THE FIBER PRODUCTS OF THE FARM 157 



west. Each yucca fiber terminates at the surface of the leaf 

 in a spine which serves as a natural needle, permanently 

 threaded; both horsehair and sinew-thread were thrust 

 through punctures made with a bone awl — the antecedent of 

 the sewing-needle. The stiffness of these fibres was therefore 

 an advantage. Every land has its own fiber products, and 

 these give character and individuality to its textile arts, not- 

 withstanding that braiding and spinning are the same funda- 

 mental operations everywhere. 



Simple as is the process of making a cord from loose fibers, 

 spinning is one of the greatest of human inventions. Weav- 

 ing, the m.aking of cloth by the interlacing of cords thus spun, 

 is its complemental art. Spindle and loom are symbols of 

 modern civilization ; they have done more than almost any 

 other mechanical aids, to change the conditions of our living 

 from that of our savage ancestry. Yet spindle and loom had 

 humble and far-off beginnings. The primitive spindle was a 

 smooth stick that could be fastened at one end to a mass of 

 loose fibers, and twisted at the other with the fingers, winding 

 the fibers into a thread as they were drawn out from the mass ; 

 or elsewhere it was a suspended whirling bob, that could be 

 set in motion with the hand. The primitive loom was a low 

 horizontal bough of a tree, with threads of the warp suspended 

 from it. The threads of the woof were twined in and out by 

 hand. With an equipment only a little more complicated 

 than this, some of the finest products of the world's textile art 

 have been produced. 



Birds weave crudely, but they do not spin. They accept 

 from nature and use in their nest building a great variety of 

 fibers, but they have not attained to the art of lengthening 

 their cordage by twisting short fibers together. This is a 

 human art. The foundation of an oriole's nest (fig. 63), con- 

 sisting of a few strands of cordage suspended from a twig, is 

 not far removed, either in principle or in form, from the warp 



