Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-04-29
ALEI.a.N.DRLR G.aZETTE
AND VIRGINIA. A DIV ERTI S Ell
1SELECTED.
SHOPPING.


Persons in limited circumstances are always
tempted to buy cheap, fabrics. II calico at
ten cts. q ward looks about as we'll as one at
twelve or fifteen cts, the prudent purchaser will
often thinkit economy to choose the low-prlced
goods As it is low priced, she may indulge IN
ward or two more for ruff1es or bias folds
fattering herself that cheap ornamentahon IS
an equivalent for fine quality. This mistake
may be seen permeating the entire wardrobe
of many quite sensible people The result is
simply this-they never have anything Of real
" good quality, are always shabby, and always
buying. We say again, what has been reiterat-
ed in this column-none hut rich people can
afford to buy poor goods A day or two since
a clergyman remarked in our hearing, My
last suit Of clothes cost me $50, and | wore 1t
five wears, and it looked well to the last this
one cost me $65, and it will last me for five
years to come" Suppose ne had bought 10, 10
stead, broadcloth of inferior quality, with liz
ines and trimmings to match, and the making
M corresponding with the price in one year
his black would be brown, his faciugs worn,
and the whole "seedy," with no other way to
do than to buy another outfit or go shabby
The same process of reasoning applies to mus
Inns to dress goods of all sorts, to carpets and
table linen. We grudge the time we see wo-
men spend in making up muslins OF low grade
for underclothing. There are so many stitches
in a shirt And when it lasts one year In
stead of two, as it should, there is just twice as
much work done as need to be. Better make
three shirts of New York mills, or Wamsutta,
or WiamsviIle, or Tuscarora, than SIX Fot
lower grade of muslin. Just so IN tannels. "A
5Ocent all wool Shaker flannel will wear two or
three times as long as your tilmsy cotton and
wool stuff, few pennies cheaper. Especially
CT. ,hr;o chn ho oh
for service, that when made up they may de-
sccnd from one child to another, thus saving
the mother time to stitch into her brain little
embroidery of thought and culture.
There is often great saving made 10: shop.
ping if one is able to buy by the piece instead
of by the yard. This can frequently be done at
wholesale houses through the agency Of friend
and great saving made thereby. AS hint
to some of our county readers we quote from
letter written By lady in Wisconsin:
About year ago, moved; by the high
prices asked by our merchants for poor goods,
and by some of your remarks addressed a
letter to the leading merchant OF your city, ask
ing for prices and samples OF many kinds of
dry goods; id short time received polite
answer, very plainly written containing the
samples requested and many others; the price
and width plainly marked on the goods l Sc
lected such samples as desired and sent them
back, requesting them to send me so many
wards of each article, nclosing a draft to pay
tor the goods. was highly pleased with the
result. On some goods [ saved more than halt
the price, and on almost everything except cal
ico heavy sheeting and common delaines,
there was from ten to seventy-fve cents differ
ence in the price per yard from what we pay
here, aud even in these got a better article
for the money than L could buy here. have
ordered many things without samples, telling
them what want and about what price want
to pay aad the result is always satisfactory.
We are farmers and work hard, and want goods
for use aud durability"
In selecting fabrics it is well to think " hat
secondary purpose they may serve when they
have accomplished the immediate object tor
which they were procured. Some garmets
may have as many lives as q cat, and transnl.
crate from one form to another till they reach
that summum bonum Of Hindoo telcity-the
blankness-of white paper, or that final apoth-
costs of woolen fabric-a rag carpet. But
whatever we buy of dress goods do let US be
coutent to wear it in simplicity, and not cut and
slash and twist and torture it into every con-
ceivable shape that ever haunted the crazy
brain of an insane fashion inventor. We stand
agape on Broadway at the toilettes displayed
there, and grow ineffaby weary at thought of
the endless ruf1es and bias folds and bows and
fringes and deformed panniers the scallops
and Aounces and oyerskirts, the infinite t0ggery
that goes to make up the toilette of a. Broad
way BELLE What will these women do with
the ready-made clothing that the saints above
wear? One or two rules with regard to shop
ping may not be out of place. 'r,,: II,
First Have a, list Of articles to be pprchsas-
ed made out in black. and white. By. this
means you will be saved from sudden tempta,, =
ton o;buy what is not really necessary, and
forget nothing that you require. Second:
Deal only With; merchants, i9, ,;Ehose business
integrity you can coDfde aThirda,;;b. da,;b.t1fh! t1fh the
long run one always does betterto buy at one
and the same place than to- run about TOR the
purpose of hunting up bargains. A regular
customer can often get favors denied to an oc-
casional purchaser Is Fourth: Never . buy,
what you don't want, simply because e1l 1T is
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~CIT1s.rI- 1ySr7S TES 7TNJ1t r, 2 EVENIIE'.