Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-05-23
MOTHER GOOSE's RAHBLEs.
what the Good Old Lady Saw During
an Afternoon walk.
Life Among the Work PeopIe-SiIk
Culture in Memphis.

To the Editors of the Appeal:
Holding fast by the theory that brisk
CONSTITUTIONAL in ones own feet is a better
life-preserver than all the drives and rides
in christendom, and concluding that daily
promenade up and down Main street, Just to
be agonizsd by the gorgeous display CT I'm
attainable fDery was too much on the order
of bsrmecide feast to be good either for
the health or the morals of weaklings like
myself, have taken TO exploration excur-
slons up and down, around and about in the
highways and byways of our town, my own
local habitation forming the hub from which
these different paths radiate spokewise.
One of these rambles in strange paths led
me, last week, TO the terminus of one of
Memphis's most pleasant looking streets-a
street which, toward the river, boasts of some
very handsome dwellinghouses, but at the
other end Is almost exclusively devoted TO
small cottages, built on a cheap scale and
occupied presumably by Woodworking
folks Of very limited means. At that hour
of the day no men were visible, SO that the
prevailing industry of the locality was
merely guess work with me, and, as there
was a railroad station, and railroad shoP5
and railroad tracks all round about, L
guessed the men might be railroad men.
| Not aspiring to "Mrs. Jelliby's" philanthropy
ical pre-eminence, nor considering had found
my "Borroboolah Cha" in that street
| my 1ultTe5t IN the
inmates OF those cottages to my eyes and
speculated silently upon
THE HARD, CAREwoRN, JoYLESs SORT OF
LIVES
they, in all probability, were living. Through
an open window | caught glimpse of three
| women, sallow, thin and dull looking women
bending in most uncomfortable pastures over
| a quilting frame in which a calico patch
work quilt was stretched. They were quilt
ing it. A slow, tediou-, back-breaking oper-
alton, for which | knew, by former Inquiries.
they were TO r, ceive the royal remuneration OF
81. From almost every window, out over
the dusty little garden beds, where a few
stunted plants vainly essayed to impose
| picture OF floral success upon the wayfarer,
came the monotonous buzz of sewing ma
| chimes which, while undoubtedly tightening
the labor of sewing has SO cheapened it as 10
counterbalance the good results for those
who have to earn living thereby. On one
doorstep was seated a matron eng ragged in the
three-fold operation of darning mans
coarse sock, watching three grimy olive
branches that were giving practical illustra-
| tions in the middle of the street, that "dust
they were and unto dust they had returned"
and detailing to her nearest neighbor, in a
| querulous voice, the tale of her daily drHdg-
cry aud unsuccessful attempts to make both
ends meet. Others were trying to coax a few
| spring vegetables into res poRsive condition;
still others bending over piled up wash tubs,
all busy with a dull, stolid, enduring sort of
industry more fitted to dumb driven cattle
| than to women who are xpeeted, by the I'M
reasonable sex, to combine brightness of eye
with strength OF muscle, smiles with soap
suds, cheerfulness with industry, let the bur-
den of their daily drudgery press never SO
| heavily upon them. The American woman
of the class under discussion has no side
issues.
HER HOME, HER HUSBAND, HER CHILDREN
AND HER WORK
constitute all she knows of this wendrous
world of ours. Where an English or Irish
drudge would seek solace in the gin-bottle,
or sink into the hopeless condition of an idle
slattern, the American woman will toll on
to the bitter end, growing little harder
with each hard days work-a little more
pinched in soul with every fresh pinch of
perjury, holding fast all the while by her
code of right and wrong, with rigid virtue
that is pathetic while it is commendable.
Passing from this uncheerful street into
one of the short, pretty streets that surprise
one often in this homogeneous town of
ours stopped to make call which had
been the ostensible object of my walk. Big
eyed pansies, dainty daisies, scarlet verbenas
and gorgeous geraniums glori6ed the little
grass plat in front of the cottage I was in
search OF, speaking eloquently of the refine
ment of its inmates. And on the serene brow
of its mistress was written, "Peace on earth,
good will toward men," "Heart and hands
both full" she said, with her serene smile,
as she introduced US to Que after another OF
her five mall responsibilities. We knew they
were not wealthy people; that in common
with half the South, they had to do what
ever their hands had found TO do, and the
secret of her serenity, in view OF her many
responsibilities, was somewhat pulling until
we discovered incidentally that in spite of
the fact that she had "heart and hands both
full, she found time for two branches of in
dustry, both of them SO prominently woman's
work and one of them such a delicately
pretty industry that the only marvel is so
few ladies have adopted ii. They are, the
manufacture of exquisite Gsh-scale jswelry
and 1.-THE culture of the silkworm. The first
mentioned is occupation of such refined
delicacy that it might we'll
BEGUILE THE WEAKNESS OF IDLE ROYALTY.
The second, while probably a degree less
delicate, is OF deeply absorbing interest to
any one inclined to speculation upon the
wonders of nature. My new friend kindly
undertook to enlighten my Ignorance con-
corning the culture of the silkworm. / had
never seen anything OF it. 1 knew, from my
reading, that many years ago silk culture
had been attempted in this country and much |
money lost, because there were no mills to |
consume the silk; and l also knew that nop
the silk manufacturers were complaining |
loudly that they had to import more than |
two-thirds OF the material they consume into |
a country better adapted than either France |
or Italy for raising it, particularly the South, |
whence forever goes up cry of poverty that |
might, to a very large extent, be mitigated |
by the women and children (who are doing |
nothing) engaging in this easy occupation; |
but did not know, until shown into a small |
back room of that little cottage, where was a |
and oh I'D t. |
pasteboard boxes and plain racks, with one |
brave, determined little woman at the head |
OF it all, how simple was the outfit, and with |
what facility the culture of the silkworm /
could be carried on without interfering with |
any more pressing duties, or without requir-
ing any noticeable outlay of capital. 1 tried |
to look as wise as an owl as my brisk little |
where lay 10000 tiny eggs, as she informed |
me, lifting the carleton net, with
AN AIR OF PRIDE,
for me to take peep, to another big sheet |
of paper where myriads of small thread-like /
worms were squirmiDg about on the finely |
chopped leaves of the Usage orange, (which,
in lieu of the mulberry, she tells me, an
swers every purpose for feeding them, on
through the various stages until she lifted |
the veil off big box where reposed in Sc
clusion ever SO many delicate bride-white |
butterflies ready in their turn to renew the |
mystic chain OF creation. In view of her |
struggles against difficulties and her doubts
as to whether it was going to pay, was glad |
TO be in position TO tell her, authoritatiyely,
that the American Silk Exchange, No. q |
Bond street, New York, was prepared to buy
lands, plant mulberry trees, build houses and |
sell the same on installments small enough |
TO suit every ones means, in order to adj
vance the interests of silk manufacture in /
this country, and as Inducements to those |
wanting to go into silk culture but who have |
not the means. They will also buy cocoons,
silkworm eggs, silk producing trees, and
anything else the silk culturers have to sell. |
At the head of which company stands a
gentleman of culture and reliability
Mr.. w. B. Smith. 1 came away from |
that little cottage deeply impressed with |
the fact that there lies at the door of every |
Southern home, from that of the periodically |
overlooked planter down to the hut of the |
veriest drudge, an industry pleasant IN its |
demands, light in its exactions, sure in its |
promises OF remuneration, instructive in its |
various processes, if the women of the South |
will only stretch out their hands to secure it, |
and give it the respectful consideration it is |
entitled to.
With the Usage orange, that abounds In |
our midst, to supply food while waiting for |
our mulberries; with an active and enter |
prising association in New York ready to |
aid US in the undertaking, there is no good |
reason why we should not embark largely |