r- 'v: HAVE you ever thought of how that little bit of pearl, ivory, brass or wood that holds our garments to gether distinguishes us from the an cionls? Without it tight-fitting cloth ing would never have been introduced. ,Vo other article of which we know today could take the place of what wc call a button. Women might succeed Ih pinning thoir gowns together but what about the thicker garments of the men? facing is all right for a shoo or h rorsct but wholly impracticable for coats and vests. Hooks and eyes will answer on a dross lining but how would thoy look on an overcoat? Any way, hooks and eyes really belong to tilio button family representing one of the stages In Its evolution. The button Is one of the very best examples of tho importance of small things. Read It out of existence in all its forms and it would afreet our Na tional life. Compelled to return to the robes of our ancostors. many of the greatest linos of modern industry would bo handicapped. Imagine the fireman of a locomotive clad In loose, flowing garments, or the conductor of n crowded trolley car making change In a toga. Dates Back lo Elizabeth. The history of the button Industry dates back only to the reign of Eliza bath, which was from 155S to 1603. Groat Britain lias been tho great button-making center of the world for a long time and Birmingham the seat of manufacture. Buttons grew rapidly in favor not only on account of their use fulness but as ornaments. It became a great fad to adorn one's clothing with beautiful brass buttons so made that a prismatic effect resulted as the light shone upon tnem. Not only those if high ofilclal rank wore beautiful buttons, but the English dudes and tradesmen as well, this fad reaching Its zenith in the early part of the 19th century. Then came buttons of metal bearing the designs of animals and these gave place to those of cloth the invention of an Englishman named Sanders. In 1S37, the silk-covered but ton made its appearance and became at -once so popular that 60 looms were kept working overtime to fill the de mand. Later linen buttons were Intro duced for underclothing and then glass buttons in Bohemia, porcelain In France, and composition In Germany; Our American Production. Forty-two buttons each for every man, woman and child In the United States represents the annual produc tion of the United States according to a special report on buttons issued by our Government in connection -with the 12th census. I am informed, how ever, that since this report thero Tiavc been great changes in the making 'of buttons In this country and also the annual production has greatly in creased. Our buttons In the United States are made from bone, cloth, horn, metals, vegetable Ivory, wood, cellu loid, paper, pearl and several other materials. Of these pearl buttons hold first place in both value and numbers. Twelve million gross of frcsn-water pearl buttons are now being made in this country each year and about one fifth as many salt-water pearl buttons. Since the last census report the pearl buttons annually produced have nearly doubled. Fifteen years ago it was discovered that the waters of the Illinois, Indiana. Iowa, Tennessee and Arkansas produced pearl excellently adapted to the making of but tons. Up to that time all pearl buttons made In the United States were from salt-water shells, and the button indus try was confined to cities on tho Eastern coast. Since the discovers' of fresh-water pearl, tho industry has spread well Into the Central and "Western States. Hun dreds of shellhunters, busy themselves along tho rivers, and factories for the making of button blanks have sprung up on the banks. The salt-water shells which come Into tho United States for buttonse are brought from the markets of London to which they are shipped from Sydney, Australia, from Bombay and elsewhere. These shells arc sold by the pound and their price depends upon their color and clearness. Somo shells from which but tons are sawed weigh five pounds. Tho Sydney or Australian shell is the best and sells for not less than 45 cents a pound, and the Bombay shell for perhaps 23 cents a pound. The Sydney shell is nearly al' white, while the Bombay shell may be white only at the center, black at the edges and yellow in between. Fresh-water pearl is worth $15 a ton, or three-fourths of a cent a pound, and therefore the nahshed product is much cheaper also. Cutting Shells Into Button Blanks. Tho first operation In the making of a button is preparing and sawing of the shell into button Masks of varieus sizes and thicknesses. In oe of the accom panying photographs a workman is .shewn at a HHLcfaliie with a twe r three-peuad THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, 3IAROH 11, 1906. MAKE BUTTON: Li r? V 7; shell nearly ready to be turned Into blanks. Fresh-water shells arc handled In the same manner. The blanks. It will be understood, are round and of the same diameter as tho buttons Into which they aro made. The varied thickness of the shell give a variety of thicknesses to the blanks Xs first sawed out, thus necessi tating the slicing of them Into many ad ditional blanks, all, of course, of the same diameter. The available blanks having been, thus mechanically cut from the shell, the shell presents an odd appearance. Indeed, not unlike a target shot full of holes. If the blanks have been prepared upon the banks of some river, they, are shipped in sacks like so much grain "and are thus received at the storeroom of the button factory proper. These bags con tain 203 pounds or more. A grading ma chine automatically sorts bushels and bushels of these blanks Into their respect ive thicknesses. Tho various sises of buttons at a but ton factory and to the trade are described by a number and th word "lines." Thero arc ten-line buttons and 5-line buttons, and some even larger. There arc 49 lines to the lack, as when we speak of a if- I . 1 tm P my line button it means that the diameter of that button is one inch. As soon as the shells have been turned into blanks the work of shaping, facing and drilling is begun. The placing of a face upon a button was. In the early days done by hand with the aid of some small tools. Then came the button machines which rest upon a bench and are operated by belting. These In appearanco are not unlike the bench lathes of a machinist. Each button is put in a sort of socket with one hand of the operator and with the other hand the mechanical facing tool is bnmckt In coaUcj, with it jyad. lht I power applied. The drilling of the holes In the button Is done in the same way. About three years ago, a marvelous new invention made its appearance and has revolutionized the Industry to no small extent. In the making of fresh water pearl buttons, one ot these ma chines takes tho place of five girls under the former plan, A girl seated at one of these machines places the blanks one after another Tapldly In position. On a sort of belt-like arrangement these but tons, as they are put in place, are car ried first to the mechanism which shapes and faces, and then a little further to the point at which drills automatically op erate In piercing holes. Carried on fur ther, tho button Is delivered from the machine into a receptacle and the part of the machine which held It on its Jour ney quickly comes round in front of the operator again to be filled. These ma chines were Invented in Iowa and were first put into use by Mr. Watson, of Erie, Pa. They aro ' now coming into auite general use. "Where buttons aro of large size and arc to be mado in some fancy design., this. jw k is dost upoa a. band machine. Tkese J? mm buttons are of course more expensive. Tho style of decoration in buttons does not change greatly. After the buttons are finished they go to the tables where a force is engaged in picking out any that may be in any way defective. In another part of tho factory another force of girls Is employed in fastening the but tons onto cards ready for the market. A large spool of thread'ls held in place upon the center of the table and a quantity of card-? lie beside each of the four girls which surround the table. These girls become very adept at this work and eas ily sow on 40 gross a day each. Buttons !From Vegetable Ivory. Next in Importance, perhaps, to the but tons of pearl are those used by tailors and which are produced In great quanti ties from vegetable ivory. Vegetable Ivory Is picked from trees in South Amer ica. It comes in the form of nuts and tho tree which bears them resembles a palm. These nuts are picked up by the Indians and shipped to tho Isthmus of Panama and from thence find their way North. The nuts are dried and the outer coat removed. Men at machines saw these nuts Into slabs, the larger the nuts the larger the pieces which they will ob tain from It. Skilled operators hold the slabs against whirling dies and cut the button Into shape. The buttons are pure whlto In color and it is difficult to tell them from real ivory. A large portion of them are next colored by dyes and they go to make buttons for coats, cloaks,, trous ers and vests. Horn buttons are usually made from the hoofs of cattle. The hoofs are first boiled in large kettles and softened and then cut. They are stamped into shape under a hydraulic press and then the holes are bored and they are polished. Metal buttons are made from rolled metal plate and shaped in dies,, there often being two dies for one button, the parts of the button being brought togeth er before finishing. As to covered but tons, they have been made in the "United States for moro than threo-quarters, of a century. At first the covering of Buttons was done, as might be surmised, -'by-hand. Now. thl3 work Is done by auto matic machinery in many, places. The in 41 1 side of a covered button may be either metal or wood. "W. FRANK McCLURE. PERIL IN COLLEGE TRAINING Medical Authority Points Out the Dangers to American Youth. American Medicine. It Is wrong to put" any one In training at any time, to create a physiologic car diac enlargement which remains to plague him in after life, but to place the growing boy under this regimen Is noth ing short of criminal. No college sport should require "training. no matter how much practice is needed, and no game should alngle out a few very abnormal men. Sports arc necessary parts of youthful life, the essentials of child's education, Indeed, and every one must take part in them to educate the nerves, not to deaden them. Games are normal only when they cul tivate perceptions to accuracy and quick ness, but never should they put the tis sues to their maximum allowable strain. The only use. of the present game stems to be to afford relaxation to those In' the grand stand pale-faced boys who should be at some game themselves instead of rooting for the beef ot the college.. The gambling and commercialism do not con cern the medical side of the matter, but are features having a distinctly perni cious psychologic effect upon boya at the very age they can be most Injured. We hope that these dreadful Harvard revela tions will be the final argument to con vlncv educators and college faculties that they must wake up to their duty to regu late sport. Play of animals and children Is really a means of educating or exercising other parts of tho nervous system than the mere memory, which scms to be the main thing drilled In our college youths,. If some play is beneficial and there does not seem to be any doubt on that point then it must be utilized and encouraged for every student and not so utterly ig nored and allowed to degenerate, to a form which Is Injurious. If "3Tou Should Journey Back. Margaret H. Garvin In Lipplncott'a If you should journey back from death. And suddenly should greet my gaze. I would not waste one blissful breath In any hesitant amaze; My arms would have- you in their hold Without one question or reply. My very eyelids would Infold The sight of you, lest It should fly! My Hps, without a word, could well Confess how lonely they had Seen; And I would let the Joy-tears tell' Of grief that, kept them locked wlt&ia. The pressure of my hands would plead With thine to never let them go; My feet would follow in your lead Without a wish the way to know. If you to love should reappear ' -It would not seem the mystery Our parting was, nor each strangc'-yMr Wherein you have tea Joet to IS I