The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-28
ORIENTAL ARTISANS.
The Wood and Ivory Csrvers and Silver
smiths OF Canton.

I'm the City OF Canton Is the title OK
= gossipy paper by Florence O'Driscoll,
NJ p, in The Century. In describing the
patient and skilled artisans the writer says;
Farther along the streets were the ivory
carvers, al working in sight of the pass
ersby. Men shaped from a dinEy coated
elephant tusk objects OF living wonder
and beauty-sprites and COLLINS, gods
aud devils, caricaturcs of human form,
things unlike anything on the earth, or IN
the waters beneath, or in the heavens
above. Animals, birds and creeping
things grew out OF this dead ivory 20 take
the shape and live in almost noisy gam
bols around the spiral tusk. Paper knives,
weights. combs, backs for brushes, orna-
ments, hairpins, cunniugly carved glooes
within globes, toys and many strange
things had birth in these quaint and
primitive workshops.
Near by were the wood carvors, sitting
on the floors az their booths and holding
with their feet the timber from which
they chopped out and with chlsels graved
dragons, scrolls, flowers. birds signs for
shops, ngurehesds for boats chair backs,
marvelously carved cabinets and curious
~ faucifIl objects Every workman chip
ped away rs IL his life depended upon his
industry, and seemingly developed each
design as be worked from the inner con
sciousncss of his weird irnaginatiop. l
could see no prearranged design for any
piece of carving, nor 9ere there any mod
els to be seen in the ivory shops.
The silver worker hammered away at
his pots, and reptiles and flying things,
manikins, elemcntals, giants and legend
airy personages grew out OF his labors- lie
also skillIully wove wires together which
+ took shape a. delicate filisree forms or be
Joined tiny leanike plates with hhgree
scrolls, and with the beautiful sheeny
feathers from kingfishcr's breast inlhid
the plates IN brilliant and unfsding TINT.
Tho gold worker displayed cunning
workmanship Of like nature. The gold
beatcr in his open shop two or three feet
back from the passing streams Of pso-
pie hammered away at ingOts bars ana
plates until the tnin leaf To- gliding WIS.,
obtained. Two workmen had an anvil
placed on the ground between them. The
sheets Of gold were divided by Ozark brown
tissue. and with a yeTy wild faced hammer.
fixed upon very thick, stTetsht handle,
they beat away, blow after bow in turn.
Behind each beater stood Icy with a
large feather fan, whose duty II was t.
fan the laborer while he tOilec
The stone caryers like most craftsmen,
sat above their work. Unlike tho western
ers, whose hammer face g-s bard and
chisel heads soft, rte Chiness stonecutter
uses a soft iron hammer To-ai. mop
like lump Of iron with a handle through
the center. The chi-el g. % iron. witt
steel point and head The round, hard
steel head wears in a short time CuI
shaped hole or socket ia the hammer. oni
II seems almcst q marvel That q true bio"
can b. struck with such "a tool. Tho s'ou~
cutter Vs-s long hardsaws and s3ts % -i'
work Win one hand le pushes the fasf
with the otb-r b. moves Ia the op2-s.u
direction httle water mop 70 KEEP a.
saw cuJ clear
The black -rniths. ftteTs. fle CUTTER
iron founders and iron yorkeEs yTers al q
be -osn Ia.oling away z their little shops
File cutters so nd holding with thsi
to.s on urtesupered lie iron IN q groove
anvil rcrched it, t.zin2 Little steel cut
ting tool and hammer With AMAZING "a
pid-ty-