Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-08-15
GLOVES FOR THE FAIR.
THEIR STORY FROM ANCIENT
TIMES TILL NOW.
They Say the Cave DwelIers Wore Gloves
The Greeks, Romans and jews
Wore Them--what are
They Made or

cave-dwellers wore gloves. The word
itself Is so old that its roots go back to
primitive language. .iHandshoe" the
Germans call 1t. Among the Greeks.
Romans and Jews only dignitaries
wore gloves. In feudal times land
was held by glove tenure and faith
pledged by the glove. The Saxons set
up as glove-makcrs as early as the |
seventh century.
II does not appear, though, says the
Chicago News, that women then wore \
them. In one OF the earliest Norman |
monumental brasses great lady is
shown lying In state with a sort OF
hand muller. Earlier than that the |
great sleeves Of state robes came down
and covered the hand. There was a
rounded slit on the inner side for the
fingers TO come through when needed.
The knights glaiye-gloye Of mail
covered with iron scales-was his gage
OF battle. He flung it down in token
Of defiance. Whoever lifted it an
swered for II at point OF sword or
spear.
Much more than half the kid so
called, is lamb or rat skin. Doe, buck
and dog skins were In life sheep or
calf Genuine kid comes from Spain,
Mexico. South America and Italy.
The very best though. is French, for
there the thrifty peasant takes no
chances on scar or spot or blemish.
He puts master kid in a coop as soon
as he is born. keeps him clean. feeds
him fat. and when his short life ends
gets about twice ms much for the skin
as II would otherwise fetch. In tam
ming the hair is taken of with lime
then the skin pelted-that Is, soaked
in clear running water until II is q
sheet Of soft white membrane thin
and fine rs silk. Next Il goes into a
. mixture OF salt and alum, which in
, some way combines with IL and effectu-
ally tans H. Then II Is dried. curried.
! rubbed over a blunt knife-edge and
, finally softened by beating in bath Of
E eggs and fine -four. After that the
: skins are tackled on board and col
ored by brushing die over the upper
! surface. Great care is taken not 10
! put on enough at one time 10 soak
! through and stain the inside.
I The best skins are made up in white
I and light coiors. Blemishes can be
concealed or at least palliated by sew
. eral coats OF dye. Next comes the
: cutting out; which is where the French
/ mostly do excel. A Frenchman will
\ get out OF a hundred skins at least a
;. dozen more pairs Of gloves than any
4 one else, and that. too. without slSimp-
J. ing or In any way curtailing the fair
. proportions OF a single pair. First
e the skins are family dampened. then
rubbed all over with blunt-edged
u knife and cut in half From each side
n Is cut strip just wide enough for q
u glova They are laid face out shaped
q accurately one 10 another and 4 stiff
u glove pattern so firmly pressed upon
Z them that Il leaves an outline for the
. scissors to follow. Cutting out tn,
n thumb hole is nice job On il,
accuracy and shape mainly depend,
the comfort Of the glove. Thuml
pieces and gussets are cut from frag
ments--otien Of different skin.
The perfect glove is finer than silk.
II Is az soft as baby's cheek. elasti,
as a political platform. Ancient,
master glovers had for sign walnu
ie she'll and showed in their window
d gloves OF full size folded into the com
~ pass Of that small round. IL would g,
a. hard TO put a pair OF twenty-buttoi
length IN such space Ladies' OF tn,
'' revolution and thirty years after wor,
gloves that would quite put 20 shame
I'd the longest opera kids of our time
They wrinkled all over the arm from
O. shoulder 70 wrist and were cut loos,
= enough not TO need any opening what
ever They came In white, buff, pink
~ vivid blue. grass green and deep roya
VI purple as well as black and crimson
N Altogether they were gorgeous spec
m tacle--far and away handsomer thai
ne the stumpy one-button affairs that "a
10 twenty years ago were the correc
at wear for full dress.
or Ste. Anne mother 10 the virgin,
3 the patron OF glove-malzing. She
lie. pictured knitting gloves. Her day
ct the glove festival At Ruth, who's
he gloves and glovers Scott has given {
fame at the glovers' feast, the dancer
lr- come out with $50 bells sewn In dozen
It to rounds OF leather, jangling in tun
Of all about them. Border gentlemen
ue their cups recorded insults by bitin
es the glove Scott tells Of man VIII
nc called out another solely because afte
III drinking bout he found that in tn
~ course OF Il he had bitten his GLOW,
20 In fact the romance Of the glove lik
.re It's uses and its history is we'll mig
inexhaustible. Turn where you viii
gloves are literally on every hant
There are the boxing-glove, the catch
~ ers glove, the iireman's glove OF mai
I'm gloves of rubber, OF hair, OF silk, ,
SIX lace-spider-web even has bee
IN wrought into them
N The oldest OF all gloves, though,
~ that made OF bysus known otherwii
!, as the ,.silkworm Of the sea-
no Temptation.
A 4. f.x..