Remember dishes and ornaments are not
the only things made. The industry is classified, and covers white
earthenware, or the better qualities of imitation porcelain used by
those who cannot afford the real; this branch of the work alone takes
up about forty per cent. of the entire output. Then there is the
genuine porcelain for table and decorative use; the porcelain
necessary for electrical purposes; stoneware, or the commoner
household articles found in the kitchen comprising yellow ware,
Rockingham ware, and red earthenware; and in addition the great
quantities of sanitary ware for plumbing, drain-pipes, and tiling. Of
all these varieties of porcelain the hardest in quality, and the only
one absolutely non-absorbent, is true porcelain. Therefore it is the
cleanest to use. Kaolin being simply decomposed feldspar, and the
glaze applied to it being practically pure feldspar, the product is
merely a mass of feldspar melted in the fire until all the metals it
contains except platinum are eliminated. Such a composition is of
course far too brittle and delicate for ordinary use even did not its
expense prohibit our introducing it into the kitchen; but could we
substitute it for the cheaper wares it would be much more hygienic--a
factor persons are liable to forget when purchasing china.
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