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THE INDUSTRY OF ALL NATIONS.

stood, itself would be the attraction, rather than the books which it- contained.The case represented on p. 173, exhibited by J. Dessoir, obviates this objectionalmost entirely; and save for its waste of valuable space by the triangular com-partments at each end, and the insertion of the impertinent and unmeaning lit-tle figures at the spring of the arches, it may be regarded as an entirely successfuldesign, and one much more in harmony with the architecture of city housesthan its superbly ornamented rival. In the design and construction of book-cases,the front should contain only so much wood as is necessary to the strength of thejambs, and sash, or door frames ; all else is superfluity ; no matter how highlyand appropriately ornamental it maybe in itself. For the same reason, it is betterthat the doors should be glazed with large than with small panes.

We regret that we have not been able to speak in more general and unqualifiedpraise of the furniture in the Exhibition; and, all the more do we regret it, be-cause of the predominance of American worKin this department,—a departmentin which, from the purely domestic character of our people, and the well knowningenuity and skill of our artisans, it would be reasonable to expect the highestkind of excellence. On the contrary, however, we find only the first grade of aninferior order of merit,—the mere excellence of high finish and elaborate orna-ment. But, as we have before hinted, buyers, rather than the designers of furni-ture, are most to blame for this. If the former, disregarding their own instincts,which we know would lead them to choose furniture with reference to its capa-city for bestowing comfort and its domestic fitness, deliberately give themselvesup to ostentation and inexplicable dumb show, we cannot expect the latter, wholive by them, to refuse to minister to their frivolous and degraded taste. It is tothe buyers, then, rather than the makers of furniture that our strictures have beenaddressed; and we have not on that account spoken the less freely or directly,or as some, perhaps, may think,—severely. But if this Record of the World’sIndustry, and these essays suggested by the exposition of the fruits of that indus-try, are to have any intrinsic value, any abiding influence, that value and thatinfluence will be largely owing to the out-spoken, independent judgments whichmake the critical staple of this volume.

The moral of our essay is, in a few words, this: that furniture, ornamental ornot, is only excellent just in so far as it is useful: that mere ornament must beleft to the Fine Arts, whose peculiar function it is to minister to our sense ofbeauty: that furniture, however, can be beautiful, and that its highest beauty isentirely consistent with its perfect usefulness. In judging a single piece of furni-ture, its fitness of form to the purpose for which it is designed must be first deter-mined ; next, its more beauty of outline; then, the design, appropriateness, andfinish ; and last, the richness, of the material which enters into its composition.The general mode of choosing furniture is to reverse this order, and consider firstthe material, next the ornament, then the beauty of form, and last the fitness.These considerations affect the furniture itself; but the place which is to receiveit should influence the judgment as second only to the use to which it is to beput. This style of the house, the room, and all the domestic surroundings shouldbe constantly borne in mind in the choice of furniture. Congruity and har-mony should not be violated in a drawing-room, a parlor, or a library, any morethan in a picture or a poem. But, though some reference should be had toarchitectural consistency, still it is not necessary to exclude from a house or aroom all furniture the style of which is not contemporaneous with its architec-ture ; and this, because houses are enduring, while furniture is destructible andchanging.

There are certain rules, however, which can only be disregarded at the cost ofthe most ruthless disregard of propriety and violation of good taste; and these havereference to the mingling of different styles both of furniture and architecture.The union of two distinct styles in one piece is an atrocity not the less barbarousbecause it is common. “The words of Mercury are harsh after the songs ofApollo but this is worse, infinitely worse; it is the words of Mercury with thesongs of Apollo. The introduction of an Etruscan chair or a Roman table into aroom of Gothic design, though not always desirable, is justifiable; it violatesnothing in the order of time, and neither of the articles is sufficiently imbuedwith the spirit of classical architecture to take it out of neutral ground; but tobring a Gothic arm-chair, book-case, or table, into a room, the architecture ofwhich is Grecian, is to combine anachronism and discord in the utmost possibledegree. The existence of Gothic furniture with Greek or Roman architectureis not to be accounted for by any admissible supposition; and the motives of theone are openly and radically at war with those of the other. This should be everborne in mind; and, not less,—that the size of furniture should be adapted tothe proportions of the apartment for which it is destined.

The object of all articles of household use is to afford bodily ease and pleas-urable repose of mind; and therefore, as a parting word, we add, for the benefit ofthe large majority of those who will read these pages—a majority with which wocan heartily fraternize—that the luxurious furniture which will beget content in thehouse of a rich man, because we know that it is in place, and trouble ourselvesno more about it, will only provoke discomfort in a poor man’s dwelling, becausewe feel that there it is out of place, and we involuntarily share the trouble thatwe know it brings to him.

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PORCELAIN AND OTHER CERAMIC MANUFACTURES.

T HE display of fine porcelain in the New-York Exhibition, and of objects illustrat-ing several other branches of the ceramic art, is one of the remarkable featuresof the place, and it is little to say, that it has proved a most novel and instructivespectacle to those who had not before seen the great National Museums of Europe.Fortunately for the development of this art in the United States, the costly experi-ments, analyses, designs, and processes of the manufacture preliminary to success,have been made at the expense of immense sums of money and of the best scientificand practical skill, by France and other European governments during nearly acentury and a half. These results confirmed by the latest experience, are perfectlyaccessible through the enlightened liberality of those at whose instance theyhave been made, and are embodied in the well-digested literature of the subject inthe most precise terms. It cannot happen but that we shall soon avail our-selves of these facilities to establish on a large scale an industry whose more com-mon results are a matter of daily necessity, although it will be long, before wecan produce the costlier and more artistic examples of the art. There is no moreperfect embodiment of the refinements of modern art and the triumphs of mod-ern science than we see in a Sevres vase.

In our studies of the properties of natural products, we have frequently' oc-casion to remark, that nature has provided a substance, whose peculiarities fit itespecially for a particular purpose in the economy of human necessities, and thatnothing else could replace it in this relation. Such a substance is clav or alumina,which, next to silica, is the most abundant mineral constituent of our earth.No productive soil is free from a large portion of it. Alumina, however, forms nopart of the ashes of any plant, and is therefore entirely wanting in the organiza-tion of all animals. Yet alumina subserves a most important purpose in all fer-tile soils (albeit, of itself quite sterile and valueless, and when in excess, offeringmost serious impediments to agriculture), namely, in its power to retain mois-ture and fertilizing gases, and in giving by its plasticity the requisite de-gree of adhesion to the other earths, which alone have none of this property.It is the only earth having the valuable property of plasticity or capacity ofbeing kneaded like dough, accompanied by entire absence of elasticity, so thatit preserves exactly the impression of the slightest force, and becomes hard uponlosing its moisture.

The two chief varieties of clay are porcelain clay and common or potters’ clay.The important distinction between these two varieties of the same substance, isin the fact, that porcelain clay is always derived from the decompositionof felspar, and the latter from common aluminous rocks, or non-alkalineminerals. Felspar contains in its unchanged state, a large amount of potash orsoda, and in its decomposition parts with nearly all its alkali to form a soluble sili-cate of potasli, which is washed out by the waters, and leaves an insoluble plasticmass of porcelain clay (silicate of alumina). In such a clay the two constituentsand the water of combination always associated with them, are very constant,while in common clays they are very variable; and added to them are variablequantities of oxyd of iron, lime, and sand, which seriously modify the fusibilityand other properties of the product. In the best porcelain clay the equiva-lents of alumina are equal to those of silica, and the water of combina-tion is equal to both the other constituents. The idea that porcelain earthcontains a notable quantity of alkali, to which the semi-vitrification is due, isa mistake, and it is requisite to add to it a certain portion of the undecomposedalkaline mineral (felspar), in order to secure vitrification in the burning.The simple silicate of alumina (pure clay), is almost incapable of fusion by itselfand resists the utmost heat of the finest furnace of the arts, with only a slightsoftening, and wares made from it are entirely opaque.

Porcelain is distinguished from common earthenware by its beautiful semi-transparency (translucency), as well as by its greater hardness and strength.Our knowledge of porcelain dates only from the discovery of the passageto India, by the Portuguese, who first brought specimens of this ware from China.In China this species of ware has been made from a remote antiquity, and for along period after its introduction in Europe this was the sole source of supply'.It is said that historical records in China prove the existence of this manufac-ture as early as 2,000 years before the present era, or nearly 4,000 years ago.We are indebted to the researches of the French Jesuits for the first authenticinformation regarding the materials employed by the Chinese, and their processesof preparation. Specimens of these materials were brought to France under thenames of Kaolin and Petuntze. The former substance was found to be a pureclay drained from the decomposition of felspar ; the petuntze , a quartzose felspar,partly decomposed. These two minerals, both reduced to a state of fine powder,were mixed with water to a paste, and left in large heaps in a damp place fora generation, before they were considered fit for use. It was the custom (and itis still) in China, it is said, for a man to use the clay which his grandfather hadprepared, and to prepare at least an equal quantity for future generations.

The known properties of these minerals immediately revealed to the ingeniousFrench the secret of the China ware. The clay alone was able to produce onlya white opaque body, like any other good sort of clay ware, but when a proper