Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-08-27

SulutSe anu constantly empiOVeu Dy
them since before Christ. You can
find 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 a fragment of a
soldiers bronze belt more than 1000
years Old. bound on the edge with
leather attached by the McGill patent
paper fastener Of to-day-the ingenious
little contrivance 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 2000 B. G. to 400 3. G. 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. 1t was precisely Ike the
safety-pin Of the year 1891 a D., with
the little coiled spring at one end and
the catch at 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, to hold the lines were
either fattened or Topped Just as at
present. In short they were the same
articles exactly, barring the nature of
the metal.
In the Smithsonian collection re-
ferred to are shown hatpins with big
round heads more than twenty CEN
turtles old, in all respects resembling
those of to-day, though they may bavo
been employed merely to bind the hair
together. Also there are ordinary
hairptns, equally ancient, like those
sold at dry-goods shops on f street
and Pennsylvania avenue, and likewise
thimble5 of bronze with the Gus omary
indentations, though such implements
are generally supposed to have been
invented in the middle ages under the
name of thumb bells" Tweezers
and strainers after the modern fashion
are included in the same assemb!age
| of curiosities. Others Of the same
! epoch are woven goods from the Swiss
/ 1Dlr hot
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 needles, and bronze
sickles for cutting grass or grain, with
wooden handles--the originals of the
Mccormick reaper.
One of the funniest things in the col
lection is a small vase with a hinge at
the top for a cover-just like the mod
ern beer mug. 1t dates from before
| Christ. There are also stone mClds OF
the same epoch for casting bronze
knives, spearheads, hatchets, sicklos,
and other implements precisely in the
manner followed now. An ancient
Etruscan vase shows mending with
riyets after the same metho Is as is en-
ployed in this day. Even more extra
ord nary are poniards covered in ivory
! perhaps hundreds Of thousands OF years
ago by men of the chipped stone or
pal8olithic ages, with reindeer and
mammoths for handles.
The 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-
tiOn5 in raised letters Practically,
these would have served for printing
If their surface had been mixed and
pressed upon the cloth or papyru5 used
for their books and letters. 1t has
been said that necessity is the mother
of invention, yet the ne" -sity for
printing existed in as greet a degree
as among any people. T. y had a
senate, which kept its icu, nal; they
made speeches and orations; of the
making o. books there was no end
Laws and DEGREES were published to the
| people; in fact at the sane timea 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.