The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1897-04-09
ARP'S COTTON SPIN.
SOUTHERN STAPLES CONTINUE TO
BE KING OF ALL.
How II Was First Spun.

Atlanta Constitution.
Cotton is king | don't know who
first said that, but it is a fact. 1t is
the most useful and most important
product in the world and has the most
Influence on commerce. was rumin-
ating about this because Of some let
ters of inquiry that from time to time
| have received concerning cotton.
The last one from an old friend, Col.
Saxon, says he cannot learn from the
department at Washington when cot
ton cloth was first imported to this
country.
And SO | will venture a few remarks
on this subject in general, for it is
full of remarkable facts and illus
trates the kindness OF providence to
His creatures. Providence is always
kind and whenever we need anything
lie unl0ckS another door Of His treas
| uTy anu SAYS mere III is
There is no doubt at all that the
cotton plant was created "in the be-
ginning and with a design for the
use and benefit Of mankind when it
should bc needed. Attention was at
tractcd TO it away back in the cen.
turlcs. -Four hundred and fifty years
before the Christian era IIcrodotus
wrote about IL as Il plant bearing
tlceCcs more delicate and beautiful
than those Of sheep and Of the In
dians using it for the manufacture of
cloth. From India it was introduced
into Greece and Rome and Caesar used
it for his army tents and covered the
forum with it. The cotton fabrics Of
the Hindoos have been eXcelled only
by the most perfect machinery of
modern times. We read of a Hndoo
princess who came into a court re-
ception and the king said, eco home
90 home my child-you are not de-
Gently covered"-and she replied,
Father, / have seven suits on" but
they were OF cotton muslin SO thin
and delicate that the king could see
through them. The famous mu, sims
Of Dccca in Calcutta, were called
"wcbS Of woven wind" and when a
piece was laid upon the dcw-covercd
grass it was not discerniblc.
Imagine the wonder Of these fabrics
when there was not spindle, but the
dstatf and only a loom that the
weaver carried about with him, set
ting it up under tree and digging
hole in the ground for his feet to work
the treadle. But the manufacture Of
cotton for the common people was
smothered during all these centuries
and only wool and flax were used for
clothing. The ancient Egyptians used
1t to some extent, spinning it with the
distatf and weaving it with the prim'
tive looms, but the plant was not cul-
tivated. 1t was indigenous to that
country and the fleece was gathered
from the wild stocks. 1t was not un.
til the tenth century that the cultiva-
tion began and that was by the Moors
in Spain. The Vcnctians engaged in
it in the fourteenth century and the
English 10 the early part Of the eigh-
tecnth. But its use was very limited,
for the seed were in the way.
But now comes the evolution OF cot
ton; the revolution that in a few
years made it king. Nothing SO won.
derful has ever transpircd in COM
lnerce and manufacture. There was
a conjunction of the three things that
we're necessary to bring about this
resolutions: The cotton gin by Whit.
ney in 1903; the spinning jenny by
Arkwright in 1887, and the power
loom by Cartwright in 1889, all star
tied the world about the same time
and gave an impulse to the growth
and use and manufacture Of cotton
that was pregnant with great results
One OF these results was the fixing of
salary as an institution upon the
Southern States. Up to that time it
was not considered either safe or
profitable to encourage their importa.
tion from the Northern States. But
Of course, it took several years for
these inventions to become generally
introduced. My mother told me that
as late as 1918 she used to spend most
OF the winter evenings picking the
seed from the cotton by hand-with a
half dozen or more OF the family ser.
wants sitting In Il circle around the