San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-04-07
Grandmother Wanted.

1 GFanumOJhcTb "hntCus
From the Canadian Queen.
"Are there no grAndmothers nova
days?" asked o discouraged teacher
of Q church sewing class the other
day. my girls are from 10 to u
years old and belong 70 respectable
| families; but such hemmiDg! and
such scanning! They can all crochet,
however" added she disdsinfully.
The speaker had in her youth been
carefully trained by her own grand
mother in all the arts of daint y stitch
cry, and could only account for the
awkward use of the needle by girls Of
to-day by supposing the race Of
grandmothers extinct.
Those daily "stents" set for the
girls Of long ago produced good re-
suits; and home, with the stent sys-
tenn under the direction of iudicious
and skillful elder, seems the fitting
place for instruction In such .
womanly art rs needlework.
IA queen" says Hawthorne, piles
it on occasions: the woman's eye
that has discovered new star,
turns from its glory to send the pol
ished little instrument cleaning
along the hem of her 'kercheif, or to
darn q causual fray In her dress. 1t
is q token of healthy and gentle char
acteristics when women of accom-.
plishment and high thought love to
sew, especially as they are never
more ct home with their own
thoughts than whom so occupied"
Speaking Of one whose exquisite
embroidery commanded both admir-.
alton and high prices a. decorative
art rooms, friend remarked: but
Mary, you know, had the advantage
OF grandmother's training, and she
was q needle.woman of the old
school,"
The grandmother again! Surely, it
is clear that grandmothers, or sub
stitutes for grandmothers, are sorely
needed for the girls now growing up
with but little liking for their need
les.
The daily stent may be daily trial
till the pleasure of . skillful handling
OF the needle may be left; but may
not the training OF character also be
going on while little fingers patient
ly work at "over and over" or do the
hemming that seems 80 endless?
Many prick must those littl@
fingers feel; tears, perhaps, will be
shed when imperfect work Is picked
out; but il with the effort such quail
tiles as attention and accuracy are de-
veloped, together with those good old
virtues OF lifelong need, patience and
perseverance, Is not the result we'll
worth the daily discipline? In due
time there will come, too, the joy
which work we'll done brings to the
worker as reward for our painstak-
taking little women.
Give the child blocks Of patchwork
(the edges turned and basted) to
seam "over and over" and If bright
bits of calico are chosen, and . dolls
bed-quilt Is to be the result of her
efforts, the little seamstress will feel
an interests in her work as she plods
along the daily stent which should
not be too long.
When SEINE familiarity with the
needle has been gained hemming
may be taught on course towels,
counting the threads taken in each
stitch, till the eye Is trained to work
without such care. Making bags is
excellent work for more advanced
lessons in plain sewing and for fine
work.
And 80, little by little, day by day,
our little maidens will learn their
art, and the fame Of future grand
mothers as trainers of needle women
worthy of the name will equal those
of the past.