The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-01-02

the skill the children had acquired in
branch of handiwork that needed little
eyesight and not much continued atten-
ton. saw small cotton hose, which I
fancied, from the names and towns writ
ten on their labels, might have been
made under the shining SHOWS Of the
Jura, at one end of France, in long win-
ter days, or by the sparkling shores of
the far-away and milder Mediterranean,
at the other extremity of the country;
and l thought with pleasure, both as a
woman and political economist, of
the amount of power and wealth Great
ed in such country as France by this
easily acquired habit of skilled indus
try in part of the population which IN
America is nearly useless.
The women of France, Belgium, or
Holland are seldom seen with their
fingers idle; and whether itis the fish
woman in the market knitting her coarse
hose beside her pile of fish, the girl
tending her sheep in Switzerland in the
green upland meadows and weaving her
pretty lace at the same time, or
stranger notices the bright blooming
plants behind the delicate netted cur
tains in humble homes in Ghent or Ant
werp, this branch of refined domestic
comfort arises from the trained use of
the hands begun in these countries in
very early life, and which enables the
possessors of this training to attain
many of the simple elegances of life at
next to no cost of morey, and with
time which otherwise would be thrown
away.
People are now much exercised in
this country as to what are the best
studies to be given to the young, and
the idea that they should be taught what
is really to be applied to use is gaining
ground in the higher schools and fcolT
| leges. Greek and Latin are no longer
of SO much account as they We're, but
young men, if they wish, study
mineralogy, geology, and chemistry, to
apply the knowledge 80 acquired to the
discovery of coal mines, the best means
of drainage, and what makes mankind
happier, healthier, and more comforta-
BILE. Cooking schools and training
schools for nurses are getting into vogue
in the large cities, but all this, time The
little girls are taught. neither to sew
much nor to be industriously useful
A few years ago, residing in one Of
our large Western towns, many day |
was panied, in the family in which I
lived, by the visits of prosperous young
girls who had got through going to
school, but who came to Hpass away
time" as they said, with one Of their
mates who lived in the house with my
self. Day after day these young women
sat about, and chatted about, totally
idle for two, three, or four hours of the
best part of the middle of the day. They
scarcely knew how tolseW, and what was
worse, they did not know how to be in
dustrious. Habits are so very easily
formed in early life that, to ., Thought
full person, the mere idea that a child
can be taught to be easily and almost
unconscionsly producing something that
will do good to somebody, such as
knitting or plain sewing, is full Of in
terest and deep satisfaction, 10 .l,ls9sl
Much of the sewing in the schools Of
France is taught by the nuns and Sisters
of Charity, and as looked at it l wish
ed that in our own public schools, in
stead of the aching heads striving vain
ly to master the secrets of algebra,
rhetoric, and the ologies and onomies,
the desks could be filled at least an hour
each day by girls occupied in whatid
believe to be much more useful, whole
some and agreeable study to them
learning to make neat, comfortable, and
good clothing. Sewing,machines do
their part, but it can only be d part; f0r
every article worn by manor Woman
needs the trained judgment, hand, and
eye of a skilled sealnstress' to fit the
ends of the seams tidily3 to jpiAithe diff
ferent parts of the garment, and many q
little corner, curve, and edge can only
be well done by needle in the, hands
of good seamstress.
To people in the lower and middle
classes skillful and easy sewingfis worth
the addition Of hundreds Of dollars to q
scant yearly income; and many Of us
of the older generation can remember
children's feet neatly and warmly clad
at the most trifing expense by amoth
er who, beside her baby'sl cradle, ol
chatting in the dusk at her. husband!
.. side, "footed down" the good stock
ing legs whose feet were past mending
We Americans are notoriously waste
full both Of the raw materia1 and OF TIM
!, which little teaching could convertin
to skilled labor; but probably no clas
of material is so wasted as the oppor
tunity for skilled labor in the young
! The old countries of Europe understan
. the economy of this source Of rationa
: : wealth, and the Governments interfer
: : where private energy fails to teach th
: people, and insist that the women shosil
2 use their hands for servings skutti4s
embroidery, and other sorts OF light an
!, valuable industry. Hagper's BGSsr.
e IT is now generally urged in extsnn'