The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-08-20

4
| OVER three million five hundred thou.
sand dollars worth Of laces are annually
imported into the United States for the
use of its Inhabitants. Over five hum
dred thousand persons in Europe find
employment at good rates in lace max
ing, and over nine hundred lace schools
in Belgium and Flanders send out total
of thirty-fve thousand apprentices every
year TO become self-supporting in the
lace making industry. Besides the 3d.
900 worth of lace imported, a heavy
duty on which is paid, there are hun
dreds of thousands of dollars worth
Ismuggled across every year of which we
have no accurate estimate. In estlmat-
| ing the money paid for this and the labor
the money represents, the question of
the propriety of introducing this industry
into our own country naturally presents
itself. There seems really no reason
why this should not be done. The Amer
lean artisan is proving himself as deft
and ingenious as those of the old world,
and is also, when brought face to face
with any line of work, proving himself
equal to the task, in most instances, OF
Iinventing machinery by which large
proportion Of the work may be done with
lightning rapidity. Ifhalf a million peo.
pie in France, Belgium, Flanders, Eng
r land and Ireland can find constant and
profitable employment at lace making.
there seems no reason why this country
should not be able al least to manufac-
ture enough for her own production, and
thus keep her three or four million dol
lars at home every year instead Of send
ing it abroad. A prejudice founded in
ignorance has formerly deferred the
American capitalist from encouraging
the manufacture of lace here. 1t has
been claimed that the labor was un-
healthtul and also unremuneratiye.
Neither of these suppositions, however,
is true. Lace is not, as is
supposed by many, made in cellars.
or darkened rooms, except as regards
the spinning of the flax thread. The
most of the manufacture is done at the
homes OF the workers, who are cheer.
ful, rosy class of women and children.
and who make good wages by their work.
The flowers are all made at the homes
of the weayers, and only the joining done
in the manutactory. Especially is this
the case with the Brussels and Honiton
laces, and it is estimated that nearly
100, 900 women and girls in Belgium earn
good wages at their homes in this way.
The girls and women of this country are
suffering for something to do to save
them from the worse than useless means
of killing time to which they are driven.
The factory, with its Objectionable asso-
ciations and lily ventilated rooms, and
generally unhealthful peculiarities, is
not an inviting place to the young wo.
man, and is dreaded in many
instances by parents and children
as dangerous to health and NOR
ais. There are many who, from these and
other reasons, do not see fit to accept op-
portunities of this kind, for self support
who would gladly. take advantage of the
opportunity of earning a livelihood and
relieving themselves OF the ennui of idle
ness, could the work be done at their
homes where the dangers and annoy
ances alluded to above would not exist.
To this class the three or four million
dollars paid annually for laces might. in
agreat part atleast. go, and thus a double
advantage accrue to the makers and to
the country atlarge, and beside this the
duty be saved to the purchaser. There
is but one lace school in the United
States and that one is over crowded with
pupils. Belgium and Flanders have nine
hundred which graduate over 10000 pu-
pills yearly. Let us have a few hundred
and let the latent industry and the latent
inventive facultyof the country be given
an opportunity to render lace making as
profitable in America as in Europe.