Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1878-04-25
"KERAMICs" AND wOMAN,s WORK.

!
The desire to decorate pottery for
purposes of household adornment seems
to be kind of chronic inclination
which suddenly affects large numbers
/ OF people at the same time. and as sud
denly disatfects them The influx of
paste, paint, and varnish pots, of lars
and vases of glass and crockerv. of
sheets of gayly colored pictures. into
that part of the domicile sacred to the
feminine members of the family usually
indicates the beginning of the attack
the prevalence of said Jars and vases
4 winch too often are liquid backing
/ DottleS or ginger pots artfully disguised
/ IN the parl0rS marks its advanced stage:
ana the contemptuous removal of the
same 70 the attic, under the stigma of
! looking cheap" denotes its termina-
/ ton. thus far the mania has appeared
IN three forms. About fifteen years
ago IL pore the name of pOtichOmdnie.
ana II TOOK the form of FASTING scrap
/ pictures inside OF clear glass Jars. back
ing them with thick white paint. and
then perSuading yourselfthat an accur-
ate counterfeit of Oriental porcelain
had been produced. This gave place to
decdtc0mdnte, useful species of decor
alton which enables colored pictures
| on gelatine films to be applied to any
smooth surface. 1t is much more in
vogue yet for decorating cheap furni-
ture, carriages, and safes but during its
fashionable prevalence no object of
household use was safe from its incur
sions, and the marble comfortable or
the kitchen pals were beautifed with
disseminating impartiality. The
term kerdnltcS has lately been twisted
out of its proper Specification to be pop
ularly applied to the sticking of paper
pictures on pottery OF any kind, and
adding coat of varnish, an alleged i'm
itation of painted china being the result
Upon the broad general principle that
anything which tends to increase the
popular taste for beauty is to be en-
couraged, the above named manias may
be beneficial apart from their obvious
utility as means of amusement; but,
on the other hand, when it is remem-
bered that the same inclinations, di-
rected in the proper channel, NAV with
little or no more labor produce objects
of real artistic merit and of far more
value as educating and refining the
tastes, 1t would almost seem that time
and talents are being wasted. Moth
ing that is false is artistic. Decorated
ginger pots are in truth but ginger pots;
backing bottles cannot be foisted upon
the world as Etruscan vases or
Haviland faience. A certain amount
of falsity is cOnventionallY accepted,
such as imitation wood and sheet iron
architectural ornament, but when an
object is diverted from its recognized
use, especially if that use be humble,
the deception is only tolerated for a
time, and eventually is repudiated; and
the pity of 1t is that so large an amount
OF the female energy in the world seek
ing an outlet finds it in such way.
The legitimate result is the degradation
of wOman's work as a unit in social
economy, for while no one would wish
to do away with the numberless delicate
devices which the feminine mind de-
lights in conceiving, or would remove
one source of pleasure to the gentler
sex, all must agree that if that work
were, as rule, directed to the produc-
ton OF objects, no matter how intrinsic
cally trivial, which satisfied the precepts
of correct artistic taste, and were capa-
BILE otaifordlng permanent qualification,
there would be less heard about the
lack of openings for wOman's labor
1t requires but a brief glance at the
statistics of our imports and exports to
show how largely dependent we are
upon foreign nations for objects valua-
bic only because beautiful. Take the
class known fancy goods for the
year ending last June we exported these
to the value of 1885,, 310, and imported
them to the value of 81, S28, 302. We
imported nearly four million dollars
worth of china and stone ware, which
includes nearly all the decorative pot
terry used in the country. 1t is true
that manufacturers in this vicinity are
making great efforts to produce as finely
decorated porcelain as can be obtained
from abroad, and their progress has
been satisfactorily rapid; but it needed
only casual examination of the eXcep-
tiOnally fine display of American pOr
celain at the American Institute Fair
of last year to show that artistic taste
and skill were even more lacking than
the ability of the manufacturer to re-
produce the delicate or rich colors of
the foreign ware. There can be no
question but that we have in this cOun-
try every variety of clay necessary for
the production of all kinds of pottery
from earthen ware to porcelain. Indiana
kaolln is claimed to be superior in COM
position and perfect whiteness to any
European clay. We are producing
large quantities of common ware, which,
although it requires skilled labor, does
not enlist the artistic element. We
would produce fine ware if the artistic
abilityswhich abundantly exists in this
country could be properly brought into
play.
But a we have endeavored to point
I out above, large percentage of that
ability among the women who, by their
inherent delicacy, natural refinement
of taste, and physical circumstances are
far better suited to its exercise IN cera-
mic art industry than are men, is being
frlttered away aimlessly and uselesslv.
Perpaps worse than this, for they are
filling their homes with objects which
falsely educate the eye and mind, and
lead the rising generation to form its
first standard Of taste upon vicious
principles. AT the same time they are
neglecting the cultivation of field
which urgently needs laborers. Wom-
en- who are competent to decorate pot
terry finely will find their services in
| ample demand, and their means of live
/ llhood secure against chances of
fortune. Whether the art be followed
rthls reason or as an amusement only.
1t is refining and educating. and it's in