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A FRAGMENT of glass contains a wondrous wealth of curious history, of
mysterious processes, of marvellous achievements. It is of most venerable
pedigree, as the first substance cooled from the archaic molten globe was
doubtless a form of glass. And the subterranean furnaces have supplied
it to all the geological ages in mountains of shining obsidian, and
in volcanic caverns decorated with "Pele's hair." The hugest of these
cliffs of volcanic glass in Colorado gave prehistoric
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America a quarry of black flint-glass (the only glass known on this
continent before the European invasion), from which the ancient artisans
cut many utensils and ornaments. Their special use of this material
was for polished mirrors, which seem to have been a favorite household
property among the old Mexicans. The fact that the missionary Buddhist
priest Hwui Shan presented to the Emperor of China one of these obsidian
mirrors (a marvel unknown to Asia) a thousand
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