The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-08

From the Boston Herald.
 The Mecca in America for lovers of art books is the little village of East Au- rora, N. Y. Here $50 country people, who call themselves Roycrofters, print and bind books by hand, and illuminate them-a revival of the artistic work done by the monks of olden times.
 From about 1850 to 1890, in London, Samuel and Thomas Roycroft printed and made very beautiful books. In choos- ing their name the modern Roycrofters had these men in mind, but beyond this the word has a special significance. meaning Kings craft"-kings crafts men being term used in the guilds of early England for the men who had achieved a high degree of sl1ill-men who made things for the king. So a Roy crofter is a person who makes beautiful things, and makes them as well as he can.
 F,lbert Hubbard, author of the famous Message to Garcia" and editor of the Philistine, was the founder of the Roy crofters, and is their leader. prophet and seer. Fifteen years ago the institution started with three workers, Era Fiber tus as the people call their founder, and two boys and the shop was in the upper story of the fras barn.
 Here the Philistine magazine was first printed, and, to fill in the time, book, made like a William Morris book, was attempted Other books followed. The country people were asking to help.
 It was cold in the cid barn, so Mr. Hubbard put up little building hKe an old English chapel by the side of his house. There were a basement and one room upstairs. It was prettlly furnished with comfortable things, piano and books for entertainment, and birds and flowers for cheerfulness.
 Subscriptions for the unique maga- zine came in daily, and many orders for books Then wings were built on the shop and more workers taken in. Two mere new buildings had to be put up' and today the Royorofters work is three large, handsome edlfices, and fourth is in process of construction.
 There is a demand for the sort of work these people do. The output of the shop finds ready purchasers. No Roycroft books are sold in the book stores or on trains. Nor are they advertised in the magazines. All orders must go direct to the shop, and there are filled as quickly as the hand process will permit.
 The Roycroft shop is the first concern in America to take up the hand illumi- nation of books as a business. The out put of the shop is not large, for the books go slowly forth, but the volumes all have on them the stamp of delicate and affec- tionate workmanship. It is probably be- cause the work is the product of hand and brain in partnership and further, as MT. Hubbard says, there is quality of sentiment attached to articles thus produced that never clings to fabrics made in vast quantities by steam.
 This country printing plant gives free instruction to the natives in water colors, crayon drawing and hand Illuminating, and whenever young man or young woman on probation shows that his or her work is valuable, the shop at once employs the new artist The only im- portation in the place is Leipsic book binder, who works miracles fn levant and teaches to the young Roycrofters the mysteries of his art.
 In East Aurora there was blacksmith who was discouraged by lack of regular work. MT. Hubbard suggested that he make a pair of wrought iron fire dogs. The man did so, and the fire dogs were established in the fireplace at the shop. A traveller in New York saw them, ad- mired them, and wanted to get a similar set. He offered a good price for them, and now the blacksmith has two appren- tices and all the work he can do.
 A cabinet maker had lost his position in a Buffalo shop. MT. Hubbard gave him the sketch of a table to be made without nails and in the solidest manner possible.i It was a success. A man from Boston. passing through the land of the Philistine saw it in MT. Hubbard's office and wanted it. now the cabinet maker has his hands full and others to help him. And so the work of making beautiful, handmade things has broadened. The Roycrofters now not only print. illumine l and ,binds books sbats they produce artistic pieces of furniture and beautiful things