But when man found that
the red ocher he had hitherto used only as a cosmetic could be made to
yield iron by melting it with charcoal he opened a new era in
civilization, though doubtless the ocher artists of that day denounced
him as a utilitarian and deplored the decadence of the times.
Iron is one of the most timid of metals. It has a great disinclination
to be alone. It is also one of the most altruistic of the elements. It
likes almost every other element better than itself. It has an especial
affection for oxygen, and, since this is in both air and water, and
these are everywhere, iron is not long without a mate. The result of
this union goes by various names in the mineralogical and chemical
worlds, but in common language, which is quite good enough for our
purpose, it is called iron rust.
[Illustration: By courtesy _Mineral Foote-Notes_.
From Agricola's "De Re Metallica 1550." Primitive furnace for smelting
iron ore.]
Not many of us have ever seen iron, the pure metal, soft, ductile and
white like silver.
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