The citizen., 1920-06-24
THE TRAINING OF MOUNTAIN
GIRLS IN THE ART OF HAND
WEAVING
BY Miss Lillian R@ttger

If il is bought. it's cost need moi
exceed $50. Materials for the in
tended fabrics are eesily procurabl'
and at reasonable rates. The wover
goods are always in demand and
bring excellent priccs-far better
prices than power-made goods of
similar sort. Berea representatives
taking with them the finer hand
made textures and more beautiful
patterns. have found a ready mar
ket for them in the wealthy homes
Of Chicago. Cleveland and other
large cities.
The products of the hand loom
are vastly more durable than those
of the power looms. There are hand
made curtains in Berea that have
been in constant use for the past
ten years. and are still in perfect
preservation. II is safe TO say
tia, on the average. the handmade
cloth will last five times as long as
the similar power-made cloth.
We must bear in mind that hand
weaving is only in its infancy in
Bcrea. In Scotland and Ireland,
some qualities Of wooden goods
which are hand woven. sell as
high as $500 or even $1,000 per
yard. their fineness and intrinsic
value warranting the price.
There is no reason why large
number of mountain girls should
not be paying all the expenses OF
their education by hand weaving in
Bcrea. The revenues from most
other forms of girls work in Berea
College are, as we all know, utterly
inadequate for this purpose.
The extravagant prices which. in
these days. we are forced to pay
for all kinds of clothing and cloth
ing material, add great emphasis
10 our plea for training in hand
weaving. One Of our Academy girls
recently wove linen coat for
herself. and the buttons with which
she trimmed it cost her more than
the material Of which she made il.
I'm hand weaving. the mountain
girls find work which is both
healthful for the body and cultural
for the mind. The motions requisite
for such weaving are envigorating
and refreshing, rather than con-
strained and exhausting. The
leisure time, even the few minutes,
between other household duties,
may be devoted with pleasure and
prcfit TO this occupation. Such
weaving trains the taste in the
selection of patterns and cOlors. and
the hands and feet must work in
perfect accord with the mind. thus
concentration of attention is de-
vCloped.
Skill is fOstered by the dyeing of
the materials for the loom. The
rhythmic motions Of the shuttle
incline the weaver to hum or sing,
which gives the note of content
ment to the heart and home.
As a girl becomes skilled in the
art which we advocate, il has an
ever-increasing fascination for her.
This fascination must in some meas.
TIRE satisfy that restlessness which
has too often found its outlet in
the more than questionable noun
tain dance.
Weaving is a constant training
iE fidelity, ingenuity and exact
ness. Is secures a manual training
which promotes deftness in other
household duties.
The acquisition of hand weaving
will tend to delay the mountain
gIrs marriage until she is mature
enough 10 meet lifes duties. At
present, not few such girls marry
prematurely and this often for the
sake of support. Provided with
the art of weaving, the girl is not
tempted to leave the shelter of her
parents home to work amidst the
exposures Of the store or factory
Thus, also, the influence OF the
educated mountain girl upon her
younger brothers and sisters, and
indeed upon her whole family, is
likely TO be prolonged and promoted.
The development Of her aesthetic
taste and skill through hand weaving
will not only embellish the parental
home and increase the comfort and
beauty with which its members are
clad but will also tend TO make her
own future home "the home beauti-
full" Thus she will have reason
TO feel that some Of the elegance
of the richest and most refined
homes of the city are even amidst
her humble surroundings, her own.
In view Of the economic value.
4 hA hAaIfl.