Evening Star Newspaper, February 14, 1932, Page 14

“PERFECT” CRYSTAL DAL USEY Bphere Valued at $250,000 Believed to Have Been Owned by Chinese Ruler. BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT. ‘The lan and nearest perfect crys- tal ball the world is one of the treasured rmwm of the National Museum. It is viewed by thousands of wisitors every year, and is g Te- ed as one of the principal sights of the Capital. 7 : The block of rock crystal from which this ball was cut was found in Burma. fThe actual cutting was done in China and the final polishing in Japan. The sphere was brought to America by the Jate Worcester Reed Warner, who lent it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1925 and whose widow presented it to the institution as a memorisl to her husband in 1930. The original block is supposed to have been at least 4 feet square and to have weighed half a ton. The ball itself, in its finished form, measures 12% inches in diameter and weighs about 107 pounds. Its closest rival is 2 ball 10 inches in diameter belonging to the collection of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Valued at $250,000. The National Museum crystal is valued at $250,000, but, since it is unique among its kind, its actual worth is really problematical. The guard whose duty it is to keep watch on the treasure tells of a Japanese visi- tor, skilled in such matters, who, see- ing the ball, remarked: “A quarter of e million dollars? Well, yes. But since there is no other like it in the world, we might say a whole million or two millions or any other price we choose. ‘There is no measure for values 4n a case of this kind. Such a ball is worth whatever its owners wish to #ay.” ‘A crystal globe 625 inches in diameter in the Green Vaults in Dresden ‘brought $10,000 in 1780, a very large sum in the money of that period. Tradition holds that the National Museum ball was once owned by the Emperor Chieng Lung. It was by his orders that it was cut and polished, the latter operation, performed by Japanese artisans, requiring six months. ‘A great mandarin, attached to the Em- peror’s court, was told by his master that he might choose any treasure he liked as a reward of merit for some valuable service rendered. The man- darin chose the crystal, and it remained in his family for two centuries. It came on the market when the family suffered financial reverses. Origin Explained. No one knows how long nature re- ‘quires for the making of so large and fine a crystal. Water, heated in some obscure pocket of the earth, finding means of escape, drops slowly from cne Jevel to another. Silica, carried by the water, accumulates. Thus the crystal comes into being. Necessarily, 4t isin caves that crystals are found, and their finding depends upon accident. Flawless crystals are exceedingly yare, and it is said that there is no flawless glass artificially manufactured. The National Museum ball, accord- ing to Dr. W. F. Foshag, curator of gems and precious stones, is very hard, though not as resistant as a diamond. If dropped on the marble floor, it would not be likely to be damaged—but the floor might. Beautiful crystals have been highly prized in the Orient since long before the dawn of history. Because in their criginal condition they are not par- ticularly attractive, it is logical to sul pose that the art of cutting and pol- ishing them must be of great antiquity. In the legendary lore of China and Japan, crystals were the frozen breath of dragons, and dragons were objects of unbounded esteem and reverence. To the Japanese the crystal is the per- fect jewel. They see in it purity, in- finity of space and noble patience. Nothing More Striking. Dr. Herbert P. Whitlock, curator of mineralogy, American Museum of Natural History, has said: “There are prebably no series of objects fashioned of rock crystal which are more strik- ing and characteristic than the spheres made by the lapidary artists of Japan. The best of these are cut from flawless quartz crystals, clear and absolutely colorless, and are usually mounted on bronze, wrought into decorative forms, such as dragons, storks, tortolse and ! grotesque human figures. “The clear, polished ball, contrasting ‘with its dark bronze mounting is pre- eminently an artistic object, lending Stself with especial facility to the Japanese taste, which sets aside one beautiful thing as sufficient to con- template and admire in an entire room. Groups of these balls, delicately bal- anced in their mountings, have been equently employed in that land of ea¥thquakes to give warning of shocks, being shaken from their balanced poises by the slight preliminary tremors.” The art of the Japanese lapidary, oc- cording to Dr. Whitlock, is largely a family affair. It is “handed down from father to son for generations (and) consists of manual dexterity carried to a superlative degree. Armed with only two primitive tools, the lapidary shapes from an.angular quartz crystal a sphere of perfect roundness and high polish. The quartz crystal is first roughly shaped to the form of a ball by chip- ping snd abrading it with a plece of steel about 12 inches long and a half- inch wide, which has a concave cutting edge somewhat like a carpenter's gouge. Method of Polishing. “When, by means of this treatment, the ball has been made round and ap- proximately smooth, a joint of bamboo s used to complete the polishing, quartz dust, which lodges in the pores of the bamboo, and finally rouge, furnishing the abrasive. This all sounds extremely simple and no doubt is—to one who is trained to do it. The labor expended on a crystal ball of even modest size yenders it a very costly object.” Dr. Whitlock calls attention to the fact that “quartz has the optical prop- erty, called double refraction, of ex- hibiting two images of everything which is viewed through it in a certain direction. . . . It is impossible for a glass ball to produce this effect.” . Edward A. Preble of the United States Biological Survey, writing in “Nature Magazine,” says: “Crystal balls have for time immemorial played & part in attempts at divination. Some of the earliest attempts to look into the future involved the use of objects with bright surfaces, such as mirrors or cups of polished metal. In the story of Joseph and his brethren, as related in Genesis, we learn that Joseph con- cealed a silver cup in the sack of grain taken away by Benjamin, and invoked its help in seeking the return of his brother. ‘Is not this it in which my Lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth?” “In later times the Arabs used a golden ball, incrusted with jewels, that when spun helped the magician to fall into a trance and see visions. A god of the enclent Mexicans could learn all se- crets by means of his mirror. By the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries the : Persians and even the Britons were using the crystal ball more or less se- riously as a medium for foretelling caming events, and there exists evidence that even the church sought to derive help from its supposed powers. Celebrated on Stage. “The operatic stage also celebrates ,4he virtues of the polished sphere. Mephistopheles directs Faust to have }mwed s glass, which must be paid or, and which, after certain intricate reliminaries had been observed, would 1 to him anything he wished to “Another use of valuable examples To Speak Here VOCATIONAL ADVISER TO APPEAR THURSDAY. MISS ADA MORGAN HILL, Director of the Department of Voca- tional Advice, American Federation of Organizations for the Hard of Hearing, will present. a paper on “The Vocational Guidance Association Thursday. The will be held at 3:30 o'clock at %d Hotel. of the lapidary’s art (perhaps it was merely a means of safe keeping) was discovered in Rome at the close of the sixteenth century. In making repairs to an old house just outside the city limits, the owners gave orders to break up and remove two large stones that were in the way. “On breaking up the mass the work- men were astonished to find, embedded in 8 cavity that had been hollowed out where the stones were joined, & funeral urn of alabaster. Inside it, and mingled with the ashes, were a number of trinkets of gold and ivory, and about 20 crystal balls. Tombs Yield Crystals. “Let us hope that these had already performed their mission, for we are not informed concerning the final place of deposit either of the treasure or of the remains so rudely disturbed. The! sepulchre of Childeric, discovered in 1653 by a stone mason, is believed to have contained a crystal ball, and the tombs of several kings of France, broken into at the time of-the French Revolution, ylelded a number, some of which are still in existence, if we may believe the records. The burial places of royalty or others of high estate In several other European countries have 50 often ylelded similar relics as to leave no doubt regarding the esteem and veneration that formerly were at- tached jo the crystal sphere.” No particular magic attaches to the National Museum crystal, but it is con- sidered one of the most curious and beautiful objects to be seen in Washington. AIRPLANE OUTPUT SHOWS DECREASE 2,800 Manufactured Last Year Compared With 3,437 During Boom Period of 1930. Falling below the “boom” record of 1930, American airplane manufacturers during the past year produced a total of 2,800 planes, according to a report made public by Clarence M. Young, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics. ) ‘The decrease from the total of 3,437 alrplanes, built in 1930, is due to over- production in that year as a result of overexpansion. Surplus stocks, how- ever, were disposed of during the past year and the beginning of 1932 finds production on a mote stable basis. One of the features of the year was the appearance of the autogiro on the commercial market. Several companies producing aircraft of this type manu- factured a total of 60 of the “flying windmills” last year. Licensing of autogiros was begun by the Department of Commerce during the past year. Of the 2,800 planes built last year; 1,807 were manufactured for domestic, commercial or civil use by a total of 345 firms or individuals. There were three companies which produced 100 or more airplanes each and five which manufactured from 50 to 99 planes. There were 284 companies or in- dividuals which built but one plane each during the year. Midwinter Escorted Tours Cali- fornia 20 days—All-Expense February 14 and 28, 1932 By rail and by motor you visit the scenic wonders and chief cities of the Far West with economy and comfort. Every detail cared for by experienced tour directors. On your way—the Indian« detour, Petrified Forest Detour, Grand Canyon, Riverside, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Catalina, San Diego, Tijuana, San Fran- cisco, and Yosemite; re- turning through Feather * River Canyon, Salt Lake Cig, Royal Gorge, Colo- rado Springs, Denver. The cost? Very reasonable, considering what you get. clip and mail coupon G. C. DILLARD 866 Dist. Pass. Agent. SANTA FE RY. 302-303_ Franklin_Trust Blde. 1500, Chestrut st at 15th Phones: Rittenhouse’ 1464-1465 Please send details of Midwinter Escorted Tours Name Address. .. . e ———— e * THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., FEBRUARY 14, 1932—PART ONE. 507% OFF all prices during our FEBRUARY FURNITURE PALAIS ROYAL FURNITURE DEPT—WHERE DEPENDABLE MERCHANDISE IS ALWWAYS FAIRLY PRICED Two-Piece Pullman Suite +$149 Made with carved solid mahogany frame with 4 front feet. Covered in the new antiqued Striet (Stree-ay), a beautiful but long-wearing fabric. Various colors and designs. Separately, the soft, $110; the chair $49.50. Ten-Piece Sheraton Dining Room Suite $175 Made of 5-ply tops and fronts, 3-ply ends; mottled veneers on the fronts and sliced veneers on the ends. Interiors of quartered sycamore throughout, dust- proof and center drawer guides, A fine suite ‘at a remarkable price. - Four-Piece Salem Colonial Suite 5127 Your _choice of mahogany, walnut or maple veneers in combination with American gumwood and maple. A sturdy, long-wearing and attractive suite. Sg%- arately, the dresser with mirror, $37.50; the vanity with mirror, $34.50; the chest, $27.50, and the poster bed, $27.00. 10% to 50% OFF regulaf 1932 prices Oval Top Butterfly Coffee Tables $Zr95 Hand-rubbed, shaded walnut finish. ; Excep- tionally well constructed. 't'op when open, 24x27Y4 in., height 2124 in., base 12x2014 in. When we went to the manufacturers and asked they smiled; they were happy to help us. made great concessions and they gave us values we never bought before. BUT when we told them that we intended to announce the good news to the public WITHOUT stating a price, WITHOUT MENTIONING A COMPAR- ATIVE VALUE, they shook their heads. They said we were wrong. When we told them Washington people had sufficient faith in Palais Royal statements to respond immediately with- out this added printed information, they shook their he;;ds; they didn’t believe it COULD be done. Well, the sale is only two weeks old right now; IT'S A MATTER OF DRAMATIC MERCHANDISING HISTORY. The manufacturers were wrong; Palais Royal was right. 1’s Been The Gireatest Fe&mflry Furniture Saie we have ever held . . . PRICES tell only a SMALL part of the story . . . . Our prices have been exceptionally low; that's true. But THAT is only a SMALL part of the story. Any merchant can feature low prices. Palais Royal has offered low prices on good quality furniture; that's the INPORTANT part of the story. We have featured only furniture that you would be proud to place in your home; FURNITURE OF BEAUTY AND SOUND CONSTRUCTION, whether it be a little occa- sional piece or a complete suite; furniture that will last for a long, long time and look well as long as it lasts. And what is more . . . PALAIS ROYAL WILL OFFER NO OTHER KIND OF FURNITURE during this sale which continues throughout the month . . or at any other time. If you're interested in saving money (and by that, we mean buying good furniture at less than it’s worth), come in tomorrow and see what Palais Royal is offéring. Regular Charge Customers . . . May make their purchases with- out the customary Down Pay- ment. An added feature of this Great February event. WHERE DEPENDABLE MERCHANDISE IS ALWAYS FAIRLY PRICED 11th and G Streets N.W. Our Budget Plan . . . Easily arranges terms for those who have not charged at Palais Royal before. A modest First Payment—and then easy weekly or monthly amounts. DIstrict 4400