Evening journal., 1907-05-01
WOODS USED
IN FURNITURE
Cedar" Was the FaVOrite
In the First Century For
That Purpose

Last week there was given a history
of furniture from the dark ages up
to the present time This week some
facts not generally known regarding
the woods commonly used in the maxi
ing of furniture are given Since the
eruption of lava from Vesuvious in
A. ID. 20, an immense variety of
woods has been employed in the maxi
ing of furniture. susceptibility to pol
ish beauty of color or grain. and dur
ability being their chief requisites.
A species of wood known as cedar"
was largely used i'm ancient Assyria
and Egypt This also formed the
beams of the temple of Appolo On
Utica. said TO have been sound 200
years after their erection, and was
employed I'm Solomons temple. i'm Greek
sculpture. and in carpentry, as the
chest in which Cypselus of Cornth is
said TO have been concealed about $50
b. c.
IL is probable that then, as now,
the wood of several species was con-
fused under one name. probably the
Lebanon cedar, that Of Mount Atlas
and the Arar of Morocco. The last
sweet scented wood. known as Atlas
express, was the much vaunted "cyp-
rus or "citron" wood of the Romans
and probably the thyme wood" OF
the Apocalypse.
Although wood has been used eXtcn-
sively. other materials of "a more cost
ly nature have also been used ft is
said that when the city OF Pompeil
was unearthed that n the houses Of
the rich were found ivory bedstoads
with quilts of purple and gold tables
of precious wood, side boards of gold
and silver loaded with plate. amber
vases and glass vases whose tints riv-
allied the opal The latter We're In an
probability brought from Alexandra.
The reader win understand that this
| furniture was found only i'm the houses
of the exclusively wealthy The COM
mon people lived as hest they could.
but the richest with an their display
of grandeur were without the comforts
that the workingman of today enjoys.
The true cyprus was, no doubt.
/ largely used. not only. as is related.
/ for Alexander the Greats Babylonian
/ fleet or Semiramis BRIDE over the Eu-
! pirates. but owing 10 its durability
/ and resistance TO moth for clothes
| chests Sissoo, possibly the Chittim of
/ Holy Scripture, and other species of
rosewood ebony. teak and walnut.
may have reached Assyria. Syria and
even more western lands from India;
! but the Corsican ebony was used by
the Romans for voneers.
Lotos wood, said 10 have been used
I'm Greek sculpture may have been
/ that Of the nettle-tree. still much used
i'm southern Europe. We read of the
Romans using box and beech for
chairs and for veueers; beech for
chests: olive both wild end cultivated
FOR venoers: fig, willow, elm. mulberry,
cherry and cork oak as ground for
veneers: maple. especially birds-eye
maple for tables.
Though Norway pine was imported
by Henry III, i'm the thirteenth cen
/ tury for paneling at Windsor, through
out the middle ages ii was the main
furniture wood. During the Tudor
period. oak alone was employed for
/ making furniture Itatian walnut wss
much used i'm Italy for carving and
gliding from the fifteenth century.
Thomas Chippendale I'm the eighteen
tn century gave mahogany the popu-
larity i'm England that satin-wood en-
ioyed az that time i'm France Hep
plewhite and Sheraton employed ma
hogany not only for chairs. but fol
smaller articles. Mahogany. oak am
birds eve maple are at present popu
lar. although oak is given the prefer
ence on account of a. being the leas
expensive of the three. and the hand
some designs that have been contri
buted during the past ear have beer
principally of oak and mahogany.
The stores of McMahon Brother
Company. NJ Megary and Son Com
pany. Wilmington Furniture Company
E Edward II. Brennan. Miller Brother
! Company, James Meharg Foord an
t Massey Furniture Company. ]. & J. n
Harman and J. J. Corrigan are al
3 completely stocked with furniture an
r It seems that the opportunity TO seleC
good furniture. is an easy matter 70
+ Wilmington housewives.