Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-11
MONDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER II. 1893.
Arkansas building that Il was rococo, and
does that mean with no reueaSo

! Arkansas building that Il was rocco, ans
does that mean with no repeat"
| ''No, It's the style. don't you seef N,
repeat'-why that means that the desigr
was made in free hand drawing on tn,
! linen Designs for embroidery are gener
ally stamped on, but she made this just a
| you write and SO there is no repetition o
lines and squares and circles. It's orig
| inal, that's what that means. Each scroll
And curve changes constantly except ii
! the seventy large feur-de-lis which adorI
the center Of the table cloth, and they ar,
heavily but not solidly embroidered. Th,
stitches are all wrought into the fsbric 5,
that no wash orwear can affect them. Th,
designs were drawn by Miss Mary A
Williamsonand the work done in her work
room, and Mrs. May Wright Sewell bough,
the set TO be an heirloom in her family, d
souvenir of the Columbian exposition.
Now do you understand the wcrkf'
Il don't have TO. will write it just rs
yea tell il and the women will understand
it-I hope"
You see all these fancy curves and but.
tonhole designs around the edges-well all
that was done by a skillful eolored girl
who worked on 1t many weeks and as
many more in weaving the bars that hold
il all in place, and it WAS continual de
light 10 her. These two pieces, thirty
inches wide and three yards long, have
bands of drawn work eight inches wide
between borders of embroidery as rich
and heavy as needle work can produce,
borders with lines that turn and change,
reaching towards the center in long curves
and ornaments that are carefully kept free
from floral suggestions. These are for the
ends of the table"
But why is it Necessary to keep sueh
things so free from any suggestion of
nowerss'
They wouldn't be appropriate there
Never mind why-they just wouldn't
The next piece is large overlay for the
center of the table and as richly wrought
Us the scarfs. The same plan is followed
on the eighteen doilies which, like the cen
ter piece. have irregular edges Of button
holing and are the most deliberately em-
broiieried of all. There are eighteen large
napkins with deep hemstitched borders
and heur-de-lis in one corner. Two Of
these have elaborate borders all around
and are for the guests of honor. A smaller
cloth has been ordered to complete thi.
unique set-and all this lovely creation il
as it will hold together"
-.
1t does not take long to tire me in the
Woman's building, or in any other which
makes heavy drafts on an artistic eye, Z
refined taste, ID quick conception of idea
beauty or ANY other of those qualities
which are supposed to be feminine. So
after two hours among the paintings and
einbroideries, | sauntered up the broad
avenue to the California building which j.
always fresh and green and cool, like the
interior of the old Spanish mission OF
which it is II copy. As usual | find great
crowd of people around the equestrian
statue of priues. which statue don't like
at all, and the more | see it the mole |
don't like it. Possibly my artistic sel,se
is better by instinct than by culture at
any rate, don't like it. But on this last
visit discovered something Of real his
toric interest-the first gold nugget founG
in California, and it is in case at the base
of the statue of j. w. Marshall, who dis
covered it.
/ had not run onto il before, but this is
as good q time as any tor a few remarks.
Firstly, / have my doubts about this being
the first nugget, because as things then
were they paid but little attention to pre-
serving ft.ch relics. The facts | would
emphasize, as | sit at the foot of the Mar
shall statue, are that ii discoverer was n
Mormon and a laborer and that he lived
poor and died poor; that Jim Comstock,
discoverer of the famous lode, had much
the same experience, that ninety nine out
Of every hundred of the great discoverers
In the far west realized nothing, and that
present indications are to the effect that
the mining pioneers of many other regions
are to begin life anew after losing all that
they once gained by finding and develop
ing silver lodes. - E<sCN