Show Wih den Q I erve I J I I C 0 Science Service Service Famed Ancient Colors I Bettered by Modern Dye e Manufacturers I Purple and Blue of Egypt Are Debunked New York Our Our modern age Is sometimes criticized for doing doing doing do do- ing things in a big way We Ve turn out paints by the vat dyes by the carload It is supposed to be a sad change from the good old days when Egyptians mixed colors that would last years and when patiently extracted drops of royal purple from shellfish But chemists who concoct our up- up to-date to colors can well defend them them- selves They long ago investigated the Tyrian purple legend and showed that this famous dye is no regrettable lost art True the dye makers of Tyre achieved a sort of miracle by milking milking milking milk milk- ing thousands of snail-like snail shellfish to get the lone whitish drop from each head In the air the white stuff turned green then blue then pur pur- Finally set by alkali it became became became be be- came the crimson that Tyrian purple purple purple pur pur- actually appeared Our Chemists Do Better etter But the chemists explain the only reason debutantes and shop shop- girls arent aren't wearing royal purple to today today today to- to day is because better crimson dyes are known Laboratories could make it by the ton but you wouldn't buy it It is the same with the famous Egyptian blue used in decorating walls in Egypt and later in Rome Recently research scientists for a printing ink corporation tested this blue because of its reputation for permanency Gently handling specimens specimens specimens spec spec- of Roman wall painting they analyzed the blue color by a spec- spec tro They found the Egyptian blue a good deal like modern modern modern mod mod- ern ultramarine It was fast to light heat salt water and mild acids But But it it did not come up to modern standards |