University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1912-12-02

John, need a new, dress. Thi:
one, my very best, too, is simply worn
out"
Very WE'LL" says John, and buys
| for his wife's Christmas present q
dress that won't wear out at all. 1,
is made of material chemically
I treated, so that the fiber of the cloth
itself is rendered practically indie
structible. She wears it and wears
it till it goes clear out of style, and
still it is as good as new.
Does Johns wife become angry be-
cause every one else has new dresses
while she is trying to wear out an
old one? No, for lot of husbands
of Johns way of thinking had bought
their wives dresses of this material
for presents, with the promise of IAN
other when this one is worn out. -
And the wives wear them for a while
without suspecting the trick played
upon them by their economical-mind-
ed masters.
Will This Ever Happen!
Then they realize their costumes
are all utterly out of style. but still
so perfectly good that they must be
worn for years to come. So they
meet in solemn conclave to decide
what must be done about it. If
everybody is out of style completely,
then no one is more stylish than any,
body else. So they don't mind all
being out of style, together.
They decide to make their mon
wear-out-able" dresses over into
classic and artistic garments, all
alike. They wondered how they could
ever have liked those old queer styles,
anyway. (For there is nothing quite
so grotesque as fad that has grown
oldD The result is highly artistic.
economical and heaIthful form of ma
tional uniform dress for women.
And having no necessity of wasting
time, money and energy in follow
ing after fashion at a greater or less
distance, they are free to give their
attention to more important matters.
such as discussions of whether they
shall allow John and his friends the
ballot or not, and whether it would
not result in a loss of Johns chief
charm. his shy and innocent timidity
of manner if they did.
Much Already Accomplished.
All this may possibly happen, at
some time in the future. when some
experiments that are now being made
by chemists are fully worked out and
made of commercial value in the
manufacture of cloth. This much has
already been accomplished by long
series of experiments in treating cot
ton cloth with chemical substances:
the wearing property of the cloth has
been increased 90 per cent. ANY gar
ment made of goods so prepared will
wear 90 per cent longer than gar
ment of the same material which has
not been so prepared. And in addi
ton the garment is practically fire.
proof.
The experiments were not origi-
nally made for the purpose of in
creasing the wearing properties of
the goods, but to make it fire-prOof.
In England so many children had
been burned to death because of play
ing near a fire while wearing cotton
dresses that a movement was begun
to have the wearing of flannelette,
tied. But it was found that this cot
ton flannel was practically neces-
sity among the poorer classes who
could not afford to buy woolen. Then
it was suggested that the cotton fan
mel might possibly be made as safe
as wooden, and experiments followed
which have made it as indestructible
by fire as wOOlen.
Prof. TrOwbridge'S Talk.
Prof p. F. Trowbrige in an address
before the University of Missouri
Section of the Chemical Society re-
Gently told of these experiments,
which were made by William Henry
Perkin, of Manchester. England, one
of the greatest living chemists. Pro-
fessor Trowbrige had heard Mr.. Per-
kin lecture on the same subject at
the last International Congress of
Applied Chemistry in New York in
September, and had had several pri-