BLOTTING PAPER

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 24 August 1935, Page 10

BLOTTING PAPER

HOW IT WAS INVENTED “Where’s a blotter? I never can keep one!” exclaimed Gilbert, as he rummaged through the drawers of his own little desk. ‘‘Once upon a time people did not have blotters to use at all,” said his (Jncle Charles.

“Didn’t they?” said Gilbert, in surprise. “I thought there was blot-, ting paper always.” “No; and the way to make blotting paper was discovered by accident,” replied his uncle. “Before that discovery, people used to shake sand over what they had written, to keep the wet ink from getting smudged.” “I want to see if 1 can dry ink with sand after you finish this story,” Gilbert interrupted. “One day at a paper mill in Berkshire, some ordinary paper was being made,” Uncle Charles began, “and a careless workman forgot to mix with the pulp a certain substance called sizing which gave a gloss to the surface, All that lot of paper was spoiled and thought to be useless; so it was thrown aside to waste, and the workman was scolded for his carelessness. Soon afterwards the owner of the mill wanted to write a note, and he picked up a piece of this waste-paper to write on. He was vexed when he found the ink from jhis pen spread over th§ paper, and then the idea came to him that this porous kind of paper might dry up ink as well as sand. He wrote on a piece of glazed paper and tried to dry the ink with the waste paper, and it did the work well. So he promptly advertised his waste sheets as ‘blotting paper.’ ” “Then the man had really made something useful instead of spoiling the paper,” said Gilbert. “Yes he had,” agreed Unde Charles. “In those days red rags could not be used to make ordinary white pajier, as the colour would not come out; so all the red rags were used for blotting paper, and that was the reason why the first blotting paper ever made was pink in colour.” “I am glad I know how blotting paper happened to be made,” said Gilbert. “And now, here is my own blotter!”