The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-05-18

of money went into that part vf
the purse that began to call "the pat
riotic side." l commenced to think
Just then, and il seemed to me, with de-
signs just as good, material just as dur
able in the fabrics at home, ! was bit
of q donkey to come abroad and pay
more for the same things, granted that
it was only few pennies.
Il
My sister was little more persistent,
and said: Il am going to try and get
sateen," and we got a sample of one.
It's No. on the second group. You
see it was bit of an advantage that l
could sketch little, 30 drew this for
her. The result was that there Is writ
ten in her note book: price of sateen
% cents in London; can get it for from
10 to % cents either in Philadelphia,
Boston or New York, and that at Is is
Just as wide and just as good"
We had read and written and upheld
English woods; we had insisted that
nothing could be got To equal them, and
so went out to get blue and white
check suiting to have jaunty costume
made in which to 60 yachting. First Of
all we went to famous tailor shop
10 see what they would make suit
for, because their advertisements
were so lovely. We soon found
that English advertisements are
not always what they seem, for the sim
pie, stylish frock of the picture was eX-
tremely dowdy in reality, and after
looking around it was decided that the
shop run by these same people in
America had smarter looking frocks
better made ones, and that the filter
over the water was forced to be more
IL, L. ~,al 30, hA
female form divine. Why? Because
American women are not willing to look
on the streets the dowdies that the
English women do. The check suiting
marked No. In my picture will cost in
London 20 cents yard, in New York,
Boston and Philadelphia it can be got
ten for so cents; that's 20 ceLts ditler-
ence on the yard.
Z
"Serge,.' said /. ave have always
heard of that. We will get dress of it
if we don't of anything else, dark blue
serge; il is so ladylike and SO useful to
have, and SO altogether desirable" We
grew quite rapturous over this; we were
sure that it would be cheaper than any
thing in America, and more desirable.
We found it, not heavy in weight, not
closely woven, indeed, one of the party
called 1t "sleazy." It's price was IS
cents yard, and a friend who had been
picked up on the way had on dress
just like it, the material of vHich had
been bought IN PhiladelphiaVior 971
cents a yard. Later on it was dis
covered that New York furnished it for
80 and Chicago for 80.
/ didn't want to go home without q
single new frock, so knowing that the
English were great on tennis, and al
most every dressmaker you approached
asked YOU if you DIDN'T want a tennis
costume. l determined 20 get one. The
design was the light flannel drawn at
No. Z, with lines OF red and blue and
brown going over its white ground. 1t
cost me % cents yard, and at first
class store at home | could get just the
same thing for the same money. Now,
all these samples that / have drawn,
and that / am talking about, do not
come from extravagant places, but in
stead from the shops frequented by the
great middle class, to which you and l.,
my friend, belong. Many of them
were samples quoted as bargains. Just
what bargains they were you can see.
L
NV experience is the experience of
hundreds of women who do not stop to
think that in going over, and spending
their money in strange land, they are
absolutely and honestly, or say rather
dishonesty taking the bread from the
workers in their own country. AS a
people we are young, but we have abil-
ity and energy, and we can make Just as
good stuffs as are made on the other
side, but we won't make them until we
are encouraged In it. 1t is snobbery of
the worst sort to gloat over material be-
ing "imported;" it is patriotism of the
best to show good fabric, and to claim
that 1t was designed and made at home.
The women of this country can do so
much toward making it the greatest in
the world, first by guiding the men in
the way they should go, and next by
encouraging home industries. There
would be hundred thousand workers
where there are hundred thousand
idlers If the factories were at work sup
plying our shops with American mater
ials, If the women of America would be
as patriotic as were their great-grand-
mothers, and decline to wear anything
| that was not wrought by American
| looms and sold in American stores.
Z
/ had written home some Of my ex-
perience about getting things for moth
| ing, and in return letter had come to
| me, enclosing samples of American
silk, the black silk that almost every
woman likes to have in her wardrobe,
for it is gown suited for 80 many occa-
sions. The letter said: 81 enclose
some samples of black silk; unless you
can get them cheaper, or better, for the
same money, i will buy my gown at
home" For the quality that in New
York was S1.49, should have to pay
Sl.70 in London; for that which was
Sl.09 the price was $l.25; there were
cheaper silks, but they were poor in
quality, and would have lasted but a
little while, and every woman knows
how very, very mean looking is q
shabby black silk.
| We found handkerchiefs about the
same price as in this country; that is,
the nice ones.
+
Veilings, collars and cuffs, and the
very small etceteras of the toilette, dc
not vary much in price; but as in Lon
don the Princess of Wales, or some
great beauty, will set fashion, make
one style popular and force a run on il
for the season to the advantage of the
shop-keepers, they do not so often have
great quantities OF small belongings lef
on their hands which must be sold, nc
matter at what price.
: