The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-06-10
HOmely Accomplishments.

HOmely Accomplishments.
There are few of the accomplish
ments priced by our grandmothers
which even in these days of machinery,
of cooperation and of luxurious living
we cannot afford to have classed with
the lost arts. Among these is the art
of plain sewing. In the olden times
the sampler and patch work made girl
ish fingers early acquainted with the
use of the needle, and though no one
can care to see those particular indus
tries revived, yet there are few women
who do not find sooner or later that in
their lives 1.-the needle bears equality
with the beautiful craft of the pencil
and the mighty power of the pen"
Whether it Is cheaper or not to buy
ready made undertaking is not the
question. The point insisted on is that
every woman should know how to make
her own clothing neatly, skillfully and
readily. She may add to this knowledge
that of embroidery and lace making,
Just as she may add to a practical
knowledge of bread making that of
making cake and desserts There is
great tendency nowadays to the acquisi-
ton of accomplishments comparatively
useless and the neglect of those of which
are OF first consequence. The little girl
may begin her apprenticeship to the
needle by making doll clothes, and as
patterns for all manner of liliputian gar
ments are for sale in pattern stores, she
can learn to cut out and put together
at the same time. OF course she must
have instruction, direction, assistance;
to give these is one of the purposes her
mother was specially created for By
and by the juvenile seamstress may be
promoted and permitted to exercise her
skill on larger garments, and later be
taught machine sewing. But before
this she should master all the mysteries
of lover and over" stitch, of hem
ming, telling, overcasting, cat-stitch,
k-stitch, gathering and facing down.
Little folks always want to do what they
can't do, and a promise of permission
to undertake a difficult task will often
stimulate a child to do well that which
is entirely within his power. Then he
should be permitted to enter upon larger
undertakings.
A letter from Dakota received this
week contains this paragraph: 1--WE
are on prairie farm in a new settle
ment, where most of the farms are held
by young men who club together and
cook, wash and even mend for them
selves" Which suggests naturally the
remark that boys no less than girls may
find knowledge of how to use the
needle skillfully eminently useful. In
the Worcester (Mass.) school where
sewing has been introduced, several of
the most proficient artisans were seam
Sters. And they turn their skill to good
account by closing up the rents and
holes in their own worn garments.
Mending is another accomplishment
possessed by very few young ladies.
This branch of domestic industry is
usually relocated to the mother or
grandmother of the family. where there
is grandmother, and the young ladies
play the piano or embroider when they
would be more usefully employed in
mending. This imposed deal of
drudgery on the one who has all the
mending to do, and releases from what
should be pleasant task, those most
able to perform it. No matter how
wealthy young lady is she should know
when her wardrobe is in perfect order
and be able to keep it so with her own
hands.
Another of the "lost arts is the art
of knitting. One of the most peaceful,
sedative employmentS a woman can
treat herself to is that of knitting. pro-
vided she is so proficient in it that she
need not think about or look at the
work growing beneath her fingers. This
proficiency comes of course by practice;
the sympathetic restlessness of body oft
eninduced by intense mental application
is as in reading perfectly quoted by the
unconscious motion of the hands in
knitting. All temperaments may not
find this so, but to some knitting is
very pleasant safety. valve for physical
restlessness while reading or thinking
up say newspaper article. Then, in
spite of all that machinery can do, there
is no hosiery so warm and comfortable !
as the home-knit hosiery, none so dura- |
BILE, none that takes mending so kindly.
By this useful art all the rawlings of
our hours and days are knit into beauty
and utility.
Another charming accomplishment is
that of fine dish washing. In some
houses there are servants so careful that
they may safely be trusted with our fine
china, but such servants are few. The
dangers of nicking, cracking, breaking
it are such that the housewife is in con-