Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-09-16
RUGMAKING In PERSIA.
HOW PERSlANs MANUFACTURE THeiH
FAMOUS CARPETS.

| rAmOO5 IAhFE ..
Patterns Vary Bccause the Weaver Al,
lows Ills Fancy 10 Play While Making
Them aud Does Not Follow the Design
Very ciesaIy-why the colors Last,
Certain districts Of Persia, and even
whole tribes, are specially devoted to the
weaving OF rugs. each having certain
eharn"'"rtstics peculiar To that region, al,
thuu-n each rug has In turn an individu
Atty OF It's own. There are no elaborate
schools Of industrial or decorative art No
ant professors, no principles laid down for
the practice of the weaving or the design
ing OF the pattern. exist there. No prizes
or medals are offered; there are no exhi.
| bitluns or fairs where competition and
progress are encouraged. Tine rugmaker
draws his inspiration solely from the ia
stinct for certala types OF the beautiful
universal among the people, his technical
knowleige j. acquired by seeing his fat her
or his mother at the loom, families aud en-.
tire villages follow this pursuit from gen
GRAFTON 20 generation. Ia summer perhaps
some OF them till the fields or pasture their
iiocks In autumn and winter they weave
carpets, just as the fishermen of Cape Ann
/ Hlahc hAoes one season anu 10 u uahlnR on
the ocean another season.
The loom stands ON the porch OF the fat
rooied adobe house or under the plane tree
by the tank In the courtyard where the
fowls are scratching the earth, overhead
the nightingale and the blaekbird are be
ginning to pipe their songs OF welcome TO
the approaching summer. Humble as
those people may be, they enjoy the attrac
tions of nature In a certain inHrticulate
way, perhaps. but yet far more keenly
than our own country folk OF the same
rank. The frame OF the loom ls composed
of rough untrimmed branches on which
the bark may still be seen The warn.
which is generally OF wool or linen aud
sometimes now OF cotton cords, Is stretched
from top to bottom. aud the weaver sits
before It on n felt rug In stocking feet, or
perhaps barefoOted, resting ou his knees
aud heels. as all Persians sit. OF whatever
rank or degree. IL matters not whether IL
be man. woman or child. they all work nj
carpet weaving. aud all sit IN that posi-
ton
HOW THE WEAVER WORKS
The woof or WOODEN stuff Of which the
texture Of the carpet is made is re-sed by
the same individuals who make tue rag,
and they also make the colors and dye the
wool. The colors are generally extracted
from vegetable materials. and are in most
cases iniperishable The wool itself will
wear away before the color is faded out
or late there has been tendency To use
Rniline dyes imported from Europe. and
this Is having very injurious effect on the
so called Bokhara rugs. But the use OF
these dyes is strictly forbidden In Persia,
and therefore they are M yet employed
With caution Ia the rugs OF that country.
But the embroideries OF Resebt, near the
Russian border, are greatly impaired by
these wretched tints
The weaver lays the different colored
threads In strands AT his side. Az he needs
to Use them, he cuts them into short tufts
with scissors or knife. These bits are
twisted into the warp with his fingers, and
thus form the woof The process IL neces.
sarily slow, especially II the pattern IN com.
plIcated, the more particularly because
the weaver sits facing the reverse side.
Whether following some special design or
conventional pattern, the weaver does
not concern himself To follow II too care.
fully, unless distinctly filling an order"
but allows play 10 his fancy. Herein ap-
pears that individuality which gives such
a charm 10 a Persian rug In none Of them,
except some OF recent make, is there such
absolute formality OF design as we see in
European carpet. Hence one aever wearies
OF II. Ever aud anon one discovers Ia IL
some figure or tint before uususpected.
When a row OF the woof mas been inter
woven with the warp. frame with teeth
Is hammered down upon 1t until II becomes
an integral part of the layer below, and
thus a consistent mass Is formed with
rich uniform pile
OLD PERsEAS CARpFTa
There Is great variety To the texture of
Persian carpets. not so much In those
made by the same family or district
as between those OF different districts
Some have Loose. others a close warp; a
long heavy pile. or one that is short Ori.
entail rugs are not intended 10 be trod on
with heavy shoes. but merely with stock
iBgs or light slippers, while others are ex.
clusiveiy used for covers of ,liyans or AS
portieres. We're IL not for this fact there
would not be so many really old Persian
rugs in the market which are still In very
toierable condition
When purchasing AN old rug however.
which Is held at a smart price IL is well To
examine IL carefully. While the eolors
may have been soltened into a beautiful
tone agreeable to the artistic eye, il may
be also that the pile has been eleverly
sAaFed 10 give an even surface, a common
trick in Oriental bazaars. The color may
be renewed. the dirt partly removed By
this process. but the durability OF the ar,
ticle Ia at the same time seriously i'm.
paired. Nor should old rugs be bought
merely because they are old
Undoubtedly some antique Persian car
pets are superior To those made now, espe
cially In the quality Of the dark rich blues.
But II Is the sheerest affeetation TO buy an
old. ragged, dirty. altogether faded out
and patched rug. sometimes, as have
seen them, pieccd out from other rugs,
simply because IL is antique and has "A name
70 u. unless bought a. curiosity, like
faded gobelin. As thing OF beauty, suit
able for decoration. Its usefulness Is past.
IS g w. Benjamin IN Harper's Bazaar.
Animals That Are Abundant