The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-28
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

more to do with determining the quality than any of the other ingredients.
 The proportion of silica varies in diff ferent kinds of glass. In lead glass it is from 42 to 60 per cent; plate contains about 79 per cent, and window glass about 70 per cent.
 Now this much about glass I'm not going to try and write it's history Am just going to give a little bit about it. Keep in mind that lead tends to make glass soft, and lime makes it hard
 If you really want to know about glass you can get much more than I know about it in any encyclopedia or work on the glass industry.
 We are told glass comes from an An glo-Saxon word, glaes, or the Latin glesum, each meaning amber, 8 substance found on the shores of the Baltic and North seas.
 We are also told glass (Dan. glas, Ger glas, glass; Norw. glas, window; glisa, to shine through; French glace, pol lshed shining; Gael, glas, pale green; Latin glacies, ice), all of which is very opaque to me, and as I'm going to write about windows I'll quit the dictionaries.
 The art of making glass, according to Pliny, was accidentally discovered by some merchants who were travelling with nitre, and stopped near a river issuing from Mount Carmel. Not readily finding stones to rest their kettles on. they employed some pieces of their nitre for that purpose. The nitre, gradually dissolvins by the heat of the fire, mixed with the sand, and transparent matter flowed, which was, in fact glass. This is one version of the Pliny yarn. As a matter of fact, several nations claim the honor of it's discovery.
 It's not my purpose to even try to tell of the various commercial uses to which glass has been put, or to more than call attention to it's wonderful artistic uses and possibilities
 I give just one instance of curious use to which glass was put Franklin tells us of a musical instrument, with keys like a pianoforte, but with bars of glass instead of strings of wire, invented in Paris in 17S5 by a German named Beyer. I dare say that some people now living in this twentieth century wish that their neighbor's pianos were so con Ln han0irp would shatter the instruments very in sides.
 Pressed glass is an American invention. I've seen it stated that the first at- tempt to make glass in the United States was at Jamestown, Va, in 1908. [ believe, however, a New England city eontroverts this In any event, Americas plate glass industry is attracting world wide attention.
 One historian says the first indisputable mention of glass windows is by Gregory ,f Tours, fourth century, who speaks of church windows of colored glass. Others claim there are traces of glass windows having been used in Pompeii, but this is l didn't see any evidence ,f any glass when I visited the ruins, nor lid I see any samples of window glass n the museum.
 Glass began to be used in windows in private houses in England as early as 1SO. It was novelty and very expen- ;ive. A tax on windows, levied in Eng and. 1895, was abolished 1851. The early -ax.
 It's strange how we take things for granted. We can hardly think of build- ng without windows, and yet in ancient temple architecture windows were un- light being obtained from openings in the roof The window came nto it's own in Gothic architecture.
 
 Another thing: We build our best win lows to face ,ne street, but in the east, | rom time immemorial, windows open not )n the street, but on the inner court. | is not a western virtue. Publicity calls out for all the world to come and see. Hence we use a great deal of glass.
 
 A friend of mine who built a house said that he and his architect almost came to blows over the number of win lows in his home. He wanted more than the architect thought was artistic and got his way, but not without being told that he was building a hothouse, suitable for plants rather than for people.
 For centuries windows were mere slits pr apertures in the masonry. War and the lack of window glass were respensi- ole Among the Romans windows were originally closed with shutters. Some of most modern homes have shutters. instead of blinds. They get it from New England.
 Let us be thankful that we do not have to live in houses without glass windows, to use horns and gourds for drinking cups, and the skin of anlmals TOT pv,- ties.
 The Chinese and Japanese use. instead of window slass, a thin vanished paper. Even in Rome for long while windows were made of a transparent stone. lapis specularis, which, from the description. WIS rrotabiy mica, and. in the second century after Christ, of horn.
 The next time you look out of a win 5o,,, th;pl- m thoca thinpr c;e1 x,,o,