Page 4 Advertisements Column 3

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 293, 5 December 1908, Page 4

Why Your Pencil is Marked H.B. Round pencils arc easy to grasp, bat they roll off your desk, which is why hexagonal pencils are preferred by such professional men as architects and engineers. The carpenter likes his pencil oval for convenience in ruling, and the city man prefers his flat because it will lie neatly in his waist-coat pocket. A good pencil works easy, and is free from grit. This apart, there is no golden rule for discovering the article ; people differ tremendously in their tastes. The shorthand clerk may find a drawing pencil suited to his touch, and an artist may find a joiner's pencil " just the ticket." There is a great variety to choose from now-a-days, one firm alone making pencils in seventeen distinct grades of hardness, though the average number of grades for a penny pencil is about half-a-dozen. Outside appearance—brilliant polish and the like—should not. be taken too much into account. It should be borne in mind that many of (he best pencils are still sold in plain cedar, whilesome of the veriest foreign rubbish is fancifully got up. For the origin of the term '• pencil" it is neoessary to go back to the time of the Romans. In their high-sounding Latin they termed a brush used for writing purposes a " peiiccilliis,' or "little tail." which, indeed, it generally was, having previously adorned the rear of some small animal. The name stuck whr-n, later on, people took to writing on p:iper with pieces (if ordinary lead, "and was finally out down to " pencil." T: whs not till the opening of the celebrated b!;ii i>lo!nl mine in Horrowdale, Cumberland, in 1701, that pencils begun to be made in the form we now know them. ' For generations the country folks about Burrowdaie hud known little of the actual value of this treasure of fcvfsphite in their midst. They used it as a lubricant—a lead pencil is still a cure for a squeaking door—mat ked their sheep with it, and recklessly took it in powder as a "remedy" for the colic. With the opening of the mine came a vast alteration. In those days the lead was just cut into strips with a saw, ami titled, without any preparation whatever, into a wooden holder; but the pencils, crude as they were, were accepted as verilnbli treasures, and sold at incredible prices. The exportation of thte precious material was strictly forbidden, and the mine was only worked six weeks in the year, yet in this short period would net for the Inekv owners quite £40,000 Nowadays (-very m iker produces pencils for -i of owl ot l;ie way purposes. U.js;<s '» pencil.- suiieti to all snris of .hades and .■■sdiai:-. an ai'i);;al demand tomes from ni:-mui':he C'.ainiry for such articles as the pencils used in p dling booths at elections. A curious point about these election pencils is tlmt they nve always sent out sharpened by the manufacturer, and when worn down are seldom resbarpr-r.ed, but nre either tlro'.vn siv.iy or become tlx: perquisite of the polling el'M'i;. Tin.so pencils lire provided with a hole, ihrough which a string is pas-.:>d. Another curious pencil is one for writing on the human skin. Properly speaking, this is what is known ns a surgical pencil, being used hv tiie hospital doctors lo map out those portions of a patient's anatomy on which they propose to operate. People are often puzzled by the letters on lead pencils. These, however, arc quite easy to understand Broadly speaking" H " stands for "hard," and the more " H's " there are on a pencil the harder it is. "C" stands for "soft," and the more "B's" there are the softer it is. "II "is plainly the initial letter of the word "hard." But "11" is not the initial letter in " soft," and it is here where many people arc puzzled. The explanation is that "B" stands for "black," which means " soft," for the blacker the marks a penoil produces, the softer as a rule is the lead. In the same way "F " nfeans" fine," and " EHB " and " DEHB " stand for "extra hard black " and "double extra hard black" respectively. More " HB's" are sold than all other pencils put together, the " HB " being a sort of composite pencil standing between the hards and the softs, and therefore well suited to the requirements of the average man.

The Mlna. The Mina, one of the Crackle species of birds, found- in tropical and sub - tropical countries, excels all other birds or animals in its imitative powers, and particularly in the imitation of human speech. When domesticated these birds far excel tho parrota, both in picking up the words and speech of those by whom they are surrounded, ftnd in foe distinctness with which th« 7 ipiak the words and sentences learnt.

Stewart Dawson'*! treasure Rouse. S famous for the many lovely designs of Solid Silver Prize Cups, Rose Bowls, etc., thof keep in stock, all at our wellknown low prices; suitable to every class of Presentation or for your own home use. Xo. I[ 1122. Hiko Howl, on J'nlislied -No. 2879. Solid Silver Ruse Bowl, o J-.bonisi'd Plinth; diumete ul Bowl. 5J indies, £3. H For the convenience of Country Customers we have Illustrated , Catalogues, giving great variety of our goods. These are sent ' M free on request. ;} •] As we do not employ Agents or Travelling Salesmen, to 0 ensure receiving our goods it is necessary to deal with us direct H H at our Auckland Treasure House. 'j A We pay postage and guarantee safe delivery of the goods. J husi The Leading Jewellers, QUEEN STREET, AUCKLAND.