Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1905-11-10
WHY IVORY is MORE EXPENSIVE
Tusk Buyers In this country--Work
ers In the Material Few.

| 1t Is curious fact that notwith-
standing the marked advance in the
price OF ivory In recent years the vol
ume Of sales has not diminished, but
| has actually increased Tusks have
been selling In the markets of London
and Antwerp at an advance of about
so percent over the prices charged a
few years ago.
The causes which have led to this
advance in price are very interesting.
1t Is not due to any artificial manipu-
lation of the markets in the great CEN
tiers, nor is 1t due to increased demand
or scarcity of elephants For the cause
we must look to the heart of Africa
where spirit of genuine commercial
ism is manifesting itself among the
natives. Their wealth is in ivory, and
| they have learned to value it as such.
Indeed the wealth of leading men
among the natives was once commonly
counted in tusks.
They would say Of dusky capitalist
Of this kind that he was worth so
many tusks, just as one in this country
would say that a man was worth so
many dollars. Of course, that was
| natural phase in the development of
a primitive people The red man esti-
mated his riches in wampum, and the
Laplander In furs. They often would
part with their possessions for a few
beads or trinkets. They did not know
the value of dollar. Certainly il
can no longer be said Of the natives
of Africa that they do not know the
value of money They have learned
Thus it comes that the heather in
his blindness" is not so blind as has
been supposed.
Increased transportation facilities
and telegraphic communication have
brought Africa into closer touch with
the rest of the world. 1t is said that a
native may be working 1000 miles in
the interior and yet he can quote you
| the cash value of tusks in the Antwerp
or London markets.
| OF course 1t is far cry from Africa
to the United States, and yet there Is
very good market for ivory in this
country. Alert and enterprising buy
ers are always on the lookout for op-
| portunities to pick p good tusks. If
Bostock or Barnum & Bailey ever
chance to have an elephant die on their
| hands in this country, it is not dead
loss to them by any means. 1t is like
| ly that an energetic buyer of ivory will
| be bidding for it before the carcass is
cold
| American manufacturers confine
themselves mainly, though not exclu-
sively, to such workings of ivory as
are appropriate for toilet goods. The
| process of manufacture is a delicate
one, requiring considerable skill. A
tusk weighing, say, from seventy-five
to 125 pounds, Is bolted to a moving
table, on which it Is saved n.y. p $3.50
During this stage the tusk has to be
kept thoroughly wet down to prevent
burning, as ivory is very hard and a
good deal of heat is generated by the
friction.
From these plates or fiat pieces vari-
GUS rough shapes are sawed out, &C
cording to the forms or designs which
are to be perfected later on. In saving
out these shapes care has to be taken
to. avoid spots or blemishes in the
ivory, and at the same time guard
against wasting valuable material To
be able to do this with good judgment
and discrimination is one test of a
good workman in ivory, and the num-
Der of men who are competent to do
this kind Of work is very limited In
deed, ivory working seems to be
select" sort Of craft, into which but
few are NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Circular
Weekly.