The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-26
LACE AND IT'S MAKERS.
TIE TRAINING SCHOOLS IN BRUs-
Sells

WOTASES DS GduO III EuIOpS DcSpllo
the Progress OF Machinery-Roy-
alty's Interest in Laces.
From the Chicago Daily NetSs
Lace was evolved. not invented.
Doubtless the points and scallops Of leaf
and blossom first suggested to primeval
man an ornamental edging for his gar
ments.
Fringes and borders appear in the earliest
rude sculptures and pictures. A little later
came the cut work that times whirligig has
turned into lace
The earliest authentic account of it is
about the sixth century, when hign-b0rn
Italian nuns wrought it for the adornment
of the sanctuary. Even before that English
| ones were famed for the very open Eng
lish work." wonderfully lacey in effect.
Monks, as well as nuns, gave their whole
mind 20 it. st. Duustan himself, in inter
vals of pulling the devils nose with red-hot
pincers, made designs for the convent
workers. The work itself. done upon fine
handwove linen, with the best flax thread,
was sent all over Europe, and brought in no
small revenue. 1t was the forerunner of
cut work, from which it is but the shortest
Of short steps to lace.
Lace meant originally braid or tie-a
Specification still surviving in shoelace,
| corset lace, etc. When such braids began
to take on fancy shape they we're known as
easements, of which our passementerie is a
modern instance.
EVOLUTION OF LACE.
Cut work had the pattern sswed over
tha
little skilled needlewomen found that they
could make something even more delicately
beautiful by Interviewing fine linen laoes
with finer threads upon parchment pat
tern. At first the Intervening was done
wholly with the needle-hence the term
point lace.
Convent pupils duly taught soon carried
the art into high Italian families, whence
it filtered to the working people and became
an important industry. Venice and Genoa
became markets of renown. Each had a
seperate and characteristic lace. To-day
the secret of their making is lost, and old
point de Venise or point de Genoa is worth
very many times its weight in gold.
Though lace-making iourshes still in the
homes of the peasantry, the product is a
poor, cheap stuff, not worthy to be named
in the same century with the antique work.
In Genoa the wives and daughters of the
! fishermen get from the factory patterns and
thread, hand-spun fax or silk, and return
the same weight in lace, receiving therefor
| such price as pays them wages OF to 10
! cents a day.
The Ionian isles produce a loose lace,
unique rather than handsome. 1t was used
! at first mainly in the churches and tombs.
AS antiquity more than doubles the price
the shrewd natives blacken and mildew
| their work before offering it to the tourists,
! who IA ka dirt as q VOuchpr for
The beautiful Maltese lace, made of black
! or white Barcelona silk, sprung from the
philanthropy of Lady Hamilton Chichester,
| who exhibited to the native lace-makers a
| Greek coverlet and induced them to initiate
| its exquisite mesh.
LACE IN HISTORY.
Much of civilized history could be written
| in lace. More than almost any other luxury
! it has been the burden of statecraft, the
concern of kings. The Moors brought it
into Spain along with other arts.
| 1t is Colberts glory to have planted it scr
| curely in France, whence the Huguenots
took it to England, Belgium and Flanders
Constantine Duers, the beautiful queen
who in the thirteenth century welded g
| doge of Venice, SO encouraged the luxury
of lace wearing among Venetian women
that she came near to precipitating revo-
luton.
ne lace TuIIS OF Ll6 cavaliers were q UlSS
ing and an oifense in Roundhead eyes.
Oddly enough Cromwell though he could
| live in steel coat and buff jerkin, was care
full to be buried in all the magnificence OF
| purple velvet, ermine and point lace
richer sepulture than even kings.
To what extent lace was used may be
| guessed from the statement that France, in
time of Louis XIV, sent yearly to Italy
almost as much money for it as would have
,t.,s, Il how
| and Colbert passed laws against the foreign
fabric smuggled in by Italian lace makers
and by help Of subsidies set up the manu-
| facture in a dozen French provinces, where
| poor sort was already made.
LACE OUTFITS FOR FRENCH BATHS.
When point de France" as the home
product was called, came to court the king
| was so pleased with IL that no courtier dared
approach him without triple rufties of it at
wrist, knee and throat. More, it became
the fashion to give lace outfit for the bath
| consisting CT lace roGe, lace sheet aud dee[
| lace founce to hang around the edge of the
| tub in which madame received her intimate
friends Of both sexes In such case the
water was "clouded" with fragrant essences
so as to conceal, yet reveal, the love.lness
within it.
Queen Mary treasured greatly piece
| made by the Countess of Lenox, Lord Darn.
| ley's mother, from her own silver locks, and
sent to the queen in proof of its makers con
tinued love.
When Queen Victoria came to be married
there was rare gathering up of lace
workers to supply her bridal dress and veil.
Wedding lace for her daughters, her sons
wives and now her granddaughters has since
put much money in the pockets Of hel
majesty's loyal subjects.
HOW HoNIToN is MADE.
Honiton, the royal lace, is made upon q
pillow. Each sprig is worked separate
then all joined to the clear net ground
Making it employs the women and children
of half dozen counties. There are lace
schools in several of them, to which children
go at years old. Boys learn as we'll a.
girls, but seldom practice the art after the
age Of ID.
MARvELs OF BRUSSELS.
The finest of all lace is Brussels. Belgium
is the lace makers chosen home. One
for5ieth of the whole population is engaged
| in it. The government supports 900 lace
schools, to which children are sent as young
as years. By the time they are 10 they
are sef-supporting. Brussels, too, is a
pillow lace. Indeed, Barbara Littman,
the inventor Of pillow lace, lived and died
| there.
The pattern, drawn upon parchment, is
fixed firmly to the pillow, pins are stuck
along the outlines and to them the lace is
woven by crossing and twisting the threads,