Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-12-29

through the hands Of tive or siN per-
sons before it is folded and packed for
! sale.
How many kinds of gloves do YOU
maker"
"Oh, so many" sal the cutter,
"Iherc arc heavy gloves for warmth.
both gentlemcn's and ladies coarse,
thick affairs they are; there are The
driving gloves the gauntletcd gloves,
now so popular. and the visiting
| gloves. Then there are leather nit
tens, lined with the wooden aud topped
with the fur, and the castor glove aud
all the undressed leather gloves of both
yellow and black. All. there are many
glovesv'
How much docs the ordinary
glovc-maker earn per week.
" From $40 TO Sl5. Some earn $50;
but usually they get $40 in the month.
and the demand for the labor is
greater than the supply. Little girls
that do nothing but tic the ends oi the
threads on the coarscr kinds of gloves
can earn Sl5 per month. All, It's the
good business. II i not the heavy
Kind. Ii makes no back to ache.
Later | learned the process of pre-.
|
is, the American skins of different
kinds, and the imported, both lin the
raw" are placed in cask. seventy
five or eighty at time, to receive a
salt pickle; they arc then washed and
placed in an alum bath, in which they
remain twelve hours. Then they are
stretched by thin. round-faced iron.
to remove wrinkles, and then are
fastened TO frame TO dry, either in
the sun or by steam. They are next
sorted for coloring, the best being re-
served for the lighter shades. Again
they are washed and put in an egg
bath, the yelk alone being used. After
the egg bath, the skins, being now a
pure white, arc laid flesh side down
on zinc or lead tables, and brushed
over with liquid dyes, composed of
wood, citron, redwood, lignum vitr,
Brazil bark, ETC., according 10 the
colors desired.
a. Is this the final processp' ! asked.
"Oh, no." said the proprietor of the
mill. 'The color must be set, and for
this purpose mordant of some kind
is used-that is, the skins must bo
brushed with preparation of alum,
copperas and blue vitriol, again dried,
then dampened and rolled up in sepa-
rate parcels, flesh side out, and packed
In barrels to season; that is 10 render
every part alike, and equally soft and
pliable. After the seasoning they arc
shaved; that is, sharp knife Is passed
over the flesh side, and every little
bunch or supei6uous particle is re-
moved, making the surface smooth and
soft. The last process is to polish the
grain side Of the skin with pad made
OF flannel, making it still softer and
more pliable and ready for manufact.
ure. The finest white skins are re-
served for white gloves. and arc rubbed
and rerubbed with the flannel pad"
What slow process"
Yes, and one requiring great care.
Deer skins are the most difficult 10 pre-
pare and the tanning is somewhat, but
not essentially different, save in the
smoking TO which they are subjected.
They arc placed in smoke-housc to
dry, the smoke also darkcning them
Oh, there's work In it, plenty Of work
hard, careful. pottering work, but it's
a good business and an enduring one. "
The question of economy in gloves
would seem TO be a difficult one, with
the ladies especially. There Is, II ap.
pears, no substitute for a kid glove
either in wear or in appearance; thread
and silk gloves are a dclusion and a
snare. The dogskin glove outwcars
two or three kids, but it costs more, to
| begin with 1t looks well. but can only
be worn in tho street. The cheap kid
glove hardly has enough endurance for
a street glove, though a cheap, many
buttoncd giant do suede, if ono is so
fortunate as TO find make that fits,
can be very we'll worn for occasions of
half dress, as, for instance, dinner or
reception, where tho hands are not
much used, or the gloves removed early
in the evening. One can find such
gloves for from sixty to eighty cents a
pair, and they will serve many such
occasions. At a dancing party, how
ever, they are exhausted in an evening.
Perhaps it may not be considered out
of place to advert here to a remark of
common occurrence, bearing on the
subject, at the meeting of friends more
especially when it takes place in the
streets. Certain kinds Of mistaken
politeness, sincere as they are, are
absurd enough TO be grotesquc. a
some persons is to say Excuse my
glove" when they offer their hand to a
casual acquaintance or on introduction
to stranger. 1t might be inferred
from this remark that the wearing of
gloves is extremely rare in civilized
community or that the wearer wishes
to advertise the extraordinary fact that
he or she has gloves. All he really
desires is to appear polite; never sus-
pecting for moment that he is simply
ridiculous. II one offers to shake
hands with ony one in place where
il is necessary to wear gloves, he
ance with the habit. He might with
equal reason on receiving visitor at
his house, apologize to him for not re-
moving his coat before bidding him
welcome. The supcrfluous phrase
probably had its origin in the days
when gloves were clumsy, and used
moro for protection than as an essen
tial to dress. Then the naked hand was
thought to be an evidence Of good will
and cordially. Since gloves have been
universally adopted, the idea of asking
pardon for wearing them is an
anchronism as we'll as an impropricty.
Gloves arc now made to fit exactly, so
that, were IL courtesy to take them of
on encountering ones friends and ac-
| quaintances, an amount OF time and
trouble would be required which would
inevitably render social greeting al
once a comical exhibition and bore,
d. c. NJ, in Brooklyn Eagle.