The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-17
Revival of an Ancient Art
Among the Poor.
IN RURAL FRANCE
Activity of PhilanthrOpic Women of
Fashion Gives Employment to
Many Women in Media Chate-
Iafne Who Has Over 100 Lace
makers Under Her Care.

possible remedy-the organization of labor
/ in the country Hence the renaissance Of
one of our old national industries. the
making OF lace by hand This splendid
movement is due partly to the successful
crusade undertaken in Parliament by NJ.
Engerrand. deputy from the CalyadOs,
and partly 10 the work of several women
of fashion, who are doing their utmost
/ 10 soften The lot OF the women of the
people. Conspicuous among them are
Mile. de Mariner and Nine. de Lecluse-
TrevoedaI.
Mile. de Mariner is president Of the
Work at Home Association, which is now
interested in more than 5000 working
women of Franche-Comte. Brittany. Nor
mandy, Champagne. and the Nivcrnais.
/ 1t is the associations aim to distribute
work through the country. and SO 10 en-
able village girls and village women to
/ earn regular wages without having re-
course 10 the. factory. which is all too
frequently unwholesome and a source of
Icalamitous promisculties. The association
/ hopes to revive among the working
women of our departments the love OF
the natal soil, to put them on their guard
against the treacherous mirage of the
cities, 20 preserve them in this way from
/ the misery and disease that city life very
commonly Involves and to enable moth
/ crs TO bring up their children" In Eng
/ land, in Belgium. and in Italy such assoc
Citations are doing q great and benedcent
service to the laboring classes.
| termined teuacity OF purpose. of which
Freuchmen, and especially Frenchwomen.
are generally thought incapable, are bril-
Hantly manifested by the founder Of the
great lace Industry in Loqueran, Finis-
tcrre, Nine. Henri de Lecluse-Trev0edal.
Introduced the Industry.
1t was In 1904 that lace-making was in
troduced into Brittany. The preceding
year was marked by terrible famine,
due to the scarcity Of sardiues along the
coast. Certain charitably disposed ladies'.
anxious 10 avoid again Witnessing the
agOules they then beheld. resolved to find
remunerative employment for the Breton
women Formerly the fish nets had been
made in the evenings. and in this way a
certain sum was brought into the house
every year But the light nets OF blue
thread come now from French factories
and from German ones. once more ma
chinery has crowded out human labor
And yet the def fingers of the Breton
girls are impatient vi Inactivity. for Is
Celtic race has this odd characteristic.
while the men, idle and dreamy -by ma
ture. are content % do nothing, the
ftr... ~.H Ias.H %.
but find rest irksome. The idea was
therefore. perfectly judicious. this Of di-
recting such habits OF activity into regu-
lar and rcmunyrative channels.
The group Of iacewaEcrs az Plouhiuec
near Audierue. deserves especial mention
by reason of the number Of it's members
and the perfection OF It's workings. There
young chatciaiue, rich and surrounded
on every hand with examples of fashion
able idicuess, has espoused the cause Of
the people and shown herself an iudefa-
tigable worker. toiliug with all the eHer-
gies Of her intelligence for industrial sue
cess that means the daily bread of go
poor families.
Feminine Ability Demonstrated.
What proof we ere getting in these
days Of the splendid development OF
feminine ability, And how Inevitably IL
should incline us To- revere those who are
thus setting before the old social order
ara object lesson in new type Of fra
tcnity and social devotion,
Il think and reason like d business
man." said the distinguished chaJelaine
Of Loqueran, Nine. Lecluse. I've got
to. you see" she added, smiiiugly. From
now on. I've too much 90 attend TO 10
waste time in fashionable chit-chat.'
And when / expressed my surprise at
seeing this altogether American initiative
displayed by d lady of Brittany. since
that race is generally accounted unbusi-
ness-like. she exclaimed, But. dear me,
I'm not a lady Of Brittany. I'm a Peri
gourdine. born at Badefols-d'A Aus, in the
ancient castle that once belonged TO Ber-
trand de Born. the trou)adOur and high
wayman. Ny golden dream IS TO follow
his example, and honestly to plumber my
rich friends i'm the interest OF my Plouhi-
nee lacemakersv'
Nine. de Lecluse's iacemallers number
30, of whom I'D work I'm the shop and
30 at home. No married woman is al
lowed in the shop. So the homes aren't
neglected or the children abandoned or
given into the care of strangers. The
lace made is the Irish. The thread and
the crochet needles are imported directly
from Ireland.
Work in the shop.
The shop is a large wooden affair.
pierced with huge windows and painted
in gay coIors inside. The workers sit
upon wooden benches around big tables.
In the sunniest corner a long. narrow
table serves for the preparation Of the
laces. Upon a platform sit the direct
rice" and her two ''surveillantes. The
women work from S o'clock till noon.
and from half-pgst Till half-past &. with
a quarter of an hours rest at O'Clock.
At the end OF the day each Iacemaker
places her work in a case marked with
her name. Sometimes work once begun
is interrupted. and not resumed till DAYS
or weeks aftcrward. # sardines or funny
arrive at the neighboring factories. the
lacemaker goes back to her former trade.
a more remunerative one, and takes her
place at the FIXTURE" The founders of
the shop had never any idea Of interior
ing with this excellent custom.
To remedy the evil of overIong con-
finement in the lace shop. the Loqueran
women are allowed, on fine days in sum
mer, TO work beneath the shade trees in
the park OF the chateau
The lacemaker earns 80 cents a dav at
most for work in the shop and about Il
cents day for work done at home in
the intervals of housekeeping.