St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-16
Various Influences Which Are
Making Modern Work
Less Beautiful.
Consular Reports Concerning
the Carpet Industries In
the Orient.
An English House Now For
cling the Product--House-
hold Industry.
Modern Rugs Greatly Inferior
In Design and Color to
Ancient Ones.

New York Sun.
Last year the state department was
requested by the representatives of the
principal carpet manufacturers in this
country to secure statistics concerning
the carpet industry in Europe. In re-
spouse circulars were sent out to the
American conSuls in all the European
cities, requesting them to gather this
information. When the task was COM
pleted the result was printed in pamph-
let form and distributed among the
American carpet manufacturers.
From Persia.s Capital.
The report of Consul General Benja-
min from Teheran furnishes some i'll
teresting information regarding the
making of Persian carpets and tugs.
lie explains that the weaving of these
fabrics is suggestive of large needle
work. in which the worker, conscious
of his innate sense of the beau
tiful, allows lively fancy to
guide the ready fingers, and is
times, providing that the general effect
is agreeable and artistic. The Persian
carpets are rarely of large size, the
weaving of them being mostly done by
peasant women and children in the
villages. Many of these weaverS
work as it pleases them, for they
are their own masters, and are
accountable 10 no one for their ac-
tons. A cOuntrymau may have rug
made in his own house, and when it is
finished he will take it to neighboring
city, and after hard bargain sell it.
These peasants are used to living in
ainh ar<atN l,lx
for the fact that most of
the rugs made 10y them are
small. The system of making
these rugs is being changed consider
ably by large house in Manchester,
England, which has established several
branches In Persia. The size of the
rugs is being increased, and a great deal
of the trade is drifting to this concern,
owing principally to its practice of adj
vancing money to the rug makers.
Mr.. Benjamin questions whether
this new manner of urging the supply
will not injure the special qualities
of design instinctively followed 10y
the exquisite aesthetic perceptions of the
Persians, and whether the work may not
lose certain spontaneity and beauty.
which constitutes the most prominent
features of all Persian work of origin
atty and merit. Nearly all the carpets
received by this house come from the
province of Irak, and especially the
city of Sutanabad.
There has gradually grown up."
writes Mr. Benjamin, "a system of
classification in the making of these
fabrics quite remarkable when one con-
SiderS that they are made without COLI
certed action or capital, excepting the
practice of making advances.
IA point to be considered is the fact
that while the small carpets of Persia
go under the general designation of
rugs, it would be serious mistake to
consider them all as merely carpets of
small size intended to be trod on by
heavy shoes In the first place.
Off their shoes, and thus a
carpet of fine, delicate wool and design
will last for ages. aud actually improve
with use such as this. In the second
place, large proportion of the rugs of
Persia. and especially the finer grades,
are never intended to be laid on the
floor, but to cover divanS or tables, or to
hang as tapestries and portieres.
''This explains the extreme fineness
of tex ture and veivety surface which
many OF these rugs display, and also
accounts for the fringe at the ends.
Some of the rugs of Kirwan are almost
as fine as cashmere shawls. The de-
signs of these rugs were formerly of a
large pattern with general ground of
red, white, or some other uniform tilt
with borders and details of minute
tracery harmon iZing with rather than
disturbing the general effect. These
patterns are unquestionably of higher
artistic Importance, exhibiting quality
designated by artists as breadth.
1.-The colOrs formerly employed in the
rugs Of Persia were lmperiShable.
Rugs 100 years old show no deterlor-
alton in tint, but rather a softness such
as old paintings assume. The intro
threatened to ruin the manufacture of
textile fabric in Persia, but the laws
against the employment of aniline dyes
enacted by the Persian government is
enforced with some rigor. The Torko-
men rugs, in some respect unsurpassed
for texture and peculiar beauty of de.
sign. are unfortunately not made with.
in the Shah'S dominion, but over the
border, although they are included
among the classes of Persian rugs, be-
cause the Turkomans were until re.
Gently subject to Persia. The Turko.
man carpet-weaverS show a serious
Il
prevailing color of the Turkoman rugs
is red. This is especially to be deplored
The dior it can be hardly called by
a lesser term in connection with elegant
fabric, can be detected by the applica
ton of wet cloth to the suspected
TINT
What rugs sell for in Persia Mr.. Ben
Jamin cannot state, because the demand
rules the prize. One day maker viii
reap big profit and the next day he
will sell at a loss. Small profits, how
prominent Persian families whose for
tunes are decayed find it necessary t.
make rugs. But they are too proud tt
sell them themselves. and so give then
to an agent and in consequence only
get about half what they are worth.
Other Reports.
The report from Great Britain come.
from Consul Wigfall at Leeds, Consu
Walling at Leith. and Consul Schoen
hof at Tunstall. In describing the York
shire cloth hearth rugs the report say
that notices are worked in them Sucl
as Labor Brings Pleasure" "Our Owl
Fireside," and keep Good Company
In this country the inscription. is gener
ally confined to 'Please Wipe You
Feet" and "Stolen From ---.'
Consul Walling was unsuccessful il
getting any information from the manu-
facturers at Leith, who declined an
swering any questions for the benefit O
our manufacturers.
Consul General RathbOne in Paris re
ports that he found it impossible to oh
tain some figures and tables. In 1SS
his predecessor sent out forty letters re
Questing information, and got no re
plies, while twelve similar communica
tons sent out by him were productiv
of only two replies.
Consul Bessinger sends this report O
the rug-making industry of Syria
'Early in this century number of pee
pie from the vicinity of Broussa emf
grated to the Tripoli and Hamat
MuteSsarrifates. in Syria. These pee
pie were familiar with the art Of
making rugs, and introduced this indus
try into the various villages in whicl
they settled. The village of Haidamoo
became especially celebrated for it
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