New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-26
a lost one; the industry of coal mining and o'ne
more profitable industries taking Its place.

more uroitable industries taking Its place.
The migration of the industry from Valenclehhes
To Belgium has been serious commerciai toss W
France. Valencennes lace was linen lace ano
great quantity is consumed Throughout inc "oiiu
1t is made altogether upon the pillow, OF simple COM
bnaton with one kind of thread for the pattern anu
ground. Owing to the tineness Of the max AZ"
number of the bobbins no lace is so expensive 70
make What is known as Valenclennes lace ~ ho"
made EXTENSIVELY at Ypres, Courtray, Oheht anu
Bruges, and IN almost all parts Of flanders = ho
work is difficult requires long appieh' i'e'nIp'
and after working hard for twelve hours day the
paw is miserably poor rarely exceeding thirty cents
and probably not averaging twenty-five cents III
takes several months aud sometimes even year
70 make a coupon three yards in length. Inc
work has TO be done in damp cellars, and it is sald'
with too much truth fear that workers become
almost blind before they thirty, sol trying Is inc
close confinement and lack of hight when Arthur
Young visited Valencieunes before lace-lnaklhg had
migrated he found some women who only hlauc
twentv-four inches in year; and 1t took ten
months working fifteen hours day, to lhlsh
pair of mems ruhles.
Caen. Bayeux, Mir6court, Arras, and, as have
shown. lie Puy, were the towns that made tue
cheaper laces and these towns after the restoration
of the Monarchy were the first to feel the reaction
Cation which was less expensive, Ilolo tI''n'i'' ~
easier to work than linen, was introduced. New
markets were opened and the industry once more
fOurished.
Alencop. in Normandy was the first French townt TO
successfully make Venice point; indeed the local
historians of the time pronounced it more beautiful
than that of Venice Be that as it may, Colbert
had attained his object, and made France lndepeh-
dent of Italy Before the Revolution Young found
nearly 10000 persons engaged in the industry at
AIencon. The death of Colbert, the revocation OF
the Edict of Nantes and the Revolution reduced
the number greatly Napoleon l., by his patronage
revived the prosperity OF the industry but great
er part of the lace-makers had emigrated to Eng
land Spain, Italy, Germany, and even to Russia.
After the fall of the First Empire. 1t Is SAID tne
manufacture nearly died out. In lofO lrosh
attempts were made to revive the manufacture
Two hundred aged women - all the lace-makers
remaining were collected and set to work. New
workers had to be secured from other districts, but
thew conld not acquire the art of pure Alcncon re-
sean. The restoration Of the Empire again helped
Alencon. and some magnificent orders were given
nv NAPOLEON III. Bayeux now manufactures the
finest point d Alencon and in 1867 was exhibited
| dress costing $1,000 francs, which took forty
women seven years to complete. .,
Argentan (de pOrne vas for some time IVA al
the Revolution. and embroidery and the hand-spln-
ming of hemp is now the principal occupation OF the
district Chanlly (Oise)waS formerly the centre OF
large lace district the trade being distributed over
! nearly one hundred villages. Chantllly first nitro
ducrd the black lace industry. The Revolution not
mnly ruined the trade, but, being near Paris, most
! of tLe unfortunate laCe-wOrkcrS persisted on Inc
scaifold, as their productions were used exclusively
| by the nobility. With the return OF the Empire the
indnStrv prospered again, and Chantllly laccs are
today in high repute, though like AencOn lace the
greater part of it is produced at BaycuX and other
| lace tovius i'm the Department Of CalvadOs Forty
! nrp-Y o IA
| uartmcnt extending along the coast 10 thcrDnurg
! were engaged IN making laccs OF all KINDS. NOW
! however the makers COntnc themselves principally
| 10 black laces. Caen ana Vcinlt{ rs the most M
| nortqnt and $4,000 women and children are here
| employed. The streets of the suburbs arc hned
| with family parties, seated round thelf coiIaVe
| Joors induStr0usly twirling their b0bbms. They
| are more thrifty and more Intelligent class OF
noonlc than those found in the district from which
| write OF late years Bayeux has gained repu-
| tation suprTl0r to all other towns Of the Depart
| mcnt of CalvadOs. Ii has the first manufacture ioI
large pieces OF black lace OF extra me qnality anu
rich design. 1t excel5 greatly at tile pillow lace
Over a century before Colbert introduced the
fine Italian laces into France Lille and ArTas, both
i'm fine northwest of France made white laccs with
single grounds, Lille was then part OF the Neither
| Iands and the FIRST blow 10 tie lace trade was its
many of the lace-wOrkrrs emigrated 10 Ohent.
| Toward the close of the eighteenth century PROB
| ably 20 900 lace-nakers found employment III the
! Lille district. Thirty years ago the number lad
been reduced to 900. But tins. think, ~ partly
due to the fact that more important industries have
| arisen i'm Lille. RoubaiX TurCuiug, etc, based ON
| steaIn-powcr and modern machinery ana the coal
| fields of the Department On NOrd. MIrccOurt and
| the other towns in the NosCcS where labor j.
cheaper than in tho great manufacturing regions OF
the North secured portion of the Lille lace trade
| Arras in Arthur YOung's time ilISSl, cXccllcd IN
| - coarse thread laccs which find q good market IN
| England" The lace workers earn from II 10 -
sous cents per day. In lSjl" Mr. Palllser SAYS,
" there were ;, 900 acc-makcrs IN radius Of eight
miles round the city, their salary not exceeding 80
cputilncs Il ) cents day. There not many left
now but the earnings today would not exceed 30
cents per day. During the last half century the
laccs OF Ballcul lNorl have come into Importance
and several thousand persons are engaged M the m
dustTy The lace OF this town is of ancient origin
but OF late years it has adjusted its manufacture "a
present wants and produces strong lace used Ion
! trimming. 1t may ~ time secure the home markets
for lace now imported into France from Bruscs
| which aggregates some years nearly $1,000 600
In this brief space have endeavoTcd. imperfect "
! peTlaps to give an account oi an industry Wlncl
There is no idea perhaps, of starting III the United
STATES but which that country helps Ia support IN
France by contributing several millions annually
II EMPLOYS a quarter Of 4 million people ma France
aud produces I'm value about 800 900 900 of products
tle greater part of which value il labor, for the raw
material used in the Manufacture Is Insignificant
I'm a country like France II Is valuable industry
c.uccialy in the poor agricultural dIstrictE, and T
sIould be borne IN mind that had IL not been FOR The
GREAT protecti0ni~t Colbert 10 would never hIyt
arisen to its present importance.
kOEFRT B. PORTER.