The Washington herald., 1914-10-08

! How a great movement nationwide in
its scope, can be started by a chance
remark is being demonstrated this week.
The National Cotton Goods Week, which
Is being observed by cities all over the
! country, 10 the result Of a suggestion
made by Miss Genevieve Clark, daughter
Of the Speaker OF the House Half in
| Jest and half in earnest. she suggested
that a plan to hold a National Cotton
Goods Week, with the merchants holding
special sales Of cotton goods and the
people being urged to buy and wear cot
ton. would greatly stimulate conditions
in the cotton industry and go a long
way towards solving the perplexing prob
| lem OF dispoSing of the enormous cotton
crop OF the South.
Like most real ideas, It grew rapidly.
and although ridiculed as being fantastic
and unsound economically. the more II
was thought over the more practical II
seemed. The result Is that in a few
veloped into q well-planned campaign to
help move the cotton of the South. by
means OF National Cotton Goods Week.
At first discussed by the younger set OF
the society OF the Capital the plan has
taken hold on serious people who saw
great possibilities in It. Now trafic
managers of railroad systems, boards Of
trade and chambers OF commerce are
urging merchants all over the country
to get in line and hold sales Of cotton
goods during the National Cotton Goods
Week, October to 10.
Realizing the impracticability OF every
one participating in the "Buy-a-Bale-of-
Cotton" campaign, the society women of
Washington saw that II would be easier
to urge the buying Of cotton goods, in
which everybody can take part As
correspondent of the New York Tribune
says at is all right to buy a bale of cot
ton and II is easy to say II. but how
few people can really afford to part with
$50. to say nothing OF all the financial
troubles we are beset with. Suppose a
few thousand people were TO buy a
L, ,O0o, 900 bale crop and store It: time
passes quickly and there would soon be
another crop, doubtless much bigger. to
be taken care Of, and there is bound
to be limit TO both money and storage"
Suppose you change the slogan to
Buy Pair Of Sox.' II each Of our
100000 people would buy a pair of
socks week for 3 cents, and they should
have two pair, they would consume
s, 300. 100000 worth Of manufactured cot
ton annually. This is $3.50, 100000 more
than the entire crop is worth at $50 q
bale. There would not only be millions
Of money distributed for labor and fac
tory profits, but II would encourage in
dustries and the circulation Of money
throu hgthe employment Of labor"
OF course there are few Of US who wear
a hundred pair of socks in a year, but
the idea involved in this communication
to the Tribune Is essentially the idea
that is back of the National Cotton
Goods Week. Every one Of US can buy
cotton, though but few of use can buy
a bale of the raw material or would
know what to do with 1t II We had it.
By showing people how It Is possible
to help the cotton situation by buying
and wearing manufactured cotton goods,
the women who have started this move
cent have shown a practical solution to
the difficulty that Is now confronting
the South
Prominent oficiais and society women
Of Washington enthusiastically indorsed
the plan and assisted in getting in touch
with the boards Of trade Of other cities.
The response has been tremendous and
the plan of having the merchants
throughout the country cooperate In sell
ing cotton goods and holding special dis
plays OF cotton fabrics, dresses, muslins,
etc, has been enthusiastically adopted in
many cities. One Of the largest DEPART
q special sale Of cotton goods this week.
They are showing cotton dresses, cotton
laces and houncings, cotton handker-
chiefs, cotton hosiery, cotton upholstery,
cotton bedding. cotton table damask and
many other articles for the household
that are made OF cotton.