The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1900-09-28
flgDIA INK

3ss.ts..-e ~ - .. 'e11'
~. s9 u
n vsAD Aoe1oGUTAtlV aAoG " 4
III ol1ao1se Akcsssl11Gy.
IAks Many obs 1Aan0s WAssA 1avs
he nelaeaea WAoAsvos . xAsaD
NsAss, lnAiA lnh - - Osaoss-
tasn SvatA IaAAa.
For many thoosand ysass india Ink
has bssn 10 the Artist and - tie asti.
aaa the vehicle for the creation Of
much that . interesting and instructive
and beautiful In the world Of Art, and
It has . rather Extraordinary history.
Like many othsr thinSs which have
no relation Whatever to their names.
India Ink has no relation whatever TO
India. The Irish potato, It u said IA
cetiously, 70 % called because It was
found arst In Peru. Therefore india
Ink may have been 20 named because
It was made first In China, where the
bulk Of It has been made ever since.
-. ,AfS6, like most other things Of ,prac-
ucal utility to mankind. india Ink was
not an invention, but discovery that
y to say. the individual who produced
& first did 20 entirely By" accident
without the remotest intention Of doing
anything sensible or useful.
About 5000 years before the Chris
tian era a Chinese alchemist, Ten
Tschen by name, while experimenting
upon some nostrum for the eternal
preservation Of life or upon some for
mula for converting dirt into gold-it
matters not Enthusiastically con-
cocted q black substance In the form
Of q liquid paint or varnish. This con-
eoction was the first india ink.
The black pigment which forms the
base of the Ink was the SCOT obtained
BY burning lac and pine charcoal. THE
SCOT was powdered finely and mixed
with some kind Of size OK glue. Fish
glue, or isinglass. was used as well AZ
bone or horn glue. and sometimes, In
making the finer qualities Of ink. pearls
were boiled In glue. Sometimes dried
OK tongue was added to give the Ink a
purple tint, and the bark Of the pepper
tree was used to produce . tinge Of
blue. The Ink was carefully nodded.
dried and packed in NORWOOD leaves
with lime or ashes until well seasoned.
It 10 not stated whether sepia. the
eoloring liquid Of the cuttlensh. was
added to the ink originally or not; but.
- the best india ink in use at present
has a brownish tint, as II mixed with
sepia, 1t 10 evident that sepia Is used
now In the manufacture of the Ink.
sepia alone Is used frequently in China
In preference to the black Ink.
Az soon ~ It was discovered that In
dfa ink was likely to be serviceable to
mankind it was perceived BY the i'm.
perial diet to be dangerous innovs.
ton upon the established custom Of
mot having It to use. The empire
had got along very well without: India
Ink prior to its discovery, and it was
\Chinese public policy ito let well
enough alone" Therefore the use Of
the ink was declared to be sacrile-
Gious, and its manufacture was pro.
hibited.
Apparently there were millions in
india Ink In those days, for a sharp
competition In its production arose,
and this was the beginning Of trouble
for. artists and draftsmen. The market
was glutted with worthless grades. At
first the Ink was superfane in quality.
and the larnpblack used in it was
ground into an impalpable powder go
fne that 1t was as volatile as vapor
and possessed In itself an odor of
musk. Later, when competition cor
rupted its production. coarser and
cheaper pigments were substituted for
the fine ones, and the ink was arti-
6cially perfumed with musk In order
to disguise ito inferiority.
The Chinese are passionately fond of
musk. and india ink was used by them
not only as a writing material but
also as flavor for their choicest bev
erages. A little india ink rubbed IL
water was considered then a delicious
drink, but modern india Ink can hard.
ly be recommended as a safe medium
for interior decoration of that sort.
We 1AS AAAAoAm LIEU Ny lie ulSlluSu lSu
ed historian that all good" india ink
is inhabited by goda Qn China there
are so many god 1T it is difficult tt
find lodgings I'd b all; they ART
billeted, theref lon any conven
lent article. sue stick of india
ink From thia Ing disclosure Of
the historian vV9Sht be justified il
presuming that all Ia" india ink Is
matter would account for the multi
tudinous trials and tribulations which
beset the unhappy craftsman who trie,
to make a drawing with poor indi:
ink, for certainly in unmitigated wick
edness and total depravity india I'M
has few equals and no superiors.-
Weekly Bouquet
No Paapers In wichita,
The board of county commissioner.
OF Wichita county. Kan. has iust alol