LEAD PENCILS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18443, 29 March 1922, Page 8

LEAD PENCILS

In the course of an interest inf note on the above subject, the “Man- | Chester City News” says the load peni cil is over 200 years old. The term I “lead pencil,” however, is a misI nomer, as in a mineralogical sense I there is not a particle of lead in its I composition. The lead pencil originated with the discovery of the ( graphite mines in England in 1664, i during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, jin the early days of lead pencil maki ing the graphite was sawn into thin sheets, and cut into strips smaller and smaller until they were of a size Io be covered with light wooden ■slips, and thus serve as pencils. The first pencils created much excitement. The graphite mines of England were considered of inestimable value, and were protected by law. Tn 1 795 Conte, a Frenchman, came on I the idea of using pulverised graphite land binding clay. This discovery resulted in pencils of varying hard-