Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-09-09
PRAYER RUGS AND CARPETS
Beautiful Eastern Fabrics That Are
Hundred of Years Old.

Baron Albert Rothschild, member
OF the richest family In Europe, Is
collector Of Eastern rugs. In his SPLEEN
did house in Paris costly rugs are spread
over the waxed floors, but the most
beautiful and precious OF these bits OF
Oriental carpet hang like pictures or
tapestry along the walls.
They are far too valuable to be tram
pied by careless feet, since some OF them
cost many thousand dollars and are tive
and six centuries old. Besides, they
are as beautiful as paintings, and every
one boasts history or possesses series
OF meanings in its decorations that have
been studied and translated by able
scholars.
Now, a collector OF rugs will tell you
that Of all manufactures of the East 1t
was in carpet making the Persians ex-
celled, and that on their rough looms,
in the factories controlled by the Shah,
in the tents of the wandering tribes or
houses of the villagers, labOriously by
hand, the most beautiful and durable
carpets have ever been woven. Some
thing more than floor coverings were
these.
Many of the most beautiful were
PRAYER mats for pious Musselmans, and
into them all were woven some verses
from the Koran, some Oriental pro-
verbs, some songs to spring time and
and art, or some words in praise OF the
Shah.
Often enough the weaver OF a carpet
tried to picture q glimpse OF the Shan's
pleasure garden or hunting party, and
in cartouches or medallions, along the
border Of some OF these rugs,is verse
or two of original poetry extoling the
Shah and the Chinesert that the weaver
evidently admired.
In the days OF Persia's greatness
special factories for carpet weaving
were owned by the Shah, and rugs
made fve,si1, even eight hundred years
ago are found to-day In excellent con-
dition, little worn as TO fringe, but
the colors as clear and as fine as ever
In nearly everv province OF Persia,
Asia Minor and Turkey will be found
innumerable families who weave rugs,
every member contributing something
TO the industry. Even the little child
rem give a share Of help, and very early
the little girls learn 10 become expert
workers at the big looms.
When a TUrkoman girl grows up, II
she Is clever weaver, her husband
pays to her father 100 tomans for so
valuable a wife.
II that husband dies and another
sEitor comes along and asks her band
in marriage, he must pay her father
200 tomans, and so on her price In
creases In proportion every time she
Is so unfortunate as TO become q widow.
Sometimes II the rug Is large the loom
reaches from floor 10 ceiling OF the
weaver's hut, and often all day the en-
tire family sit aloft on scanolding
working like beavers from six In the
morning until six AZ night.
With their best efforts these patient
tolers can only make a few inches OF
rug day, and when the rug is very
fine OF quality, with a careful design,
it requires months TO finish small one.
Though the Turks and Persians make
the finest rugs In the world thew care
very little !or their own fine handiwork,
and for their houses greatly prefer the
cheap. gaudy carpets made In Western
Europe and America.
These manufactured carpets they can
not wash as they do their own, however,
for IL is the custom among those Eastern
people to have great carpet washing
once wear Ropes are stretched
across a stream where the current is
swift and the rugs, laid on the ropes,
hang all day in the running water
For another day they lag in the sun
drying.
But the prayer rugs are rarely
washed; these are held little sacred
from common use, and some that hang
in the mosques cannot be bought for
any amount Of money.