The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-04

This was "SilkDay'' for the work
ers employed in the silk industry Of
Europe during the middle ages, COM
memorating the fact that it was on
the fourth day Of January, in 536,
that two monks from the indies arr
rived in Constantinop1e,i bringing with
them silk worms and the knowledge
which enabled thems to teach the
manufacture of silk. From the in
dustry established by those two
monks and their assistants has sprung
the multitude Of great factories in
Europe and America dedicated to the
making of the fabric most admired by
the fair sex.
From the tiny shop established by
the men Of religion in the sixth CEN
fury to the great mills Of Lyons, Gre
field, Zurich, Como and Paterson is a
far cry. but all trace their decent
back to that Constantipople venture.
China, which boasts OF being the
birthplace Of so many modern indus
tries, was the original home of silk.
In the year 2640- B. c., Se-ling-sh
spouse of the Emperor Hwang-te. is
recorded as having been a patroness
Of the silk industry, encouraging the
cultivation Of the mulberry tree and
the rearing of worms and Keeling Of
silk. This empress personally cared
for large numbers Of silkworms, and
the Chinese declare that she invented
the first loom.
For countless centuries the Chinese
jealousy guarded the secret Of silk
making, but eventually tho knowledge
of the art spread to Corea and thence
to Japan. where the industry was
ncfo Itch oh ~ ~@ -
the present era. The art was carried
thence to India, and finally reached
Europe on that memorable January
day in 536.
Wrought silk, the product Of In /.
dian and Persian looms, was brought
to Greece in the fourth century B. O.,
time of Tiberius there is proof in the
passing of law prohibiting the wear
ing Of silk by men, and declaring that
it was eft only for women" When
silk had to be imported into Europe
from Asia it was literally worth it's
weight in gold, and was sold by
weight, afpound of silk for a pound
of gold. At that periods it was gen.
orally believed by Europeans that
silk grew on trees.
The European industry spread
slowly. and in the time of Charlie
magne gift by that ruler to another
monarch Of two silken vests" was
considered remarkable display Of
lavishness. In the twelfth century
the silk industry was established in
Palermo, Sicily, and the Sicilians not
only bred the silkworms, but spun
and wove the silk. BY the sixteenth
century silk was being made in Italy,
France andl Spain, and at the begin
ming Of theN seventeenth century the
industry was firmly established in
England. James I. tried to introduce
silk culture into Virginia, and for
warded eggs to Virginia, but the COL
onists were more interested in to-
bacco. In 1918 Louisiana took up the
industry, and in 1892 it was COM
menced in Georgia, and by 1749 the
production at Ebenezer. on the Savan-
nah river, amounted to thousand
pounds. In 1889 Connecticut took up
the industry.
China still leads in silk production
although the actual amount is un-
known, with Japan second. France is
the greatest silk producing center of
Europe. In America the industry is
largely centered in Paterson, NJ j.,
where the great silk mills give en-
ployment to a large proportion of the
city's inhabitants.