The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1898-07-30
GLASS FENCE Posra.
Indications That the Twentieth Century
May BE the "Age of Glass"

0hOAS@eAoHb Ahes bne NWentAebh century
May BE the "Age of Glass"
A dispatch from Muncie, Ind, says
that a glass firm has received an order
for 500 glass fence posts, to be of the
usual size and grooved for the recep-
ton Of wire. It is added: 1.-THE or
der has caused some speculation, and
is probably an introduction of an inn
portant article in trade" 1t is an in
teresting illustration of the tendency
OF modern science and inventive
genius to discover new uses for old
materials. One day it is the CONVEX
sion OF the pith of corn stalk into
valuable article of commerce, and the
next the application of glass to prae-
teal purpose hitherto unthought Of.
We have had the age of iron and
brass, the golden age, and also too
much of silver. Who knows but the
twentieth century may be the age of
glass? It has not been very long
since the metals or hard woods were
regarded as the only fit materials for
use where strength and durability
were required. Now paper is con-
verified into materials for house-build-
ing, furniture, railway carriage
wheels, boats and utensils of various
kinds. Glass is used even for more
purposes, and it's increasing cheapness
and improved methods Of working are
likely to bring it into still wider use.
No other material invented by man
can be compared with it in the serv-
ice 1t has rendered, both in common
life and in chemistry, astronomy and
other sciences, says the Indianapolis
Journal. Pure beyond the possibility
Of contamination, indestructible by
any chemical agency, the right hand
Of science, the foundation of the tele
scope and microscope, the material for
thousands of utensils and ornaments,
and now to be utilized for fence posts,
it comes as near being the keystone
OF civilization as anything that can be
named. 1t is a long reach from oiled
paper windows to the myriad uses to
which glass is put to-day. AS late as
the sixteenth century in England only
the dwellings of the wealthy had glass
windows. It is reasonably certain that
Shakespeare, who was born in 1864,
first saw the light through lattice win
dows or oiled paper, and he was prob
ably a grown man before he looked
through a glass window. 1t was first
manufactured in London, seven years
before he was born, and could hardly
have come into general use for a score
Of years or more. Shakespeare makes
many references to glass and glasses
in his plays, but it is always to a mir
ror, the glass that reflects, or to drink
ing glasses, which were common in
England before window glass was.
He also makes numerous references
to windows, but they are the eyes, the
windows of the soul, or open latticed
spaces in the wall of the house. The
divine William knew a great deal
about wine glasses and ale glasses,
but very little about glass in any other
form. If he shaved himself he prob
ably used a piece of polished metal
as mirror, and the chances are he
never looked in a glass mirror until
he went to London. Shakespeare
knew pretty much everything that
was known or thinkable in his time,
but he never dreamed of glass fence
posts.