Evening star., 1949-05-25
This and That
By Charles =. TraceweH
ARLINGTON, Va.

Dear Sir:
Please let me add my posy- to Mr.. Tenn
pleton Jones flower basket.
"As an old basket lover myself, should
like to mention three. full Of memories:
The key basket. the darning basket, and the
silver basket.
THE key basket was such an important
part Of life in the old days In Virginia that
can still see ours-a black leather boat
shaped affair. with . handle and light
stitching.
IF my mother was upstairs. It was down.
stairs-or the other way around-and I
was generally in between hunting for 1t.
we gave out in the morning room
which meant that my mother and the cook
held chatty conference in the store room
Il can still see the egg laid carefully in
the middle of the cornbread-cornbread
being daily occurrence
And the darning baskets round wicker
affair. now brown as a nut from the use
that my mother and her mother gave it.
1T was always spilling over with stockings
and socks Of every size and color
And the silver basket, with divisions for
spoons and forks and knives
1T was taken upstairs every night for
safe keeping and the silver counted, and
woe betide II one spoon was missing No
body slept until it was found!
"One word more for the happy games we
played with 'Tisket. tasket. green and yell
low basket, send letter to my love-
Faithfully yours. c. c. r."
''TAKoMA PARK, Md
Dear Sir:
I'm Marylander. born and bred, and
my recollections of baskets are none too
happy. When was small boy. was
forced to carry the market basket home.
and 1t was always full Too full.
so you see I have no pleasant recollec-
tions. but despite all this, was pleased
with your article in praise of baskets. But
believe the vogue for them no longer is
In force
II can recall many in the old days, before
life became so complicated Since then /
have tried from time to time to get my
family interested. but it doesn't click
To-day we have cars and cars take the
place Of baskets. guess.
Now we carry things in bags. and the
women even have their baskets, rather cages,
on wheels.
II hope there win be real basket revival
someday. but that day is not easily seen.
It viii be, guess. when some of the COM
plicity Of modern life has disappeared for
whatever reason, and we have come back
to the old sanity we had and lost.
Yours. Z. s.
Basket making is true handicraft. One
of the few left.
II Is said that every motion in the making
OF baskets counts, and that no amount Of
pressure afterwards win alter anything.
Willow tosier) is the old standard ma
terial. but many other twigs, canes and
rushes are used.
Huts were made in ancient Rome Of basket
work. and even boats. really floating baskets
lined with mud.
Our own Indians had legend that the
"man In the moon" was really lady. and
that she was weaving q basket
It is believed that basket making may
have been the oldest industry. that Is one
reason why 1t should never be allowed to die.
Before pottery. baskets were.
Baskets we're built around pots, and fre
destroyed the baskets. leaving the pots TO
be discovered centuries later
pleasing little snow-white basket Was
displayed in local florists window during
the Easter holidays.
n had two lids. raised and left hack. and
in the basket was pot Of African yiolets.
the whole making striking display. Some
one got nice gift