The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1904-06-17
RECORDS FADING.
More Testimony as to the Perishable
Quality Of Modern Ink.
New York " orld.

~ Centuries or Ink (Bank Law
Publishing company. David n. Car
;alho. tbs handwriting expert. renews
his charge that the public records are
beng filed away in perishable form.
Til" great state and city Of New
York. with costly and magnificent de-
poSitories. continue to place in them
inr safe-keeping valuable records
and other ink written instruments
which will become illegble before the
present century comes to an end"
Massachusetts, has a statute pro-
viding tor the use on public records
OF an ink approved by an official
chemist, and Mr.. Carvalho led a
movement which was unsuccessful in
1894 to secure Su>.l law in New
York.
Mr. Carvalho finds the beginnings
OF ink in very primitive substance.
When the writing art had advanced
beyond the stage of stone inscription
and clay tablet. some material for
marking with the reed and brush was
necessary. 1t was not difficult to OBJ
tain black Or colored mixtures for
this purpose With their advent, 40
centuries ago or more. began the his
tory of ink"
AS prinitively prepared by the
Hebrews for ritualistic purposes ink
was simple mixture OF powdered
charcoal or SCOT with water, to which
gum was added sometimes. The Ara
bian methods OF making ink were
more complex, Lampblack was made
by the burning of oil. tar or rosin
which was then commingled with
gum and pressed into small waters
or cakes. to which water could be
added when wanted for use. About
1900 years before the Christian era
the Chinese perfected this method and
invented Indian ink" ostensibly for
blackening the surface of raised heir
oglyphics which was obtained from
,he SCOT OF pines and the oil in lamps.
mixed with the isinglass (gelatin)
Of asses skins. and musk to correct
the odor OF the OIL
The most lasting natural ink sub
stance IS the black-brown liquor with
which the cutie fish discolors the
water to conceal his movements in
the presence of enemies. This fur
nished the brown ink (sepia) OF the
old Hebrews and the black broth Of
the Spartans.
Discussion OF the history OF ink
leads Mr.. Carvilho naturally into
some matters of books and manu-
scripts. In view OF the recent pur-
chase Of section of paradise Lost"
manuscript by Mr.. Morgan from a
dealer who had paid $4,000 for it is
interesting TO note that "Ptolemy
Philadelphus is said to have given
the Athenians IS talents (about SIS
ooo), an exemption from tribute and
a large supply OF provisions for the
MSS. Of :Aeschylus. Sophoclcs and
Euripides. written by themselves"
With the invention of the quill pen,
in the sixth century, came greater lat
i,ude IN writing, but also thinner and
more perishable inks.
The ink of the eighth century in
cIuded among its constituents blue
ritroi, yeast. the lees of Vine, and the
rind OF the pomegranite.
Our phrase to sign" deed or
documents arises from the old prac-
ticc OF kings and great men who made
the sign of the cross opposite the
place where the more learned clerks
wrote the names OF the signers.
The Quill pen was preceded by
writing instruments made from reeds
growing in Asia Minor, in Armenia
and near Memphis on the Nile. The
first steel pen to come into regular
uSe was made in 1903. Popular pre-
judicc kept the quill pen in full sway
until more than so years after. The
first fountain pen appeared about 1885,
the flow OF ink being controlled by