The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1919-04-11
Strange Sources From Which
Pigments Used by Modern
Painters Are Derived.
PRESERVATION OF SURFACES.
Crude but effective Processes Employ
ed by the Egyptians and Greeks Of
Plinys Cay-Noah PrudeatIy
Waterproofed the Ark


meet a desire for beauty is "A question
fully as knotty as the ancient one about
the relative time OF arrival OF The
chicken or the egg II was Invented,
though. and u serves both purposes
equally; So whether IL IS an offspring
OF mother necessity or an adopted son
OF beauty remains forever n disputed
question.
The first men. covering under the
fierce and glarins suns OF the biblical
countries. constructed rude huts OF
wood to shelter them. The perishable
nature OF these structures caused rapid
decay and II Is probable that the oc-
cupants. seeking some artificial means
OF preservation. hit upon the pigments
OF the earth in their search. 1t is per-
haps natural 10 suppose that It was
the instinct OF preservation that led
men 10 the search, although the glories
OF the sunsets and the beauties OF the
rainbow may have created a desire to
initiate those wonders In their own
dwellings.
The earliest record OF the applica-
zion Of a preventative TO a wooden
structure dates from the ark. which
was. according 10 the Bible. pitched
within and without" The pitch was a
~igmph % preservation whatever 1t
lacked rs thing OF beauty.
Decoration applied to buildings first
comes To light with ancient Babylon,
whose walls were covered with repre-
sensations OF hunting scenes and Of
combat These were done In red and
the method followed was 10 paint the
scene on the bricks at the time OF
manufacture, assuring permanence by
baking Strictly speaking. this was
not painting SO much as it was the
earliest manifestation OF our own IA
niiliar kalsomining
The first Hebrew 10 mention paint
Ing Is Moses. In the thirty-third chap
ter " the book OF Numbers he In
struciS the lsraelites, when ye have
passed over the Jordan into the land
" Canaan. then shall ye drive out all
tie Inhabitants OF the land from be-
fore you and destroy all their pic
lures.
AZ later periods the Jews adopted
many customs Of the peoples who sue
cessl,ely obtained power over them
and ia The apocryphal book OF the
Maccabces Is found this allusion 10
the art 81 decorating. For as the mas
ter builder OF new house must care
for the whole building. but he that
undertaken 10 set II out and paint IL,
must seek out things for the adjoining
thereof
Although Homer gives credit to a
illusions TO II in the books OF Moses,
t.le painted mummy cases OF the Egyp-
tlans and the decorated walls Of Baby
Ion and Thebes Ak its origin at a
period long antecedent to the Grecian
era The walls Of Thebes were paint
ed 1900 years before the coming OF
Christ and 900 years before "'Omer
snoie his bloomln' Tyre
The Greeks recognized the value OF
paint as a preservstive and made use
OF something akin to IL on their ships.
Pliny 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"
Inc Romans being essentially
warllhe people never brought the dec
GRAFTON OF bulldlniS To the 'hlgh pane
" h'' r'"'"'" WIN me "reeks. for
hil mar we runs on fonpell snow
many STRUT lures "h"S' WuTh' uecora-
lions are lh l"Ir 9hhpe TO-DAY. ne
c"'"rN use" were l'rlhg. ~ mack
W. GUN" ""N 'u' 'Nu"' ""e anu 'ne
r''N"'''" .'"S "''"'l '"'''"" ''u' yer
VOW "''' "'"'
''' ''''' ~ -" wy "'' VI
w '''' SuP
"u' ~
h" '' ~