The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-03-08
LEGEND OF THE LAcEMAKEh
How . BHuGes Maid Was Visited
With Q Vision.

With . Vision.
only things bequeathed to her daughters
by the Empress Of Austria She Left for
tune in collection of laces to the eldest
that has already proved bone Of conten-
ton between the two ladies. These Laced,
1t Is claimed by connoisseurs, are priceless
and should never DO trusted beyond tho
walls of museum. Should they be seen,
however, fresh impetus might be given
to the industry Of lacemsking, now in
languishing condition. The queen Of the
Belgans was the first to sound the trumpet
of alarm about this falling of in Flanders,
the cradle of tho art of lacemaking.
As the legend runs, it WAS Jaqueline.
countess Of Flanders, who was deeply In
love with her noble husband, the hand
some Henelick, but Who did not return
this tender feeling with the ardor 1t de-
served. He had even made eyes ut the
countess maid, Serena, who, for tho sole
crime Of being beautiful, was sent by her
mistress to q dark and noisome place Of
concealment in q 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 beloved, the equerry Lnitpold.
One day her eyes filled with tears She
prayed to the Virgin to come to her rescue
by some miracle, and then, raising her
heavy eyelids, she beheld million white
silky threads, 80 tenuous and arranged in
such wonderful patterns that she was lost
in admiration before them.
BY and by she began to wish she could
initiate the lovely patterns Of good Mary's
threads, for evidently they had been
placed there in answer to her duplication.
At last, after month Of patient and ardu-
Gus toll, she achieved piece of gossalner,
cobweblike work that rivaled the miracu-
lous 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 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 to seven
daughters, from whom descended all the
Bruges laceniakers
. This is sweet romance, but from
whom did this pious Serena receive the
threads with which she initiated the heav-
emily cobwebs? 1t has been suggested that
she unraveled her stockings and again
that she plucked the golden hairs from her
head, but why will folks be so dreadfully
practical9 1t is sufficient that the hand
made lace Of Flanders Is the most ex-
quisite thing wrought by human fingers,
and tho fatal looms have almost de-
stroyed Its art with their new industry. 1t
was the elegant Marie Antoinette who
gave the first blow to lacemaking The
splendid lace worn in profusion at the
courts of Louis XIV and XIV were re-
placed by the gauzes and muslins of the
queen, and, though tho Empress Josephine
brought back the fashion, it has never
been tho same as then. The looms have
produced perfect-too REORGANIZATION
and chearened the marvellous labor OF
years. 1t is now proposed by the Belgian
queen and some other sovereign ladies to
make point of wearing only handmade
lace and binding themselves by solemn
compact not to allow IN inch Of machine
made lace on their petticoats and under
linen. We shall see what effect this will
have on tho modern mondaine and how
her bills will increase. Boston Herald.