The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-16

Few of us realize how intimately tina,
commonplace material, paint, eaters into
and pervades OF daily lives.
Inc houses We live in are painted. the
FENCES that surround them are painted.
the cars in which We ride. the structures
on winch they travel and the machinery
mat provides their motive power are pro-
tected and decorated with paint.
ms Is true also Of a large proportion
Of the furniture, tools or utensils we daily
use. Go where we will. look where We
a our eyes rest on painted surfaces.
u might be e expected that a material 40
conspicuous in our surroundings and evil
IDENTITY so important to our comfort would
challenge more than a passing interest.
Yet. as n matter OF fact, even the archi-
tect. who constantly specifies paint, usu-
ally gives II but slight attention; while to
the consumer, whose property is pro-
tected or decorated with it, paint, as Il
rule, IL just paint and nothing more.
Yet the manufacture of paint il an inn
portant American industry. in which
many millions Of capital are invested.
and which turns out annually something
like $2OO.OO0. 600 worth of products.
II consumes, in linseed oil for example.
between Is, 900, 900 and 90 00, 900 bushels
OF haxseed every year, and this seed il
grown on an area of about 2.O0O, 900 acres.
giving in this single item large employ
ment to the agricultural and shipping
interests.
A peculiarly American feature of the
industry il the manufacture Of prepared
paint. il began in this country a little
over half a century age and the annual
output to-day is worth well over 500, OOO.-
600. No foreign country approaches us
in this respect. Even in England the an
nual output is still negligible, though
prepared paints MADE in the U. S. A.,
are found in every civilized country.
Success Due 10 Zine Oxide.
The success of the prepared paint in
dustry was made possible by the intro
duction Of zinc oxide as "A commercial!
pigment. The story of this achievement
reads like a romance.
In the cit" Of Paris, about sevc ty-fivG
years a o, there lived a painter raned
lie Claire. He was a goo painter and
took pride in a first olrss las ing oh,
But he was not SAT- Sfcd with I q ma
| terials he and other "ainters were using
He wanted "A better, safer base for paint,
He wanted something that would retain
i~ustre-iessen chaiking- retain C lor-,
put an end forever to poisoning.
After a great eal ot expcrimel he
! frnnd it oxide OF zinc.
And when IL Claire show q TIVE French
people buildings beautified nv zinc paint
Wn1cn TAR outidst"u ann ouliiSITcu any
thing that they had previously seen they
grew ent usiastic over his wonderful
discovery. All over Franc people dc
manded that their houses be painted witt
zinc paint. They gave lie Claire all thu
work he could do built up his modest
business OF house painting into IA grea'
concern--made his everlas ing fortune
lie Ciairc did not make prepared paints
Being a p inter, he followed tn ole
painters routine OF hand mixing for eaci
Job. II eeded American genius to SCI
the advantage OF letting machinery dc
the work Of preparation, and the physica
properties of zinc gave the opportunity
White lead, the other important whit,
pigment, is hard to keep in suspension
oil. II settles b the bottom of tn