The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-02-11
My Porcelain Vase.
BIZ ELLEN BERTHA BRADLEY.

pair of vases, present from friend
who has just returned from Europe.
They are pure white, about six inches
high, and of the antique style now so
fashionable. placed them on the man
tel, and when Ned came home he noticed
them instantly.
"What are they?" 1 asked, when he
had looked at them admiringly few
minutes.
cat the first glance I thought they
were alabaster," he answered. "But
they are beautiful specimen of I'M
glazed porcelain. I saw similar ones
being made at Etruria.
"Where's that?" said Susie.
''In England" he replied. cit is
where the Wedgewood pottery and por-
celain are made. MI. Wedgewood put
up his factories not far from Shelton, and
built near them mansion for himself
and rows of cottages for the workmen.
The village thus formed he, somewhat
fancifully, callee Etruria, the name of
part of ancient Greece where many beau
tiful specimens of pottery have been
found. That was just about a hundred
years ago. The mansion is of the style
then common among persons of wealth.
1t is large, roomy, brick building stand
ing III park The cottages are all of
the same size and pattern. I was told
that their resemblance to each other went
SO far that each front door opened into
the best parlOr, and in each parlor stood
mahogany chest of drawers, but can
not vOuch for the truth of that state
ment."
"What about the factories 2" said I.
cob, yes!" said he. "They are the
first interest to you until you find out
you're going through the process you
must begin with the mixing of the clay,
and that is pretty dirty work, [ assure
you"
"Never mind that" said 7, laughing.
"I'm not afraid of the dirt.
every well, said he. "Ihe materials
used in making the finest kinds of porce-
lain are flint, bone, Cornish stone, and
Cornish clay or kaolin"
"That is to say, China clay" said
mother.
els it brought from China?" asked
Harry.
"No," said his uncle, "but it was
long supposed to exist only there. Pot
terry has been made in Europe since the
earliest times of which we have any
record, but until within the last two
centuries it has been believed impossible
to manufacture the delicate, half trans
parent porcelain of the East, because of
the absence of kaolin. After it was dis
covered on the Continent, it was long
supposed not to exist in England, and
British crockery remained very inferior
quality.
"What is kaolin2" | asked.
It is clay formed by the wearing
down of certain granite rocks by the
action of air, water and FROST" he an
swered. 1T was found in the bottom
of some ponds in Cornwall, called catch
pools, into which it had been washed by
streams from neighboring hills Mr.
Wedgewood seized upon it as soon as it
was discovered, and began the improve
ments In British crockery which have
made it famous the world over. Greater
masterpieces Of art are produced upon
the Continent than in Great Britain, but
IN no country is the general character of
pottery SO high. That from Etruria is
shipped all over the world
1T seems to me, said I, that we
are not getting on very fast with the his
tory of my vases
"Oh, those vases I" said Ned. owe
mustn't forget them The first step to-
ward making them was the burning or
calcining of the bone and flint Then
they and the other ingredients were
ground to powder and mixed with water
into slip"
Unto what2" cried Harry.
"Sip," replied his uncle, smiling. 81
suppose the name is given to the mix
tre because of it's perfect smoothness.
That used for the finest porcelain is
strained through sleeves the meshes OF
which are not more than the three
hundredth part of an inch in diameter
The slip 1s poured into wide flat oven
where 1t Is reduced by evaporation to the
proper consistency. It is then taken out
and kneaded by machinery until it is soft
and plable, when it is ready for the pot
ter's wheel or the mold. These vases
OF yours, Mary, were probably run il
plaster-of Paris molds most delicate
and complicated forms are, although the
wheel Is used with astonishing skill. A
lump of clay of the right size is PLACED
on revolving tablet, and as it turns the
potter works it into shape with his hands
The proper form having been given by
either method, it is dried by exposure te
the air before being placed in the biscuit
kiln, where it is exposed to fierce hea;
for forty or fifty hours. The oven is the1
allowed to cool gradually and the potter
is taken out ready for the glazing"
"These are not glazed" said Susie
taking up one of the vases
"No," sad he. "These are of th,
most delicate and beautiful porcelain