New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-19
The Most Ancient of Fem
mine Occupations, 1t Is
Still Worth While.
BY Mary Marshall.
CHAPTER XXVI.


or Molly or Kate must do something dis
tnctly feminine. And surely there ID
not an occupation OF the list that Is
more womanly than needlework. There
are men nurses. and men create Womehs
hats and build their gowns nowadays
hut whoever heard OF a man, In TINS part
Of the world at least, who embroidered
or sewed or mended for living! 80 10
begin with. the woman who undertakes
needlework will have one strong adVan-
tase-an advantage from the old-fashiohed
pcint OF view at least she won
be competing with men In the struggle
for her daily bread She will be doing
something which for ages and ages men
have associated with all that Is distinctly
womanly and out OF the masculine sphere
But what about the pay? Every one
knows that even the finest embroidery
and needlework is wrought for the Lowest
Kind of wage. No parent could deliberately
choose such a vocation for his daughter.
But here Is the point. Fine stitches alone
can never bring any wages worth striving
fer hut II besides a dizziness with the
needle your daughter possesses good
deal Of business ability. executive push
| and originality she ought to he able to
make needlework a financial success. The
woman who boasts that she car sew any
thing II you will only show her how to do
| It," is really only making an admission
that she would make a financial failure
at needlework. II is the woman who can
do the showing In needlework, as in most
everything, who gets the profitable return
! for her labor.
The first lessons in needlework usually
come TO a woman in her little girl days,
and no one was probably ever at loss
for a means Of learning plain sewing. The
! public schools nowadays I'm most OF the
large cities supplement the home lessons
with sewing lessons, which. II they are not
numerous enough to give very much prac-
| tice. at least stimulate interest in needle
work The normal schools, TOO, have courses
In needlework where, II your daughter de-
cdes that she wants to develop into a
sewing teacher, she would spend year or
so after she has left high school Such
advanced courses in needlework as are
given in normal schools and technical train
| ing schools are helpful To any woman who
is going to make needlework her vocation
whether or not she intends to teach sewing
and the various other branches of needle
work. But this art, more, probably, thar
any other is something that with patience
, and practice and the proper directions anc
materials can be learned at home. 1t 4
true is il not that the most skilful EN-
broiderer you know never weat to an EN-
, broidery school in her life?
, To get an idea OF what clever needl
workers have done you have but to keeI
your eyes open as you 90 about in a larg
: city. In the public schools there are wome
getting sometimes as much as S2000 yea
as supervisors and teachers of sewing
Sewing teachers and embroidery teacher
: in institutions charitable associations ant
technical schools are also getting a siml
lar salary. There are women who run larg
hand embroidery establishments employing
ffty or more women and netting man
> thousands OF dollars a year on embroidere
! Undertaking and table linen for the dry
goods and department stores. Theye ar
women who run art embroidery rooms an
shops; there are professional members q
all sorts. from the woman who earns te'
dollars a week taking patches OF mendin
home, To the women who keep faShionaDl
= mendlng shops and net from 5000 to $50
/, q year thereby.
. You would not think offhand that Their
would be much money I'm mending, woul
you? As a matter OF fact. well run mend
n ing shop is profitable sort n business
I The woman who claims the distinction o
), having originated the idea OF such bust
. ness began her career as n milliner an
. from this experience learned valuable les
Z sons in managing help, meeting customer
ha N
ming the large millinery estabishmer
: which she built up proved too great. an
n I'm her effort to make her daily tasks les
= arduous she sold out and then looked abou
y for an easier opening.
IN the busy round OF her life as a fash
ionable mlliner she had often felt III
= need Of an expert renovator and mendel
o The long. trained gowns which were al
ways part OF her professional get-u
= needed frequent cleaning. refacing an
mendng. 'but FOR the lack OF time TO d
this for herself-and because the ordinar
seamstress whom she might have EN-
u ployed would never know how TO go shea
II with the necessary renovating-this bus
woman often discarded her gowns long be
= fore they were really worn out. smpl
because they were for the time being on
OF commission and there was no one I
p bring them back into shape again.
q Now. as she looked about for ne,
, opening, she hit upon the idea OF havin
v a mending shop where she could do 10
. other busy women exactly what she ha
h never found any one 10 do for her. Sh
I began I'm a small way. but as her healt
Q improved she built up the business an
> now, FIVE years later, she occupies a sho
4 in one of the most fashionable shoppln
. sections In New York City and keeps six O
eight skilled needlewomen and renoyator
at work on the mending, renovatng, darn
8 ing. etc. that she IL called on to do.
j Needless TO say. most of the customer
OF this mending shop are people OF liberia
\ means and of social or professional activity
4 Even women who keep maids to do thei
a ordinary mending come to her when the
q have an especially difficult piece Of mendin
to be done. fragile evening gown. torn O
: stained after its first few appearances. O
. needing a retouch here and there to put
l. In the current OF style. will under this reno
vator's direction be made to look like ney
a for fee ranging from 81 to sl5 or SIS. TIL
finest embroidery. too. in the hands Of on
Of her skilled embroiderers. can be restore
TO apparent newness.
There are many business and societ
. women who keep no personal maids. an
their need OF the professional member 1
= even greater. For these maidless wome
the member darns stockings, replaces miss
: Ing hooks and eyes and buttons. puts 4
y new collar stiffeners, patches undercloth
ing. mends gloves. doing, In fact, all tina
tha mat ntfaniiua md akillnl maid MOnl