The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1873-06-12
STORY OF A LACE DRESS.

lace manUIaCtuTCE OI TAFIS. II It's history
is interesting. About FIVE years before the
fa'l of Paris, the Empress Eugene dis
covered, one day, among lot of laces
which had been transferred to her as
souvenirs Of the Empress Josephine,
about a quarter of yard of Lace
founce of most singular and beautiful
mesh ar d peculiar design The ex en-
press IS conncisseur in laces, as we'll as
in many other fine arts. She saw at
glance, that che possessed an art Treasure,
the more valuable, as il was yellow with
age, broken and mutilated. She sent az
once for NJ. de Lisle, the president of the
Compagnie des Indies. lace manufacturers
of paris, and requested him to reproduce
it if possible a. a. ..,t.as.a
your ROYAL Highness gives me diff
cult commission" said M. de Lilies, zone
I fear. impossible to perform. Your rom
mart is real old point de venise. Of which
there are put few samples in existence,
and the art CT making it is lost" "Can
we not revive it ?" asked the empress.
II give you carte blanche in making the
experiment. and another carte blanche
for my dress when f1ishe1." The manu-
facturer resolved to see what could he
done. He first submitted the sample Of
Queen Hortense's relic 70 his own adult
experienced laremakers. None knew the
mesh. It's intricacy baff1e7 them all. No
instrument, however ine under eyes the
most practised. could tell how IL could he
reproduced. Our manufacturer was per
picked, but not in despair His next step
was to ransack The whole empire for the
oldest lace makers living. About forty
old women, sexagenarians and ocfogenari
ans, were taken to Paris. They were pro
vided with the best Of glasses and the
most powerful hand lenses. One after
another examined the old founce Alas,
not one knew the mesh. NJ de Lsle was
almost desperate. He had tried the exps
rience Of age, now he must resort TO youth.
He selected from his young girls twenty
of the, most intelligent workers, those
with the strongest eyes and deftest fin
gers. To each he gave a section Of the
old sample. He provided them with
lenses and every appliance for work. In
the meantime they were secluded and
given every necessary comfort, so that
their eyes, their fingers and their minds
might he in perfect working order. He
watched the work from dav to day and
from week to week; still no progress
seemed to he made. At length he left
che house one evening almost persuaded
70 give up the experiment. This was
about one year after the imperial order
he'd been given. The next day be was
late In reaching his cffice. hut as soon as
he arrived the Superintendent IF the lace
workers met him with the long wished
for welcome, hut alrinst incredible intel.
'igonce, that one Of the young girls h d
discovered the old pnint de Venise mesh.
!, The president hurried tothe room VIII re
the succ s>ful young WORKER was bending
over her ace cush on. He seized lens
examined the work in her band. compared
il with The original, and quiet smile
stole over his features. "Eb bSsn :" he
exc!aimed. softly, IN est 0cbere ~
Turning 70 the successful discoverer he
rewarded her with the place of teacher
TO the others and general superintendent
of the work, and communicated with the
Empress vino among all her engagements
had kept difTgent watch of the progress
Of affairs. r..
Now the work was begun in earnest. T
wae four years before it was completed.
Bcfore the dress was finished, Paris was
in ashes and Eneenie an txile. BIT the
lace weavers escaped general destruction,
land Eugenie's dress was spared. She
wrote IN M. de Lisle from England saving
that though no lorger en empress, nor en-
ljoying the income Of royalty, she would
Fake the dress when finished. If he should
he a loser by keeping it. The manurac-
'urer, MOI to be outdope in generosity,
laid the case. as stated in the Empress
letter, before the directors of The com
pany. They were touched with the sni.-