The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-01

sable to the Indian women, she soWed
the first industrial seeds.
The women were inclined at first to
view the work with more or less sus-
picion, but gradually they saw in it
the opportunity to earn the trif1ing pin
money which their lordly braves were
not inclined to allow them from the
governments bounty, and finally, after
several years of experimenting with
their indomitable teacher, they found
themselves in the position of regular
bread winners.
I Thus encouraged, Miss Carter NOV
ed on from the Ojibway reservation.
and opened schools for lace-making at
Leech Lake, Wild Rice Lake and Red
Lake. The frame of her work spread
into Southern Minnesota and the Sioux
Indians petitioned that a school be es-
tablished at Birch Cooie.
Women of all ages now undertake
the work, and often beg for instruc-
ton, for they have learned that it
makes possible many comforts for their
primitive log cabins and birch bark
wigwams.
The lace is not only made, but de-
signed as well, by the Indians. 1t has
an individuality so strong and work.
manship so delicate that it has at
tracted the attention alike of foreign
buyers and women of wealth. Large
orders come from dealers in New York,
Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Chicago. St.
Louis, San Francisco and Honolulu,
while such women as Mrs. Cornelius
Vanderbilt Mrs. j. Pierpont Morgan
and Mrs. Bayard Cutting are regular
patrons. At the Pan-American Expo
sition, the work attracted much at
tention, and many of the orders now
being received are the result of the
excellent showing the schools made at
Buffalo.
Many of the younger lace workers
have the advantage of an education re-
ceived at an agency, but some of the
finest work is done by aged squaws
who utilize the artistic impulse which
once found voice in bead work. This.
in common with other Indian handi-
crafts. is now nearly extinct. A favo-
rite conceit with the workers is con-
ventional designs of canoes and tee
PEGS, and they appear in an but the
narrowest edgings. The Indian love of
symbolism is particularly displayed in
the manufacture of choice ecclesiasti-
cal laces.
Each lace school is supplied with a
teacher and the sale of laces made by
pupils or apprentices pays all expenses.
At Birch Coolie are made the beautiful
bedspreads of pillow or bobbin lace, IN
rare, old designs, which sell as high as
$500 apiece. The needlepoint known as
Battenburg is the special pride of the
Ojibway agency, and at the Leech Lake
School, under Miss Pauline Colby, the
only white woman living at the agen-
cy, a most difficult honiton is made.
One of the first lessons, and perhaps
the most difficult of all to master, Is
that of keeping the lace clean. Com
pared with this, the arrangement OF
braids and the various stitches are as
mere child's play. What the Indian
student of lace-work lacks at deftness
she makes Vp in perseverance, and she
keeps at the work with logged de-
termination that would put many OF
her white sisters to shame. When she
has served her apprenticeship she re-
ceives wages at the rate of 10 cents
an hour. A rapid worker can make
from $40 to $12 per week.
Many of the women, particularly the
old s1uaws, work at home. When the
thermometer hovers close to the zero
mark, these women stalk back and
forth through the pine forests with
their work belted safe from the raw
ages of storm. Many an Ojibway has
been known to walk miles through
tangled forests and over frozen streams
to beg for work. or to deliver the filmy
edging, or the rich berthas, jackets and
boleros formed beside the fires of her
own wigWam.