Excerpt from The Silk Industry in America: A History Prepared for the Centennial Exposition

Tan little treatise herewith offered to the public can make but slight pretension to original thought, or literary merit; though its preparation has required extensive and somewhat protracted research in fields seldom explored by literary men, and not often by those specially interested in the silk industry.

The writer desires to acknowledge his deep obligations to Franklin Allen, Esq., the Secretary of the Silk Association of America, not only for placing at his disposal the Association's large collection of works on silk and silk culture, which comprises most of the literature of the sub jcet, but in a still higher measure for his free permission to use and tran scribe the greater part of his Chronological Record of the Silk Industry in America, prepared with great labor for the forthcoming volume of the U. 8. Industrial Directory; and for tables of statistics, which add greatly to the permanent value of this volume. Without such coopera tion, the production of this work would have been impossible. Grateful acknowledgments are also due to A. T. Lilly, Esq., the author of a history of the silk industry in Connecticut; john Ryle, Esq., of Paterson N. J., and other manufacturers, who have also communicated important facts for the work.

For whatever of good or use there is in this little volume, the credit is largely due to these kind friends; for its errors and shortcomings, if such there be, the writer must alone bear the responsibility; but the burden will be lighter, if his readers will do him the justice to believe, that he has sought, to the best of his ability, to honor American Industry, and to set forth the achievements of American enterprise and perseverance.

This work is published under the auspices of the Silk Association of America. The privilege of its sale at the International Exhibition at Philadelphia, has been accorded by A. T. Goshorn, Esq., director-gen eral of the U. S. Centennial Commission.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.