The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 25, 1897, Page 19

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, JULY 25, 1897. 19 Mrs. Belle Jewett of Pasadena was un- doubtedly the pioneer basket collector of this coast. She it was who first recognized the ethnological value of these specimens of Indian handiwork at which the eyes of the palefaces had long gazed with either idle curiosity or careless indifference, and in the early 80's she began the task of col- lecting and arranging in chronological and tribal order the products of skillful Indian fingers of the past and present. Mrs. Jewett's collection now contains over 125 specimens of the work of the coast tribes, each one perfect, and the finest of its kind. So original and so interesting was Mrs. Jewett’s idea that basket collecting soon became a “fad’ with such fortunate peo- | ple as had the time and money to indulge | themselves in a fancy which requires a generous outiay of both. To be a basket | collector worthy of the name one must | possess not only lucre and leisure, but a legends, the different uses of the vari- | formed baskets, thedifferent weaves made | by the cunning fingers of the patient In- dian women and the manufacture of the various dyes and paints and the names of the featners with which they are orna- mented. Such a collector 1s Mrs. Sumner Bugbee of Oakland, whose * basket-room,” overlooking from on high the placid waters of Lake Merritt, reminds one of a Baltimore oriole’s nest and is the admira- tion of all who are privileged to visit it. Mrs. Bugbee now owns over 160 speci- { mens and her collection has the special merits of variety and completeness. The | characteristic work of nineteen distinct | tribes is here represented and each speci- | men is perfect. The owner of these woven ‘Hicnes almost pathetically exhibits a bit | of a basket about as large as a baby’s fist. ““This was the bezinning,” she says. *It |is the first Indian basket that I ever | bought. I paid $150 for it and thought If extravagant, as I was, for the pos- | session of that basket inspired me with an overmastering desire to own others. You see the result,” with a comprehen- sive wave of her hand, “’and the end.is not yet.”” Among this lady’s special treasures are number of ‘old Tulare” baskets, among which is one of the extremely rare and valuable ‘‘bottle-necks.” Basket- making as practiced by this well-nigh ob- soiete tribe, is a lost art. The few scat- tered Tulares that remain if they do any- thing at all in this line affect the meretri- cious modern style of work, and the bas- kets made by the painstaking and skillful hands of their ancestors have acquired an almost fabulous value, which increases with each passing year. Each one of these beautiful pieces of Tulare weave was marked by the maker with a private and personal mark, equiva- lent to the signature of an artist on his pictures. Sometimes it is a single bead, a tiny tuft of feathers, an apparently missea stitch, an oadly shaped figure or an irreg- ular dark line; whateverivis it is never missing on a genuine Pulare basket. The “bottle-necks’” extant are few in numbers and are considered of such value that the ownership of each one is definitely known at all times and any change therein is at once reported to those interested in this line. The Point Barrow Indians, who inhabit the highest point of America, are here | cred meal” which is thrown liberal education in Indian history, tribal | Ty s Uy e v STy represented by a small basket roughly made of coarse grass and valuable ouly for its rarity. From the Aleutian Islands comes something which, thongh notex- | actly a basket, is yet one of the finest specimens of basketry known. Thisisa cigarette case, woven of such soft and fine grass, and in so beautifui a pattern, that it seems as if made of finest canvas orna- mented with lace like Mexican drawn | work. Mrs. Bugbee's assortment of feather and bead baskets, for which the Pomo Indians are noted, is extensive and beau- tiful. These baskets are generally made of tule roots grubbed out of the water by the Indians' toes, and split to almost thread-like fineness. The feathers are stripped from the quills and firmly fast- ened in the weave so closely that they form a sort of furon the outside of the article ornamented, while the inside shows no trace of their presence. Among these feathered beauties is one of the rare ‘‘sun worshipers’ '’ baskets, said to'be used as a receptacle for the “'sa- to the four winds during the religious services of a branch of the Pomo tribe. These ba:kets are shallow bowls, with chains of fine wampum for handles, and are covered | with deep red and gold feathers. A cir- cular many-pointed tigure, representing the sun, is outlined on tae bottom, 2nd they are further ornamented with many pencants, about an inch long, formed of small white beads and ending with dia- mond-shaped bits of polished abalone ARIZONA* PBASKET shell, and rows of quail crests standing upright on the wampum bordered ed ge. A medicine basket from the Navajo tribe, who make blankets and not bas- kets, is imteresting for its history. No Navajo girl may be married until she owns one of these, filled with an assort- ment of remedial herbs gathered by her own hands. These baskets are obtained from the Pah Utes in exchange for biank- ets, and once secured down from mother to daughter as sacred heirlooms. They are very large, shallow bowls, trimmed with a row of black dia- monds and a red iine which runs not quite around the upper part, a space being carefully left in order to convey the idea of a broken ring. A ‘‘ghost dance” basket is also here. This is a blunt canoe-shaped creation about fifteen inches long, ornamented with mystic symbols and the ends covered with embroidered deerskin. It is partly filled with small stones on the occasion of adance, ana held by both hands at the ends, is shaken violently, its rattle add- ing a weird effect to the proceedings. A covered Klamath basRet, hali-spher- jcal, with standard and slender stem, has a solemn procession of ducks waddling their way around it as its sole adorn- ment. Among Mrs. Bugbee's large as- sortment of Arizona baskets is one of special interest, as it is the water bottle taken away from Geronimo at the time of his capture. Thisis a 1arge and closely woven receptacle, of extremely graceful form, with the inside smeared with pitch. they are handed | Baskets of all shapes, sizes and kinds from all along the coast adorn this de- lightful room. Blankets of the thickest and finest weaves, and Indian curios al- most without number, contricute to its interest, and among the latter is an Arapahoe pipe of veace, which is a thing of beauty with its elaborate carving and case of softest deerskin decorated with quill bead-work and heavy fringe. Gne of the finest specimens in the ex- cellent collection of Mrs. Henry Wether- bee of Fruitvale is a covered basket from the Aleutian Islands, which is of the texture of coarse linen and is embroidered in diamond patterns with fine wools. Mrs. Wetherbes first became interested in Indian curios through Professor Henry Wetherbee Henshaw of the Smithsonian Institution, who has made for the Govern- ment a special study of the language, hab- its and traditions of our coast tribes, and although she dsclares that basket-coilect- ing with her is “a fancy and not a fad” she has gathered together an aggregation of articles in this line which makes her the envy of some avowed collectors. Among her Alaskan specimens is par- ticularly noticeable one of pail shape with a bale handle, which is woven of many colored grasses—purple, browns and reds most harmoniously blended. Some baskets of Modoc handiwork of rather coarse weave, but pretty shape and pat- tern, are interesting, as are the many pieces of Apache origin. Among the lat- ter is a very large olla-shaped basket with lines of heavy Grecian pattern running I BT Y ALEVTIAN perpendicularly and extremely angular figures of men, women, horses and colts, and a large cylindrical one ornamented with figures of warriors dancing hand in hand. By turning this basket rapidly around while gazing into its interior the weird effect of a genuine war dance is pro- duced, as the impish figures apparently become endowed with life and jump and wriggle most surprisingly. A Comanche basket is of special note. It is three feet deep and two and a half across the top, and of very close and firm weave. Contrasting with this is a large lacework specimen from Round Valley, which is exiremely light and graceful in deep red and various shades of brown. A large number of squaw caps of great one corner of this interesting *Indian room.” The Soho varieties differ from others in that they are of a light gray and the designs are worked out in white or cream instead of the browns and blacks generally seen. Two of the Klickitat or Siwash berry- picking baskets of bark, laced together, with the bottom shaped to fit the arm, attract attention by their oddity, as does a very old and curious one of buffalo-skin, shaped like a school satchel and ornately painted 1n still-life designs. The Indians domiciled on General Bid- well’s rancheria have contributed a very complete assortment of their work to this collection. A cone-shaped acorn or wood basket of the favorite lightning pattern, with a feather-stitch border; cooking- baskets with their queer little sunshade attachments, and one of the ‘‘sacrifice’’ or “‘gitt’’ baskets which are burned each year as presents to their dead are included in this department. Besides her extensive coast collections Mrs. Wetherbee owns baskets from many of the old tribes of the Eastern and South- ern States and many irom foreign lands. Mexico, Nassau, Samoa, Micronesia, Pal- estine, Japan, South America, the Ha- waiian Isiands and many other places are represented, and among these one of the most remarkable is from Jaluit. This is a kind of basket which once introduced here would undoubtedly be popular with pocketless femininity, as itis woven double in such a way that there is a deep pocket in each of the four sides of the oblong in- terior and another in the cover. The collection of the artist W. 8. Sut- ton, who was one of the first men to yield to the fascinations of this expensive pur- suit, is unusually vaiuable in that it con- sists pr ncipally of the famous ‘“old Tu- lare’’ weave elsewhere mentioned. Mr. Satton has been for some years the owner of one of the finest and largest of the rare “bottle -necks.” This much-coveted speci- men came from the Santa Ynez Valley, has a capacity of at least three gallons, is water tight, banded with the diamond rattlesnake pattern so finely executed . itseems like bead embroidery, and is of such valee that Mr. Sution refused an offer of $200 for it quite recently. An- other of these Tulare specimens is an im- mense bowl basket of similar rattiesnake design, twenty inches across the top and an actual marvel of fine work. A smaller one of exquisite quality has the rattle- snake pattern combined with the “danc- ing Indian’ design, and several of these highly valued articles are adorned with the “lightning p attern’’ so much admired by our savage brothers and sisters. A number of the best pieces in this much coveted collection were secured trom old Spanish families, to whom money 1n these later days has become of more value than curios and heirlooms, and every one of them bears the ‘“hail mark” of tneir kind. FLORENCE PERCY MATHESON. SAMOAN, (SLAND BAGKET = effect and pleasing in 1ts colors of cream, | fineness and beauty ot design, some im- | mense Hoopa Valley plagues and ‘‘Soho” | baskets of various shapes and sizes occuny | baskets of all sizes, several osier papoose- | | HASMARRIED A THOUSAND COUPLES. In neither Kentucky nor Wisconsin, the two States who have boasted of men who devoted themselves to marrying others, | is there a man who can hold a claim to such a record as that of the Rev. W. L. Meese. He has married more than 1200 couples in his pastorate of fifty vears, and he has accomplished this feat in a legiti- mate fashion, and not by causing it to be voised abroad that he was ready to marry anybody and everybody at any and all times. Mr. Meese is one of those men who thoroughly believe that men and women are put into this world to wed, and the vride he takes in the number of couples he has made one arises, he says, from the fact that he considers himself as following Biblical instruction in doing thus. Never a marriage occurs before him which is not accompanied by plain and pleasing remarks to the bride and groom, advising them in several ways as to the best method of married existence. In other words, Mr. Meese strives to make the first steps in tie nuptial path smoother than they generally are to the untried couple. All these things does Mr. Meese state to whoever is ready to listen tohim, and every year he delivers them in a sermon at the most peculiar reunion any one ever heard of—that of couples which he has married. At the last reunion, in June, there were more than 1000 couples present who had been made husband and wife by Mr. Meese. Each of them was heartily congratulated by him and each thanked him cordially for the part he had taken in performing the legal ceremony which brought about their buppiness. Mr. Meese will be the one member of this association who has not been married by himself, and naturally he cannot make that ooast, although he thinks he is en- titled to as he was present at the cere- mony. Ii)sestimated that there wiil be at least 2000 members of the new associa- tion, and as the entrance fee will be 50 cents the organization will begin with a very respectable capital, Asevery associa- tion must haye an object in forming, the one which will be used as the motto of this is ‘‘to promote marriage.”” The con- stitution and by-laws of the orzanization have already been drafted and are curi- ous specimens of what they represent. It is doubtful if the idea of promoting mar- riage ever before took legal form, and it seems queer enough to read in legal lan- guage. “That it shall not be lawful for the mem- bers of this association to in any way dis- courage or prohibit the marriage of wor- thy persons. Should a member of this association be found guilty of such action through petty spite ol personal feeling, such a member will be promptiy expelled. The society holds that the only condition of true happiness is to be found in the wedded state, and declares this to be its one sole object of organization.” Mr. Mzese has no hesitation in making his views public, and therefore has written the following statement which will be read with interest: “A reunion of this character is abso- lutely unique, and was the resulit of con- siderable effort on the part of the writer. For months past the subject has been the principal social topic throughout the State, and the idea of bringing together so many people who had been married by one man met with such general sympathy and approval that hundreds of outsiders expressed their intention of being on hand. The railroads reduced the fares for the day set, and those who did not take advantage ot this came in wagons, carriages and on bicycles, until the streets of Auburn,were crowded, and the pro- cession reached from the town to the fair grounds park, a mile away. “The grand march, in which the happy, smiling couples I had married took part, was to me one of the pleasantest features of this memorable day. «A little incident of the day occurs to me. During ‘the afternoon address, de- livered by Mr. Yeager of Waterloo, tbe speaker asked who among the men had never spoken a hard word to their wives. A hsnd was raised in the audience and on looking closely I founa it belonged to a young man I had married the day before. “As nearly every family had brought well-filled baskets a mostenjoyable lunch- eon was partaken of in the grove in picnic fashion, and it was along in the afternoon before the start was made for various homes, every one declaring that the re- union was one of the most enjoyable events of their lives. W. L. MEese.”’ TO SAVE HARRIET BEECHER STOWES OLD HOME. Tue CavL to-day publishes an exclusive signed statement addressed to it by the sister of Mrs, Harriet Beecher Stowe, the most widely known authoress America ever pioduced, whose masterpiece, *Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” was a tremendous factor in causes of the Civil War, This statement by Mrs. 1sabella Beecher Hooker, herself a famous writer, is made public for the first time through the col- umns of this newspaper, and shouid bring relief to the twin daughters of the distin- guished writer and philanthropist. It might be proposcd that a monument shou!d be erected to the memory of Mr-. Harriet Beecher Stowe. There is no doubt that every reader of “‘lincie Tom’s Cabin,” every negro slave and every de- scendant of a negro slave, who can trace their freedom. to the influence of her work; every man and woman through- out the land who rejoices that the black bar of slavery has been removed from our escutcheon, would unite in support of the proposition to honor Mrs. Stowe’s mem- ory by such a monument as the city of Brooklyn has honored the memory of her brother, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. But in the meantime there recurs the old question of bread and store. During her Lifetime Mrs. Stowe valued the honor that had come to her from her work—yal- ued tbe results that had logically, inevi- tably flown from it—but, public as was her name, wide-world as was her fame, she valued more, loved more the modest home nook in which she lived for so maay years, valued more, loved more the chil- iren whose companionship made it a ' ome. Tuose children, twin sisters, were three score years of age when the mother died, but still they were children to her. In their infancy they were helpless and she found joy in giving them a mother’s care. In their age they were again help- less and sue gave them the same care— found in it the same joy. Dying she be- lieved she had sectired to them a home for their remaining days. Now, it seems, this home is to be taken from them, and in their old age they are to b: cast adrift. The home in which Mrs. Stowe lived and worked for so many years is to pass to strangers, to be torn down, perhaps, to be no longer the shrine to which so many lovers of freedom have wended reverent steps. And there arises the question: Will the American people allow this? The men and women of the present gen- eration wiil with difficulty learn to under- stand the effect produced by the publica- tion of Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s *Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”” Edition following edition was published in rapid succession and through the whole coantry, North and South, it produced the most profound sensation. For years theabolitionists had been preaching, lecturing, writing against slavery, but more effective than all their vroductions of tongue or ven was the story of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”” The book was reproduced in England and there also the name of Mrs, Stowe became known in every household. Translations made the work familiar to the peoples of the conti- nental nations of Europe, and their in- fluence was aroused to support the aboli- tivnists of the North in this country. To no other single influence can the final abolition of slavery in the United States be more distinctly traced than to “‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” On the same block on which stands the home in which lived for so many years Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe stands also the home of Mark Twain. On its roof there has also fallen the shadows of evil fortune, but life and w:ll and vigor still remain with him and it is boped that kindly humor’s smiles may yet banish the frowns tuat darken its deserted threshold. ; ““The pqssibility of saving to the daughters the residence of Mrs. Stow city greatly interests me, and her many friends will be much gratified by it. HARTFORD, July 13, 1897. n this The facts in the case are briefly these: Mrs. Stowe’s income by the expiration of the copyright of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ had become auch reduced some time before her death. She left three children—one son, Rev. Charles E. Stowe, settled in Simbury, Conn., and two daughters, unmarried, and about 6o years of age. These daughters have lived with their mother all their lives, and during her years of failing health have given her the most devoted care. By her will, made ten or more years before her death, anq when she doubtless expected to leave a more considerable prop:rty, she gave the life use of all her property, in equal shares, to her three children, and the whole property absolutely to her son after the death of the daughters. tlement of the estate is in the hands of nephew of Mrs. Stowe. The set- Charles E. Perkins Esgq. of this city, a “‘I am confident that the shares of the daughters in the income that the prop- erty may be expected to yield, including the proceeds of the sale of the house, will not be sufficient for their comfortable support. in the hands of a broker for sale. It is reported that the house is now If by the generous interposiion of their friends it could be rescued for the daughters it would, 1 am sure, be regarded as an act of great kindness, while those who have known and admired and loved Mrs. Stowe will feel that it is most fitting that the house should still remain in the family and be conse- olwditin Vsl Forkan. crated to her memory.”