Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-03-12
GRANDMA STILL kAITS
BUT THE YARN TANGNES.H

mother. 1t must have been so rest
fuI to be a grandmother in her day.
Eyes, of course I'm one myself, but
the styles in grandmothers have
changed so greatly that I'm not in the
least like the dear old lady in the
black silk and real lace cap who used
to sit placidly knitting by our Preside
when was little girl. l can see her
now, in the summer time, too, In a
retired corner of the porch of our old
home. Usually Young's Night
Thoughts lay open on her violet
sprigged muslin lap. It is lovely
picture of quiet and repose to recall
in these busy times. She didn't have
to read Bergson and Ellen Key or any
of the modern philosophers that have
to gobble in large bites in order to
keep up with my department in the
Woman's league. She wasn't burdened,
either, with civic conscience.
don't suppose 1t would ever have &C.
Cured to her that 1t was her duty to
leave her dinner half eaten and rush
down to the city council on Mon
day night to throw the moral weight
of her presence against the passage
of a nefarious ordinance.
ooh, dear, there's the telephone.
Friday forenoon, did you say? Please
wait a moment until consult my cal
endar Yes, can see you at ten.
Please come promptly, as ! have a
committee meeting at II.
That's a young woman who wants
me to hear her paper on eugenics be-
fore she reads it to the Mothers coun-
Gil in the settlement where she works.
] wonder what my grandmother would
have thought about eugenics?
Just excuse me a moment while
glance at these notes. Here's an in.
vitation to the ball poudre the Had
sails are giving Wednesday Of next
week. l certainly must squeeze in a
dancing lesson or two before then.
Billy-that's my younger grandson,
you know-told me the other night at
the club hop that l was really rusty
on the waltz and two-step. You
see, I've done the new dances so much
the last two years that I've rather
neglected the old ones, and now
that they're coming In again, certain
ly must brush up. l suppose might
take a private lesson early Monday
afternoon before l go to the lecture
on Chinese porcelain. That reminds
mel must refresh my memory on
the comparative Importance of the art
of the successive dynasties. Dear old
grandma, she wouldn't have known
the difference between the Ming dy-
nasty and a china teapot, and be-
lieve it was a comfortable state Of
ignorance,
No, l can't rest much Thursday
afternoon, because Pm one of the pa
tronesses at the play and the dansant
that Adelaide-that's my granddaugh-
ter, you know-and the rest of her
sorority are giving for the benefit Of
the Red Cross. But Saturday will be
quite free day. Just one short
meeting in the morning, musicale in
the afternoon and the theater at
night. I'll have the time to rest in
the early morning, while the manicure
is doing my nails. always take that
hour of the manicure's weekly visit
to do lot of quiet thinking. sup
pose grandmother had all the time for
thinking that she wished.
my head fairly buzzes with projects
for the new vacation camp Pm get
ting up, the movement for introduce
ing household economics in work
mems homes, that I'm pushing, and
plans for all my other various boards
and committees. The change OF fash
ions is bothering me just now also,
for all my frocks, nearly, are too mar
row skirted for the present mode,
though they were only made last au-
tumn. I'm trying to evolve meth
cd of making them fuller which won't
necessitate complete remodeling.
How pleasant it must have been for
grandmother always to know that her
waists were to be made surplice and
her skirts plain gathered. 1t must have
given her a peace of mind far exceed
ing that l gained from the course in
artistic dress design that took last
year. She was free from all wor-
ries about harmony Of tones and grace
full lines Her only care was for
cleanliness and neatness, and her feel
ing for art was easily expressed in
the pattern of knitted lace which fin
ished the hem of her crisp white apron
that she rarely mussed, for all she had
to do was to knit.
Yes, of course, knit. knit with
out ceasing almost. The only place
/ don't knit is at church or a dane
ing or bridge party, and don't know
how long shall be exempt from knit
ting there. A woman whose needles
aren't continually clicking for the suf-
ferers across the sea is considered
heartless The family darning, which
was sacred rite with my grandmoth-
er, is sent out of our house to be
done, so that we can have the time
to knit, knit, knit. keep q work
bag in the dining room 40 that |