The Democratic advocate., 1892-04-09
How Gloves are Made.
From the Philadelphia Press. J

In very early days it was custom, when
buying land, for the purchaser to take pos
session by throwing down his glove on the
land, in the presence of witnesses. This
is spoken OF in the book of Ruth, the
word shoe being there used. Authorities
say that ashoe" means gloves. The
German language has no equivalent for the
word glove, and the Teuton calls the article
"hand shoe" Gloves are defined as
coverings for the hand having sheath
for each finger" 1t is quite probable that
the ancient gloves were entirely unlike the
articles now in use.
Most fine gloves are imported, +'S per
cent. of ladies gloves coming over the
ocean. The greatest factory in the world
is the Trefousse, just out of Paris, where
$3.50 workmen and women are employed.
The establishment every year dresses J
900, 900 kid skins, and cuts out l,I50,OOO
pairs of gloves, and uses ,25n, 900 yolks
of eggs in dressing and dyeing.
A skin to be dressed requires to be
manipulated l3S times, and 2l9 manipu-
lators are required on the skin from the
first state with hair on to produce finish
ed glove. The process of preparing tine
skins is called tawing, and is similar to
tanning. the difference being that in taw-
ing the utmost cleanliness is preserved in
every department of the work. The pro-
cess begins with the scraping and drying
of the skins. Next, they are soaked in
lime and constantly turned, then rinsed
and the hair scraped off. They are rinsed
again and soaked. Then, they 90 through
an artificial fermentation with bran, which
absorbs all the fatty particle, and makes
them supple. They are taken out every
day and beaten with sticks. Afterward
they are put in revolving machine, with
il mixture of water. -four, yolks of eggs,
alum and salt.
The machine is set in motion, and the
paste penetrates every pore of the skins.
This treatment makes them soft and supple,
and is called ''nourishing." When taken
out the skins are slowed in cellars and left
for day Then they are rinsed again,
and put in pressing machine, with
strong force, and all the moisture is press
ed out. After being throughly dried they
are again rinsed, and put under paddles,
which beat them and make them soft.
They are rubbed over blunt blade, and
then over hot blade, to stretch them,
then packed away to season and from there
are chosen for dyeing.
Preparing the dyes requires several pro
cesses. The skins, before being dyed, are
trodden under foot for several hours in
cold water. Another rinsing occurs, and
then they are thrown in a mixture of water
and yolks of eggs for day. The skins
are then spread out, and the workman
takes brush dipped in ammonia and
spreads it over the skin. Several coats of
dye are administered, and lastly test to
fix the color They are then dried in hot
air. The final process is to place the skin
on machine, and it is separated into two
layers, making them thin and doubling
the produc: ion. The skins next 90 to the
cutters. Gloves cut by hand are 'bench-
cut gloves, and are most desirable.
Gloves were made of deer skins in New
England more than fifty years ago. They
are made in this country now at Glovers-
vile, n. Y, which was named from the in
dustry; at Johnstown, \. Y; at jersey
Heights, n. j.; at Littleton, N. H.. at
Napa, Cal, and various other places in the
United States. A great quantity of pure,
spring water is necessary. Caribou, calf,
dog, horse, cat and mouse skins are used
Rat skins, which some people have thought
to be utilized, are entirely too thin and
papery. Most of the lamb and kid leather
is imported.
One reason why there are so few glove
factories is because from 100000 to
5000 900 worth of raw material has to be
salted down at one time. The first glove
factory in this country was started by a
man in New York state, who brought over
thirty-fve French men to make gloves.
That was before the Contract Labor law
was in existence. In foreign countries whole
families work in glove factories, and no
other trade occupies them from generation
to generation. Even the wives of the
wealthy proprietors make the last inspec-
tiou of gloves before they are sent out.
The styles are as changeable as that of any
other article manufactured. People of a
youthful generation remember the one
button gloves which were then worn. A
gentleman of this city, who was somewhat of
a fop, had very ugly wrists, and he sent to
Paris and had gloves made with long wrists.
Since that time gloves have come in all
lengths, from one to thirty buttons.
Gloves are used for all occasions, from
hard manu- labor to the finest full-dress
function. A combination of heavy leather
fur and wood mateials meets the wants of
men in several lines of severe work. Driv-
ing gloves comes next in quality. Then
common gloves, and finally those made Of
imported kid. OF the latter there are two
kinds, the glace or smooth kid, and the
Suede, which are of kid made up wrong
side out. The latter are softer and fit the
Land much better, but become soied much
sooner than the glace Some people can,
not wear gloves usually sold on account o.
some popularity in the size or formation O
the hand, wrist or arm, and they are oblig
ed to have their gloves made to order.
Using Flax Seed for an Eye Stone
From the st. Louis Globe Democat.
Putting a fax seed under the lid of thu
eye to get out cinder which has acciden
tally lodged there may seem curiou
method of abolishing nuisance, but il
nevertheless quite effective. After thu
seed has been moistened by the secretioni
of the eye it exudes mucilage, which no
only alleviates the irritation of a foreigI
body, but also frequently surrounds it anc
prevents pain from the motion of the eye
ball against the cinder and ultimately assist
in its removal. The remedy may seen