The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-08-01
AMERICANS ARE PAINT USERS

I In q recently published article on the
suliect it was figured that our yearly
consamption is over l00,000,000 gal
Ions OF paints Of all kinds, Of which
over one-half Is used IA the paintings
II houses
The reason for this great consump
ton is twofold; 3 large proportion
OF our buildings. especially in small
towns and rural districts. are COD
structed Of wood, and we. as people,
are given TO neatness and cleanliness
For, take It all in all. there Is moth
ing SO cleanly q so sanitary as paint
Travel where we viii throughout
the country. everywhere we md the
neat. cheerful painted dwelling, pro
claiming AZ once the prosperity and
the selfrespect OF our population.
Fifty years ago this was not so:
painted dwellings. while common in
the larger cities and towns, were the
exception in the rural districts; be-
cause. on the one hand, a large pro
portion OF those buildings we're tenn.
porary makeshifts. and, on the other
hand. because paint was then lux
ury. expensive and dificult TO obtain
in the out-of-the-way places. and re-
quiring special knowledge and much
preparation TO At II for use.
The introduction Of ready mixed or
prepared paints, about 1860, changed
the entire aspect OF affairs. AS tho
Jack-of-all-trades told the Walking
Delegate in one OF Octave Thanet's
stories. Anyone can slather paint. :"
The insurmountable dlficulty with
our predecessors was TO get the paint
ready for ''slathering. That the
country was ready for paint in a con-
venient. popular form is shown by
the immediate success of the indus
try and its phenomenal growth in
80 years from nothing to 60.OOO.000
gallons-the estimated output for
1900.
Some pretty severe things have
been written about and said against
this class OF paints. especially by
painters and manufacturers OF GER
tain kinds OF paste paints. Doubtless
In many instances these structures
have been justified and some fearful
ly and wonderfully constructed mix
lures have In the past been worked
of on the guileless consumer In the
shape OF prepared paint. But such
products have had their short day
and quickly disappeared. and the too
ente-urising manufacturers that pro-
dueed them have come to grief in
the bankruptcy courts or have
learned by costly experience that
honesty is the best p~ucy and have
reformed their ways
The chief exceptions to this rule
are some mail order houses who sell
direct to the country trade. at very
low price-frequently below the
wholesale price Of linseed oil. The
buyer of such goods. like the buyer
OF gold brick" has only himself to
blame II he finds his purchase worth
less. With gold selling at any bank
or mint at a fixed price. owners OF
gold do not sell 1t at discount; and
with llnseed oil quoted everywhere
at so to 70 cents a gallon. manufac.
turers do not sell pure linseed oil
paint at 30 or 40 cents a gallon.
The composition of prepared paints
differs because paint experts have
not yet agreed as to the best pig
ments and because the daily results
Of tests on large scale are constant
ly improving the formulas OF manu-
facturers; but all have come to the
conclusion that the essentials Of good
paint are pure linseed oil. fine grind
ing and thorough incorporation, and
In these particulars all the products
Of reputable manufacturers corre-
spond; all frst-class prepared paints
are thoroughly mixed and ground and
the liquid base is almost exclusively
pure IInseed oil, the necessary vola-
tile "thinners" and Japan dryers.
The painters opposition to such
products Is based largely on self-in-
terest. He wants to mix the paint
himself and to be paid for doing II.
and to a certain class of painters 1t
Is no recommendation for a paint to
say that It will last five OF ten years.
The longer paint lasts the longer
be will have to wait for the Job Of
The latter consideration
has no weight with the consumer,
and the former is a false idea Of
economy. Hand labor can never be
as cheap or as efficient as machine
work. and every time the painter
mixes paint, did he but know 1t, he
Is losing money, because he can buy
a better paint than he can mix at
less than it costs him to mix it.
Prepared paints have won, not only
on their actual merits. but on their
and economy. They are
cheap and they are IN
comparably handy. But when all is
said, the experienced painter is the
proper person to apply even ready
mixed paint. He knows better than
anyone else the when" and how"
and the difference between painting
and "slathering" is much gre2ter