Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-16
FORTUNES MADE BY SMOKE.

LaundTymen are Happy Over Heavy In
crease in Business-Pittsburg the Great
est Laundry City in the Country-Shirt
Band Business Boolning.
The laundry business, as at present con-
Quoted, is a new one which has grown to
great proportions in the last 20 years. The
superintendent of domestic affairs, even in
families of limited means no longer wears
her life cut polishing shirt bosoms,
collars, cuffs, ETC., and the clean
ing of curtains and the declaration
that never yet did housewife notable smile
on a rainy washing day." has lost signifi-
cance, as even housewives profit by the d.
vision of labor BY the end OF the century
they may find time to study literature,
music, painting, etc.. after marriage, a
luxury which not even wealthy women
burdened with the care of household can
not yet enjoy. When the cooperative
kitchen system is fully established women
will have gotten rid of most of the
burdens of life, not the least of which
are servants, for with the average servant
the mistress can at most enjoy but limited
sovereignty in her own dominions She
may now smile on rainy washing day, but
the belle of the kitchen must still be propi-
tiated.
Pittsburg is the best laundry city in the
United States, so says gentleman con-
neeted with one of the largest, if not the
largest, in this city, so that if dirt be an
evidence of prosperity in this town, as Mr.
Pickwick judged it to be of towns in
England, we have also the evidence OF high
civilization-the largest expenditure of
soap.
Some people have been curious to know
whether the partial return to smoke has had
any effect to increase the laundry business,
and inquiry was made on this head. The
laundry companies said they did not
know that it had, but they all
said their business had increased
largely of late. They seemed to think
however, that one weary woman after an
other was constantly falling into line and
that caused the increase, though they said
smoke might have something to do With it.
At one Office it was stated that people
must don a clean collar each day in this city
or drop out of the list of well dressed peo-
pie, no matter whether natural
gas or raw coal is used, as there
is so much attrition in factories and on
streets that the air is full of CRIME all the
time. As rule, people have fallen back to
the domestic style of shirt bosom finish.
The glaze is no longer desired. There once
existed an opinion that shirt fronts and cuffs
highly polished shed dirt, and the China
men put it on exquisitely, but by
and by it was learned that much
dirt was thereby pressed into the
texture of the cloth and to get it out again
was hard on the fabric, and beside the polish
was made by friction and that was hard on
the garment. Accordingly a highly pol
ished shirt bosom is no longer badge of
gentility.
Another burden that has been lifted from
the shoulders of many women is that of re-
pairing shirts. This work is largely
done now in the shirt factories.
A young gentleman went few
days since to get some overdue work, and
was met BY the apology that his stuff was
DELAYED because 500 collarless and cuffiess
shirts were in ahead of him.