Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-05-10

The gift and inclination for some par
ticular work which are born with ev-
erybody happened in the case of Miss
Susan Coxhead of the isle of Jersey to
be a genius for wood carving. When a
child, she Whitfield in wood instead of
playing with dolls At 8 years of age
she did fretwork.
As she grew to womanhood her ideal
ity found expression, not in frills and
fashions and netting and darned work,
those soap bubble trifies which girls
waste their time over and imagine
meanwhile that they are doing some
thing. The picture visions of beauty
that impressed themselves on her brain
she sought to express outwardly in
wood.
The girl was one of those fortunate
young women who have their own Iiv-
ing to earn. For her there was moth
ing except to utilize the gift with
which nature had lowered her To
perfect herself in the occupation on
which her heart was set she went up
to London and placed herself under
the tuition of Mr.. Rogers, the distin-
guished sculptor in wood. A fine pic
ture of this beloved teacher occupies a
prominent place in her shop, whence
he seems to look down and still encour-
age his brave girl pupil.
Three years Miss Coxhead remained
with Mr.. Rogers, doing her best steadily
and enthusiastically to train her brain,
eye and strong, nimble fingers for her
trade Then she returned to Jersey
and opened her shop. Let us be arts
tic and call it a studio.
When she began business on her own
account, she made the discovery that
in order TO carve furniture to the best
advantage it is well to know something
of the making of furniture. That was
the next step in her education. She
took a course of lessons in cabinet
making. She designs and fashions
chairs, tables and cupboards, and the
four legs, for rarity and wonder, are
all of the same length-do not ''teeterp
the slightest. 1t is not often a man
cabinet maker does that.
In her studio Miss Coxhead has a
regulation carpenters bench and set
of tools. You see the bench in the pic
ture. The lady standing at the bench
is one of the girl carver's pupils. A
lively and likely young man is among
the most promising of her students at
present. When she chooses, this cool
headed, firm nerved young woman can
saw out from the rough wood and fit
and join any piece of furniture requir-
ed, then smooth and polish it and cover
it with chiseled designs as beautiful
as imagination can picture.
A panel for a screen especially at
tracted my attention. 1t was of Amer
lean walnut. The carving represented
conventionalized poppy design. To
ward the top sat a wide eyed. slum-
berous owl, the owl suggestive of
night, the poppies of sleep. Plainly
here was to be screen for bed
room.
Near the panel was a carved chair
of massive white oak, standing upon
its legs as level and solid as an honest
man, strong enough to bear the weight
of an Ajax or the fat woman in
show. 1t was intended for a hall seat
or a dining room chair for the heavy
and important head of a family.
Beside the oaken chair of state was
another Of very different pattern,
what fashionable ladies call spinning
chair. Very rich and fashionable wo-
men of these days sometimes play at
spinning fax. They would lift their
white hands in horror at the thought
Of doing SO in earnest, as their great
grandmothers had to do. But SO soon
as an occupation ceases to be OF any
earthly use then 1t may become fash
ionable. The pretty woman sits in
chair consisting of a stool with sin
gle board nailed to it for a back. In
front of her is little wheel, the lineal
descendant of that on which our wo-
men ancestors many times removed
spun the thread wherewith to weave
their wedding garments, twining into
every yard of it some sweet thought
or hope for the future.
But now the woman who spins Is
dressed like a fashion plate. The wheel
and the spinning chair are exquistely
carved. At the top of the branchlike