ager to know all they could of the rest of the process,
especially Pierre. He found there were hand-looms for the making of
finer varieties of silks which were manufactured in smaller quantities
and were of individual design. On American power-looms, which were
surprisingly light of construction and were handled with great ease,
most of the other goods were made. It was remarkable that a machine
costing comparatively little and so simple to operate should be so
accurate in weave, and turn out so much work. As for the old Jacquard
loom that in a former day had transformed the industrial world--it had
been so altered and improved as to be hardly recognizable. Formerly, he
learned, looms of Swiss and German manufacture had been employed in
America; but these had speedily given place to the American high-power
automatic loom, especially for the making of ribbons which were woven
the same way as were broad goods, except that the shuttle was not a
flying but a fixed one, that moved from side to side like a
sewing-machine. So clever was the construction of these looms that they
seemed to be little short of thinking creatures; when plain ribbon was
to be turned out the operatives who were paid so much for the _cut_ or
ten yard piece, had little to do beyond seeing that there was plenty of
thread on the spools, and that the ends were tied when broken.

For the more expensive and elaborate ribbons, however, more involved
machinery was required. One device after another had been added to
eliminate human labor, but even then these machines needed more persons
to operate them. As a result of their complexity the speed of these
intricate machines was less, and in consequence the price of making the
goods was increased. Nevertheless there was a vast improvement over past
conditions, when all overshot and embroidered effects had to be worked
out on hand-looms. It enabled Americans to turn now to home manufacture
for their ribbons. It was nevertheless true, Mr. Gautier explained, that
much of the home market was created by the high tariff on the French
ribbons still manufactured on hand-looms; these continued to be of
choice design and of greater variety of pattern than were the American
goods that had to be turned out in larger quantities on power-looms.
Were it not that the American ribbons could be bought cheaper the French
ones would probably, in many cases, be preferred.

About one half of the total silk output of America, Pierre w