The Washington herald., 1909-01-30
LACES AND LACE-MAKING
By FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.

When phHanthropic people began devils
ing ways and means Of taking immigrant
girls out Of factories and giving them
more conge1ial and remunerative work.
lace-making suggested itself as the most
natural work for the Italian and Irish
girls. AS a result the first lace making
school in America was opened three or
! four years ago at the Richmond Hill
Settlement House on MacdougsI street,
New York. at the very gateway OF what
hundred years ago was the country
/ place OF Aaron Burr. The Scuola din
dustrie Italiene. its promoters called II,
and in It they gathered fifteen OF twenty
young Italian girls and taught them 20
make the rare laces Of the fifteenth.
sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. At
first the pupils were paid to come. row
the school cannot take all who would
come to learn.
"A special instructor was brought from
Italy, where such schools have been IN
existence for more than fifty years. and
soon the sweatshop girls were earning
from S 20 80 week, where they had
before been earning two O. three. Lace
making Is now taught IN various indus
trial schools and persons interested IN
irish immigrant girls are successfully es-
tablLshlng classes for the teaching OF
this art in New York
A year ago Denver had three pretty
Irish girls spend & week there demon
strating the work OF the Irish Industrial
School at Loughlynn. County Roscom-
mon. They had been brought over BY
Rev. Michael O'Flanagan. g leader IN
the movement for the revival Of Irish In
dustries. Some communities interested
in the revival Of lace making have com
mereial. rather than sltruistie. motives
hack Of their movement. an example
being the Swiss colony AT HoheEwald.
Tennessee. near the historic Natchez
Trace.
Eighteen years ago an American
woman. Miss sIbyi Carter. with the per
mission OF Bishop whpple. introduced
lace-msking among the oIbways. She
had seen the work OF the women in
Japan. and believed II would be a great
charity 10 teach the art TO the Indian
women. She first taught them the max
ing Of pillow lace. and then point She
paid them 70 cents an hour, and soon
some OF the squaws were making from
SO 10 So a week. Bedsrreads made by
these nirnble-fngered squaws never sold
FOR less than $50; their nzrrowest lace
brought 50 cents a yard, and six-inch
lace from 81 10 $50. They made point
TAngleterre. Venetian. and Florentine
patterns with the proficiency Of the nuns
in Old-wOrid converts. The purchasers
OF their handiwork were wealthy women
OF New York and Philadelphia The IN
dustry Il taking the place OF bead work
among many Of the Northwestern n
dians. and from time 70 time very cid
squaws have come 10 Birch CoOiie. where
the first school was located. 20 ask that
teachers be sent 10 the squaWs IN remote
parts Of the reservations
Il has not always been easy IN the re-
vival OF lsce-making In some places 20
hnd pupils, and sometimes IL has been
stu more difficult 20 ind teachers. IN
49, when the fishing industry failed on
the island Of BUrano. near Venice. il was
decided that lace-making be taught the
women. thus affording occupation which
would keep them from want and despair
could be found. Il seemed that the art
OF making old Venetian lace was lost.
when an old woman. Ceneia Scarpariala, |
was found. and. az the sge OF eighty,
became the instrUctress 70 the first class. I
There were eight girls in ali, who were
paid 10 attend n twenty five years this
art. known once only 10 old Cencis, was
practiced by 40 skilled workers, and now
over 3oo9 women Of Venice and the ISL
ands are making lace. Rare old ecclesi- /
astiCal garments have given lace patterns
10 the workers. and Queen Margnarita, I
OF italy. one OF the worlds greatest i1di- /
vidual promoters OF lace-making. lent /
many q her rare pieces 20 be copied. A /
peasant girl. 50 legend says, originated /
the famous Venetian point stitch. repro /
ducing in her wedding veil a branch q /
coral brought by her sailor lover, little /
knowing that she was inventing 8 fabric (
that would be worldwide IN It's popu-
larity and be the envy Of kings.
Adjoining the raiment OF kings. lace has /
become closely interviewer with history 4
XIV. mOnopoiized the lace industry Of 4
all France in his day He practically T
owned Alencon. the seat Of one OF the /
greatest lace industries OF Europe Arti-
sans came IN from other countries 20 I
work in Cohorts villages The exodus 4
from Italy was at one time so great that /
a law was enacted 20 prevent lace makers
leaving the country, relatives CT such I
persons being cast into prison and held /
until the return OF the offenders. The 1
first record OF royal decree providing for
child labor Is when Philip II Of Spain /
ordered that lace made in the Neither
lands be made by children under twelve. 4
or not made at all He feared the de-
crease OF other Industries and the neglect
Of home and farm life II the women were
permitted 10 work as usual The e1ict
died with its maker years ago. and Brus-
sells point is made in the Netherlands
and Belgium by the women VINO work at I
home. and by the girls in convent
schools.
In the tourist season many lace makers
Of Northern Europe, dressed in the IA
tiOnal costumes crafty the desire OF the
tourists by working in the windows in
fun view Lace making is not so great
a tax as II vas long ago, fOr IN the
and eighteenth centuries the
workers on Flemish laees usually went
blind before thirty. Tradition saws that
one Barbara Uttmanu. Of Saxony, in
vented the art Of making pillow lace.
She devised system Of pins set in a
cushion OF pillow. and in and out among
these she wOve bobbins OF various
threads to make a definite pattern. In /
the intricate patterns as many as loo
0obbins are sometimes used at one time.
As an industry the making of lace has
not only affected whole towns and cities.
but larger divisions as well. In the