JAPAN
ercised skill for the result; and that, too, when both of these minerals are to be found in sufficient purity everywhere throughout the province. A workman who exercises his reasoning faculties will naturally endeavour to obtain his raw materials in a state of the greatest purity. That the manifest advantage of such a precaution is not appreciated by the artisans of Seto must be attributed partly to ignorance, and partly to the fact that they find it much easier to pulverise the conglomerate, Ishiko, than to pulverise quartz and felspar separately. The opinion of Western experts does not go so far as to recommend that Ishiko should be abandoned altogether, in favour of pure quartz and felspar, though some such radical measure may appear unavoidable so long as the manufacturer is not in a position to analyse the composition of his Ishiko; and having regard to the conditions that exist in Japanese porcelain districts, as well as to the miniature nature of the factories, it would be extravagant to expect that degree of educated competence for the present at all events. Perhaps the best remedy is to be found in a combination of manufacturers, and the establishment of an institution to analyse, and if, necessary, to procure and distribute, the raw materials. Without some measure of this sort, the immense capabilities of the porcelain industry in Owari must remain virtually undeveloped. On the other hand, such a scheme will scarcely find favour until the potters begin to appreciate the full value of combining resources and economically dividing labour.
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