Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-04-18
WoMAN's WORK.
A Brief Talk on Silk Culture-Many
Profitable Hints for Women.

SILK culture. 4uc correspondent PlOp
ably does not know that old Virginia
was one of the first colonies to raise
silk by order of the king and that it
was sent to England to be woven into
royal robes. A rhymer of that period
extols the silk in the following quaint
lines 1--WE quote them as written):
aghere worms and food do naturally abound
gallant siiken trade must there be found.
Virginia excells the world in both,
Envy nor malice can gainsay this truth:
Her worms are huge whose bottoms dare
With lemmons of the largest size compare.
The poet must have exaggerated the
size of the bottoms or else the lemmons
were very small. We would have
been indebted to him if he had told us
why they were called bottoms.
We are on the eve of very prosper
GUS season for silk productions; silk
will. in a shorter time than was sup
posed by some croakers, be a staple
production and it would be wise for
those who live on farms to plant null
berry orchards. The trees will be val
liable and add beauty to the home.
Much injury has been done the indus
try by exaggerated statements in seed
catalogues lin order to advertise the
trees) of the profits to be derived there
from, stating prices at $500 per pound
for dry cocoons. The highest price
paid is S1.15 and the average, S1.OO,
the seed (eggs) costing double the price.
To read some articles one wonld sup
pose it was mere child's play. From
experience we have not found it so, but
we do say that it is not laborious but
pleasant work for old and young, and
very interesting, yielding fair return
for the time spent. But a previous
knowledge of the care and habits OF
the silk worm must of necessity be had
IN order to reap the highest rewards.
One season must be experimental work.
A lady writes that she had intended
sending for two ounces of eggs had it
not been for our honest advice; and so
she and her daughters will learn this
season at a trifing cost of one dollar.
If she fails the loss will not be felt,
but she says she does net intend to
fail if strict attention will insure sue
cess.
Silk culture is a family industry for
the home. We recommend it to our
Virginia correspondent. She says
''there is no occupation outside of home
work for girls bringing the poor re-
turns of seventy-fve cents TO one dol
lar and twenty-five cents per week,
working from early morn till night and
far beyond their strength in MANY in
stances" There are no factories,
mills or shops to give employment, and
domestic service is over-crowded and
poorly done by the inexperienced. They
are out of the centers where wOman's
work is being much written about,
thought about and talked about.
To raise women above household
drudges, into the ranks of skilled labor
is benefcent act, but is the impor-
lance of skilled labor properly taken
into consideration in domestic house
hold duties? l think not. The dis
comforts of family life wholly arise
from unskilled labor, and the philan-
thropic women who are laboring to
raise domestic service above that of
lrudgery are worthy of all praise.
There is an easy way and hard way
If performing all kind of work, and
when the easy or true way is learned it
becomes skilled labor. The occupa-
,atlons for women over that of thirty |
II forty years ago are legion, but none |
lave a more direct bearing on the COM
ort of the family than skilled domestic
ervices. 1t embraces varied knowl-
dge. The chemistry of the cooking
department. and the laundry is of vast
The care of furniture for
he want of proper knowledge is too
frequently neglected, and it goes to
uln. A woman must be good seam
tress, one that can make old clothes
box as we'll as new,' and is often the
My dressmaker and milliner of the
ousehold. Any of these occupations
ell learned become skilled labor, and
good price by the wage
amer, but all are expected to be COM
med in the wife and mother, and !
ard is her lot if they are not, as many
woman can testify.
so would it not be well for more
rls to enter those domains which di-
city tit her for life's duties? We hold
lat many of the occupations open to :
rls, the counter, the shop and the {
Ill, foster taste for life outside of f
le home. 1t is not so frequently the
se with the more cultured whose as :
cations can be pursued in the privacy 7
beautiful home life.
MARY M. DAVIDSON,
Junction City 5