The broad ax., 1917-06-16
MODERN INVENTIONS AGES OLD.

"a llLIlc IMAM AOO JS-@S 20 -
man appeared on the streets of London
with a clumsily fashioned umbrella.
That man was known as Jonas Hama
way, and ever since that memorable
day his name has been handed down
to posterity as the inventor of the UNI
brella. When he first brought his crude
protector before the eyes of the public
he was hooted, ridiculed and well-nigh
mobbed. The citizens of London never
had seen nor heard of anything of the
kind, and it was long time ere man
could use an article of that nature
without being made the object of a
great deal of contempt.
When the Dark Ages settled over
Europe, with the downfall of Rome,
such things as umbrellas were forgot
ten. Inventions, learning and nearly
all else except superstition, war and
dissipation passed away. For 1900
years Europe was a hotbed of the ig-
norant, with here and there a little
learning creeping in, only to be
squelched as soon as it was discovered.
During all those centuries Europe lived
behind that wall of ignorance much as
the Chinese foolishly secreted them
selves behind their more material wall.
The outside world was forgotten.
In Spain and across the straits, in
Northern Africa, the Arabs were liv-
ing in what would be even now won
derful state of civilization. A little to
the east the Greeks were only begin
ming to dwindle in matters intellectual
and artistic. The Norsemen, in the
north, were trying to hold their civil
zation. South America was peopled by
wonderful race, who had reached
such heights that when the ignorant
Spanish explorers came to them, after
the rediscovery of America by Colum-
bus, these Spaniards imagined they had
almost found paradise. This remark
able height of intellectual achieve
ments lasted only so long as the Span
iards allowed it to exist, and then
ceased, but today we are digging in the
ruins and finding just what happened
in Peru, Yucatan and other countries
before the Europeans destroyed them.
During the middle ages all Europe
was surrounded by intelligence, and as
the people slowly emerged from their
half savage condition the knowledge of
olden times slowly reappeared. I'm
portant inventions which had passed
from view were reinvented, learning
came once more into use, and with the
of rediscovery of the art of
printing the European world began to
become re-educated.
That process of re-education is still
in progress, but we have many things
to learn, and the time is not far dis
tant when history will have to be re-
written and many of our old ideas
abolished. We have been deluded and
led into false channels of thinking.
Strange as it may seem, it is true that
The great glories of some of our most
famous men will have to be dimmed
and many changes will soon be made,
even in our school books. The people
Of today demand the truth, and it
must eventually come to them.
Take, for instance, the glory of this
discoverer, Jonas Runaway.
Jonas is entitled to great deal of
credit for bringing us back to the UNI
orella and parasol, but, although it is
likely that even he did not know it,
ne had merely re-discovered an appli-
ance as old as history. In Egypt, all
through Africa, in Greece, in ancient
Crete, Babylonia and in Assyria and
away off in all parts of Asia, umbrellas |
md sun shields were used thousands |
md thousands of years ago. We know
his, for almost every monument dug |
rom its rest of ages under the sand or
,arth bears pictures of umbrellas of one
lind or another.
Every person allied to surgery knows
hat the best method of putting a stop |
o the bleeding of severed limbs is by
he utilization of what is known as the
'tourniquet." This was invented by a
french surgeon by the name of Tourni-
luet, and for about 200 years he has
,een renowned throughout Europe and /
America for his discovery. Yet the
anne invention was used 1900 years
go in the Roman city Of Herculaneum
,efore it was overwhelmed by lava
rom Vesuvius. Within the last year
specimens of "tourniquets"
we're dug from the ruins of Hercula-
leum, almost works of art, made of
,ronze, and some of these specimens
re now in the museum of the Univer-
ity of Pennsylvania.
The greatest civilizing agency the