Show al 11 A HIGH OP doni dom Per ignon invented corks arid and tho the blending or wines the reign of 0 louis XIV was marked by an ei ecat cat N lilt it should be re reverently brently regarded as a landmark in tho the history of tile the modern world says joal mine it was in ili tho the year 1018 1638 that dom I 1 Perill non a pious monk and m vise ise beyond his contemporaries entered upon the post of to a fraternity of monks of tb tho 0 order of lit bl benedict in tho the hamlet of situate on the martin marno about fifteen miles from rheims and four our or lira five from Ep ernay much depended upon the tor for the rec revenues of tile abbey were dhawn solely from its vineyards and upon tho the taste tasia find and judgment of him who manipulates their produce ill tho prosperity of tho the order rested now dom Per ignon so etwas said was a heaven born cei larer consider nhat ho be did ito iio in 0 cited corks corkill before his time men had been content to stuff stud handfuls band of flax soaked in ill oil i into tho the rocks necks of their bottles lato hen it flioy cy wanted to stop them then lie he found that the annine which canio came into his hands being produced from different grapes grown tit in different 0 situations and under tit condl condi I 1 alons ion as might reasonably ho be supposed different characteristics A little was good a little was bad and a great deal was indifferent and tho the brilliant idea suggested sled itself to ito him of marr rang ing the produce of one vineyard with others until bo be obtained ft a mixture entirely satisfactory to his fastidious taste so mas dom Perl Per ignon gnon the first blender ot of wines whereof tho the world has cognizance lie ho has had bad many imitators in later days even moro more artistic manipulators who have married grape juice to the spirit distilled from the ibo humble po potato t ato or tile useful ful mineral oil to their own advantage and the discomfort of tho the world at largo large but dom reri gnon was honest and his taste was these discoveries of lili his derotha ere the result of thought anti aal judgment ills his greatest for or m which aich posterity gives him was J aaby al by accident A closely corked bottle exploded aud and to lo to an expectant world tile mystery ot of effervescence was revealed and rqn what ike 0 o call was tile the result |