is practical and saves labor; but, fully as important, it is simple enough to work satisfactorily under all conditions.

"Our first care is to build no 'homesick' Hoosiers. When a cabinet leaves the factory it is weaned to stay out for good. It goes on to the dealer's floor and from his floor into the customer's kitchen, and we constantly work for a record which shall show no comebacks for repairs.

"To this end every man in the Hoosier factory gets a credit mark for reporting any defect that passes through his hands. Wages are based on credits, and the result is that it is almost impossible to have a Hoosier cabinet get out of the factory with a flaw. All this extra care, we feel, is the best possible investment in the assurance for the value of our trade-mark."

H. T. Cushman Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of fine grades of furniture specialties, including decorative screens, costumers and Mission furniture, North Bennington, Vt., have adopted three trade names, none of which has been registered. They are: "Betumal" telephone stand, the word meaning "Beat them all;" for the Shine Easy shoe shining chair the trade name is "Shynezy," and for the smoker's stands, equipped with self-lighters and containing no matches, "Matchless" is descriptive.

"We believe in these short words, contractions of words descriptive of the goods," said Henry T. Cushman, president of the company. "They make marked impressions

upon customers and tend to popularize special lines, thus proving of much advantage to manufacturers."

The originator of the trade-mark of the Banta Furniture Company, Goshen, Ind. "Banta, Dining-room Furniture"-is John Banta, son of H. F. Banta, president and manager of the Banta Furniture Company. John Banta is the secretary of the concern. It never has been registered and has been in use for about eighteen months.

"We believe it is a good thing for all manufacturers to have some recognized trade-mark which they can feature in their advertising,” reported Mr. Banta.

The history of the trade-mark of the Enterprise Bed Company, of Hammond, Ind., and how the Hygeia spring came into being, is best told in the illuminating words of Geo. C. Locklin, president of the company. He said:

"Back in 1890 to 1894 my wife was a great sufferer from kidney trouble, being unable to sleep but a few minutes at a time and sitting up or roaming around the house nearly all night. We had a consultation of three specialists on kidney diseases, and their final decision was that if Mrs. Locklin could go to the coast and bathe in the sea, her life probably could be prolonged two or three years.

"I had noticed during these years of intense agony that she suffered more at night time than during the day, and I came to the conclusion that we were not sleeping right -that a person should sleep as they stand-straightnot bowed up. Being in the spring bed business, I set to work on bringing out a spring bed that would hold a person straight, giving just enough to fit the form and yet be sensitive.

"After considerable experimenting, I finally succeeded in the form of a double deck spring so peculiarly constructed at the center of the springs as to let the top section just fit the form and the under section act as a bumper or cushion to the top section, causing the sleeper to lie in a perfectly healthy position. I am happy to report that within three months after this spring was put on my wife's bed she was cured of her ailment and never has suffered a day since that time.

"After working up quite a large demand for this spring, one evening, in 1904, I said to Mrs. Locklin: 'I am going to get a trade-mark for our double deck spring.' She suggested that I name it 'Hygeia,' the Grecian word for the Goddess of Health.' I did so at once and used it several years before having it registered on Jan. 24, 1911. "If an article of merit is trade-marked and pushed and the merit kept in the article," continued Mr. Locklin, "the trade-mark will become a great value. Our Hygeia trade-mark means just this to us. We began making this spring of the best materials, putting into it the best possible workmanship; we have improved it from time to time and maintained its high quality, though our price always has remained the same.

"Eight or twelve years ago it was almost impossible to sell a high-priced spring. We now are selling it in thousand lots every month, but because it is a double deck spring, it has been copied a number of times at prices ranging from one-half the price of the Hygeia up, but the consumer wants the Hygeia; the dealer wants the Hygeia. You might ask me why this is so. I can only answer by modestly asserting that there is but one Hygeia spring bed and it always is right and fills every claim made for it, where one 'just as good' is likely to be a fake in order that its maker may price it so low that a prospective buyer will place his order for it.

"A good article trade-marked and established gives an individuality that allows the manufacturer to hold the quality of his goods and to get a legitimate price for them. The dealer can get a legitimate profit, and the consumer gets the best possible value, as the name is his guarantee. Therefore, every dollar spent in advertising and every effort put forth in making the goods and their value known to the public is an asset."

The trade-mark of the Weis Manufacturing Company, makers of office furniture and stationery supplies, Monroe, Mich., was planned by the founder of the company, A. L. Weis. It was first used about ten years ago in the form of a zinc etching at the head of the Weis advertising. Later, it was decided that wherever the name "Weis" was to appear in either display lines or text in advertising, catalogs, etc., it would be used in the form now employed.

P. S. Rumpel, speaking of the trade-mark, said: "It is not registered, it being the family name, and its peculiar typographical formation giving it sufficient distinction to keep off any infringement. It always is contrasty when used in connection with regular type faces, and has become the distinguishing mark on Weis goods among the stationery and furniture trade."

Vess Table Co., Louisville, Ky.

"The interesting community of fine cabinet-makers that has been gathered together in the Erskine Shops," declared Ralph Erskine, of the Shop of Ralph Erskine,

4.

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Wire tres grow with Nature's generous vaney unknown to Europe, makes pos= of the lovely old pieces of by-gone which they deserve.

have been the sign of civilization To keep safe the choice posses„niversal an instinct that each nation istin tive styles in these most treasured re and their proportions and designs reped into lines of particular beauty. -Lay-dreams of girlhood-stuffs woven tinued Mr. Erskine, waxing eloquent. 225 odred with lavender. Treasures of cuted and legacies to generations yet to this chest embody the acme of useful

means of distinguishing his goods from so many inferior goods on the market. It also is of great benefit to the consumer, for an article of merit, properly advertised and backed by a good reputation, is readily identified by a trade-mark."

Quoting a member of the Imperial Furniture Company, manufacturers of tables exclusively, "Every furniture factory should brand its goods. The trade-mark we use was designed by our manager, F. Stuart Foote, at the time our factory was built, ten years ago. At that time it was not considered ethical to brand furniture with the manufacturer's name. Mr. Foote could see no reason why a high-grade article of furniture should not carry the same distinctive identification as a piano, organ, phonograph or silver set. He decided to try the trade-mark idea in spite of strenuous opposition and

the Erskine Shops each chest, cupboard, or Old oh is made with close fidelity to the prinign and construction employed in the origThe fish is the lovely French polish, where not ang of varnish is used, and for the obtaining of which - bed workers, both men and women, have come from the lands of Scotland to the hills of North Carolina, traging with them this art which is not found elsewhere the wountry.

-We're a young firm," went on Mr. Erskine, "and therefare not able to give you any valuable ideas as to a tra-mark. However, we believe it is of very great rale, provided the products on which it is applied are et sp to a high standard of excellence and individual aracteristics. Thus the trade-mark becomes a guarante to those who have not the opportunity of studying bee characteristics closely that they are obtaining a genuine article in which they can put confidence.

A trade-mark is of no value whatever unless a reputation for excellence has been obtained through a number of years."

Mr. Erskine designed his own trade-mark when he entered the furniture business in 1911. It was first used in that year on a reproduction of a Hadley chest. The pardellar design was chosen because Mr. Erskine was fret interested in the production of furniture through nje entreiasm for a little old Windsor chair of the genera. design and appearance of that pictured in his trade

Mr. Erskine was born at Racine, Wis., in 1880. President Wm. Widdicomb, of the Widdicomb Furni*** Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., informs me that records relating to the matter of their trade-mark were carrozed in the flood which overwhelmed the com"You will underj'e promines wome six years ago. from thie," says Mr. Widdicomb, "that we have no con record of the date the trade-mark was accorded

圈

"Widdicomb' by the patent office. I simply **a* apparently being the first occasion of patentoldal name, a name only, there was much vecave during a year or more. The question as pametatulty of an individual name was raised. 24.ined convincing proof that the name had *5* gesited number of years in the manner it it trade mark and on our printed matter,

*k** asentally was granted.”

79 25 Qtive of the Alaska Refrigerator you, Mich., the originator of the The trade*** company is unknown. wystered on Sept. 30, 1913, and it is ** The bame "Alaska" ever was registered

we where," said this official, “is of beran of quality goods and is the

"Every table leaving this immense factory has been branded since the day of its first operation. The trade have taken to it kindly, and it now is considered a valuable asset.

"Imperial tables are made in the largest table factory in the world and are handled in every city in the United States. The factory covers a floor space of about 225,000 square feet, on a plat of ten acres of ground on the river bank in the north part of Grand Rapids. It is equipped with the most modern and efficient machinery, much of which is of special design, manufactured in our own machine shops. We would not permit a table to go out of our shop without the trade-mark incorporated as a part of the piece under the varnish."

The trade-mark of the Greenpoint Metallic Bed Company, of Brooklyn, N. Y., was originated by Wm. Lies, a member of the firm. He was born in Brooklyn, in 1872, started in business with the present company in 1895, at its inception. The trade-mark is imprinted on all the products of the company, as well as all stationery. It is not registered and was first used in May, 1911. Advertising Manager B. D. Davies voices the views of the company relative to a recognized trade-mark :

"We hold," said Mr. Davies, "that its inevitable effect is, first, an improvement in the quality of the goods it identifies. Second, an ambition to maintain that quality. No self-respecting manufacturer would permit a lowered standard after establishing the necessary mercantile integrity demanded of his product, once he had placed his mark on it. The trade never is backward in realizing worth in merchandise. The criterion set by the manufacturer and sealed by his mark is invariably backed up by the retailer who sells the goods. The consumer always relies on the word of the merchant, and so in time the chain of popularity is complete. In our own case, we have found that our business grows because we take pride in living up to the ideal embodied in the Greenpoint Mark of Standard Quality." "

M. L. Kempe, publicity manager of the Universal Caster & Foundry Company, New York, testifies to the fact that he originated the trade-mark of that company two years ago, and the idea of the company in getting up the mark was to use it in connection with all their advertising and printed matter.

"Our object in adopting the trade-mark," said Mr. Kempe, "was to get our trade familiar with some trademark of identification, and we now are using it on all printed matter, stationery and advertising which issue."

we

President Jerome V. Pierce, of the Chicago Asbestos Table Mat Company, conceived the idea for the trademark of that specialty concern. It was registered five years ago and immediately put into active service.

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HIE majority of wood-working and furniture factories are lighted with the old-style carbon filament lamps. This particular industry appears to have side-stepped the universal tendency to improve lighting conditions. Time was when it was proper to use carbon incandescent lamps. A unit of extremely high candle-power is too intense a source for the lighting of wood-working factories. Before the introduction of the Mazda lamp the carbon lamp was, therefore, the logical lamp to use. However, there is no longer any excuse for poorly illuminated shops. The Mazda lamp, reducing as it does the lighting bill and at the same time furnishing more and better light, has set a new standard for illumination.

That a new standard was necessary is readily acknowledged when serious thought is given to the importance of illumination on quality and quantity of production. Every manager knows that spoilage and accidents increase as winter comes on and decrease with the approach of summer. Obviously this is due to the decrease in natural light; further, conditions would be improved by better artificial lighting facilities. A modern system of lighting will decrease the number of accidents, decrease spoilage and increase production.

There are several important conditions that must be fulfilled in laying out a modern lighting system. They are: (1) Sufficient light of proper quality on the work; (2) A good intensity of light throughout the plant; (3) Freedom from glare; (4) Simplicity, reliability, ease of maintenance and low cost of operation. As mentioned above, it is highly important that there be a sufficient quantity of light on the work. The quality of the light should be such that a cheerful appearance results and at the same time colors appear in their true values.

There should be a good intensity of light throughout the plant. This not only reduces the danger from running belts, shafts, etc., but is much easier on the eyes. The continued dilation and contraction of the pupil of the eye upon shifting the gaze from the work to a dark part of the room and back again produces an effect similar to that produced by flickering light source. Light sources should not be placed in the direct line of vision. A bright spot of light causes the pupil of the eye to contract, which shuts out a great deal of what would otherwise be useful light. It is well, therefore, to hang the units high. A reflector, which, of course, is understood to be an essential part of a lighting unit, not only redirects into useful directions light rays that would otherwise be useless, but also has the advantageous effect of causing the light source to appear less brilliant and of larger area. As regards simplicity, reliability, ease of maintenance and low operating cost, a Mazda installation possesses many advantages.

Different factories require different systems of lighting; however, wood-working and furniture factories can, in the majority of cases, be lighted by a general system of illumination, i. e., by one giving approximately a uniform intensity throughout the plant. The units should

be hung in rows which are parallel to the side of the factory having the best day-light illumination. Using a switch for each row enables any row of lamps to be turned on independently of the other rows; this allows full advantage to be taken of natural light, the artificial light being used only as required. A furniture or pattern shop requires an intensity of illumination of from three to four foot-candles, corresponding to from 0.6 to 0.8 watts per square foot. For rough work, such as sawing, bending, etc., an intensity of from 1.5 to three footcandles (about 0.3 to 0.6 watts per square foot) will be found to give excellent results. The spacing of units is dependent upon the height of the units above the work, the spacing distance being about 1.5 times the hanging height. The proper spacing is independent of the size of the lamps used; the wattage of the lamps should determine the intensity of illumination and not the spacing. On the other hand, the permissible. hanging height determines the size of the lamps necessary for a given intensity. Bearing these facts in mind, and knowing that high wattage lamps are more economical in operation than low wattage lamps, it is readily seen that lighting units should be hung high. As a matter of fact, a hanging height of from ten to fourteen feet above the floor with a spacing of eleven to seventeen feet gives excellent results. For such a system, 100 or 150 watt Mazda lamps and Holophane-D'Olier porcelain enameled dome-shaped reflectors will give the required intensity at low operating cost.

It is usual in wood-working shops to arrange the benches for hand work along the sides of the room. Hand work is usually of a fine nature and requires good light and plenty of it. This is easily taken care of by the general lighting system discussed above. It is necessary only to locate the outside row of units so that they hang above the working side of the bench; this will give the light where it is needed and troublesome shadows will be avoided.

The illumination system outlined above has been found to give far better results in practice than any system employing drop or individual lights. When Mazda lamps and Holophane-D'Olier reflectors are used throughout a plant, a long step has been taken toward operating that plant at its maximum efficiency.

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Things Necessary to Success

O KNOW every detail, to gain an insight into each secret, to learn every method, to secure every kind of skill, are the prime necessities of success in any art, craft or trade. No time is too long, no study too hard, no discipline too severe, for the attainment of complete familiarity with one's work and complete ease and skill in the doing of it. As a man values his working life, he must be willing to pay the highest price of success in it-the price which severe training exacts.-H. W. Mabie.

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VER since the World's Fair in St. Louis, where gray finishes were shown by the German and Austrian governments, attempts have been made to introduce gray as a finish in various lines of furniture. At that time the color did not harmonize with the styles that were in vogue. The lines upon which we were building our furniture were not in harmony with so dainty and delicate a color as gray. Frame-makers took hold of it, and bird's-eye maple veneers sold in quantities for making the oval cutout frame. The fixture houses saw its possibilities, and you will find a good many shops, offices, but more cafes, lobbies, etc., finished in this style. The modern house builder uses it for the den, smoking-room, etc., but as yet no one has established a definite color. You will find any depth of gray ranging from the very lightest shade down to an Antwerp brought back to a grayish effect by the use of white filler. Our foreign friends introduced the gray on maple, because that wood is more common there, and they produce that satiny, velvet finish which lends a peculiar beauty, and which, when carried out in the designer's line, with drapings, and general setting of a room, made a symphony of colors very attractive and surprisingly pleasing.

Gray Again in Vogue

That is all that would be required to introduce a definite style of furniture on original lines and color. And our own native woods, which are relatively cheap, seem suited to this purpose.

The present day finds this style and color again brought forth with better lines, better designs, better finish, better all around. The manufacturer realizes that our tastes are gradually becoming educated. There is also a feeling that lumber is being used up fast enough without some of the cumbersome things included in Mission furniture.

The wood chiefly used is oak, because after the wood is stained gray, the heavy boards permit the filler, which is white, to aid in making the grayish caste, and oak is strong that massive construction is not necessary to strength. To my belief, it is going to be only a short time before maple and birch will take their place in the -upplying of the wood necessary to produce gray furniture.

The finishing department may not now be called upon to suggest what materials should be used, but when one sees the possibilities, and knows the results that can be obtained by a concerted action by a few leaders in the manufacture, it is a difficult matter at times to refrain from making a prediction. Stop to consider that a shoe button manufacturer can control the style of shoe. It is being done, and here are the short facts: Button shoes were not in vogue. It is true there has always been a percentage of them made and sold; but the consumption was low. The leased machines for attaching the buttons were not consuming their regulation quota of stock, upon w the machine owners' profits largely depend. It was ged to pay a visit to the creator of fashions with The new fashion plates invariably showed

With the abundant amount of birch, why not introduce it? Here we are trailing and reproducing styles that are centuries old. We make a Sheraton, a Chippendale and a Louis XIV, something from every period except our own. I claim that if a meeting, one of these get together affairs of designers, builders, house furnishers, decorators and furniture makers could be held it might evolve a plan which could be worked out. If a movement of this sort should be fathered by manufacturers throughout the country, not necessarily the majority, but a few of the leaders, in a few years we may have a market for the most plentiful of our wood, used in a style

and design of our own. We claim superiority in so many things; but in others we are the best trailers that the world ever knew. We let the other fellow get an idea, then we imitate it. We are not even satisfied with that; we go to London, and buy old pieces of furniture, supposedly used by some duke or some other royal personage, pay a fancy price and ship it over here, thereby making ourselves the laughing stock of the foreign tradesman who has this stuff manufactured for this particular market.

An Analogy in Gum Lumber

This reminds me of a little incident that occurred in '98, when I had the pleasure of serving Uncle Sam during the late unpleasantness with Spain. We were laid up at Macon, Ga., and I ran onto a sign which I believe read, "Georgia Hardwood Lumber Company." It struck me funny, because I had the impression that nothing but soft wood grew in the south. In roaming around, I met the bookkeeper of this concern, and the conversation drifted upon the width of the boards in a load of lumber that was being hauled into the yards. I told him it reminded me of days gone by when in Michigan it was nothing to see a board 18 inches wide and 14 inches thick of nice white pine. Without going too much into the incident, let me say, the result was that half a car of gum lumber was shipped to the John Widdicomb Co., and in the factory of that company made up into furniture. I do not have to say much about the results. The Widdicomb people didn't know how to saw the wood, or how to cure it, and the furniture twisted, with the results that the wood was laid aside.

At this writing I still have in my possession some eight or ten boards ranging from a foot to 20 inches in width. I do not claim this was the first gum that came to Grand Rapids; but the following experiments had a good deal to do with the popularity of the wood. What gum is to the furniture trade today, birch and maple can be tomorrow. Instead of taking a decade to make this demand equal to that of gum wood, I claim it can be done in two furniture