Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1919-04-12
ANTIQUITY OF
DECORATIVE ART
Strange Sources From Which
Pigments Used by Modern
Painters Are Derived.
PRESERVATION or SURFACES
Crude but Effective Processes Employ
ed by the Egyptians and Greeks Of
Pllny's Day--Noah Prudently
Waterproofed the AK.


swer to need for preservntive or tt
meet desire for beauty is II question
fully rs knotty as the ancient one about
the relative time OF arrival OF the
chicken or the egg II was invented
though, and It serves both purposes
equally; so whether II Is an offspring
OF beauty remains forever II disputet
question.
The first men, covering under The
fierce and glaring suns OF the biblicn.
countries. constructed rude huts OF
wood to shelter them. The perlshablt
nature of these structures caused rapid
decay. and It Is probable that the o.
cupants, seeking soIne artificial rneani
OF preservation, hit upon the pigments
OF the earth IN their search. II Is per
haps natural 10 suppose that II was
the Instinct of preservation that led
men To the search, although the glOrics
Of the sunsets aud the beauties OF the
rainbow may have created II desire To
initiate those wonders In their own
dwellings
The earliest record OF the applicn
ton OF Il preventative to II wooden
structure dnteS from the ark. which
was, according Ia the Bible. pitched
within and without The pitch was a
triumph OF prescrt WALTON whatever Il,
lupk al az "a thing nf hcuuiy
Decoration applied tn buildings first
comes 10 light with ancient Babylon
whose walls were covered with repre-
sentutions Of hunting scenes and of
combat These We're done In red nut
the method followed was 20 paint the
scene on the bricks at the time u
manufacture assuring prriHai"nce 10y
baking Strictly speaking, this was
hot painting 50 much as It was tn,
earliest manifestation OF our own ia
mil.ar knl>omlning
The lrst Hebrew to mention paint
ing Is Moses lu the thirty third chap
ter OF the book OF Numbers he In
.-structs the Isruelitcs. when yc have
passed over the Jordan into the land
the inhabitants of the land from be
fore you and destroy nll their pie
lures
Al later periods the Jews adopted
many customs of the peoples who sue
cesslvrly obtained power over them
and IN the apoeryphal book of the
Mnccnbres Is found this nlluSion To
II fl,.N al
ter builder OF II new house must care
for the whole building. but he That
undcrtukcth to sci II out aud paint IT,
must seek out things FOR the adjoining
thereof"
Although Homer gives credit TO a
Greek for the discovery OF paint, the
illusions 10 II In the books of Moses,
the painted mummy cases OF the EgNp-
tiuns and the decorated walls of Baby
Ion and Thebcs iiX It's origin NJ u
period long ultccetlcnt 10 the Grccinn
era The walls OF Thcbes were paint
ed 1900 years before the coming OF
Christ and 800 years before " 'Omer
smote his bloomn' Tyre
The Greeks recognized the value OF
paint us II preserNative and made use
Of something akin to II on their ships.
Pllny writes of the mode Of boiling
wax and painting ships with II, after
which, he continues. neither the sea.
nor the wind, nor the sun can destroy
the wood thus protected"
The Romans, being essentially a
warlike people, never brought the dec
Grafton OF buildings 10 the high plane
II had reached with the Greeks For
all that the ruins OF Pompeii show
many structures whose mural dccora-
lions ure IN fair shape today, The
colors used We're glnring black
background was the usual one aud the
combinations worked thereon red, yell
low and blue.
In the early Christian era the use OF
mosaics for churches somewhat sup
planted mural painting. Stlll. during
the reign OF Justinian the Church of
Saint Sophia was built nj Constantine
pie and its walls We're adorned with
paintings.
In modern times the uses OF paint
have come 10 be as numerous Ms Its
myriad shades and tlnts. Paint Is
unique In that It's mime ms no syno'
nym and for II there Is no substitute
material. Bread Is the stan OF life, but
paint Is the life OF the stan.
No one thinks OF the exterior OF u
wooden building now except In terms
OF paint coated. Interiors. too from
painted walls and stained furniture
down 10 the lowllest kitchen utensll,
all receive their protective covering.
Steel, so often associated with cement
enforcing. Is painted before II goes
10 give solidlty To the manufactured
stone. The huge girders OF the sky
scrapers are daubed an ugly but ell
cicnt red underneath the surface coat
OF black. Perhaps the lest example
OF the value OF paint ON steel Is found
~ the venerable Brooklyn bridge. on
hitch gung OF painters Is kept 30.
ing continually. II IL scarce possible
% think Of single manufactured ar
ticlr which does not meet paint some