Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-06-14

to $50. Add In this list the fancy, all
silk articles, those hand-embroidered
with all kinds of acknowledgements
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 50 pair-and you can
scarcely purchase an all silk pair for
less-and the bill for the 10000 pairs
is $1,000, 600, which added TO the hall
million dollars for the stockings worn
by the poorer classes amounts to 81, 700,-
600. 1t would be no eXaggeration TO say
that it costs New York City every year
for socks and stockings for her fe-
male population round $1,000, 600 or
enough to maintain nearly 10000 pers-
ons, whole city, for year in food.
Just few words about the stockings
worn by the multitude and the fashions
that prevail. The article of common
commerce is the cotton stocking, and 1t
is worn by children, school girls and
women. Its price ranges from four or
Eve cents a pair up TO dollar. For
less than a dollar, indeed, for thirty
cents. there are now in the market sew
eral brands, secured to the owners un-
der patents, of guaranteed last black,
and the same color up to the highest
price. Black is now the queen OF fash
ion. and it is not alone so in cotton but
! i'm 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. crimson and other fancy colors
are relocated to Second-rate ballet dan
GERS. and song and dance actresses of
the variety stage. Black was long in
disfavor because the dye came off upon
the leg and foot and was supposed to be
/ capable of blood poisoning. Girls who
stood all day were apt to find their feet
swollen when the dye came out profuse-
ly and the doctors have records OF num-
erouS 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 million
strong, in the city of New York alone
But the women are being cheated
every day by hundreds il buying for
| Isle thread stockings that have no Isle
/ i'm them, You cannot buy the genuine
article for less than 50 cents pair, and
that is very inferior quality, and you
must 90 to at least a dollar to get a
good article. The limitations are so
skillfully made that it is easy to be de-
ceived; the best plan is to be guided by
the price and character OF the store.
No reputable dealer will sell the tic-
titious for the real to an intelligent Gus
toner. In woolenS. so called, there is
half the time not more than fourth or
Il third of wool; and this too has largely
to be determined by the price and the
reputabiity Of the dealer. "Woolen
stockings and stocks sell from 10 cents
up to So; but If you buy Tor much less
than dollar be sure you are getting
some cotton.
For those interested in curious re-
suits may add that the stockings worn
by the women Of New York if fastened
together would make Il row about 1000
miles long, a row longer than the Allan
tic cable. To keep these ., 1000 miles OF
stockings In place it requires about 400
miles of garterS.
The SOC, OO0 women and girls of the
metropolis ali wear carriers and it is not
an overestimate to allow two pairs each
to them in the year. Scores of thou
sands OF them wear topSy carriers which
is nothing more than torn strip OF cot
/ ton or flannel, and all those old ladies
with antique notions, especially if they
we're born in tn; country, tear the pink
SelyeGge off ihe flannel they buy for
winter petticoatS ard other winter gar
ments. A great many of them DO not
think IL is either lucky or proper to
wear any other kind OF garterS than
those made from this selyedge.
But this hardly fleets the great gar
ter trade now which in the line of no
tons is one OF the most important
branches In New York city. Let me
give what can be deduced from the
actual commercial figures. Two pairs
for each female at the lowest price.
which is ten cents, reaches the sum OF
$50, 600. Nealy every female big aud
little with any pretenscns to "sty.e''
drops into the notion store or general
dry goods store and gees a pair OF gar
tiers from 10 cents upward. The cheap
ones arc common cO.-on elastic, but
shop girls, factory girls and thousands
Of others fit Up the plain band with