The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-12

describably filthy. With the wind In the
right direction it Is easy to detect the pres
ence of caravan several hundred yards
| away.
Guarding the Treasures.
At night the rug merchants arrange
their camels in circle and post guards.
If the sheik of the district has not received
his "backsheesh'' (gift) the caravan Is
open to attack by "brigands'' who are Of
ten the inhabitants of the district made
bold by the Indifferent guard kept by the
underpaid sheik
rug caravan is rich prize as all the
money to buy goods and to pay daily ex-
penses must be carried in gold. There are
very few banks In Asia Minor.
II the sheik Is well tipped he sends a
guard of soldiers who wander about the
camp and show themselves to the in
habitants Of the district. This Is an indi-
cation that If harm comes to the merchant
those suspected. These soldiers are paid
| one or two dollars In advance for a nights
watch and spend their money In coffee
houses or sleep undisturbed at their posts.
Often they are unsupplied with ammuni-
| ton. An American notices that their
| guns have a familiar appearance II he
| can persuade Mohammedan guard to let
| a dog Of Christian" inspect his weapon
| he will find on the lock the familiar stamp,
United States Arsenal, Springfield" At
| the close of the civil war Turkey bought
| many Of the old Springfield rifles and
armed the Asia Minor trops with them.
The men who carry the guns never heard
of America. It is doubtful whether many
Of them ever heard of Europe.
Bargaining for Rugs.
When a rug merchant arrives at will
lage he sends 'backsheesh' to the prin-
cipal men, who order the persons having
rugs to bring them to market. An ORR
entail has no idea of the value Of time and
the buyer and seller sit on rug on the
floor of caravansarie and sometimes bar
gain whole day over the price Of two
or three rugs. While they talk they drink
thick black coffee or sweet tea made in
glass without milk. Orange blossoms are
dropped into the tea and expand and fill
the place with delicate aroma. =
Some Of the rarest rugs are secured
after raids and intertribal wars. The con-
querors sell the surplus loot. Some mag
nifcent carpets found their way to Amer
lea after the last Armenian massacre.
Many persons believe that age gives an
oriental carpet an enhanced value This
| is only true in part A cheap rug made
one hundred years ago Is a cheap rug to-
day. One reason that ancient rugs are
more valuable than new rugs Is because
the dyes Of old rugs were vegetable dyes.
Time has changed them only enough to
blend the colors. Modern dyes are often
mineral and chemical. Some new carpets
show the sharp outlines and unpleasant
distinctness of color which is bad quail
ity in an oriental carpet. New carpets
are often coarse in weave. The number Of
stitches to an inch is a good criterion of
| rug. common rug has from five to sew
en- strands to an inch; fine rug has from
ten to sixteen strands. A finely woven
tightmeshed carpet will wear much longer
than flinsy fabric If a rug in ordinary
use Is still in first-class condition after
fifty or sixty years Of wear the colors are
blended by that time, the pearly sheen has
been acquired and the rug is considered
first class specimen.
How "Frost" Is Acquired.
Only age and proper care can give the
sheen or frost to a rug. Many Of the
dirty, torn, dilapidated carpets sold on the
American market as rare old fabrics would
be thrown away by an Oriental. Many
American dealers place new rugs on the
sidewalks in front of their stores and al
low the public to walk over them to give
the rugs the appearance Of age. They
certainly acquire the appearance of age.
but the dirt which is ground into them
| prevents them from ever acquiring mel
| lowness Of color and FROST
An oriental rug should never be beaten.
In the east wooden rugs are cleaned by
| fastening them with stones to the sandy
| beds of streams and allowing the water to
flow over them for several days. This is
| also a test for touched up carpets
| Clever Arab merchants freshen dull spots
| in carpets by touching them with water
colors. - -
When buying carpets in the inland vii
lagos Of Asia, it is we'll to moisten hand
kerchief and rub any suspected pictures"
| vigorously. II the seller seizes the buyers
arm and shrieks an Arabic prayer to Allah
to witness his honesty, it Is well to keep
| the gentleman in front, comment on the
| relationship of his immediate ancestors to
| dogs, pigs and other unclean animals and
move on to the next village. v.
| Another trick is to, patch holes in an old
rug with wool taken from another old rug
! This can be detected by examining the
back of the carpet. A slightly raised edge
is apparent at the joint and the color OF
the patch is seldom exactly the same as
that Of the rug. Almost no touched up"
| rugs and few patched carpets come as far
| as Kansas City, although rugs are some
| times steamed until the color is faded in
removing stains and dirt: Such rugs have
| g. peculiarly washed. OUT appearance
and should not be bought " -
| The greatest rug market In the world is
Constantinople In its warehouses are
| rugs from every part of the orient. The
| rugs in the warehouses and homes of Con-
| stantinople are worth millions Of dollars.
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