Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-16

and when thpv became sorely pressed
thcmselves they shared whatever could
be spared By their families; az the poor
, er classes expressed Il, they had d.
vide"
HOW THE WOMEN FACED THE
SITUATION.
When this peinc forte ct dure began to
aiiiict the women, their powers Of Ell
durance were at once demonstrated TO
the world.
The harbors were closed by the block
ade. No supplies Of clothing could be
imported The time came when the stock
Of cloth, shoes, medicines machinery
indeed Of almost everything necessary
to civilized peOple-wus nearly exhausted.
Tho South had proved agriculture 70 be
the most profitable employment, and had
never fOstcred manufactures, besides,
her operative classes were not suited 70
the care Of machinery. Now the people
found themselves confronted win new
problems which they must learn 10 solve.
All these moods must be supplied by the
women.
The store each family possessed them
selves, Of quininc and such other drugs
as were nepdful for the diseases Of a
warm climate, was gradually relnquished
for tho use Of tho Soldiers. Re plcnish
mcnt was impossible. Quinine had been
proclaimed by the blockadcrs "contraband
Of war"
The women turned undaunted TO the
indigenous matcrid medica. DecoCtiuns
% willow bark. Of dewberry root orange
flowers and leaves, red pepper tea. and
other roots took the place of the drugs.
One hCart-broken woman wrote TO her
husband. 'Iwcnty Crnins Of quiniuc
would have saved our two children. they
were too mansCatcd 30 driul, the bitter
willow tea and they are now mt rest and
! have no one to work for but you. DO
not think of coming: / am well and
strong and am not dismayed l think
day aud night Of your sorrow. / have
their little grave near me-
HOW CLOTHING WAS CONTRTVED
Tho sheep were shoarcd; the wool was
tielnscd, cardcd aud spun In the house.
Small looms We're set up and the warp
adjusted under the eye of the practical
weaver this being the mistress gem
orally all the clothes for the plantation,
as well as some cloth TO exchange for
other commodities, was woven for the
winter use. In winter the cotton clothes
were made for summer. The home
spun checks, brown, black, blue or red
and white were manufactured for the
ladies and children's frocks The ladies
spun the wool and knitted the stockings
and socks their children aud husbands
When the longing for the silk stock
iugs. habitually used, pressed upon re-
fined women. and the old pieces OF black
silk were picked 60 a "frizzlc' and spun
60 make stockings and gloves for them
selves and their daughters Said one,
putting out her nattily-clud slender little
feet II could not bear to wear coarse
stockings my husband takes such pride
in my small feet
Towels and sheets were spun from cot
ton 10 replace the house-lncn which had
been cut into buudagcs, or scnped into
lint for the surgeons In the field. One
inulsOmc young woman. the daughter
Of nm ex-miuistcr 10 Spnin. rises before
me out OF the haze of by-gouc years.
stepping lightly TO and fro, winding
baudnrVA on the spindle of her wheel
and tnlsing pleasantly TO her visitors
while her patriotic mother sat by cutting
up the table linen which had been treas
ured for forty years The daughter show
eel great cullous knots on her shnpcly
hands I0ade by scrnping lint, and mon
TONED them with an expression Of graft