, 1876-02-19
A FRENCH TR0sSEaU.
Hon it n notwithstanding Inform stio1
for Fathers Of Families.

tOr futherS Oh Families.
France, as every one well knows, is pre-
eminently the land of fine linen. From
child's pinafore to cardinals surplice, every
article Of wearing apparel that linen can be
turned into Ia the object of the greatest care
and elaboration and few EngIishwomen quit
French territory without providing them
selves with choice specimens Of French lin
gerie To understand, however, the eIlor-
nous labor bestowed upon that portion of
female dress, 1t ia necessary to see trous-
to enter a convent. Nothing Is easier; the
heads Of religious houses are only too nsppy
TO admit strangers into their oavroirs or
workroOms belonging to the ophanage at.
tached 10 almost all in the first place, be-
cause they are generally courteous; in the
the second, because they are proud of the ex-
quisite needlework achieYed By their pupils
under their roof. And third reason must
be adduced for a permission willingly accord
ed to foreigners provided with some kind of
introduction; from a business point of view
it is highly desirable that the world. e.
the rich world-should know where to 20 for
| trousseaux when Its daughters are married.
i marriage outfit, as all fathers of families
know, is an exceedingly costly affair and it
Is only likely that in Catholic country all
work Of this kind, when accomplished with
IN the convent walls. Is paid for we'll Thus
1T the appointed time, when the work comes
home, without a single long stitch, evers
garment Is as perfect as needlewOrk can
make 1t, the bride weeps foz JOY, the parents
| are charmed, and compliments pass all
around. And now let US enter the work
| shop and in decribing one we decribe a doz-
eD, each in all important respects resembling
the Others. We enter, then, large airy,
whitewashed room with crucifx over the
! mantle-piece and religious mottoes painted
on the walls. 1t has large windows ON each
side, and seldom any kind of curtain to keep
off the dazzling light of midday summer.
Sitting on high benches without backs are
twenty, thirty, fifty girls, as the case may
be, Of all ages from four-and- to twenty
| one, busily plying the needle. At each end
of the room presides a sister, and her quaint
nuns garb is the only break in the prevail
ing Inouotony-a large, bare, OyeIlighted
room, rows of children and young girls in
white caps, blue checked dresses and white
aprons, who stich away silently. almost au-
tumaticallv, while the brigh. summer hours
pass by. As we enter they rise and semain
standing while We inspect the work. The
sister takes Us from one little needlewoman
10 another, proudly exhibiting the stitches
or folds OF embroidery she may have in hand.
Ther flushed garments are produced, and
we gaze in wonder first at the elaborate piece
of needle-work and then at the feele-looking
wo5ke,s who have pro1uced it.
In one instance q visitor and his little girl
Were Of the party, when the comic and the
pa hetic were combined-the sister, with in
genuous simplicity, Offering for his inspec-
tion articles of female apparel generally sup
posed mysterious TO the other sex while it
was touching to see the wistful look Of those
orphan children-children, did we say of
those living machines-at the happy little
girl who had for five minutes quilted the
world of sport and sunshine and flowers OF
this dreary prison. These orphans are waif
and strays collected from faris and the
neighbOring country. and, inspecting them
narrowly, 1t was to easy to see by their weak
eyes, narrow chests and STOPPING shoulders,
how much their unnatural life was telling
upon physiques already but too predisposed
| 10 sickness and debility Some had intelli-
gent faces-bat for most part they locked
dull and apathetic; and 10 wonder. The
toll 10 which they are condemned from the
time they can handle q needle till they are
twenty-one Is the most mechanical descriP-
ton. Tie same girl stitches wrist-bancs or
gathers. or makes but.onholes. or embroIders
initials till she quits the convent. There
has been no training given of kind TO mt
her for service of life in general, and If her
ewes ura good for anything after, say twelve
wears microscopic stitching, she does not
know how to use them. l. it to be wonder
ed at that the only desirable results OF this
system are admirable trouzseaux?