The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1907-06-20
Paper Making-A Great Industry.
IL. P. Burnett, in Kind Words }

The hornet, of whose sting we arr
all afraid, is the pioneer Of pape1
making. Long before man though
of inventing paper of different kinds
this little creature had it's nest filled
with the most delicate tissue paper
Men have ever been slow to learf
from nature. Most of our moderr
inventions are but copies of thing!
that have ever been. Doubtless
weaving was suggested by the beauti
full spider web, and the building Of
great dams by the clever work of tht
beaver.
Eighteen hundred years ago the
Chinese learned from the wasp the
secret of making paper from fbrous
matter reduced to pulp. Now each
province has its own method of max
ing paper from the innermost bark
of trees of different sorts. The young
bamboo tree, which shoots up several
inches in night, is whitened, and
makes beautiful paper. All of us
have seen and admired the rice paper
Of the Chinese, that so resembles
silken fabrics, and on which are
painted fanciful designs. This is
made from the crushed pulp, which
is first cut in slender pieces six inches
wide and twice as long. AS in Japan,
paper is an important product in
China, and is used in immense guam
titles. On the graves of the dead
quaint limitations Of earthly things,
made of paper, are used. Doors and
windows are Of paper, and many dec
orations. Their calling cards are
unique, being often ayard long. The
Chinese Emperor has a very large
roll of paper for his visiting card.
Paper has been made in Japan
since the beginning of tn Christian
era, and the ingenuity with which
they have made different sorts of
paper is wonderful. At first silk
faced with linen was used, and then
wood shavings. In 610 A. D. paper
began to be made from vegetable
fiber, and from then until now sever
al hundred kinds, out of which the
most artistic articles were made,
which are known the world over
many shapes and colors, fans in be-
wildering array, tissue napkins
(which have proved SO popular in all
lands), handkerchiefs, fancy umbrel
las, and small articles without end.
The homes of Japan are held up
before the world as models of COM
fort and neatness. The walls are of
paper, and the screens with which
the rooms are divided. At the vari-
Gus expositions specimen of those
picturesque little houses have been
shown-these quaint little woodland
paper houses that an American would
call 'doll house,
Early the secret Of the Chinese be-
came known in Arabia and Persia
and soon spread into Europe. The
vellum, parchment, prepared sheep
skin used for hundreds of years,
were laid aside. Spain made paper
from cotton eight hundred years ago,
and later on a better quality from
linen. France, Italy, and Germany
became skillful in the art of paper
making. A German, named Spiel
man, was knighted by Queen Eliza
beth for establishing paper mill in
her kingdom.
In Delaware, near Chester Creek,
the first paper mill was built in the
United States, and the old hand pro-
cess may still be seen there. This
mill supplied Benjamin Franklin
with paper. A familiar scene in
those days was the old tin peddler
going from house to house exchang-
ing his bright new tinware for old
rags with which to supply the paper
mills. Some did a thriving trade,
for law was passed compelling the
people to save their rags.
AS usual, the shrewd Dutchman
came to the aid of the small manu-
facturer who was making paper with
only a crude mortar to crush the
pulp. This invention proved of
great help, and very soon other useful
inventions followed. In 1898 Louis
Robert, Frenchman, made aweb by
which paper of great width, length,
and uniform thickness could be made.
An Improvement on the machine was
made by Messrs. Fourdrinier, book
sellers of London, which was follow
ed by still greater improvements by
Americans. Today nothing is so COM
mon as paper, perhaps, in the United
States. There are vast paper mills
everywhere, supplying paper to the
great newspapers and the printers of
books and magazines.
A revolving cylinder for making
H.,