New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-29


Voc have come to take for granted the
gigantic spirit OF enterprise mat mas
brought them into being and that mas
secured the ends Of the earth to lay al
the treasures of it before US.
Life stories from the worlds remotest
corners and It's most crowded spots pass
nearly every day unhceded before our
eyes All kinds Of romance are heapeu
high on almost every table and counter
of the shops, through which we so OFTEN
hurry. seldom, If ever pausng even 20
wonder about the history OF the wonder
ful things that surround US on all sizes
BY no means all the things, for instance
that AZ first glance look as If they hao
been made in factory really have been
The writer was walking through the imi-
tation jewelry department OF one oi '"S
large shops the other day with the buyer.
He picked up a pair Of imitation pear
earrings with pendants, which retaii lot
q cents a pair.
Not a factory product as we kho"
factories" he said. These earrings we're
made around the dining room table OF
little cottage in Austria.
Immediately after breakfast tho table
IS cleared ana the whole family starts
working. One will mount the 'pearf ana
pass it TO the next member of the family
who will fasten to It the little ring bear
ing the pendant and pass 1t 10 a third
who will perhaps polish It,
Most of the simpler toys are made IN
the same way. In the long fall and WIN
ter evenings that are just beginning the
occupants OF many little cottages In the
Black Forest will be sitting around the
fire. the men smoking and talking ana
all whiting TOYS for the season OF 1914
Perhaps for generations one family mas
made Just one toy, say, for instance
Jumping JACK. The father may carve the
face and one small boy the body or arms
or legs. while another whites the SUCK.
The girls and the mother may do the
painting, all working cheerily and chat
ting. secure In the feeling that the! are
being occupied with their fancy work
and at the same time earning money
That is what baby's jumping jack
means. Mothers new lace scarf tells dlf-
fercnt story, and apr0pos Of II, here Is
tale thet may give some indication of the
enterprise Of our big shops and show TO
some extent how the drain almost every
spot on the earth's surface for our COM
fort and convenience.
The story Is told by buyer for one OF
the big lace importers. 1t seems that he
was In Algiers a couple Of years ago.
when the spanged scarfs that come from
that section were becoming so popular
They told him in the city OF small tribe
yf,-tr a., 10 or ~
out in the desert. which made particu
iarly beautiful scarfs He was shown
one of the scarfs. and decided immedi-
ately that he must have a quantity OF
them So ne hired some camels and
guide and prepared to descend upon the
oasis and carry away in person all the
scsrfs he could get. In due time he ar
rived at his destination, only to find that
a buyer from one Of New York's depart
ment stores had reached the place the
day before and had ridden away with
every scarf,
Some time ago q jewelry buyer for one
of the shops experienced some difficulty
In obtaining from the houses In Paris
which deal in that sort or thing all the
coral beads tina, he wanted. so he de-
cided to explore personally the source
OF the supply. The tran led him 10 a lit
tie village in Italy, near the buried city
OF Hercu aneum. where he found al the
little girls polishing beads as they played.
Sometimes they did II with little stick,
and again they played In the sand with
the bits Of coral lie found that he could
buy beads and odd bits by the pound, and
he sent them over here TO be strung and
mounted.
In Italy, 100, are other communities
which supply US with their unique prod
mo no "a MINI al Inc
where the noted white marble il cut. and
many families Of statuette makers have
Piled their craft for generations.
Each family has It's specially, and
through long years OF familiarity turns
out practically perfect piece of work.
For generations one family may have
been making VenUses de Milo: another
may have concentrated attention upon a
certain Madonna or a GariDaldi TO
the master who has worked on that one
thing all his life il probab bly, seems the
most beautiful object ever created, and
the whole of his artistic pride goes into
his ambition TO make 4 nearly perfect
product.
Craftsmanship all over Europe seems
TO be the same family affair. A Viennese
family may make nothing but fan sticks
each member performing just his own
part OF the work In Sevres, where tho
wonderful pottery is made, man takes
home vases from the kiln and all the
brothers and sisters anC cousins and aunts
speciality. II may be chrysanthemums,
and one member will paint the petals, an
other the stems, and third the leaves,
and so on.
Lace brings US stories Of Alpine fast
nesses. quiet converts, s-npy II liam
slopes and the Seashore. and pastures Of
France II we gould hut understand TIE
Irish lace, what a story we might hear
Of the lard vi ere he farie st.ll live
and how life n bowels Is sometimes made
bearable because Of them. The first etage
OF the Journey Of Irish lace toward tae
department store counter f. made prob
ably in a jaunting cart from the tiny
market town.
But perhaps the most romantic Of the
srirs made BIZ any one kind OF thing is
rad nv many Of the Oriental ru"s.
-, : good Mahometan attempts . pill
grimage 10 Mecca al some time during
his life and usually he trie7 70 arranre
A. for the time when rug is finished,
which his,wifo or daughter or come MEM
Der of his family has been working on
lie takes the precious thing with him
,,Dor his pilgriplage. and IL Is his tent
~ dav and his he'd by night. But al this
wear serves only 20 incre"se the wOndcr-
FL luStre Of the rug. Nnen ne ma y
reaches Mecca he bargains with an aGent
IF the Turkish government for tho sale
his rug The rug then goes 10 Con-
,'mople. where the buyer ron New
k has 10 bargain for i before X can
shTIed 10 MS,
These are Only a very few OF the stories
about the things thst are TO .bc seen
shops. There are whole long chapters
that might he written about even me
most seemingly embarrassing things
about the special places whore hr'sn