Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-01-12
! THE UNIQUE ~ - - - ~
; ROYCROFTER0
~ @ - AND THEIR FOUNDER

AND THEIR FOUNDER

carried out. IT you can't have the
right thing on your walls, have them
whitewashed. At any rate, you will
have the satisfaction Of knowing that
they are not In bad taste"
BY conducting his work In the c0un.
try Mr.. Hubbard secured pure air t0r
his workmen and freedom from un.
healthful environment, while the diai.
culties attendant upon the isolation %
such an enterprise were more than
counterbalanced by the prominence
this isolation bestowed. II would seem
strange that the requisite skill for such
work as is carried on-artistic, mechan-
lcal and llterary-could be found 10
small community; but, except for tenn
porary inconvenience, the originator
has not been SO troubled by a dearth as
he has been bothered by surplusage
OF talent. Asked where he secured such
splendid wOrkmen In every branch N.
Hubbard replied that they Just blew
In" somehow he hardly knew how o:
from what locality, one Of his trusted
men has served term In Sing sing
his skilled bookbinder came from Ger.
many and another artist from England.
but most Of the work is done by hons
talent" the possession OF which by th
village lads and lassies was never su~
pected until It was brought out una1
the genial warmth Of encouragemeni
Some Of the workmen are characters
In their way, as, for example All
Baba." so called, who was Originally
Hubbard's hired man on the farm, pW
who now imagines he carries the whole
establishment on his brawny shoulders
Fra Elbertus" Is Hubbard himself
his front name being Ebert IS,
Gerome" is Jerome Conner, a sculptor
Of ability, who is the curator and buzz
sar Of the shop. He was brought up
blacksmith, but his artistic temperl'
ment shows forth In sculpturing model
ing in clay and ornamental ironwork al.
his productions commandinggo odprlee'
II Is accepted as a truism here lha'
nobody knows what is in him until he
tries what he can do, and acting upoa
that all these diverse arts and indus'
tries have been evolved from apparent
~ unpromsing material When orna'
mental andirons were wanted for the
shop nreplaces, st Gerome" went over
20 the village smlthy and hammers
them out and was considerably aston
ished TO find that the first visitor VINO
came along insisted on having them 81
a fancy price. So It was with a WI
liam Morris table to be made OF po
ished oak. massive and handsome Ih'
village carpenter baked az the proheI'
ed contract, but when urged to do hs
best just went ahead and did II, WIZ
the result that II was snatched UP bys
visitor at SIS. After that he did no
more small jobs Of carpentry. but or
lowed his impulse toward higher crsA'
tions TO expand and find expression
u Is not known 10 the writer Wha'
proportion Of the Roycroft pecunap
profits goes into the pockets Of the ass''
cjate workers. about 100 In all, bat ths'
seem satisfied with their Jobs and ar
probably wei provided for. The gTear
est profit TO them, however, lies IN thsI
being shown their hitherto latent pos
sibilities or, In other words, pe'n'
taught what they can do.
Speaking impersonally, II would seen
that Mr. Hubbard has had in mind tna'
remark attributed 10 the late ProiessU
Henry. so long connected with Wv
Smithsonian institution nj Washins
tom My ambition is to add 10 the sum
OF human knowledge by the discover!
OF new truths which may be Of son'
use to the world. The practical appI,
cation OF these leave 10 others. ~
the two classes Of men beneficial
their kind, the inventors and adap'eIs
those who originate and those who uu.'
lze what they find at hand-Henry ne!
be taken as a type Of the former an.
Hubbard OF the latter, both ha'Ws
made their fellow men their debtors
FREDERICK A, oBEh
pofa ions brOuphf intO Russia NIet p