The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-08-24

tnrougn the warp, and at right angles
with it; after each passage Of the fill
ing wooden sword-shaped implement
was introduced between the threads of
the warp, and many quick, sharp
blows given to drive the filling close
up.
AS may be imagined the process was
very slow and the most expert weaver
could not weave yard day. Think
of that compared with the thousand
yards day which good woayers on
the latest looms are now making. In
the very early times, however, a
clumsy harnes, was used to keep the
warp thread, apart, as the shuttle
passed between; and this was operated
with the feet, by treadle, very much
as our hand looms of to-day work.
Soon after this a heavy combed-
shaped tool was used to beat up the
filling, the teeth passing between the
threads Of the warp. In ancient
times the women did all the weaving,
and though the process was slow, and
the implements rude, still some Of the
clothes produced were wonders i'll
beauty and durability. An early
Christian sarcophagus in the Lateran
has the symbolical relief representing
God condemning the future world to
labor, tilling the soil for the man, and
weaving for the woman. He gave
ears of corn to Adam and sheep to
Eve.
Some thoughtless and some ignorant
people have questioned the wisdom of
the South engaging in manufacturing
to any great extent, on the ground
that 1T interferes with the farming
interests of this country by absorbing
the labor; aside from the we'll estab-
iished economic aotium, that diversity
of interests is the life of any country,
we know from our own experience
that Notwithstanding the growth of
cotton industry, from few thousand
spindles in 1866 to 100000 in 1888,
that the South has raised larger crops
of cotton and all the cereals than she
| did before these manufactures were in
existence, SO we reap as much advan-
tage as ever from farming, and what
ever advantage there is in the money
spent for manufacturing.
Leaving aside the many arguments
usually made to show the advantages
which the manufacturing country
offers, let us examine one minute
what the difference is to the country
that raises and manufactures one bale
of cotton, as compared with selling
it., to be worked up elsewhere. Sup
pose the bale weighs 500 pounds, and
is sold at 8 cents; the country gets the
benefit of $50, to be distributed be-
tween the rent Of the land, the labor,
the fertilizer, the man w <. makes
agricultural implements, etc; not
much profit to any Of those engaged,
and only $50 is produced for the
country; now let factory in the same
country where the cotton is raised
buy this cotton. 1t pays the same $50
for it that the foreigner would have
paid, and the man who raised it gets
the same benefit. Let the mill now
manufacture it into say yard-wide
sheeting, weighing four yards to the
pound; it will pay out for labor, sala-
ries, supplies, findings, etc, 5 Ia
cents per pound, s26.25, in addition
to the price of the raw cotton, or
$56.25. After deducting the loss by
waste he will have say 1850 yards of
cloth, for which he will receive from
the jobbers to-day 3 1-2 cents per
yard, or $3.50, as against $50 put in
circulation in tho FIRST instanoe-the
country has the benefit Of $3.50, or
nearly double, the employee getting
s26.25, and the stockholder $3.50
additional. And it does not matter,
80 far as the South is concerned,
whether the mill is run at profit or
not, for the s26.25 has to be paid out
for manufacturing in addition to the
price of the cotton, and the country
gets the benefit Of it.. IF South Caro-
lima sold to outsiders here $50, 900
bales of cotton she would have $49,.
$50; 900; in other words, she would lie
better off every year to the amount Of
$24, ,480, 900. Run these figures
through your mind and you can realize
what the South would be worth to-day
it she manufactured her II 1000, 900
bales Of cotton instead of one tenth of
it. Many Of the objections which