Evening star., 1913-12-27
ORIENTAL RUGS.
By Frederic j. Haskin.

| No other trade in tho world has been
| 50 completely revolutionized within the
| last decade as that in oriental rugs. The
American trade in oriental rugs was COM
paratively gamble even ten years ago.
Not one dealer in ten knew what value
| he would receive on a bale of rugs. They
We're sold for whatever sums they would
bring. Sometimes the dealers received
multiplied profits Occasionally rare rugs
We're sold for really less than their value.
Under the old method q rug buyer
would go to an oriental village and pay
| the lowest possible price for bale of
rugs. He would ship the bale unopened
into this country. Frequently it would
contain old coats and shoes well as
rugs, but in the heterogeneous collection
one or two rugs of real value might be
found The others were sold for what
ever prices they would bring. Now prac-
tically all oriental rugs are made and
sold by the square foot the prices vary
ing according TO the grade. The rug
commission in Constantinople and other
oriental ports decides about the grade
and fixes the price. Consequently, the
weaver in the interior who has a few
rugs made by the women in his own
home be just as sure of receiving
their full value now as the American
farmer who brings his eggs into city
market. So far as the weaver is con-
cerned, the value is determined by the
number of knots to the square inch, the
material of which the rug is made and
its coloring.
The name of a rug has nothing to do
with its quality 1t indicates the village
in which ii was made or the city in
which 1T came to market. Some Ameri.
cans buy oriental rugs as foolishly as
many orientals purchase American
shoes. The American shoe is believed
TO be superior to others and those made
in New England have the highest repu-
tation. The oriental does not know
that New England shoe manufacturers
make shoes at prices ranging from one
to twenty dollars q pair. The average
American may have heard that Ker-
manshah rugs are of high grade and
pay large price for a rug bearing that
name. He is ignorant of the fact that
some of the poorest rugs upon the mar
ket also come from kermanshah.
The antique oriental rug is practically
q myth so far as the present American
market is con-
No Antique Rugs cerned. Few real
rrA antique rugs have
VI eAAe been brought to
this country The markets of London
secured the bulk of the antique rugs
of the world before the taste for them
| had been developed in America. Oc-
casionally a rug buyer will run across
/ one or two antiques, but they are
seldom placed upon the regular Amer
/ lean market. Consequently most of
| the antique rugs offered for sale in this
country are fakes which have been
aged by some process that is likely to
I lessen their worth
The modern oriental rug when prop
erly made is quite valuable for most
purposes as the antique. 1t lacks the
romance of ancient history. but III col
| oring, appearance and wearing quality
4 it is as good. The demand for oriental
rugs has led to many adulterant prac-
tees in their manufacture, but 1t is OF
| course, possible to secure good rugs
| from reputable dealers. A really good
rug must be made of yarn prepared
| from the well selected wool of young
sheep. goats or cameis, which has been
| cut at the proper season of the year.
/ Utmost care must be exercised i'll its
washing. cleansing and spinning. After
that the dyeing is of great Importance.
i Within the last quarter of century
| cheap aniline dyes have been intro
duced into the orient and many rugs
are colored with these instead of the
pure vegetable dyes which have been
| in use for centuries. About ten years
/ ago the Shah of Persia issued an edict
1 that any dyer In the country convicted
| Of using aniline dyes for rug yarn
| should have his right hand cut off. The
| lesseninG authority Of this ruler Is
ltypified by the non-conformance with
/ this law, for there are few one-handed
men in Persia, and the authorizations
Of the rug dyes are becoming greater
each year as the number of cheap rugs
/ is increased.
| About five million dollars worth of ori-
entail rugs are being brought into this
| country annually. SO that America Is
fully making up for her earlier lack OF
interest in these productions. The best
| rugs are owned by museums and pri-
vate individuals. Among tho prominent
| American rug collectors are w \. CLARK
of New York. II. Z. Friek of Pittsburgh
and \ r. Sinclair of Massachusetts
The late J. Pierpont Morgan had one OF
/ the most valuable private collections in
the world. The rugs collected by the
late Benjamin Altman of New York also
included some rare values.
Ii has been recently discovered tina
the demand for oriental rugs has led t.
the employment d
Child Labor Used child labor in fac
in Making Rugs. ent These facto
ries have been erected by rug agents
who prove Eeartless taskmasters TO tn
helpless rug weavers- In some towns
| ~ Ammonia and other countries little