turning cotton into silk, but it can actually be done, or at least
cotton can be made to resemble silk, so that discrimination between the
two fabrics is impossible. About fifty years ago, one Mercer, a French
chemist, showed that cotton when subjected to the action of concentrated
acid or alkalies, contracts and has a greater affinity for dyes, but it
has only just been discovered that “mercerization” gives also a
brilliant luster to the cotton. The cotton is stretched violently during
the operation, and when an energetic rubbing is added to the tension the
tissue receives a permanent luster. It thus replaces silk at a fraction
of its cost, and offers a splendid chance for financial enterprise.