Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-07-12
Something about Lace.

Will lS'i'AAi'iNo VI
T mechanism, that machine-made. lace
should he so inferior to that made by
hand. 1t is not only true that 1t is SO,
but that, for obvious reasons 1t must
always continue inferior. In lace-mak-
ing it is essential that the ends Of the
threads be loose. Now, until a machine
has been devised which will pick up
these loose ends as a DevonshHe lace
maker or Belgian nun does, it is useless
to expect from the automatic machine
the softness and elasticity, the evenness
of thread or grace of pattern, which
come from intelligent fingers. / do not
wish to snub the machine made gimps
and fringes that give style to English
and American ladies' dresses, which the
tray eler misses SO much as he proceeds
through Europe toward the east; but
they are not lace. -
There are but four real classes of lace.
although the specidties of different
countries are innumerable. Point, pill
low, drawn and applique are the generic
kinds Of lace proper, and The name of
each, to wOman's understanding, desig-
mates how it is made. Point-lace, III
deed, meaning lace made by the needle :
point, is untrue TO its name, since it is
partly pillow twisted; but pillow lace,
drawn lace, and applique lace are what
their names indicate.
OF drawn lace and applique lace no
description is needed. OF pillow lace
the usual method of work is thus: Up
Fen the pillow, which is nearly BbObular,
piece of stiff parchment is stretched,
having q number Of holes forming the
pattern. Through those holes pins are
stuck, and threads wound npon bobbins
are woven around the pins and twisted
= fn complex WHY'S around each other.
These threads now form the skeleton.
The meshes are bound together. At
every two or three turns of the thread
it is twisted around its own cord and
then again around its neighbors cords.
The figure of the meshes depends upon
the number of turns made before the
twist is changed from one cord to anoth-
. . er. 1t is most tedious process. At
tention cannot be diverted. Thought
: must be upon the work. Memory Is
! severely taxed. The mistake of single
twist becomes fatal to the whole pieea'
!, There are certain peculiar conditions
!. . necessary to the production of perfect
!, lace. These are, first, the quality of
thread second, the abundance OF fe-
male labor and third, the Roman Catho-
lie religion. Belgium, better than all
. other European countries, possesses the
three. Her thread has not, and never
had, a rival; her peasant girls, red
checked pictures of perfect health, are
,, proverbially industrious, and her upper
and lower classes are Catholic devOtees.
In the vestries of the old churches OF
Flemish land there is wealth OF lace
upon sacerdOtal vestments that Is beyond
estimate. It has been collecting every
since Isabella's days, was wrought as O
labor of love by nuns and other holy la
dies, and appears on the gorgeous appa,
rel of ecclesiastical dignitaries on great
DAYS of the church. But in all the
world there is no such a collection OF
every description of lace. as at the Vati'
$ can. From France and England, from
, Spain, Portugal, Austria, and Italy,
point d'Espagne and point Alencon,
' Valenciennes and Hamilton, Brussels,
Genoese, Argentan, and one knows moi
: what, have been coming as gifts to the
church these 500 years. There are !:
large rooms used exclusively as ward
: robes for laces in the papal palace.
Though a great deal of old lace has
! ! come down in families and; in eclesias
y tical establishments, and though lace
: as an heir r-lOom, is guarded as watce
Q fully as diamonds, no doubt much ha'
been lost. 1t has been the fashion a
times, in different parts of the world
3 to bury the dead of distinguished tarel
| =. IL ~, opkIp,1 a n
the case at Corfu. To this day, ther'
= are to be found in shops these specl
!. mems of antique lsoe Of elegant work
: manship, conspicuous for darkness =
% % color and sepulchral smell. 7
! Honiton lace, made only in Devon
, shire, England, has never been a favor
= ite in the United States. Two hand
g kerchiefs, contributed by an American
- gentleman visiting in London to tn
% New York sanitary fairs in 1863, cOul'
=, scarcely be diaposed of At cost, AbOu
le the middle Of The Lat century this lac
:. e. was made in snch perfection that it I.
y vailed Brussels. But the lace-makel
\ intr1iuced q set of hideous pattern
&c "o5 Of their own heads" tAey sod
- - patterns Of boars' heads and peacoch
~ ~ tails; of kettles and fYying'pans q
1e ! chufchss and castles 1essnf and acs
-, ers, & gracsf.zz coppoStiAHs Of the ol
ee scI3ci: were dbsjhdSned and 4shs en
~ =, was utter depression, of the trsde.
~ ie revive the best d&ys Of HORTON Ou<
u u again, Queen VictSl3A ordered her wet
~ ~ dine-lacs, composed of spfigs, to be mad
~ y in Dtronshire, and paid for it 81 ,O0
II Tht bridal Dress ofeaeh OF her msyr1e
~ dat shtersasaB naen nlhd6alsdb6 Hon
nr n ton point, the patterns being nation
:" fOI Sra This encouragement, togeth.
% witHyhe new business Uf -Yeseof4ng n
"a - lace, hes once again set Devonshire il
~ dustry on its legs.
m OF the value of old laces it is impo
on sible to speak with accuracy. The be-
M ,Mss furnitars; made Of ps(nt.d Aaaneon Il
% the Empress Marie Louise, cost Nap
w. w. leon first 2OO, 900 francs. In the exhit
ho ton of 1867 there was q dress of til
n lace which it had taken forty wOm'
~ seven yeaYs,tN oOmplete. and which W
" valued at 5000 francs. There Is
Brussels lace stole, worn only by tl
d. archbishop in the Malines' cathedrs
he that is said to be the largest and fine
,n- specimen in the world. 1t cost the
ms. ber of seventy-three nnns fourte
in. years. "What may he the worth
cir that stole?" asked q lady who had be
lie admiring its marvellous beauty. g
IDS money, ma7iame, do you mean?' ask
an the verger, in reply. "Yes, monsieur