Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-01-28
..Home Manufactures"


Ii Is a trite remark that manufactures are IN
dispensable TO the growth and prosperity OF such
towns as Staunton, Charlottesville, Lexington
and Harrisonburg. Yet whenever the SUBJECT
is alluded to it is associated with extensive es-
Establishments, costly machinery and vast aggre-
cations of capital. Our people seem to have no
idea of manufacturing except on large scaie'
We confess that we had fallen into the common
srror ourselves, but a conversation with an In
telligent gentleman few weeks ago gave US
some new views of the subject We are salts
fed now that what we need is household manu-
features, requiring very little capital, and such
rs any family may carry on successfully within
its own doors. The gentleman to whom we
have referred, informed us that he had lately
visited town in New York, called Glovers-
vile. the whole population of which was en-
Gagged in the manufacture of buckskin gloves
There was no common building IN which the
people labored, but each family to ITSELF and
each member. young and old, male and female,
was pro6tably employed in this branch OF IN
dustry The only machinery used are simple
implements for cutting out the gloves, and the
common sewing machines for doing the stitch
ING. The gloves are sent to New York city,
and other centres Of trade, where they are read
ily exchanged for money or the various necessa'
ries of life. Thus flourishing town, Of i've
thousand inhabitants, has sprung out OF the
woods within q few years past, and the entire
people comfortably maintained upon single
branch of manufacture.
This is but one illustration of what has been
done in other States, and what may be done
Just as well in Virginia 1t is only necessary
that start shall be made, and we can see no
reason why similar enterprises should not sue
eeed here. There are various other kinds OF
manufactures which might be carried on IN the
same manner Every merchant in Virginia, Tor
instance, imports from the North large quantl-
ties of brooms, buckets, and wooden ware gene
rally, which might and ought to be made at
home. We furnish the raw material-broom
corn, timber, and iron-which Is transported
hundreds of miles, converted by enterprlslng
Yankees into various implements OF household
use, and returned to us, we paying unnecessarily
at least the cost Of freight going and coming
Why cannot these things be made at homes Is
there anything to prevent? The cost of living
here is less than in any of the Northern States,
very little capital is required to begin operations
and everything seems to promise complete sue
cess to persons who will embark in the enter
prize. If no other plan can be adopted, lew
Northern people skilled in the kinds OF manu-
features alluded TO, might be induced to come to
Virginia and make beginning. The advant'
ages of having such manufactures amongst us
are too obvious TO be enumerated, but one Of
the most important is, that useful and profitable
employment would be afforded to hundreds OF
persons of both sexes who can now barely OBJ
tain the means of living. So important is the
matter to the whole State that the Legislature
ouaht TO encourage these home manufactures,
by exemptions from taxation, or some other con-
stitutional enactments.
Every traveller in the Northern States is
struck with the fourishing condition and neat
appearance of the towns aud villages. 1t is due
almost entirely to the handcraft arts Ohe
town makes gloves, another brooms, another
buckets, another shoes-every individual finds
employment, and the place is furnished with
public halls, lyceums, libraries, churches, &c
In the South nearly all of the lesser villages an
swer to one description. fit be the County
seat, there is q shabby ourt-house, occupying a
central position; next tumble-down tavern,
kept BY widow, whose prodigal son drinks up
all the profits of the concern then we see few
rookeries occupied by lawyers and doctors; OF
course there are several stores; and shoems-
ker's shop, where Northern boots and shoes are
cobbled, and blacksmith's shop, where horses
are shod and Northern work mended, make up
the sum total of manufacturing establishments.