The west shore., January 01, 1880, Page 21, Image 21

January, 1880.
THE WEST SHORE.
HOW THE ANCIENTS ENGRAVED OEMS.
A writer in Harptr't Magaxint for Septem
ber says: We mult remain as yet some little
in doubt aa to the methods employed by the
old artists to perfect these miracles of taste.
W e have, however, the absolute uuiUiuiy lhal
these ancient masters were familiar with the
diamond, and that their best work was made
by using this, the hardest of all substanoos, as
a tool. A splintered fragment of the diamond
served as a scraping tool, and they were well
acquainted with the drill. Prehistorio man
worked a drill at the very commencement of
his existence. A Phoenician gem a lion attacking
a bull shows how the drill was used. A num
ber of oircular depressions are found in the
gem whioh mark the extremities of the figures.
This was done not for the sake of offeot, but to
show the artist the limit of his work as to
depth. After the holes were sunk, the artist
united the various portions of his work by
scratching. Now the use of the diamond point
or splinter, fixed in a style of iron socket,
allowed a certain flexibility of handling which
our modern processes of gem-engraving do not
permit.
To-day the work is done by means of a
minute rotating diso of copper, which is whetted
with oil and diamond dust On the least appli
cation of the subatanoes to be out to the disc,
it is the diso which bites into the stone. The
difference of manipulation is, then, that to-day
it it the stone which goes to the tool, and not,
as in olden times, the tool to the stone. It is
more convenient, then, in 1870, to bring the
cart to the horse. It can now be readily un
derstood why, in modern work, time and labor
being spared (the art-oonoeption not entering
for the present into the subject), why this work
of to-day is inferior to the art which is past.
It is purely a meohanioal process now, for a
rotating disc will no more draw lines whioh
have feeling than will photographing processes
paint pictures. It has been Btated that we are
not entirely acquainted with the methods em
ployed by the old glyptic artists. This becomes
quite evident from this faot, that their best
work seems to have been both cut and polished
at one and the same time. To-day we have no
tool, no substance which will accomplish this
double feat. Mr. King, dwelling on the dia
mond point, says: "Its exteusivo use is the
great distinction netween toe antique aim muu
ern work."
Too Mahy Girls. "Them girls'll be the
death of me," sighed Mr. Plug this morning, as
heeame np street, "Why, I thought they were
verv nice girls," said a sympathizing friend
"So they are nioe enough, bnt thero'e too many
an 'em an' they are too attractive," said the dis
consolate patriarch. "Ihem three daughters
of mine were enough in all consoience, but now
my nieoe is up hen from Boston, and it seems
as if the old scratch had got into 'em. I don't
object to young people bavin' a good time, and
girls havin' beaux and all that, bnt when it
comet to havin' tparkin' goin' on all over the
place, damme it't too bad," aaid Mr. Plug, on
consciously quoting from Pinafore. "Last night
Sue had a feller oourtin' her at the front gate,
and Julia had her chap in the parlor, and when
I got ready to go to bed, bleat me if Andro
manohe (that's my nieoe from Bos too), didn t
hart a young start tpooning on the front stairs.
She aayt that's Newport style. Coat tich non
sense I I couldn't get up stairs to go. to lied
without elimbin' over 'em. I thought I d go
out to the barn and sleep on the hay, but dura
my piotar if I didn't fall ovtr Milly and some
young snooier 'nuther tettin' in the barn door.
This things got to stop before the cold weather,
for I can't afford wood and carrvstoe for any
tich nontenae when it's too cold for out-door
.parkin'."
HOUSEHOLD PERILS.
Under this head the Boston Journal oj Chtm
istry names several dangerous substances whioh
find their way into households. There are two
or three volatile liquids used in families which
Oil) i , ....,,,,,.., ,uab Mm
ployed, if at all, with special care. Bonxinc,
ether and strong ammonia constitute this class
of agents. The two first named liquida are em
ployed in cleansing gloves and other wearing
"I't"" ' auu in removing on stains iroin carpels,
curtains, eto. The liiiuiils are In hl volatile
and flash into vapor so soon as the cork of tho
vial containing tlicni is removed. Their vapors
are very combustible, anil will iiillaiuo at loua
; i , .,
iiioiaiues irum igniuiii canines or gas names,
and consequently they should novor bo used in
the evening whon tho house is liuhted. Ex-
plotious of a very dangerous nature will occur if
mo vapor in uiesc liquids is permuted to eicapo
into the room in considerable quantity. In
view of the great hazard of handling thesn
liquids, cautious housekeepers will not allow
them to be brought into tneir dwellings, and
tins course is commendable.
Aa regards ammonia, or water of ammonia, it
is a very powerful agont, especially the stronger
kinds sold by druggists. An accident in its use
has recently come under our notice, in which
young lady lost her life from taking a few drops
torougn misiaae. iircatning tno gas under cer
tain circumstances causes serious harm to the
lungs and membranes of the inuuth ami note
It is an agont much nsed at the present time for
cleansing purposes, ami II IS Ullnlljccilolialiln II
proper care is used in its employment. The
vials holding it should be kept apart from others
containing medicinal, etc., and rubber ttopiert
to tno vian snouiu be used.
Oxtlio aoid it considerably employed in (ami
lies for cleaning brail and copper utensils
This lubttanoo is highly oisonoiii, und must be
kept and used with great cautiun. In crystal
line struoture it closely reseinblos sulphate of
magnolia or epsom salts, and therefore frequent
mistakes are made and livos lint, hvory igiuit
whioh goes iuto families among inexperienced
persons should be kept in a safe place and
labeled properly and uied with care.
DOLLS OK DRIED KHUIT.
If a genial papa or doting auntie wants to
amuse the little onoa immensely any evening
after tea, this cannot more successfully be ac
complished than by making them some dolls of
dried fruit, for they can at first "wonder and
admire" while tho evolution of the grotesque
figures is going on, and afterwards havo tbo
delicious pleasure of eating the manikins up.
The materials to be employed aro a few each of
shelled almondi, ligs, prunes anil raisins, also
four apples, three of which must be graduated,
two loose pu ces of win-, and two piecea of hoard
measuring two inches square, in each of which
must previously have been died firmly two wira
pins about four inches high.
Having got all tha things together, beeln
with tha man. Pot an almond on each wire
for hit feet, turning the toet or narrow and
out. (Tha wirea mint be near enough together
to have tha healt juit touch. ) Above these,
itriog on each wira three large raisins for tha
legs. Than comet a large prune on each for
the knickerbonkart. Above these, three figt
ttrung on both wirat mike the body. Through
the upper tig pan a wira horizontally for the
arms. String three imallcr rtiiini on each
arm, and continue the figure by putting two
largest-sited ramus over both wires, one ihove
the other, for tha neck. The hetd it ma le of
one lariro prune, with pieces of almond for the
yet, and mouth, and the hat it half an
apple, with a raiaio for a tuft. Tha littla
woman it ma le in the aame way, except that
the only bat oot raiain leg above each almond
foot, and then coma three graduated applet to
form bar ikirtt, and ovtr them tha three figt
with the raiain strung anna for htr body.
BIDE YOUR TIME
Every man mutt patiently bide hit time. Ha
mutt wait. Mora particularly in lands like my
native land, where the pulaa of life baata with
feveriah and impatient throbs, is tho lesion
ueeiiiui. uur ualiouai uiiaraour wauie tuo dig
nity of repose. We aeem to live in the mi. 1st of
a battle, there it tuuh a din, auoh a hurrying
to and fro. In tht ttraata of a crowded city it
it dillicult to walk slowly; you feel the ruihing
of the crowd, and ruih with it onward. In tha
pies of our life it ia dillicult to lie calm. In
thit ntrcs of wiud and tide all professions aeem
to drag their auction, and ant twept out iuto
the main. The voice of tho pratont aay
('omul But the voices of iho past lay Wait I
With calm and solemn footitept the rising tide
bean against the ruahiug torrent up stream,
and pushes back the hurrying waters. With no
less calm aud solemn footitept, nor leu cer
tainty, does a great mind bear up against pub
lic opinion, and puih back the hurrying stream.
Therefore, should every man wait should bide
hit time. Not in liitleai iilleneat, uutinuseleaa
pastime, not in qutrulout dejection ; but in con
stant, steady, cheerful endeavors, alwayt will
ing and fulfilling, aud acoompliihiug hit task,
that, whan the occaiion comae ha may be tqual
to the occasion. And if it never comet, what
mattes it to the world whether I or you, or
another mail, did tuoh a deed, or wrote tuoh
book, to he it the deed and the book were wall
done. It ia tha part of an iudiioreet aud trou
blotomt tnibitinn to care too much about fame
-about what the world says of us; to be al way a
anxioui for the effoot of what wa do and say;
to he alwayt thouting, to hear tha toho of your
own voir,.1 Jf yu ,,k nuiiut you, you will
aee men who are wearing life away in feveriah
anxiety of faino, and tha laat wa shall hear of
them will be the funeral bell that tolls them to
their early graves, Unhappy man, and untue
cuttful, because their purpose it not to accom
plish will their taak, but to clutch the "triok
and fantasy of fame," and they go to their
gravel with purpura unaccomplished and wishes
unfulfilled. Bettor fur them, and for tha world
in their example, had they known how to wait.
iMliuvo mo, the talent o( iiiuueat it nothing
mure than doing what you can do wall, and
doing well whatever you do without a thought
of lame. If it eoiiiu at all, it will come btoauta
it it deserved, not licuauta it ia Bought after,
And, moreover, there will be no misgivings,
no disappointment, no hasty, fevnriih, olhauat-
lug excitement. - LongfrUmv.
Why Gni.u in Jkwklhy Charum I 'm on. .
It it well known that tha human body contains
humors and acids, similar In action to, ami
having a Ilka teudnnoy towards baser metals, at
nitric and aulphurio acid have, namely, to tar.
niih or dissolve them, varying in quantity to
different pereoni. Thousands wear continually,
without any ill effect, the cheaper olatt of lew.
airy with brass ear win n, while if others worn
the aatna article for a few daya thay would be
troubled with lure ears, or, in other words, tha
aoidt contained in the system would so act on
ilia uraaa aa to produce III results. Instances
have oeonrred In which articles of Inwelrv of
any gratia below IHoarat have baas tar imbed In
a law daya, merely from tha above-named cause.
True, these instances are not vary frequent
nuvertheltaa it it aa well to know them 1 every
case ia not the fault of the goods not wearing
well, aa it ia generally called, bat the result of
the particular constitution by whioh they ara
worn.
A Naw si 111,1, , 1. CoiKjuur. Surgery can
justly boaat of a new oonqueet) when an tya la
nvirely wounded, tha healthy one la Is danger
of bsiog impaired by "lympathy;" to preserve
the good eya, it waa hitherto tha practice to re
movt tha injured 00a. Dr. Houehemn baa dis
covered, that by cutting the ciliary nerves, tha
' 'sympathy" ia itoppad, and that dispenses with
the necessity of removing the injured organ.
Forty surgeons have thus operated luvoessfoUy,