The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-10-17
USES ! ! FOR SEASH[LLS
Served as an Accurate Method
'-''' of Bookkeeping.
PASSED FOR CURRENCY

ent Shells Used for Windows In
China-Closely Connected With
the Hindu Religion.
Civilized man at the present day
has but little use for the shells OF
mollusks except as buttons. ornamen-
tai souvenirs and as eggshell forming
food for poultry. For many hundreds
of years shells Of various kinds have
passed as currency among the savages
and even among semi-enlightened
races. The first known mention OF
the use of shells as money Is in an
ancient Hindu work on mathematics
where this problem is given: The 4
OF Lie of 1-5 of q of 2-3 of y
dramme was given to a beggar by one
from whom he asks an aims; tell me
how many cowry shells the m;scr
gave" This money cowry is a littlo
oval yellow and white shell and in
many places in west Africa it is
still in use, tons of them being brought
from England to that country for
purposes of trade
All of the sandalwood brought to
China is paid for with small shells.
aad in certain islands of the Pacidc
pigs alone are allowed to be bargain.
ed for in this currency. When the
Hudson Bay Company began trading
for furs with the Indians of the North.
west. kind of long. tubular, horn.
like shell was used as money, but
this soon gave place to blankets.
These shells were of different grades
the finest corresponding to our gold
coins, while the broken and smaller
pieces were used like nickols and
quarters. Six feet of these shells
strung on a thong would purchase
q slave.
Wampum as used by the Indians
OF our eastern coast had more right
to be called money, since 1t was made
from certain parts of the shell by
laborous process. Both purple and
white wampum were pieces OF tho
common clam she'll. cut and ground in.
to cylindrical beads and pierced so
that they could be strung. In addi-
ton to their use as currency. these
beads served the important function
of newspapers and books; since the
Indians were able to preserve records
and send messages to great distances
BY staining the wampum various CO
Ors and arranging the beads in vari.
Gus patterns.
On the west coast Of Scotland a
curious custom once prevailed which
''no doubt was generally employed
along the seaboard as the most sim
pie and ready means OF bargains by a
non-writing population. That was,
when bargain was made, each party
to the transaction got one-half OF
bivalve or oyster - such as a mussel,
cookie, or oyster - and when the bar.
gain was implemented. the half that
fitted exactly was given up as a re-
ceipt! Thus man who had a box
tull of untitled shells might be either
n creditor or a debtor; but the box
filed with fitted shells represented re.
ceipted accounts. Those who know
the difficulty of fitting the valves Of
some classes Of bivalves will readily
acknowledge the value Of this ar.
rangement."
Almost all savage tribes use shells
as ornaments, earnings. bracelets.
necklaces, bands for the forehead, etc.
Fiians use heavy ones as sinkers for
nets, and the sharp-edged clam shells
are made to serve as knives and raz.
ors. Rare and beautiful shells, such
as the orange cowry, are used as
badges by chiefs OF high rank.
Triton and conch shells make ex.
cellent trumpets when the tip of the
whorl Is broken off; and many a
New England laborer has been sum-
moned to dinner from the hay field
by the same deep metallic note,
which has reused to battle the canni'
bais of some tropic island in the far
Pacific.
Chank-shells are worn by all H'ndrs
as bangles and anklets and they are
also closely connected with their relg-
ION. The god Vishnu always holds one
OF these shells In his hand.
The most important shell in use to.
day is thai of the pearl oyster. From
the internal mother-of-pearl Inning ara
made buttons, knife-handles. studs,
fans. boxes, brooches card cases and
the pearl inlaid work with which we
are all familiar These shells are
found In the Red Sea, Persian Gulf,
Queensland, Bay of Panama, and
small ones may be picked up on the
Florida beaches. Pearls are also OBJ
tained from this mollusk.
Semi-transparent shells are used as
windows in houses in Canton and
ground shells made good lime. AS
usual in that country, medicinal
use Is also In vogue-persons suffering
from skin diseases being bathed in
water in which cookie shells have
been boiled. A conch shell which has
the whorl turning to the right is be-
UAVad hv thx Chipacp m have the