Omaha daily bee., 1885-09-26
WORKING IN IRON AND BRASS.
Revival of Antique Tastes In Metallic
Objects of Art Arabian
Workman,

"Cling-olsnel cling-clsng!" in a mon
otonous refrain Jane from the basement
Of a dusky little store In Canal streeE.
The tiny bell over the door had hardly
ces sed Ginning In with It's empty tinkls
before q square-shouldered, grimy-faced
Vulcan cane forward to see who his
Visitor was. The little shop itself seemed
a fitting surrounding for the blacksmith.
Iron and brass every where twisted like
angry serpentsinto everyconceivabls form
and knot, hammered into thin leaves that
seemed hardly strong enough to bear
their own weight, rough black.lookipg
iron, FURNISHED brass, dingy bronze, and
shining steel changed end engraved In
Oriental patterns, tenders, firedogs,
lamps, pisqusT, all were piled along the
sides of tine place up to the very ceiling.
Then, with the changing from the cellar
below Ginning In every now and then,
the stalwart metal worker chattsd about
his business and showed himself a man Of
education and strong artistic sense.
"From a boy" said he, II was always
fond of tipkering about with iron and
metal, hammering things into shape aud
making little odds and ends for the
household. Finally 1 and my brother
took up the trade of iron workers. Some
few years ego l became convinced that to
q certain extent the gloriea Of the amiths
of the middle might be revived. l saw
that q strsng current of artistic feeling
was sweeping through the country, and 1
determined to be in the swim. So In o
small way we started In business for our
selves as ornamental metal-workers.
Small articles for the household we at
frat confined ourselves to, making ouch
as would command a ready sale. Then
little by little we branchsd out,
took more men to work for ur, and now
we do architectural iron work for nearly
every architect In the city.
"You must have noticed lately that
cast iron work In and about houses of
the better class q thing of the past.
Wrought iron, Of course, costs more, but
then by Its nature 1t Is, whether good or
bad, a work of art; the artifan's hand
and The artisans thought Ia perceptible
In every part of 1t. VIZ work from draw.
ings, of course, but q good deal of our
work is designed while the iron is hot
and glowing from the forge. and our
sketches are drawn with the hammer
and the tong on the anvil. Much of our
work resembles, though IL does not copy,
the work of centuries ago; 30 much 30,
indeed, that l found that a customer
who WAS accustomed to buy from me
many pairs of 6redogs and andlrons was
In the habit of resslIipg them as genuine
antiques.
ada you rec the chasing on that brass
platter there and on this fender} That
is all done by an Arab workmen. / i'm
ported him, as 1t were, myself. for l had
noticed that eyen the modern Arablans
work is far superior to anything done In
this country. When [ got him l found
that he was 3 treasure, for his rapidity OF
york is .urprising. Then / have 8 Slcl-
lisD, and one OF two other nationAlities
are represented among my men. Ameri'
ans hre good, careful workmep, but they
do not seem TO possess the instil ctiye
sephs of ths capacities Of their material
and the art tstic feeling Ahown by old
world workme.n
"Doss It pay'2 Well, I haven't made
a fortune yet, but then l am not greedy.
/ am fond Of my work and my greatest
pleasure Is to turn out q good and beau
tiful piece of work even though my profit
may be small. But II ] don't mSke q
for une ] don't ssarye."