Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1883-05-10
SCULPTURE IN BONE.
How the Resident of "a Gutter Is Made "A
DweIIer I'm n Palace.


New York News.
About the most unlikely object in
the world out of which to bring beauty
of shape and purity of appearance is q
bone-an ugly, putrid bone, discarded
by butcher and purveyor, and possibly
flung in the street to await removal by
q foraging dog or uncertain street.
cleaner. Yet this same bone, like the
boy who is to be president, may have a
future before it and dwell in marble
halls. The dainty, jeweled fingers of
some brigh maiden may clasp it in the
form of a parasol or umbrella handle
the valued gift of friend, treasured
and admired. Or, more remarkable
still, it may hold the soft bristles with
which the beauty cleans her pearly
teeth.
Yet, after all, the process of trans
formation that fits former resident of
the gutter or refuse heap to be welcome
in palace is very simple. All the
curiously carved handles which are so
fashionable, and the quainter the more
sought after, are shaped upon series
of rapidly revolving wheels, ranging
from an eighth to three inches in diam
L,
file and saw upon their cutting sur
face. Ivory and bone are carved in
precisely the same manner, the only
difference in handling of the two being
that bone has to be boiled long while
to free it from animal matter before it
goes to the carver, while ivory is clean
and pure from the start.
When it is desired to produce any
given object in bone or ivory, an UNI
brella handle with crouched tiger
upon it for instance, the carver takes a
piece of the material of suitable size,
and presses it against one of the wheels
described above. At the point of con-
tact it cuts with amazing rapidity.
Soon the shapeless block begins to as
sumo the rough outlines of the object
intended. The lathe is then stopped,
which requires but an instant, and an
other, probably a smaller wheel is sub
stituted. In this way, a dozen wheels
given, with a delicate disk, little larger
than pins head; but when the work
de&ves the deft fingers of the skillful
worker a perfect miniature of the royal
native of the jungle is seen. The only
remaining thing to be done is polish
ing, which is accomplished by means
of canvas belts with pumice upon them
and finally, by canton flannel belts or
wheels.
A firm in this city have workmen who
will actually take photograph of n
person and from it produce a life-like
'statuette, which can be attached to any
suitable article as a handle. This, of
course, would enable gentleman to
combine his likeness and an umbrella
in one gift.
AS will be inferred from information
here given, carving in this country is
almost entirely done lV machinery.
The Chinese do more laborious carving
than any other nation, but time with
them seems to be of no account; hence
the great amount of intricate and
'.trick" work which astonished people
at the centennial exhibition. A China
man will spend months and even years
patiently cutting, atom by atom, OBJ
jects within objects, until the final re-
suit is astounding. But the secret is
largely patience. Many people sup
pose that billiard-balls are turned by
means of some exquisite,y adjusted
machinery, in order to secure their
spherical perfection. The exquisite
machine is the eye and hand of the
artisan. The writer saw a gray haired
workman turn several billiard balls,
and the only tool he used twas an or
dinary turner's chisel. His eye was
his gauge.
It's a curious fact that ivory varies
in texture with locality. The most of
il comes from Africa. That from the
east coast is softer than that from the
Wast Hanea IL 10 usad for bill;arJ