There is often great advantage in a position of obscurity from which to
look out on the world. The lace-weavers of Nottingham founded a great
industry in caves, as described below:
This great (lace) industry here began in this way: There is, or
was, originally, a long, high bank of very soft sandstone on the
north bank of the river Trent, pointing to the sun. In this soft
sandstone the early Britons dug caves. They dug them deep and
wide and wonderful in construction. It is said that even now the
city of caves under the ground is almost as large as the broad
and populous city on top of the ground. In case of invasion or
conquest these cave-dwellers would retreat underground and defy
pursuit. It is the boast of the people of Nottingham that their
ancestors were never really conquered by any one. The weaving
of laces came about here in this way: The half or wholly savage
women sitting at the mouths of these caves and holding their
threads against the sun with the darkness behind them could
see the fine threads better, and so could do finer and better
work than any other women in western Europe. And their immunity
from conquest and consequent interruption in their peculiar
industry fastened it here and kept it well forward.--JOAQUIN
MILLER, _The Independent_.
(178)
=Backslider Regained=--See WARMTH, LOST.
=Bacteria=--See CLEANSING, DIFFICULTY OF.