The leathermaker leaves off and the glovemaker begins.

A marble slab lies before the cutter on a table, and every particle of dirt or other inequality is removed before “doling.”  The skin is spread, flesh side up, upon the slab, and the cutter goes over it with a broad bladed chisel or knife, shaving down inequalities and removing all the porous portions.  The dexterity with which this is done makes the operation appear extremely simple, but any but a skilled and experienced operative would almost surely cut through the skin.  The most delicate part of the glovemaker’s art, in which exact judgment is required, comes in preparing the “tranks” or slips, from which the separate gloves are cut.  The trank must be so cut as to have just enough leather to make a glove of a certain size and number.  The operation would be easy enough if the material were hard and stiff, and if the elasticity were uniform, but this is rarely the case.

To accomplish this operation the trank must be firmly stretched in one direction, and while so stretched a “redell” stamps the proper dimensions in the other direction, to which the leather is trimmed.  Upon the nicety with which this operation is performed depends the question of whether the finished glove will stretch evenly or too much or too little in one direction or the other.  After this the trank or outline of the glove must be cut out.  In olden times of glove manufacture an outline was traced upon the leather and the pattern was cut with shears.  Modern invention has produced dies and presses which are universally used.  The steel die has the outline of a double glove, including the opening for the thumb piece.  The die rests upon the bed of the press.  Several tranks are laid upon it, the lever is drawn, and in a moment the blanks are cut out clean and smooth.  The gussets, facings, etc., are cut from the waste leather in the thumb opening at the same operation.  Similar dies are used in the cutting of the thumb pieces and fourchettes or strips forming the sides of the fingers.

The pieces now go to the great sewing rooms of the factory, where are long rows of busy sewing girls.  If the manufacturer of years ago could revisit the scenes of his earthly toil, and wander through the sewing rooms of a modern factory, he would doubtless be greatly amazed at the sight presented there.  In his day such a thing was unknown.  The glove was then held in position by a hand clamp, while the sewing girl pushed the needle in and out, making an overseam.  All this is done now in an infinitely more rapid manner by machine, and with resulting seams that are more regular and strong than those made by the hand sewer.  The overseam sewers earn large wages, and their places are much coveted.  Overlapping seams are produced on the pique machine, which is a most ingenious mechanism.  The essential feature of this machine is a long steel finger with a shuttle and bobbin working within, and the finger of the glove