The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-10-26

The sfk-werkers and bare-armed. bare
headed gir,s.
Special CorrespOadsncs OF Tie sunday Republic.
Lyons. France. Oct. 81 an in the six cen
ter OF the world. where for more thaH four
. centuries the finest gowns Of the bellies OF
all nations have been turned out on coraEso
hand looms. Lyons makes about So.o0.oo
worth Of silks and silk goods every year. Us
sztins and velvets so all over die world.
and within The past few months Il has been
busy making the rich red yelvets which
were worn at the coronation Of King Ed
ward VII
The city is the commercial center OF mid
die France. and. next TO Paris. the chief
city Of this Republic. II took me eight
hours on the railroad 70 cover the 20 mites
between here and Paris. and ! now md
myself IN the dch valley OF the Rhone. in
one OF the most beautifully located cities
Lyons IS surrounded by hills. II lies N
the loWiands. under the mountains. at the
confluence OF the RhOne and the Saone-
On the other side OF the Szone are the
Heights OF FOuryieres, With q great tower
upon them, Up which We shall climb FOR
the view. We walk through the town.
passing the site Of a Roman palace. In
which the most cruel OF ROman Emperors.
Claudius and Caligula, were born. We 10
over one OF the Saone bridges and by a
cable railroad are elevated TO the foot Of
the tower. Another elevator takes Us up
20 the top, and we are co feet above the
river, hanging. as Il were high over the
city Behind US are the Golden Mountains %
Lyons. and beyond them. over a valley OF
gardens and trees, are the mighty Alps,
their snowy peaks forming 4 ragged silver
mass against the clouds. The day IS clear
and We see the snowy cap Of Mont Blanc
a hundred miles away. Turn about now
and look down into the valley. There Is
the Rhone. fresh from It's glacier Grads IN
Mont St Goth7rd. and nearer still. flowing
almost at our feet. Is the Saone, winding
ABOUT through the town si5e by side with
fits twin sister. the Rhone. Between the
two II the greater part OF Lyons. and as
We look we see the silvery streams en-
hracfng the municipal maiden In her silkcn
clothes and going singing on together 10
the sea
FAIRS WERE HELD HERE
~ MIDDLE AGES
Stop a minute and think where we are.
We are tn the heart OF one OF the Oldest
parts OF Europe and on the site OF one OF
the most famous cities of France. This
Rn02e Valley WAS q trade route In the DAYS
Of Julius Caesar. and great fairs were held
here in the Middle Ages. 10 which msr-
chants from Amsterdam TO Venice and from
other parts OF Europe came 10 buy and
sell The Gauls had a town in this site GO
years before Christ was born. and at the
time Christ lived here was a Roman city.
On this very hill one Roman Emperor
caused 0.00 Christians 10 be massacred.
and IN the days OF the French Revolution
the Tribunal finding that the guillctine
wound not kill the Lyons aristocratg fast
enough. tied them together with ropes, Ia
ro~s Of sixty. ana executed them by whole
sale with cannon loaded with grape shot.
me Lyons Of to-day, however, deVotes it.
ser more % business than to politics or re-
AsloA- II Is a great manufacturing center.
II contains 5000 psopie and with its sub
lbs mas aDont t-hree-quarters OF a million.
S'aholhS mere on the tower you can SEE
1he smokestacks OF its car shops. ta1-ne-ies
and chemical works, and there across the
valley. on the other side. is the famous |
CroiX Rouse tRed Coss3, the hin where
the siikmakers live. where the fashions Of
generations have been woven. and where to-
day some Of the most beautiful cloths OF
The world are produced. The hnl looks but
little Ike q manufacturing center. II has
no vast brick buildings, walled with wiz
dows, such as you see in the factory toH-ns
OF cur country; II has no smoksstaeks pour
1ng volumes OF black into the clouds, ana IL
looks more like a residence section than an
industrial one Still Lyons has hundreds az
silk factories, and the most OF them are Sit
uated upon that Hill.
HOUSES SIMILAR TO
AMERICAN TENEMENrs.
Suppose we visit IT,, We descend 70 the
Sone' cross the bridge and take the trolley
car through the city 20 the cable station AZ
the foot % Croix Rouse. We 20 into the
car Cropping a sou. or ! cent. at the turn
stle, for that is b IS charged for the
Tlde. We enter q box car where a score
OF SIX workers are standing. and In a mo-
msnt pad ourselves riding 10 the top Of the
MIL A few steps from the station above
takes you into the heart OF the silk indus
try OF Lyons. We can tell II by the clickl
click chckl which Is heard on every street
Sna IN every halfway. The houses are lean
structures. built along aIley-llke
streets, with narrow entrance doors. They
look Ike tenement buildings and thew are
little more than great
nited with laboreTs, every cell OF
which Is q little factory. Most OF the work
in the great silk department OF the Rhone
Is done on hand looms, and there are $4,000
men thns employed in this department
Even where power looms are used the work
IS largely that or house industry, several
Weavers having, IN 2 single room, looms
worked by electricity. paying therefor a few
cents Peg day per loom.
We enter one OF the buildings and walk
up the narrow stone stairs. We hear the /
clicking going on as We mount from story
&c story The building Is rudely construct
ed ard without modern conYeniences. We
knock az the door. pounding loudly in order
We may overcome the noise OF the
weaving. Frenehman in his shirt sleeves.
with a cap on his head. opens the door and
asks US % enter. BE has just left his loom
md At our request he again goes 70 work.
The loom Is oId-faskioned. and he works n
Win nS teeL InfoNtng the shuttle BY hand
from one side 70 the other. through TIE SIX
MAKING PATTERNS
FOR DRESS GOODS.
He Is making a pattern OF dress roods
may eventually be worn by some Of
tbs -Four Hundred. or may shine perhaps
on 4 Virginia belle at e White House re-
! ask him his wages. He replies
that he earns ~ francs. or 70 American
cents & day Of eleven hours he has been !
at his trade ten Years and Is one
q the besi-Paid men in the building.
Going On. We enter room after room.
Each has one Or more looms, with hare (