The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-12-06
BEAUTIFUL OLD RUGS.
SOME OF PECULIAR PATTERN MADE
OVER A CENTURY AGO.


the Wool from the Angora Goat-Prices
Varying from $40 to $1,6OO-Richer In
Tone After Years of Wear.
In small room on the second floor of
building near Broad and Market streets,
Newark, young Armenian sat ON pile
of soft and velvety rugs, describing to IA
number of people in the apartment the
quality of the goods, some of which were
over 100 years old. On the floor lay a
fine Bokhara rug, valued at $75, and
made, it was said, anywhere from 100 to
$50 years ago. Tt was of peculiar pat
tern, hardly two of any of the similar fig
ures being alike in every particular.
Where in one figure there was a back
ground of red in another there was white.
Blue was placed in some but omitted in
others, and various other peculiarities
were noticed showing that different
colors had been used and that different
women had worked at the same rug.
The most admired feature of the rug was
its beautiful gloss, which changed as the
light struck it.
THE ARMENIAN RUG MAKER.
The Armenian arose from his seat, and,
taking hold of one side of the rug, swung
it around. Instantly all she colors as
sumed dark hue, with here and there,
where the light fell directly on the rug,
a bright spot. Another turn was given,
and all the warm, bright colors compris-
ing the rug were brought out like flash,
1.-The gloss is obtained" the Armenian
explained, "by constant wear for many
years. A rug does not get any gloss until
1t has been used for fifty years, and some
times it even takes longer than that. For
this reason principally you can buy a
new rug good deal cheaper than an old
rug. There are other reasons, however,
why the old rugs are more valuable
Formerly the best wool was used Now,
however, much of the best wool is sent
to Europe, where it commands high
prices Formerly, also, vegetable dyes
were used entirely. Now mineral dyes
have been introduced. and many of the
rugs are dyed with mineral and vegetable
dyes combined. The most expensive rugs
are made Of wool from the Angora goat
81 sold one to w. K. Vanderbilt, in
New York, that was over 400 years old
A gentleman in Wilkesbarre, Pa, bought
one that was over 200 years old. He
paid $500 for it, and it contained twelve
patches, some of which were four or five
inches square. These holes are caused
from constant wear in those places. In
Scranton there is a gentleman whose
father was missionary to Turkey. The
latter bought rug forty-eight years
ago, but it has not got the gloss on it
yet. AT my home in Asia Minor we
have a rug my grandfather had fifty
years ago. This is different kind from
the Bokhara, however, and does not get
glossy.
"The gloss has to be obtained from
constant wear. If it be obtained by
other and quicker means it is not the
same. Tako such rug and put it in
water, and it will lose the gloss. These
old rugs are cleaned in Turkey by plac-
ing them in the river, and then allowing
them to dry in the sun. They do not
lose their gloss. After years of wear the
colors change, but they become simply
more subdued and richer in tone, and
are more highly priced on that account"
ASTONISHING WEIGHT.
The speaker went to one corner of the
room and lifted a rug 81 feet long by 8
1-3 feet wide.
"Try and lift that" he said.
The reporter took hold of it and held it
out. 1t felt like so much lead.
"That is Tifis rug, and it weighs
twenty-five or thirty pounds at least.
Such rugs as this have the longest nap,
and they are considered most useful as
bedroom rugs. Most of them sell for
from $40 to $100, although large ones
bring as much as $500. Some antiques,
measuring 7x16 feet, have brought 5000
or $500. The Bokhara, however, is the
most expensive and the finest o. the An
CORA wool rugs. They are more glossy
than any other in Turkish goods. Next
to these the antique Daghestan and Ka-
Yak rugs are the glossiest and finest.
The latter is a closer woven rug than the
former, this constituting the main differ
ence between them. The Kourdistan
rugs are also very costly, and are among
the heaviest. One, 10 by IS feet. weigh
ing 1875 pounds, brings about $500.
almost any amount of money can be
placed in rug. An Albany judge, /
heard, paid recently in New York 81 600
for one. The largest Turkish rug ever
made was made for the sultan about a
year and half ago, in honor of his
birt b6ov nnOivarcorv II yvoS Ok x-o,l,
long by IS wide, and took forty women
three years to make it. 1t was presented
to the sultan by some wealthy men.
1T is difficult to say how long it
would take to make rug. The Turkish
rugs are made by farmers wives and
the poorer class after they are through
with their days work. just as fancy
work is made here. They are not made
with the intention of selling them, al
though it is not difficult for agents trav-
cling through the country to buy them.
Women don't work in factories as they
do here, but there is certain kind of
work which the manufacturers bring
around to the houses to be done. Women
in our country haven't the privileges of
going out and seeing each other that
they have here. They earn a living,
however, making what are called Bag
dad portieres, one of which you see
hanging on the wall there. Newark
What the worlrs Population Would Do.
If we reckon the population of the
globe at one thousand two hundred mill