The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-09-05
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WANAMAKER'S.

that a merchants way OF
dealing in black silk was a
pretty fair test of his dealing
in general. There are two
reasons for the statement:
the importance of black silk
as an article of merchandise,
and the impossibility of being
perfectly sure how any par
ticular quarter-yar of it is
going to wear. 1t is worth
something in estimating a
man to know how he treats
an important matter that in
wolves some risk to his client.
There are two attitudes
which the merchant may
properly take towards this
trcachcrous article of univer-
sal dress. He may say:
We buy the silks of the best
makes; use the best skill
VIC can command in choosing
them; examine carefully be
fore we sell them and, if the
silks do not turn out success
full i'm wear, the fault is back
of US. The maker himself
does not know how a partic-
ular piece of his own black
silk is going to wear; the
skilful workmen t rou oh
whose successive hands it
has passed from the cocoon
to the last process of the
finish do not know no.
body knows. The only way
to find out is by trying. You
have got to buy with what
ever Of risk there is. We do
all we can to make it little.
We cannot take it away.
This is the attitude that he
must take, if he is frank and
fair; unless the maker bears
the risk. Somebody has got
to bear it; the merchant
can't; the maker can. If a
maker chooses to insure his
silk, rely on the merchant
to pass that insurance over
to the wearer and deal justly
with both, then the merchant
may say: This silk may wear
well or i'll ; we do not know
how it will turn out; but, if
it goes too soon, we'll replace
the part that fails.
Either attitude is proper.
Either recognizes the un-
avoidable chance of disap-
pointment that turks in every
black silk dress. One makes
provision for that chance
and the other notifies the
buyer that the risk is hers.
1t depends on the maker
what the merchant can do.
Not every maker of black
silk, not every maker of good
black silk, not every maker
of the very best black silk, is
disposed to take the risk of
his work.
Some merchants of the
highest standing never guar
antee any silk to wear. We
choose the middle ground.
We warrant silks that are
warranted to us. If a re-
sponsible maker is willing to
take the risk of his work and
trust us to administer his
guarantee, we do it. We
do not insist that he shall.
We are prompted to this
explanation by a series of
black silks which we sell with
agreement to replace with
out charge any part that may
fail to be fairly durable. Let
it be understood that the
guarantee is ours as much as
if the maker we're not behind
us; and that it is the makers
as much as if you were not
looking to us for its fulfil
ment.
The silks we guarantee to
wear well are these, three
French and two American:
Bellon's "Household" brand,
SI.a5 to S2.25; Giraud' $
Cachemire Alexandra,
$3.50 to So; Guinet's" Cache
mire," 90 cents to So so;
Givernau u d S gros-grain,
SI,25 to So; and Cheney's
gros-grain, $I.25 to $3.50.
Each makers silk has its
peculiar ch ra cteristics
through its several grades;
and the prices rise with the
weight.
The price of silk is very
low now. The depression is
felt particularly in staples;
less in novelties" which
always bring extravagant
prices for the first few weeks.
We refer to-day to staples;
to silks of intrinsic value F.; to
silks that never lose their
favor. Because they always
hold their place in dress,
they go up and down in the
market according to the cur
rent value of silk and labor