Ian there were found sponges which re- | tained sounds and the articulate voice as other sponges retained liquids. "So," l said the captain, 'when they wish to ask something or con | fer at distance they speak into one of these sponges and send it to their friends, who, having received it, press it gently | and IT. ake the words come out"
 Perhaps as interesting as any one of l these items will be this, concerning the | gowns of ante -diluvian danes. Fashions revolve in circles, and. re-appearing, claim l for themselves freshness and originality But among the Babylonish antiquities at | the British museum are some small, hollow | cylinders made of onyx, chalcedony, or jasper, which were used as signets by the ancient Babylonians. Their age, as chro- nologically established, is 2,300 B. O., long before the aspiring emigrants to the plain of Shinar began to build their brick tower, whose top they planned to reach unto heaven, and perhaps about the ders, which are about the length and size of lady's little finger, have upon their surfaces beautifully cut intaglios. Some of the designs are oi female figures dressed in what was proba
 bly, the smart walking costume of the
 period. The gown has tight-ftting body l with long, close sleeves, the skirt is mar
 row and clinging, but is trimmed witf
 three broad founches of accordion pleat-
 ing, apparently of the same material
 just such pleatings as were worn in 1889
 and go. The hat is high and must have
 shut off the view of the stage in Babylon
 ian theatres quite effectively, in fact the
 whole costume if worn upon our streets
 to day would not attract special attention
 for it's singularity, and yet the style ii
 more than four thousand years old. "1
 is probable" says a gentleman
 who was greatly interested in these ancien
 carvings, "that the female members O.
 Noahs family, when they sought refuge il
 the ark, wore high hats and accordion
 pleated gowns" In that case, the show
 man who, exhibiting picture of Noal
 and his family entering the ark, announced
 that Noah might be distinguished from hi
 sons by his having blue cotton umbrell
 under his arm, may not have been yer.
 far out of the way. If accordion pleats
 why not blue umbrellas!
 Air cushions are supposed to be of re cent origin, but this luxury was at leas
 anticipated more than three hundred year
 ago. In Ben Jonson's "Alchemist" Si
 Epicure Mammon enumerates to Surly list of good things. among them thi
 prophecy of inflated beds and cushions
 1T will have all my beds blown up, nc stuffed. Down is too hard"
 Even our slang is not all new, and
 classical IS allowable. Ihere, sal } Agesilaus, proudly, to the ambassador wh was surprised to see his capital withou
 walls and towers of defence-tthere," an ,, he pointed to the plain where his magnif cent army was drawn up in solid ara. 3 ''are the walls of Sparta-and every ma : brick!"
 i Let us not pity our ancestors becaus they were born too Boon. Much of or sorrow may be misplaced. Our advantae 3 lies in the general diffusion of knowlede I we are permitted to learn all we are c !, pablo of learning, and no one nevada, will be imprisoned as a sorcerer, lii Friar Bacon, because he has learned { - much
 8 THE EARNEST BATTLES. @ The bravest battle that ever was fought,
 Shall tell you where and when?
 On the maps of the world you'll find it not;
 Twas fought by the mothers of men. ) Nay, not with cannon or battle shot,
 With sword or nobler pen; l. Nay, not with eloquent word or thought f From mouths of wonderful men.
 a But deep in a walled-up woman's heart
 Of woman that would not yield,
 | But bravely, silently bore her part
 Lo! there is the battle field.
 No uarShallinp tronn m hivopoc oonp