The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-03

costly thy habit as thy purse can buy
was a maxim Of necessity in the hard tines
| for there was no raiment the subject OF bar
ter or sale which was inexpensive. Sporadic
instances taken at random prove the general
rule. In August, 1864, private citizens
coat and vest, made Of five yards OF coarse
home spun cloth, cost SEQ exclusive OF the
price paid for the making The trimmings
consisted Of old cTavats; and for the cutting
and putting together, a country tailor
charged $50. 1t is safe to say that the private
CITIZEN looked a veritable guy in bis new
sxit, in spite Of its heavy drain upon his
p<cketbook.
In January, 1866, the material for lady
dress which before the war would have cost
| SO could not be bought for less than $500.
The masculine mind is unequal to the task OF
| guessing bow great a sum might have been
| had for bonnets brought through the Ines
| for in spite Of patient self sacrifice and UNI
| fa!tering devotion at the bedsdes Of the
wounded in the hospital, or in ministering to
! the needs Of relatives and dependents at
hcme. the southern women of those days are
credited with as keen an interest in the fash
| ions as women everywhere in civilized lands
are apt 10 be in times Of peace. IL was nat
ural that they should be SO interested, even
though that interest could in the main not
reach beyond theory Without it they often
would have had charm the less and pang
the more. ANY feminine garment in the
shape Of cloak or bonnet or dress which
CHANGED 70 come from the north was readily
awarded its need Of praise, and reproduced
by sharp eyed Observers SO far as the search y
OK materials would admit.
But fashions rules were necessarily much
relaxed in the southern Confederacy 50 far
as practice went when even such articles as
pins brought through the blockade sold for
Sle a paper, and needles for $40, with not
enough Of either.
The superstition expressed in the coupiet,
See pin. and PICK it up,
All tie day youn have good irck,
gained IS converts by the score: "ore. Low
ever, as can be readily imagined, fer the sake
Of the pin itself. which it was q stroke Of
happy fortune 20 find and se.ze, than Of any
other good luck thar YVES 90 accompany Ito
finding. Tho broken needle Of Confederate
TIRES did not 60 into the fire or ont of the
window, but was carefully laid aside until
the red sealing wax Of the ralacs-d desks
and secretaries lent it head whercwith 90
aurear as "a handsome and useful pin. To
obtain the bare materials out Of which 60
fashion garments for tle family and Tor the
servants soon became serior, Guntio.. Tho
h0le CARPENTER and the blacksmith were
called into service 20 this ell, and cotton
once more became kin, though Of a greatly
DIMINISHED sovereignty. Ca.r- combs Of
a rolgh pattern were ccns.ruced tor the
purpose Of converting the raw COTTON a.o
batting, and thence into rolls Oi r-i-cm
lenc;h aud size for spanning. TIE luu of
the spindle and the cank of the loom re..die
were the martial music with which bee
women at home met the fierce attac1s ia
legions of cold and naseduc.s.
Spinning wheels, reels, bobbins looms. ard
all the appurtenances for the weaving Ct
cloth were made and used at home. and the
toilers in tie cotton fields and the sp.nners IN
tie LOOM shed worked on couteutelly, with
seemingly sublime Indifference 10 the mighty
struggle that was conyuisng a continent for
their saaes OF this dusky people it may
here be SAID that 40 matter what phlanthrO-
pists, politicians, or philosophers have said
Of them in the pas, II shall prophecy OF
them ia the future, they were true 90 every
trust repo,ed in them, and with most tire
mendous power for dire-t evil IN their pos
session. the negroes OF tie south IN the day
Of the civil war did naugLt but good. II
the "colored troops OF the Union army
"fought noby,' the slaves Of the southern
plantation so bore Themselves in those stirring
times Us TO merit no smaller need Of praise.
Cotton and wooden fabrics OF firm and sub
stautial texture were woven, cut and fash
toned into garments for whites ana blacks.
Plentiful crops Of fax REINFORCED the array
Of wool and cotton and many little lax
wheel which in the days OF peace has since
moved north TO adorn in It's newly gilded and
beriLboaod state the boudoir Of some @sthe-
tic girl might tell pathetic tales Of its former
place Of residence if the tongue Of its tiny
spindle had but speech.
The dyes Of the forest wood harks, of the
samac, OF the Carolina indigo and OF the cop
peras from the numerous cOpperas wells were
utilized to color the cloth thus woven. We
read in the current newspapers that "a hand
some brown dye" is made by a combination
Of red oak bari, and blue stone in boiling
water; and that "a brilliant yellow" may DO
obtained by pouring boiling water upon
other component parts OF "sassa.ras.
swamp bay and butterfly root" The same
authorities tell US that vivid puppies,
reds and green's were produced from u
composition Of coal oil and sorghum, tinted
with the appropriate tree bark; though OF
coal oil for other purposes there was all too
little Ii great similarity OF quality and
texture existed in the homespun cloth, the
enumeration Of the foregoing means OF dye.ag
clearly demonstrates that there was at least
! opportunity for as great diversity OF color rs
distinguished the famous coat of Joseph;
though the reader Of today IS aptto look with
some suspicion on the conspicuous forward
ness OF the adjectives vivid brilliant"
splendid" which always accompanied these
talismanic recipes.
Strong thread for sewing was evolved from
the little flax wheels For any unusually
handsome work, if by any odd chance such
work should happen 70 be demanded, sewing
silk was procured in an emergency by rayel-
ing the fringes of old silk shawls or picking
to pieces silk scraps which had survived
times touch, and carding, combing, and
twisting them into fine threads These little
silken hanks were sometimes SO Irettily
coored by means Of the dyes that have been
described, as 10 become in the eyes OF the
womanEind Of that generation almost as
beautiful US the many shaded, dainty filoselles
-. ...Ff al.l. 4