It's like a knife, you know, that silica. Like a knife in your chest.

This is a quote form a man known as Mr. Garavelli. He was a stone cutter at Barre, Vermont where he was interview by John Lynch in the Late 1930's as part of the Federal Writers' Project.

This is from the Voices From the Thirties Web site. THe work of the WPA documenting people's lives.

Here is is entire quote

"It was tough for everybody in the early days. Lots of stonecutters die from the silica. Now they've got new and better equipment; they've all got to use the suctions. It helps a lot; but it ain't perfect. Men still die. You bet your life my kid don't go to work in no stoneshed. Silica, that's what kills them. Everybody who stays in granite, it gets...I don't get so much of it myself. Maybe I'm smart. I don't make so much money, but I don't get so much silica. In my end of the shed there ain't so much dust. I can laugh at the damn granite because it can't touch me. That's me. I ain't got no money, but I ain't got no silica either. My end of the shed don't get so much dust. It's like a knife, you know, that silica. Like a knife in your chest."

I know that this is not a ceramics post, but the context of Silica really struck me. It was one of those things that you hear it it makes you sad. It makes you think about how good we all have it. Take care of yourselves all of you out in your studios.

I guess I'm just having one of those days where small things seem profound.
I wish you all the same.

I heard this this quote and about this website on the Slate Political Gabfest.