The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-10-31
An Old Fashioned Hat.

An Old Fashioned Hat.
A long time ago, when we old folks
were young, when girls wore big bon
nets, and never dreamed of wearing hat
like boys, there was in fashion a
small fairy like hat of silver or gold,
to wear on the finger. Every girl had
one, and was taught to use it almost as
soon as she was out of her cradle
young ladies wore it nearly all the time,
and as for mothers-why, they scarcely
took it off to go to bed.
They were pretty little things made
OF gold o. silver, as L said, and though
they are somewhat out of style just now,
/ think you will like to know a little
about them. The Germans call them
finger hats, and our English forefathers,
who had long names for everything,
called them thumb-bells but of late
the world has got into such hurry that
we've shortened that pretty name into
thimble, and now, of course, you think
you know all about them.
You may know how one looks, and
what it is for, though, thanks to sewing
machines, you don't have to wear 1t
much, and the time has long gone by
when it was necessary to every girls
good name that she should embroider
a " sampler" full of letters and have it
framed and hung up before she was
twelve years old But L don't believe
you know how it come to be dainty
little fnger-hat instead of silver spoon
or gold ring.
l can assure you it has a history of
its own, and it has been through many
L. t,,1
the time it was sleepingin its native bed
under the ground. 1t would be as in
teresting as fairy story if you could
have the true story of the thimble,
either of gold or silver.
Why, how many persons do you sup
pose it has taken to bring it from the
state of tiny specks to the pretty little
thing it is !? Not to count miners, or
crushers, or reiners, or any of those
people, but to begin when it enters the
thimble factory, it takes about twenty
workmen, besides lots of machinery, to
make it.
1t begins with the rollers-monstrous
great rollers of steel-whlch think moth
ing of rolling bar of silver as thin as
q sheet of paper if thinness is wanted.
For thimbles, however, it is rolled about
q twentieth of an inch thick, and cut
into strips two inches wide. 1t looks
like beautiful silver ribbon, and one
hates to see it go to heartless steel
punch, which champs away all day, TAX
ing out bites about as big as n silver
half-dollar Tan old-fashioned silver coin
you may have heard your grandmother
mention.)
These round silver pieces are the
future thimbles, as You'll see before
they get through their tribulatiOns IN
this house.
The next torturing machine turns up
the edge all around, making the found
alton for the future rim. No one would
suspect this round fiat thing could ever
get into the shape of a thimble, but the
very next machine does the business
The unfortunate bit of silver is put into
press, dreadful great steel thing
comes down with smash, and, behold !!
there is your thimble, perfect i'll shape,
though plain silver without figures.
The next thing is to turn over the
edge and make it firm, and the thimble
is ready for it's " dimples, as some one
calls the little holes made to catch the
needle.
The smooth silver-hat is put into a
lathe-a machine that does nothing but
turn things around-a workman sits
down in front with tool, shaped some
thing like hammer, and while the
thimble is whirling on the lathe he
proceeds to cover the top with holes.
First he makes one in the very middle,
then a ring close around that,-look at
one and you'll see,-and so he goes on
across the top and down the sides as far
as it is wanted.
Now. there's curious thing happens
while this bit of silver is whirling on
the lathe. 1t makes very sweet musical
sounds, higher or lower i'll tone as it
turns fast or slow. Workmen sometimes
get so expert that they can vary the
sounds by changing the speed, and
fairly make the thimble sing tune.
That must be the moment of glory for
the little thimble, for it is the first and
last sound it ever makes.
From the lathe the little thumb bell
goes to be polished, to have its number
marked on it, and its pretty little border
of leaves or figures engraved by sharp
steel tools, and by the time it is ready
for the shop, it has only plain silver
enough left to put your name on 1t when
you buy it.
Brass and steel thimbles are made in
much the same way, though many OF
them. YOU know, have no tops, and are
destined to the shops of tailors.
When the finger-hat is of gold the
process is a little different. 1t is not
cut from a solid piece like the silver
thimble-by no means-in act the golo
thimble is a humbug and sham
and goes through life on false pre-
lenses. for the gold is only skin deep
and the rest is-common steel.
Pope immortalized a thimble by de
scribing one adorned with the face OF 9
queen but sewing-machines are get