Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-07-22
ORIGIN OF COMMON THINGS.
Articles Of Every Day Use Come IL
Gradually.

Forks-ForkS were unknown In Eng
land until about 300 years ago. A knife
was used to cut up food, but the food
was conveyed by the fingers to the
mouth. The first evidence Of a use Of
the fork in the twentieth century fash
ion was by noble lady Of Byzantium.
who, in the eleventh century, had mar
ried Doge Of Venice, and ate in that
city after her own custom, cutting her
meat very finely up and conveying 1t
to her mouth with q two-pronged fork.
The act was regarded in Venice as a
sign of expensive luxury and extreme
effeminacy.
Shoes-As coverings for the human
foot, shoes have been worn from the
earliest times. The shoes of the Jews
were made Of wood, rush. linen, or
leather The Romans were the first to
set the example Of costly shoes, and
introduced various decorative adorn-
ments Of ivory and precious stones. In
the Middle Ages fashion played some
fantastic tricks with shoes, and in
England, about the middle Of the fif-
teenth century, shoes with such long
points were worn that they had to be
tied to the knee for convenience of
walking, the dandies using silver
chains for the purpose. It was about
1888 when shoes Of the present form
were introduced, and in 1868 the buckle
came into use as an ornament.
Chimneys-The Oldest certain ac-
count Of chimney, places 1t in Venice
in 1347. None Of the Roman ruins
show chimneys. The chimney Of an
tiquity was hole in the roof. A kitch-
en- in Rome was always sooty, and the
wealthy Romans used dry wood which
would burn without SCOT.
Silk-The first silk was made B. c.
26OO by the wife Of Chinese emperor.
Aristotle at $50 first mentions silk
among the Greeks. The manufacture
of silk was carried on in Sicily in the
twelfth century, later spreading to
Italy, Spain and the south Of France.
1t was not manufactured in England
before 1904.
Tea-Tea was introduced into Eng
land about the middle Of the seven
teenth century, when 1t was a great
luxury and fetched from G6 to e10 a
pound. UP to about 1885 the greater
portion Of the tea imported into this
country came from China; the bulk is
now obtained from India and Ceylon,
although China tea of good quality is
again working its way into favor.
Beards-These were regarded as a
sacred possession by ancient races.
The Jews were proud Of their boards,
and they wore them through the
days of their Egyptian bondage al
though the Egyptians shaved. The
Greeks and Romans Of the ancient days
mostly shaved, and the term "barba-
rous" (beard -wearing), was applied for
long period to people who were con-
sidered out of the pale Of good soci-
ety. Boards have been taxed occa-
sionally, as in Russia by Peter the
Great, and at an earlier date in Eng
| land.
Pins-Pins were in existence, no
doubt, in prehistoric times, and have
been unearthed in British barrows
Brass pins were introduced into Eng
| land from France about 1910, and were
being made in this country three years
later. They were manufactured by
machinery in England in 1924.
Matches-Lucifer matches-that Is,
matches tipped with an explosive sub
| stance that bursts into flame on being
struck-were first used about 1884
Many improvements have been made in
matches since then, the most import
ant of which was the invention Of the
safety match, striking on the box only
Wire-This was originally made by
hammering, but is now produced by
means of powerful machinery which
draws the heated metal through a Sc
ries of holes Of gradually diminishing
size. The first wire mill in England was
set up at Mortlake in 1868. Enormous
quantities of wire of differing grades
and sizes, are now being used, ranging
| from a thickness difficult to bend to the
finest thread.-Tit Bits.
| II Many a fellow who weds an heir