PREFACE
The importance of the three main textiles in the civilized life of today is probably but vaguely realized by the majority of people. In this country we consume raw cotton alone at the rate of about twenty-six pounds per capita each year, which if translated to yards of cloth and other fabric, would make a strip longer than the distance from the earth to the moon, and a yard wide all the way. Add wool and silk to this and the picture becomes even more impressive. There is not a man, woman or child who does not use one or all three of these textiles in daily life. With this in mind we submit this brief description of how they are produced, emphasizing in particular the development of the raw material in each case.
Parts I and II are practically revised editions of “Cotton and Cotton Manufacture” and “Wool and Wool Manufacture” which were written by James Paul Warburg in 1921 and 1920, respectively, and published by the First National Bank of Boston, with whom he was then associated. We take this occasion to acknowledge the extreme courtesy of the First National Bank of Boston in allowing the use of this material. Part III, dealing with Silk, has been newly compiled by Benjamin Strong, Jr., of the International Acceptance Bank, Inc.
No attempt has been made in these studies to enter very deeply into the technical processes involved, the purpose being more to give a condensed outline of the subject from the layman’s point of view. While actual survey and observation were extensively made in each case, a great part of the material has of necessity been obtained from standard works on these subjects. In this connection we wish especially to render acknowledgment to Professor M. T. Copeland of Harvard University, whose studies were freely used by the author of Part I on Cotton. In the case of Silk, we are particularly grateful to Mr. W. D. Darby, whose “Silk, The Queen of Fabrics” has been of invaluable assistance. To the many friends in the textile trades who have provided opportunities for first hand observation, as well as a wealth of information, we tender our sincere thanks and grateful appreciation.
INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTANCE BANK, INC.
New York, N. Y., October, 1924.