The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-25

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Edward Y Shepard. Chief CI-ri, Of
the Patent Office vino IS preparing "a
complete History 81 thc Patent Office"
which it is believed VIII fora uue OF I1g
most Interesting and valuable worms ever
issued under the direction Of a Govern
ment official, In a chapter already com
pleted discusses the question whether
the so-called inventions of modern times
are not many Of them only rcdiScoveries
OF principles wei known in the early
ages.
Not only ar questions asked. - he saws
concerning the origin and growth IF the
patent system in this country. but also
such questions as the following When
were cattle first branded We reply that
in ancient Egypt cattle were branded
with the owners private mark and mum
bsTtd as well. garments were also marked
there with the owners name OF some dis
tiTStive character When were surgical
bandaEes first used? We refer to DIT.
Granville. who says There Is not a sin
gle form Of baudaEc known TO modern
surgery, of which samples are not seen in
the swathinGs of Egyptian mummies.
Also a host Of remarks such as Are we
not vastly Inferior to Greece and Rome
in our works of aTt2 Who invented the
telescope. the microscope. the telephone
etc Have We discovered any new ne
chaniCal principles in the last nineteen
centuries How does il happen thar the
Patent Office issues a patent fer q nickel
n-the-sIot-machine described ~ Herodo-
tuS in his work. Wherein are We suue-
Tior to the ancients in learning? Are We
not simply rediscoveriug things known
long ago.
1T is a common saying that we have
fr-T0 Hob
our language from the Hindoo. our phi
loSophy from the Greek, our politics from
the Roman our alphabet from the E,gyp-
q. tian- our division of time from the Baby
lonian. and our currency system from
the Persian Have We then invented any
thing?
THE INVENTIONS OF TODAY.
I'VE admit that the sculptor can only
copy the Niobe OF PraxiteIes, the Lao
coon, the Venus de MediCis Hercules sti-
fling Antaeus. the Dying Gladiator or
Apollo of the BeIvedere We know that
the silver medal Of Alexander the Great
has on its back an fnexpress-
IDLY majestic figure Of Jupiter
which no modern has succeeded
IN copying. The ensraviuEs Of PyrEote-
les Dioscorides and many others cannot
be compared with any similar modern
attempts Although, as PIiny assures US,
painting was on the decline, the seven
pieces found in vault at the foot of
Mount PaIatine- the frescoes in Rome.
the pieces removed from the tomb OF
Ovid. are all matchIess.
In the engraver's art We find some
specimens Of extreme deIicacy- Pliny
tells Of the copy of the Had which was
written on 50 small a piece of parchment
that the entire work was contained in a
nutshell. While Pliny may have exaE-
gerated. We know that some Of the As
syrian records were preserved by stamp
ing them upon bricks, tiles. and cylinders
Of clay. which were then backed to pre-
serve them Layard in his excavations at
Nineveh found many Of these which re
qaired q microscope to read them fact
which not only shows the skill Of the
writer of the records. but that Of the ar
tisan who did the firing. To read such
minute objects microscopes Of rock
crystal were used. one Of these being
found in the palace Of Nimrod, during the
excavation Of the structure
Lenses to see at a distance appear to
have been employed. Nero had one such
made out Of an emerald with which he
observed gladiatorial contests There Is
some doubt whether telescopes were
known or not PIiny hints at Hipparchus
devising such an Instrument by which he
might mark the places and ma gnitudes
Of each star Father MabiIlon describes
certain manuscripts, in which are draw
ings Of Ptolemy viewing the heavens
through d tube composed OF many nova
bic parts This may have been, however,
simply a jOinted tube. intended Only TO
shut of objects other than the one view
ed. Jamblichus and Plutarch. however. in
speaking % Archimedes Cthe greatest in
ventor Of his day. render it certain that
Of L 70. ZIG
objects at a distance
On the stage Thespis first gave a set
tied form 10 tragedy, as did Sussrion to
comedy Poets ike Homer, Horace, and
Virgil orators like Demosthenes and CT
Zero. physicians ike Hippocrates and Ca
len sometimes cause as to ask If We have
not deteriOrated in such matters
In business methods the Egyptians ap-
pear to have exceTed and they perfectly
understand both the fractional and deci-
NAL systems employed convenient book
keeping forms. and had systems Of credit
and exchange, and also an established
mail service. Prof LaHciani tells Of the
storage warehouse and safe deposit
vaults Of Rome, which most people regard
as strictly inventions Of the past century.
The burning glass 10 light the altar
fires, the pendulum sexes Of plants.
painting on glass and cloth, Incubation,
CfSIlslIE- alkal- ana sat4lr Glt8lle ana
IaaIIeabIe glass. gunpowder, and the com
pass, are a handful Of inventions made
before Christ, selected al random from
list long enough TO fill a considerable
book.
The circulation OF the blood. FalIopian
tubes. and other so-caIIed modern dis
eoveries are all fully described in the old
est writings which exist. HeTodotus tells
us that medical specialists existed in ev-
cry branch of medical practice in Egypt
THE QUALITIES or AIR.
1.-THE weight and elasticity Of air, the
ether. the properties Of the clements fire,
water and earth, were wen understood
IN oldcn times. The laws Of liquids. both
in motion and AT rest; the laws Of light
and sound, magnetism, and probably fric-
tional electricity were familiar 10 ancient
scientists Lightning rods were employed
in Egypt, and. according 10 Enuernose,
magnetic healing was common in the
temples Of that country.
Mechanical contriEaEces and engineer
ing works Of early times were often re
rnarkable. Archimedes. by his ingenuity
made Syracuse impregnabIe, he invented
the screw which bears his name gave
Us our methods Of determining SPECIFIC
gravity; discovered the properties Of sui-
raj lines, the square Of the paraboia. the
proportion Of the sphere 70 the cylinder
the trua principles Of states and hydrau-