The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1860-10-18
Yankee Jewelry and Southern
GuIlibilitY.

0A44O44AoJs
a came through Lynn, Boston, etc., to
the little manufacturing village called n.
E. Village, and learned something about
making the bogus jewelry with which the
country is flooded, either by pedlers OF
gift book enterprise. One company is
making ear-drops Of composition called
oreiae, which will sell for gold, but is not
worth as much as brass The other COM
pany is manufacturing gold chains out of
German silver, brass, or oreide. The pro-
cess of making was interesting to me,
and may be to others. I'll give it,:
The links are cut from wire or plate,
according to Che kind Of chain, and some
times soldered before putting into chain,
and sometimes afterward. After it is
linked, it is drawn through machine to
even it-boiled in vitriol water to. take OH
the scales caused by heating-drawn
through limbering machine, and dipped
in acid, to clean it, after which it is dipped
in solution Of pure silver, and finally
dipped in gold coloring-making chain
which they sell at the rate of sl2 to SIS
per dozen This is giftjewelry, which is
marked @Lady's splendid gold chain,
s12,p aGent's guard chain, S. or "slO,"
etc. The car drops cost less, and are Of
ten marked higher"
These items come from the pen Of a cor
respondent to the Nev Hampshire Journal
dAgicuztue and may be regarded as
truthful statement of the case. 1t is a
little humiliating to the Southerner to
think that this spurious jewelry-this
worthless mel0nge of the baser metals
with specious gloss on the outside-has
given greater impetus to the book-trade
with us than almost any thing else within
the last few vears. We would be glad to
see this increased demand for books, if it
really indicated corresponding improve
ment of the reading appetite of our peo-
pie; but unfortunately it shows no such
thing. Itmarks the desire for specula-
tion and empty show which is only too
rife among the young men and women of
our land This is proven by the fact in
many cases, that the buyer of the books
does net wish and scarcely expects ever to
read it, but is simply gambling for the
jewelly.
The books, too, are gotten up usually
in miserable style; and while the propri-
etors of Gift Book Enterprises propose to
give the purchaser double "value receiv-
cd he often makes one or two hundred
per cent, perhaps, on the capital invested.
We have no doubt hundreds and thous-
ands of our young folks have been bit by
their bargains. Indeed, we have seen
boys who mad lsin m a pretty heavy
stock of these "Yanlee notions" actual
" have mock auction to get rid of
them. The whole affair from beginning
to end is cheat, a aswindle, that is sup
ported to q great extent by Southern gul-
libility.
Again, if we look at this. "bogus jewel
ryyn in its bearings upon the security, har-
mony and happiness Of Southern society,
it is equally an evil. It cultivates a taste
and tendency for gambling and other i'm
moral speculation. Peddlers find it no
inconsiderable source Of their profits while
travelling among us; and they are gene
raiIySregaraed by our wisestand best citi-
zens as a public nuisance. They certain
ly, If they do norrht g worse, talse l755 lit
tie trade out Of the hands, especially of
our country merchants, who are our
neighbors and friends, and UerteJrG Of the
backbone of the country. These mon
Justly feel that they have claims to the
custom of their acquaintances, infinitely
superior to those Of strolling adventu-
rers, and it may be, abolitionists in dis
gpise. The patronage given to these lat
Ter; then, has directtendency to estrange
those who. have common interests, and
who, as they ivein the samgneighbor-
hood, should be bound together'by ties of
social good feeling and sympathy. We
might pursue these thoughts further; but
we have said enough to set each reader
to thinking for himself; and we hope the
result will he an abandonment Of the
practice, if ever followed, of selling his
birthright of common-sense for the poor
pottage of q "Yankee notion" that thriyes
only as a apractical joke" upon our gull
bility.- Yorkuille Enquirer.
In one Of the down east seaports lived