Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-19
RAT SKINS AND GLOVES.
Hand-Dressings for the Bon
tons and Beauties.

We are still being taught to feel what
respect we can for rats, on account of the
skins being used, very largely used, for
gloves. The venerable fiction was revived
lately in the correspondence columns of a
lively contemporary, and was at once con-
tradicted by practical glover at Grenoble,
principally on the score that rat skins were
not large enough for the purpose. Still the
statement was adhered to, objection being
taken that not one but many skins might
be used in making one pair Of gloves.
The Grenoble workman wrote again,
saying that 10000 skins passed annually
through his hands, so that he had some
authority to speak upon the subject, and
he protested that, to practical man, the
thing was quite absurd, and for another
thing, the ski?s were not only not valua-
bic because of being so thin, but were
actually too thin to be of any value. Still
the statement was maintained, and The
testimony of two authoritative works on
natural history and three encyclopedias
all, we suppose, unanimous in affirming
that rat skins are very largely used in
glove-making-was triumphantly appealed
to, although, by the way, the titles of
these volumes were not quoted.
1t is of no use to put up encyclopedias
or works on natural history as defense
upon point of manufacture when people
actually engaged in the work assault them
with flat denial Rats are very interest
ing in narratives of animal sagacity, which
is as near an acquaintance with them as
most people desire, and their skins, like
those of moles, are delicate to a degree
and the nap delightfully."- soft and fine
Mole skins make fine waistcoats, and have
been made up, with Some perseverance,
into mantels for ladies, and doubtless rat
skins might, with considerable pains, be
similarly utilized.
There was, some years ago, an ingenious
individual of Liskeard, Cornwall, "who
exhibited himself in a dress composed
from top to toe of rat skins, which he had
been collecting for three years and half.
The dress was made entirely by himself
1t consisted Of hat, neckerchief, coat, waist
coat, trousers, tippet, CATERS and shoes.
The number of rats required to complete
the suit was six hundred and seventy.
The tippet or boa was composed of the
pieces of skin Immediately round the tail
of the rats, and was very curious part of
the dress, containing about six hundred
tails, and those none of the shortest"
This proves the possibilities of rat skins,
but very remote possibilities for all that
Gloves may have been so made as curios-
tiles, but not commercially. We meet
with statements in books to the effect
that rat hunts are regularly held in Paris
sewers, and the privilege of gathering the
slaughtered animals on these days sold by
the authorities, but the Project of the
Seine knew nothing about it, and wrote to
S. VIM. Beck saying SO. We have state
ments, also, both in books and papers that
rat hides are generally used in making the
thumbs or thumb-gussets of kid gloves,
and We have our largest glove manufact-
urers quite unaware of the circumstances.
Hard facts against book statemeEts-which
wins ?-Draper's Trade Journal.