The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-09-13
Bits About Weaving.
ny ELIZABETH CUMMINGS.

was made, but as the phrase used
means also "a beautiful garment, "a
coat coming to the feet and hands"
it is probable that it was woven. The
texture of the raiment Of fine linen
that Pharaoh put upon him, when he
made him overlord Of Egypt, was not
essentially different from what we
wear to-day, SO scholars discovered
when the greatest Of the Pharaohs was
unwound from his grave clothes.
In the tombs Of the kings the rain
less air Of upper Egypt has preserved
for US pictures Of looms used three
thousand years ago. There arc the
vertical chain, the cross rods, and the
comb to keep the texture even, just
as we know them to-day. We read of
the "weaver's shuttle" in Job, and of
the "weaver's beam" in Samuel, and
we are told that Delilah wove the
seven locks of Samson head into her
web, and fastened it with her weaving
pin.
The weaver's art must have been
well understood when the tabernacle
was furnished in the wastes os Sinai.
''Ten curtains Of 6ne twined linen,
blue and purple and scarlet, with
cherubim OF cunning work, shalt thou
make" Plainly the Cunning work"
was either woven in the fabric or en-
broidered upon it. There sas veil
before the ark Of testimony "of blue.
scarlet, and tine twined linen, and
with cherubim was it also made"
According to Pliny the Phrygians
invented embroidering with the needle;
Babylon was famous for its embroid-
cries in many colors, aud Alexandria
invented weaving in many colore.
GauI, he says, invented checked
fabrics" Josephus tells us that Sol
omon's temple had curtains and wells
embroidered with flowers. The wells
and curtains Of the temple, as rebuilt
under Zerubbabel, were considered
valuable prizes by Antiochus, the
illustrious. When Herod the Great
rebuilt the temple he hung before the
sacred place Babylonian tapestry,
'on which," says Josephus, "all that
is mystical in the heavens was en-
broidered, save the twelve signs"
The work was done in 'blue, fine
twined linen (white), scarlet, and pur-
pie" We get glimpse Of the Persian
weaver's work in the book of Esther.
The palace Of Ahasuerus is described
as having hangings Of white, green,
and blue, fastened to silver rings by
cords Of fine linen and purple.
Embroideries and tapestries were
articles Of cammercc. In Ezekiel we
read Of fine linen with embroidery
"from Egypt" So also in Proverbs:
II have decked my couch with tapestry
and fine linen from Egypt" Probably
all the fabrics Of Egypt were made of
cotton or fax, but the Hebrews early
learned to spin wool, as did also the
Greeks. "She seeketh wool and fax"
says Solomon Of the virtuous woman.
"she layeth her hands to the spindle,
and her hands hold the distaff.'
The goddess Of the "upper air." of
wisdom, and the protector Of civic
liberty, Athcne, taught the daughters
Of earth to spin, weave, and embroider,
so the Greeks believed, and there is
something very poetic and charming
in the fancy that the most mighty
daughter Of Zeus was the inventor and
teacher Of such homely arts. Picture
after picture is given US by Homer Of
women at the loom or spinning.
"My mother" says Nausicaa to
Ulysses, "sits by the hearth in the
beam OF the FIRE turning the sea purple
threads OF wool, and her handmaids
sit behind her." Before the fall of
Troy, the divine Helen sat in her
palace weaving ''an ample web," a
'double mantle resplendent, aud on
it worked "the many labors Of the
horse-taming Trojans and the braxen-
mailed Greeks" The news Of her
widowhood found Andromache stand
ing before her loom, and the ransom
Of Hector's body was paid in part by
woven fabrics, beautiful mantles,
single cloaks, tapestried rugs, and
tunics." The story Of Penelope's
web is immortal. Never while the
world stands will be forgotten that
Canvas delicate and vast," "the
shroud for the hero Laertcs," woven
each day, only to be undone at night.
Every four years the peplos Of Athene,
renewed bv the hands Of hirh. horn