ExniBiTiox Addresses. 183 



THE SILK INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE EXHIBITION OF THE AMERICAN 

 INSTITUTE, OCTOBER 28tu, 18G9. 



By Britton Richatidson, Esq. 



Ladies and Gentlemen. — The silk trade owes you an apology for 

 not setting before you a fuller assortment of the manufactures of 

 silk than you see here. In explanation, I would only say that the 

 arrangement to exhibit was made rather too late. We hope, however, 

 to do better for you next year. 



An apology is also due for not providing a better speaker than the 

 one M'ho now stands before you. Hear me, however, for my cause. 



The manufacture of silk is one of the most ancient. Chinese books 

 four thousand years ago particularly describe the culture of silk, and 

 tradition says a Chinese empress was the first to wind and weave it. 



Raw silk was exported from China to Persia, Tyre, and elsewhere, 

 where it was woven, and sold to several parts of Europe and Asia. 



Aristotle and Pliny speak of it, but seem to have known very 

 little about it, for it was for ages supposed to be a fine down combed 

 from trees. In the island of Cos the woven fabric was unwoven for 

 the purpose of making gauze ; and this was also done by the ladies 

 of Rome. 



In luxurious Rome so beautiful a material needed only to be known 

 to be highly prized. Its cost was its weight in gold. 



In the Augustan age poets sang of it ; and in the reign of Tiberius 

 none but ladies of the highest rank wore it. The Roman senate 

 forbade its use by men. A silken garment is mentioned as one of 

 the wanton prodigalities of Heliogabalus. The empress of Aurelian 

 was denied the luxury of a new dress of silk, and her husband sold 

 her accumulated stock of silken garments to replenish his treasury. 



Rome was supplied with silk by the Persians ; but in the second 



