Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-01-09
THE ORIENTAL RUG.
A Product of Eastern Life, and How
It is Made.

The Oriental rug is the product of
Eastern life. The mountain s. eep sup
piled its material, nature taught the
design and gave the coloring, and the
religion of the people became the i'm
pulse and guiding spirit of the deft
woman fingers that through many centt-
ries spread the knotted mystic covers
in the homes and shrines of the Orient.
In the prayer of the Islam centre vari-
Gus sacred ideas. He bows down before
his Maker, and the material ON which he
rests his hands must be susceptible to
spotless cleanliness; he wants to find
himself in an atmosphere of high
thoughts and sacred suggestions, and
as he looks down in kneeling he sees the
living green and crimson symbols OF
life and power-mingled in all mystic
figures with blue aud god that carry to
him faint ide4s of love and glory. At
home in the rooms where the morning
sun looks in the pious Turk finds in
his prayer-rug the associations of the
mosques in his native city, or of the
holiest of holies where he pave III his
pilg1amage to Mecca, in the form of
dom, and panels and the designs OF
encaustic tiles, and peculiar arrange
ments of stone and brick i'll the walls
SO that wherever the wolshiping Turk
may be found, kneeling upon prayer
rug against the eastern sky, the soul
finds itself in the midst of sacred asso-
Citations and breathes the holy atmos-
phere of the temple where it has prayed
with the faithful.
Thus dignified, the Oriental rug be-
came great institution among the
peoples of the Orient, both Moslem and
Christian, and indr stry and talent have
been devoted to it for centuries. By
reason of the high value thus put upon
a good rug, the mothers and daughte s
of the people who set themselves to the
arduous task of "tying up" rug
spared no pains in procuring the best
materials, and their zeal developed the
highest talent. In many cases they
We're made for votive offerings to
mosques and shrines then nothing
was to be spared. The finest wool, the
best of dyes and the highest talent Were
put upon the altar and some of these
old Kazak and Daghistan rugs that
stray out of Turkish mes lue or shrine
are splendid works Of art, with an ex-
uberance of rich soft coloring and bold
design that delight the eyes and call
forth the admiration of appreciative
minds.
There is no complicated machinery in
the manufacture of an Oriental rug, the /
warp being st etched on simple frame,
and all the rest of the work done by
tying the colored yarn across the warp
in line, in peculiar strong knot,
combing it down hard and cutting it
the necessary length. Where each |
part 'cular tuft of yarn had thus to be
tied in knot by the skillful fingers of
the artist weaver, a med .um sized rug
of good quality required the labor of
months OF years, according to the simple
or elaborate design which the artist
carried in mind.
Considering the fact that there was
no machinery to save labor, no chemi-
Gals, no shadow of an art school, an
antique Oriental rug of fair quality, that
in color and texture has defied the
tread of centuries, is no mean proof of
artistic skill of the daughters of the
Orient.
The peculiar charm and characteristic
of the antique Oriental rug is its per-
feet naturalness. The soft yet deep
colors, the strength of texture and the
charming irregularity of the most per-
feet dt signs suggest the beauty of natural
scenery and are equally unmistakable.
No limitations are offered as Oriental
rugs. To initiate color and texture of
the antique rugs would cost more than
to purchase the rugs, and as for the
designs-the mostperfect machine made
imitation would at once reveal very
regular ir. egularity.
Turk sh rugs are still make on the
family looms of the people, every girl
in the country preparing number OF
fine rugs for her dover before the age
of 16 or Is years. What are known as
"Royal Antique Rugs" are the rare rugs
made by the earlier princesses of the
various khans in the country, in accord
ance with the custom of the people and
as royal reoreation. Modern prin-
cesses of the East seek less laborious
recreation by investing in the luxuries
of the Western world.
The fine antique Daghistan, Kazak
and Anatolian rugs were woven q cen
tury or more ago by the daughters of
the wealthier families in the country,
and being carefully used by several
succeeding generations as family relics
have been handed down to the present
owners, who now dispose OF them,
generally by reason of want, and in
some cases us a favor to the native
buyer.
The wool of these rugs is colored by
fast vegetable dyes. the preparation of
the various colors being family secrets
never revealed to others. Not few
of these fast dyes are now among the
lost arts Mail and Express.
THE growing desire for independence
in Canada is shown by the fact that a
flag of 'the United States of Canada"
displayed in shop window at Windsor
does not cause any unpleasantness, al
though ten years ago it would have o.
casioned q riot.
STATE OF OHIO, CITY OF TOLEDO,
LUCAS COUNTY, co.
FRANK ]. CHENEY makes oath that he is the
senior partner of the firm of T. ]. CHENEY 81
Co., doing business in the City OF Toledo,
County and State aforesaid, and that said firm
will pay The sum of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS
for each and every case of Catarrh that cannot
be cured by the use of HALLS CATARRH CURE.