Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-11-04
WOMEN AND THEIR WORK.


t-alulnS mas opened up are the peduillul
decorative pottery, porcelain, and glass
now being produced on SO many sides, on
which hundreds of wemen are employed,
At recent meeting of one of the princi-
pal female schools of art in London twas
suggested that women were specially suit
ed for the delicate work of medal maxim {
and gem engraving which has been little
practiced in late years. Certainly the
etching on glass, and the exquisite cameo
glass produced by the art-trained students
at Strourbridge, would lead Us TO imagine
that there was no sort of engraving or
cutting which could not be successfully
attempted by women; and we r1ay hope
that this new opening may in a short
time become as hourishing IA those which
have preceded it.
Embroidery is essentially a woman's
sphere, although III ancient times it was
practiced by men-and even to-day in
Belgium the professional embroiderers
are allte nen. There is something, how
ever, to the modern mind out of place in
the idea of a man handling needle for
decorative purposes, and it is most GER
tainlY not a trade which he can exercise
better than woman.
The Belgian work, more beautiful than
any other perhaps as reguards manipula-
ton, is, however, extremely mechanical,
and is devoid of the artistic mirit of the
less finely finished work of England and
America. X is easy to understand that
this should be so when we know that each
man excels in some one stitch, which he
carries to the greatest possible perfection
but he is quite content to work as mere
machine, exercising no thought, nothing
but the mechanical dexterity to which he
has been trained. Each separate part of
the embroidery is given to a different
hand to do; thus each part is perfect and
the whole is reduced to dead level of ex-
cellence of kind it may be-while it is
deprived of all the individuality and in
terest of true art work.
This is quite different process from
that by which Eastern nations work. 1t
is true that special modes of work are
practiced only in certain districts or per
haps even certain families, but each
worker is an artist, and as rule they
have less to guide them, and more is left
| to individual cleverness than among our
selves.
A Japanese worker has no guide what.
ever but his own taste, which has become
an instinct; and he may be seen plotting
out his coloring, working little bits OF
ever so many different flowers or birds to
/ get at the right balancing of his shades.
/ The Indian embroiderers who have been
| brought TO this country have not been OF
the same class and have only produced
the very mechanical gold and silver OF
! beetle-wing work; but it is evident from
the examination Of the best Persian and
Indian work that it is quite as much the
result of the artistic individuality as any
/ of the japanese.
! With the sound artistic training which
women are now getting, all the work which
is done should be of a higher class. II
some of the best colleges it is good to Sc,
that each student is made TO learn draw
ing before she is allowed to embroider
and there is no doubt that she ought in al
cases be able to draw, or she will never
understand, as she ought, how to keep hel
lines and curves perfect or how to mas
her light and shade.
When embroidery was first revived il
England as an art, soma fourteen year.
ago, the difficulties were great, workers
had to be trained, materials manufactur
ed; in short, clever women had to edu
cate themselves from the study, and of
ten the unpicking, of old specimens. /
was much that the manual dexterity wal
gained ana along with it certain
amount of artists effect Much however
remains to he done; and amongst She
number of new schools and societies
springing up some certainly surpass tn,
older ones by the very strength which they
gain from the better art culture possible
to their students, and from the advan
tages which are to be had from the study
of beautiful examples of Eastern EN-
| broidery which are now finding their way
westward.
There is talk of reYiving the lace in
dustries in England, in the same way thai
embroidery has been revived by means ot
1 the better educated workers, who would
bring more cultivated taste to the task
1t needs, however TO be learned young
and a school of lace making to be success
full should begin by training girls Of 1G al
latest.
For real lace of high-class and OF
good design there is always demand
and, with our increased artistic know
ledge it should be possible TO introduce
lace that should draw by the beauty OF
its general effect, AMI its design, without
depending exclusively on its extrem,
fineness of thread.
At one time ace-making was the favoritt
| past!me of our great ladies, and it might
easily become so again if il were possibl,
to obtain the needful instruction. Tn,
reason of its failure some years ago wher
il was brought IL as fancy work was thai
/ it was but imitation after all, done with
cotton instead of linen thread, and witt
machinemade tape.
If revived as an art it must be taken IL
hand in the same spirit as other decora
tive wor has been revived. 1t must sur
pass all that has been known before, anc
with the increased facility of art training
now within reach Of all, and with the
necessity for women's work being a seri
Gus item, which is daily increasing in al
the older countries there should be nc
difficulty in finding workers who woulC
make the start There is something ex
4 tremely fascinating about the making
of pillow lace, and it is so durable, and il
every respect so superior to the machine
made limitations, that these are no NOR,
TO be feared than the embroidery ma
chimes which do not in the slightest de
gree injure hand embroidery, wonderful
l rs tho work IL which thew rrndupp