Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-18

civilization of the world began. little is
found i'm this country, little in England.
little in the far orient: little of it is
mined: and there the fossil trees, whose
gum 1t was, are still in evidence in the
strata with the gum exuding from them;
out the most of the worlds amber comes
from the Prussian coast.
originally the appropriation of any piece
OF the amber found along the shore was
punished with death. At present the region
II let out to contractors, and the coast Is
patroiled for trespassers. Quantities of the
precious substance are thrown on the beach
after great storms: and in winter the am
Der fishers break through the ice and gath
er 1t by hauling up the sea weed into which
1t mas become imbedded or go out into deep
water ana spear up tie masses of seaweed
that carry IL.
The great entrepot for the sale of amber
is IN Vienna, where IL is cut and carved
INTO Iaceted beads and faneiful shapes.
This is very delicate work, owing to the
brittle nature of the article, and requires
an unusual skill and artistry. Sometimes
an insect is found sealed into the gum the
chief interest of which is that IL is an ex-
tinct insect of long vanished past. When
any modern insect is found in what pur-
ports to be amber, it is known not to be
anper out merely gum-copai. Amber can
De told from copal by the fact that the
hame OF burning copal is steady while that
Oh anber snaps and sparkles. 1t is distin-
guished from its imitation in glass by bit
ing II. the glass resisting the teeth stoutly
the amber seeming to yield to the bite
true amber, moreover, Is electrical; indeed
eiectrlcity takes its name from the old
Greek name for amber and none of its irni
tatlons has any power OF that nature The
pest amber will attract to itself various
arucies with great celebrity; if warmed by
ruppihg, the second quality will attract
with much less force; and with every Loss
nneness OF grade. resulting usually from
netting and remelting, the power dimin-
lshes, till after the fourth quality has haen
all. w. al
When the best amber is carved the NOR
seIs lett from the carving are melted.
nloiued ana then recut, and the result is
considered OF the second quality This pro-
cess can be repeated four or five times but
each time the grade is of less value than
that of the time before
The great purchasers of amber are among
The Mohammedans; and wonderful sneci-
mems are to he found in the Turkish mar
kets. The women are very fond of il both
Tor Its color and its fragrance to tlluuiue
tner toilets, and the men use il for mouth
pieces to their pipes: as the friendly nine is
PASSED from mouth to mouth, and wiping il
would be a great solecism, 1t is made of
amber: which Is supposed by the Turks to
resist lhlecuon. We will see mothers even
IN TINS enlightened country who secure a
string OF amber beads around their chiId's
throat with a no wiser purpose and belief
While this brilliant and beautiful sub
stance mas no power of separating and re-
tracing rays of light as a crystal has II
mas the power of holding the rays in itself
I'M II looks like solidified sunshine. There
is soft radiance, like that of yellow bar-
vest moons, in the cloudy and milky amber
the most valuable sort; and both that ana
the kind of a clear golden transparenca -
peaut1ul enough for queens 10 wear and
kings to give their favorites: no wonder
mat IL mas again become attractive TO the
butterflies of fashion. who NAV tire Of tbeir
pretty playthings, but will always rati,rn
70 them in due time. a child returns with
new JOY to a long forgotten-tov