Evening star., 1920-05-23

A recent revelation Of unguessed
stores Of beautiful handIwork among
the foreiRn-horu population Of this
ctty at one If the community even
ings nj old Central High School in
evitabiy suggests a question: What
is ,h- city doing. what are we. as
Americans. doing. II utilize the eye
deIiyhting and wcalth-creating skill
rhat>lies in the fingers Of old-coun-
try women here iii Washington city
Even the teachers who planned this
exhibition in connection with = mu-
steal evening We're amazed at the
riches that at the last moment poured
IN. The display made large. bare
schuoIroom thing of richness and
beauty. The walls were hung. tables
we're covered. floors We're spread with
hewilderiuc luNuriance Of color and
form. barbaric red and gold-Soft
pastel shades. for closer inspection,
there Was embroidery 50 delicately
perfect that il seemed impossible. in
tricate crochet and raWnwork. hlet
lace There was the fIashy gorgeous
ness of Turkish work. the more Staid
and subtle maCnificence of Chinese
embroidery. there was a crochet bed
spread. made by a Greek girl. which.
oddly enough. might have been a
cherished heirloom in a Yankee fam
iiy. there was a modern French bridal
petticoat. a mass Of lace and hand
embroidery. there was wonderful old
table linen from = Rumanian brides
cuttit Of twenty years ago.
Taurht-But Not Here
"Yes. yes. | was taught 10 do ali
those things ! used 70 % them II
The old country. But here? No. not
here" This was what one matron
said
And why not here The answer
that household cares prevent would
apply only did these delicate house
hold crafts exact absence from home
or did the work need 10 be done all
~ one time during a six. seven or
eight-hour day. But neither of these
things Is true. Here is something
that can be done AT odd moments.
without the Intervening period nee
essary for mental concentration. and
would. almost before one knew it,
WELD return-if il received any
thing like the price at which such
products are finally marketed-that
would add enough to the family in
come to bridge the gap between bare
subsistence and comfort. When one
realizes what an addition 10 the cost
of gown a hit of hand embroidery
makes. and what an addition to it's
brought to these foreign women
trained in the fine art of needle
work. gifted by an inherited instinct
for so fiinSing together bright. pure
tnIolS as TO make n Tlcn ana cnaSttneu
harmony-one feels strongly the loss
To both possible supply and possible
demand of the present unint telligent
and eXtravagant neglect.
Art-Stifing Tragedy.
Leaving, for the moment. the highly
important economic consideration,
this sitting of genuine art sense
is sheer tragedy. 1t is paralleied only
by the wholesale extinction of mu-
steal genius that our national tone
deafness has allowed TO be perpe-
traied in this country. No one has
ever computed the loss to the world
of velvety Italian voices. rich with
the boarded emotion of countless gen.
erations that have been suppressed in
barber shops or smothered in hotel
pastry kitchens.
But it is safe to say that there
have been countless such unrecorded
Slowly-creeping art-deaths among
Italian youths that have come to this
country with ardent swelling hopes,
This tragedy. however being the out
come of a perhaps inevitable un-
readiness fully TO appreciate the best
that music can offer. can be endured
with more or less patience as being |
unavoidable. But the demand for fine /,
needlework. being based upon the !
eternal demand of feminine vanity. |
has assuredly firm foundation. 1t !
exists and il is safe to say il will |
always exist Failure 10 bring sapply |
and demand together in this case
can he ascribed only 10 the same !
stupid lack Of adjustment Of machin-
cry as that which allows fruit to rot
in orchards within few miles Of
thousands of school children who are
physically below par because Of the
lack of it.
Important Factor Neglected
To the fortunate few who were en-
abled. on tnat rainy evening a few |
days ago, 10 see Armenian and Amer (
iczn, Greek and Rumanian, French !
and Spanish women wandering from /
q isplay 70 display, comparing stitches /
and generously admiring one anoth- /
srs work. finding somehow. in what |
might have been Babel, the words I
;nar made Communication possible. (
g. seemed that win ali the patter
q: America nizatIo with all the
CON uittees' and ringing speeches" /
s-oz5/1F WV i