West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1880-06-12

Il
present the sprigs are generally sewn, rs
they are completed by the work women.
ON blue paper, and then united by another
hand, cilher on the pillow by ''cut-works"
or "purling' or else Joined with the
needle ny various stitches. The patterns
OF these sprigs are In the first place pricked
with needles ON "A kind of shining brown
millboard known as parchment paper, ."
10y women who often devote themselves
| exclusively To tins branch of the business
Among the Commonest sights of a fine sum
| mer evening in East Devon are the lace.
| makers, each seated at her door, with their
lace. pillows (Which resemble thick circular
padsl ON their laps, and the small children
around them ON theirlit stools. NIL busily
occupied in making these sprigs, whether
turkey tails, 'blaCkbcrrlcs," or "starss ~
Similarly in winter the steady click. click.
! click, OF their pins proceeds from every
cottage, just as i'm a NOttinghamshrc vii
lage II heard the incessant jar and rattle of
the stockingers frames
The picturesque village Of Beer, near the
chalk headland of the same name, So famous
ot old for SmugglcrS,, is now celebrated for
It's exquisite HOniton lace. Here the
queens wedding dress was made at a cost
OF II, 900. IL is composed of Honiton
open-work stitches Ihc Princess Roval.
Princess Alice and Princess of Wales also
wore wedding dresses of Honiton point
made at Beer and the neighborhood. Capi-
tai workmanship in this lace was shown nt
the international Exhibition in 1862, but
the patterns were conventional and clumsy.
arabesques, made lions and poor limitations
of nature. Hence may be traced i'm preat
measure its decline in public estimation,
though It's costlincSs must always initiate
against its general use In consequence of
IRIS deficiency prizes were offered i'm con
nection with the Bath and West of Eng
land Society for natural work In Honiton
lace, which produced such admirable speci
mems That the Queen ordered them To be-
sent to Windsor Castle for her inspection.
From very tender years children are taught
TO make llOnitOn lace i'm what arr termed
lace schools. The little things collect i'm n
danes room, and under her tuition. fre-
quently seconded by cane, are taught the
mysteries of the art. They are appren.
ticed to tlo trade in Devon at eight. nine.
and tenyears of age (but i'm Bucksand Beds
commonly at six years, often at four or
hvc), earning nothing in their first ycnr.
and siXpence per week i'm the second.
Afterwards they are paid so much per
sprig, the price varying with the demand.
value OF cotton, etc, but being generally
Cd, I'd, or Sd. per spug. 81 can make
four turkeys tails day, and get / ld. for
each, girl of ten lately told us with par
donablc pride. a child of five years old
will earn penny i'm four hours by making
six lilies One master i'm the trade is
said to employ as many as 5000 of these
w0rkchildrcn. A clever adult hand will
easily earn shilling day at her lace-pil-
low IN good times i'm many parts of Devon.
~ 49, ~" 80" work 10 mid Cnr IN tho tr,iol,
system. lhc average earnings of a quick
hand may be put down at three shillIngs or
three shillngs aud sixpcnce a week At
Nalencienncs the workers used To toIl i'm
underground cellars from I'm the morn
ing till at night, and scarcely earn ten
ponce day. The abuse connected with
the lacc-schoOls were lately exposed by the
Childrcn's Employment Commission. II
was found that the hours Of work i'm them
were generally excessive, and the atmos-
phcrc extremely bad, owing To- the crowded
state Of the small rooms in which the
children work. Discipline is rigidly en-
forced, and in some schools, i'm order that
the lace may be kept clean, the children sit
without shoes on brick or stone floors.
These causes, coupled with the constrained
pOsluOn OF the worker, who must bend
over the pillow which rests in her lap, lay
the seeds of illness and frequently of con
sumption in after life. The morality
amongst the laccmakers OF Devon, we
can testify, from personal knowledge, Is
large. They are thin and sallow, inclined
to that bold, false independence which IL
always engcndered when women neglect
the domestic virtues. The children are
often defiant and disobcdicnt to parents,
and, on the whole, the occupation OF lace
making cannot be called ono favorable TO
morality