RUGS: INTRO

Rugs in the house are beautiful, impart richness and represent refinement. Their manufacture was one of the earliest incentives for the blending of colors in such harmony as to please the eye and satisfy the mind; consequently, it is one of the most important of the industrial arts. Since the days when ancient peo­ples first lay down to sleep wrapped in the skins of ani­mals, the human intelligence has quickened, and as the race has become more civilized, rugs have gradually taken the place of skins. Thus began the industry of rug-weaving, and it has grown to such an extent that it is now of world-wide importance.

The word Rug is used in this volume in the following sense: "A covering for the floor; a mat, usually oblong or square, and woven in one piece. Rugs, especially ose of Oriental make, often show rich designs and elaborate workmanship, and are hence sometimes used for hangings." In several books rugs and carpets are referred to as identical.