Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-07

- she said she did. The last time
IS4Sg1Si8I that Grandma Sykes had come from
- New Canaan she had brought Sally
china cup and saucer. Both were
beautifully adorned with gold scrolls, ana Oh
the front of the cup it said: For goou
girl
Grandma Sykes had said
81 hope that will always mean you, sally
Alasl the cup was now in so many tiny frag
nents it could not be mended with old feter
Hompers giant cement.
Never to drink tea out of it again would
have been bad enough punishment, but what
cut deepest into SaIly's tender heart was that
dear grandma was dead, and the cup was her
last gift.
Il know I 'zaggerate sometimes she sob
bed, but this time | do feel perfectly
awful"
There were tears in Grandpa Sykes blue
eyes, but he took Sally on his knee, and sang
her song, which had droll chorus, ending
in "Rink-dum, ah!"
When Sally, was calmed he took from the
shelf above the mantel quaint, dark blue
vase; on which were two fat storks. T..
Nov, my dear, tell me if this vase IS china
or earthenware?" he said, kindly "The din
ner-service is earthenware; your precious cup
was fine French porcelain-or china. Tell me
what this is?"
Sally gave little gasp, and held the vase
up between herself .and the light. re-,
81 guess it's china" she said, slowly. Il see
light through it
1T is china" said grandpa. "But do you
know why you can see light through 1T! and
why you cannot see through a dinner-plateT
sally shook her head. She did not like to;
but there was no help for it.
The dinner-plate is of clay This IS clay
mgi liked with kind of rock, ground fine and
called petuntse. The clay does not melt, or,
does melt"
II see!" cried Sally; "the heat makes, it
transparent, just as heat changes the starch
Yes, But remember, no amount of heat
will bake earthenware into porcelain.
Porcelain, grandpa"
"Yes. Porcelain and china mean the same
material Chinese do not call their land
China but foreigners do; and since the first
China, the name has been transferred to por,
celain, which is from the Portuguese word
porcellanna, which in its turn means the gilt
tering, glowing interor of a cowre shell. Inc
Portuguese were the first Europeans to trade
with the Chinese, who, while they were will
ing to sell their pretty cups and vases, were
unwilling to disclose how they were made;
Perhaps they told the Portuguese they used
brilliant shells and fishscales in manufactur-
ing the finest porcelain. Perhaps the Portu-
guese invented the story. At any rate, there
was such story told.
Chinese writer's say that pottery was made
in their country more than two thousand
years before Christ. But it is certain that
the delicate ware we call porcelain dates about
the time of His birth 1t is said that the
Emperor Chin Tsung, who regned in A. D.
$50, gave orders that the dishes made for his
use must be as blue as the sky after rain
when seen between Clouds Blue as the sky,
shining like mirror, thin as paper, and CIV
ing forth a sound like musical stone was
the ware they made for him. So judge it
must have been very pretty indeed
There's a picture of the porcelain tower
at Nan1n up stairs in an old geography" "
said Sally "1s that all china like this vase?'
'"That tower was destroyed by storm, and
it was not all porcelain" explained grandpa
''It was of brick, faced with earthenwarc tiles
of various colors. The white tiles alone were
there was considerable porcelain about it,
''How is china painted, grandpa? Miss