Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-04-03
THE WARDROBE OF THE NATIONS.
"lnd YOU shall walk in silk attire.

-
Tod Scotch Ballad.
81 was admi,ing The sofiness ofthis SILK
! They are indeed come 10 wonderful perfection
! il all manufac lures; how wonderful is human
art. Here II disputes the prize with nature
| That all his soft and gaudy lustre should be
! brought from the labours Of poor worm "
The Hyprocriie.
| We proceed to the notice Of ladies pockets.
| There ure importan; articles, ana merit grave
consideration. Pockets have given rise TO the
most serious dissenions. Twenty years ago
there were parties on the important qnes'ion;ali
the female world were divided into Pocketists
| and Anti-Pocketists. Swill'S Great and Little
! Indians were not more earnest IN their warfare.
In the present age however, we are inclined 10
think The question has almost wholly subs'ded,
the triumph being evidently on the side OF the
An;i-pocketisls TO be sure The Sctlch ladies',
by their contempt of secrecy, by their wearing
the pocket, curiously worked, in the face OF the
world, IN AIDE i, an adornment rather than re-
lroacr; bu, when change OF fashion demanded
that The pocket BE hidden, then arose the debate
TO the calming Of which, the modern reticule
may claim all honour. The re,icule is per-
haps, an improvem. albeit it sometimes
RISKS the appearance Of It's fair owner as PLAIN
tiff in charge uf street robbery. In Acadia
Die Whilst on The subject, we may queue, a.
an instance Of he gre al interest The public took
in The pocket question, ID song, sang al that Pc
rio1 at The metropolitan theatres. The sai-
rists sen, on, with sarcas,ically praisng the dis
use Of pockets
Mother Eve, who was straight as the sticks Of sky
rockets,
FIRST invented the fashion of wearing no pockets,
And. ending with, we think
So laes go cool, and don't care splinter
For an castery wind, cold, frosty winter;
with petcoats light, genteel aud clever
So fannelS be hanged and the aSue and forever.
The si!k-sIocking slasheG, or worked with
gold, must have been in high accordance with
the heavy richness Of the res, of The dress
Scotland, al very early period, Par,i' ipaed in
the luxury Of silk. The marriaSe OF Alexan-
der | l. Of Scotland 10 Margaret the daughter
Of our Henry III. both infants OF ten wears of
age occasloned display Ut maguti ence,
which seems 10 have eXceehel any thing ever
sec n in England before. On tn" marriage day,
December 26, 1851, thousand English knigh,
appe AIRED in cn;nlises Vt silk, and mex day eve
nv one Of them was dressed in new robe oil
Of the same kind. Queen Elizabeth, the third
year of her reign, rrceived IN Il present pair
of black silk Stockings, ami Doctor Howell re-
ports that she never wore clio h bose any more
James ! was Srea. encourage Uf SILK manu-
iaclure, bur was not al all successful IN his
lauda ale for the propagation OF silk III
England, il imi alton OF II rnry ". Of France
James in 1903, sent cir ular letters into all the
counties Of Engl for plan II mulberry trees,
f,r winch end he caused printed instructions To
be published, as also for breeding and feeding
silk worms. Having seem" says James, Gin
"a few years space, thai our brother the French
King, hath, since his coming TO that crown
both begun and brou 81 TO perfection the max
ing of sik in his county, whereby he hath won
To himself honour, and TO his subjects mar
yellouS increase Of wealth"
Having accidentally touched on silk, brief
notice of The first discovery and use OF that ar
| tiole, an article SD essential to CHE wardrobe
Of the nations" well accords with the purpose
! of our paper, and with our wishes TO render il
a perfect work It amusement and reference
| We may trace the use Of silk almos, TO the ear
! Hest ages. In China the cultivation OF the raw
material and the fabrication of silk seem 10
| have been, as II were, contemporary with the
origin Of the people. 1t is mentioned in their
earliest written documents. Aristotle speaks
Of the silk worm, under The name of bom5yse,
and says thai bombykia is produced from it,
adding that Pamphiia, a woman Of Cos, was
said TO have fits, practised ha, kind Of weaving
4 llohc'SIi lSi'aih '"at uC>
fore the Christian ezra, when he glory Of Tyre
was at its height, we find the prophet Ezekiel
enumerating raw and silk goods as among the
riches Of The capital Of the ancient commercial
world. From this period We have chronoiogi-
cal documents CT the progress Of the silk trade
throughout The world. In the year IA, We End
he wife Of Aurelian begging Of MIN TO le, her
nave one gown of silk purple, and We also fad
(shamc on his want Of gallanrry) that the Ro>
man refused, saying tina, he would not buy it
at III. price Of gold. In 70, the Romans were
wont TO reduce their silk garments 10 the raw
material and re-wease il Of so Thin fabric
tina; II was transparent.
Between the ePochs 527 to SOS, two Persian
moIks travelled to Sernda, The country of Sores,
and there lived long enough 10 discover that
silk was produced by means OF worms. Being
tempted by great reward, they broug hl off 10
Cons,autinople quantity Of The silk worms