Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-03-27
MAKING POTTERY.
Machinery Plays Only Small Part in
Clay Working.

If one of the ancient Egyptians who
made pottery in the valley of the Nile
thousands of years before the coming
of Christ should be brought back to
that particular part of the earth which
is occupied by Trenton. the New Jer-
sey capital. and the center of the
eastern pottery industry, he would
find thousands of men and women
handling clay in much the same fas-
hion that he handled it long ago.
He could say with truth: ''Here l
am at home ; at least, more at home
than l would be in any other Ameri
can factory"
After going through the formality
of joining the labor union, which
guards the brotherhood, or guild, of
Ipotters, he could begin work without
apprenticeship There would be no
clatter and clamOr of noisy machinery
to frighten or disturb him, for as vet
machinery has little part in the max
ing of pottery. In all but one or two
departments be would find cause to ex
claim
"This is just the way we did it in
| Egypt five thousand years ago! How
little the subsequent ages have i'm
proved on our art -
And the enterprising energetic
manufacturer would have to stammer
an admission that in this particular
line the genius of inventors had been
expended almost in vain. If he show
ed him the mixing room, where mach
inery does the work which the Egypt
ian did with his toll hardened hands
and feet, the ancient one might say !: |
"That is not much of an Improvement. |
We would not have mixed clay by |
hand had our trade been as brisk as |
yours seems to be"
Look at our jigger machine" the
manufactures might say, pointing ont
the device by which plates and saucers |
and other fat ware is worked out.
lyon had nothing like that in Egypt
IN the old days !"
I'VE had our potter's Wheel, would |
be truthful answer. ''It threw our
ware on exactly the same principle as
this does. We used our hands a little
more and worked slowly, but really the
is trifling.
And SO they might go through the
entire factory. The manufacturer
would find little to show that was not at
least development of ancient ideas
and methods. In these days when ma.
chinery is king and Americans most
forward in it's use; when almost every
thing is made by steel arms and steam
pottery stands thing apart,
is emphatieally product of the human
hand. The fact that piece of pottery
of average size passes through no less
than forty pairs Of hands from the time
the clay leaves the storage bins until
it is packed and ready for shipment is
sufficient proof.
The Trenton potteries. more than
thirty in number. are scattered all over
the city, and in each of them the pro
cess is practically the same, and most
of the work is done by hand. Long
known for the superior quality of the
commercial ware which the potteries
produce, the manufacturers have of
recent years been turning their atten-
tion to high grade china. There is at
least one factory which makes Belleck
ware, q vitrified, translucent china,
which is said to be as fine as the fa-
nous Irish Belleck. The finest work
of the Dresden, Derby and Delft fac
tories is being duplicated and in same
cases even improved on. 1t will not
be long, unless the manufacturers are
very much mistaken, before the mark
of q Trentonpottery will carry as much
weight as that of Staffordshire max
er does in England, and already they
are calling Trenton "the Staffordshire
of America. New Y ork Tribune.