n of the nomadic tribes on the Syrian borders of the Roman Empire.
After the introduction of Mohammedanism the name was applied to the Arab
followers of Mohammed.

From earliest times it has been the custom in the East to hang rugs over
graves. About the vault of the mosque at Hebron where the patriarchs
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are said to be buried, rugs are hung at the
present day.

During times of grand _fetes_ in Europe, when house decoration is done
with lavishness, people, to make their homes more attractive, drape with
beautiful rugs the balconies, the loggias, and the front walls of
buildings. The richness and color of these rugs blend harmoniously with
flags and other emblems, producing an effect of great magnificence and
splendor.

[Illustration: ORIENTAL RUGS DECORATING A BALCONY

_From a painting of the fifteenth century by Carpaccio Vittore, who was
born in Istria, 1450, and died in Venice, 1522. The original painting is
in the Correr Museum at Venice. On the balcony are several Oriental rugs
in shades of rich red and rose color._]

When we see the exquisite loom-work that has been wrought in the Orient,
we sometimes wonder how the weavers have achieved such success, for they
are destitute of what we call education, and they dwell amid the
humblest surroundings. But Nature has been their instructor, and the
rare shadings and varied designs of the rugs are excellent imitations of
the forms and hues of the natural world. The weavers have intuitively
grasped what is correct in color from the works of Nature surrounding
them, and we reap the benefit in the rich specimens of their art which
they export.

These patient toilers of the East delight in subdued colorings and
artistic designs; and without a doubt many a story is woven in with the
threads that go to form the fabric, many a song of joy, many a dirge of
woe and despair. The number of Orientals engaged in the manufacture of
rugs in the United States is increasing. It is now not an uncommon sight
to see these weavers at work before the loom in the show windows of the
rug-importing establishments of the larger cities.

The increasing use of polished hard wood and yellow pine floors and
mosaic work, even in buildings of moderate cost, is displacing the use
of cheap flooring, which could be covered satisfactorily only with
carpets or matting. This has enormously increased the demand for rugs;
and the selection of them affords a much wider range for