Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-07-01

L OOeSC1 AiiouO OACos 6llA SudG LIl0 lltlCI
over the water was forced to be more
exact in adapting his material to The
female form divine. Why? BecN,se
American ONE are not willing to laok
on the streets the dowdies that The
English women do. The check sui. ng
marked No. 5 in my picture will cos: in
London 20 cents a yard, in New Yo,k,
Boston and Philadelphia it ran DO e,t-
ten for so cents; that's 90 cents diff,r-
ence on the yard.
"serge..' said l.. 1--WE have always
heard Of that. We will get q dress of it
if Wy don't of anything else, adark blue
serge; it is 80 ladylike and 80 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, nj of the party
called 1t ''sleazy." Its price was IS
cents a yard, and a friend who had been
picked up on the way had on a dress
Just like it, the material of which had
been bought IN Philadelphia for 374
cents a yard. Later on il was dis
covered that New York furnished it for
! 80 and Chicago for 80.
didn't want to go home without a
single new frock, go knowing that the
English were great on tennis, and al
asked you if you dent want a tennis
costume, l determined TO get one. The
design was the light flannel drawn at
No. Z, with lines OF red and blue and
brown going ver its white ground. 1t
cost me % cents a yard, and at a first.
class store at home l could get just the
same thing for the same money. Now,
all these samples that / have drawn,
and that l I'M talking about, do not
come from ~extravagant places, but in
stead from the shops frequented by the
great middle class, to which you and 1,
ray friend, belong. Many of them
were samples quoted as bargains. Just
what bargains they we're you can see.
My experience is the experience of
; hundreds of women who do not stop to
think that in going over, and spending
their money in a 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 stutfs 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 v material be-
ing "imported;' it is patriotism of the
best to show a good fabric, and to claim
that 1T was designed and made at home.
much toward making it the greatest in
the world, first by guiding the men in
the way they should so, and next by
encouraging home industries. There
would be a hundred thousand workers
where there are a hundred thousand
idlers if the factories were at work sup
plving 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.
l had written home some of my ex-
perience about getting things for Moth
me, enclosing samples of American
silk, the black silk that almost every
woman likes to have in her wardrobe,
for it is a gown suited for so many occa-
sions. The letter said: 81 enclose
some samples of black silk; unless you
TAI get them cheaper, or better, forthe
same money, l will buy my gown at
home" For the quality that in New
York was Sl.4D..I should have. to pay
Sl.7O in London; for that which was
Sl.09 the price was Sl.25; there were
cheaper silks, but they were poor in
quality, and would have lasted but a
how very. very mean looking is a
shabby black silk.
We found handkerchiefs about the
same price as in this country; that is,
the nice mes.
Veilings, collars and cuffs, and the
very small etcetcras of the toilette, dc
not vary much in price; but as in Lon.
don the Princess of Wales, or some
great beauty, will set o 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
on their hands which must be sold, nc
matter ut what price.
In black NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., hen
rietta cloths, grenadines and lace brill
iantines-the prices are about the same
One style of lace %brilliantine which eelli
in London for So cents q yard can bt
gotten in New York or Chicago for 81
cents. White cashmere, 80 incheI
wide, pale blue, pink, and the variouI
standard colors, sells for 75cents a yard
and l can get it quite as good. and TO
less money. in either Philadelphia, Bos
ton or New York.
=
It was rather a sad experience, thi
going over and expecting to get so mucl
for 80 little, this having my belief il
the great desire of the English peopl,
to sell me much for nothing, shattered
but, after all, / had to confess it was
good lesson, and l did have the mora
courage to keep my word and bring m,
money home with me.
!, On the steamer / met the same MAJ
: who had given me such good advice Of
. my way. over: He looked at me an
said: "Well?"
: And l answered, 81 am bringing m,
. money back to the land Of the frae."