Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-06-25
THE FIRST TAILOR.
NE MoNoPoLIzED THE sARToRIAL
TRADE OF THE WORLD.

L
| but lie Turacl Out Good, Honest
Work, Hand stitched Throughout.
The first industry of the world was
| tailoring. The first maker of clothes
and the first wearer wal; Adam. OF
this strange character WHO appears on
the pages OF history In the dual role Of
the first tailor and the first customer
we have but Il brief biography The
mcager details require sympathetic in
depreciation to make UP IL complete
story. OF his father and mother no
mention Is made, but the record shows
he was destined to be n clothier Of
some sort, for he was put into Eden to
dress" the garden We do not know
If he obcyed this command. as LIS
biographers do not so state, for, II
seems. instead of dressing" tie gar
den he dressed" himself
His early marriage and the trouble
relating to the theft of some fruit with
sundry other unpleasant details pre-
coded his work as tailor. He began
In humble way; just himself and
one assistant. He was ono o! the early
settlers IN II newly opened country. a
land of natural advantages which must
soon attract other Inhabitants. With
Il large and increasing population he
foresnw that there must come a grow
ing demand for clothing ii he could in
troducc them and make popular his
new invention. lie was Il pioneer. lie
had no competition. lie controlled the
tailoring trade of the world. Thus
with the first industry came the first
trust
AS he busily piled his needle we
know not what visions of future bust
ness and wealth filled his ambitious
mind. But never in his widest dreams
did he conceive that his little tailoring
establishment, employing only four
hands, doing only local trade and
turning out the first custom made gar
mcnt, would he the beginning of a
ready made clothing business that in
the United States alone gives lnbor to
hundreds of thousands of hands and
covers an Investment of great many
million dollars.
But of the great wealth that has
come from his invention Accom-, like
most pioneers. made no money what
ever and died leaving his family with
out n penny. Even his name Is not as
*ociatcd with his wonderful discovery,
but such is the sarcasm of timc-it APP
pears only in the word Adams apple,
in memory not of his virtues, but of an
escapade of his wife.
Though even CARLYLE has not rccog-
nized Adams sartorial genius, there
are some capital points in the work of
this first tailor.
He originated the style himself He
was not a petty trader on the reputu-
ton Of others and initiating their fash
ions. Even in the names for the gar
ments he WAS original. The first suit
of clothes, In reality only n girdle or
belt. lie humorously termed an apron"
1t is difficult to determine the season
of the year. Judging from the GOODNESS
of the suit, 1t might have been IL sum
mer style, but as 1t was just Il little
after the fall 1t was probably early in
the winter
They We're hand stitched throughout
They contained no machine work or
cheap labor The workshop was in the
open air. and although tailored in the
sweat of his brow, no sweatshop work
was possible.
The material was not of the best, but
Adam found no better Mt hand. Some
of the modern tailors, making shoddy
garments mt slloddy prices, initiate
Adam. who used "lcavings."
AZ to Adam, the first customer, when
he was alone in the world he never
thought of dress but when he came to
the realization of himself as an indi-
vidual and III relation to others lie be-
gan to spruce up. Courtship led him
to beautify himself. to appear well In
the eyes of "the only woman lie ever
loved" Human nature has not changed
much.
With the entry Of society dress be-
gan. Perhaps this is why dress forms
SO prominent a feature In society to-
day.
After eating the apple of knowledge
the mind of Adam was suddenly illu-
minated as If by thousand electric
lights. A great thought of large, prac-
teal, worldly wisdom flashed before
him. He realized that to amount to
anything In the world he must make a
good appearance. In this he struck n
keynote of business success.
Surely he needed to keep UP appear
ances. He reflected over his actions
for the two weeks prior and then
looked mt his future. He had been in
bad society and had been seen with a
disreputable serpent. he had been led
into tenptution he had broken the law,
he was implicated in an apple theft az
accessory after the fact, he had some
Of the stolen goods in his possession
and lie was Il fugitive from justice, for
he was then in hiding" Discovery
was certain. He was to be evicted
from his home and in disgrace had to
face the awfulness Of actually earning
his own living by work. Then, after a
mild attack of rcnorse, he was equal
to the situation and in a manly way ac-
cepted it, made himself suit of clothes
III which he could make decent APP
pearance and began life anew with the
courage, hope, pride and confidence that
| comes from the consciousness Of being
we'll dressed-William George Jordan
In Fnshioner.
Those Troublesome Questions.
Little Willie-I say, pa?
Pn-What Is 1t, my son?