The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-22
The Sand Box Has Given
Way to BlOtting Paper,
President Without COmmiS-
sion or Certificate.
Origin of Terms Bull and Bear as
Used on Stock Exchange.

Blotting paper which is now 10 be found
been in general use only about 40 years
Before its advent the sand box was en-
ployed and was quite as prominent an
article of desk furniture as the inkstand.
sand boxes We're made Of tin and Of
wood though some fastidious and
wealthy individuals had them made of
silver. They were used pretty much as the
pepper box; but differed from the latter
In that the top, instead of being convex
was concave. This saucer-like top was
perforated and through the perforations
the box was filled with sand. When "a
page of writing was completed the sand
was shaken over IL, part adhering 10 the
fresh ink and keeping it from blotting.
BY far the greater part OF the sand, how
ever, was on the sheet outside the writ
ing and this was poured back into the
saucer top and found its way through
the perforations into the inside of the box.
Lake George sand was used in these
boxes but stationer tells the Gossiper
that very rarely indeed is such sand called
for so generally has blotting paper come
into use.
In this country much thicker blotting
paper is used than in England. As rule
the sheet Is the standard size 19x24 inches,
which, when one side has been pretty well
filled with ink is turned over and the
other side used. In England number of
sheets of thin blotting paper are folded TO
gether in such way as TO make "a pad some
what larger than sheet OF legal can paper
When the outer sheet becomes saturated
with ink IL is torn off and thrown away
leaving clean one exposed and ready for
use. There are in this country mills de-
voted wholly to the manufacture of blot
ting paper. Their product amounts 10
thousands of tons annually and IA consider
foreign countries The best quality is
made wholly OF cotton rags. The poorer
grades are made of woou pulp which is
often mixed with clay. White is the favor
ite color and ten times as much of it Is
sold as OF any other, the reason probably
being that the coloring of the paper has "a
tendency TO reduce it's absorbent qualities.
the United States has neither commis-
sion nor certificate of election. nor ev:I the
scratch OF pen in his possession To show
that he has been elected or that he legally
holds the office. The count of the electoral
vote is made during the session of the
Senate and House of Representatives, the
announcement of the result Is made by
statute on the subject "the announcement
shall be deemed sufficient qualification :"
NO committee Is appointed To wait upon
the president elect, no Dessenger is des
patched to him with notice of the result,
and unless he reads the newspapers, or Is
told by some of his friends he will remain
In ignorance. This may look like curl.
ous omission on the part of the trainers of
the law, but it has never yet caused any
Inconvenience and IL Is not likely that it
ever will.
Although the terms "bull" and bear, 4"
She former signifying to raise and the
latter to depress the prices of stocks
bonds, securities or commodities dealt in
on the public exchanges, are commonly
supposed to have originated during the
Wild speculation In gold, begun about
1851, and lasting until the resumption of
specie payments, it is fact that their
use is much older. The same words were
employed with the same significance dur
ing the South Sea speculations in 11l0,
and the following years. DIR. Wharton
explains that the term bear came from
the proverb of selling the skins before the
bear was caught and referred to those
who entered into contracts in the South
sea scheme TO transfer stock at stated
price. The signicfiance of the express
sion, says another authority, is due, in all
probability, to the different methods of
fighting employed by tho animals the
bulls favorite mode being To toss his
adversary in the air with his horns while
the bear makes an effort to throw his
antagonist TO the ground.
The correspondent who writes concern
Ing the phrase, millions for defence, not
cent for tribute, is mistaken in the
authorship of 1t. This phrase was made
by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney to the
Directory of France. Pinckney had been
sent as ambassador from the United
states to ask assistance from France i'm
the threatened trouble between this coun-
try and Great Britain. The Directory