European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 the stars and stripes Friday september 8, 1978 Wedgwood s personal Portland vase. By Gregory Jensen United press International 1782 portrait of Josiah Wedgwood. Wedgwood is a name almost everyone knows but few know much about the com plex Man who made that name  most people Wedgwood Means Type of Blue pottery with classical figures in White. A new London exhibition shows that this is like remembering Beethoven for the third symphony and nothing More. Josiah Wedgwood himself said one commentator at the show was one of the most Complete men who Ever  he was an inventor a self taught scientist a canal builder on a Large scale. He staunchly backed american Independence and was an Early opponent of slavery. Letters he exchanged with Benjamin Franklin on the slave Trade Are in the show. Wedgwood who died in 1795, also was a student of greek and roman antiquities a collector of rare books a Patron of the arts a Man engrossed with his family and a businessman of  Laid Down a new commandment for his seven Chil Dren thou Shalt not be Idle and spent All his 65 years practising what he preached. He was undaunted either by Lack of formal education he went to work at 9 after three years of schooling or by the loss of a leg at 39.the new exhibition is called Josiah Wedgwood the arts and sciences  since it is at the science museum until sept. 24, the stress is upon Wedgwood s lesser known scientific Side. Everything yields to Experiment he was fond of saying. He was a tireless and meticulous experimenter. Jasper Ware the famous Blue and White began to come right on Experiment no. 3,681. Wedgwood s hand written Experiment Book is shown at the Page where he judged Experiment no. 3,974 As not very  no. 3, 978 was better too Blue but Good in other  Jasper Ware was produced in Many other colors. Its phenomenal Success both at Home and abroad firmly established Wedgwood s reputation As the leading Potter of his Day the exhibit  Jasper first made in 1774, was Only one Type Wedgwood  s Ware perfected in 1763, Laid the foundation of Liis Fortune and revolutionized the Ceramic  Wedgwood said of Black Basalt which he developed f about 1767, the Black is Sterling and will last for  it is still  s scientific interests were not confined to his own work. To help other scientists he manufactured a " wide Range of Ceramic scientific apparatus and gave it away free. He invented the Pyrometer a device to measure extremely High temperatures inside Ceramic kilns and in vented a lathe still in use after More than 200 years. He took out Only one Patent for a method of encaustic painting. In imitation of the ancient etruscan and roman earthenware and ironically that was widely pirated. At 34 Wedgwood married his Cousin Sarah and began what the exhibit Calls a supremely Happy family  a George Stubbs painting in the show depicts the whole  Wedgwood daughter married the son of or. Eras mus Darwin one of Josiah s great friends. This is How Josiah Wedgwood became Charles Darwin s grandma  was a political Radical who threw himself into Many causes from Turnpike roads to slavery. One cause was mass production. His new Etruria works opened in 1769, was called a factory from the first. Its inauguration is marked in the show by a Black Basalt vase Wedgwood himself threw on the Potter s wheel for the occasion. By the 1770s he was exporting to new England As Well As Europe and Russia. He patronized his Day s j leading artists not Only As a self made Rich Man but for business Many produced designs for him. No matter How Rich and successful he became wed i Wood never stopped experimenting. His copies of the historic Portland vase took four years of trials and Wedgwood considered them his finest technical Achiev-1  the show s Cen Teriece is not Wedgwood s personal slightly imperfect copy of the Portland vase. Instead in a showcase All its own is a Blue and White Jasper vase showing the apotheosis of  Wedgwood gave it to the British museum in 17%, saying this is the finest and most perfect i have Ever  at wits end by Erm Bombeck author s note this is one of a series on How America vacations. And How shots can help. Today s column deals with travelling by car a couple of years ago an association was formed by parents who travelled Cross country by car. It was called family vacations  there was an 800 number to Call and if you were Ever tempted to Load the family up in the car and see America you would be in immediate Contact with a former family vacationer who would come Over and have a drink with you and talk you out of it. The stories at the meetings were heartrending. One Man just told of Bow be began vacationing by car with his family just to be sociable. At first he nipped at Small trips a Hundred Miles or so from his Home. Then things got out of hand and the next thing you know they were going on binges of up to three weeks on the highways. Sometimes averaging As much As 12 Miles a Day another Man told a bizarre Story about not being Able to pass a souvenir shop without the family throwing themselves from the car. They spent their entire vacation shuffling through Back scratches key chains with animal appendages Dan gling from them mountaineers crouching in outhouses plaid rocks and chewy candies that pulled the braces right off their Teeth. There were stories of How one father had a child kick his seat for 567 Miles and finally went crazy. Another of How the children put a Quarter in the vibrating bed and got it stuck and a Mother who went up to a perfect stranger who was getting into his car at the Gas station should excuse the sex and said what do you mean you Don t have to go the statistics of families who overindulge in family vacations Are you pression staggering. The association has a list of rules so that you May a figure out whether or not you should Avail yourself of family vacations Anonymous. Do you vacation alone with your family or do you go on guided Tours and charter group flights Are you embarrassed when they order everything on the menu and eat nothing but the pickles is vacationing with your family a habit or can you quit anytime you want to a warning before you drive off someday leaving your kids in a Public restroom and you wife in a gift shop get help c 1978 Field enterprises inc