File:The fireside university of modern invention, discovery, industry and art for home circle study and entertainment (1902) (14777140124).jpg

Identifier: firesideuniversi01mcgo (find matches)
Title: The fireside university of modern invention, discovery, industry and art for home circle study and entertainment
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: McGovern, John. (from old catalog)
Subjects: Science
Publisher: Chicago, Union pub. house
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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or Men and Women ? Clothes for men are kept ready-made, and tailors also thriveas a class, while the outer garments of women are still made athome, without the advantages to be derived from steam-powerand a division of labor. The fashions of womens dressesundergo constant change, while men usually wear out theirclothing. The supply of ready-made Cotton goods for women,however, has made great progress. What is Linen ? Cloth made from the fibres of Flax. This shining white clothis used for the table, for the fronts of shirts, for collars, and forcuffs. Cotton sheets have supplanted the use of Linen in ourbedding. The spinning and weaving of Linen yarn was one ofthe earliest of mans arts. Linen was long needed :as the warpof all goods that carried a Cotton woof, as the- Cotton yarncould not be spun strong enough. Of late years,.Coiton hascome to serve in nearly all the places of Linen, and even ingoods sold as pure Linen, inner surfaces of Cotton are imposedon the buyer. CLOTHES, ETC 401
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Fig. 158. A, FLAX PLANT; B, FLOWER; C, FRUIT. What did the Nineteenth Century bring about ? The Linen industry was driven to the wall by Cotton, and itflourishes (or languishes) now only in Russia, Ireland and Cen-tral Europe, where the modern mill and its agents have not yetconquered. Linen has become a luxury, like Silk in China.Thus, in two parts of the earth, it has been found that the peoplecould clothe themselves satisfactorily at far smaller expense. How is Flax prepared ? It is pulled out of the ground. Its seeds are especially valuableas furnishing an oil which is the best vehicle in which to carrywhite lead for paint, but here, also, Cotton seed oil has comeforward to take the place of linseed oil. The Flax is immersedin ponds, and retted (rotted) ; it is spread in the meadows tobleach; it is beaten; it is scutched or split; it is heckled(carded) ; it is spun into yarn ; it is bleached as white as snowin the sun, or by acids ; it is woven. The same spinning wheel

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