The Mena weekly star., 1913-11-20
Through Five Generations the Rob ertsOns of Dedham, Mass, Sought the Secret of Dragons Blood Pot tery. Lost to the World Since the Days of the Chinese MingS.

Edith Dunham Foster, in November
 number of the International Stu
 dio, New York.
 Five generations of Robertsons have made thing of clay with their hands. Today in his pottery at Dedham, Mass, William A. Robert son, the last potter of his line, washes the clay as it is thrown onto the wheel, and travels from the kiln to the decorator, to the bath of glaze and back to the kiln. until it takes the form that is one of the distinct contributions of America 10 the art of all time. But it is at fearful price. paid by five genera tions, that a Robertson has learned his supreme mastery of the craft.
 More than a century ago, on the rugged hills of Scotland. James Robertson fashioned clay into jugs and pots His son Hugh made jugs and pots of clay. Another James was born and a second Hugh, and they, too fashioned clay. One by one they lOnged for wider fields and came to America. Together the RObertSOns opened the Chelsea pot tery, near Boston. Hugh and the rest were fast held by the love of the beautiful in form and color and of the common, red, porous clay which others thought valueless ex- fa tn al perfect forms after the Greek vase. But machinery came and made a vase of similar form at a quarter the price. So back to the jugs and pots for daily bread went the beau ty loving Robertsons.
 Financial Encouragement was not sufficient to keep them from the decorative branch of the pOtter's trade .and in the years which fol- lowed they reproduced beautiful forms and pure designs. It was a weary task. however. for they worked unceasingly but unaVailing- ly 10 reproduce the wonders of the ancient pottery of the Orient. Then there came a vase from the kiln with a tiny. glowing spot of pure ruby red-the dragons blood
 Only One Potter Left.
 Years went by. One by one the Robertsons dropped off, either dead or in commercial branches of the manufacture of pottery. Still Hugh plodded on, with only his young son, William, for a helper, and the vi sion of one ruby spot for inspira- tion. Money they had none. Make shifts they made to do the work of modern appliances. Today may still be seen at the Dedham works the crude grinding wheel, mounted upon the stand of an old sewing machine, that was for years the chief machinery.
 One dollar each Saturday night was all the lad William could have The boy became restless. Hugh, the father, though still absorbed in his quest, realized that the lad was en- titled to answer the youthful de- mand for change and adventure So the son sought the free and open life of the West.
 The father still plodded at the factory-always with the vision of the one clear spot of dragons blood, and the certainty that one day he would reproduce the lost art of the Ming pottery of ancient China. Jugs and pots he made only to furnish the necessaries of life. The time and thought and heart of the potter were devoted to study and con- tinuous experiment. The history of palissy, or the romance of "The Middleman" tell no stronger tale of privation and self sacrifice.
 The lad. now grown to manhood on the wide plains of freedom in the