The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 15, 1899, Page 19

X THE SAN R e IAM IRELAN JR. ORNAMENTING A VAS t may be, opportunities have tc most perfect “thrown’” Grecian been X producing the richest cking” and “firing” a 1 me in consequence of an article on pottery, 2 to the ninth annual re- State Mineralogist, which r largely devoted to the clay ety of the State of California, of numerous clays The chapter E tch, was written nd Mr. Robertson expected to find, and did, a kindred spirit, one in- < d in his art. brought me a coliection of articles i er the las first kiln fire. O dyir He forth in a way t what it~ made by him in the year 1874 of Cali- h ding of a ia cla some in the “bisque,” at indust has rs covered with rich, colored lanted, the L7 1 plant se pleces, yet in existence, are the = some there will be first art pottery specimens made of boug' thriving native clays. sky. But :d, and so with be encour- d to grow. They are beautiful, varying in ‘ext- and design. thought of founding an art pot- - the exclusive use of Californian als grew into the most ardent was not put to practice then. until after having seen the glori- xhibits of American pottery at the bian Exposition in Chicagé did bertson and myself make definite plans to carry out our desired object. We began by king some plaques, which T decorated by ‘‘carving’ and ‘clip-painting.” Byt Mr. Robertson's aim was to make clay tests, the previ- ous ones which he had made having be- come useless to him, as the same clays W e new, for tr ns, teach that ( done by other pzoples done in the West. : to do with indus- st can ht freig ¢ of rd not obtainable without going to a deal of trouble and new got. nted a small place on Twentieth cet and commenced work in a very itive way couragement we had none. en conditions prevented us from working as we had hoped to and in the course of time we ceased our labors to take them up again and—to cease once more. But I could not “give up” entirely and in due time, cheered by fresh hope, we tried once more. My experience had taught me that it be energy wasted to endeavor t others in the cause; the time s yet not come. Nearly a year ago we resumed our bors, commencing once more at the ery beginning-—making the sample tests. But while doing s0 we concluded to apply the experiments at once and fashion decorated ware., Part of a prolonged visit East I had clays great chanted und more workers ta say nd laborers ted. enormous Ting to the w th or them? No, bition and ight it should be of ente 1} indus lack vears ago to studying ‘“‘underglaze” Through potter, nting and ‘“clay carving.” ‘Model- il ing” I was familiar with, having taught m mi the ¢ cla; “Hammering sses some years ago. a novel decoration, applied only for love 18 shapes, from the as FRANCISCO 0906060 083 $0B0H0 GC $0B060H0 HOHISOGOSOSD triés, as they are sending to us. and varie $6503090H0B0HOGOHOGOMOPO Qicdcdosos in Mr. Robertson's art pottery at Chel- sea, Boston, I practiced under his in- struction and it 1 me a gratifying task to form objects of art and indi- vidual inspiration. The knowledge of handling clay, with the object in view of having the work fit to undergo the ordeal of “fi ” 1 acquired also through the thorough teaching of Ms Robertson, whom 1 found a tient, but i ever Thus we worked on for months, step with meager appliances, small ssories s only the old, ever new potte wheel “lathe, w tubs and siev some boxes for “blungers,” lumps of clay and ands! Ah, Palissy! You left an inheritance; others followed in vour footsteps. A few hundred francs meant to you sal- vation; yet you suffered want. Now fabulous sums are paid for supposedly genuine pieces wrought by your hand. “The Middleman” was not the crea- tion of the imagination; it only tells the tale of the poor, almost frenzied potter who breaks up his scant furni- ture to feed the craving fire holes of his kiln. We were ready for our first The clays had been washed, mixed, ripened and allowed to Omar Khayyam could have— “firing.” dried, “rest.” topping by the way To watch a potter thumping his wet clay, v to be As it was being “wedged” re: “threwn” into utiful shapes. The wheel had been humming merri- 1y, the disk spinning and— ing round and round, Without a pause, without a sound. The magic hands of the wizard at the wheel had formed pieces beautifui in shape, pure in lines and delicate in texture, that it almost seemed sacri- lege to decorate them; but individual thought was banished and here a spray of blossoms was modeled or painted, there design embossed, original, yet vaguely recalling the crude handiwork of the Azt There a shapely Greclan ewer was carved, or a low bowl nipped and pinched for two or three supple little lizards to play hide and seek; or a bat was hanging 'up for a rest, the pliant clay portraying the silky texture of the delicate wings. One by one hundreds of dainty pieces had grown under our until quite a collection of varied forms had accumulated from the chaste n vase to the irregular, quaint shape dic- tated by a fanciful mind. Now we were all ready for our first 3 of clay at hand; : one by one the heavy “sag lifted in to be filled, according to his never erring judgment. One by one they were stacked, until the first ' ing” or piled up saggars was comp....d. Then the sccond, third and now the fourth and last. The work of hours, th the kiln, and—tight quarters for squeezed in worker. Half past 10, and the kiln full. Not another pic Well, then, just » more, but a wee one.” Go in, then, little lizard, your tongue showing alteady and the k t Go in and be brave; you will not cking ot the as cold. be alone.” Hundred of artlcles, ail duly stamped with our emblem, the Califor- nian bear and our adopted name, “Rob- lin,” were incased and the last “saggar” closed. The earnest worker has emerged from his tight quarters. Hand the fire bricks and the mortar, for time is fleeting and the firing must begin. OGne by one the bricks are laid to close the opening. Each one bears a wish for success. Carefully, firmly the skillfully mixed mortar is spread and smoothed with the trowel. Accurately the test hole is closed and the kiln is ready. Twenty minutes of 12. “Shall we begin? “No; let us wait for the new day."” Midnight. ‘With solemn sound the bells toll the ending of that busy day. The last stroke. 1 touch the taper to my fire and the potter and our faith- ful assistant light theirs. How I hoped, fervently, that my fire —no, not only mine, but all should kin- dle and live. All was right and up went the flames, mine timidly, that of Dave with a roar, the two of the master just right. Steady, steady. Over the hills rose the silvery disk of the moon, like a kindly old friend, sharing our long vigil. Noisome fumes and clouds of smoke filled the air. But it mattered not. Carefully the fires were being tended, a draught opened or closed here, there a fire subdued, until the four burned born “It is of California and her magnificent possibili golden wheat fields, nor her mines; not her forests of giant trees nor her ocean nor her fruitful vines; not of all the blessings which Providence bestowed. upon birthright-—not alone of these, but of one of nature’s giits which nas been le ! untended, like a modest little flower by the wayside, waiting timidiy for a kind hand to minister to it “I am referring to the wonderiul clay deposits of this State. “While millions of dollars yearly are expended on foreign potter: ful land of your own the wherewith to not only The clay depos . and only the lamentable lack of enterprise, the prejudice agdinst 2 what should years ago have become a generous revenue to this State. “The exhibit of Roblin art ware at the California Keramic Club exhibitions has fine pottery, tested by kiln fire, can be made, is being made, from Ca y )oD0cD0®0®0P0® 0®cP0P0H0P0R0P0D0S CALL, SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 1899. @0 manufacture for all home use s of the State of California ar After hours or watching, a hole” was opened and little “test pie; “drawn” quickly. One from belc from above. “Every hour this was re- peated, until the potter w i At intervals we heard sounds. “What can it be? 0, not the ware Rut we did worry. In due time one of the ned and we had & shor alike. The w. don't w > “saggars could. be seen long ious watch was kept The fires were perm toward pandin had to 1ol A little spider fell from above lighted on my hand. The old suy stition that a_“spider at night” brin luck came to my thought. Tenderl tucked it away under a rose leaf. “Hide away, little spider, and return on the Another night passed and evening of the second-day I was given the privilege of ‘opening” the Kkiln Enough of the bricks and clay were i moyved to make an opening just large enough to take out the pieces put in last For care must be taken not to admit too-much «cold air. _But how about our ware? What destined to see? cces over which we had labored from were we es, her wonderful resources, I wish to wares, 0DZLING A VASE AT THE POTJER'S RE. ious fruits: not her this enchante S0 to sp , but to send e m velous in. their industry, has leit proven to th disappointec mad Rob be crowned merited success May the n gt ewa ed a what t rin own cl ‘that is an est e of ha ) deve v hite wing: unnoticed almost and youw have right here in this beauti- broad to other coun- but 1 ¢ oS ot * of the d land ma undeveloped e s be careful; by Alex: n, begun as of patient v lifo; need out their ablished been the lop conselously entered, expecting to reap a profit of pleasure. ‘We came here despite ourselves. That 2ing the fact, the only sensible thing to do is to make the best of it. ‘Whether life “pays” or not in nowise concerns us, unless we use it as a logi- cal excuse from refraining to perpetu- ate our species. But I have observed that people who in loudest terms de- clare life is 1,0t worth living frequently are most prolific in reproduction. Cer- tainly if the pursuit of pleasure were | the one consideration in this life it . would not “pay.” 3 But the questio. is a very silly one.| But happlness is a matter greatly of lose most of | We did not bring ourselves into Jife. It |our own makiug. I have seen invalids youlh ask !was not a speculation into which we |suffering constant pain and deprived of DOES LIFE PAY? | By Ella Whezler Wilcox. 1t one poor struggling toller o'er life's | ourseives roa gl Who meets us b as we look back over the g months, “Does life pay?’ We over our mental diary rds of worri troubles , and so few, comparatively peaking, of pleasure and happiness to lance the account. And so we fall 1 pessimistic reverie and ask our- , “Does it pay?"” us who have passed ea all the pleasures of the ordinary in- dividual, who were happy and who scattered happiness on all who came near. Once we set about the work of culti- vating a happy trend in the mind and it is surprising what possibilities for happiness will develop within us. One of the best recipes for happiness is very old. It is so old many people have forgotten it. 1t is simply to put aside all thought of pleasure for yourself, make up your mind to do the work given you to do and to accomplish the nearest and most unpleasant duties first. Then to lose no chance to give the people who come across your path all the pleasure and happiness you can without interfering with their development. Begin with the people in your home. Be courteous, amiable and considerate. A. W. ROBINSON G & : You have no idea what opportunities for improving the world and benefiting humanity lie in those three words. Very few of us are cqurteous, amiable and consilerate in our every-day dealings with relatives, business associates and servants. Most of us save these qual- itles for “company.” If you will bring them into hourly use with everybody you meet you may | be surprised at the results. You will find it more difficuit to achieve than some larger exploits. But you will also, quite to your surprise, find that you are enjoying yourself, and you will cease to | ask “‘Does life pay?” In speaking of a man who had at- tained great financial success, a writer said: “He was equally ready and per- sistent in his efforts to aid a friend or to ruin an enemy.” It seems to mé this i n as a n 1tever colo may succeed oul wealth would the point of a needle. weight -in the world ¢ ever the measurement is nevertheless a small of the univer is only the in this brie to revenge his petty enemy. It is the meag: time or inclination to anybody The way knowing time and just their enemics. To leave our ener Wwhile we press forwa mal iful about as could ach) in accumulating, bala ily on Whatever his »f finance, what- of his brain man in the eyes 1 man who ever little span of life spite against an r soul that finds attempt to ruin eat squls hasten on their own a go about their owa bu ce will attend to ics the rear, —so far forward | | that they catch only the echoes of the {band which precc us, is the very | best revenge possible. lowest human ation of erudity and ignorar excusable in, a poor, uncultivated mind, but where we find it flourishing in a nature which has been gi the advantages of education {and experience it is more reprehensible | than many a vice which is more se- | verely condemned by moralists. i or a human soul to pme petty wrong it received as it would be for the )n to stop in its course and wreak geance upon the cloud which ob- res it or upon the dog which bays The moon wisely keeps on f{ts the cloud vanishes, and itself.—New York | Revenge is attributes nd hausts