Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-11-26
pIpEs AND SMOKERS.
sToRit|s OF meeRscHAUM coLoRINo
TOLD BY AN EXPERT.

The Rtth Peruvian Who Didn't Mind
Little Expense Where His Pipes Were
Concekned-Th Duke Coiored the Cigar
uoIdsk In One Day. But
ooh, yes, yon ought to be able TO get
a real iheerschaum for ga plain one.
Of courle-but there isn't much sale for
the carried and ornamental ones now,
said the pipe expert to his interiocu'or'
"Meersthaum carving was well done
here 2Aor 80 years ago--so well that
an American exhibit only failed to re-
ceive alnedal ut the Paris exposition OF
1867 because the judges Thought the
work tJo good 10 have been done on this
side od the Atlantic. That bulldog
would have cost you two or three times
the bride in those days. 1t was expen-
siye tlln-the work and the material
both-Iut people had an appreciation OF
IL thatI they seem to have lost since.
And this is the reason, i'll part, at any
rate: The growth Of commerce has
made ia possible for American manufac-
turers 10 import mcerschaum directly
from tie producers in Austria ana Iur-
key. inl,ead Of paying the profits OF ten
or a DOZEN middlemen as they once had
10 do. Amber is cheaper, too, for the
same rIason. Then. some years ago,
taking advantage of the cheap prices,
cbeap manufacturers went into the bust
ness with cheap labor-tenement house
labor. lhrgely-and cheapened and vul-
parizedl,he business. Now that you can
buy n 'neerschaum nc every Third ave-
nue. char store, few people have any
real notion Of artistic work.
~ ucan 20 cultivate taste for 1t
again. though-to popularize II If l
can. Inn going TO sell lot Of meer-
schaumI blocks, with bowls and stem
holes hillowed out, at a price pretty
near colt. Then I'm going to give d.
rectiun.| so that any man with a bent for
carving can ornament his own pipe.
It's such pity there shouldn't be more
nopnlnJ interest in this branch Of art,
sighed ihe enthusiast, "for no material
lends itlelf 10 carving like meerschaum.
WHY. IInever see one Of tbese irregular
humps tbat the shape Of II doesn It sug-
pest ibJ beautiful form that lies within
IL Hete"-he snatched sketchbook
and orlened it's hounds head,
after Ihndsoer; group Of fallen an.
gels. frdm Dore; portrait head, carved
from lte-see the range of subjects!
But Americans haven't generally been
successful M meerschaum carving; our
hest wulkmen have come from Germany.
do | know any mechanical way OF
colorinI meerschaum' Oh yes; l
have known man to Tx up u small
rubber bellows that was kept going by
a clock,lork attachment. and So did his
smokinll for him, but much more
comma method il 20 hire some CON
slant shoker TO use your pipe until 1t
gets thfitint Won want. British officers
sometimes distribute their meerschanms
among their men for this purpose, and
on lobg voyage passengers give theif
pipes iulcharge Of seasoned old salts.
"SOub wears ago we had a customer,
rich PERUVIAN, who had bought a great
many pl pes from us: he had about %
nieces IL fine meerschaum. OF course
he coulln', hope 10 color all those him
self unless he smoked like volcano,
especially in the IL months he expected
20 stay here. So he asked me If | knew
anybodu who would do il for him. |
introduJ I'D him To one Of our workmen,
n youneifellow, and the Peruvian turn-
ed oyer his pipes 10 him. supplying him
with a lot Of the very best tobacco he
could lhy. He used 10 come Ill often
aud watch the man at his work he
would 1T and admire the slow coloring
II thus.I pipes as an artist would
paintinL You know how you feel IL
YOU see The beautiful rich hues come IN,
don't ycS:
well. sir, sort Of friendship sprang
M between those two. The Peruvian
took IA p,!rsonal, or perhaps proprietary.
interest in his pipe coloIer, and started
out by slnding him to his own barber.
10 DO lhaved into more presentab!e
shape. Then he insisted that the man
should Have his teeth examined, and he
paid k,5 dentists bill for him. He
sent him 20 a fashionable tailor aud
gave hirE fine outfit; he bought him a
panama Lat. and SO on until we figured
that. with 81 IA pound tobacco-and he
kept theI.ellow smoking all the time
and all the rest Of his expenditures Gu
that workman, the coloring Of those
pipes colt him about 81 200, Then he
went h.lck 10 Peru. and heard after
ward thlt he was killed in Australia.
He ought 10 have remembered the work
man in bis will, to make the romance
complied hut this is true story, and
can I saJ he did Perhaps he felt him
self fullI furnished with pipes for this
world add the next without any be-
quests.
ESPECIALLY if he smoked the ghost
Of his cbt cavendish i'll his phantom
mecrsch, nm, " suggested his listener.
Eye, J." said the other, who could
appreciate Jerome too But don't
know abtut that. You see he smoked
most OF hat cut cavendish by proxy.
"Herel S another story OF meerschaum
coloring The Duke Of Castelluccia used
10 be ond Of my customers One Satur-
day he tame in and looke3 at fine
meerscha hm cigar holder.
"'1hat's handsome, he said. But
want it Iolored Can you have it done
for me on Monday
But your grace. said, 'coloring
takes tim e. | couldn't have it done by
Monday. A few weeks
Bah! he said. i will bring 1t to
you on Monday as black as your coat.
"And be did This is how he did it,
He went lout and bought 100 long o
cent cigjrs. went home and smoked
them all hay Sunday, one after the 9th
or, until they We're gone. Sure enough,
the holder had a beautiful color, but he
had nearly spoiled his teeth, and he add
mitted that he wouldn't do it again.
One hundred cent cigars in one day
was too much even for an Italian. ~