Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1873-01-29
Spinning and Weaving.


The arts of both Spinning and
Weaving are Of very great antiquity
and were known to the ancients long
before the time Of Abraham Mummy
cloths, in good state of preservation,
are exhibited in the British Museum
that were woven more than three
thousand years ago. They are made
OF the finest linen, and for quality
have never been cxcelled. Before TIC
invention of modern machinery, spin.
ming and weaving were of q domestic
nature, ard were prominent features
of household economy. The fiber
whethor OF wool, flax or cotton. was
u,s~,i out anu tTisied~ slnl0 threads
by means of small upright wheel
that was part Of the furniture of al,
most every G.mily.
Spinning is one of the primary arts,
and was Developed by the growth OF
civilization. The system in its first
crude efforts is supposed TO have or
iginated in India, and even TO this
day the natives of this country excel
all Others in the fneness of their linen
threads, and the luxurious elegance OF
their soft and richly dyed carpets.
The Anglo-Saxons were at an early
day proficient in domestic spinning
both in wool and fax. In the seventh
century tho undergarmcnts, gowns
and stockings of tho higher classes
were made Of fine linen. Before the
close of the same century, the ladies
of Great Britain had attained such
excellence in weaving that they work
ed gold and silver threads into linen,
after q pattern traced on the fabric,
and linen webs were woven with shut
ties filled with wool threads of purple.
At q later period women of all
grades were accustomed to spin; but,
from the fact that the unmarried ones
were moro fully occupied in this man
ncr, we have derived the word "spin.
ster." History speaks of the four
daughters of King Edward the Elder
as famous for their skill in spinning,
weaving, and needle work. These
accomplishments procured for them
husbands distinguished us four of the
first princes in Europe.
The spinning of both cotton and wool
by machinery was secured in process
of time, and the process has been of in
calculablo service TO mankind. On
account of the cohesion of the fibers
of the fax, and the irregularity Of the
threads, which are i'll adapted for spin
ming, until recent date the work of
spinnin linen was almost entirely
performed by hand. The first tolora-
bly, good results in machine spinning
were attained by the brothers Girard,
of Paris, who were quite successful in
the undertaking about the year 1910.
Great difiiOuitiVn, however, Ucset The
work, and IL was never highly sue
cessful until sometime later.
Leeds, in Yorkshire; Dundee, in
Scotland and Belfast, in Ireland have
the credit Of being tho first seats of
the linen trade, where the spinning of
flax by machinery reached state of
perfection little short of that attained
in co.ton and wooden 1t was the re-
suit oi the carly experiments in France,
however, that suggested to jacquard
tho invention of his celebrated loom,
which has had the effect of revolution
izing the trade of the world.
But, with all the improvements
made by modern science in spinning
and weaving, the quality of band-spun
and hand-woven linen rtill maintains
its superiority; and underthe present
system lace equal to old fashioned
point-laee, pillow-lace or drawn lace
connot be manufactured. The excel
lencc of this material has greatly dc,
Perforated.