The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-05-10
ORIGINS Of Common Thinas.

London Tit-Bits: Forks - Forks
were unknown in England until about
300 years ago. A knife was used to
cut up food, but the food was onveye
by the fingers to the mouth. The
first evidence Of a use of the fork in
the twentieth century fashion Was by
a noble lady Of Byzantium, who, in the
eleventh century, had married a doge
of Venice, n ate in that city after
her own custom, cutting her meat very
finely UP and conveying it to her
mouth with a tWo-pronged fork. The
act was regarded in Venice as a sign
Of expensive luxury and extreme eff
femlnaCy.
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-
m0nts 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-
toenth century, shoes with such long
points were worn that they had to be
tied to the knees for convenience Of
walking, the dandies using silver
chains for the purpose. 1t was about
1888 when shoes of the present form
were introduced, and in 1868 the buckle
came into use as an ornament.
Chimneys-Thc oldest certain ac-
count of a chimney places it in Venice
in 1347. None of the Roman ruins
show chimneys. The chimney of an
tiquity was a hole in the roof. A
Kitchen in Rome was always sooty,
and the wealthy Romans used dry
wood which would burn without SCOT.
Silk-The first silk was made $500
3. c. by the wife Of a Chinese emper-
or. Aristotle at $50 first mentions silk
among the Greeks. The manufacture
Of silk was carried IN 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
tcenth century, when it vas a great
luxury and fetched from Sc to c 10 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 CeyIon,
although china tea of good quality Is
again working its way into favor,
Bcards-These We're regarded as a
sacred possession by ancient races.
The Jews were proud Of their boards,
ana wore thom through the days OF
their Egyptian bondage, although the
Egyptians shaved. The Greeks and
Romans Of the ancient days mostly
shaved. and the term 'barbarous'
(beard- Wearing) was applied for a
long period to people who were CON-
stdered out Of the pale of polite socie-
ty. Boards have been taxed OCCASION
ally, as in Russia by Peter the Great,
and at an earlier date in England.
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.
Observation-Disclosures matches-that is.
matches tipped with an explosive sub
struck-Were first used about 1884.
Many improvements have been made
in matches since then, the most i'm
pOrtant 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 SER
les Of holes Of gradually diminishing
size. The first wire mill in England
set up at Mortlake in 1868. Enor-
nous quantities of wire of differing
grades and sizes are 20 used, ranging
from a thickness difficult to bend to
the finest thread.