The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-05-13
Work For Girls.

In these days, when everything i!
organized ana classified, we hear ;
great deal about brain work, hant
work, heart work, mans work
w0man's work. When one who live:
secluded life goes out into the world
perhaps the strongest impression is o
doing, doing, doing. This is quite
right. There is much work to be done
and l trust each Of you may LEND
hand"
But there are two kinds of work sc
dislinctively feminine it is worth while
to talk of them little bit befr~e We
say any thing of the so'called wider
spheres. Sine. the first home was sci
UP they have been necessary, and it is
safe to say their mission will not be
ended so long rs there are homes on
earth. Whatever q woman may dn
outside, houSework and needlework
will be necessary occupations. There
fore, my girls, it is scarcely extrava-
giant to say, if you expect to lead nap
py, useful lives, you must Know no"
TO do these. Such knowledge IS the
oil which smooths all friction III the
domestic machinery.
TO many of you it Is no new tnlhS
10 do housework. In our free land
where there are few class distinctions,
many families by no means poor Keep
no domestics. The work is divided
between mother and daughters, per-
hans with weekly visit from the
"Madonna of the Tubs" Girls in such
homes do not envy more idle sisters,
but think now, as you surety will
farther on, what beautiful education
it is. ,,
| we'll know some will say, awe
have servants; there is no need for me
to work." aud think, if you do not
say it, at is beneath me-" Now, |
have, great deal of patience with such
things. because in girls like you who
really wish to be sensible, they only
show immaturity you will think diff
ferently by and by. All your short
lives you have felt no jar III the house
hold. Every day break fast and dinner
and supper have followed each other
in endless round as unconsciously to
you as if the Irish fairies below stairs
had been under magician's wand;
and so they have-the magician's name
is "Mother." Let long-continued alb
sence or illness lay her aside, aud yon
will see the difference. Because you
will not always have her-some day
YOU NAV have your own home some
day the happiness of that home will
deDend on YOU; some day the fairies
NAV fit without months notice-be-
cause of these things, which most like
ly will come, get ready for them now.
Learn now, SO, if need be, you can bid
defiance to the future Bridget, and
hold peacefully on your own way,
secure in knowing chow to brew" :
and never, never think such knowl-
edge beneath gentle-woman.
7 doubt not the word needlework
seems more agreeable to youSas ambi-
tons to learn "kensington" rise with.
in you. But I use it in its larger
sense-any work done with the needle.
In these days of sewing machines
fear my girls may not know much OF
it, except as embroidery. Yet | wish
YOU might know how to cut, and make
and mend. There used to be fine art
in mending. Pieces of table linen,
almost heirlooms, have come down
from my grandmother-the little worn
places cut out round, and filled in with
the finest lace stitch. There are real
laces mended so beautifully as to en-
hance their value. 1t is not very long,
either, since ] heard a father tell his
daughter that she should have q ring
when she could make loaf of bread
and a shirt.
In "The Marble Fawn," Hawthorne
has an exquisite passage on needle
work. 1t is too long to quote entire,
but let me give one sentence: "Me-
thinks it is token of healthy and
gentle characteristics, when women Of
of high thoughts and accomplis-
ments love to sew; especially as they
are never more at home with theil
own hearts than when so occupied"
I can tell you, girls, many man
envies us the privilege. Is he i'll or
weary in mipd?-no light, pretty work
may grow beneath his fingers, and
charm dull care away. l knew one
such man once; broken down by buSi-
ness cares, he could not sleep, he could
not read the physicians were at fault
AS u last resource he learned needle
work, and actually wrought beauti-
full embroidery for his wife's gown,
and saved his own life as the result.
Turn now to the last chapter of Pro-
verbs read on from the tenth verse,
and see if you don't find something
about the women's work there. Per-
haps you have tried to pick out birth
day verses from this chapter. Let me
tell you secret-mine is the thirteenth;
don't you think it is Il good one, and
do you wonder | like to write about
work.