The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-12-15
OLE gatetIfaent4r.
Object Nos. SO and ~ FourtesuIa street,
"ALL WooIu,I
Woolsn Fabrics for Ladies' GATmsnisrWhat
Are the Best and Why,
BY JENNY JURR,
copyrighted 1855

WOODEN Fabrics Tor Ladies' GAFmenIS--Wht
Are the Best and Why,
BY JENNY JUER,
copyrighted lsS6l
Less than a hundred years ago, With
the memory, indeed, Of some who are sti
living, "bsst"- dresses were Of cotton
silk being out of resCh-RRd home-spul
stufTs Of wool, or mixed wool and linen
such as linssy-woolsey-the material usei
for everyday wear, The first printed col
tons were very expensive, three and fou
English shillings per yard-eQuivalent L
one dollar and, as q dollar in those day
WAS equivalent in purchasing power I,
four or five to-day, the cost OF a cotton
dress then represents the cost OF q verl
handsome silk one to poor person now
The cotton growth Of tho Southern State
Cheapened this product all over tht
world, and the perfected arts Of dyeinI
and printing soon made 1t cheaper, and
therefore, more common than wool, which
lost ground with the abandonment OF the
domestic spinning.wheel and the populari,
cation Of aiken fabrics.
1t Is easy to see how wool, which had
been the earliest material Tor clothing
known to man, which had been rudely
and universally used, should have been
rejected by people Of rank, and distinc.
ti0ns CTeAteO-0ne Of the badges of which
was the wearing Of silken garment, or
garments, Of color obtained only by rare
and costly dyes. 1t Is dttiCult TO under
stand now, ia these days Of infinite varie-
ty, and unrestIsined liberty Of selection,
what tho habits, impressions, aud smbi'
tons may hsvs been in times when the
wearing ol q color or fabric was the
hallmark Of dignity and high position,
But We all know that this gave it's prestige
to royal" purple, end II is easy to under
stand that robes OF silk, iIleIdlCled, by
cost and statute, must have become OBJ
ieCtB Ui feCIet ambition and strong desire
when the statutory intsrdiCt Was removed.
Then came t!mU when the wives and
daughters OF well-to.dO men would wear
nothing but silt, and the possession OF Ut
least ono silk dress, tho unaltaiIabls ob-
jeCt OF come womeh's lives.
At the Bsma time, however, wool grad.
ually roso in favor with the intelligent and
cultured classes. The French had greatly
improved on The old process OF dyeing and
manufacture. They had introduced their
all wool meTinoa and Cashmeres, the finer
grades Of which have never been suTpRsa.
ed in beauty, except by some exQuisitely
fue and soft Indian hRnl-loom mRnufaC.
turR, and then it Is matter Of taste,
some persons preierrirg the smooth 10 the
hair surtace. lgis curious that as wooden
fabrics declined with the masses, they
werS taken up again by the rich but the
reason it not far to Geek, The poor no
longer produced the stuas for their own
wear, and the improved wooden materials
had become as high in price, even higher
than cheap silks. The Bilk represented 90
much more to them, that they would
rather ireezs in cotton and silk than be
comfortable in working fabrics, and thus
improvements in wool went on, for 1t ap.
pealed to the taste and cultivation oil the
wellt1.do Classes-not 10 the necessities OF
the poor.
Thirty to forty years ago the materials
in vogue were alpacas, delaine, worOted,
serge, paramattas, and tho like-with
bombtzine for mourniug-All HtilI, TN.
yielding fabrics, tho wooden fabric,
charged, or mixed, with soma thread to
make II sitter and lgas liable to break in
weaving. The Rll-wool materials were
"FrenCh" mefinos and cishmerea. the
first woven 60 as to form n twill on both
sides, the latter only on the upper side,
the under side being plain apaCag and
beTgea, ranged from 80 cents 10 81 70
yard; all.Wool merlnos from 81 to Sl.75
and ~ per yard and Gashmores from 81 so
to 80. Lower grades In time Crept in, but
these prices represent all above the lowest
grades, myself knew lady, the vile OF
u nlsguete end great man in country
nelghbOrhood, who beat dreg8 was always
a French merino, l do not think ahe ever
possessed u elk dress in her life.
The prestige Of "all-wooL" has had q
deeper eigniflcation, u wider influence
than Can over. DO generally known, or &C.
knowledged. 1t is part Of tho greater
feeling, the Bubtler expression Of later
times. It requires batter, more careful
treatment than mixed and etiHened fbrGs,
and it produces more harmonious rela.
tionu between It's wearers and the outside
world. " falls softly into fold, 1t does not
rustic or irritate it acts soothiDgly upon
tho nerves, and upon the aenss Of those
with whom 1t Comea In contact; 1t does
not disturb or startle the currents in mind
or atmosphere. This influence Is all the
more important In these days Of iuCesaant
movement, excitement and vibration. 1t
is rCatful and trsnquili2ing to soul aud
body. The growth Of the msnuiaC.
turing interest in wool in this country
has been 80 rapid that the figures can
hardly DO believed. rhe'6rst wooden fac.
tory was established in email village in
Massachusetts,, about the beginning OF the
tpreRent century. It's size and the amount
Of It's product may be estimated from the
enterprise Of the second, built in Onoidu
County, N. Y, and which turned out the
unprecedented quantity Of twenty-five
yards Of cloth per day. Now, not one
mill, but hundreds, turn out as many
thousands. In fact, though NO do no. Gt
yet produce the finest drOss materials, oul
manufacturers furnish two.thirds OF all
the Clothp, flsuneB and blankets used IN
tho United States, and there are special
kinds OF American cloth and blankets
that arc largely exported. Nothing fuel
than our Oregon and California blankets
can be found in the world Of their kind
Tho finencss, suppleness, softness aud
lrus beauty Of all the wooden mRIerial
depends, first, upon the quality Of the
animal from which the wool is obtained
second, upon the modo Of its preparation
third upon the purity orabssnOe OF adult
GRAFTON in the fibre; fourth, upon the kint
Of colors aud chemicals used the dyeing
The mixture Of any other elemental sub
stance with wool does not seem to bl
desirable. The richest most effective
combination Of s,lk with TOS9l Is obtain9t
be fashionable fabric, aud recent effort
10 relnstato 1t meet with little BucCess. l
10 much thought OF by come ladiea, who's
traditions arc in Ito favor, but younI
women will have none. 1t Is neither
milk nor vool--is not ss BerViGesblI