The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1919-04-11
Strange Sources From Which
Pigments Used by Modern
| Painters Are Derived.
PRESERVATION OF SURFACES.
nruds hwt Effective Preeessss Employ
ID BY the Egyptians and Greeks Of
pilays Dsy--Noah Prsdsntly
WatsrprssfeA the Ark.

tAsat desire fOr beauty u question
eliiy a. knOtty a. the ancieat one about
De relative time Of arrival Of the
ksickea or the egg. II was invented
Aeash, and Il serves both purposes
enually No whether 1t is an offspring
b mother necessity or an adopted son
he besuty remains forever a disputed
ksestiea.
Tue nrst mea, covering under the
esrce and glaring suns of the biblical
fpuntries, constructed rude hats OF
lsoOd TO shelter them. The perishabls
nature OF these structures caused rapid
hscay, and It Is probable that the oc-
Eupants, seeking some artificial means
hf preservation, hit upon the pigments
b the earth In their search. 1t Is per-
kaps natural to suppose that 1t was
khe instinct Of preservation that led
taen to the search, although the glories
hf 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-
don of a preventative to a wooden
structure dates from the ark, which
Has, according to the Bible; pitched
Nithin and without" The pitch was a
triumph Of preservation whatever 1t
k.s.oI Nc thino af haanfv
Decoration applied to buildings first
zones to light with ancient Babylon,
whose walls were covered with repre-
sentations of hunting scenes and OF
combat. These were done in red and
HE method followed was to paint the
scene on the bricks at the time OF
manufacture, assuring permanence by
baking. Strictly speaking, this was
not painting so much as 1t was the
earliest manifestation Of our own IA
bniliar kalsomining.
The first Hebrew to mention paint
tng is Moses. In the thirty-third chap
her OF the book of Numbers he In
gtructs the IsraelItes, "When We have
passed over the Jordan into the land
bf Canaan. then shall we drive out all
the inhabitants of the land from be-
fore you and destroy all their pic
lures. :"
At later periods the Jews adopted
many "ustoms of the peoples who sue
cesslvely obtained power over them
and In the apocryphal book Of the
Maccabees Is found this alluslon to
the art Of decorating, "For as the mas
Ger builder of new house must care
for the whole building, but he that
tsndertaketh to set 1t out and paint 1t,
nust seek out things for the adjoining
thereof"
Although Homer gives credit to q
Greek for the discovery Of paint, the
illusions to It In the books of Moses
the painted mummy cases Of the Egyp
tinns and the decorated walls Of Baby
ton and Thebcs AK Its origin at
period long antecedent to the Greciar
era. The walls Of Thebes were paint
ed 1000 years before the coming o
Christ and 900 years before "'Omel
smote his bloomln' Tyre"
The Greeks recognized the value o.
paint as a prcseryative and made us'
of something akin to 1t on their ships
pliny writes of the mode Of boiling
wax and painting ships with II, afte
which, he continues, neither the sea
nor the wind, nor the sun can destro.
d. 49,. nrnfaofad ~
The Romans, being essentially
warlke people, never brought the dec
oration of buildings to the high plan
+, At had reached with the Greeks Flo
al that the ruins of Pompeil sho'
uany structures whose mural decors
lions are in fair shape to-day. Tn
colors used were glaring. A blac
background was the usual one and tn
combinations worked thereon red, ye
low and blue.
In the early Christian era the use
mosaioS for churches somewhat SUI
planted mural painting. Still, durin
the reign of Justinian the Church
Saint Sophia was built at Constantine
nile and its walls were adorned wit
paintings.
In modern times the uses Of pail
aaye come to be as numerous as !
myriad shades and tints. Paint
unique In that its name las no syn
nym and for It there Is no substitu
material. Bread is the stan Of life, b
paint Is the life of the staff.
No one thinks OF the exterior Of
wooden building now except In teri
az paint coated. Interiors, too. frc
~aInted walls and stained furnitu
down TO the lowliest kitchen utens
all receive their protective coveriE
Steel. 80 often associated with GENE
reinforcing. Is Dainted before II 70
70 give solIdlU to the manufactur
.stone. The huge girders Of the 81
,srrapers are daubed an ugly hut 9
dent red underneath the surface q
~ HACK. Perhaps the sest exam
AZ the value of paint on steel e fou
An the venerable BROOKLYN bridge.
which . gang Of painters Is kept
ing continually. Il In scarce posi-
a. think Of single manufactured
sscle watch does not meet laini so'
n - ..ns,rxa saF its constr