The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1910-09-15


Lost - hfoaeFn Tfmes.
Many secrets the anciants POSSESSED
are lost 70 modern times and MANI
things they aid cannot be equaled 70
day. Thousands Of years ago th'
Egyptians used 10 embalm the bodies
Of their dead kings and nobility y
perfectly that the bodies are IN won
dSrfnl preservation today, as may b.
sean a. the British museum. Clever "a
We are in this age. we cannot do the
same. The valuable secret Is lost, and
modern scienoe cannot recover the lost
knowledge. Bodies embalmed now
adays viii not be preserved for more
than a few years At most; very many
Il the bodies Of Egyptians embalmed
before the birth Of Christ are stlu 30
perfect that the lines OF the faces are
marked aa clearly as when they were
nIHt embalmed.
shsnield turns out the finest. hard
est and most perfect steel the world
produces. but shemsld cannot produce
a sword blade 70 compare with those
the Saracens made and used hundreds
Of years ago. and the Saracens never
possessed the machinery we have. nor
had the advantages Of knowing 50
much about metals as We are supposed
70 know. A huge fortune awaits the
man who discovers the secret which
enabled the Earacens TO make sword
blades 80 keen and hard that they
would cut In two most 81 the swords
used IN our army today.
There are a dozen different methods
Of making artificial diamonds. but
none Of the stones produced By these
methods can compare with those made
Of old French paste. the secret Of
which IL lost So perfect were paste
diamonds that II was dificult for even
. person with expert knowledge Of
diamonds 70 tell that they were arti-
ncialiy produced. whereas most OF the
modern artificial diamonds can Be de-
tected easily. and their durability IL
nothing like 80 great as the old paste
diamond.
Probably not one out OF every ten
thousand buildings standing In all
parts Of the world and built BY modern
masons viii be standing 500 years
hence. We do not know how 10 put
stones and bricks together as the an
clients did. and consequently the build
Ing we raise nowadays will be In ruins
when the ancient buildings in Greece
and Italy, which were built thousands
81 years ago. are In as good condition
~ they are now. The secret IL not In
he bricks or stone. but IN the cement
md mortar. neither Of which essen
lials can we make Is the ancients
made them.
Chemistry. one might imagine. ia
he science which has made the great I
~ strides in the last i've or six de 4
AIDES. Yet modern chemists cannos
compound such dyes rs were common
, used when the great nations OF to
lay were still unborn. Now and
gain Il happens that searchers after :
come across fragments Of
abricn which were dyed thousands Of
ears ago. and they are astonlshed BY
be wonderful richness OF the eolors
( the cloths. which. despite their age.
~ brighter and purer than anything {
re can produce.
Modern artists buy their colors
1ady made and spend large sums OF
honey on pigments with which %
DIOR their canvasses. The pictures Of
lodern artists win be coloriess when
iany OF the works OF ancient masters
ne az bright as they are to-day. Just
) the secret OF dyeing has been lost.
, has the secret Of preserving the col.
10 Of artists paints. Yet the secret
as known 70 every ancient artist, foI
ley all mixed their own coiors.