New-York tribune., 1885-09-20
WoRKiNG IN IRON mo BRASs.

REVIVAL or ANTIQUE TASTES IN METALLIC OBJ
Jzcts or AEr-AN ARABIAN WORKMAN
@Cling- -claugl cling-clang !" in nnonOtOnous
refrain came Dasement OF dnsy little store In
Cana.st The tiny bell over the door had hardly
ceased Ginning In with It's empty ;nkle bsfore square
shouidered. gilmy faced Vulcan came forward 10
who his visitor was. The litc shop Itself seemed Il
fitting surrounding for the blacksmith Iron and brass
everywhere twisted like angry scrpeats into everJ
ceiVable form and KNOT hammered into thin leaves that
seemed hardly strong enough TO bear their weight
rou I'll black looking iron FURNISHED BRASS dllgy bronze
and shining steel chased and engraved In Oticnial
pattcrns fenacrs, Grcdogs, lamps. plaques all we're
plel along sides OF the place up TO very ceiling
Then with tho Changing from the cellar below Ginning
I'm every now and then. the stalwaIt metal worker
cattcd about his business and showed himself man OF
education and strong artistic sense
From boy" said he, always fond OF tinkerlng
about with iron and metal. hammerng things into
shape and making little odds and ends for the house
hold Finally / and my brother took up the trade OF
iron workers Some few years ago became convinced
that TO certain extent the gOres OF the smiths tue
mlJdIs ages might DO revived. / saw that q strong
current OF artistic feeling sweeping through thc
country, aud determined to be In tue swim 50 Ia
ornnu entail metal workers. Small articles for the
household at first confined selves to, making such
AS would command ready sale Then little by little
branched took more men To work for US, and
do architectural iron WORK Tor nearly every architect In
the CITY oo,,ood ,,,o,, thu, oos, leon ,,o.,, 8,
In and about houses OF the better class thing OF tho
past Wrought iron, OF course costs more but then by
It's nature is Whether good bad work OF ants the
artisans hand and tho artisans thought poroeptbe
in every particle of IL. We work from drawings, Of
course but great deal Of work Is designed while
the iron is hot and glowing from the forge, and
sketches drawn with the hammer ana the Ongs
the anvil Much OF our work resembles though IL does
copy. the work Of centuries nucn 80 indeed
that found that q customer VINO was accus' Omcd 20
buy from many pairs Of redogs and andrOns was In
the habit of reselng them as genuine antiques
DO you tue chasing on that brass platter there
and on this fender That Is all done by nm Arab work
man. imported him, rs IL were. myself, for had
noticed that The modern Arabian work Is far
superior anything done IN this country when got
him found that he treasure, Tor bis ranidity OF
work Is surprising. Then / h We siclian. ann one or
two other natonaties represented among my men.
Americans eo)d, careful workmen but they do not
10 possess the instructive sense OF the capacities
OF their material AMI the artistic feeling sho VII by Old
World workmen.
"Does IT pay Well. haven't mado fortune yet, but
then not greedy. | am fond Of my work and my
greatest pleasure s to turn out good aud beautiful
piece of-work though prOHt may DC small But
II / don't make "a fortune don't siarve."
"a lfr hua nd VIII