Telegram-herald., 1889-09-20
FACTS ABOUT RUGS
Aseszstsx - cA1S-zs Ia s~rs~r Carpets
Ars Defog Dlsc@rosd ~ ec@1tsy
Feoels ser Oris1s.I R1xs-F-eIs
fcE Ho2ss sfsss-

I'll . oniy qzxstio1 CT time. - sad c1s
of C1Ae4zo's E1ost cxls1slFe importers -
1--4ss reporter, ~woea c2rp<ts ~ &c c-s-
e@rcs1 - a. people of means al tne-r
pace tslzsR by rugs Rugs eoGb-re tie
exeeLe2ciss a eLeS4lce @4o 11r49--ity - -
mach greater A. extent tEsn earpS-s, 1s
Continued, '.t1st toey recommend them
selves q a. wac have meney 70 by hand
soz-s zcd desirable sgpolntrnents- a god
r-g nct only lasts Tor geosrauens ana Is a.
ways Tar E11re artistic sud effective Tor TIE
n0or, but i czn - any tine BE gathered up,
carried 0ut q doors, and shaken. A carpet,
however me, wears olt few years AZ
most. W1en il l. once stretched on the
r.yr Il must lay there until tho recurrence
cr each crea1 holse-clszning epoch
Rags IN the greatest demand now are,
of course, the oriental made either Ia
Turkey or Russia They are al hand
woven. The occupation OF rug making, an
important Industry Ia these countries, Is
followed by both men and women. Certain
patterns snd designs have been handed
down II families from parent tOchild from
q tine back CT reckoning. Tie durability
Il the rug Is cue IN great measure 10 the
Cyeing OF the material from which II IS
manufactured. No destroying chemicals
are used Ia the preparation OF the dyes, the
coloriRg substances beng al vegetable
To use anLine dyes Is. IL fact, capital
otense, and man or woman Is executed
for this crime with as little CON mpunctlon as
II guilty OF atroci0us murder.
..Rugs take their trade names from the
province in which they are made There's
the Afghan, Blandhor, Candahor, Kh0ras-
san and the Mlrzapoor, which, by the way,
Is made Of q sea fiber, sc soft and flexible
and closely resembling wool that none but
an expert can detect the difference; II is a.
most indestrQctible, and wear gives ii
sheen Ike satin. There are the koonah.
Persian, Savalsr, Ahloowaied, Ouchak and
Cabul, al valuable rugs, with recognized
place in the market The Delhi Is a high
priced rug. but IL is now very scarce.
There are excellent rugs OF American
manufacture, made in imitation OF the
Oriental, but they do not possess the wear
ing qualities OF the latter. which are dyed
with vegetable coloring and kand-woyen.
Good rugs range IN price from $3.50 70
$500. They are used not only for the floor,
but also for divan aud table covers and for
hangings. Very fine and race specimens
are now placed in handsome fret-work
frames and hung the same as pictures.
'The silk Afghan is a particularly hand
some rug. II Is not made Of silk, but Of the
finest wool, possessing the gloss OF silk 1t
will last for generations, and the longer it
Is used the more beautiful il becomes. The
peculiar sheen Of the much-sought prayer
rug is tho result of long usage. The agents
who are employed in the producing dis
tricts are always on, the lookout for some
Mosiem who has become sufficiently degen-
crate or impoverished TO commit the sac
rilege Of selling his prayer rug to the unbe-
lever. Prayer rugs ind their way by some
means, too, out Of the mosques into the
hands Of the dealers.
"Only long experience In handling rugs
enables a person to judge Of their value aud
decide where they are made. There is no
other method to guard against imposition
and deception in the rug trade than the use
of judgment. Unlike carpet manufactur-
ers, oriental rug makers are unknown and
oftentimes unreliable. The workers OF the
East manufacture the rugs IN their own
homes, either contracting with agents for
their sale or disposing OF them haphazard
as any chance buyer may come along.
Newly made and inferior rugs are often
sold to the inexperienced purchaser as old
and Of great value.
s'The genuine oriental rug, TO which long
usage has impaired the indescribable gloss
that only comes By ago and service, always
commands a high price. i IS never wide.
IL is impossible TO find one OF a wide weave.
None bUs narrow rugs come from the
olden-time looms. sse people Of the
Orient laid them only in the center Of
the apartment. Upon either side were
still narrower rugs, similar IN width
to our stair strips. At the head Of
the room always sat the host. The
guests were seated down the length of the
middle rug. At the foot the servants stood,
waiting for orders. When serving the
guests they passed up and down back Of
them on the narrow rugs. One end Of the
wider oriental rugs OF by-gone manufact-
ure viii always be found 20 be much more
worn than the others. The nap has been
pressed down by the feet Of the servitors
who patiently awaited the commands Of the
master.
''Those who are replacing carpets by fine
rugs are storing up a legacy for their grand
children OF the fourth and fifth generations,
aud far beyond that. There are rugs in
existence that were woven in the far East
a thousand years ago The modern rug
manufactured in the same localities is iden-
teal with them in texture, pattern and col
oriuE with the exception thas the hues OF
these ancient specimens have been toned
o. wonderful sOftness Of tint as the cent
uries passed them by. A thousand or 800.
or even 2.0Oc, years from now the fine rugs
that sdorn so many elegant mansions in the
United States may have place In the muse
ums Of the land or be held m possession by
descendants Of their present owners who
win proudly reckon long lie Of free-born
American ancestry"