The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-05-24
THE AGE OF PAPER.
How Could Our Present Civilization
Function Without It?

| OF tHe WORTH dDSOlubt uSPcHuSHNos w
| it.
Apt as this name is. few realize the
comparatively short period that paper
has resigned as medium of express
sion, for though it has been known
about 1000 years, it has been Ill gen
] eral use only about 500 years, a very
| short time when compared with the
many centuries that papyrus was used,
| or those ages when stone and brick
| tables carried the written thought of
mankind, not to mention the yellum
and parchments, which still flourish.
Like SO many things occidental civ
ilization claims as its own, the Chi
nese manufactured paper so long ago
that the date is lost in the obscurity
of their history. Certainly they made
it in the second century A. d., for in
1870, A. D., the Chinese emperor sent
| 10000 sheets of fine paper as gift to
the Emperor Aurelius.
Their secret was brought to western
Asia by the Arabs, who conquered Sam
arcand in 75l, A. d., and took into
| captivity Chinese paper makers EN-
| ploying them to teach this art in Ara
| ba, who became. and remained for a
long time, the center OF the paper in
| dustry. 1t proved a fortunate capture.
Owing to an embargo placed by one
| of the Ptolemys (he feared that Alex
andria 5 library would be excelled else
wherel on Egyptian papyrus, which
| had for ages been the chief medium Tor
| writing, parchment came into use, but
| the demand so far exceeded the sup
ply that deeds were often executed on
! strips no larger than two inches square.
Hence paper was boon to the
whole world. And since it was a sub
stitute for parchment, the size OF the
| early paper sheets followed the pareh-
ment sizes OF those early days when
the skin of the entire animal was cut
square and folded in two, which, OF
course. varied in length and breadth,
according to the size of the animal.
Notwithstanding the demand for pa
per in western Europe, the quality OF
that manufactured in Spain, Italy and
Sicily did not approach that OF the
Arabian paper, and consequently 1t
was not highly thought of Even as
Late as the 10th and 10th centuries
apolories were made for its use for let
ters. Indeed it was so coarse, spongy
and dull that it was subject to damp
and worms. and was officially con-
demned in 1921 by that successful cru
sader and able administrator, Emperor
Frederick the Second, who ISSUED a
proclamation declaring void all docu-
ments written on paper and hxln2 Two
wears as the time limit for the tran
scription of all such records on TO
parchment.
However. it was due to paper that
the custom of writing on both sides OF
the sheet came into use even for parch-
ment and yellum. The difference in
color. as well as texture, OF the two
sides OF the skin was accountable Tor
this non-use. and when q particularly
fine piece of work was desired. the HAIR
sides were glued together, leaving The
under and smoother sides exposed for
the inscription. But vellum's bulki-
ness only made paper, however perish.
able. the more desirable. Writing on
both sides of either parchment, yeilum
or paper. did not become general I'M
iii the middle of the 10th century.
Paper making became a profitable
trade in France almost at once on ITS
introduction in the early 18th century,
and the French did a large business
with England, where for some reason
il was not produced for trade until
the early years of the 18th century,
though we read that Henry VII sub
sidized a mill. "for a rewarde at the
paper mylne," to the extent OF 10 :.
d. And in the same year, 1859, an Eng
lish writer expresses his thankfulness
for paper in this manner: And John
Tate. the younger, joye mote he brokl
Which late hattie in England, doc make
! this paper thyme. that now in our
Englvsh. this book is printed inne.
1t Is rather remarkable that the Eng
lish should have entered this trade 50
late. But that astute lady, the good
Queen Bess. was fully alive 10 its
possibilities and not only distributed
subsidies but conferred knighthoOd on
number Of people who interested them
selves in paper manufacture. John
Spillman, her ieweler. was one OF these
30 honored and to him also went the
first charter TO gather rags, hshnet'
and other ike materials for the pur'
pose. Charters for mills in the Amer
lean colonies were given a little later
II was in France that the greatest
advance was made in quality OF pro.
duction BY hand-sheet by sheet. Then
a Frenchman. Louis Robert, a young
clerk in the Essonue mills, invented the
machine that enabled supply to meet
the demand until now. when the world
again faces an embargo by nature in
fnitelv more far-reaching than that
cused by PtolemY's seliishness.
With history % but few hundred
wears Use against the thousands wher
papyrus was employed. and with M
substitute. however poor, in view, what
docs the future bold for the next gen
! erations Will a new embargo breskei
arise. in the form Of scientist. and
discover new medium of expression
for the written word. and, like the
embargo litter Of old. preserve tbs
RHYTHM Of civilizations forward step
Paper has never been appreciated a.
| il has deserved II has always beer
treated in the light Of a substitute. a
thing neglected and wasted Now thai
the day Of reckoning is at hand, who
will show how We can conserve thi'
precious commodity or increase pro
! duciion. thereby lifting old nature
! embargo. Printer. Ink Monthly.