The Somerset reporter., 1894-10-25
PAPER MAKING LORE.
EGYPTIANS WERE FIRST TO DISCOVER
THE GREAT ART.

THE GREAT ART.
From Verbal Message hearers to Inscrip-
tions Upon stones and Then Upon Metals.
Making Egyptian Paper-The Ingenuity
of the Chinese.
In all ages people have been compelled
10 communicate with each other At
very early period of the worlds existence
some 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 communlca-
ton, were not always possible to use.
Secrets had often to be transmitted and
it was a severe trial of bearer 5 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 We're
not uncommon, and human ingenuity
set to work to invent some material on
which to inscribe signs which could be
understood at distance.
As people grew more civilized, 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 the 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 more 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, hber, 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 at very
early period. The Chinese process is
more ingenious than that of the ancient
Egyptians, being more of 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 tho
paper rush, side by side, but close to-
gether, on 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 to 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 q
smooth stone or with a solid glass hem
isphere and drying in the sun.
This simple process was rather a prep
aration of a natural paper than manu-
facture. The process adopted by the
Chinese comes, as already remarked,
more legitimately under that head.
The small branches Of tree resem-
bling mulberry tree are cut by them
in lengths of about feet and boiled in
an alkaline lye for the sake of loosening
the inner rind of bark, which is then
peeled of and dried for use When
sufficient quantity of bark has been thus
laid up it is again softened in water
for three or four days, and the QUITE
parts are scraped off as useless. The rest
is boiled in clear lye, which is kept
strongly agitated all the time until the
bark has become tender and separated
into distinct fibers. 1t is then placed in
pan or sieve and washed in running
stream, being at the same time worked
with the hands until it becomes deli
cate and soft pulp.
For the finer sorts of paper the pulp
receives second washing in linen
bag. 1t is then spread out ON smooth
table and beaten with wooden mallet
until it is extremely fine. So far the
manufacture is very much like what is
carried on by the paper makers of the
present day, they having the advantage
of better materials than the bark of
trees, and machinery now performs all
the laborious washing and pulping proc
esses. The ingenuity Of the Chinese in
;Dyopt;oo CO cnmpli ca tod n rrocaso ic