Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-11-23
PAPER MAKING LORE.
EoYPTlANswERE FIRST TO DISCOVER
THE GREAT ART.

THE GREAT ART.
from Verbal Message Bearers TO Inscrip-
tlons Upon stones ami Then Upon nctals.
Making Egyptian rarer-rhc Ingenuity
OF tho Chinese.
tnorage people have been compelled
TO communicate with each othor SO %
vcry carly ported of the world existence
some material on which o. inseribc my
informatiouwh which thoywished toc1uvcy
20 others was found necessary Verbal
moaagos though often employed by an.
uiCut nations us % means of Cummunica-
tiou. wcro not always possible 60 use.
Secrets bad often 60 be transmitted. and
itwrs severe trIalof q bearers fi0lity
20 intrust him with private aTairs
Many tales uio related in history aud Boa
legends ~ tustv messengers who yield.
Cd up their lgct rather than mako
known tho secret. which 300 torture could
drug from thoir lips sull failure wCc
not uncommon. and human ingenuity
Set to work 90 iuygnt some material On
which 20 insrribo signs which could DO
understood at distance.
A. people grow moro civilized. 70 do.
maud arose Cor some material ON which
records and histories might BOZ written
and handed down TO u0stD.iiy. Stones
,yofo probably tho earliest form of writ.
ing material. Even nt the p-ofont day
in many parts Of che world STONES mo
found bearing inscriptions. ll would
seem chat among tho earlier nes 0f
mankind amy record Of great importance
was generally engraved upon stulo as
being the moro likoly TO to permanent
The amo foHling may ho traced iu tho
present generation, tho inscriptions m
tombs. foundation stones Of public build
ing and monuments
Stones not being convenient Cor tho
Transmission Of long messages, though
admirably adapted for receiving inscrip.
tons intended 20 outlnBt dyunstiCH, 9th.
ar matoriaIswOro tried Lcid. blu and
bricks were uil found Go resemble STONE
TOO much in Sea- property OF noe boiling
portable Lond wng found 20 hu tho
bcst ns 70 could lo beaten ont into thin
sheets and written up0n with iron ur
steol instruments. re- weight. however.
was ngaiult &C. Tablets OF wood. wax
md ivory, skins OF fishes. iniostinci OF
sorponts were Oh employed ns uhsti.
tutcs and wcro found 60 combine tha
requirements NJ portability durability
and facility uf receiving writing
Tho bark VI trees when once tried
was found 90 bc superior 60 most OF tho
other materials and 30 was employed
largely till che introduction " paper
There are but few kinds OF plants or
trees which hHvo not boon used in tho
manufacture ~ books aud paper. and
tho various terms employed by tho
ella .ic authors denote the several parts
which wore written on. such as bibiot.
codox, libcr tAbula and other,
OF paper proper itself 10 rs perhaps
needless 60 remind our readers that tho
name IL derived from the plpyrus, %
reed growing on the banks of the Nilc.
Though Egypt is generally supposed TO
Zoe the source whence Camn tho idea Uf
making paper, evidence ia not wanting
IN favor Of tho theory that the CHINESE
were acquainted with tho art ~ worry
early period. The Chinese process i8
moro ingenious than that OF tho ancient
Egyptians, being moro OF % munuiac-
ture, properly speaking than tho othor
Tho Egyptian paper made from tho
papyrus was made by laying thin plates
Of tissue, taken from the middle OF tho
paper rush, side by side, but close to.
gother, on hard smooth table. Other
pieces were then laid across tho first nt
right aurlrs Thuwholc was moiIunod
with tho water Of the Nile, which was
supposed % have some ngrlutinatur
property Cthough this probably resided
IN tho plant ifHrlll and pressure was
thou applied Tor 70 contain number "
houra Thus a shoot of paper was
formed which required uu other iuiTh.
ing than rubbing and polishing with %
smooth st0uo or with as0lil sIuH hum.
isphcrc and drying in the suu.
This simple process was rather "a prop.
uration OF % natural paper than omauu.
faciuro Tho process adopted hy Che
Chinese comics, as already remarked,
moro lggiiimatoly under chat head
The small branches NJ frDo rasam.
bling mulberry tru1 urc cut by thom
IN lengths OF about o feet nud boiled in
m alkaline lyo f0r che slEcof loosguus
The inner riud OF bark which is then
peeled ON and drIol f0r usc When "a
sufficient qlnnutyot bark has been thus
laid up, 30 IS again s0ftuued IN wator
for three or four days and the outcr
part are scrupol on ns uf1lrJ Thorost
% boiled IN clear lyo, which is kont
strongly ngi'ntci an tho time until tic
lark nus become tender and separated
into distinct hhus, ltis thCp placed iu
pan or fioyo and washed iu running
stream, being nt tho nmu t.mo worked
with tho hands until 90 becomes dole
cato and soft pulp
For tho finer sorts OF rarCr thc pulp