The L'Anse sentinel., 1924-02-22
FAR AWAY COWS
HAVE LONG HORNS


The lack of knowledge of Michigan
industry and of the process of indus
try in general which exists among the
rank and file of informants Of Michi-
gan people was shown lately in a
leading Detroit newspaper in de-
scription of the work Of the Ober-
Ammergau Passion Players, who are
exhibiting their art as carvers of
wood and artificers of clays and
metals throughout the United States.
These master-craftsmen actually
worked at their art before the crowds
who come to pay tribute to their in
dustry and their genius. Describing
their processes, an enthusiastic news
paper writer told how they worked
entirely with gouges and chisels, how
they use no hammers, but instead a
maIlet shaped like a potato-masher
and how they even use this tool with
much gentleness, lest they split the
wood which is the medium through
which they express their genius and
craftsmanship. The humor of it
all is that there is nothing different in
these processes from what carvers in
Michigan have been doing through
sixty years of workmanship in Michi-
gan. They have all teen working
with chisels and gouges and mallets
shaped like potato -mashers, and have
been keeping their tools sharp and
have avoided splitting the wood in
which they worked, just like Ober-
Ammergau artists, save that they
were not on exhibition and the Won
der-waiting reporter was not familiar
with them.
Michigan has produced many art
ist carvers not inferior in workman
ship and creative ability to even the
visitors from er-Ammergau, even
though they had not the artistic ap-
PEAL Of contact with so historical an
event as the Passion Play. There
have been carvers in Detroit and
Grand Rapids at all times during the
past half century whose work COM
pared in value with that of these
famous Bavarians; while some of
them have risen even to the heights
of mastership and have made their
impress upon the world of art. For
G JrIine Malobora of A.
oiden time in Detroit, was not only
master carver, but great teachcer of
drawing anatomy as related to carv-
ing, as is attested by the brilliancy
and success of his son and pupil, Carl
Melchers, world famous as an artist
in color; while his friend and associ-
ate, Edward Reuther, was quite the
equal q any of the Ober-Ammergau
artists. The carvers of Michigan
have attributed to the greatness of
the furniture industry, and, in an
other application of their art, as pat
ternmakers to the stove industry and
other metal products trades where
beauty Of design and practical values
had to be first worked out in wood
patterns.
y 1t is to be hoped that some time
later on the general newspaper writ
ers will discover some of these ex-
ceilences at home which seem strange
to them in the cases Of these worthy
visitors. Perhaps some such educa-
tional processes as the forthcoming
Michigan Industrial Exposition will
teach them and all the rest of us how
much Of genius We have in our fabric
Of industry.
Quite incidentally, the newspaper
writer missed the most striking
things connected with the exhibition
al work of these artists. The |
benches upon which they worked
were made in Muskegon, Michigan,
U. s. A., and Alloys Lang, cousin of
one Of these master-workers, himself
from Ober-Ammergau, has been for
years carving church furniture, and
decorations for the American Seat
inng company, of Grand Rapids, for
Michigan customers.