Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-10-26
PAPER MAKING LORE.
EGYPTIANS WE'RE FIRST 70 DISCOVER
THE GREAT ART.

tions Upon stones and Then Upon Metals.
Making Egyptian Paper-The Ingenuity
of the Chinese.
In all ages people have been compelled
to communicate with each other At q
very early period of the worlds existence
ono material ON which to inscribe any
information which they wished toconvey
to others was found necessary. Verbal
messages, though often employed by an
| cient nations as a means of communion
tion, were not always possible to use.
Secrets had often to be transmitted, and
it was a severe trial of q bearers fidelity
to intrust him with private affairs.
Many tales are related in history and in
legends of trusty messengers who yield
ed up their lives rather than make
known the secret, which no torture could
drag from their lips. Still failures were
not uncommon, and human ingenuity
set to work to invent some material ON
which to inscribe signs which could be
understood at a distance.
AS people grew more civilized, a de-
mand arose for some material on which
records and histories might be written
and handed down to posterity. Stones
were probably the earliest form of writ
ing material. Even at tho present day
in many parts of the world stones are
found bearing inscriptions. 1t would
seem that among the earlier races of
mankind any record of great importance
was generally engraved upon stone, as
being the moro likely to be permanent.
The same feeling may be traced in the
present generation, the inscriptions on
! tombs, foundation stones of public build
| ings and monuments.
Stones not being convenient for the
| transmission of long messages, though
admirably adapted for receiving inscrip-
tions intended to outlast dynasties, 9TH
er materials were tried. Lead, brass and
| bricks were all found to resemble stone
too much in its property of not being
portable. Lead was found to be the
best, as it could be beaten out into thin
sheets and written upon with iron or
steel instruments Its weight, however,
was against it, Tablets Of wood, wax
and ivory, skins of fishes, intestines Of
serpents, were all employed as substi-
tutes and were found to combine the
requirements of portability, durability
and facility of receiving writing.
The bark of trees when once tried
was found to be superior to most of the
other materials, and it was employed
largely till the introduction Of paper.
There are but few kinds Of plants or
trees which have not been used in the
manufacture of books and paper, and
the various terms employed by the
classic authors denote the several parts
which were written on. such as biblos,
codex, liber, tabula and others.
OF paper proper itself, it is perhaps
needless to remind our readers that the
name is derived from the papyrus, O
reed growing on the banks Of the Nile.
Though Egypt is generally supposed to
be the source whence came the idea OF
making paper, evidence is not wanting
in favor of the theory that the Chinese
were acquainted with the art ut very
early period. The Chinese process is
more ingenious than that of the ancient
Egyptians, being more OF a manufac.
ture, properly speaking, than the other.
The Egyptian paper made from the
papyrus was made by laying thin plates
of tissue, taken from the middle Of the
paper rush, side by side, but close to-
gether, Oh hard, smooth table. Other
pieces were then laid across the first at
right angles. The whole was mOistened
with the water Of the Nile, which was
supposed 10 have some agglutinating
property Though this probably resided
in the plant itself and pressure was
then applied for certain number OF
hours Thus sheet Of paper was
formed which required no other finish.
ing than rubbing and polishing with
smooth stone on with a solid glass hem
isphere aud drying Ia tho sun,
This simple process was rather prep
aration Of u natural paper than mann
facture, The process adopted by the
Chinese comes, as already n marked,
moro leNumately under that head.
The small branches Of lee Tesem-
bling mulberry tree are cut by them
IN lengths of about . feet and boiled Ia
an alkaline lye for the sake ~ looseDing
the inner riud Of bark, which Is then
peeled on aud dried for use When a
sufficient quantity " bark haf beep thus
laid up Il Is again sofiened Ia water
for tLree or foaT days, apd the QUITE
parts aro soraped ~ as : seiess. The TsH
Is boiled in clear lye, which 10 kept
strongly agitaied al tho time until $40
bark has heeome tendW and separated
into distinct hbers. u 10 ihep placed ~
q pan or sieyo Rad Bashnd w q Tpnpipa
stioam, boinR a. ile Same time worked
with tAo liaids uniil u boo0mes . doll
cate and son pulp
fur tho hua siFis " papeI ihp pulp
TnluiYhs hppOrd waabinH in hnhii
bog llis iAon swuad oul on y hpoab
tablu aud Lpatnu Nith wpslea Haliel
uAul u 10 pAiIamely nps h9 fsl ibe
mauufaeiarg 10 ysIy mpoh llhe What u
carried ou by ihe pepsi mAkefg ~ lhe
present day ihey lRllpR ihe advantage
VI hetnF maifnalp ihpp ihe hAfk n
lae ana ma9hlHefy hph peiiHiis All
uio lslAl0ss aHslhHR Ana pnlpillH lais
nam INu lusnHpliy "a iilf iNiilese NJ
ultuiua f9 nHHplieHifa , piFtsa n
I....I.4Iat A.. t.At "a lIu Ds5ullHlls