The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-12-06
Wednesday Morning, Dec. 6, 1865.
Lecture on Shoddy.


Hon. VIM. d. KELLEY recently delivered a
lecture before the Press Club of Philadelphia
from which Forney's Press makes the follow
ing extract: II. 77ypa l9
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :-Knowing bet
ter pcrhaps than any one of you the laborS of
the gentlemen connected with the press of
any city, it was with pleasure that, on Friday,
/ accepted an invitation to deliver lecture
this evening in the place of the talented but
erratic gentleman in whose place stand. l
propose to let you know what shoddy is, and
to deduce some useful lessons from it; and
shall attempt to show you that America would
be a greater nation if more devoted-not to
the production of shoddyites, but to shoddy.
The difference between the American and
English use of the word shoddy is as different
as one language can make the word. You
see an elegantly dressed young man sitting be-
hind pair of elegant horses, with costly
afghan covering his limbs, and you say "Shod-
dy" Isee poor, miserable being, with bag
over his shoulder and stick with hook on it
in his hand, picking up rags through the streets
and depositing them in bag, and say "Shod-
dy." / use it in the English sense of the
word, you in the American.
met a gentleman during the war whom
had known in business in New York. met
him near Alexandria. asked him what he
was doing, and he said he was just on little
speculation, and had been buying up refuse
bread from the army. / asked him what he
sold ,var again and the blaclr drv narts be
LaJ orornd md sod N fbe grocers for nannor
AraaSr;oa-,s mn,,,J COW of tb.9 mon 9Sboddvn y
1Ann,amsal It do not anolooiza for tho de-
frapdarS of tho Covenmenf who sold infer;or
articles durinr tbe first vear of the war. hnt
there is no doubt that we are as much swim
dIed in tba nurcbasa of articles of daily con-
t; uneu ~ sho as ,s~ Groant ~ - d,,r;I ury th
fnn4 ,'ao,.s - Az nohon;on WV
u ho,, eno -, NO aro o,,tpo,,, ~,
,re,,arod for II How yyas n when II cIosetp
po - ~ a." ~ 1J soo, ,,,;ar -, Iii 80
;JS n"o .ne mUu o,,,,;a, ,ap' =.
tIa aioso "f ~ 11a 49, orol,ad ;n3o Wasb0
VI .no "a1 -, aoS ~ ainti;, f A,,aar;
nstoh, ane Mere an ti1u III o,o'iiiiiS Vi 1Ai'ioii
can e insnaesure n1. pt;o, s. e,,s tho
you asa ne s1 M' sas,o a. "a, a,.S ono uoe
y, 'ne "orI eho, 'as +ta tnu ,,Iaoitl ~ poS
pc, III s'd,.i. m 7uoots Nv =, -. " hon ~
talned Dy Irauauient contracts, Or ~ an non
est way, no naelon ,i = .iole ploau " Snomns
sneiI posSessiohs snsn Ln1 h,.ad tha;r
pos. au oiyorot,ar astaf,I
ale e,'Ieiy .liee1s, anI .,'a-
OluIt senuenleI long neiolo Iunpvo, l' .Is' ma.
hreu upoi' Duy siais poslos s:,', Ieeause J: my
were ~ giloeu naies anu uiu iauies smesp
aonS ooL ss,ee'S VIII oosliy oisahuioS ioi
hSIe u.api12s ,.,.
1:,9 Mess inus " VI nsio i,o-1lsaa ynole -
OH one nm Wnose prouuc'ionS sic pialAoI.L a ~
Iney are soiu ny Peuials. ~ 20 Iehomnou o. :iio
Woriu over ior cts prouuctions, anu esciy.nis
nue lliel9 70 sse a.oi 1nJ s'e .; Lorao"n;s
sa1liefee non az tue III Sa,,; 49, Ie"r
natlons Oh tne worio. mean 5a py aItnnathar
Darous enose natlons WHICH uepenu .Ia
1or tneir existence upon Ine sWolu anu sno
plongh alone, anu 10 not aIIelnp' w nia'lu-
factnre. -. 1910 .,,.. uos,so ,oo,
1t was ionnd ABOUT iolo elaS REFUSE refuse ra?S sy,
were ValuaDie anu Ho one ii1'is Untsa III, 4i
tnere are 70 uay III ge LOW suM4 tou ~ od y .1 a
ia1gest nis N Ilie wotlu, anu
the corners Oh tne wor,u .nef p,ouJooo ,o ta oi1a
want 70 snow you 'i,1t ,' o,, 1 oooI Io1ds
country VI on5 e;, oraS a,,J a. ve will not
anu our oroau iai H. W. o,,d ~ a
USE usJ Ghom h' o,,r ref,se sboddv the MANY mann
rlcn Dy our Ieiuse sHoqHy .S insTy Mou poaI,e
tatus a,s ua'ssnnts ,,;lots t,uaads rav;Sties lin
HusniuS, .,,'a4S ~ so"I ,tPinS Pn''' '"o''
mp ,,,o oSl, vo, ,nIy tbot ,uork NAV not be
49, -, ,n Annarcon S so;Ip Tbev admit them.
o1-,os % tbat no conntrr in the world sunnl;as
s1,on, With so mnch or 90 GOOD material as the
Amer;can market Have we not the coal to
nnva tha machinery and the genius to do the
WORK ? Wby do we NOT do it? It used to be
tbe fashion here to 20 out to the Falls and
eot a catfish sumner. or to Fairmount and eat
nIsnt shad. 4 fisherman one lay drew up
his net and found II heavily laden. He took
off a nerch and other valuable fish. and upon
Sn;nd ;ntarro,ated as to h;s waste he sai,I he
oo,a,e aatty;nS and WHEN he went cattv;ng be
Uot a.t casty;ng So in tbe vear 1s5o we wasted
W. b,,ndyad and twenty.five millions of dol
1'o uno ,,a,th of shoadv and to th;S Stota nf
pas,,,s,,l,anio xyonl3 he fonnd indnlony "a,
on4n SSt;n booy;ar than that 90 to fha E,,s-