Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-11-13
PIPES AND SMOKERS.
STORIES OF MEERSCHAUM COLORlNG
TOLD BY AN EXPERT.

Little Expense Where His Pipes Were
Concerned-The Duke Colored the Cigar
Holder In One Day. But
"Oh, yes, you ought to be able to get
a real meerschaum for $2-a plain one,
of course-but there ism much sale for
the carved and ornamental ones now, "
said the pipe expert to his interlocutor.
"Meerschaum carving was we'll done
here % or 80 years ago-so we'll that
an American exhibit only failed to re-
ceive medal at the Paris exposition of
1857 because the judges thought the
work too good TO have been done on this
side Of the Atlantic. That bulldog
would have cost you two or three times
the price in those days. 1t was expen-
siye then-the work and the material
both-but people had an appreciation Of
it that they seem to have lost since.
And this is the reason, in part, at any
rate: The growth of commerce has
made it possible for American manufac-
turers to import meerschaum directly
from the producers in Austria and Tur-
key, instead of paying the profits of ten
or dozen middlemen as they once had
to do Amber is cheaper, too, for the
same reason. Then, some years ago,
taking advantage of the cheap prices,
cheap manufacturers went into the bust
ness with cheap labor-tenement house
labor, largely-and cheapened and vul-
CARRIED the business. Now that you can
buy meerschaum at every Third ave-
nue. cigar store, few people have any
real notion of artistic work.
81 mean to cultivate taste for it
again, though-to popularize it if ]
can. I'm going to sell a lot Of meer-
schaum blocks, with bowls and stem
holes followed out, at price pretty
near cost. Then I'm going to give di-
rections SO that any man with bent for
carving can ornament his own pipe.
It's such a pity there shouldn't be more
popular interest in this branch of art, ="
sighed the enthusiast, "for no material
lends itself to carving like meerschaum.
Why, I never see one of these irregular
humps that the shape of it doesn't sug-
gest the beautiful form that lies within
it. Here"-he snatched sketchbook
and opened it-"is a hounds head,
after Landseer; group Of fallen an
gels, from Dore; portrait head, carved
from life-see the range of subjects!
But Americans haven't generally been
successful at meerschaum carving; our
best workmen have come from Germany.
"Do I know any mechanical way OF
coloring a meerschaum? Oh, yes;
have known man to fix up small
rubber bellows that was kept going by
q clockvork attachment, and so did his
smoking for him, but much more
common method is to hire some con.
slant smoker to use your pipe until ii
gets the tint you want. British officers
sometimes distribute their meerschaums
among their men for this purpose, and
on a long voyage passengers give their
pipes in charge of seasoned old salts.
"Some years ago we had customer,
rich Peruvian, who had bought great
many pipes from us; he had about so
pieces of fine meerschaum. OF course
he couldn't hope to color all those him
self unless he smoked like volcano,
especially in the IL months he expected
to stay here. So be asked me if / knew
anybody who would do it for him. l
introduced him to one Of our workmen,
young fellow, and the Peruvian turn
ed over his pipes to him, supplying him
with a lot of the very best tobacco he
could buy. He used to come in often
and watch the man at his work. He
would sit and admire the slow coloring
Of those pipes as an artist would a
painting You know how you feel as
you see the beautiful rich hues come in,
don't you?
"Well, sir, sort of friendship sprang
up between those two. The Peruvian
took a personal, or perhaps proprietary,
interest in his pipe colorer, and started
out by sending him to his own barber.
to be shaved into more presentable
shape. Then he insisted that the man
should have his teeth examined, and he
paid a $75 dentists bill for him. He
sent him to fashionable tailor and
gave him fine outfit he bought him a
panama hat, and so on until we figured
that, with "a pound tobacco-and he
kept the fellow smoking all the time
and all the rest of his expenditures on
that workman, the coloring Of those
pipes cost him about 1900. Then he
went back to Peru, and I heard after
ward that he was killed in Australia.
He ought to have remembered the work
man in his will, to make the romance
complete, but this is true story, and I
can't say he did. Perhaps he felt him
self fully furnished with pipes for this
world and the next without any be-
quests.
Especially if he smoked the ghost
of his cut cavendish in his phantom
meerschaum, suggested his listener.
"Ye-es," said the other, who could
appreciate jerome too. ''But I don't
know about that. You see he smoked
most Of that cut eavendish by proxy.
"Here's another story of meerschaum
coloring: The Duke of Castelluccia used
to be one of my customers. One Satur-
day he came in and looked at fine
meerschaum cigar holder
"'That's handsome, he said. But I
want it colored. Can you have it done
for me on Monday?'
"'But. your grace. I said, 'coloring
takes time. I couldn't have it done by
Monday. A few weeks
"'Bah !! he said. I will bring it to
you ON Monday as black as your coat.
"And he did This is how he did it,
He went out and bought 100 long 8
cent cigars. went home and smoked
them all cay Sunday, one after the 9TH
er, until they were gone. Sure enough,
the holder had beautiful color, but he
had nearly spoiled his teeth, and he ad-
mitted that he wouldn't do it again.
One hundred cent cigars in one day
was too much even for an Italian. -
New York Tribune.
A urious Playbill Phrase.
The Teatro Nuovo, at Naples, added,