Rocky Ford enterprise., 1914-07-17

dress they herald the day. The picturesque
and fantastic costumes have been discarded for
simple checked gingham frocks under all envelop-
ing white linen aprons
In sharp contrast to these cooking school girls
are the young women who are studying in
rious other branches and clinging reeiousy to
the gayly fowered skirts, tight at the hips. flow
ing away to voluminous breadth and great trains
at the feet and surmounted by the queer little
crisp cotton jackets, for all the world like badly
cut kmonos and punching up about the neck In
an ungraceful fashion. always suggesting hump
shoulders
To make beautiful laces and fine embroideries
seems to be an almost natural art with the Fill
pino girls, inherent aptness resulting undoubt-
edly from the uncounted generations of lace max
ers before them The strong, supple and deli
catey slender brown fingers steady as iron.
The clear dark eyes are not tired by the intri-
cate tedious patterns which would mean wreck
of nerves and vision of women less patient and
tranquil minded.
Lace making and embroidery were not intro
duced by American teachers, but were brought
According to Medina's history. needecraft was
taught in the convent schools early 1880.
and Retana in the early eighteenth century wrote
that the girls easily initiate the laces and en-
broidery of Europe" and that they perform such
work fairly well in little time"
The foundation being laid 1t was opportu-
nifty quickly seized by the American teachers,
and while the instruction under convent teaching
small number. 1t is the hope of the instructors
of these days that needlecraft speedily shall be-
of universal knowledge among Filipino
women. Also it is hoped that through their apt.
for embroidery and lace making there may
be opened up for them steadily remunerative
occupation.
In the nurses training work also the idea has
been to provide the young women with remunera-
tive work, but the beginnings in that line in
the face of stubborn prejudice and opposition.
The natives were extremely suspicious of doctors
and hospitals and 1t quite beyond compre-
hension that any young woman of modesty and
good taste should be willing to undergo a nurses
experience
campaign of enlightenment had to be car.
ried on before it was possible to establish nurs-
ing classes But the readily adaptable Filipino
became nurses among more advanced and en-.
lightened people, speedily abandoned her pref
udice The set of the wind is strongly in
the opposite direction and the vocation of
trained nurse has caught popular fancy that
the number OF applicants each year is far greater
than the capacity of the training school.
In basketry and rug weaving another profitable
line has been opened for women, and by rare
good fortune It happens that the islands produce
in lavish quantities all OF the required materials
which with their commercial values unknown
hitherto permitted to rot in the jungles.
Still another line OF income is from the preserv-
ing and canning of fruits for commerce, line
which at once makes income bearing previously
wasted human energy well a vast fortune in
unused fruits.
So summed up the training of the young FIJI
pino women means that when the Americans
came to teach them the desire for better meth
cd OF living the and strangely benevolent
conqueror showed them at the same time how
the desire might be gratifed