The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-08-16
A Miracle of Rags.
TSan Francesca Call. !

1t only shows what a woman can
do, and there's no disputing the fact
thai woman can do more, when she
make her mind up to it, than any man
living. They tell of one XeTXes VINO
split mountain in two with one
blow of his club, and they tell of one
Hercules who did divers and sundry
SupendouS things, but these stories are
all too flimsy to stand the test of in
veStigation. The fact is, XerXeS, so
was himself incontinently overcome
to Hercules and the Lernian hydra
and the Augean stables, and all that,
they never had any existence at all,
except in the imagination of some
story-teller. And even ii they had
done all they are credited with, the
world is none the better off for it.
One good woman, with a knitting
needle in her hand and a few rags at
her command, will accomplish more
for the good OF her fellow-beingS in
twenty-four hours than the whole
catalogue of ancient heroes and demi-
divinities of whom volumes have
been written and cantoS sung.
Nor need we go away from Cal
norma to find these practical
female hand to hand workers. AT the
rear of 2011 Dupont street, lives Mrs.
Kate Hammar and her husband, Lars
F. Hammar. They are both Swedes
by birth, but Americans by adoption
and in spirit. Mrs. Hammar has set
an example to the women of Cali
fornia and everywhere else worthy of
imitation. In their unpretentious
dwelling she has a small apartment
which she and her husband call their
rag parlor" 1t is filled with beauti-
full articles of her handiwOrk,
wrought with the tatting needle. the
knitting needle and little steel hook.
The product of the latter especially,
is something to excite admiration.
She buys few common jute or grain
sacks, for which she pays 10 cents
apiece, and aquantity of such little
bits Of common material us dress
makers throw away as useless, for the
merest trife. With these and the APP
plication of her genius and manual
skill she manufactures carpet or rug
which challenges comparison with
the famed fabrics that are imported
from the Orient. The most conspicu
Gus piece of work is carpet twelve
feet square, in one piece. With the
exception oftRe- base er-groii ground
it is made entirely of little scraps
Of cotton or other goods. 1t has
a right side and wrong side, but
the figures show the same on
both sides. The design represents a
rural home empowered among the
trees, with birds flying among the
branches. A stream flows past the
home, and in the small pond in the
foreground swims a graceful black
swan. The carpet has the appear
lnce, except upon close inspection,
of heavy Administer. 1t is soft to
the tread and will last an ordinary
lifetime. 1t was made by Mrs. Ham
mar during her leisure moments, and
although it appears to represent
vast amount of labor, yet the lady
says it was the paStime of her leis-
ure-the hours she could spare from
her regular housekeeping duties-dur-
ing a period of six months, and she
does all her own Homework, even to
the family washing and taking care
of their child. This piece of work
alone, to say nothing of the lace
curtains, the tides, the ottomanS and
sofa covers she has wrought, does
credit to the head that conceived the
designs, the hand that wrought
them and the patient, energetic will
that directed the hand. 1t is doubt
full whether she could ever realize by
sale their real value; yet as curiosi-
ties and monuments of woman's in
genuity and patient labor they are
well worth seeing.