Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-04


Gz-E stone, These we find bedded in waste
moors, or sunk in deep morasses; or,
it may be, they are seen in some ancient
stone coffin beside the bones of the war
rior.
This has been called the Stone Period, which
was as civilization advanced, succeeded by
what is known as the Bronze Period, when
tools and weapons were made of that metal.
Before man knew anything of the smelling
of iron, he would by mixing copper and tin
together 1.-TWO soft metals) obtain a harder
composition, called bronze and weapons made
of it took the place of the early stone ham
mers and axes. In this age, we find the first
sword-a bronze one.
These bronze swords, broken, are often
found in ancient stone cofins, and beside
them are generally cup or bowl of pottery,
a gold collar or bracelet, with, it may be, the
bones of dog, and sometimes piece OF
worsted cloth, in which the body of the war
rior had been enveloped. All this tells a
tale.
The warrior was laid in his last resting
place, with his sword broken beside him, to
show that his warfare was now over.
He had been lover of the chase, and they
laid his four-footed favorite beside him in his
long home. The cup or bowl was the last
gift of friendship to the dead, and the orna-
ments of twisted gold show that the old
Briton loved that precious metal.
Then, by the fragments Of Worsted or wool
en- cloth, we can see that at this time man had
advanced beyond the Stone Age, when the
savage painted his naked body and ornamented
himself with shells and the teeth of his enc
mics, for the arts of spinning and weaving
were not then known.
Fifty-fve years before the birth of Christ,
we come to period in ancient history when
tO ho nf tba
but have it in books.
The Romans, led on by a pale, fair man,
one afternoon of September day, landed on
the shores of England. This man was the
famous Julius Caesar, the hero not of one
hundred. but three hundred and twenty tri-
umphs. In his writings we have the first
description of the native Briton.
This man, one of the greatest the world ever
saw, was murdered when a little past the
prime of life by his jealous enemies. The
sword of Caesar he named Crocea Mors (yel-
low death).
The Greeks in the time of Homer used
bronze swords, though iron was not unknown
among them. These were called cut-and-
thrust swords, straight bladed and double
edged, sharp-pointed, always worn on the right
side.
The earliest mention of a sword is in the
Bible. After Adam and Eve had eaten of the
forbidden fruit they were driven forth from
Eden, and cherubim and flaming sword kept
the way of the tree of life
Nearly three hundred times swords are men
toned in Scripture, and dear to many boys
hearts is the story of the young shepherd OF
bethlehem fighting the Philistine giant with
his sling and stone, killing him, and then
shifting off his head with his sword.
There are various sorts of swords which
we may mention-for example, rapier, cutlass.
sclmitar, sabre, dagger, bayonet, claymore, etc
The rapier is highly-tempered, edgeless,
thrusting weapon, finely pointed, and about
three feet in length 1t was long the favorite
weapon IN duelng, and was worn by every
gentleman. at present, it is used only at
court ceremonials, and answers no other pur.
pose but to incommode, the bearer
The eutlass is broad, straight sword, most
ly used by sailors when boarding an enemy's
ship in action.
The scimitar was the favorite weapon Of
Oriental nations in ancient times, and after.
ward it was adopted by the Moors in Spain,