Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-11-15

| ornamented with raised figures, or made
In the forms Of animals such as has &C
often been found in tho West, ever occurs
here. our ware is always decorated by
indented or stamped figures or lines In
more or less geometrical patterns Thus
we find lines. circles, dots, triangles
crescents., etc, arranged in endlessly
varying designs. without illustrations (,
Is impossible to give any adequate concep.
ton OF the variety and character of this
ancient attempt ut artistic work Our
Jars are of all sizes, from little ones tina,
would hold less than a pint, to those that
hold ~ to 10 quarts.
our earthenware Is nearly always in
pieces. o,iy three entire specimens found
in Vermont being known, but many OF
the fragments are so large that the form
and ornamentation can be easily under
stood. Moreover, marry times several bits
are found that may be put together and
thus large part of the original Jar he
restored. The form in this region was
always elobular, Mt least the lower part Is,
the upper may be square or even penta =
gonal and those that are more elaborate
! ~ shaped arc always more carefully or
! namented than others. The paste from
which these Jars were made was al
ways the same or nearly so. 1t consisted
| of finer or coarser bits of quartz, field
spar, mica and sometimes other materi-
ais, all obviously obtained by pounding
! up pieces of granite or some similar
stone and mixing this with more or
! less clay. or course the fine or coarse
character of the Jar depends upon that Of
the paste. Finally, the whole was coated,
outside and inside, with fine clay, which
makes u smooth surface After the lar
was formed from a mass of this mixture
1t must have been allowed to dry partially
and then upon the soft surface the patterI,
WIS impressed. Then the dish was burn
cd. Tn some OF the Jars there is little dec
Grafton except around the always thick
rim. In others the figures may cover
nearly the entire surface and some are
decorated inside tho rim. The rim itself
may he dentelated. scalloped or other
wise worked into ornamental shane Ev-
cry now and then some new find Of pot
terry fragments discloscs new designs. I
am sure that no one can examine q col
lection OF Vermont pottery of the Older,
time without realizing the skill and real
artistic feeling of the makers, and also
the endlessly varied designs wrought
upon the surfaces Of the jars. Not only
rlobular Jars We're fashioned by the pot
ters, who We're usually squaws. If not al
ways but pipes OF earthenware are not
very uncommon. These are usually II
the finest material and often are exceed
inrly well made. When such vases and
jars as those the Indians made could he so
easily fashioned from the clay paste, it
would seem n waste of labor to work
stone into dishes. and yet we do find
few Of this harder material. These are
Of quite different shape from the deep
Jars Of earthenware, being more like tha
modern wooden choppins dishes, shallow
and thick. All are made from soarstone.
AS has already been suggested, most OF
the implements and also weapons ard or
naments We're fashior.od from some of
The harder sorts of stone. Flint. quart
zite, white and cryst alline quartz and even
agate and jasper were used more than any
other rocks for the smaller objects. while
granite, greensboro, trap or other hard
fine grained stoneware were used for the
axes, celts and other large objects.
Softer materials were also occasionally
taken. usually when the object to be made
was designed more for ornament than use.
Slate, talcose rock, soapstone and the
like We're all more or less !rI use. Some OF
the pipes, amulets. gouges and even what
appear to have been used as knives wero
made from these softer materials and
many Of them arc well nigh perfect in reg
ularty of form and elegance of finish.
No modern sculptor could carve from the
rough mass any more perfect specimens
of his handiwork than is seen in the best
OF these slate or soapstone objects. But
he above CONNIE uda:ion of the work of
the aboriginal artist need not be limited
to articles made of soft stone. for some
Of the very finest examples of heir wort;
are made Of tho hardest material they
could ind. It Is difficult to estimate the
amount of time and careful. patient laho.
which must have been given TO tho fash.
icDng of many a Eouge pipe or amulet
wn.ch has heen thrown up by the plow
of the Vermont farmer We can ONLY
marvel at the un'irng skill and artistic
sense which We find exhibited
Perhaps no other class of objects show
his AS do the pipes While we cannot
10y any lnea,,s bring forward such an ar
ray OF deliberately carved and supcrhiy
finished pines as has been taken from tn.
mounds Of the Ohio valley. we are never
theless able to show no mean assortment
of exceedingly well formed and finished
specimens OF this class. Static. slate,
gypsum. these and similar soft rocks
were chosen when n nine was To be made
and most generally the work was well