Omaha daily bee., 1895-09-15

have followed in the drying or burning They
also occasionally contain traces of shells, but
these are perhaps an accidental addition. re-
sulting from the clay having been taken from
a sllt-basin in a stream where had taken
place accumulations of the shells Of fresh
water mollusca. 1t would seem likely that
this pottery was formed over core OF grass
| and clay, and not by potter'S wheel, since
the impression of grass blades may sometimes
be found on their interior surface and no
specimens have been found which would indi-
cate that the potter's wheel was known.
THE POTTER A CoNNoIssEUR.
If the maker of the better class OF arrow
points was an artist the potter has shown
himself to have been a connoisseur. The
maker of arrow-points, in making them
neater and Of finer outline, at the same time
| made them more serviceable, but the potter
did much more than that He not only made
neat, serviceable and shapely vessel, but he
also put beauty marks on its border!
Marks and stripings and hatchings,
which added nothing to its util-
ity but were put on solely to crafty desire
for the beautiful. All Of these attempts may
not have been entirely successful from our
elevated point of view, but they admit of but
one Interpretation, they mark the origin and
rise Of ceramic art. They show one of the
beginnings Of the upward march OF human
progress and human aspiration and, knowing
to what marvellous perfection the art of or
can we'll afford to gladly welcome the dawn
Of the beautiful In fctive manipulation. All
honor to the first man who began to cross
hatch and stripe his pots!
OF the fragments now in possession OF the
writer, twelve different styles of border or
namentation appear, the following being the
leading types: Next to the plain rim, as
smooth as the material would make It, comes
ming parallelly around the rim Of the
vessel. Another style has four such lines
or grooves. Another has diagonal lines inter-
secting one arother at the top and bottom OF
the rim. Another has similar lines In groups
OF three, with only the interior ones meeting
at the angle. One has two lines running
around merely on top Of the rim. One has
little prominences on the exterior surface, run
ming around In a row about half an inch apart,
made by pushing round instrument into
the soft clay on the inside. Another has
little dots or depressions all around on the
top Of the rim about one-fourth of an inch
apart and made with two ears or handles,
formed to initiate little hands holding the
vessel. etc. n
SUPERIOR TO THE MODERN.
All of the specimens, are without any at
tempt at glazing and It Is not apparently
burned to any great degree OF hardness, but
that 1t answered ths purposes OF cookery is
shown by the cake or inGrustation OF carboni-
ferrous or charred matter found on the inter-
ior surface of some specimens, and this, by
tuo way, 10 u test IWulCH lHe wares VI TIC
modern potter would hardly successfully un-
dergo. In many specimens the rim has been
strengthened by increasing the thickness OF
the part; point in which the modern potter
has been a servile imitator. Immediately be-
low the rim, on the exterior. the surface is
usually matched heor pitted with little
indensations, giving the surface OF that part
somewhat rough appearance. In some cases
the sharper curves OF the outer surface were
apparently formed by pressure with the scaly
surface OF a corn cob or grain spike OF the
maize plant. which left the negative Of its
branny surface In ltlDe tsoft clay. The re-
semblance Is often so striking that this form
OF ornamentation could hardly have been pro-
duced In any other way. Whether ancient
or not. well developed corn cob was found
firmly embedded In a tough mass OF swamp
cane roots three feet below the surface Of the
river valley at point near Ord where. so far
as could be seen, no disturbance had taken
place In the formation in recent times. These
facts may indicate an acquaintapce with the
maize plant and perhaps considerable pro-
fciency In agriculture, as the clin dweilers
are certainly known to have had In the
southwest. Though no traces OF tillags In
this region by ahy former people are now
traceable, II must not be forgotten that In
our own day all traces of tiliage in an aban-
doned field are rapidly effaced by the ele-
ments and the soil becomes reoccupied by the
native grasses In from three to hve Years.
The interior OF the pottery is always smooth.
Some have apparently been merely baked to
biaekness while othsrs are bfick-red In
color. Indicating exposure to considerable
three-eighths Of an inch In thickness. and