The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-15
THEY'RE OUT OF SIGHT.
Stockings Kept in Place by 400 Miles
of Carriers.
.Copuriohf.

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New York, June 13.-The women, girls
and children of New York wear close upon
100000 pairs of stockings in year, and
that is putting the average only trihe
above three pairs for each. The difference
in the price OF stockings is so great, rang
ing from the unbleached cotton, which you
buy for four cents pair, up TO the beauti-
fully embroidered silk pair. made to match
the costume, and bringing $780, that 1t
seems absurd to try to name an average
price. But let me get ct the totals IN
another way.
There are about 800, 900 pairs Of cotton,
wooden and lise thread stockings and SOC e
bought IN the city every year, and averag-
ing these at 20 cents pair, the lowest price
being cents and the highest 81 rs to 50,
the sum paid for them would be Just
100000. This, l am assured by large deal
ers in hosiery, is quito below the mark. But
consider the other 4o0, 900 or 500, 600 pairs of
mixed silk and pure silk stockings and socks
worn by rich girls and women, actresses
and others who like to make q display of
costly hosiery, and the figures are almost
incredible. Their chief wear is pure silk,
and the stockings range from 81 30 in plain
color up to $50. Add in this list the
fancy, all-silk articles, those hand embroida
cred with all kinds of artistically wrought
figures produced in open work, and done to
match the costume, and the price ranges
from $40 to 500. But put the average
down to So a pair-and you can scarcely
purchase an all-sllk pair for less-and the
bill for the 100000 pairs is $1,000, 900 +,
WEIGH added to the $500, 900 for the stock
ings worn by the poorer classes amounts to
81, 700,0 It would be no exaggeration to
say that it cost New York city every year
g.. = - - - 4
lation a round 81, 000, 900 or enough to main,
tain nearly &c, 900 persons, whole city. for
a year In food.
Just a few words about the stockings
worn by the multitude and the fashions
that prevail The article Of common COM
merce is the cotton stocking. and it Ia worn
by children. school girls and women. Its
price ranges from or cents pair up to
81. For less than 81, indeed for 80 cents,
there are now in the market several
brands secured 60 the owners
under patents, of guaranteed "fast
black, aud the same color up to the highest
price. Black is now the queen of fashion,
| aud IL is not alone so In cotton, but in Isle.
wool, worsted goods and silk. Society
girls and their mothers wear black silk,
black Isle or black fine merino and other
woods; actresses and other women fond of
display even wear them, and the yellows,
| pinks. light blues crimsons and other fancy
colors are relegated to second rate
ballet dancers. and song and
dance actresses of the variety
stage. Black was long in disfavor because
the dye came off upon ehe leg and foot and
| was supposed to be capable Of blood poison
ing. Girls who stood all day were apt to
| find their feet swollen when the dye came
| out profusely, and the doctors have records
| Of numerous deaths resulting from the dye.
Dread. not fashion, turned women to light
fancy colors, but now that the other dye is
fast they are back again to black, nearly
three quarters Of a million strong, in the
| city of New York alone.
But the women are being cheated every
day by hundreds in buying for Isle thread
stockings that have no Isle in them. You
cannot buy the genuine article for less than
! so cents pair, and that is a very inferior
| quality, and you must go TO at least 81 to
| get good article. The limitations are SO
skillfully made that it is easy to be deceived;
the best plan is to be guided by the price
and character of the store. No reputable
| dealer will sell the fictitious for the real to
an intelligent customer. In woolens, so
called, there is half the time not more than
a fourth or third of wool; and this
too has largely to be determined by
the price and the reputabilitY of the
deal. "Woolen" stockings and socks sell
| from 10 cents up to 50, but II you buy for
much less than 81 be sure you are getting
some cotton. The genuine, servioeable and
| expensive kinds of wooden goods are made of
| fee cashmere lambs wool, Saxony, German
town zephyr and other kinds. a large guam
tltY of honest, homely stockings, spun and
knitted in farm houses. come into the mar
ket and sell moderately. They really wear
best of all and can be ready known. A
score of thousand pairs of so-called silk
stockings for IS cents, 81 and 81 so pair are
sold here every month, but they are
only silk on the face. They are the most
| fragrant sham of them all.
Fashionable women sometimes get two to
three dozen pairs Of all silk stockings,
each, In year, throwing pair that costs
from IS to $40 aside after they are worn q
few times. The maids get these or give
them, or sell them, to their friends. Other
women, and there are a great many OF
these, cannot bear to throw away a high
priced pair of silk stockings after SONS
holes appear instead, they take their needle
and their silk bobbin and work into the hol'
butterfly, a flower. a leaf or some other
artistic design, After a few holes have beer