Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-26

vet has to be made thread by thread, each
lire being cut separately, so that a slip Of
the knife would ruin the cloth.
| visited one factory which made 5000
yards of red velvet to be worn at the coro-
nation of King Edward, and another where
| was shown specimens of furniture cover
ings made for one of the Vanderbilt tam
lilies at a cost of $2l a yard. Think of
paying $21 for a chair seat! And this is
what the stuff costs in France. The price
will be doubled by the time it gets into
one CT the Vanderbilt palaces and is fitted
on to its luxurious sofas. Every time one
Sis down upon it he ur she viii cover a
yard of it. 1t would make ne uncomfortable
to sit down on $42 at one time.
The very best of the French silks seldom
get to the United States, as our duties make
them almost prohibitory. Velvets which
will sell for 81 a yard in Lyons would cost
$40 a yard in New York and silk brOcads&
at So a yard would be doubled in price
after they had passed through our custom
house and paid the charges of the middle
men.
l have gone through some of the largest
Of the Lyons silk stores. They are to b.
found in buildings not unlike factories. You
enter an unpretentious stairway and on the
oNNShN - hlAN LOOl may AhN "a ~ 'AHA
a little brass sign marked with the name of
the merchant. Entering you CONF into
large rooms with long counters running
through them. There is no silk en- view,
for the goods are stored away in cases or
drawers until brought out for customers.
The rooms are we'll lighted and parts of
them are walled with mirrors in order that
the colors may be shown by reflected as well
as by direct light. Some of the oldest
styles are the most beautiful, and these
are repeated from age to age, new designs
are being continually invented and the great
Est artists of France are engaged in design
ing. The French are noted as designers,
and they have schools here which teach de-
signing. Some Of the factories make pie
lures in silk both for the decoration and
wall covering. The faces of the most Noted
men of France are thus woven as well as
fancy pictures of all sorts.
Lyons is doing all it can to foster its silk
industry. It. has its technical schools which
teach all branches of silk manufacture.
Young men come here from all parts of the
world to study how to make silk, and many
work in the mills for that pIrpose. There
is one school which charges from 500 to
l 200 francs a year as tuition. The 800 francs
is the charge for Frenchmen and the 1900
francs that for foreigners. In this school
the best of modern silk weaving machinery
is used and a great part of it bears the
mark of American manufacturers. An
American sewing machine sews the pattern
cards together, and American methods of
weaving are employed. All kinds of silks,
~velvets, plain and figured goods are made
here, under the superintendent Of the most
skilled workmen, the boys doing the work.
themselves with the professional silk men :
as overseers.
| visited the Lyons municipal silk school,
on the CroiX Rouse, after going through
the silk factories of that neighborhood. This
school is sustained by the city, and lis open
only to Lyonnese youths. Any Lyons boy
who has reached the age of 10 can enter
upon the payment Of S173 and learn all
about silk weaving, designing and pattern
making. The course Of day study is ten
months, and there is in addition a night
school, in which a course Of three years is
required.
There are about 300 pupils in this school.
They belong to the rich and the poor, many
of them being the sons of common laborers.
Every boy has to keep a diary of his work,
with the patterns of the silks he has ma6s,
and also copies Of his designs. The school
teaches all matters about the breeding of
silk worms as we'll as all kinds Of weaving
and designing. The professor in charge, a
looking old Frenchman, wearing a
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