Nebraska advertiser., 1870-02-10
A Yisit to Chinese sllk Faetory.

n correspondent VI tie OAutluuAll
Commercial writes from Canton:
Idirected my guide to take me into
the silk weaving streets. We soon
entered them. / at once dismOunted
to take a careful observation Of their
nlOOus ODerdHdj, for the production of
this renowned fabric of oriental looms.
All around me was silk, nothing but
silk. In small dark houses, little bet
ter than novels, were seen people,
principally women, dyeing this deli
cate textile. Outside in little filthy
yards and pig-styes, over the ground
where the family swine were wallOw-
ing, were placed bamboo poles, where
on were hanging skeins of cOlOfed
silk, Just from the dye, and glowing
with the most vivid hues, as they
hung for drying in the sunshine, over
the lOathsOme pools below. l visited
several OF their weaving shops. They
were quite similar in their fixtures,
acknowledgements / Ispent some time
i'm examining one of the largest. 1t
was, perhaps, one hundred feet long,
and about sixteen feet wide. The
walls were of course clay blocks, sun
dried, unpiaeced by a single aperture
or for air light, save at the front, which
was entirely open the whole length of
the building. The floor was simply
Of trOdden clay, uneven and untidy.
An aisle ran down the center, Just
wide enough for one person to pass
on either side of this were ranged the
nearest looms, and standing as close
together as they could be placed.
Or IN nron % nr,IO
ed on the work of each loom. The
looms are plain common looking af-
fairs, almost precisely the same kind,
as to appearance and mode of manipu-
latiOn, as those upon which our grand
mother i'm Ohio used to weave the
linsey- for the wear of US
Western boys when even the preacher
was almost a stranger to broad-clOth.
Squatting myself down by one of
these friendly-lOOking acquaintances,
of my bOyhOOd, leisuTely watched
the delicate and dilligent manipula-
tiOns of the weaver and his assistants
as their shuttles flew to and from the
may mystery of figures and flowers,
came gradually Out larger ami palmer
upon the glowing surface of the gOr-
geOus fabric, which those skillful
wOrkmen were creating under my eye.
So complex were the movements of
the men upon these simple looking
machines, and marVelOusly beautiful
were the products resulting therefrOm,
that | gaZed with unbounded amaze
ment upon this work of silk weaving,
as it progressed before me.
The weather being very warm and
fI,o q, oy.Dvr-ToI f1O on moro
almost naked. My visit interested
them manifestly, though not loom
ceased its clicking, clacking noise, not
q man left his employment to gaze,
but 1 detected them giving furtive
glances and exchanging mutual smiles
among themselves 1T the curious
stranger who had thus sunceremOniOus
lysQuatted himselfdOWn in their midst
by one of these humble looking looms
on a common dirt floor, within home
ly clad walls, were, nevertheless, are
produced these magnificent fabrics
which for ages and throughout the
world, have been the pride of wealth,
the envy of beauty and the admiration
and desire of royalty. Far down and
nearly to the extreme limit of this
long room, was a plain board counter
extending quite across the room. Be
hind it stood the pro- rietOr of the fac
tory, a smooth-faced, richly-clad Chi
namen. Directly over him the house
was unroOfed, thereby affOrding
spacious skylight; eXceptthis window
there was none. Through this sky
light, and down upon the counter be-
low, the sunshine fell through upon
the finished work of this dingy, dirty
squallid looking workshop. The pro-
prietor was busy measuring off, and
packing up the products of his looms.
And as the sunlight streamed full up
on the gorgeous cOlOrs Of those mag
nificent silks, satins and brOcades
which the proprietor was tossing
about in bill lOwy radience, it seemed
to my eyes, as 1 stood far up in the
feeble light of the center &C the room,
as though he was tossing or toying
rainbows. From places so humble
and surroundings squalid as this come
those royal fabrics whichare to dec
crate palaces, and to IdOrn the person
of peinces and mOnarchs Of the earth.
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