The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1857-1858, 1857-10-28
The Women Defended.

al the N. i Times defends the women OF
the country from the charge Of having
brought on the present distress by their ex-
trayagance in wearing costly silks, and gives
the following figures to show that the cost
of silk goods imported into this country 10
mot so great after all whom compared with
the cost Of other articles:
Let as SEQ how this matter stapds. For
The fiscal year 1866, the importations Of
silk goods into this country amounted to
$25, 200 5l. Truly "parlous" sum and q
tremendously effective figure Of speech for q
sermon on the times, or lecture on the
ladies. But statistics are like puddingp the
proof Of their value is only to be got at by
discussion Out Of these millions Of dollars
worth Of silk, there are certain naasculinities
to be deducted We must abstract therefrom
all the sleeve and skirt Innings Of some four
millions Of male coats, all the cravats and
waistcoats Of silk that the American men
from Maine to California contrive ia, q
tweivemonth to consume, remembering, when
we make the sum, that the black, satin
waistcoat may almost be considered. Us q
national costume" in certain portions of
our, beloved country; all the mystical rib
bons and apronso of all the Orders and Lodges
which swarm in the land; all the Aags and
banners in which we Americans 20 extrsva-
gantly delight, together with such tilken
sanities in the way Of cushions and curtains,
DC, as are common to both sexes Allowing
less than two and q quarter millions for ali
these things, we have total of twenty three
millions Of dollars spent BY our women in
silks. IL this extravagant? At an average
of two dollars per yard in price, the quantity
of silk thus represented would be eleven and
half millions Of yards, equal, as . reason
able young lady assures us, to a million of
silk dresses made rery moderately Now
there were in the United States in 1850, Just
1865, 427 houses occupied by free persons.
Of these houses it is low estimate to as
sumo that 500, 600 were tenanted by fami-
lies whose incomes averaged 81 600 per an
mum. We have, therefore, the proof before
us, that out of 100000 households whose
resources would certainly justify the expense,
only twothirds can possibly have INDUCED
themselves in the purchase of single silk
dress during the years 1861 gi.6
Again, our importation of glores in the
same time amounted to $l,344, $50. This
comprises the value of gloces Of all kinds
and sizes, and if we limit the men and chill
dren to the 1914, $50, it gives us just o single
million of dollars spent upon the defence and
ornament of the eight millions of white hands
upon which six millions of adult male Inns
kept constantly swearing feality for twelve
long months. Thread laces are certainly in
modern times purely female gaud, though
the legend still survives in this city Of gem
tleman whose nuptial garments were made
beauteous with borders Of point and thread
laces are costly Yet in 1867 our account
| for this triviality rose only to $4lO,591,
against a purely masculine expenditure of
$50, 435 for fancy foreign tfre.drnssl Much
was said last year Of the female expenditure
in. furs, but the remorseless tables of the
Treasury set off against $6O5, 6O7 of garment
| turs 81 .755. 704 imported by masculine hat
tiers. The embroideries of the year consti.
tute a serious item, rising to $4,604, $50, but
it is perhaps as well that no observations
thereupon should be INDUCED by us, who
spent at the same time 81, So in cigars
and foreign smoking tobacco, and who must
bear pretty largely the responsibility of dis
bursting over $7,500.000 for foreign wines
and spirits. t41
a Our space forhids US from pushing these
comparisons SO far as they might with ad.
vantage be carried 1t would be unprofita-
BILE, for EXAMPLE, to dwell upon the fact that
the total amount of our expenditure for for
eign h1uries Of all kinds during the year
1906 does not reach the sum Of $50,O00,-
600, while our national income from the ra-
ted property of the country, if calculated at
per cent, rose during the same period to
1922 295, $50 But the figures which we
have given may at least suffice to satisfy the
most captious and the most qncrulous sons
Of Adam that when he rails upon the women
as the cause of his troubles he is only dark
ening counsel by words without knowledge"
apd contributing new element Of stupidity
and miseonception to that confusion of ideas
which is the most dangerous as well as the
most Illuminating feature Of our present ma
tional crisis s..s ri sac 3s,4e.s q I