The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1906-06-21


70 has been remarked that the Amer
ican people consume more paint. both
IA the aggregate aud per capita, than
any other people IN the world In
recently published article on the sub
feet IL was figured that our yearly
consumption is over 100000. 900 gallons
OF paints OF all kinds. OF which over
one-half Is used In the paintings OF
houses.
The reason for this great consump-
tion Is twofold: n large proportion OF
our buildings. especially in small
towns and rural districts. are con-
structed OF wood. and we. as people.
are given TO neatneSs and cleanliness.
For take IL all IN all, there is nothing
so cleanlN or SO sanitary as paint.
Travel where we will throughout the
country. everywhere we find the neat,
cheerful painted dwelling proclaiming
Mt once the prosperity aud the self
respect Of our population.
Fifty years ago this was not so:
painted dwellings, while common i'm
the larger cities and towns. were the
exception in the rural districts; be-
cause, on the one hand, q large pro-
portion or those buildings were tenn
p0rary makeShiftS. and, on the other
hSnd. because paint was then q luxury.
expensive and difficult to obtain i'm the
out-of-the-way places, and requiring
special knowledge and much prepara-
tion TO ct it for use.
The introduction of ready mixed or
prepared paints. about 1860, changed
me entire aspect of affairs. AS the
Jack-of-0ll-trades told the Walking
Delegate in one of Octave Ihanet,6
stories ANY one can slather paint"
me insurmountable difficulty with
our predecessors was to get the paint
ready Tor "Slathering." That the coun-
Try was ready for paint in a convenient
popular form is shown by the imme-
diate success OF the industry and its
phenomenal growth in fifty years from
nothing to 60.000,OO0 gallons-the esti-
mated output for 1900.
Some pretty severe things have been
written about and said against this
CLASS OF paints, especially by painters
and manufacturers Of certain kinds of
paste paints. Doub less in many in
stances these strictIres have been JUS
nhed and some fearfully and wonder
tufiy constructed mixtures have in the
past Oeen worked off on the guileless
consumer in the shape OF prepared
paint. But such products have had
their short day and quickly disap-
peared, and -he 200 cnterprisiug man
ufacturers that produced them have
come to grief in the bankruptcy
courts or hi e .earne, by costly ex-
PerIence that honesty is the best pol
Icy and Lave reformed their WAYS.
The chief exceptions TO this iuIe are
some mail order houses who sell direct
TO the country trade, at a very lew
prlce-frequeDtly below the Wholesale
price of linseed OIL The buyer of such
goo~S, ike the bIyer Of n gold brick"
mas only himself to blame If he fin
his purchase worthless With gold
selling at any bank or mint at fixed
price owners OF gold do not sell 1t at
a discount; and with linseed oil quoted
everywhere at fifty to seventy cents a
gallon, manufacturers do not sell a
pure linseed oil paint at thirty or forty
cents gallon.
The composition Of prepared paints
differs because paint experts lave not
yet agreed MS to thN best pigments
and because the daily results OF tests
on large scale are constantly I'M
proving tie formulas OF manufacture
ers; but all have come to the conclu-
sion that the essentials of good paint
are pure linseed oil, fine griniing and
thorough Incorporation, and in these
particulars all the produces of repu-
tario manufacturers correspond; all
first class prepared paints are thor
uid base is almosF exclusive:S pure
hnseed oil, the Necessary volatile
"thInners" and Japan dryers.
The painters opposition 20 such pro-
ducts Is based largely on self-interest.
He want to mir the paint himself
and 10 be paid for doing IT: and to a
certain class of painters it is no rec
ommendation for a paint 10 say that it
will last five or ten years. The longer
paint lasts the longer he will have
to wait for the job of repainting. The
latter consideration has no weight with
the consumer. and the former is n
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 knGw
1t, he is losing money. because he can
buy better paint than he can mix
at less than it costs him to mix it,
Prepared paints have won, not only
OH their. actual merits, but on their
convenience and economy. They are
comparatively cheap. and they are in-
comparably handy. But when all is
said, the experienced painter is the
proper person to apply even q ready
mixed paint. He knows better than
any one else the 'when" aud chow
and the difference between painting
and "slathering" is much greater than
1t appears TO Il novice. Every one to
his trade, and after all painting is the
painters trade and not the household
er's.
bank note just 100 years old has
wandered back 10 the treasurer OF