e just
hustled through instead of being carefully finished."

"Your father is right," Mr. Marwood admitted. "It is far too often
quantity and not quality with us. Just so long as men are paid on the
piece-work system we shall not better the condition, either. It
stands to reason that a man who is rushing to make as many objects of
one kind as he possibly can in an hour is not going to take the pains
to finish them very carefully. His daily bread depends on his
hurrying. Not a second can be lost. It is an unfortunate labor
condition, and one that I hope to see remedied some time."

The elder man smiled.

"But we must not take time now to go into labor problems," he
added. "In our day they are absorbingly interesting and one might
spend hours discussing them. What we all are eager to do is to see
them readjusted until they shall be fair to all parties."

"That is what Mr. Croyden wants," put in Theo.

"I know it is. He is heart and soul in this mill and his
employees. All the time he is working to improve conditions here. Now
we must go on, or we shall not get anywhere. To return, then, to our
clay; it is now ready to be carried to the floor above on elevators
and handed over to the potters."

"Are the ingredients for the glaze prepared in the same way?" Theo
inquired.

"Partially so. The formula for the frit and glaze is also a secret
one. Usually the frit, a material similar to glass, is crushed to
powder beneath stone rollers called chasers. Water is then added and
the compound turned into the grinding-mill where it is ground for an
entire day. Sometimes, however, a different process is preferred and
the material is put into a kiln and melted instead. In either case it
must finally be worked into a smooth liquid which can be strained
through fine lawn. It is then sent to the agitators and constantly
stirred until it can be pumped into the storage tanks in the
dipping-room."

"That is just what I wanted to know," said Theo.

"Any more questions?"

The boy shook his head.

"Not now, thank you."

"Then as we have finished here shall we go up to the clay-shop?"

"Yes, I am ready," Theo affirmed. Then as if confronted by an
afterthought he asked:

"Is the porcelain made here bone china or ----"

"Spar?" put in Mr. Marwood as the lad hesitated.

"I don't think I understand."

"Feldspar."

"Oh, then I know," cried Theo. "I did not realize you classified
porcelains as bone or spar."

"We do," was th