POTSDAM 



4796 



POTTERY 



chief tributaries are the Monocacy, Shenan- 

 doah, Bull Run. and Cacapon. Below Hancock, 

 Md., the river flows southeastward through a 

 picturesque gorge to Harper's Ferry, memo- 

 rable as the scene of John Brown's raid. From 

 Harper's Fern- to its mouth in Chesapeake Bay 

 the Potomac paflRfl Washington, D. C., the 

 nation's capital, and Alexandria. Va. From the 

 wharf at Alexandria may be seen the spire of 

 Christ Church, of which Washington was ves- 

 tryman. At Mount Vernon, the home of 

 :ington, the river is two miles wide. The 

 tide extends to Georgetown, 125 miles from its 

 mouth, and the river is navigable for large 

 vessels as far as the city of Washington. The 

 famous phrase, "All quiet along the Potomac," 

 is supposed to have originated with General" 

 McClellan during the War of Secession, in his 

 reports to the government. 



POTS 'DAM, one of the residences of the 

 former emperor of Germany, and a city of 

 the Prussian province of Brandenburg, is situ- 

 ated on the Havel River, sixteen miles south- 

 west of Berlin. In the immediate neighborhood 

 are several royal palaces, of which the most in- 

 teresting is the former residence of Frederick 

 the Great. It stands in a beautiful park, called 

 the Sans Souci. In the same park is the New 

 Palace, the former residence of William II. 

 This structure has over 200 rooms, one of the 

 finest being the shell saloon, richly decorated 

 with precious stones and souvenirs collected by 

 the kaiser during his travels. Near by are the 

 mausoleum, with a marble statue of Queen 

 Louise, and the Temple of Friendship, erected 

 in memory of the sister of Frederick the Great. 

 Potsdam is a well-built city, having numerous 

 fine squares and public gardens adorned with 

 statues. Flower gardening, especially the culti- 

 vation of winter violets, is a lucrative indus- 

 try. Population in 1910, 62,243. 



POTTERY, pot'eri. One of the arts handed 

 down through the centuries is that of making 

 vessels of clay. To this art is applied the name 

 ceramic, or keramic, a term derived from the 

 Greek word keramos, meaning pottery. The 

 products of ceramic art are known as pottery. 



How Pottery Is Made. Clay containing the 

 proper amount of moisture can easily be 

 worked into a plastic state that will admit of 

 its being fashioned into any shape desired. 

 When dried, the clay becomes hard and firm. 

 The simplest form of pottery can be made with 

 but few tools, and primitive peoples have al- 

 ways attained a good degree of skill in making 

 earthern vessels whenever the material has been 



at hand. Some of the finest examples of the 

 skill of such people are found in the specimens 

 of Indian pottery discovered in the pueblos in 

 the southwestern part of the United States, and 

 the descendants of those people to-day produce 

 by skill of hand ware of rare beauty. 



The first step in the making of pottery con- 

 sists in the preparation of the material. Clay 

 of various grades is used. Clay containing any 

 appreciable amount of iron- turns red \vhen 

 burned. This accounts for the red color of 

 bricks and of the coarser varieties of earthen- 

 ware, such as flowerpots and crocks. Some varie- 

 ties turn reddish-brown and others cream color. 

 But whatever the quality of the clay when it 

 reaches the factory, it must be ground in water 

 to a finely pulverized state. Before grinding, 

 any hard objects such as small stones or peb- 

 bles are separated from it. During the grind- 

 ing, proportions of fine sand, feldspar or flint 

 may be added. The proportions and kind of 

 these ingredients determine the sort of ware to 

 be made. 



Vessels are fashioned by hand, in molds, and 

 by the use of both the hand and the mold. 

 Only a few tools are employed. The potter 

 takes the quantity of clay necessary for the 

 vessel he is to make and throws, it on the cen- 

 ter of a horizontal disk called the potttr'x 

 wheel. The wheel may be turned by a crank 

 and pedal or by power. In either case the 

 speed of the wheel is easily regulated to suit 

 the convenience of the workman. With moist 

 hands the workman forms the clay into the ves- 

 sel as the wheel revolves. If a hollow vessel is 

 desired he forms the clay into a cone, then 

 presses down upon the apex with his thumbs 

 and gradually works into the mass until in time 

 by skill of hand he shapes the vessel. The 

 finishing touches are put on with tools of wood 

 and leather; then the vessel is placed in the 

 drying room to harden. Revolving molds 

 called jiggers are now used in all large manufac- 

 tories, and they greatly increase the output. 

 Plates and saucers are made by placing the 

 mold for the upper side of the article on the 

 wheel, then pressing the clay down on it, and 

 then laying over the clay the mold that forms 

 the bottom, the molds being so adjusted that a 

 uniform thickness is secured for each plate. 



Vases and many other hollow vessels of fine 

 ware are now made in molds of plaster of 

 Paris which are made in sections so they can be 

 easily taken apart. This method is known as 

 casting. The mold is filled with a thin mixture of 

 water and clay and allowed to stand until a 



