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- Michigan Artisan; 1909-03-10
Michigan Artisan; 1909-03-10
- Notes:
- Issue of a furniture trade magazine published in Grand Rapids, Mich. It was published twice monthly, beginning in 1880. and ·GRAND RAPIDS
rH:~I'"
Twenty-Ninth Year-No. 17 • MARCH 10, 1909 Semi-Monthly
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I Now is Your Chance to Secure I A Clemons Flat Surface Sander
I
which has been replaced by OUf No.
171 Sand Belt Machine (See ad. on
back cover.) We also have a Moore
Flat Surface Sander, also Disk and
Drum, Drum, Disk and Spindle and
Spindle Sanders that have been dis-carded
in favor of our machine.
We can offer any of the above at
bargain prices. Write us.
WYSONG & MILES CO., Cedar St. and Son. R. R., GREENSBORO, N. C.
~ The Best Truck--The Strongest Truck
This is the famousGillette Roller Bearing Factory
Truck~the truck on which it is said,'''One 'man'
can move a load of 3000 pounds while with
the other trucks it takes three men."
This is the truck that is strong where others are
weak-the truck that has an unbreakable
malleable iron fork.
This is the truck YOU are looking for if you wish
to invest in rather than waste money on factory
trucks.
Gillette RolJer Bearing CO.
ORAND RAPIDS. MIClIIOAN ________T_he Ligh_test Ru_nning,__E
Longest Lasting Tr,uck
"ABC" Vertical Self-Oiling Engines are
Arum-ged for Direct Connection to
Any Make of Generator
"The highest quality of material,
workmanship and finish ever
embodied in $team engine con-struction."
"ABC" Questions on Lighting
if you need a boiler to run your engine and you use Ex-haust
Steam for heating and drying, how in the world can any-one
sell you electric current for lighting your mill, factory
and yard as cheaply as you can generate your own?
Can you aiford to belt a generator from your line shaft or
can you direct connect a dynamo to any ordinary steam engine
when an "ABC" VERTICAL ENCLOSED SELF-OILING
ENGINE WILL PAY FOR ITSELF IN ONE YEAR IN
SAVINGS OF OIL AND FUEL?
Tau can afford an "ABC" ENGINE and we can prove it.
Write us number of lights or kilo-watts wanted, together
with steam pressure carried-for proposition. Get catalog
232 M. A. anyway.
lil!",I!,!I, JIi '!lil"~'liill'I""'11,.If+'''\II',II,'I''''''~llil,:1 DE~;~?~~~ae~iH.
~
llli I'I 1'1' I, ,I,I I:1"" I, I: I" 11 ,II' '1' Work., 11" 'ii' " ':1, ,,', DETROIT, MICH. and TROY, N. Y. ~ 1,,·1111 II; II .,L;II I,~ Ilmil 111111" 11J1lL'" II'It.11
MANUFACTURERS
w:'Tslf~l~5~VK<i&!~~ ENGINES "DETROIT" ~~pNA~T~kAWPS~. t'
HEATING AND VENTILATING APPARATUS. AUTOMATIC RETURN TRAPS.
I ,
. \ New York, Chicago,
Salea Offices) St. Loui., Philadelphia,
Pitt.burg, Adanta.
"ABC"
t •
SLIDING SHOE FOR USE ON DESK LEGS
This shoe does the work of a caster yet
allows the desk legs to set close to floor.
Fastened with flat head wood screw and furn-ished
in three sizes.
SEND FOR SAMPLES AND PRICES
No 1493 PULL
A very fine handle for desks in the sqnare effect.
Something different from the regnlar bar pulls.
GRAND RAPIDS BRASS CO. GRAND RAPIDS,
MICHIGAN
• 1
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 1
f.-------------------·-----------------1
I
These Specialties are used all
Over the World
Veneer Preuea, different kind. a.nd size... (Patented) Hand Feed Gluein .. Machine (Patent pendio'll. ) Mally Ity lea and ,izea.
Veneer Presses Wood-Working ,!
lup Spreaders Machinery
lue Heafe rs and Supplies I Trucks, Etc" Etc. Power Feed Glue Spreading Machine, Sin.le. LET US KNOW CHAES. .FRANCIS C;;;~;~~i~:~~:r;i~~:·:)WRo::r:k~sIl::~sN..oGJ •• Hoa'.r.1
•
l~~ I~N '.-.'20-01-';;;-Ho-a'''-. -----------_...:--._-----_._-------<
~, ---------- "I
lONE-COAT MISSION STAINS I
! Our One-Coat Mission Stains are correct interpretations, both as to color and
finish, of the early" Mission" period of furniture making. The great success
of these stains is due not only to the fact that
they are entirely practical, but to the simplicity
with which they can be applied. The beauty
of the various colors or shades in which they
are made has also much to do with their
popularity.
Marietta One-Coat Stains are intended
for oak or the open-grained woods, although
they may be used with very pretty effect on
some of the close grained woods.
WRITE FOR SAMPLE.
TUE MARIETTA
PAINT AND COLOR CO.
MARIETTA, 0"'0
Old English Oak
This stain, white producing a perfect fin-ish,
is remarkable for its con,summate beauty
.0£ color. It was designed for use where a
dull, dead brown color effect is desired, anJ
11]ost completely does it accomplish its pur-pose.
But while the color appears dull it is
110t duli, for there is just a hint of red be-neath
the dullness that gj'lles you the im~
pression of hidden warmth and transparency.
Old English is a finish that'is going to be
more used than formerly. Its peculiar t.one
of color is one that you admire and grow to
more thoroughly appreciate the longer yoU
study it.
.
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WHITE PRINTING CO.
I I GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. I I
I HIGH GRADE CATALOGS COMPLETE ~
2 {l7,,' /. . ". ,. MICHIGAN ARTISAN
if II , I
I :
I I ._-~..._---_._--- ._----------'
.'"
Wrl~ U8 tor
I"rice LIst
and dllICouut
a1·aa S. FRONT ST•• GRAND ,RAPIDS
WHEN IN nROIT
STOPAT Hotel Tuller
INew andA~o1utel,.Fireproof
Cor. Adams Ave. aD~ Park. St.
In the Center of. tne Th~.•tre. &mp..
Pins:. and Businell$ Districl. l A la Carte Cafe
• Newe.t and Fined Grill
t Room ip the City.
I
,.Club Breakfast. • • 4<k up
LllIIcheon- - - - 50<:
Table d"hore Dinners - 75<:
I ,Mu.d,om6P.M.1o12P.M. t
• Every l'Oom hlUl a private bath.
• EUROPEAN PLAN
: Rates: $1.50 per day' -and:.up.
I L W. TULLER, Prop.
· M. A. SMA W.-Ma-r.-----_._---
i, REVERSIBLE AND ONE. WAY CUTTERS. i "The .Shimer Reversible.
Ctltters for Single .spindle
I Shapers, Variety :.\1ouldcrs
'I or Friczers" ,He carefuJly
moulded opposite to the
shape of the mould to be
be produced, in such a way
as to have only the cuttio.;.(
edge touch, the lumber.
They are c'omp1cte,-inexpensive-time savi'ng.
\Ve also ma'.lufacture One-Way Cutters for Double
Spindle Shapers. They are used in v:airs, right and 17f( lone Cutter of each shape for each spindle. In ordenng:
.
special shapes not listed in aUf catalogue, send a wood
sample or an accurately made drawing. Address. .1
I SAMUEL J. SHIMER &. SONS, MILTON, PENNSYLVANIA. ~ II- ~. __ -'"-,. __ -,. __ ""
•,
a0VNT0N4 ~l!I :
£mbolled and
Turned Moy.M.
ingl, EDibou-ed
IUId Spindle
Carvinp, an d
Automati"e I TUl'Dinp.
W~also mllQ!.l-"
Ml':lure II large line I of. EDlb.oued ;.
Ornament.. for I Coucb Work.
II
,.
ii!Ii. CAT ALO,GUE
419-421 W. I'lfteOllth St .• CUICAOO. ILL
I -- -...• TOote:
I Wellin~on notel ,I
I Cor. Wabash Ave 81 I Jacks~n Bolilefllrd , CHICAGO I
I Remod",led-at a cost of I S15(},OOO
Hot 'l.Dde~ld running I , water and· long dia- I MACHINE .l\NIVES I
tanee ·phone. in aU I pERFECT QUALITY Pa.OMPT SEl\VICE I rooms. I 200 rooms. 100 with R.IGHT PRICES A&SOLUTE GUARANTEE I I I , kIn. Sina'" or en ~uite. , Rales$1.QO and upwards. Dado or Groin'lng Heads. Miter ~achlnes. f Ont of the mas! unique f
Unl-versal Wood Trimmers, I I dinWII"rooms in the cou~. I Our famou~ Indian • f I Borlns Mae-b.lncs. Eto.
~"lEC'OIl ~~~IC" .NOtUl~lNE I McClintock and Bayfield FOX MACHINE CO. 185 N. Front St.. I I Grand Rapld_. Mich. I, F'i\O~$.
I I .. '-- ---~•
I, -------.. ,..- ------- ----.. I I .MANUFACTURERS OF , , I I -- I, I : I
I I HARDWOODt~~~~i~, , I I
I f , I I I
, , : I Spiral moved and Bevel Polnled I ,I I f DOWEL PINS
SPECIALTIES: , I , II II I ~t";'l?EogQUAORA. K VENEERS I I I Note,howthe 'glue In the Spiral I I MAHOGANY VENEERS I I Grooveforms Thread like aScrew. I I Bevel Pointed. easy to· 4l"1ve. I fSrtarmaiegsh.t Psroicew,.ilalndndoitscsopulnitts thoen •,
HOFFMAN I application. I I , I , , I I BROTHERS COMPANY f 84 W. Main SI., FRT WAYNE, INDIANA I I STEPHSEONUSTOHNB.ENMD.FINGD.. CO., I • - _.. .- -- •
GflAND RAPIDS
FUBUC LIBRARY
29th Year-No. 17. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH., MARCH 10, 1909. $1.00 per Year.
Markets for School Furniture in South' America.
The need of school fl1rnitttre in a number of
southern countries has heen hrought to the notice of
i\mericall manufacturers through the consular reports.
~lexico, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuaclor are not proper~
ly provided for in that respect. In Colornbia the modern
school desk is not used, either in private or public
schools. The kind used at present is home made amI
very plain. I\ representative \'\'ho can speak Spanish
and understands Spanish customs should be sent with
a fnl11ine of sarllples sn;te(l to the needs of the locality.
His path would not he stre1.Vll \vith roses, as he 1vauld
ha"vethe' prejudices of the people to overcome, IHtt v\lith
plenty of time and persistence success \vould be as-sured.
The duty on furniture is 17 cents per kilo
(2.2 pounds) and is an obstacle to importation at pres-ent.
In Ecaudor schools are conducted in houses not
built for the purpose anel furnishings arc poor-rough
benches or chairs being used. American manufactur-ers
have a field for the sale of their goods here \vith
the aid of the municipal authorities of GuayaquiL Tn
Brazil the mis::;ionarics have introduced American fur-niture
into Rio de j ani.era schools and some states have
follo\ve<l snit. Orders have been placed through the
missionaries. In some instances the authorities £Irc
makjnR unusual efforts to introduce modern methods
and school equiprnent. The states have estahlished
model schools and have attempted to fit them out VI"ith
modern furniture and appliances. /\..merican school
furniture has the lead and is the only kind imported.
Th~school furniture in ~Iexico at Vera Cruz is not
up-to-date. very primiti\Te in fact. In private schools
the little children bring their O\II,'n chairs; there are no
desks. Herc, as elsewhere. the i\..rnerican manufactllrer
can get satisfactory results from the introduction of his
goods.
@ * @
Wire Much Used in Furniture.
The \vire trade is separated into two relatively \\"('11
marked divisions-steel wire and copper \\;ire. The
steel ·wire trade is much greater in volurne, but meas-ured
by money the copper trade probably vvill not fall
far behind. Broadly speaking, the uses are as differ-ent
as the material, but at somc points they meet in
the same employment, as for example in telephone and
telegraph equipment. Copper wire is used almost ex-elusively
in electrical equipment, while steel wire is an
important factor in a great many industries.
One of its most conspicuous uses is in the manufac-ture
of cables for bridge construction, hut thenu111-
bel' of tons consumed annually for that pW'pose ",,"auld
be lost in comparison vvith the tons· required by the
manufacturing trade for buildings and ordinary house-hold
furnishings.
Steel vv"ire serves may purposes never suspected
by persons outside of the trade. There is not a hinge
and hardly a butt on a door of which it does not form
a component part. Every nail driven nowadays and
every spring is fUfllished by the wire trade. A great
rnany of the most essential household articles could
not he llrarlllfactureJ without the aid of wire.
@ * @
Hotel Orders to be 'Filled.
A syndicate of capitalists \\'ill erect an open all year
hotel in Rochester, N. ),:,., with six hundenl rooms. It
will be up-to-date,
The Dorchester-on-thc- Bay hotel to be be erected in
Doston \,,:j11 have one hundred. rooms \vith hot and cold
water and salt bath. A swimming pool GOxlOO· feet, a
roof garden (to be used as a solarimH in winter) will be
special features. The bay for a distance of twenty-five
miles vdll be in view f~om the roof ga.rden.
@ * @
"Boosting" the Town Hall.
The furniture makers of Grand Rapids are "hoost-ing-"
a proposition to erect a I'to\vn hall" in the city.
capable of seating 7,000 people. Among those \V11O
are active in the movement are Charles R. Sligh, Roy
S. Barnhart. R. VV.Irwin and O. H. L. vVernicke.
@ * @
Will Move the Show.
In :Marcb. l!HO a business show \vill be put on in
Chicago, to continue several \vceks. Cpon its conclu-sion
the exhibits. dec.orations anel accolltrements will be
loaded on flat cars and moved to St. Louis, where the
g-ooc1s\\'ill exhibited for a Dumber of weeks.
@ * @
Enlargements of Factories.
Durjng the current year eight of the 1arge furniture
manufacturing plants located in Grand Rapids will be
enlarged by the erection of additions to existing struc-tures.
The employment of thousands of additional
workmen and increased outputs will follow.
4 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
RELICS IN WHITE HOUSE.
Little Furniture and Few Furnishings of the Olden
Days.
The 'White House was built on classic lines and
stands as a monument to Vii'ashington's and] efferson's
judgment in following the principles of the masters in
architecture. Its first occupants, Adams, Jefferson,
Madison, Monroe, and John Quincy Adams, all were
men of high culture and refined tastes. They were
familiar with the most brilliant courts of Europe. It
therefore follows that the furnishings of the White
House of their choice must have been of the same kind
and in the same good taste as that which they pur-chased
for their family residences, much of ,~rhich is
proudly preserved by their descendants. Had there
been from early days a properly appointed curator of
the furnishings of the president's house, it now would
contain some furnishings, at least, such as grace the old
John Adams home at Quincy, Mass., today.
The handsome mahogany doors and the mahogany
woodwork in the state parlors and family dining room
of the White House were retained in the :VlcKim res-torations,
made in the summer of 1902, and are the or-iginal
mahogany which Hoban used when he rebuilt
the mansion after its destruction by the British in
1814. Of course a great deal of the furniture and
bric-a-brac in the house at that time was destroyed,
but by no means all of it. Mrs. Madison knew for
some days that the British were comit,g, and she tells
of the difficulties sbe encountered during those days in
obtaining wagons to carry. the things she most desired
to save. Everybody knows the story of how she had
the portrait of Washington Cllt from the frame and con-signed
to the care of trustworthy friends, but whether
it is the large painting n'ow hanging hl the red room is
decidedly doubtful.
The classic Italian marble mantels, now in the red
and green rooms, but formerly in the state dining
room, date also from the rebuilding of the mansion
after the British fire. Between the windows on the
south side of the green room is. 'a most interesting pier
table. :\fro McKim found parts of it, broken and dis-colored,
in the attic. He had it brought down, de-signed
the classic legs, on which it now stands, to har-monize
with the mantel, and had it placed between 'the
windows. \Vith the handsome mirror whkh snr-mounts
it is one of the most attractive features of the
green room, which by J.nany is considered the most ar-tistic
of the state parlors. There is another original
piece of furniture in this apartment. It is an octa-gonal
white marble table, severely plain but of grace-ful
outline, and was undoubtedly chosen by one of the
very early mistresses of the mansion.
There was comparatively little bric-a-brac in the
White House when the restoration was made in 1902,
which Mr. McKim regarded as being worthy of a place
in the president's residence~ and this was unquestion-ably
a correct estimate, although some pieces were dis-carded,
which fOf'historic associations seemingly might
have been retained. From just which administra-tion
sOme of this bric-a-brac dates is a hard matter: to
determine. , .
Probably the oldest piece in the mansion is a tall
vase of French faience, decorated with a rural Scene
and bearing on its rounded standard the inscription:
"Sue des environs de Passy prise de la maison de
Franklyn." The tradition is that this vase was pre-sented
to Benjamin Franklin while he was the Ameri-can
diplomatic representative at Paris, 1776-'85, and
that a good many years after his death it was given to
the president's house. A few years ago there was a
mate to this vase, but one summer it mysteriously
disappeared from the White House, as so many otber
of its belongings have done. There are two other
French faience vases, decorated with figures which are
of the Same period as the Franklin vase, but of which
there seems to be no record.
On the mantel in the blue rOOm rests the most 11is-toric
clock in the house. It is of heavy French gilt,
and its oblong base is covered with the emblems of the
first empire. The clock is surmounted with small fig-ures
of Liberty. It was presented by Napoleon 1. to
General Lafayette, who on the occasion of his second
visit to the United States gave it to the 'White House
as an expression of his appreciation of the kindness he
bad received from the American people~
There is a small inlaid, lacqtt~r cabinet in the green
room which is accredited with having been brougbt to
President Buchanau by the first diplomatic representa-tive
from Japan. There used to be two Japanese
bowls of the same make with this cabinet, but for Some
reason they were discarded when the house was re-stored.
At the time of the Centennial at Philadelphia in
1876 Austria, with other nations, made an exhibit, and
at its close sent to the White House oue of the articles
of its exhibit, a handsome piece of tapestry mounted
in a gilt frallle screen. It stands in front of the fire-place
in the green room.
What is perhaps the most intresting piece of furni-ture
historically is the old cabinet table now standing
in the room lately occupied by President Roosevelt as
his den. This table was made from the lumber of
the ship Resolute and presented to the United States
during the Hayes administration, and around it the
cabinet meetings were held from that time until the
executive offices were: Dlovcd into their present quar-ters,
the little building at the end of the west colonnade.
The president's uden" also contains the three-faced
black onyx clock which told time for the statesmen for
many years in the cabinet room. A classic white
marble mantel, its shelf upbeld by the familiar thirteen
bound arrows and cap, replaced the heavy mottled
marble mantel in this room at the time of the restora-tion
of the mansion, and it bears a tablet with the fol-lowing
inscription: "This room was first used for
meetings of the cabinet during the administration of
President Johnson. It continued to be so used until
MICHIGAN ARTISAN
N 1111 III tIll
SILO - KOTE
A Pigment First Coater,
One that dries hard as bone,
One that lays cloSre.
One that requires
Very Little Sandpapering,
One that is made from
A High Grade Gum.
IT WILL PAY YOU TO TRY IT.
Send for sample.
THE LAWRENCE-McFADDEN COMPANY
the year }cleMIJ. lIere the treaty of peace with
Spain was signed.H
The suite of furniture in the president's bedr00l11
is also interesting historically as it was made durihg
President Buchanan's administration for the room oc-cupied
b:r the Prince of \Vales \\'hile he was a visitor
at the \.Vhite House, and has been called "The Prince
of \~rales suite" ever since. It is of black walnut elab-orately
carved with a fruit and leaf design, and there is
a round center table beside the three regulation pieces
of the set. The bed is finished with the high old-fash-ioned
canopy and curtains.
The library of the president's house was started by
:Vlrs. Fillmore, who, with the late :\:lrs. Emily Donald-son
\i\Ti1cox,the daughter of a niece of President Jack-son,
who was born in the 'Alhite House, chose the first
books which went into it. It is in the oval room on
the second floor, over the blue room, and has ahvays
been one of the most attractive apartments in the man-sion.
Aside from the books, it does not now contain
much of historic importance. ~[,here is a handsome
old davenport which has been there for two or three
generations, and several pieces of bric-a-brac \',.'hich
were purchased by President Arthur. This ,"vas :Mr5.
John Adarns' reception room. J magine the interest
we would have in it if it contained today the furniture
\vith which she furnished it!
Several very handsome pieces of bric-a-brac anti
other ornamentations have been added to the \-Vhite
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Jill' ,f·· p
,..
- _- - I ~:::- .. III ,,,••
=. 11lLII'
House since the restoration of '02. 1I1r. 1'IcKim de-signed
at that time, the graceful vases standing in the
niches of the east stairway. tIe also chose the oid
Flemish tapestry hanging on the north wall of the
state dining room. The exquisite blue Sevres vases,
three feet in height, standing at the right and left of
the large ,"vindaw opening upon the east colonnade
were presented by the French government some time
before that date.
The French government also gave the artistic busts
of VIashington, Benjamin Franklin, and Jefferson,
which grace three of the east room mantels, and the
one of Lafayette, which rests on the pier table in the
green room. This gift is to be increased by a bust of
Lincoln, and the generous French government has
commissioned "!vIrs.Saint Gaudens to make the design
for this from the well-known Saint Gandens head of
Lincoln. The gift of the bnsts was accompanied by
ejght exquisite Sevres vases,. in wisteria, maple leaf,
columbine, and {leur de lis designs, which ornament
the east room mantels.
\Vhile .Mr. l\JcKjm consulted -;VIrs.Roosevelt in all
his plans in remodeling and furnishing the mansion,
and the refined, stately apartments are a monument to
her good taste and judgment, as well as to Mr.Me-
Kim's, yet she chose but few art ornaments for the
mansion. \'lhen l\'trs. Roosevelt removed from "the
cabinet in the red room the Japanese figures represent-ing
the dress of the different periods in Japan's history,
- -- ~~~~--~-
M Ie HI G A N ART IS A 1\
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II
II
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~~y, C
~~~:~e~:~ ija~:mt, 'J ee"" O.
Walnut, e""'l ~.. Curly Ma pIe. ~On ~J," d neers
Bird's Eye MaPle,. 1...10, e .hr ..a.cle ~ e
Basswood, c:.. D in \:\lg .U1 ~f~:\\e~t.1.1~· .1 nea\ers \,1PS, t<\1Cll1GPJ'I
BIrCh, ~J," J ano v R",ND R'"
Maple. C. \:urel'S '1>".< St.. G
Poplar, "'" nUl.aC 2-3 Set'
Gum, \~~a.·
Oak.
6
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III
!III
1. .
which the Japanese ambassador, Baron Takahira, pre-sented
to her some time ago, she had them replaced
with several ~111allSevres and Limoges vases and some
miniature Biscuit de· Sevres figures, which are exceed-ingly
Jainty and pretty.
It will have to be acknowledged that the historic
portraits in the VVhite House are not an 'unalloyed joy.
Unfortt111ate~y the best qilalified artists have not al-ways
been employed in painting the portraits, and
there has been a remark:fi,ble disregard as to the size
or scale of 'the paintings, or the d?aracter of their
frames, either to 1pake them harmonize: \\'ith each other
or to fit their architectural environment. This is es-pecially
to be regretted, as the portraits of the presi-dents
are really an official collection, selected and pttr-
'chased, through a committee of course, by congress,
and is an evil which should be remedied as rapidly as
possible.
Sargent's picture of Roosevelt hangs on the west
wall of the main hallway and is regarded by artists as
the best canvass in the house, although President
Roosevelt's friends were not enthusia.stic over the Iife-likeness
of the picture. O'n the opposite wall is a pic
ture of lVIcKinley, which was accepted because of the
enthusiastic indorsement as to its likeness to the orig-inal
by the late Senator Hanna, but the technique of
the painting cauSes gnashing of teeth among the artists
who see it. On the v-lalIs of the corridor running back
to the main hallway hang the portraits of .Benjal111l1
Harrison and Grover Cleveland, by Eastman Johnson;
the life size painting of Aruthnr by Huntington; and
One of President Garfield by E. F. Andrews.
The only ','First- Ladies of the Land" who have been
honored by having their portraits hung upon the \Vhite
House v.'.a.Ils are l\frs. Roosevelt, Mrs. Han:-ison, IVlrs.
Hayes, Mrs, Julia Gardiner Tyler, Mrs. James K. Polk
and Mrs. Van BurelL These hang upon the walls of
the ground floor east corridor, and from want of out-door
ligbti'ng, have to be under electric lighting, which
is, of course,- unfortunate.
The pi~tLlre~ in each case have been gifts to the
White House. The Daughters of the American Rev-olution
gave the large painting of lvlrs. H,arrison, and
the \-Voman's Christian Temperance Union the one of
Mrs. Polk, bnt there is 110 record ·of the Jonors of the'
L
Foreign and
Domestic Woods.
Rotary. Sliced, Sawed.
portraits of Mrs. Van. Buren and Mrs. Tyler. The lat-est
aJJition is the painting of Mrs. Roosevelt by Char~
tran, which was presented hy the French republic to
our government.
Itis"ttnfair and .Ul1COurteollS in us as a nation that
all of the wives of OUi presidents are not represented'
among the portraits in the. \iVhite House, and it is
hoped this stigma may soon be removed. An effort is
to be made to enlist the women of the states who have,
had the honor of having. a daughter who has been the
mistress of the White House to club together and
place her portrait upon the walls, a'S the women 9£ Ten-nessee
did for Mrs. Polk In this effort care will be
taken that only the best artists are commissioned to
do the work and that a uniformity of 4esign,is followed
in all the pictures.
The mist historic part of the ·White House-that
is, the collection of presidential ware-is contained in
six cabinets standing in 'the lower east corridor of the
mansion. Soon after 1\1rs. Rosevelt 'became· the mis-tress
of 'the mansion she saw 'that there was n'othing
in it representative of the great majority of th'e presi-dents
who have occupied the --high office beyond their
portraits. This and the desire to save something of
the presidential china which "vas then in the \Vhite
House led her to start the collection. She was so StlC-cessfulin
this endeavor that the collection now·con-tains
some piece of china, plate, or glass which was
used by every president's family except those of Zach-ary
Taylor, ,Villiam Henry Harrison, Tyler. Van
Buren and Johnson, and 'efforts are .now under way
whereby it i'- expected that the collection will be com-pleted
within a year. It has been made. a part of the
Bureau of public buildings and grounds, and is the
permanent property of the government.-New York
Times.
A Temple for the Elks..
A great maily men engaged in the furniture and kin-dreJ
trades will he pleased to learn that Daisy lodge, E.
P. O. E., of Grand' Rapids, has determined to erect a
temple during, the current year, and that it will be ready.
for occupancy during the January selling seasQn In 1910.
Thousands of m<lnufactt1rers and salesmen are members
of the fraternity.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 7
~ \ ---------- ------------------------... I CHOICE TOOLS FOR FURNITURE MAKERS \ I . I ! If you do not know the "Oliver" wood working tool" you had better give "OLIVER" ! I us your address and have us tell you all about them. We :make nothmg but No. ~:. ~ch~~.SawI : Quality tools, the first cost of which is considerable. but: which win· make Made wilh orwithout
: more profit for each dollar invested than any of the cheap machines Rood- ~bt:3i~i}:(,YI~ ,val , ,. h take IS" UDder the •
t mg t e country. auide- tills 45 clegfeea t
I one way and. 7 degree~ •
l the othel" way. Car - " Oll'yel Tools riefta saw liP If) 1%"
, wid.. o"ide brio, '
I to lower- wheel ~ha.ft I
I Save Labor when notmotordriven. I,
Weighs 1800lbs when
t Time ready to ship. : t, •. Tempers t'
: •• Co&1 :
,:, 'I'
" "Oliver" New Variety Saw Table No.II· I
: Will lake a saw up 10 ZO~ diameter. Arb,}[ belt is 6~ wide : , ' ~ Sendfor Catalog "B" for data on Hand Jointers, Saw Tables, Wood ~
, Lathe&, SandeJ"3. Tenoners, Mortisers, Trimmers. Grinders, Work :
~ Benches, Vises, Clam.p8~Glue Beaten, etc., etc. ,
I OLIVER MACHINERY CO. !
II Works and General Office. at 1 to 51 Clancy St. ~ BRA~COHFF~C-O~~:=:~::;:~'::~~~~·~~~i~C~Ih.~u~·SOct.~N, ewYork; I
I OliVer Machmety Co., Firtt Nallonal Bank Bmldiog, Chicago, Ill.; Oliver Ma.chinery Co. ! Pacmc Buildinll. Seattle, Wash.; Oliver Machinery Co ,20 [.203 Deanagal"" Manchester, Eng:
""---- -------------_ ..
The First Veneer Plant Estahlished in the West.
There is no name more widely knO\vn in the west
atTlOllg manufactnrers of furniture, pianos, interior ,"vood
work and others uSIng veneers and fancy "\-voodsthan the
name of Albro. The late Henry Albro, father of E. D.
Albro, of Cincinnati, established in 1838 the first veneer
mill west of the Alleganies, in Cincinnati, and l\{r. E. D.
./\lbro, president of the ~\lbro \; elleer Co., on \Vest
Eighth. street, is proud to sho,",,"visitors the picture of the
old min, for he \\,as born in that same year in a house
located upon the hill to the rea'r of the factory, from
which a fine view was had in those early Jays of the Ohio
river and surrounding country. l\h. Albro, therefore,
may be said to have spent his \"hole life in this line of
bl1siness, and there is no better judge of fancy woods
and veneers than he. The v\7riter is proud too of his
acquaintance and friendship \vith l\lr. Albro for morc
than a quarter of a centur)·, and on every visit to Cincin-nati
is glad to call and rene\v old frienclships and talk
over the times of the past. The Albro Veneer Company
of which E. D: Albro is the pr,esident and general tnana-ger.
operates a plant that was fitted up uncler his exper-ienced
and watchful eye. and nothing has been oinitted
that \\'ould tend to make it complete in every tray. Every
department is in full operation, turning out veneers and
thin lumherirom imported and native woods. Among
the most beautiful of cuts are Persian circassian walnut.
\vhich is said to be vcry much superior to the Turkish
Circassian walnut. In addition, every variety of mahog-
. any and rose,"voo<1are to be seen, both in the logs ;and in
veneers; also the finest quartered oak, birdseye I'naple,
Hungarian ash, birch, gum and in fact everything that
can be of 'value as cabinet ·woods. The \vnter was espec-"
ially interested in a log of Tiger \vood, which \vas in ·the
process of cutting into one-twentietl~ of an inch veneers,
with a segment saw. This log came from British Guinea,
on the east coast of Afric.a ; it \vas bought hy the pound,
and is worth 1\venty cents a foot. It is a rare specimen,
beautifull,Y striped, and resembles the stripes of the tiger;
hence its name. The Latin name, as given in the encyclo-pedia
is IVfacheiunm-Schemburgku, and is a variety of
citrDl1 \vQod.
This company makes' a specialty of cigar box lumber,
and the writer was given a specimen of sliced veneer cut
16G to the inch. l3y holding it up to the light it becomes
transparent.
':.\11'.G. B. Hopkins~. the treasurer of the' Albro Veneer
company, is a bright young man full of enthusiasm anJ.
rapicl1y learning all about the veneer business. He calls
on the trade. and will :-:"0011 be: as ,"veHknown as any of the
old timers.
@ * @I
Cold Feet.
There are no pessimists in th~ ranks of the, manufac-turers
of furniture. Occasionally a salesman is at-tacked
with chilliness in his pedalics, v,rhen his useful-ness
in the trade goes, and he elrops out to work on
dad's farm, or to live upon the earnings of his wife
when she takes up millinery or dressmaking.
8 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
Improvements in Sanding.
The great results in the sanding and polishing of flat
and irregular shapes in wood attained by Wysong & Miles
Co., by making a specialty of Belt Sanding Machinery,
is only faintly indicated hy words. Their suc-cess
has been marvelous in producing. machines
to do sanding in a practical manner, and with
great speed, handling shapes that hitherto it was
deemed impossible to sand except by'hand. Their
machines sand more perfectfully than by hand and
many tirnes as fast. The ha1f~tone shown herewith
illustrates only in a partial way the adaptibility of
their No. 1'71 to shapes used in the manufacture
of pianos. :!.\.1.anyvariations of each of these shapes
are equally as easily sanded. Moulded shapes indi-cated,
such as convex and concave surfaces of
piano falls, moldings, shaped' edges, raised
edges of panels, Ctoss,-veneered mouldings,are
no"{ perfectly and rapidly sanded and polished
by belt. The quality of work obtained by these
belt sanders' is of the highest; it is more perfect
than the finest hand work The speed attained
is fron~ four to -fifteen times as much as by hand.
On flat surfaceslhe machine shows up equally
adva.ntageous, giving the highest quality of finish
and the greatest amount of product. The man-ufacturers
guarantee that no' other belt sander
(none excepted) will do as much work or do it
as well or COveras large a range of work as those
of their make. This improved machine is adapt-able
to lengths up to twenty feet or more and of
any width, and will not cut through even the
thinnest veneer where the work is warped or cup-ped.
Further particulars will be furnished hy the Wy-song
& Miles Company, Greensboro, N. C.
@) * @
To Prevent Industrial Accidents.
A committee of the legislature of the state of Illi-nois
is framing a bill relative to "the use of safety appli-ances
for the" prevention of industrial accidents. The
act provides for the appointment of a commission to in-vestigate
the subject, and it is expected that Sane and
practical legislation will follow its recommendations. The
commission must have co-operation of all interested par-
•
THE NEW GRAND RAPIDS
MACHINERY STORE
Wcod Working. Machinery
Factory Equipment
Machine Knives, Bits, Etc.
Everything in Equipment for the Woodworker.
Off'Jee.nd -Store,
58 South Ionia St ..
Oppoaite Uilion Depot. McMULLEN MACHINERY CO. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
L
ties if it is to get good results. It must be bold enough
to take advanced ground where necessary. It must be
tactful and judicious on occasion. The need for such a
study as it is to make has long been apparent. In fin~,
l
it has a splendid opportunity to do a work that will brinll"
.about notable changes in conditions of industry.
@ * @
Will Rebuild at Once-Filling Orders.
Hood & Wright, manufacturers of fine figured ve-neers
and panels at Big Rapids, Mich.., suffered a con-siderable
loss recently by a fire which destroyed a part
of their plant. The firm wilI replace the burned struc'
ture by a larger and modern building with all possibl¢
dispatch. In a letter to the Artisan, the firm give the
following particulars in regard to the fire:
"We lost all buildings on the south side of the road,
in \vhieh were comprised our dry kiln, boiler house, too~
house and grinding room, as well as our veneer cutting
room. The loss is total. Fortunately, we have wate~
power connected up with OUf buildings on the north sid~
of the street, which we use for our panel department and
storeroom. Here we can go on with OUf panel busines$
and hold our customers, many of whom have expresse~
sympathy, and say they will stay by us. Vie don't think
it will hinder our output. Our loss of $25,000 is in-sured
for $8,000."
@ * @
On account of the slowness of the mail service, a trav...;
eling salesman in the northwest is considering the advisa.,;
bility of employing homing pigeons when sending in· his
orders to the factory. He would not need many birds
at present.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 9 r--------------· F R SALE-Fully Equipped Woodworking Plant I Suitable for planing mill, box factory, furniture manu-facturing
or any kmd of woodworking business. Splendidly f
I located in Michigan. Better than a bonus. Investigation 1
solicited. Address L. M. M., care Michigan Artisan.
k--__ _~ ---'
rIB. W At TER &. co-:- }"NADU~~ll M,nufa'tum. ot T ABLE SLIDES Exclusively
I WRITE FOR PRICES AND DISCOUNT i
"- ----""""
::;;;:;;;;~:---:;;;;;-;:----'l We can help you. Time ;
saved and when don-e I leaves are bound (by your-self)
and indexed by Boors I
or departments. f
BARLOW BROS., ,.
Grand Rapid., Mich. I
--_.Write Right -,-Vow. ------' ------ I!
'----
-,
I
-------------------'I
-SEE _
West Michigan Machine & Tool CO., Ltd.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
for ",Gtf GRI\DE PUNCtfES and DIES
~-------------------- I 1Loufs babn
DESIGNS AND DETAILS
OF FURNITURE
154 Livingston St.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Citizens' Telephone 17<12.
I•
~---'--_._------
If your DESIGNS are right, people want the Goods.
That makes PRICES right.
~Iarence lR. bUls
DOES IT
1,63 Mad;'on Avenue-Chizoo' Phone 1983, . ----------' GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
ROLLS THE "RELIABLE" KIND
THE FELLWOCK AUTO & MFG. CO.
EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.
10 SPINDLE MACHINE
ALSO MADE WITH 12, 15,20 AND 25 SPINDLES.
DODDS' NEWGEAR
-------1 DOVETAILING MACHINE
IMPROV<D, EASV." ELEVATORS QUICK RAISINC
Belt, Electric and Hand Power.
The Best Hand Power for Furniture Stor~s
Send for Catalogue; andPricel/.; I KIMBALL BRS. C., 1067 N;.,h St, Council Bluffs, la.
Kimball Elevator Co •• 323Pro~pect St., CLeveland,0,;1
'-- Wa.lltn St., Omaha., Neb.-; J-:WC-ed-ar -St.,-N-ew-Y_ork -Ci1ty.
This little machine has done more to perfect the drawer work of
furniture manufacturers than anytbing else in the furniture trade.
For tifteoen years it has made perlect-fittil'lg, vermin-proof, dove-tailed
stock a possibility_ This has been accomplished at rednced
cost, as the machine Cllts dove-tails in gangs of from 9 to 24 at
one operation.
ALEXANDER DODDS, Grand Rapids, MicbigaD.
Rep~M!!njed by Schuchart &- Scbutoo at Berlin. 'Vienna, Stocl:Jl<llrn and St_
PeletsbuflI. Represented by Alfred H.Schutle at Cologne. Bruuell, LiOllge.Pam
Milan and Bilhoa. Represented in Grellt Britian and Ireland by the Oliver MllclUnery
Co.,F. s. Tho~. M~., 2DI·203'DeaR8fJl.te, MlI:~r, EDM'1,uuJ.
_J
10 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
igRaplQs.f\ie~
An Unique Business Office.
"fhe Oliver IvIachine. company, Grand Rapids, has an
office which -in its finishing and furnishings is unique.
1t is large and airy, and its beauty is-in its apparent prim-itiveness.
The east and southside arc all windows. The
\-vest and north side arc in rough
facing brick of a -neutral tint, with
a big fireplace and mantel. The fin- :
ishings- arc in ordinary millsawed
lumber and this is stained a forest
greCH. The floor is six inches thick,
in six to eight-inch \vidths, and is so
laid as to_produce a loose effect.' The
furnihtrc, except the filing cabinets
and some of the chairs, is made of
rough mill sa\ved- lumber put to-gether
without nails in true- mission
style. The office tables, with crude
underpinning, have tops -of solid
mahogany, with rough edges, but
with the tops made smooth for COll- "
venience in use. On the wall are
many rare old English engravings,
and these are framed in rough hUl1-
ber stained to harmonize with the
finishings and furniture .. Th~effect
as a whole is· that of an office
thrown together of such material as
happened to be at hand, and such
as might be found in the lumber camps or at the mines.
Th~greatest claim to distinction is that it is entirely dif-ferent
from any other office.
If the Olivet office lacks ;'polish" it is not deficient . !".-----------.:-.---------.~
in comfort. With two sides of glass the office is as light M' 0r to n 110 US e II
as."()utdoors. There are no buildings around it to shut out - - --
the air or to mar the beauty of the view from the win- (Amen""" Plan) Rat•• $2.50 end Up.
daws. T;he settling basin park is iinmediately in franty H 1 n J just heyoud is the Mary Waters field· and then comes a O. te rantind vista of fields and woods and dwelling honses.
~
Sketch by Robert
Leibuis, Student - in
Grand Rapids School
of Furniture Design~
ing.
@ * @
Dust Arresting Outfits.
The Grand Rapids Blow Pipe and Dust Arrester
Company. have put in a complete outfit for the Packard
Motor Car Compauy, of Detroit. There is probably not
another factory iu the world that is fitted 011t like this
one. The wood shop is twelve hundred feet -from the
power house, across the boulevard; too far to make it
practical to pipe the shavings atid sawdust to the furnace;
as is customary. 00 they decided to hail the shavings, but
as there is so much fine saw dust mixed with them, the
standard bailer would not bail them. Nothing was left
but to devise a scheme to separate the saw dust trom the
shavings, which was accomplished and the shavings are
now bailed and the sawdust sacked, making a valuable
asset to the product. The Packard Motor Car Company
have a 6,000 horse power steam plant, the largest in the
state. The Grand Rapids Blow Pipe and Dust Arrester
Company are also fitting out the Posse1iusBros~ Furni-ture
Manufacturing Company "'lith a new fan and tiust
arrester and refitting the whole works. This is one "of
the largest furniture factories in the state of Michigan.
They are also supplying tbe Kre!J- French Piano Com-pany,
of Newcastle, Ind" ~ith a new modern outfit, re-"
placing an old one. They are also fitting up the Hayes
W.heel Company, of Jackson, ;vlich., manufactUrers of
automobile wheels; al£O the Oscar-Felt aud Paper Com-panp
of White Pigeon,lVfich, They recently fitted up
the lvIichigan Felting Company, of Grand "Rapids, makers
of felt npholstery.
@ *
Special Orde'I's.
A number of important contracts for furnishing hotels
place? with manufacturers of Grand Rapids thrc!1gh
dealers during the past month helps materially in keeping
up the output.
I
I•
MICHIGAN ARTISAI\
,.. -------- ---------- ,
: Wood Bar Clamp Fixtures Per Set SOc. ,!
,
III
.._-----------------_._------
VER 15,000 F UR
STEEl RACKViSES iN USE
Price $2.80 to $4.00
2;1doz. Clamp Fb:lun:s bought
by 01le mill last year. vVe ship
on approval to rated firms, and
guarantee our goods uncondi-tionally,
Write for list oj
Sted Bar Olamps, 'VUltS. Bench
Slops, etc.
E.". S"ElDON &. CO.
283 Madison St.. ChiCago.
I
RAPID·AOTING WOODWOBKBlt'8 VISE No. S: ~
.. ----------'I --------~--------------- i ---------_._---, l
III
•II
II!
III•
•
PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY
L.ARGiEST .JoeErERS AND MANUFACTURE.RS OF
GLASS THE w 0 R L 0
Mirrors, B.enlGless, leaded Arl 6lass, Ornamental Figured Glass, Polished and Rough Plele Gless, Window Glass
WIRE GLASS
Plate Glass for Shelves, Desks end Tebles Tops, Carrara Glass more beaulifullhaD while marble.
CENERAL DISTRIBUTORS OF PATTON'S SUN PROOF PAINTS.
g For anything in Builders' Glass, or anything in Paints, Varnishes, Brushes or Painters' Sundries, addrec:s any of-our branch
warehouses, a list of which is given below:
NEW YOR.K-Hudson a.nd Vandam Sts. CLEVELAND-'430-1434 West Third St.
SOSTON-41-49 Sudbury St., 1-9 Bowker St. OMAHA-1101-11b7 Howa.rd St.
CHICAGO ~442-432 Wabash Ave. ST· PAUL-459-461 J.acllson St.
CINCINNATI-Broadway and Court Sta. ATLANT A, GA.-30·32·34 5, Pr]l'orSt.
ST. LOUIS-Cor. Tenth aadSpl"'Ice SlS. SAVANNAH. GA.-74S.749 Wheaton ~t•.
MINNEAPOLIS-500_S16 S. Th.trd St. KANSASCITY-Flftb and Wyandotte 5ts,
DETR.OIT-53-59 Larned St., E. BIRMINGHAM. ALA.-2nd Ave. and 29th St.
GRA""DRAPIDS, MICH.-39·41 N. Division St. RUFFALO. N. Y.-372.14-16.18 Pearl St.
PITTSBURGH-JUI,,103 Wood St. RROOKLYN-635-631 Fulton St,
MILWAUKEE, WIS.-492.494 Ml!Iorkl!lStt. PtIILADELPHIA-Pltcalrn Bldg., Arch and 11th St ••
ROCHESTER.. N, Y·-Wilder aid,., Ma.in8 Exchange Sta. DAVENPOI\T-410_416 Sgolt St.
SAL TIMOR.E-310-12,,14 W. Pratt St. ... -----------
..---------------------------_. II
IIII
I
II
----------_._-~
OFFICES,
CINCINNATI~-Second National Rank 'SuUdln!!!. NEW YORK-~346 'Broadwa.y.
ROSTON~-18 Tremont St. CHICAGO-~134 Van Buren St.
GRAND R,APIDS--flouseman Bldg. JAMESTOWN, N. Y.-·Cb.d.kola Bldtt.
HIGH POINT, N. C.--Stanton-Weleb Bloek.
The mos.t satisfactorY,and up-to-date Credit Service covering the
FURNITURE, CARPET, COFFIN and ALLIED LINES.
---------_._-----
The most acourate and reliable Reference &ook PubJished.
OrIginators of the uTracer_ and Clearing House S]/'stem.'·
I
Collection Service Unsurpassed-Send for Book of Red Drafts. II
H. J. DANHOF, MlchleanMana1ler.
____347_.348_H_ou.se.man BuUdlna. Grand Rapids. Mich.--' -l
---------------------------
..----------------------------_.~-_._----.
II I Bldg. I
!II I
THE CREDIT SUREAU OF THE FUR.NITURE TRADE
The LYON
Agency
Grand Rapids Office, 412.413 Houseman
c. C. NEVERS, Manager
CLAPPERTON &; OWEN, Counsel
Furniture THE STANDARD REFERENCE BOOK
CAPITAL, CREDIT AND PAY RATINGS
CLEARING HOUSE OF TRADE EXPERIENCE
THE MOST RELIAIlLE CREDIT REPORTS
ROBERT P. LYON, General :Ma.na~er
CREDITS and
COLLECTIONS COLLECTIONS MADE EVERYWHERE
PROMPTLY - REUABLY >---------------------_. ----------------"
11
12 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
•
Write us for Prices on
·CROSSBANDING I
in Poplar. Birch and Gurn. I
"WalterClarK Veneer Company
535 Michigan Trust Building, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. .
I~ ~ --. -l
Color in Decoration.
In Good Housekeeping for February is a most inter-esting
discussion of "Color Harmony in Home Decora-tion.'"
The authors, lvlary and Lewis Theiss obtained an
interview with Frank Alva Parsons of the Ne\~' York
Art 55hool and the res.ult is a very comprehensive treat-ise
on the subject of color and harmony as they should .be
applied to home decoration. The most important points
emphasized by l\{r. Parsons are given below.
Lack of color harmony in horrie decoration is as in-sidiously-
harmful as lack of fresh air. Ademaod for bet-ter
art ill the home has become universal in America.
Eliminating the element of discord in decorations
has brought. about a new harmony in the home. Rooms
are fitted out harmoniously hy salesmen of the largest
furnishing houses where four years ago not a salesman
in America had any scientific knowledge of what he
was trying to do.
Mr. Wm. Sloane Coffin a graduate of Yale was the
first to urge the necessity of teaching the art of color
harmony in home furnishings. It was through hiseft"orts
that a class in "'art in home furnishings" was fanned at
the "Vest Side Young:;\tIen's· Christian Association in Nevl
York under the leadership of Mr. Parsons. Twenty of
the leading salesmen and best paid employes of the
larg.estfurnishing houses in New York made up the
class, A course of twenty lectures with discussions and
quizzes was taken. The ciass was very popular and grew
rapidly. Last winter a class of 101 took the course and
the attendance was ninety-eight per cent. Women of
wealth learned of the class through salesmen and asked
Mr. Parsons to teach them. A class was fanned of many
of New York's richest women. Then: are thirty-four
members of this class which meets once a, week in the
home of one of the members. Next winter the course
will he doubled in length so great has been the interest
displayed. The work done hy the women is similar to
that of the men. It deals in harmony in color, form and
decorations,
Color harinony is based 011 color relationship. Color
is formed first by the primary colors~ reu. blue and yeUow)
then by combinations of these colors. Colors .are either
b,lood relations or complimentary. The colors next each
other are blood relations as yello\v and green. They are
parts of one another. The ·complimentary colors lie op-posite
each ot.her in a circle as ye1IO\'I-' and violet. So we
have two "\vaysto form a color scheme by associating re-lated
colors or'by combining complimentary colors. There
should never be a mixture of the two classes. Harmony
in color is gained by putting colors together that are re-lated.
Colors that lie next each other in the spectrum
are related and so are in harmony. But this harmony can
be increased by making the colors still ITlore alike. Yel-low
and green in: equal parts form a new color that is
more harmonious than ttte original colors together. Com-plimentary
colors may be combined with a harmonious
result. Red and green tll.ixed in certain proportions make
grey, an absolute neutral half way between the colors.
Between red and gray\ve can obtain any tone of red by
uniting red and green, the redapprdaching. grey as we
increase the amount of green in the mixture. The same
thing is true of green and gray, the green approaching
gray as we increase the amount of red in the mixture. A
red that is one quarter green and a green that is one
quarter reu,harmonize better than pure green and a pure
red. Better still is the harmony between a red that is
half green and green that is half red. vVhen we get red
that is three:-q'4-arters green and green thaCis three quar-ters
red we get harmony of the closest kind, both shades
being close to the neutral gray.
An equal mixture of the component colors of each
pair of compliments produces a neutral gray halfway
between them. The spectrum comes to resemble a wheel
\vith gray in the center and the original six colors for
the rim, the lines of color radiating from gray beIng like
the spokes. Three values are recognized -in color, hue,
value and intensity. Hues of color change according to
the proportion of its component parts.
The value of color ehat1ges as it grows lighter or
darker. The nearer ,white the lighter it is, the nearer
black the darker it is. The sky is liglitet' by snnlight
than by moonlight. Yet may be the same color. The
difference lies in the amount of light.
Yellow is the m'ost penetrating, color, violet the least.
A turkey red is the brightest and most brilliant red that
can be produced, In, choosing pape'rs, textiles furniture,
carpets, each of these qnci.1itiesmust .be taken into con-siderati~::
m, and huq, value,_ intensity, resemblance to
light or' darkness. If anyone color stands out more than
another in a r00111the harmony is spoiled. The question
MICHIGAN ARTISAN --_._----.I
T,.,U TWO WINNERS IN VARNISH I
This is the verdict of the furniture manufacturer who KNOWS
..-------_._------------------- i,
jI
THE EMBLEM OF SUPERIORITY
i Paradox Rubbing
I Is the best high-grade, quick-rubbing varnish ever produced. Can be re-coated
I every day and last coat rubbed safely in three days.
II
Ti- Ki- Lac
Is our high-grade first or second coat varnish. Dries hard to sandpaper over
night. Last coat can be rubbed in twenty-four hours.
The man who KNOWS is the man who WINS
VARNISH DEPARTMENT.
Acme White Lead and Color Works
DETROIT, MICHIGAN ~---------------
of light must be considered; whether natural or artificial
light will be used in the room. Colors appear different
under two lights. They-are different. A blue vliallpaper
looks green at night. The yellow rays of the lamp or gas
gas arc absorbed hy the paper and the combination yel-low
and blue makes green. Red by day becomes orange
at night. In buying, articles should be examined under
daylight and artificial lig"ht. The colors of nature should
be rememberen and ill a room the lightest parts should
be overhead, the darkest underfoot and the side walls be-tween
the two soft colors are best. Gray harmonizes
with all types of complexion in a family.
The decoration of 0111' home expresses something-. A
roonl must not only be a mere color harmony. it must be
in accordance vrith the purpnsc of the rOOl]). In a library
the colors should be neutral-nothing to disturb the oc-cupant.
A ballroom should be just the opposite. The --_._-_.----.,
Bankrupt Sale: Sectional Bookcase Business I
All of the assets of the HUMPHREY BOOK-CASE
COMPANY, a going- concern, including stock,
factory equipment, good will of the business, ac-counts
receivable, etc.. will be offered for sale
TUESDAY. MARCH 16th, 1909. 2 P. M., at the
factory. 15th Street and Warren Avenue, Detroit,
Michigan. This is a first-class business if well man-aged.
Correspondence invited.
J. E. WIDMAN } DETROIT
W, E. BROWLEE
Trustees in Bankruptcy. ~-------,-------_.-"
--_._-------- ____ .1
clrav,.'ing room comes bet\veen the two, In a bedroom
cool, soothing colors with few ornaments should be the
rule. K0 elaborate pattern in wall paper or hangings to
catch the e~yeof the convalescent_
r...o. ud colors excite one, soft colors are restful. The
colors chosen for rooms of southern exposure should be
quiet, a clark hall needs a bright paper. Yellow and
}jght red rose arc best for this. Korth rooms need bright
colors, yel1mv, neutral oranges and red. Between north-ern
and southern rooms neutral colors of each of these
extremes should be used. "A miscolored house may be
positively injuriolls.
@ * @
Supplies Shipped From Europe.
:I\lanufacturers and jobbers on the Pacific coast im-port
a considerable quantity of the supplies they use from
Europe. The cost for freight is much lower direct when
tramp steamers arc chartered, than w'len goods are
shipped by steamer and rail. Oftentimes six months
are required by the foreign manufacturer to make a
delivery by water to customers in California, but as it
is. the rule everywhere prevalent in the old world to re-quire
that payment for goods be made in advance, the
foreigner does not mind the time lost.
@ * @)
More Furniture Cars in Use.
March ,hipments of furniture have enabled the rail-road
companies to call into use many furniture cars that
have stood on the sidings a number of months.
- -- ----~---'~
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14
KEEPING COUNT OF CASH.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN
--'-
The Register and Its Value to Business in Modern
Times.
The use of the cash register in all kinds of stores
and business houses has become so general that' the
public accepts their presence as it does that of so
many other modern inventions, without remark, After
all, the most remarkable feature about the cash regis-ter
is that it was lacking so long a time. Gp to the
time of its introduction the storekeeper reli,ed on meth- -~-------_.~
AN OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFE TIME I
is o£fered'to the right party. A splendidly equipped If
Furniture Factory located in Indiana, one hundred
miles from Chicago. Factory is brick, mill' construc-tion,
about 73,OOOfeet floor space, with never failing I water pOwer. steam as an auxiliary, trunk line rail~
road spur. to the shipping room - door and into the
lumber yard. "\fiB sell property on long terms or
lease same with machinery, also have one million feet
dry lumber, factory is in full operation the year
round. Declining health compels the owner 'to dis-pOSe
of the business. For full particulars address
Hoosier 62; care Michigan Artisan, I
Grand Rapids, Mich.
'---------._-_._- .I
ods that were almost pri[~itive in their simplicity.
Though cl1.mbered with more or less clumsy safe..,
guards, he still clung to the ancient custom of throw-ing
all motley taken in during the day 1.nto a cash
drawer to which· practically the en'tire force of the
store had access"-
The shopkeepers of Pompeii and the retail dealers
of a generation ago used the same hit or. miss method
of dealing with the day's receipts. Could some sooth-sayer
have foretold to ~he confiding merchant of that
earlier day that in centuries to come men would have
in their stores a money changer of brass and iron
which· would guard their money, count it' and at the
end of the day tell him what goods had been sol(l,
which apprentice had, made each sale. and the price re-ceived,
un·doub~edl:r that soothsayer would have been
regarded as a Pompeiian nature faker of the first water
and the ensuing eruption of. Vesuvius would have
been cons'idefed condign punishment l~leted out to
those who harbored the vain babbler.
After all the centuries of development in other di-rectionsthat
intervened the salesman for a modern
cash -register company' would pr:obably- have had much
the same reception at the hands' of the progressive
merchants of twenty-five years ago. But when he
came he brought with him the proof of his assertions
and the first real advance within the memory of man
in the cash department of store keepers was begun.
The casb register had found its place,
\Vhen, in 1882, the proprietor of the "general store"
in the village of Coalton, Ohio, made use of the first
cash register, although he appreciated its value to him
and the increased profits which resulted from its llse,
even the wildest flight of his imagination could 110t
comp~ss the enonnous business which should gtow
from that seed. A manufactllr'ing company which in
1884 had but a single dingy shop employing one nian
and two boys has today one of the most up-to-date and
largest p~~uts in the world with thirty-four acres of
floor space! and employing 7,00D people. '
Owing: to the marvelous rapidity with which the
cash regis~er has found favor this ~yankee inve~tion is
now adapt~d to reckon ·in the currency of a· dozen or
more diffe*ent countries.
It is as iproficient in handling the yen in Japan, the
rupees and pice of India, the pound,s and shillings of
England as it is the dollars alld cents of its native
la·nd. Hundreds of thousands. of cash registers are
now in USe. During the last year the sales exc~eded .
all previous records, and \vith brighter business pros-pects
in sight the comiI?-g'year promises a phen01l1e~lal
increase.
A Warm Campaign.
M. E. Case, buyer for the Liudholm Furniture com-pany,
Sioux CitYl Iowa, arrived in Grand Rapids on
:March 2, acconipal1ied by Frank Donahue and wife. :Mr.
Donahue is the proprietor of the West house, the leading
public house in the city of the Sioux. During the past
year a large addition to the hotel was ~rected and Mr.
Donahue's purpose in coming to Grand Rapids was the
purchase of ·furniture for the same.· Mrs. Donahue was
very much interested in the deal, anq her suggestions
proved of great value in selecting the goods required. The
order for bedroom furniture was placed with the I\luske-gan
Valley Furniture company, represented by Hugo '--~-------~
Standard Uniform Colors
We are producing the standard uniform colors recently
adopted by the Manufacturers' Association of Grand Rapids.
These colors are produced with our
GoldeDOak-OU Stain No. 1909 ilLDdFiller No. 736.
Be.rly Englit.h-Oil Stain No. 5S and Filler No. 36.
Mahogany-Powder No.9 and Filler No. 14.
Weathered Oak Oil StaiD No. 281·.
Fumed Oak-Acid Stain No. 45.
Place your orders with us and get the Correct shades.
GRAND RAPIDS WOOD FINISHING CO.
ss.S9 Ellsworth Ave., GRAND AApmS~ MICH.
Kanitz, secretary and Charles G.. \Vhite .. western sales-man.
Orders for chairs and upholstered goods were·
taken by Grand Rapids houses.
@ * @
A Difference of Interest.
1fanufacturers of cheap and medium priced furniture
are more dir,ectly interested in ~he changes proposed
In the tariff on looking glass plate than the manufacturers
of high grade stuff. Of the materials used in a cheap
dresser the mirror plate represents, the largest si-ngle
item. of cost, while in a similar piece of high gradel the
labor cost is the largest item. For instance, the cost of
a mirror for a dresse.r that sells for $1.00.00 is not much
1110rethan a mirror for a dresser tbat sells for $20.00.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN
ARTISTIC andINEXPENSIVE
CATALOGUE COVERS
LET US FIGURE ON YOUR PHOTOGRAPHING
ENGRAVING and PRINTING
PERFECT
WORK
at
Right Prices
PROMPT
DEUVERIES
COMPLETE
CATALOGS MICHIGAN ENGRAVING CO.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
15
16 MICHIGAN ARTISAN -------_. , i
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MICHIGAN ARTISAN Ii
Cabinet Makers
In these days of close competition, need the best
possible equipment, and this they can have in
Our New Hand and Foot Power Clrcul.r Saw No.4.
The stron~est, mosl powerful. and in every way the best
rna~hine {)f its kin.d ever made, for tipping/:CfOSs-cutting.
bonng and groovlllg.
== HAND and FOOT POWER ===
MACHINERY
Send for Our New Catalogue.
w. F. & John Barnes Co.
654 Ruby Street. Rockford.
...'-----------------------------., , I ! raln16r'S ratBnt Gluino GlamoS
..--_._-_._---------------_._----------------- .... I I
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I I I I I I 1..,.~~re~~,~u~:!r"j':eniati~~i:~rI~~i~Jt~,it'l:J~(e1e;;'~;;n:;on:t~~;IedEInft-... M 0 R RIS woo D &. SON S
Schutte, Cologne, Parilol, Brussels, I,lege, :\\oUlan,Turin, Barcelona, I I and Hilho!l. ! ,2714-2716 W. Lake St. Chicag6• III ,
~.-------- ----------------------~ ~-----------------------~--------------~
The llbol'e ('ut is taken direct from a photograph, and show!'!
the l'llTlge of one >1izeonly, our No.1, 24.in('h Clamp. "'c
mllke six other "bes, taking in stock 111) to 60 im'hel'! wide
and 2 in(~hf'lHthick. Ours is the most pracUcEtl metbo(l of
dllnlping glued Hlock in use Ilt tile present tJme. Hnndrt\d.8 of
factnriel'> ba "€I lldoptcd our way the pad year and hundreds more
will in the flltnre. Let llS "how ~"nu. Let us send yoU the
llameM of nearly Hll) factories (only (I, fraction of our Ilst) who
ha.ve ordered and reordered many times. . Pl."OOfposith'e om' way
is the hest, A post eard will bring it, catalog iududed. Don't
dela'~·J but "THe today.
A. E. PALMER &. SONS, Owosso, Mich.
..----------------------------_.-----------~ I MORRIS WOOD &. SONS' I ! LATEST PRODUCTION I
I I
The re~l1lt of thirty-five years of Cutter making ex-perience.
Insist on havi1'g your new jointer fitted with
the genuine Morris \Vood & Sons' 20th Century Solid
Steel Glue Joint Cutters, for there are 110 oth~rs just as
good. They cut the same perfect joint, when ne."",
pa,rtly or fully worn out. They never burn. Reqlllre
less grinding than any other make, saving time and cut-ter.
No time ,'\.-asted setting up as with knives, and
cost 1'0 more than other makes, Try a pair and be con-vinced.
Write for prices and Catalog,No. 35A.
18 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
ESTABLISHED 1880
"UBl-UIHI:D B"
MICHIGAN ARTISAN CO.
OH THE 10TH AND 2!o,.H OF EACH MONTH
OFFICE-108.110. 112 NORTH DIVISION ST •• GRAND RAPIDS, ....ICH.
EHTERll.D IN THE POSTOFFICf AT GR"".O RAPIDS, MICH" AI SECOND CLAU MATTSR.
A letter \vritten by an official of a certain corpora-tion
engaged in the manufacture of "ecclesiastical art
furniture" was received by the Artisan recently asking
for the address of a designer capable of preparing "first
class Hat or perspective designs; a man who could, if need
he, call upon prospective purchasers among clergymen."
\Vith an experience of thirty years contact with designers,
the Artisan is prepared to· suggest the names of artists
who are capable of supplying any sor tof help a clergy-man
might desire. If a clergyman needed advice in the
purchase of a horsc, the Artisan would recommend de-signer
New of Grand Rapids. If a clergyman wished to
consult a designer on the art of music, the Artisan w<mld
unhesitatingly name Louis Hahn, also of Grand Rapids.
If a clergyman should seek information in regard to tha
dramatic art the Artisan would write the name of John
£. Brower, of Grand Rapids, in red ink. If a clergyman
deemed it necessary to extend his knowledge of painting
in oils and \-vater colors, the Artisan would mail to him
the address of W. E. Horner of Indianapolis. If a clergy-man
were to seck the aid of a professor of the national
habit (the game of poker), or a man with a tank when
he desired to entertain friends, he \vould be obliged to
look for such assistance outside of the designers' fratern-ity.
+ t
[t has,· been proven that in business as well as in
politics slogans are of much value. The beverage
that made a certain city in \Visconsin famous; the fur-niture
that made Grand Rapids known to the world;
the immense trade of George C.Flint & Co., in New
York, and other 'successful enterprises numbering
thousands have been built up with the aid of slogans.
In discussing the value of a slogan recently, a traveling
salesman employed by one of the great industries de-clared
that a slogan set in motion in the factories a few
davs before the late presidential election ensured suc-ce~
s forNIr. Taft. The slogan was· used where it
would do the 1110stgood. "On the 1.lth of October," the
gentleman declared, lithe country was overwhelmingly
in favor of Bryan. A day or two later the working-men
in the shops were advised to 'vote for Taft and
keep your job.' The appeal to the stomach proved
tHore potential than the appeal to reason.!'
+ +
:Manufacturers of upholstered furniture are more
pleased with the proposed removal of the duty on hides
than the proposed restoration of the stamp act for
checks and other forms of bnsiness paper.
Shop hands are not throwing their caps in the air
and shouting their approval of the proposition to be
submitted to congress to impose a tax of four cefits
a pound on coffee.
+ +
The proposed reduction in the duty on lumber by
congress 111eets the approval of manufacturers of fur-niture
and kindred goods.
@ * @
WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT.
EI Paso, the Rising City of the Rio Grande.
John A. Covode, secretary of the Berkey & Gay
Furniture Company, Grand Rapids, returned on
March 6, after spending three weeks at £1 Paso, Texas,
the gateway to Mexico. Mr. Covode played golf and
enjoyed the wonderful attractions of the Rio Grande
region. "EI Paso is a prosperous, growing city. ] t
has daubed its population in less than four years, hav-ing
at present «,COO. Real estate values have doub-led
and .with the completion of the great irrigation
dam now under construction at the expense jointly of
the governments of the Vnited States and IVlexico, the
whole region will advance rapidly in importance and
wealth. 'Water only is needed to make the valley of
the Rio Grande a great region for the pursuit of agri-culturt1
and the distribution of merchandise. Nine
railroads center at EI Paso and for a territory six hun-dred
mqes in every direction is the natural commer-cial
center. vVith the development of the country
will come largely increased demands for furniture."
Mr. Covode's family will return early in April.
@ * @
YOUR OPPORTUNITY.
When a feller's in the gutter and is freighted with des-pair,
And the future's lookin' dismal with no sunshine any-where;
vVhen he hasn't got a nickel, and he hasn't got a
friend,
And the weary way he's tread in' doesn't seem to have
an end;
There's a chance for you, my brother, just to boost
him up the road,
To enconrage him a little and to lighten np his load;
That's the time to prove your friendship, if it be sin-cere
and true-
\\Then a feller's in the gutter and he don't know what
to do.
@ * @
Valuable Antique Table' and Chests.
Colonel Charles P. Calkins, of Grand Rapids, is the
possessor of a rare old table and several chests a number
of centuries old. These articles were brought from New
Hampshire in the early thirties, and were manufactured
in Europe. Colonel Calkins prizes the pieces ,highly.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN 19
STORE FURNITURE AND FIXTURES,
Demand for Them Shows a Revival in Other Business
Lines.
Furniture and display fixtures in the merchandise
business has not only reached the point of a business
in itself, but it has become an art. Along in the fifties
and sixties mercantile life knew no such appliance as
a willdenv nxturc or
display form, Of
cases with sliding
doors for the pro-tection
0 f goods.
l\Terthandise \v a s
suspended in show
windows on strings
or c lot 11e s 1 i 11 e 5,
strc\vt1 about the
base and garments
were heaped promis-cuously
on tables or
on the floor. Disor-der
reigned and the
salesman had to drag
his goods out of
chaos \vhcn waiting
on a customer. Sho\v
,\vincll)ws were simp-ly
for admitting
light.
At the present
time the business of
making and supplying store furniture and fixtures has
reached ideal conditions. Fixtures and cases ha \'c
become inclispcllsabe in the conduct of a well ordered
store and interior decorations and winclow:3 dressers
demand the fixtures just as a mechanic does his tools.
There is 11O-W a great demand for them, an c:vidence of
prosperity, because makers of store equipments soon
feel effects of lethargy in general business lines. 'I'he
lnerchants huy gao(ls before they do fixtores to sho\-v
them. \Vhen they buy both in abunclance business
must be good.
One is amazed at the enormous !lumber and var-iety
of stands, hall trees, pedestals-cases, seats and
wardrobes used in the mercantile trade. The output
of one factory alone in Grand Rapids exceeds one
million dollars. ]'\\,0 others are of scarcely less im-portance.
Sketch by Otto Jiranek,
Grand Rapids, Mich,
® * @)
An Antique Collector,
A. D. Porter of the 1TichiganHarrel company, Grand
Rapids, on the occasion of a visit to relatives in the state
of Connecticut, met a lovable old aunty who was affecte(l
with the antique hobby. She had collected many hun-dreds
of pieces of furniture, china, rugs and laces and
talked by day and dreamed at night of their values. Her
husband was patient, good-natured, and indulgent, al1(l
the pursuit of his ,vife's hobby greatly amused him, Dur-ing
)'-1r. Porter's stay aunty learned that the Pecks, of
Stamford, off-side relatives of Mr. Porter, had filled the
attics of their homes with antiques, to make space for
modern, If n{Jt altogether beautiful things, and became
greatly interested. I-lcr curiosity expanded with the pass-ing
of the days, and when finally ':\fr. Porter arranged
fDr a visit to the Peck's 1vith 31mty, thc lady's heart was
filled with as much happinc::s as a bride's on her \vedding
day. \Vhen aunty \vas escorted to the attics the desire
to acquire the beautiful things found in the discard was
so overpcl\vering that8.he purchased a sufficient quantity
to fill a freight car and caused them to be packed and
shipped to her horne. ,,\Then several l,vagons conveying
the valuables drove up to aunty's door the indulgent hus-banel's
interest \vas aroused. "\Vherc do you intend to
put all that stuff I" he enquired, "Why I hadn't thought
of that. Can·t \ve build an addition to the house?" Oh,
yes \ve could but \-ve \von't," the husband replied. I sug-
Rest that you direct the drivers of those wagons to drive
to the rear of our premises and dump the stuff into the
Housatonic river, tvm hundred feet below.'''Aunty Porter
bad a notion that the treasures might be stored in the
harn, cJisplacing- the family vch1cle... Aunty's plan pre-vailed.
@) * ®
Oliver Machine Company's oreign Trade.
A large trade in foreign cotlntri 5 has-been established
by the Oliver ::\fachine company, 11 anufacturers of high
grade v.,rood cutting machinery and utfits for manual and
trade schools, Grand Rapids. Th' bw:iness is handled
through a subsidiary company in orporated .under the
British laws and with offices and arehouses in London,
and ,~hipmellts are made to the bra eh by the carload for
distribution all over the ,vorkl. he shipments usually
go by way of l\Iontreal. The dema d for manual training
iug outfits, both abroad and in th s country, is steadily
increasing, and a number of new machines and devices
have been brOl1ght out especially c ~signecl for such pur-poses.
@ * @
H. L. Chandler has succeeded he \Vallace Company,
furniture, etc., at Lakeview, Ore all.
Iff,
LHOLCO
MANUFACTURER
IN HIGH GRADE 5A
SA
CITIZEN5 FHONE 1239 27 N MARKET ST
~, GRAND RAFIDS. MICH.
_____________ ..J
20 MICHIGAN
BUSINESS MAN'S RUBAIYAT,
Awakel For morning's cares must be begun,
The shrill alarm is fierce as anygtlll.
Reenll the maxim old and true that says
It i~the early bird that gets the bun.
Dreaming when sleep's soft hand 18y on 111YbraiN,
1Iethonght I Ina'de a llew ami solemn vow
To cease the strain. \Vhen suddenly a V01c~,
In accents harsh commanded, "Do it now!"
Profit and price wages, interest and felli,
Credit and cash; details that won't relel1t
Next week, next year, some day, perhaps, I'll quit,
But now my busy pencil C011l1tS per Cetlt~
Buy and sell and sell and buy again,
Down to the office, sun, sleet or rain.
Adding, subtracting, balancing" the cash
Speculating on the yearly gain.
a time turn backward in yOUT hasty flight.
I need more time from dewy n~ort1 till night.
TO'morrow, aye, tomorrow, I've a note
That falls due at the bank and money's tight.
Tod<lY the trust raised prices on my ware.
Already they 'V,'ere higher than Is faIr.
However, it's a business maxim true
The price is fixed as cloth the traffic bear.
1"d like to get acquainted with my wife
And get a bit of leisure ill my life.
But, spite of all my work, my plans go wrong
And keep me always bamcssed to the strife.
And then my children three of them in all,
It sUTely·is the bitterest of gall
To leave the house at morn before they risc,
Returning after sleep )las made its call.
1,.edgus, day books, cash bDOk~,joornals, files,
Book accounts, receipts and salesmen's wiles;
These are the texts of fiscal aptitude
On him who learns them well Dame Fortune smiles.
Last year, when things were gOillg fairly well,
EYents came up that 110 ol1e could foretell
And plung-cd 111e down to desperation's depths,
Transforming heaven into gloomy hell.
"All things come to him who waits," they say,
AnI joy will·come to him who learns to pray.
To "wait" and "pray" I'd like to add "and slave"
And always ask the qllestion 'does it pay?' "
T drink, ah! yes, the Ctlp that cheers. they say,
But not the cup that c1~cers for me, nay, nay.
I dri.nk wh<:.never, be it day or night,
It's some advantage in a business way.
@ * @
Origin of' Ornament.
A most iilteresting series of six books on the broad
subject of "Decoration," published in Londoll from lBS2-H~8G
by,Sampson Low has been acquired by the Ryerson Public
Libnry of Grand Rapids. The books fire illustrated with
drawings of styles of ornament. the interiors of famous
palaces and paintings, sculpure and art manufacturers. Space
is given to the various styles in furniture and home decor-at
ion and one subject that is discussed is the origin of orna-ment.
It is said that the Egyptiatts were not the ori.glnators
of the styles of ornament used by them but merely used
what came to them from an island in the Atlantic called
Atlantis which layoff the coast of Spain and opposite the
- ---- ----------
ARTISAN
entrance to the l\lediterran~all. Colonists from this island
came to Egypt after the overwhelming del'uge had nearly
submerged the land which is said to be the Azores of toaay,
now mostly submarinc. Atlantis was the nurse and fosterer
of civilization and the colonizing power of the antedeluvian-world.
So Egypt received the arts and architecture of the
island ready made as did Phoenicia. These people are said
to have lived before the building of the oldest p-yramid in
Egypt.
Art, sculpturc, painting and the decorative arts of the
earliest years of Egyptian art were found showing a matur-ity,
consistency and conventionality too systematic to be
entirety originated by them. Other people had done the
experimenting and the Egyptian works are simply perfected
examples of another people's earlier accomplishments.
The other eastern. cotJ11tries such as Syria" Assyria,
Persia, India, Asia ?dinor and Greece received tne arts from
Eygpt. From Greece they ·were carried by the Etruscans
'who were a Dorian colony, to Ital~i. In the new world,
11exlCO and Peru received seven survivors of the deluge who
founded seven tribes. Explorers have compared the ad of
the new world \vith the old and there is no question about
the resemblance between them. :\Jexican antiquities in sculp-ture
were more crude while that of the East were developed
by trained artists of the mother country irn.potte.d to Egypt.
The IVlexicans and Peruvians were handicapped by the lack
01 proper tools and showed no skill in "realizing delicacies of
proportion or refinement of detail." Their works were mere-ly
imitations of architectural and ornam·cntal forms they bad
been familiar with in their own coulltry.
In the west the arts spread to japan and 1Jongolia and
in th~ east to Rome, England, Spain and the .couqtries of
northern Europe. It is thought that in the future when
more exhaustive research has been made that the origin
of ornament may be traced to 011C'. common source. ..
Grand Rapids School of Furniture Design
For full particulars write to
II!I
ARTHUR KIRKPATRICK, Instructor and Designer j
642·546 Houseman Building, GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
MICHIGAi'-l ARTISAN
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If
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I,
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WE MAKE PLANS AND DO ALL I DETAIL WORK WITHOUT EX- I
PENSE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. I
I II, II
20&-210 Canal Street II
I GRAND RAPIDS. MICH. I Ben, M ..llll 1804 \
• OUR AUTOMATIC FURNAOE FEEf) R'VSl'F.M I ~._-------~----_._------------------------------ --------<
aran~Ua~i~sDlow Pi~e
an~Dust Arrester (om~an~
THE LATEST device for houdlin!!,
shavings and dust from all 'Wood-
'i.('orhillg machines. Our nineteen years
experience in this class of 'lc)ork has
brought it Ilcarer perfectiall than any
other system on the market today. It
is I/O experiment, but a denwJlstrated
scielltific fact, as 'lee have se-veral hUJl-dred
of these systems in use) and not a
poor aile among theni. Onr AutOlnat-ic
Furnace Feed SysteJH! as shO'lun in this
cut, is the 1110St perfect ,(f)orki!1g device
of allY thing ill this lille. VI/rite for our
prices for equipments.
EXHAUST FANS
SURE BLOiVERS
STOCK.
AND PRES-ALWAYS
IN
orlie. and Factory;
Cltla:en. Phone 1282
22
ELEMENTS OF STYLE.
MICHIGAN ARTISAN
By Arthur Kirkpatrick, Instructor and Designe'r in the
Grand Rapids School of Designing.
Immediately following that period in the history of
the manufacture of furniture which might well be
called the "dark ages'! of furniture, people of wealth·
and taste found that in order to furnish their homes
vvith anything at all artistic or pleasing to the eye that
they had to revert to antiques manufactured in the
eighteenth century, There arose a very large and
widespread grovIlth in the admiration for and desire to
possess genuine Chippendale, Sheraton and Adams
pieces, so much so that England and the c;ol1,tinent of
Europe were raked from end to end by the hunters .Jf
antique furniture, who picked up a lot of inferior arti-cles,
in thehopc which dwells in the breast of every
collector of antiques of getting something of great·
value at a small outlay_
There are many romantic. stories of collectors who
picked up in some out-of-the-way farm house, say a
:Marie Antoinette table for a few shillings, and after-wards
sold it for a fabulous price, or the man who
purchased an old bureau for a song! and after getting
it home, and commencing to scrape off the paint with
which it was SIll eared, discovered that it was richly
inlaid, of historical value and almost priceless.
This craze naturally led to the antique dealers and
small furniture makers lifaking" antique, anti many
highly prized aiel pieces owe their existence to those
skillful imitators. One of the most difficult to detect
of these frauds was the ingenious manner in which
they made really presentable articles from old chests,
discardccl paneling and odds and ends of old lumber
picked up when old buildings were being demolished.
This state of affairs naturally camc to an end, but
the beautiful lines and sterling worth of the old models
had still to be satisfied, and a number of reputable man-ufacturers
commenced to honestly reproduce period
furniture, and sold it as reprOductions, and there is
little question but that the reproduction compares in
most instances very favorably with the original.
There is; in every community, a class which will
not be satisfied by the inartistic, whose taste for pure
lines and good coloring and general harmony of effect
demand that their furniture; decoration and all their
surroundings, shall harmonize without reference to any
past style or period. There is,,J10 reasQ1; why the fur-niture
of Chippendale, Sherato,n, and others should be
considered perfect. There~,as a demand made upon
the architects and designers of the latter end of Queen
Victoria's reign for something typical of their own
time, rather than a slavish following of old masters,
From the time of the later Georges, and all through
Victoria's reign, furniture, decoration and architecture
fell upon evil days. Art appeared to be at a stand-still,
and there was created and put upon the market
the most hideous and incongruous furniture that the
world has ever seen. The America.n manufacturers,
with a few exceptions, practically new beginners, fol-lowed
along the same dismal lines, with perhaps more
grotesque results. The first designer in England of
any note of the Victorian period was one B. J. Talbert,
who, had he lived longer, might have proved worthy to
he classed with the great designers of the eighteenth
century, but unfortunately he died young. The next
move in the direction of freedom from c"ollventionality
and purity of. line and color, ~n furniture and the do-mestic
arts, camc from vVilliam Ivlorris, the eccentr:c
artist, socialist and poet. \Vhen one considcrs -his
wonderful versatility, energy and industry, and notes
with wonder, the many things he did and did So vvell,
it seems astonishing that he alone should stand out as
the originator and as the undoubted father of the mod-ern
wave in furniture which swept over England some
fifteen or twenty years ago, and more recently com-pletely
revolutionized America. l\'1ission, Arts and
Crafts and the 110rris chair; everything that tends to
daintiness, quaintness, purity and harmony in domestic
surroundings, can be directly traced to the influence
of Morris. Contemporary with and following :Morris
were some very able men, notably one Robinson, who
founded the furniture department of the great London
House of Liberty, which in itself is now a recognized
style.
It is to be deeply regretted that Morris should have
died, when little past fifty, as his remarkable genius
might have solved for us today the problem which is
eating the hearts out of the manufacturers of "vVhat
shaH we make next ?" The same demand is heard on
every hand. "Can't we get up something new, some-thing
different, something that will get away from the
other felIows?" COlOnial has been reproduced to
death. There is not a piece of furniture made in the
eighteenth century which has not been copied, meas-ured,
and published over and over again for the delec-tation
and encouragement of our designers, and yet
1111CHI G A N ARt I SAN
~-----~--------------_._--------------------------. TI
BECAUSE
IT [S PREPARED TO [NTEREST RETAILERS
THF MERCANTILE liDlTION OF THfi MICHI-GAN
ARTISAN [S TIlE MOST VALUABLE AD-VERTISING
MEDIUM FOR MANUFACTURERS
OF FUJ?N[TURE AND KiNDRED GOODS.
~---------------------------------------
each recnrring- season brings the same old groups of
Colonial and "vQuld-be Colonial, in most of which the
only good points about them are the finish and price.
In casting about for another style to popularize, if we
cannot invent a new one of our own, there secm~ to be
nothing in view at the present time but the .:\Jodern
English, or for an easy term, let us call it the Liberty
style, or the mixture of Dutch, Queen Anne and Eliza-bethan
which one manufacturer of our acquaintance
aptly dubs "Cromwellian."
@I * @
Kenne"\lvick, \Vashington, has a furniture store, op-ened
recently by Kalf & Baz, a firm name easily re-membered.
--_._----- Ii
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Grand Rapids Furniture Club.
Contractor l\Jorgan is making excellent progress in
the construction of the Grand Rapids Furniture Club.
The buil(ling' adjoins the hotel Pantlind and members of
the club and guests will be served from the cafe and buf-fet
of that hostelry. Elegant dining, reading and loung-ing
rooms, a spacious lobby, cloak rooms and other. con-veniences
will be provided. The \valls are paneled in
figured woods and the floors are of tiles, mosaics or red
birch. Cosy open fires, handsome electroliers and a col-lection
of the best furniture manufactured in the '''''orId
will make the club a delightful resort for furniture men.
@ * @
Will Manufacture Special Siding.
John j\. Doxtater, of Grand Rapids, who recently
received letters patent upon a new system for constructing
store shelving has organized with an authorized capital
of $2,iO,000, of which $50,000 is paid in. Thc company
will operate a factory ionGrand Rapids.
@ * @
Recuperating in California.
J. \V. Oliver, president of the Oliver ]\1achine Com-pany,
one of the important iron working establishments
of Grand Rapids, is spending:the winter months in Cal-ifornia.
He \-'lilt return early in April.
MICHIGAN ENGRAVING CO" Grand Rapids, Mich.
ENCRAVERS BY ALL PROCESSES.
23
r
MICHIGAN ARTISAN
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ROYAL WHITE MAPLE POLISHING VARNISH
White-the Emblem of Purity--our White Maple Polishing VarnIsh is Pure-and. ~he
WHITEST GOODS on the market. It dries to recoat every other' day; can be rubbed
and polished in four to five days. Ask for testing sample.
••
!•
III
VARNISH COMPANY!
OH 10 ~
ROYAL
TOLEDO, ~------------_._-------
Tracing Stray Freight Shipments.
AUlloyance, delay and expense are the results of the lost
freight shipments, and while the blame for loss in transit
often rests with the transportation companies, in some itl-st<
lIlCeS it can be traced directly to the negligence of the
consignee.
For instance, a consignment of two cases of builders'
hardware is made to 'Wallace, Brown & Co., Dartmouth, N.
H" via P. R. R. and B. W. railroad. In the course of a week
or so the shipment reaches its destination and a postal
notice is sent to the consignee, who apparently ignores same,
as no notice of it, and the shipment is placed in storage.
The consignee was not ready for his shipment, so did not
take the trouble to rep'ly to the postal notice, or have de-livery
made. A month or so later he calls tip the warehouse
and ill a peremptory manner inquires .after his goods. From
his offhand description he is told that tilCY know nothing
about this shipment, and he rings off in high dudgeun.
The shippers ar~ requested to place a vigorous tracer after
the shipment, and after a great deal of delay the railroad
company writes back advising the shipper that the shipment
is on hand at destination unclaimed, and to please advise of
same at once.
This is not always the case, but from actual observance
has proven to be the way .v..i.th about two~thirds of the cases
in which shipment was lost in transit.
In other cases the shipment has been delivered and "lost"
at the plant of the consignee, and after some considerable
correspondence is found, shipment having been on hand dur-ing
the whole procedure of tracing, presumably mislaid by
their receiving clerk.
What can a shipper do?
He receives numerous requests to trace or duplicate the
original shipment. He has received no report of delivery
from the, railroad company, so there is nothing left hut to
duplicate the shipment and enter claim against the transpor-tation
company. A few days after the second shipmen has
galle out word is received stating that shipment number one
has been received and the transportation company requests
that you withdraw your claim as delivery has been effected.
As the shipper, it is necessary to render credit for the
duplicate shipment when it is returned, and as often is the
case. have to stand the charges both ways. \Vith just a little
patience and consideration, a great deal of unnecessary ex-pense
and trouble can easily be avoided.
By this it is not meant that a shipper should be reticent
abollt tracing shipments claimed "lost in transit." but that
a customer should not be too hasty in his demands that a
duplicate shipment should be made, or that shipment should
be traced before it has had sufficient time to reach destina-tion,
until the railroad company has had a challce to make
delivery. \Vhen a reasonable time has elapsed then itis time
to go after the railroads.
A number of excellent systems have been devisel, which,
if they received the proper attenton. from the railroads,
would facilitate matters greatly and afford the shipper some
little protection. One of these systems includes a recording
device that with one op.:ration makes a "tracer," "acknow-ledgement"
and the stub for use of the tracing clerk. The
tracer for the transportation company, the acknowledgment
to go to the party requesting tracer, and the stub remaillS
in the book for ready reference of the shipper. This system
is a good one, if it always received attention, being inexpen-sive
and efficient, as it furnishes all the information necessary
for the use of the variou" parties concerned.
Something that will keep the shipper advised all the time
of just what is being done is necessary, not alone for his
protection and information, but for the benefit of his cus-tomer.
Among various systems that are now in use is th.e regis-
!Ii y;1 BARRETT'S PRIME SHELLAC VARNISH Iy; I!Ii
y;
made from strictly pure Shellac Gum cut Specially Denatured or y;
In
y; Wood Alcohol. The results of 25 years' experience in the· importa- y; tion of gums, in the use of solvents, and in the manufacture of varnish
y; embodied il)."Barrett's Prime." Ask for samples and prices. y;
!Ii y; 219 LAKE SMT.., L. BARRETT & COC"HICAGO I y; (!Ii
.
;I~.~-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------~ I Here are the Exact Shades Adopted by the I
I Qran~Rani~sfurniture Manufacturers'Ass'n I I r I ,
I,IIt
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MICHIGAN ARTISAN
Their "Golden Oak Oil Stain" is our No. 3424.
Their "Early English Stain" is our No. 3425 Oil Stain.
Their "Weathered Oak Stain" is our No. 3426 Oil Stain.
Their "fumed Oak" is our No. 3427 New Process fuming liquid.
Their "light Mahogany Stain" is our No. 3428 Dry Mahogany Stain soluble in water.
Their "Dark Mahogany Stain" is ou"r No. 3429 Dry Mahogany Stain soluble in water.
Send for Samples and Information.
I!II
IIIII
III!
•
WE SUPPLY E\lERYTHING NEEDED IN T"E fINIS"ING ROOM.
CHICAGO
Tt-tE AO-EL.-ITE PEOPL,.E
tered tracer system, tilal stands out prominently among the
rest. As the name indicates, e,leh tracer is registered, and as
it meets with prompt attention from the different railroads
when properly filled nut hy the party tr,lcing; it keeps the
shipper informed as to ju,;t W1J,lt j:; being uune with this
particular shipment.
These tracers consist of a cover, red in color, to better
distinguish it from other papers, hearing a printed designat-ing
number, there being 110 two tracers of the same number,
the inside of the cover providing a blank form for full de-scription
of the shipment being traced, including informa-tion
as to name of shipper, consignee and designation, etc.,
\vhich information is filled in bp the party tracing and is
practically a COpy of the bill of klcling or shipping receipt
issued covering the shipment.
Attached to the inside cover are ten record sets, each can·
sisting of a thin sheet and a post card underneath, the thin
sheet being permanently attached to the tracer, and the post
c<lrd perforated at the top and easily attached, the printed
form on the several sets being- identical as to the thin shcet
and the corresponding post card. Each set bears its individ-ual
lltlmber in addition to the tracer number. A sheet of
carbOll paper is also <ltt<lcbed to the tracer cover.
These sets are for the use of the railroad agents in show-ing
their record of handling shipment, the tracer above de-scribed
being of sufficient size to permit showing the move-ments
of a shipment over ftve railroads, each road using
two of the sets, one to bc filled out by the forwarding agent
and the other by the road, showing delivery to connecting
line.
In tlt1ing out the tracer forms, the tracing clerk affixes a
one cent stamp to each of the post cards and a two cent
stamp to the cover, addresses all the post canis to the party
desiriilg the immediate information ,wd also fills in the ad-dress
portion of the cover.
Tt is then forwarded to the agent at originating station,
NEW YORK
who fil1s in the first set. deposits it at the postoffice aud for-wards
the tr<lcer in "R. R. B." (railroad business) envelope
by baggage mail to the agent of the initial road, where the
shipment leaves such road, who in turn flUs in set ~3,and fo(--
wards post card and tracer in the same manner as set 1.
\Vhen set 10 has been filled in, whether ten cents were nec-eSSary
or not, it is detached and dropped in postoftice and
the tracer itself Jisposed of by folding the cover in ~uch a
way as to disclose the return address portion of the tracer,
alJd a rubber band put around the tracer and same deposited
in the mails without enclosing in any envelope.
By addressing the post cards to the shipper he is inform-cd,
as the tracer advances, of e<lch movement of the ship-ment,
and can see whether the railroad company is giving
tbe tracer proper attention. If any agent has neglected his
duty the shipper kno,vs just who it is and where to make
complaint. By this method he is in a position to takc the
company to task regarding any inattention, through the fact
of his having the evidence at hand in black and white, in the
form of his tracer post cards.
The post cards themselves may be scnt to the consignee
after llaving been filled in by the agent, as the retum of the
registered tracer to the shipper gives him all the information
required, though a trifle delayed, of course, but complete
and ready for llis file.
Some system as above, \'v-hile more expensive than most
systems now in use, would seem to be the most satisfactqry
and ecollomic way in the end for tracing shipments, as the
fact of each tracer being registered and a set filled in and
returned as the trace'! moves -along, keeps the party tracing
informed, giving him a base to \""ork upon, and in the end is
bot1l1d to bring results quicker than by any other method.
As results are what is wanted from a tracer the system
which secures them, even at a slight increase in cost. is
really the cheapest <lnd most satisfnetory in the encl.-Travel-ing
l\Jan.
26 MICHIGAN
NEEDS IN FIRE INSURANCE.
Gre,ter Care Should be Taken in Inventory Work.
The subject of fire insurance may safely be said di-rectly
to interest a larger part of the general Pltblic·
than any other outside the vital problems of life
\Vithout going into statistics, which would be impos-sible
in 50 limited an article, we know that in 1907 the
insurance companies paid in losses $135,270,569 to pro-perty
owners in the Vnited States. The relations oh-taining
therefore between, let us say, the buyers and
sellers of fire insurance are very important.
Fire insurance is not an exact science, that is, no
matter how many risks of a certain class a company
may have on its books it cannot be sure as in life insur- -----~---..-..,j Montgomery Hardwood Lumber Co. •
Manufacturers of all kinds of
NATIVE FURNITURE LUMBER
• Crawfordsville. Indiana. • E. S. STERZIK. Pre ••
ance that practically only a certain number will become
claims in a given time, nor can it be sure what propor-tion
of the face value of policies under which loss is
sustained will be payable.
These facts have-affected and governed the making
or building up of premium rates for fire insurance, and
as might be expected in any business where no more
exact formulae than the above can be applied greatvar-iations
ha,,:e been shown in rates at different periods or
by different underwriters at the same period.
The influence of competition has been and always
will be a potcnt factor in the price of this commodity,
especially in districts where no co"mpanies' agreement
for the maintenance of rates exist, while a wide differ-ence
of opinion as to the adequate rate on a certain
character of risks has often existed between com-panies
based entirely on \""hat their individual exper-ience
was up to that time.
Periods of reckless rate cutting have occurred in
tbe past and still develop at intervals; at this date,
however, chiefly limited to suburban or country dis-tricts
where the personal equation of the local agents,
with their SOl11.C time private business feud is in evi-dence
and where the influence of the rating board of
the larger companies is only slightly felt.
Science has crept in, an arbitrary sd,euce you may
say, in schedUling and indexing the business or mer-cantile
risks of the larger towns and cities, and the
work is being broadened to include the outlying dis-tricts
as fast as may be. By calling the methods of
r;~.ting at present in use arbitrary science, is meant
that no decision that certain rates are adequate is final
nor is it certain that if the fire experience of a year be
normal in Kew York city while San Francisco suf-fered,
let us say.that the rates in New York will stay
the same. They may be raised to meet the deficit at
the other side of the continent. This is apportion-ment
and arbitrary adjustment.
ARTISAN
Class rating of risks, except for basic rates, to which
would be added in each case loading of premium for de-terioration,
deficiencies in protective featutes, occupa-tion,
etc., as shown in the individual risks, cannot be
successfully accomplished, except perhaps with dwell-ings
which, according to construction materials used
and "\-vhendistinctly in or out of fire protection, i. e.,
nearness to water supply and engines, have been ra-ten
by class- for a considerable time ""vithas far as,is known
a fair profit to the companies.
}lost men insure their _business property adequate-ly
and in direc.t ratio to the hazard of their occupation.
Very few of the same men or any others adequately
insure their private property or inventory it thorough-ly
enough to know what they really own in values.
Particularly does this hold true in respect to their
household furniture, books, and jewelry. How many
men if asked about the terms and conditions of the
standard fire insurance policy of the state of New
York could say they ever had read one over? The
fact that not one man in a thousand knows anything
of the legal contract he has accepted is a serious det-riment
to high business development and plays not a
small part in the terrible fire drama, enacted in so
many places every day in the United States.
Not until a fuller realization of the responsibility
llt::volving upon owners and lessees of property be
comes a reality will our abnormal destruction -by fire
of property interest be checked and the general rate
of premiums be reduced to a lower level. \Ve New
Yorkers pay a high price for our fire protection, as we
do for all the other privileges of living in the most ex-pensively
rUIl civilized city in the world, and we seem
to he proud of it and not anxious to change.
If we wonld take the time to study and to carry out
the best protective measures, coupled with stricter
rules for the proper segregation of hazardous occupa-tions,
either by locality, absolutely fireproof housing,
or both, we would not continue very long to pay, for
instance, from five to ten times per capita what citizens
of London or Berlin find their cbarges. "Vith thous-ands
of gallons of water a minute crashing through
the windows of his building the careless owner and
tenant would probably indorse an ordinance prohibit-ing
wooden dust bins, the promiscuous throwing of
oily waste, rags and papers under stairs, etc.
Keeping away from technical details which no one
will read or remember, what does the payment of say
$300,000,000 a year for fire and marine insurance prem-iums
mean to us as a tax? The American people are
burning their forest interests down and their houses
down at a most astonishing and satisfactory pace if we
are trying to qualify as a race of pyromaniacs, bdt if
our self-regard as a sane, progressive nation is to, be
preserved to uS we must give more time to our fire: in-surance
agent and not consider him merely a necessary
eviL Out of all the hundreds of tbousands of dollars
worth of clothing, jewelry, etc., on the steamer Repub-lic
only a few thousands were insured. Had they: all
been so covered the problem of the steamship com-
.
~._--------------------------------_._-----------.
: AND II I .
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MICHIGAN ARTISAN 27
OCTAGON PEDESTALS
TABLE LEGS
'J.'hat is Ole Question; and a big one, too. How
(10 you make them '! How much do the}' cost you?
How good are the}', and are they uniform? Just
take a little time and let these questions soak in.
Because youmuy be wasting on [he manufacture
of the Pedestal.',! and Legs What yOU save by eeo-nomical
nUluufacture on the Top!I. Your profits
at", then cut dOwn. Make the cost Of the differ",nt
parts balance. One man with our
panies for adjustment of loss to passengers \"'ould have
been simplified.
A better understanding of the causes of fire, its pre-vention
and the true relations between the great fire
insurance companies and ourselves is a national duty.
'fhe best advice to the reading, thinking public is to
get in touch with a reputable and responsible insurance
broker and g-o over all values with him; to make in-ventories,
to check 11p existing policies and to take out
suffic.ient in ad(lition to cover oneself thou roughly.
:Particular notice should he paid to the standing of
companies one insures V\!ith to see that the written or
printed forms correctly descrihe the property covered
and that all required clauses are attached.
}·Jo one can fail of feeling a sense of satisfaction
over a job ,",,,ell done, and while there will he in many
instances a lot of hard ""vork involv('c\ it will he amply
repaid in the event of a firc loss-l'\e\v York Sun.
@ * @
"Opening" for Employes.
The Charles S. Paine ',:ompany, manufacturers of high
grade parlor and upholstered furniture, has a way of its
own to keep its employes intcrested. One evening of
each exposition is set aside as employes' evening, when
everybody employed is invited to bring his family and
friends to see the "line" as exhibited for the buyers.
The evening is not without its social element, every-body,
regardless of station or job, mingling on a basis of
equality. It is in the n;:ltute of a reception. It has been
found that the artisans take great pride in showing their
wives and children the work they have been doing, and the
latter do not by any means lack in interest.
@ * @
Century Furniture Company Will Build This Year.
The Century Furniture COll1pany, Gram! Rapids,
have purchased the corner 224 feet on Prescott street
and 165 feet on South Ionia street, as the site for a ne\\,
factory. The plans for the building will be made dur-ing
the summer, and it is probable construction will be
started in the early fall.
When the present management took hold in 1905
th~ entire building was leased, The business has out-grown
the capacity of the building. The company
LEG AND PEDESTAL MACHINE
will make Oct.agon and Polygonal shaped turnings
at one-tenth to one-twentieth of what it costs by
]oahd; round ones at one-sixth to one-tenth. The
sllYillg in time and la,bor.is what makes that bal-ance
we: were just talking about. NoW, d<m't Imy
"tl:lfit sounds pretty good," and Il't It slip your
mind. Just write us to-da~y.
C. MATTISON MACHINE WORKS
863 Fifth St., nELOl'r, WlSCO'SSIN. I•
lnanufactures high grade library, parlor and living
1'00111 goods and dining and bedroom chairs, and the
goods have found favor with the tradc.
@ * @
To Make Washing Machines.
The Portland (Mich.) Manufacturing Company's
factory will 'be used in the manufacture of washing
machines in the near future. The buildings are under-going
the changes and improvements necessary for the
transaction of the business.
@ * @
PERSONALS.
Louis Kanitz, president of the :Muskegon Valley
Fllniiture Company, is spending several weeks in New
Orleans.
E. L. J\Taddox of the Stickley Brothers Company,
Grand Rapids, spent several weeks in Florida, and re-turned
on ;\farch 1, when the weather. in the south had
become too hot for comfort.
John D. Case, secretary of the Sligh Furniture Com-pany,
Grand Rapids, is spending a few weeks in Cuba,
where he has important interests.
Charles R. Sligh, president of the Sligh Furniture
Company", has returned from a month's stay in Ari-zona.
He has large interests in that territory.
\Villiam H. Gay. president of the Berkey & Gay
Furniture Company, Grand Rapids, and A. Nlargantin,
the company's designer, have returned after a short
tonr of Europe.
A. \V. Hampe, president of the Royal Fnrniture
Company, Grand Rapids, has arrived home from a tour
of Europe,
Robert \V. Irwin of the Royal Furniture Company
wil sail for Europe on I\farch 20,
E. H. Foote, treasurer of the Grand Rapids Chair
company. having spent several weeks in the Argentine
R.epubliCJ has started on a leisurely returl1 trip to Grand
Rapids.
C. F. Retting, president of the Retting Furniture
company, is touring the far \vest.
Harry Jordan. president of the Michigan Chair com-pany,
will return from Florida about April 1.
28 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
Old Painted Furniture.
In a recent number of the Honse Beautiful the subject
of old painted furniture is discussed under the caption "Some
Good Specimens of Old Fashioned Painted Furniture," by
Rose Standish Nichols. The vogue for painted furniture
has been revived during the lQst twenty-five years with the
popularity of the Colonial. style and has become especially
popular in the last few years. \Vel! made and original
specirncl1s have been found in out of the \vay places.
Angelica Kauffman, the wen. blOW artist, who
was so sought after in Loudon in the latter part
of the 18th century, was responsible for the
popularity of painted furniture at that time, al-though
she was not the originator. Her work
was done under the great cabinet makers of the
time, Adams, Sheraton, Hepplewhite and Chip-pendale.
They 'were very enthusiastic over her
designs of garlands of flowers, landscapes, chaste
figures with floati.ng classical draperies and mally
minor forms. Angelica also painted a marble
mantel for Sir Joshua Reynolds. ItaUan painters
were also employed for this work and were very
skillful in it. Their decorating was done on
satinwood. Pcrgolesi was the best known of
these artists. He was an assistant to the Adams
brothers and was very successful. TiH~ motives
he used were garlands and baskets of flowers,
medalliol1s enclosing Iandscape.s, shepherds, shep-herdesses,
cupids, etc.
Later o~her artisaus took up this kind of dec-oration
but on a simpler scale. Ordinary woods
were painted. either plainly or to imitate the
graining of rare woods. ]apannillg as it was
caHed was often done It consisted in using
turps i.nstead 'of oil to mix colors and was really
only painting. The Japanese aud Chinese use
lacquer in their process of japannillg. Their
method spread to England and then to New Eng-
If:nd in 1755. Painted furniture was imported to America be~
fore the Revolution ront England in the north and from
France in the south. Tn 1'i97 811 English chair manufacturer
in New York advertised to do "dyeing, japanning, wallgee
work and bamboo work after the newest LOI](loll patterns"
Or such pieces as chair», settees, etc. Often furniture was
made to harmonize wit11 the wall coverings of the room it was
to occupy. The solid wood \Vinlsor furniture was popular
and with rattan and. split bottoms was often seen in drawing
rooms, libraries, dining rOOms and bedrooms and for piazza
use in summer.
During the, eighteenth century the painted decoration
of furniture was decadent. 1n 1806 it was used by "the third
class of gelltry.~' At the present time there are two artists
in this line in Vermont ami Boston who are doing splendid
work in reviving old styles and traditions. Ch8s . .B. Ingalls
of ,~rind50r, Vt., a man of so years, is very successful and
has instructed Miss }oj. C. Hardy in the work, who follows in
his footsteps and is inbusilless for herself. She copies his
ideas and originates new combinations of styles.
@ * @
and similar practices. In their petition to the service com-mission
the merchants call attention to important facts: "Ow-ing
to changes in business methods and conditions, shipments
by express instead of by freight in many classes of commod-ities
have greatly.increased, the use of the speedier ex-press
service having become practically compulsory. Because of
this forced substitution of express carriage for freight car-riage,
a very large volume of commodities which formerly
paid freig~lt charges which amounted to but a very small per-
The merchants of New York have filed a petition·with the
service commi.ssion asking ior an investigation of the methods
pursued in the transaction of business by the express COlU-panies.
Information is sought on the subjects following:
Inequalities in charges-such as different charges over the
samc route in opposite directions; different charges for equal
distances; extra charges for delivery in excess of tariff
rates; delays in delivery; failure to notify shippers of non-delivery;
delay in returning undelivered goods; delay in
s;:ttlement of claims; disregard of specified routing; unreason-able
requirements as to methods of packing; delay in account-ing
for collections; refusal to collect and return "empties"
'Sketch by Robert Leibuis, Student in
School of Designing.
the Grand Rapids
celltage of the value of the merchandise, now pay express
charges of such an amount as in many cases to consume the
entire margin of profit on the commodities, the ordinary sell-ing
prices of whic:l cannot be varieeJ to include abnormal
transportation charges. In consequence the annual aggregate
express charges paid hy a l11{'rchant have gradually increased
from an almost' neglig·ble 3mouilt to a heavy item which
represents an actual loss, inasmuch as the outlay can seldom
be covered into the selling price. It is therefore of much
importance to merchants that the charges exacted for express
service shol.1ld not be excessive, but on the contrary should be
as low as consistent with a just return upon the capital neces-sarily
employed in efficiently carrying on the express busi-ness."
It is claimed that the net earnings per annum of the
express companies equals in amount their capital invest ~d.
\Vith the territory divided and co-operation enforced in
raiding the public the aid of the legislatures and the courts
is needed to remove the burdens laid upon shippers.
* A New Packing for Furniture.
Retailers of furniture will soon receive goods. packed in :J
new material manufactured under a process recently patented
by W. E. El1iott of Grand Rapids. A company ~1aS been
formed for the purpose of carrying on the business under the
name of the Elliott Packing Company, of which \V. E. El-liott
is president; W. D. Bishop vice president; Charles F.
Powers secretary and A. C. Dennison treasurer. A factory
will be erected in the near future.
@ * @
One for Salamanca.
Furniture will be manufactured in Salamanca, N., by a
company capitalized for $40,000.
M~CHIGAN ARTISAN
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fI I' I I IList of Buyers II I
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I Do you want it? : I ! , : I I If I f
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I I I I II list of Buyers.!! !Dependable factory Trucks !
I : I I Do you want it? I i I I I
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List of BuyersI
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Do you want it?
If so send in your order
with 25 cents at once.
List of Buyers
I Michigan Artisan Co.
II N, Dirision Sf., Grand Rapids. Mich.
Dependable factory trucks-\vh",t a lot there i5;n
that word dependable?
\VbCll you are busy as the c1kkcllS ..".ith fonT car-loads
to gel out at a certajl~ t,im,f}.al~;la couple
trucks break down-docsl) 1 It J~u you?
\Vhen you find tha.t it takes two men to move a
load where it ought to take but one, don't you
fed like cursin'? Then it's time to thro\",,·out
the old profit-losing kind and in with the kind
that arc always Johnny-on-the-sj)ot and the
kind that you know you c.an depend on.
1-1ct"e arc three main reasons why our trucks arE:
dependable.
First. All of the framework, stakes
and handles in our trucks are made of
the best hardwood, thoroughly k.iln~
dried.
Second. AU the castings Me heavy
and of the best quality-strong. dm'.
able and tough. _ The large wheels an~
14 inches in diameter with 2}-4 inch
face. They revolve on turned bear-ings
on 1?i inch axles, which do not
revolve and wear away the woodwork.
Third. Our trucks arE: built from
beginning to end by skilled workmen
-not boys. All the framework is
well joint-bolted together.
Th(~re are other reaSOllS you wi1J discover by a
perusal of our truck catalog. Please send for
it today. Your name and address 011 the lines
provided afC all that is necessary. Cut ()1jt
the ;ld, and mail. The safest way is to do it
now.
,
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Grand Rapids "and Screw Co.!,
918 Jefferson Avo., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. II
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30 MICHIGAN ARTISAN
.,---_._------------- -------------_._----------., I We Import Direct, and Manufacture
Circassian Veneers
GENUINE PERSIAN WOOD.,
CINCINNATI, <>• I•
!I•
The Albro Veneer Co.
Established 1838.
FRANK CRITICS IN THE FLAT.
Ended a Dream About $2,000 Worth of Furniture.
"If you're entertaining the idea that your household
furniture, no matter how costly and nifty it may be, is
One of your a.ssets worth considering, then stop dream-ing,"
petulantly remarked a man who is making prep-arations
to go away from here. "\Vhen yon ha\'e to
sell your furniture you'll find out what I mean by that
remark.
"I know, because I have just sold the furniture of
my 8-roo111flat. \\,then my Chicago firm sent me to
Kew York it was the understanding that 1 was to stick
around here for a while~ five or six years anyhow. Soon
after ~ew Years's the firm began to hint in correspon~
dence that it was thinking of shutting up its ~ew York
branch, and a week or so later, despite my wailings, the
firm recalled me to Chicago, and I'm on my way back
there now-for life, I suppose, gosh hang it.
"vVhen I camc to New York I decided that I was
going to live in comfort here, The wife and I spent
a month 'picking out furniture. It was pretty nice
stuff, rather above the average for flat furniture. Ev-ery
bit of it was substantial, staple goods, and no fluff
or gingerbread about it.
"vVe had to bny the whole flatkeeping outfit from
canape to crackers, and the buy set me back just a few
dollars less than two thousand bucks. I got the piano
second hand at a bargain-an immense hargain-though
it was almost new" ",,',lithnot a nick on it. 1
. got half a dozen shadow box pictures second han~~,
too, at a bargain; but all the rest was dead new.
"Well, when 1 got my recall to Chicago I advertised
my flat furniture to be sold all in a bunch, nothing sep-arate,
dealers ignored, ad invited those interested to
come and have a look after 8 o'clock of evenings.
"The interested folk were right on the job, The first
of them obviously had ignored that part of my adver-tisement
which said that dealers would he ignored,
for a blind man could have seen through a Scotch mist
that they were dealers.
"The first of them to heave along rang the bell
while my grandfather's clock in the hall still was
chiming the hour of 8-a pretty punctual customer-
He was a squat young man with a pair of black, hawk-ish
eyes, a very flash topcoat several sizes too large for
him, a gummy notebook and a stub of a penciL
"I led the way and illuminated all the rooms while
he bustled through the flat. His scorn as he glanced
at my stLrff was manifest. It irritated me.
01 'Say,' I said to him when he h'isted the coverings
on one of my brass beds, to see if they were boxed
springs, 'are you a dealer?'
"He grinned indulgently at me,
"'vVhat's the difference?' he replied, in a confiden-tial
tone. 'You can't get anything for this ju-I meall
this stuff! except from dealers. Stuff like this is a
drug, you know.'
"'Well,' I said, still irritated, '1 took the pains to
say in my advertisement that I didn't care to deal witl:
dealers, and I meant it,' and I started to guide him to
the hall door.
" '\IV' ell, 1"11tell you what I'I do, mister,' said he,
not budging at all. 'I'd have to practically give this
stuff away; but I like to help lolks out that are in a
pickle- I'll give you two and a half for your mess.'
"Mess! That got me on the raw, l\tforeover, it
got me on the raw to have him assume so complacently
that I was in a pickle and therefore forced to sell my
gear at the first figure offered.
" 'Beat it!' I blurted out almost before he'd finished
making me that proposition. 'On your way.'
"He didn't budge from the bedroom where this lit-tle
colloquy was held,
"'I'll tell you what I'll do, then,' said he, jabbing
away at his gummy notebook with his stub of a penciL
'I want to' help you out, as I say. and so 1'11loosen up
a little with yOtL I'll hand you three lor the mess right
now. \Vant it?' and he dug into his trousers .PUl:.K'Ci:
and produced a large greasy wad of bills, at the same
time glancing up at me with a sort -of contemptuous
cupidity.
" 'Good·night,' said I, and I literally nudged him to
the hall door and then nudged him out, while he pro-tested
that maybe after he had another peek arolln"d
he might offer mea few dollars more for the mess.
"Two more fellows of the same strip-e, palpable
dealers, appe~red before 9 o'clock, but I spotted them
for dealers when I went to the door-1 attended all
rings myself-and I woudn't let 'em in. They wanted
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MICHIGAN ARTISAN 31 --_._---_._----------_ ...,II
THIS MACHINE MAKES THE MONEY It makes a perfect imitation of any open grain because it uses the wood itself to print {rom, and one operator and a couple of
boys can do more work with it than a dozen men with any other so called machine or pads on the market. .
That'. Why It'. a MoneyMaker. It Imitate. Perfectly. IIIj
50
Machines
Sold
Last Year
Plain or Quartered Oak. Mahogany, Walnut, Elm, Ash or any other wood with open grain.
to argue it out \'\Iith me, one of them swore that he
wasn't a dealer, but that he was going to get married
next Sunday night and that he \vas looking for furni-ture
to fix up- a flat. I fanned him, all the same, be
cause the stub of a pencil \vas sticking behind his ear
and his notebook was protruding fro111 his overc;oat
pocket.
"Along toward ]1 o'clock ..when the wife and I were
making the preliminary moves toward turning in, a
gay young creature who looked and acted like a chants
girl swung along. She was accompanied hy a gloomy
young man who had a lot of bright finger jewelry.
'" 'Sctlse flle for coming so late..' said the young
woman, as she breezed past me in the hall, 'but ,l\l11ttsy
and I hav~ been to the theatre,' and shc swept lnto the
parlor, nodded condescendingly to my wife ~nd sat
down at the piano. Vcry l11uch at homej young-woman,
that. r
'''\. . seen your ad', S1lC Sal.( Ilkto' lne, W lac ll1gI a V1• C-ious
discord on the piano, 'and I thought Iil'd chop
around and have a peek. I'm looking for a IFanner,'
and she walloped the piano again. '
50
More
Satisfied !
Manufacturers I
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Posselius Bros. Fumiture Manufacturing Co.
For Prices and Full Particulars. Mention the Michigan Arti,an.
Write the
Detroit,
Mich.
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"'But,' I explained to her, 'I'm not 5cUing the stuff
in parcels. It's got to be sold as one lot.'
"La, la, that's what thcy all say,' chirped the young
\~lOman, gayly, hitting the piano hvo or three more
Strallsslike chords and turning around to grin at us.
II thought I'd have a peek at the pianner anyhow
How much you askin' for it? Isn't a bad little old
box, but second hand pianners is as common as sea~
weed. Take twenty-five for it?'
"No, I rvouldn't take twenty-five for it, I told her,
and, moreover, I wouldn't even consider the matter of
selling the piano separately. Let me say here, by the
way~ that I got that piano, as I said, at an immense
bargain, and at that I paid t\vo hundred and fifty for it,
for it was a high grade instrument.
II I\Vell, c10ncha care, old top,'. said the yodng wo-man
to me agreeably, and then my wife heat it to her
hedroom when the yOl1ng woman began to pound out a
ragtime song and to hum to the malignant air of the
sanle.
" "Aw, come on, Tinkie, these folks is gain' to beel,'
put in the gloomy young man accompanying the
hreezyyotmg woman, and then she got up from the
stool, kiss~d her fingertips at me and zephyred swish-ingly
down the hall. I found my wife rolling around
on her bed with laughter when I returned from letting
'em Qut.
"K ext day while I was at work dozens of folks
called to see the furniture, but my wife met most of
them at the door and told them that the stuff could
- -- -- ----- -- -_._----.,
32 ~I I CHI G A N ART 1 SAN t,Tt-!~--BiGWHI'iji~SHOP']
• I • I
I ! We Furnish Every Article of Printing !: Needed by Business Men Ii I I I I I t :
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WHITE PRINTING COMPANY
108, 110, and 112 North Division Street,.
Grand Rapids, Mich.
r-THE --BIGWHITE SHOPl
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MICHIGAN ARTISAN
only DC seell, as the advertisement stated! after B
o'clock in the evening, when rei be home. "J'hreelor
fOUf parties vf \\'0111Cll refused to take her \vonl for this,
pushed their \vay into the apartment an(l ll1oocl:~ecl
around, pa\ving things over and asking questions. :
"They began to flock in 1,vhile I \-vas at dinner. the
dealers I met at the cloor and dismissed vl/ith sc~nt
speech, hut the young couples I admitted. :
"The "vomen of the couples did all of the talk~ng
and examining. The men just stood around on one fJbot
and then the other and looked neutral and sad abput
the ..v.hole proceedings. !
"Sollle real l~ice l~ttle pieces here." s~id on(' of ithc
women to my. \vlfe With great conclescenswn. . 'but th,en,
too, you've got a lot of truck here that 1 wouldn't h~lve
for any moncy.' !
" 'Yes?' said my wife, glancing at me \vith 1atlg-l~ter
in her eyes--she sees laughs where Ion})· see kno¢ks,
~,'Oh, not for any moncy,' the business-like Y()~ll1g
woman \vent on, \'\'hi1e her husband tried to catch !her
eye, 'But 1'11 tel! you just what \'ve can and v\'ill d!o~
we like to be frank and aboveboard about these thi~1gs,
don't vve, Egbert, addressing her melancholy mall .. ~\,;-e
will give YOtl $150 cash on the nail. for what yofve
got, inchlding the piano.' j
"That made me so sore that I had to scamper 101lt
of the room for fear I'd say something ornery. al{d I
left to my \vife the job of getting rid of that cOll;)lc)
"i-\nother woman, abo accornpanied by a \vhiplped-looking
husband, went through the place like a genrra]
of an army on a tour of inspection. She said hardly a
word, but just sco\ivled a tour furniture, and she sl-Jook • ' I •
her head over rnost of it in a mighty o\'erpo\ve1'ing-j re-ducing
sort of a way. I
,; '\Vel1. she said to me after her ilnprcssivC' mArch
through the -.,.vholeplant, from kitchen to .spare rdOlll.
'then:' are rour or five pieces here that mayhe I'd Italk
business \vith you about if you did the right lhling.
]'he piano, the cahillet ill the 1)(11'lor,the ,vritillO~" d!, csk.
that rnahogall\' chair in the parlor. and that ofnholt\
c1ock-\vllat (to -yOll "vant for the lot? ::\O- \V '.,+o\lr
selling price. relllember-no tucking it on.' 1 __
"Some G'lvalierl)r, eh? I told her that the ytutt
was only to be sold in One lot. I
.. 'Uh, humbug an<1nonsense: she ,vas gooel cn911g-h
to chop back at rne. ''y'oldl 11(',·er sell it as allot.
There's a lot of stuff here that nohodv'd even look at.
Come. no\v, and let's not \vast<.' any 1ll~re ti111<.'. \~That , ,
do you \Vallt for the pieces T have Hamed?" i
"I executed a disappearance again and permitted
my v,rife to nudge her and her ,vhipped male creJure
to the door. I ",vas afraid of myself, you knc)\.v. I
" 'Are these bcds-er-vl"ell, they're 110t bt1gg~' or
an:ything?' another WOman who came along a 'ittle
later, also '''lith a dismal man, asked m.r. \vife. ! l\fy
wife replied that if they were she had not noticed it.
" 'Oh. vvell, lots of folks can live with bedbugs! and
never notice 'em, vou know/ the woman reassured my
wife. 'Get sort ~, used to 'em. you know,' and ~hC;l
for the first time I observed that mv vvife's keen ~ense
~ II
of humor was put to a strain. l\l hate to say, for fear
of not being- believed, just ho\'\/ quickly she got that
'''oman and her husband out of the hall door.
,; 'Huh! I)':ye mean to tell me that you've only had
this stuff for one year?' another woman said to the wift.
and I with a tone and manner that plainly was intendeu
to toss us to the Ananias Club in 'a heap. '\V ell, of
courSe folks selling stuff in a hurry like this have to
say something. ,V,e'll give you $150 for it, won't we,
Jim?'
"Jim nodded affirmatively, and they, too, \vere out
of the cloor in something less than jig time.
"All told, I received about sixty people, not count-ing
the dealers. ,,,,,110 professt(l to be interested in my
furniture. The hig-hest price 1 vvas offered for the
\yholc la:\-,out of fu:~niture \vas $300, and the woman
who made nlC that offer was good enough to say that
she named that high figure because she felt for folks
that 'vere in trouble.
"So I sent the '''''hole bunch of furniture to an auc-tion
roonl, and when it was finally disposed of the auc-tioneer
told me that I was danged lucky to 've got
$3.26.45 Ol1t of it, not counting his percentage for auc-tioning
it off.
"So don't imag-ine that your fu~njture is an asset.
The next time I've got a flat full of furniture that I
can't use any longer I'm going to distribute it among
my friends by vvay of gifts and earn the name of being
a generOl1S dt1Ck, at any rate. There'd be more satis-faction
in that system than practically giving it away,
anyhow."-::.Iew York Sun.
@ * @
Cochran & Cooley of Cottage Grove, Oregon, have
sold their stock of furniture to Cunningham & King,
34 MICHIGAN ARTISAl\
Furniture in Europe Seen Through American Eyes.
J.\tfiner S. Keeler, president of the Keeler Brass Com-pany,
has returned from a short trip to Europe, made in
company with William H. Gay, president of the Berkey
& Gay Furniture Company, A. \7\l. Hampe, president of
the Royal Furniture Company. and A. Margautiu, de-signer
for the Berkey & Gay Furniture
- Date Created:
- 1909-03-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Collection:
- 29:17
- Subject Topic:
- Periodicals and Furniture Industry
- Language:
- English
- Rights:
- © Grand Rapids Public Library. All Rights Reserved.
- URL:
- http://cdm16055.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16055coll20/id/151