HOUSE AND GARDEN 
September, 1911 
179 
tea set seem rather startling, but they are 
not at all barbaric. 
This peasant pottery is so unusual and 
so quaint that it is somewhat difficult to 
supply the demand for it, now that it is 
becoming known. The dealers seem not 
to have discovered it as yet, or else the 
amount that is made is so limited that the 
importers do not care to handle it. A 
few of the studio shops, however, have 
discovered it, and appreciating its charm, 
import each year quite a quantity of the 
pottery. One artist dealer goes each year 
to Brittany to select his stock, for, like 
most things, there is a choice to be made. 
The shapes of some pieces are better than 
others, and the dealer has confided to me 
that unless a careful selection is made of 
the colorings, some of them are rather too 
vivid. 
Besides the plates, cups and saucers 
and bowls, of which there are plenty to be 
had, the peasants make such pieces as soup 
toureens, salad bowls, even an oil and vin¬ 
egar cruet, salt cellars, egg-cups, cream 
pitchers and sugar bowls. Amongst the 
prettiest pieces are the little two-handled 
porringers which are shown in the illus¬ 
tration. These are made in four or five 
different sizes. The larger porringers 
have two little holes in the base of the 
standard and by passing a wire through to 
make a loop by which to hang them, they 
can be arranged in groups of two or three, 
or more, on the dining room wall. Hung 
in this way they are very effective. 
There are bread and cake plates, some 
round, some square, and of these there is 
usually but one design of a kind. Next 
in size are very large plates, twelve and 
fourteen inches in diameter. In the ab¬ 
sence of platters these can be used nicely. 
As useful as these plates may be at the 
table. I think their decorative value is one 
of their best features. On china closet or 
buffet or mantel they add charm hard to 
be surpassed by other wares. 
Probably each piece of pottery costs in 
Brittany but a few centimes, but by the 
time the packing express charges and 60 
per cent, duty, which is levied on china, 
is paid, the price is advanced very consid¬ 
erably. However, the small porringers 
cost from 35 cents to 50 cents each, cups 
50 cents, small plates 35 cents to 75 cents, 
and the larger pieces, such as large plates, 
salad bowls, etc., $1.50 to $2.50 and $3.00, 
making the cost not very great for set of 
dishes which is really unique and never 
fails to please the guest who has tea or 
luncheon served to them on china so truly 
novel. Several of my friends have made 
wedding presents of small services, and 
the gift has never failed to please the 
recipient. 
Suggestions to Users of Electricity 
p'EW users of electricity know the dif¬ 
ference between the two systems in 
general use; also about different voltages. 
Fan motors, sewing-machine motors, cook¬ 
ing apparatus, etc., made for direct current 
will not operate on alternating current. 
Also the voltage of any piece of apparatus 
must correspond with that of the system 
supplying the electricity. If not, a fire 
may result, or the device be rendered in¬ 
operative until repaired. The following 
example will tell what is the proper way 
of ordering or determining in case you are 
offered the loan of any piece of apparatus: 
“Alternating current; voltage no; arti¬ 
cle, electric sewing-machine motor.’’ 
Dangerous results (a costly fire narrow¬ 
ly prevented becoming dangerous) sug¬ 
gested the above hint. Often house¬ 
wives will lend each other different devices 
such as have been mentioned above, with¬ 
out knowledge that what worked on one 
system of electricity will not work, in fact 
is very dangerous to attempt to operate, on 
another. This is especially true when one 
moves from one town to another. The 
direct system may have been used where 
the owner first resided, the alternating in 
the place he moves to. The voltage may 
also vary. 
An Efficient Alarm 
VERY inexpensive and satisfactory 
device is one that may be placed un¬ 
derneath a rug, mat, or even under the 
stair carpet and which when stepped on 
will sound an electric bell at any desired 
point. They are made by a number of 
electrical supply companies and make a 
very satisfactory alarm. If used at night 
a switch may be placed at any convenient 
point, and the device rendered inoperative 
in the daytime by simply turning it. All 
materials for an ordinary system of this 
kind can be purchased for about $1.75, and 
an ingenious householder can install it in 
a very short time with little labor. 
This form of alarm is simpler than some 
of the old types and has the advantage of 
being in an unlooked for place. Skilled 
second-story men often have found no dif¬ 
ficulty in avoiding the door and window 
alarms, but this type may be an absolute 
guard for every floor no matter where the 
house-breaker effects his entrance. 
The designs are various and admit of a wide choice, but all are on the same general 
color scheme and decoration, and it is not necessary to have exact designs to harmonize 
