304 Printing of Woven Fabrics, 
of printing which gives to writing its lease of life, by inde- 
finite multiplication of copies, an idea may be as surely pro- 
tected, if it appeals to the fancy and innate love of beauty, 
as though it confined its appeal to the intellect exclusively. 
Printing is truly the “art of arts.” It reproduces indefi- 
nitely the theories, ideas, and practical facts of thinkers 
and workers, and it as well subserves the purposes of him 
whose object is to appeal to the fancies and tastes of all 
classes. The production of figures on cloths is as really 
printing as the preservation of ideas by means of the letter 
type. The decoration of plain cloths with figures is one of 
the oldest of arts. It was practised by the ancients, and 
the Chinese and Aztecs were in possession of the art when 
they became first known to Europeans. To this day the 
Chinese use the same method in printing cloths that they 
do in printing books. In the latter case we have improved 
upon their process in using movable types, instead of en- 
graving on and printing from the blocks—we using in our 
stereotype process the movable types to produce the block, 
whereas they engrave the block itself. In the former case it 
is but a few years since machine printing took the place of 
hand block printing in figuring calicoes. 
- This method of producing coloured figures on cloth by 
means of printing should not be confounded with dyeing, 
although by a previous protection of those portions of the 
fabric not intended to be coloured, dyeing has been em- 
ployed to make figured cloths. — Printing deposits the 
colours directly upon the cloth, which are secured there by 
mordants. This art, brought from the East, founds its way 
into England about the year 1676. We will briefly describe 
the process formerly used. 
“Block printing” of calicoes was comparatively < a simple 
process. The web of white cloth was sent to the printing 
shop, either in a bleached state, or dyed some colour which 
formed the ground. Previous to being submitted to the 
manipulations of the printer it was “calendered,” or pressed 
between heavy rollers, which gave it a perfect surface. It 
was then ready for the printer. He worked at a table, 
wide enough to accommodate the fabric, and six or seven 
feet long. The roll of plain cloth lay at one end of the 
table on a platform, and was drawn up over the table, 
which was of stone, and covered with a thick felt blanket. 
Behind him was a tub, some thirty or thirty-six inches 
diameter ; partially filled with a mixture of common pitch, 
and a vehicle which held it in solution. - Floating on a sur- 
