Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-10-27
PAPER MAKING LORE.
EcyPTTANswERE FIRST TO DISCOVER
f. THE GREAT ART.

HAatktnR lsgypVfan iapcr-Ahe lnBehuiby
or the Chinese.
In all ages people have been compelled
% communicate with each other. AT
very early period of tho worlds existence
nCme material on which to inscribe any
Information which they wished toconyey
Co others was found necessary. Verbal
messages, though often employed by an
cfent nations as o means of communica-
fion. were not always possible to use
Secrets had often to be transmitted, and
akwas severe trial of q bearers fidelity
10 intrust him with private affairs
Many tales are related i'll history and in
legends of trusty messengers who yield
ed mp their lives rather than make
Known the secret, which no torture could
drag from their lips. Still failures were
not uncommon, and human ingenuity
rat to work to invent some material on
which to inscribe signs which could be
understood at distance.
As people grew more civilized, de-
Hrnnd arose for some material on which
ascords and histories might be written
and handed down to posterity. Stones
Sng material. Even Mt the present day
In many parts of the world stones are
fuund bearing inscriptions. 1t would
ssem 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 DO traced in the
present generation, the inscriptions on
tumbs, foundation stones of public build
itlgs and monuments.
Stones not being convenient for the
transmission of long messages though
admirably adapted for receiving inscrip-
tfons 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
unrtable. Lead was found to be the
hest, 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-
taltes 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
hrgely 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,
ondex, liber, tabula and others.
OF paper proper itself, it is perhaps
needless to remind our readers that the
name is derived from the papyrus, a
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 a very
early period. The Chinese process is
more ingenious than that of the ancient
Egyptians, being more of q manufac-
ture, properly speaking, than the other.
The Egyptian paper made from the
pzpyrus was made by laying thin plates
of tissue, taken from the middle of the
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 u 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 2solid glass hem
iSpllere and drying i'll the sun.
This hiIiple process was rather q prep
aEarion OF Ii natural paper than manu-
faetnro The process adopted by the
Chinese comes, as already remarked,
Iaore lcSitiInately under that head.
The small branches of tree resem-
bling {. mulberry tree are cut by them
In lengths Of about feet and boiled in
iui alkaline lye for tho sake Of loosening
. the inner rind Of bark. which is then
peeled off ard dried for use. When q
sufficient quantity of bark has been thus
laid up. it is again softened in water
for three or four days, and the QUITE:
parts arc scraped off rs useless. Tho resi-
il boiled i'll clear lye, which is kept
strongly agitatod all the time until tae
bark has become tender and separit I'd
into distinct fibers. 1t is then placed il
apan or sieve and washed i'll running
stream, benz; at tie Same tino worked
with the hands until it becomes deli
cate and soft pulp.
For the finer sorts of paror the pull
receives second washing in liner
bag 1t is ten spread out on sinootl
table and beaten with wooden malle
until it is extremely fine. SO far th'
manufacture is very much like what il
carried on by the paper makers of th'
present day, they having the advantage
of better materials than the bark O
trees. and machinery now performs al
tho laborious washing and pulping proc
esses. The ingenuity of tho Chinese il
fnyenting SO complicated process il