278 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



quality before we purchase the material. The way by which we can do 

 this has been worked out by the textile chemists. They have worked 

 out a series of simple tests which can be carried into the home and 

 used by every woman. They have found that if a piece of material is 

 pure wool it will all dissolve in a solution of ordinary lye. But that 

 if it is part cotton that part will not be dissolved. Of course, even 

 then that leaves the possibility that the wool may be adulterated with 

 shoddy. If the woman is the possessor of a n'liscroscope this will be a very 

 simple thing to discover. If linen is bought it can be analyzed to find 

 out whether it is linen or cotton. White material can be soaked in 

 glycerine. If linen, it becomes transparent, while if it is cotton it will 

 become opaque or a dead A\'hite. By burning the edge the fiber can also 

 be determined roughly, the linen fibers burning off straight, while the 

 cotton ones will have a small tuft. Silks are perhaps the most adulterated, 

 as they are the most costly. But here the adulteration consists not only in 

 being adulterated with another fiber, but by being loaded. This can 

 easily be discovered by burning the piece of material. If the material 

 is loaded it will retain its shape. As a matter of fact you will find that 

 it wiU not burn. If the silk is not weighted it will burn rapidly. To 

 test the pureness the fibers can be boiled in a solution of lye or some 

 strong alkali. This will dissolve the silk and will leave the cotton 

 undissolved. These are just a few of the most simple tests which seem 

 to be practicable. Any woman can try these at home. They can be 

 carried on with just the small samples which the merchant will give 

 you, or if this is not enough, surely it will pay to buy a few cents worth 

 of the material to test first. 



Before any laws can be passed we must have facts to present to 

 the people. All women know that textiles are adulterated, all know 

 that the average silk dress, costly as it is, will last but -a short time, and 

 then there can never be any assurance as to how long it will last. But 

 until the women who use things can give accurate information as to 

 the extent of the adulteration and what its effects are, very little will 

 be accomplished. The pure food people accomplished only what they 

 did by presenting specific facts to the people and showing what the 

 harm was, both to the individual and to society. And until textile 

 workers can do the same, very little will be done. But textile workers 

 can do little alone, as the pure food workers could do little alone. It 

 takes the people behind any movement to make it a success. And in 

 this instance it takes the women in particular. Until every woman who 

 buys a piece of cloth knows, or at least tries to know, the quality, noth- 

 ing can be done. 



