Evening star., 1901-12-14
A Great Furniture House Completing Its
Fourth Decade.
W. B. MOSES & SONS END THE FORTIETF1 YEAR OF
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS JAN. = 1902

one can possibly describe carpets.
The important thing about them is
that, like the furniture, the process
by which they are selected for the
Moses store is a guarantee to the
purchaser.
I'VE know all the carpet weavers
in this country and abroad" said the
carpet man. "We buy where we can
get the best there is, the most beau
tiful and the latest; we buy in vast
quantities. This house is known to
be large purchaser of the best, and
consequently the best carpet maui
facturers of the world vie for our
trade. We select with great care.
Any one furnishing a house can
come to us and be perfectly sure of
getting the exact shade, the exact de-
sign, that will harmonic with the
color scheme of the whole house and
the general plan
DO you guarantee that your car
pets will not fade:?'
mo, on the contrary, we guaran.
tee that they will fade. No man can
honestly guarantee that a carpet will
not fade"
Then the carpet man showed me
some Indian carpets, which are a
class to themselves, the looms being
worked by convict or pauper labor in
Lahore, Cashmere, Mirapur and
Agra. They are a study in light col
ors, agreeing with the occidental idea
instead of the oriental.
An Interview With Mr.. Moses.
How long ought furniture to
last" asked Mr.. A. c. Moses.
"a lifetime"
Seventy years?'
With proper care and common
sense treatment"
by that you mean?"
The temperature of a room has
much to do with it.
An even temperature around 70
is as correct for furniture as for man.
Furniture is damaged most by hot
air and steam heat. Yes, that's the
main reason, why old folks tell us
modern cabinet making isn't what it
used to be-
The finish or lacquer should be
renewed every ten or fifteen years.
Furniture should be cleaned care
fully from time to time and the
best polish should be used. There
are several bests-one we made after
years of study has nothing but help
full ingredients.
DO you sell much imported fur
niture?"
America makes better furniture
than they make abroad. America
! makes better Italian furniture and
better French furniture. The work
manship is better and the wood is
seasoned to suit this climate. I
know a manufacturer of period fur
niture who gets his models of cary
ings in plaster from Italy and makes
the furniture here"
Mr.. A. c. Moses, speaking of the
card index system, summarizes it
when he says: 1T is systematizer-
a teacher-that shows how to run
business better and does it at the
same time. I know of one concern
running twelve thousand open ac-
counts which uses six single drawers
or card files and employs but five
girls and a manager to run its office,
and yet its sale items are from one
cent to one thousand dollars"
furniture for Christmas.
1t is doubtful if the subject of fur
niture for Christmas has ever been
fully analysed.
The ideal present should be beau
tiful and useful. Furniture is both.
The art of the ages finds its ex-
preston in good furniture-the art
that is beyond criticism.
This cannot be said of the art that
enters into the average Christmas
article. Most Christmas things are
made for the occasion, and their
beauty is passing. I am thinking
now of the thousand and one flimsy,
tawdry things people buy because
they see them displayed on Christ