The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-11-03

Displays Of Woman. building at Atlan'"

Displays of Woman's s>utidtnE AZ Atsa"t"
Witch are Dis,inst.vciy southern.
The most interesting place In the Wo-
mans building to visitors looking for
a. real Southern atmosphere IL the ne"
Orleans Room. for there one nnds noun
ing save the genuine products OF SOUTH
ern Industry and art, and IL Is not ohiy
attractive on that account but because
the exhibit Is in itself well seiested ana
thoroughly artistic. The furniture is all
of massive carved mahogany OF the sort
that Is now getting 20 be very rare IN
New Orleans since the seeker for an
tiaues has invaded Its precincts. There Is
an odd little single bed OF mahogany
almost as black as ebony. and II is
prize for which any OF the big Gotham
shops would give sloo. The rug on the
floor Is OF tan and white striped cotton
stuff, and so are the curtains gracefully
hung at the windows. These and a num-
Der OF fine embrpideries and tapestries
come from the Acadians, a people OF an
odd little settlement in lower louisiana.
which was .E1vangelinas country and
where the habits. homes and Industries
of the people are as primitive as they
were one hundred and fifty gears ago.
Cable has told OF their life, but this ex-
hibit is really the first that has ever
been made OF their work. An odd little
screen done by one of these women con-
tains tapestry work of dogwood bios
SONS and il inscribed with the unique
line. "In the fsherman's hut the loom
and the wheel are still busy"
The case OF marvellously fine embroid-
cries comes from a convent in New Or
leans where the nuns are famous for
their handiwork. One OF these specimens
is an altar piece In pineapple cloth APP
pliqued with finest lace. the fabric Is one
that is very little made now, but in the
old Southern days no gentlewoman was
without her collection of pineapple hand
kerch.efs and stomachers. In the cor
ner of the room on the left the Acadan
women have an exhibit OF baskets which
is well worth investigating. They are
made of a certain kind Of cane and
marsh grass which grows nowhere ex-
cept in the swanps of Louisiana, and they
are in all sorts Of pretty, odd shapes
somewhat resembling the baskets OF the
Mexicans and Indians.
These primitive things. however, are
not all that the old Southern State has
to show of woman's work. Mrs. Stew
art well-known New Orleans lace
maker has on the walls an exquisite
collection of Jace-round point, lNalen-
ciennes and Irish point. The Sophie New
come College sends a very creditable ex-
hibit from its art department. The strik-
ing thing about IL is that the subjects
chosen are all peculiar TO the land they
comes from Southern flowers scenes
and faces greet ira visitor in this place.
There are the heads of happy-faced ne
crosses wrapped in bright bandannas; the
flowers of the tropical South, the magno-
las, jessamines bays. are shown; and
added to this art collection are some fine
paintings of New Orleans artists who
have made regulations kolb and Buch
the painters OF the famous Bayou Teche
scenes have two fine canvases. Pariln,
the New Orleans Audubon, has several
still lifes. Gathered together in one big
frame are Illustrations in black and white.
which Frances Jones did for Grace Kings
last novel.
The annex has the Southern features
accentuated In two of its departments;
one OF these is the South Carolina Room
ana the other the space which old Ma
con calls her own. The frieze about the
former room is made of cotton, FORM
ing pretty pattern upon blue back
ground, and an interesting tdea is the
arrangement OF woman's work as Illus
trated by old and modern methods. Above
cabinet filed with fine embrodories
and painted china hang n number OF the
quaintest samplers and tapestries. where
fine ladies. wearing sky-scraper bonnets
and short-waisted rrocks, disport them
selves with lambs that have strayed au-
tomatlcally from the right path. In these
also there are little girls and rttle bows
with very largo heads and very long
pantalets, their hands and arms out OF
drawing, Offering one another nosegavs
whose flowers never grew in heaven or
on earth.
! wonder how many people know that
the first college I'm the world for women
was the esleyan Female College found.
ed al Macon, Ga. some fifty years ago.
ana the first diploma eyer ISSUED 10 n
woman came into the proud possession
OF one Catherine Brewer. and is low 10
be found framed and hanging In a cher
ished corner OF the Macon Room. How
little did this quiet little Southern pfrl
IN her quaint white frocll and blue rib
bons, dream Of her erudite succsss,re
clad In cap and gown, and carrying in
their Ambitious heads a mission liable
to develop into anything from boomers
10 the Presidency.
Below the diploma stands the SHINING
wheel with a wonderful history. II be-
longed TO one Peggy McNabb. OF Perry
n. g, whose husband fell I'm the war az
lsl2, and was the one piece OF furniture
saved by her in cOnhagraton that al
most cost her life
a clever little Northern woman who
has visited Macon for number of voars
suggested the idea. to the women win
whom she was associated in getting M
this work Of having all distinctly Suotb.
ern things, and for year the best ar
tists In the quaint, picturesque Southern
CITY nave been at work painting Southern
fruits and flowers There are creditabIc
representations OF sugar cane and pome-
Granates and oranges The camellias are
there in pink and white and parti-coIor
Just "a they grew in the olG-fashioned
Macon gardens. There Is an ex,tuisita
study Of the azalea blossom. which &c
so peculiarly characteristic Of Southern
woodlands. a college girl has made a
true and picturesque study OF tho old
mulatto woman who has been emplov.d
et the Wesleyan College for tweuty
years.
The Kentucky Room. next to this one
has some interesting colonial relies and
| pictures among these is particularly
| good painting Of a plea9ant-faceI black
negro girl. entitled "The Angel Of The
| Household"
One could go on interminably relating
| Interesting things ia a geeral WAY. bur
as the Southern features are the first
ones which appeal 10 visitors. It T. hoped
that little hint has been given as 10
where TO find them.-Maude Andrews. IN
New York World