THE WEST SHORE.
81
CHINESE, OR INDIA, INK.
MANY articles are found in the extensive literature of
China written by their learned men about the
paper, ink and brushes that they use for writing, but un-
J fl HWVUW V. VJ WVilUlt(KT I
their inks. It is quite otherwise in the recent book
written by Chen-ki-souen, for he describes every stage of
its preparation with great accuracy and in detail. Ac
cording to the Celestial author, a kind of pigment ink was
discovered 2697 to 2597 B. C. It was employed for
writing on silk with a bamboo rod. Afterward an ink
was prepared from a certain stone (encre tie pierre),
which is still known in China as che-hei. It wns not
until 200 or 220 B. C. that they began to make an ink
from soot or lampblack. The soot was obtained by burn
ing gum lao and pine wood. This ink was made at first
in round balls, and very soon supplanted the stone ink.
For a while the Province of Kiang-si appears to have had
a monopoly of ink making. Under the dynasty of Tang,
in 618 to 905 A D., there was a special officer, called an
inspector, who had charge of its manufacture. He had
to furnish the Chinese court with a certain quantity of
this ink annually. Some of the factories seem to have
been " royal Chinese " factories." The Emperor Hinan
TBong (713 to 756 A. D.) founded two universities, to
which he sent 336 balls of ink four times a year. The
most celebrated ink factory in China is that of Li-ting-kouei,
who lived in the latter part of the reign of Tang,
and is said to have made an excellent-article. Ho made
his ink in the shape of a sword or staff, or in round cakes.
,The test of its authenticity consisted in breaking up the
rod and putting the pieces in water; if it remained intact
at the end of -a month, it was genuine Li-ting-kouoi.
Since the death of this celebrated man there seems to
have been no perceptible advance made in the manufac
, ture of India ink.
In the manufacture of lampblack nearly everything is
used that will burn. Besides pine wood we may mention
petroleum, oils obtained from different plants, perfumed
rice flour, bark of the pomegranate tree, rhinoceros horn,
pearls, musk, etc. Nor does fraud seem to have been
entirely wanting. According to Chinese authorities, the
principal thing is the proper preparation of the lamp
black; the best smells like musk, and the addition of
musk not only serves to give poor goods the resemblance
of fine ones, but really makes it worse. The binding
agent plays the chief part next to the lampblack; ordi
nary glue and isinglass alone are now used. In old times
glue made from the horns of the rhinoceros and of doer
was employed. Good Chinese ink improves with ago,
and should not be used for a few years after it is made.
It is not easy to keep it, as it must be protected from
moisture. Some persons, in rubbing it up, make circular
movements that soon ruin it It is better to rub it in
straight lines back and forth with the least possible
pressure.
" Neveb mistake perspiration for inspiration," said an
old minister in his charge to a young pastor just ordained.
- RAM'S HORN GAVE.
IN a detached range of mountains about five miles east
of White Sulphur Springs, Montana, there is a sub
terranean cavern of immense size, called " Barn's Horn
Cave" by the fanciful and "Bandit's Retreat" by the
melo-draiuatio. Tho convulsions of Nature have so fillod
the chambers with masses of rocks that they do not pre
sent the beautiful array of Btalogmitos and stalactites,
carved walls and level ilwrs, stairways and open pas
sages, so usual to those earthy caverns; but the very
roughness has a peculiur attraction, and gives one tho
fancy that he is walking amid the buried ruins of a city.
Passing from the outor world boneath n huge arch one
finds himself first in a cliambor about CO by 50 foot, with
a coiling 30 foot over his head. From this ho follows a
descending passago, inclined at a vory stoop angle, for a
quarter of a milo. The passage varios in width from CO
to 100 feet, and in height from 20 to 50 foot, and is
strewn with massos of brokon rock, evidently detached
from the coiling and walls by internal convulsions of
groat force. These at places nearly choke the passage
way, and at one place tho visitor passes boneath an arch
made by tho wodging of two immense blocks of stone that
mutually support each other, and look as though they
were but waiting for him to come boneath to fall umu
and crush him. From where this passago forks the do
scout to tho right is made a short distance with dillluulty
to whore sovoral smaller passages load off in different
directionsone to a chamber in which nro found beauti
ful stalagmites and stalactites. The loft fork offors sov
oral routes of travel, all of them difficult; one pusses
through a small crevice in tho solid wall; another follows
circuitously around jagged rocks and rugged masses of
stone, and tho third is n small meandering tunnel, very
small and dividing into forks. In following tho main
passage from this point one must lot himself down a
precipice a distance of fifteen foot with ropes, when he
enters a chamber undisturbed by the throes that have so
disrupted the upper portion of tho cavern, and full of
many curious and interesting formations. This is tho
practical ending of the cave, though one tunnel, too small
for a man to enter, leads towards the bowels of tho earth,
and many small passage-ways strike off in difforont
directions, but all heading upwards and gradually.
" pinching out." Tho mountains of that region are full
of those interesting rocky caverns.
If you would he happy, try to lo cheerful, even when
misfortune assails you. You will very soon find that
thore is a pleasant asjKct to nearly all circumstances
to even the ordinary trials of lifo. When the hour of
misfortune comes, whether it appears in the form of
disease or pecuniary loss, Tace it manfully and make the
bent of it Do not nurse your troubles to keep thorn
warm, and avoid that useless and senseloss habit of con
stantly referring to them in your conversation.
The farmer should innko experiments himself ns well
as note the result of those made by others.