The Morning standard. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1910-191?, 1910-11-27

n Il the oriental rug. strange histories are tpu
S%'o the Initiated In their very design and the
4 passing OF dynasties and the wreck of king
doms are Included in the chapters that they tell
Is II then. any wonder that they hold fascination
which causes those of this Western world to spend
millions Of dollars to acquire them as Witness the re-
markable exhibition of these Oriental fabrics In the
metropolitan Museum OF Art composed of products
OF the ancient looms. which their owners have per-
m!tted to be on public view until January? Every
precious square there is permeated with half FOR
gotten legends and raditionseyery one conveys vol
umes in It's symbolism which translated would reveal
many wonders OF the mystic East
The public mind has been directed much recently
TO the Oriental rugs for they have figured promi-
nently in the customs prosecutions of the government
for alleged undcryaluaOn and the story of the ruby
rug which was said by experts 10 he worth
many times more than the sum for which II was valued
Oh the consular invoice has been 'old.
Whether n rug be worth 81 600 This WAS sup
posed to be. 100000 which some merchant In en-
thuslasm OF admiration thought it might bring from
some Interested American Of great wealth and artistic
leanngs. has little 10 do with the aesthetic and ro-
mantle qualities Of these magic carpets from the East
ern lands.
So great has become the enthusiasm Of Americans
for the Eastern rugs beginning with the Centennial
Exposition of 1876. that New York city, which Is the
clearing house for these fabrics for the entire coun
of the department of decorative arts in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art to be the grcatest mart
for them known even such centres ns Constantinoplc
and Paris taking second place.
When prosperity smiles on an American of his
first ideas Of household adornment is rug which is
really worth while Those whose purses are unlimited
as far as buying rare textiles are concerned
paying thousands Of dollars for products OF thc an
cient looms
Somn of fho wh RI connected with thp
rugs are more or less faucful. but there IL hardly
really great rug which Is associated with deeds Of
prowess. with acts of fanallcHl devotion With long
and dangerous pilgrimHges deserts infested by
maraudug bands.
Men have been slain for the red ruby which wns
he idols eye tragedy reflected from the brillinncc
the Kohlnoor. md paintings of the great masters
the past have been stained 10y blood More beau
iful tban rublcs or diamonds and expressing much
the greatest of the artists Of all time nota
lie Oriental rugs constantly being brought to
iese shores find place in private gallery the
Ioor of parlor library in some city mansion.
Many Magic Tale.
If the full history of some of the world famous
rugs could be known there would be stories
pcte with mystery. Intrigue. and strange incident
any of those that centre about the fine of
royal and imperial collections. Rugs OF them
selves human documents. from the life Of
their makers Customs. language, religion. all the
Intimate of the people have direct influence
upon the making of fine rug The personal asplra-
Hons hopes and characteristics Of individual
a small group OF individuals expressed In the
harmony OF color and design Frequently a great
rug has been the work of three consecutive genera
lions that have put their thought Into Its fabric In
almost all cases an Oriental rug comes from home,
manufactured In the where parents and
children pass their lives the product of the family,
horn Of THAR
Is In them.
No cold, crystalline substance dug from the earth
and capable Of being resolved Into chemical elements
could possess the warm fascination that Is part OF
fine rug. No treasure of inorganic derivation could
be surrounded with the close human interest that is
essentially pnrt of a rugs substance
Perhaps upraveller OF rug histories would 0nd
40 Oriental fnbric that possesses sinister past
Or as repellng an origin as the sacred rug of the
iowa Indian tribe. This curiosity Is said to be
owned by one of the few survivors of the Iowas in
STROUD, OKLA lt Is one hundred and fifty years old,
IND cost seventyseyen lives. 1t Is about ave feet
square and Is Of the hair from seventy-seven
ealps IN figures of black, white. gray. brown aud
red But It ls certain that H. by some occult means
one might trace the dramas that have surrounded
sertain Turkish Persian and Indian rugs he could
throw light upon happenings dark with tragedy
AFTER being finished In tho homes throughout the
rurai dstrics. where they are woven hand looms
by methods that have probably changed little since
tue days OF Cyrus. the rugs are carried by their
owners TO local markets. bazaarS where they are Of
Tered to merchants and dealers that swarm through
the country These In turn make up their bundles
md travel toward the larger marts notably SMYRNA
ana Constantnoplc. where they meet the demand or
the outer world Often their ways ure lonely and
9oundaoout aud they pass with their rug trains
rough sections where they exposed 70 the denre.