Evening journal., 1898-12-28
LEGEND OF THE LAcEMAKER
The Miracle Performed By BruEss
Maid To Revive the la
dustry.


Her jewels Of great price were not
the only things bequeathed to her
daughters by the empress of Austria
She left a fortune in collection Of
laces to the eldest that has already
proved q bone of contention between
the two ladies. These laces, II is
claimed by connoisseurs, are priceless,
and should never be trusted beyond the
walls of a museum. Should they be
seen. however, a fresh impetus might
be given to the industry of lace max
ing, now in a languishing condition.
The queen of the Belgians was the
first to sound the trumpet of alarm
about this falling of in Flanders, the
cradle OF the art of lace making. As
the legend runs, it was Jacqueline.
countess of Flanders, who was deeply
In love with her noble husband. the
handsome Henelick, but who did not
return this tender feeling with the
ardor II deserved. He had even made
eyes at the countess maid, Serena, who
for the sole crime OF being beautiful,
was sent by her mistress TO a dark
and noisome place of concealment in
a corner of the palace. The room where
the poor girl was confined opened on
small, damp garden, and there she
would sadly sit and mourn for her be-
loved, the equerry Luitpold. One day
her eyes filed with tears; she prayed
TO the Virgin to come TO her rescue,
by some miracle, and then, raising her
heavy eyelids, she beheld million of
white silky threads, so tenuous and ar
ranged in such wonderful patterns that
she was lost in admiration before them.
BY and by she began 10 wish she
could initiate the lovely patterns Of
good Mary's threads,for evidently they
had been placed there in answer TO her
suppiication. At last after month of
patient and arduous toll and many
prayers, She achieved a piece OF gos-
samer cobweb-like work that rivaled
the miraculous threads arrayed by her
holy patron. The lace was sent to the
countess, who shed tears of delight at
the sight Of SO much beauty. The next
step was TO send for the captive and
marry her to the equerry, bestowing
a sum OF money on the happy pair
that would have kept them in comfort
ever after; but. Independently of the
countess, they became rich, for the
young woman taught her art 10 seven
daughters, from whom descended all
the Bruges lace-makers. This Is a
sweet romance. but from whom did this
pious Serena receive the threads with
which she initiated the heavenly cob
| he Aonr, Il stl
raveled her stockings, and, again, that
she plucked the golden hairs from her
head but why win folks be so dread
fully practical2 II is sufficient that the
handmade lace of Flanders is the most
exquisite thing wrought by hugan
fingers, ard the fatal looms have almost
destroyed fS art with their new In
dustry. II was the elegant Marie An
toinette who gave the first blow to
lace making. The splendid lace worn
In profusion at the courts OF Louis
XIV. and XIV. was replaced by the
gauzes and muslins of the queen, and
though Empress Josephine brought
back the fashion. IL has never been the
same as then. The looms have pro
duced perfect, too perfect, limitations
and cheapened the marvellous labor Of
years. 1t is now proposed by the Eel
gian queen and some other sovereign
iadies TO make point of wearing only
handmade lace, and binding them
selves by solemn compact not TO allow
an inch of machine-made lace on their
petticeats and under linen. We shall
see what effect this will have on the
modern mondaine and how her bills
will decentralization Herald.