St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-16
THE MAKING OF LINEN.
Very Few Have Correct Inform a.
ton on the Subject.

GlOH Oh Tic SuUbcCt'
Where does the cloth from which are
made the various articles known as
linen goods come from? Very few per-
sons can give any correct info rmation
ON the subject, for the reason that the
manufacture of linen goods in this
country is comparatively new indus
try. Those persons who are interested
IN this work, however, will be able to
obtain some valuable information on
the subject at the exposition this year.
because there will be complete linen
mill in full operation there. The eX-
hibit will be an unusually interesting
one, for the reason that there are prob
ably not 500 persons in the city of Min
neapolis who have ever seen the manu-
facture of linen goods carried on. The
exhibit will be made by the Minneapolis
Linen Mill company.
Some months ago few of the enter
prising business men of this city called
meeting for the purpose of making
some arrangements for the manufacture
of linen. The results of the meeting
are shown in the exhibit which will be
made this season by them. The mill
is situated on the East side, and, al
though the plant at present is small
one, the managers expect to increase its
dimensions within short period of
time. They fully appreciate the inter
est that has been taken by the people
of Minneapolis in their new venture,
and they will take the greatest pleasure
in fully explaining the workings Of the
plant. The manner of working, from
the time the fax comes to the mill until
| it is taken out i'll the form of cloth. will
be illustrated in most complete man
ner. The machinery will be III full
operation each day, and every one will
have the opportunity of seeing it in
working order.
The manufacture of linen is an indus
try almost as ancient as the drawing of
the breath. The earliest history tells of
the wearing of linen, weaving it, etc,
| etc. The Bible frequently draws the
attention of the reader to this subject.
| and i'll several passages the system of
manufacture is dwelt on at considerable
| length. The origin of the manufacture
of this textile is lost in the cloudland of
| history. Pieces that were woven 1000
years ago are still in existence. In the
days of HerOdOtus it was an article of
Egyptian export. Tue mummi;s, which
were laid away to rest thousands and
thousands of years ago. were wrapped
in the linen.
The word linen is a general name for
| all cloths woven from the tibers of the
! flax plant and hemp. The raw material
of linen proper is the fax plant, which
thriveS in ATTITUDES ranging from Egypt
to Russia. The seed of this useful
plant furnishes the linSeed oil of com
merce. In Bengal the hemp plant is
much used for the making of linen, and
the narcotic Whichis found in it is much
priced by the natives as way of get
ting intoxicated without very much eX-
pense being attached to the operation.
The garments of the Hebrew priests
were made of linen. and the Bible shows
in what esteem this fabric was held. In
Homer we read of the women of that
period working in that manner: that is,
in the manufacture Of linen. In those
days they did not have factories for the
making Of articles of this or, i'll fact, any
other character. The women of the
household made all of the clothing used
by the family. In Germany it was Gus
tOmary to teach the little girls the art of
spinning and weaving by gathering
them together in schools which were
set aside for that purpose. Attempts
were made to introduce this plan in
England, but it was never extensively
carried out. Fine linen is said to have
been first made in Willis and Sussex in
the year 1893. In 1872 Irish linen was
used at Winchester. Flemish weavers
were introduced into England in the
was established there in the year 1886,
but it did not meet with any great sue
cess. The manufacture was in its
infancy during the reign of Charles Ii.
Then the struggles iii the different
churches began to interfere in the man
ufacture and sale of the linens which
were made by the people of the various
countries. Scotch peddiers of linen
were prosecuted and sometimes severely
fiogged when they were found selling
their goods across the English border.
Ii was not until 1928 that fiaX-spinning
machinery was started in Belfast.
Traces of the manufacture and use of
linen on the continent at an early date
are found. Charlemange, who dressed
after the manner of the Franks, wore
linen undergarments. In medieval
| Italy linen was an article of commerce,
and in Spain the MoOrs paid great deal
of attention to the making of linen. The
goods made by them were shipped to
India and Constantinople at an early
date. In the fifteenth century Seville
had over 10000 looms, but a century
later they had been reduced to 800.
| LOuNdlu Idu llu6U anu MOOlcu
| weavers in the fourteenth century.
The soil of France is suitable for the
growing of flax. and since the time of
the rule of the Romans linen has been
made in that country. The king of
France, in the year 1894 senta quantity of
linen to the sultan as the ransom of sew
eral mobiles that were held as prisoners.
The linen trade suffered greatly by the
revocation of the edict of Nantes. When
the Huguenots left France they took
with them the greater number of the
workmen who had been engaged in the
making of linen, and this left the coun-
try almost entirely without the means
of making that very useful and yalua-
BILE article of commerce.
There are more linens used in the
United States than In any other cOun-
Try in comparison to the number of in
habitants. Linen is used as an article
OF wearing apparel, for household uses
and for everything where a light fabric
is necessary. Russia has long been the
greatest fax and hemp-growing coun-
try in the world. The climate seems to
be specially suited TO the growth of
these plants, and it forms quite a
source of profit to the government, as
we'll as a paying industry for the peO-
pie.
The modern method of treating the
flax will be fully shown by the ma
chinery which will be placed in the ex-
position building this season. The
fibers are first scutched, or combed;
broken into three pieces, the inner sec
ton being the best. The pieces are then
drawn through series of teeth, the
short fibers being drawn into one con-
tinuous thread. After it has been roved
it is spun. 1t is necessary to keep the
1 l. - 49,.
being used for this purpose.
The principal kinds of linen are lawn,
sheetings, towelings, ducks, hucka-
backs, osnaburgs, crash and ticks.
Some kinds of velvets and velveteens
are also made from flax at Manchester.
The principal kinds of goods that are
made in the Minneapolis factory are the
coverings and linens of that order. The
exhibit will undoubtedly be one of the
most interesting ones in the entire ex-
position, and will deserve all of the at
| fantiOn that NAV he maid to if hY fhe