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china painting, as in every other art, success can be reached only by diligent, intelligent practice. No amount of mere verbal directions can ever enable you to attain the desirable medium in your work, between too thick and too thin, too dry and too wet. The manual dexterity, and the artistic judgment, without which success is impossible, are to be secured by diligent painstaking practice, and by that alone. But if you have an average amount of taste, a steady hand, and a determination to merit success by perseverance, there is no reason why you should not, in a time which will seem surprisingly short after it has passed, produce work quite good enough to be used for home decoration, or to secure a purchaser if you desire to sell it.

The expense of an outfit is a very variable quantity; but, assuming that you wish to avoid all unnecessary expense, I give below a list of the tools necessary for the simpler styles of work, with the prices at which they can generally be obtained in New York.