The San Francisco call., 1901-10-20
John Kimberley Munnford.

them all. each with his speciality. II
place be blessed with a stream possessed
with the magic solvent property, upon
which the excellence Of Eastern coiors
so largely depend. the dyehouses are
ranged close beside it's banks. for the
quality OF water Is even more Vital IN
the mixing Of dyes than n has been
shown TO be In the washing and scour-
ing OF wool The superiority OF one water
over another has been established by
precesses continued over generations, and
tests of other waters for the solution OF
Oriental dyes. IN European cities Tor IN
stance have resulted IN an utter loss OF
spirit In the color.
Speaking of the Tcherkess tCircassian
rugs Mr. Mumford shows how the West
ern invasion is destroying the industry.
He says:
"The Tcberkess rugs are few In Ameri-
can and European markets now. ana so"o
reason Is found In the fact that the icher-
k.ss people as a race. are routed, dissoivea'
DESTROYED This sturdy, comely ana un-
prtncipled race whose women nlIed the
seraxlios and whose men the guards. OF
the Turkish Sultans. and whose Ions.
fierce struggle against Russian supremacy
amazed Europe, Is to-day as race eA-
tinct. Finding 1t impossible to withs'ano
the Muscovite, almost the whole people.
In one great wretched exodus from their
native land variQuished. but bound not to
serve the infidels. The two hundred miles
OF country which they had occupied.
stetchins along the Caucacus and to the
shores of the Black Sea. is to-day unpco-
pied save for a tribe or two OF mixed Cir
cassian blood and handful of Russian or
German immigrants huddied here and
there. When in lS6i-5-6 these exiles came
tErnnuh Anatottn fhoy hey
cared, bereft OF everything In the way OF
earthly goods. and lived In predatory FASH
ion. stealing where chance offered. With
part OF their scant gains they bought
cheap yarns and wove rugs for coverings.
In the carpets which the vegrants made
there was small and rude pretense at de-
sign. Sometimes. since dye!ng involved
cost, they wove simply white woo,en or
cotton yarn. Even in the most preten-
tious of their fabrics. white areas were
frequent, and the few tints used were of
the most elementary kind. Rugs OF this
sort Hitter into the Constantinoplc markets
nowadays"
1t is owing to the fact that Russia.
Germany and England. all have predatory
railroads running into the rug countries.
that rugs are now so plentiful and cheap
1t is the accumulation OF heirlooms which
has been handed down for generations. be-
ing captured. bought or bartered from
their possessors. In return they are re-
ceiving our machine made fabrics. and
worse yet, fashions. 1t Is a rspeti-
tion Of the time when the Navajos would
trade their blankets, colored with vege-
table dyes. In return for the cast-on coat
of soldier. The coat of the soldier. they
saw WIS Of finer weave than their own
cloth. Its bright buttons sealed the bar
gain. The coat was worth one dollar and
half. The blanket would now easily
bring one hundred and fifty dollars. Tho
Navajos have. now learned to use our
dyes, and even buy Germantown yarns
and weave them up. The old blankets are
made no more.
with all the liberal size of Mumford's
book It can but hint at the wealth of
romance In the rugs OF Asia.
In the one word .'khilims. there "a n
string OF suggestions that might take
chapters for their elaboration. In them
are woven the Idle fanoiss OF maidens
fancy free, for most Of them are made
az dowries, by the unmarried girls. Like
Tennyson's Sady Of Shalott--
There she weaves by night and day
magic web with coiors gay.
She hath no loyal knight and true.
The Lady of shslott;
But IN her web she still Delights
To weave the mirrors magic sights.
The peculiar structure Of the khllims IL
explained by this. for they are the only
specimens OF the Oriental wcaves which
are always complete In any part OF them
selves. AS long as the girl is unmarried
she works. The ends OF the warp are
left rough. 80 that more may always be
spun into them, and the weft Ia carried
through but a few warp strands ut a
time and then returned upon itself. Tho
patterns, being small. are capable Of In
finite duplication. and no border ID ever
attempted. The whole is typical Of the
incomplete, always unfinished, yet un-
bounded life Of the unmarried woman. To
carry the smile further the mate nj