| Show MAN AND HIS JACK KNIFE A peculiar liar collection Coller tion of blades blade in the tl national at ional museum professor otis mason ot of the national museum made an appeal to the public nt at large the other day for an eighteenth 0 century jack knife that evening bi before tho the professor finished his dinner a gentleman brought to his house a rusty and broken old knife dug up tip on the battlefield of ticonderoga a found side by side with tile tho flint blade blade of an indian knife yesterday some ono one signing the name of benjamin franklin sent tho the professor the alie knife with which it is claimed FY franklin anklin fashioned tho the sticks for his kite it is not a jack knife but a penknife of very modern manufacture having as some modern pocket pock et knives have hare a little pair of scissors in it iu in place of one of the blades another gentleman whose official position has given lika him opportunity port unity to make such collections has promised to give the museum not a jack knife of the eighteenth century but a collection of asiatic knives the ticonderoga knife is ia rusted and the he blade is broken it was a long slender knife of one blade and originally the blade turned on a hinge or spring so that tile alie knife could beashut be shut but it is rusted stiff now every boy knows what a jack jackknife knife is and thero there are very few american boys who have not owned one what a great museum wants of a jack jackknife knife though may puzzle not only the boys but some of the old folks too therein lies hidden the prime idea of the national museum which is so planned and arranged that when the grand scheme is fully perfected it will tell the story of a man in all ilia his rc relations lations it will tell ill hi object lessons how lie he was waa cradled what lie he played with when a child how low lie he was dressed what his occupations in manhood how bow lie he went to the war liow how and what he be worshiped what ceremonies attended his marriage and funeral it will tell the I 1 story not only or of one man as he is known and seen today on pennsylvania avenue but ot of primitive man ot of the tha red man the african the Esqui mau his social relations and his employments will be illustrated tr atel AU all things laid under contribution tor for ins his use or amusement will have full exposition and the jack knife tells something of this ali is great stori satorv the jacl jack knife professor mason says is proper properly v a knife of one blade it derives its naine name from the french jacques which is a name given to low illiterate fellows their knives had but one blade when a man learned to arito ile he had to sharpen liis big pen and carried a penknife with two or more blades to tell the history of the jackknife jack knife or one bladed knife u would require a large case in the national museum lofessor Y mason lias has the materials scattered about bout tho the shelves and drawers in his laboratory at ai the national museum he has the rudo rude stone blades of the paleolithic and neolithic man the rude savage that lived with the beasts before perhaps atlantis sank beneath the wave in ages so BO far back that even hindmo chronology can hardly supply a measure for the time then lie ile has a long iong and slender blade of bronze from etruria from the men who lived and wrought with exquisite skill in italy before romulus and remus time and who have left beautiful memorials of their existence mid and inscriptions which no BO man has ever been able to decipher but the most complete part of the collection is that illustrating the indian jack knife which the tha indian used for every purpose blades of stone flint or slate were bound upon a hasp of wood or bone the edges were chipped or ground till they were sharp and pointed then mien when the indian or esqui mau came into contact with the white trader their knives began to have iron or steel blades one Esqui mau knife is made out of an old can opener washington star |
