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A Book of Precious Stones
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whose commendations were enthusiastic and freely bestowed.
In
response to a request, Mr. Dyer supplied an interesting account of the
beginning and progress of this Middle West school, that is successfully
uplifting ideals and enabling the ambitious and earnest young worker to
design and make jewelry that come up to an artistic standard, as
follows:
Three
years ago there was formed in Indianapolis a " Society of Arts and
Crafts" with a very promising membership. A house was rented and
furnished and salesrooms opened. The movement grew and a large number
of the right kind of people became interested. Unfortunately, however,
there were so very few of the members who were craftsmen or in any way
producers of salable stuff that everything had to be gotten on
consignment from outside. Like so many other associations that have
tried the commission plan, and through mismanagement, the society did
not live long.
During
its life, however, it had started a number of earnest people to
thinking and had given them the desire not only to raise their
standards of beauty in both useful and decorative objects, but to
express their own thought and individuality. My father and I had taken
great interest in the movement and had made a number of pieces of
jewelry for the salesroom. When we were asked to start a class, teach
the use of tools, and show how origi-
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