Newark post., 1911-10-18
A GLIMPSE OF THE
ROYCROFT SHOPS


and started at noon from her home
in Buffalo, in spite OF gray skies
and perverse barometer--oep;em-
her DAYS, even though cloudy, in
Western New York, furnish an
exhilarating quantity OF ozone, SO
that we find ourselves surprising
ly ambitious, especially when in
such congenial company.
Luring the short ride Oh the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad to East
Aurora we were in blissful state
of anticipatory silence; broken by
such exclanations as, lust look,
what gorgeous bank OF golden
rod and asters! With those yell
low trees, and that gray sky, what
a picture they make!" or, "This
level farming country looks just
like Delaware, except that the
country houses are OF wood, and
built along entirely different
lines"
East Aurora, was soon reached,
and there was waiting the Roy
croft automobile, with banners
huttering, to give us pilgrims
"free ride to the Roycroft lnn."
From the moment we entered the
grounds, every prospect was pleas
ing. At our :eet, bordering the
walks outside the low stone walls
which enclose the grounds, were
long hedges OF Kochia bushes,
lust turning red, and intertWlned
with climbing nasturtiums. lhls
profusion of bloom was at our
very feet, almost on the sidewalks.
lust over the rough stone walls
were green lawns, bordered with
flower strips planted to give a
studied carelessness OF effect. Be
yond these we'll kept lawns, nestl-
ing among large trees, are the
various buildings OF the Roycrott-
ers-declledly' English in style
and built largely of the native
stones and the powders SO plentl-
full in that part of Western New
York. Gray stone, dull red roofs
and green stained shingles, pre-
dominate. In fact, as a party o
us pilgrims were led by guide
through the buildings, The Arts
and | noticed that the same gray
green and red are carried through
all the decorations in all the build
ings.
Our little party was made up il
The Chapel, where we saw sam
pies OF congested work on exhi
bition and for sale. Most ex
quisite book Winding is ther
shown, perfect in design AN
workmanship, some quite elabol
ate. Other little volumes wit
soft brown suede bindings, lool
ed coyly out of their boxes, temp
ing the book-lover and the arti!
to buy. These are Ebert Hui
bard's Little Journeys A,
kinds o: leather work is exhibite
in The Chapel, from library tab
lovers to the cushions of the Ro
croft chairs, every bit made
hand in the shops nearby.
This shop is reached by pa
winding under spreading appl
trees and bordered by solid hedg
OF cosmos, just coming into blool
A heroic bronze statue of Micha
Angelo, with hammer, chisel al
leather. apron, stands in the cent
of green near the shop, and
caused considerable discussi
among the pilgrims as to who
it represents. This question W
settled by appeal to Our guide,
young woman with bn endle
fund of attenuation. In the sl
we visited first the large press
almost all busy printing boo
pamphlets, magazines and adv
tising matter. One large foldi
machine, with almost uncan
precision. took large sheets
paper already printed for part
a magazine, and handed e.
sheet out all neatly folded into
pamphlet of thirty-two pages.
Climbing the solid oak stairv
from the basement to the f
floor, The Artist exclaimed, .;
even the cellar stairs are good
look atw Before we went to
third floor, where the books
bound, we glanced into the b
office where thirty stenograpf
were noisily using thirty machil
The binding department
OF surprising interest. We
Roycroiter deftly sewing Ia
volume together, section by
ton, the work done SO well