Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-12-21
Revival Of Hemesnun.r.

| In the little matched cttages at Done
| gal and Connemara looms and spinning
| wheels are busy manufacturing home
spuns for royal wearerS. The kings and
| queens Of Europe have decided that these,
manufactures are fit for court attire,
and the peasants of the north and west
of Ireland are rcaping n golden harvest.
Two years ago Queen Victoria ordered
a large quantity of Irish homemade
woollens. This Immediately created an
outside interest in the goods and few
weeks sutiiced to set all the idle looms
III motion. Orders are now being re-
| ceived from every city in Europe, and
several lots have been exported to tlfe
United States. \ large order recently
came from Persia and even in Australia
the htmespun is not unknown. The
peasants are rapidly becoming prosper
Gus compared with their circumstances
a few years ago. The new market for
their goods has claimed every yard they
manufacture, SO that while royalty
fiaunts the homespun the c0ttcrS are CON
tent with the cheaper mill article.
For hundreds OF years the pcasantry
of Ireland clothed themselves in gar
nehtS Of their own manufacture. IT, SIS
than htty years ago no wedding waa
complete without spinning wheel head
ing the list of presents from the parents
of the bride. Even III poor ould Ire
lahd, however. machinery has made
'
iaycd much longer in placing the first
royal order for the homespun the sound
OF the loom would NOT now he heard in
the land. As IT is, old wheels are be-
ing busted and renovated: fingers that
had almost forgotten the duties required
OF Them are being ouicEcned to work
AGAIN, ANA young hands arg RAPIDLY be-
coming expert with practice. The work
ers are quite as interesting as the study
or the cloth they manufacture. and their
ahodeS are always a great attraction to
the tourist
Donegal is the center of the y. cseat
ACTIVITY IN homeSpun circles. ana the cot
tagcs along the mountain sides are tiiioq
with the mum of busy workers. The on
TIRE family spend the winter moutuS IT
reel. vince. ana loom. When the DAYS
ith2thth ana inc sun grows more zenia.
work on the little patch Of ground nccp>-
states decrease in their production p
tatocs must be planted. few cab5are
plants "dlboed' in the ridges and rood
or TWO OF oats "trcnchpd Then follows
me haymakmg season, with its delight
fui weather and cloudleSs sky. No MAJ
Ter now many orders royalty may send
Tor hone:pun these hardy hill folks will
take things aisy i'm summer days
Ihese sinple peasaniry live to please
themselves and their pleasure is usually
the iulhlment Of a general desire TO take
their own time for doing things They
IKE the sunshine and the gr0wit,2
meadows. the green pastures and tnn
mnsS-covercd banks; there is somethin4
in the whitethorn that calls them 10 the
hedgerow whoa it is white with bios
SONS. ard not for gold would thcy miss
the snail birds chorus. Therefore il 10
lows that the homcspun harvest w!l D.
reapcd only when the rain beats 1ltiiaS--
~ on the roof ana the wind means amd
Sroans in the wicker chimney.
y cottage owning q loom May a.way@
be known hy its unusual length. TIE
.oom fills one end Of the cottage, which
Is only one story in height. Additional
floor space for spinning wheels makes
greatly increased frontage necessary.
This is done AT the expense Ut proper
ton and gives the abode q squatty ap-
pearancc that is decciyiug. The walls q
the cottages are vhiteWasHcd q coup3p Of
times every year and ara remarkable for
their cleanliness.
The machines used in manufacturing
the homcspuHs are amazingly crude "a
appearance. They are very seryicaab.e
and enduring. in spite Of their Jack Of
finished workmanship. Looms are hand
ed down from one generation 10 another.
and the secret Of the age OF most Of the
spinning wheels belongs 10 the workers
Of another time. All the machines are