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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5d3e74e --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60275 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60275) diff --git a/old/60275-0.txt b/old/60275-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5c55980..0000000 --- a/old/60275-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5241 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Bobbins of Belgium, by Charlotte Kellogg - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Bobbins of Belgium - A book of Belgian lace, lace-workers, lace-schools and lace-villages - -Author: Charlotte Kellogg - -Release Date: September 11, 2019 [EBook #60275] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOBBINS OF BELGIUM *** - - - - -Produced by F E H, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - - A few words in relation to era/dialect have been retained e.g. tho, - possest, stopt, dropt, slipt, distrest. - - The frontispiece spelling of the Queen of Belgium is Elisabeth, - as shown in the photo with her signature. Throughout the main - text however, it has been spelt Queen Elizabeth. These spellings - have been left as printed. - - In the Appendix, where there are two or more illustrations per page, - the words (Top), (Middle), (Bottom) have been used, to indicate the - link with the text and illustration. - - p.292: changed 4 to _d_ - - Printer errors have silently been corrected. - - - - -BOBBINS OF BELGIUM - - -[Illustration: H.M. QUEEN ELISABETH OF BELGIUM] - - - - - BOBBINS OF BELGIUM - - A BOOK OF BELGIAN LACE, LACE-WORKERS, - LACE-SCHOOLS AND - LACE-VILLAGES - - BY - - CHARLOTTE KELLOGG - _Of the Commission for Relief in Belgium, and Author of - “Women of Belgium”_ - - - FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY - NEW YORK AND LONDON - 1920 - - - COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY - FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY - [Printed in the United States of America] - Published in February, 1920 - - - Copyright Under the Articles of the Copyright Convention - of the Pan-American Republics and the - United States, August 11, 1910. - - - - -DEDICATION - - -To the women of the Brussels war-time lace committee—Madame Allard, -the Vicomtesse de Beughem, Madame Kefer-Mali, and the Comtesse -Elizabeth d’Oultremont, with admiration and gratitude. - - - - -CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER PAGE - Preface 15 - Introduction 25 - I. Turnhout 49 - II. Courtrai 79 - III. Thourout-Thielt-Wynghene 97 - IV. Grammont 127 - V. Bruges 143 - VI. Kerxken 169 - VII. Erembodeghem 189 - VIII. Opbrakel 201 - IX. Liedekerke 215 - X. Herzele 231 - XI. Ghent 247 - XII. Zele 265 - XIII. Appendix 275 - Index 307 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - FACING PAGE - - H.M. QUEEN ELIZABETH OF BELGIUM, _Frontispiece_ - - FIFTEENTH CENTURY PORTRAIT 32 - Showing heavy brocade as yet unrelieved - by linen or lace trimming. - - PORTRAIT OF CHARLES IX (1570) 33 - Linen collar showing picot edge made with - the needle. - - PORTRAIT TOWARDS END OF SIXTEENTH CENTURY 40 - Showing collar ornamented with bobbin-made - cluny. - - ANNE OF AUSTRIA BY VAN DYCK 41 - About 1635, cluny lace made with bobbins. - - ABBÉ BERRALY SCHOOL, TURNHOUT 56 - General view. - - NINE-YEAR CHILDREN MAKING POINT DE PARIS 57 - - POINT DE PARIS CLASS 64 - On dark days lamps are lighted behind bottles - filled with water, the rays passing - through, fall in spotlights on the cushions. - - WINDING BOBBINS FOR THE CHILDREN 65 - - POINT DE LILLE, OR POINT D’HOLLANDE 72 - Mesh showing “Esprits” or dots characteristic - of this bobbin lace. - - END OF A POINT DE PARIS SCARF ABOUT 2½ YARDS - LONG ON WHICH COLETTE WORKED ONE YEAR 73 - - IN THE ABBÉ BERRALY SCHOOL, COLETTE, 16-YEARS - OLD, WORKS WITH 1,000 BOBBINS 73 - - BELGIAN LACE MESHES (Plate I) 80 - After Pierre Verhagen in “La Dentelle - Belge.” - - BELGIAN LACE MESHES (Plate II) 81 - After Pierre Verhagen in “La Dentelle - Belge.” - - BOBBIN LACES 88 - Malines, Point de Paris, Valenciennes. - - CUSHION COVER REPRESENTING BELGIUM’S GRATITUDE - TO AMERICA FOR BREAD 89 - Point de Paris lace combined with linen. - The lower right-hand centerpiece shows the - rose design, emblem of Queen Elizabeth. - - BOBBIN LACES 104 - Torchon, Cluny, Old Flemish, Binche. - - TABLE CLOTH SHOWING ARMS OF THE ALLIES 105 - Cut linen with squares of Venise surrounded - by filet and cluny; Venise made - with the needle; cluny with bobbins. - - A “MARIE ANTOINETTE” IN CHANTILLY LACE 128 - Made with bobbins, near Grammont. - - CUSHION COVER 129 - Center Venise, borders Valenciennes, lace - executed by 12 workers in one month, - embroidery and mounting by four women - in two months; design by M. de Rudder. - - TEA CLOTH 129 - Point de Paris, cock design. - - LACE MAKERS OF BRUGES 144 - - BRUGES AND SIMILAR BOBBIN LACES 145 - - LACE NORMAL SCHOOL, BRUGES. BEGINNER’S - CLASS 152 - Symbolic color pattern on left-hand easel; - demonstration bobbins attached to colored - threads at right. - - BED COVER IN DUCHESSE OR BRUSSELS LACE 153 - Made with bobbins; executed in Flanders by - 30 women in three months; design by the - Lace Committee. - - ROSALINE, WHICH CLOSELY RESEMBLES BRUGES 160 - - DETAILS FOR BRUGES LACE 160 - Made with bobbins on round cushion. - - DOILY SET IN POINT DE PARIS IN THE “ANIMALS - OF THE ALLIES” DESIGN, EXECUTED AT TURNHOUT 161 - - POINT DE FLANDRES OR FLANDERS LACE 176 - Flowers made with bobbins, mesh with needle; - designs by the Lace Committee. - - HANDKERCHIEF IN NEEDLE-POINT 177 - Made near Alost. Both mesh and flowers - made with needle. - - DETAIL SHOWING SEVEN DIFFERENT FILLING-IN - STITCHES 177 - - VENISE DESIGNS BY THE BRUSSELS LACE COMMITTEE 180 - - HANDKERCHIEF AND JEWEL BOXES; FLANDERS AND - VENISE OVER SATIN AND VELVET 181 - - VENISE BANQUET CLOTH PRESENTED BY THE LACE - COMMITTEE TO H.M. QUEEN ELIZABETH ON HER - RETURN FROM EXILE 192–193 - Design by M. de Rudder; executed by 30 - best Venise-makers in Belgium in six months. - - CUSHION COVER IN VENISE 196 - Pekinese dog; design by M. Allard. - - TABLE CENTER IN FLANDERS WITH CENTER AND - BORDER OF VENISE 197 - Design by Lace Committee; executed in West - Flanders by five workers in 15 days. - - “THE TOURNEY” BANQUET CLOTH 208 - Design reproducing a mediæval painting in - Tournai, executed in Venise lace by 10 workers - in one month, mounting and embroidery - by five workers in one month. Price in - Brussels, 1,000 francs. - - “ARMS OF ALLIES” CUSHION COVER IN VENISE, - WITH DETAILS IN FLANDERS 209 - - NEEDLE-POINT SCARF EXPRESSING GRATITUDE OF - BELGIUM TO HOLLAND. PRESENTED TO H.M. - QUEEN WILHELMINA 216–217 - Executed by 30 workers in eight months. - - BOBBIN LACES 224 - Malines; Application, flowers sewn on tulle; - Duchesse, with Needle-Point insertion. - - APPLICATION DETAILS TO BE SEWED ON TULLE 225 - Upper flower shows open spaces left by - bobbin worker for needle worker; lower - flower shows both bobbin and needle work - completed. - - WEDDING GIFT OF MR. HOOVER TO MRS. PAGE 240 - Executed in Venise and Flanders lace by 30 - women working three months. American - eagles with outspread wings, protecting the - Belgian Lion enchained in the four corners. - - FLANDERS—NEEDLE MESH, BOBBIN FLOWERS 240 - - VENISE LACE CENTER, BORDER OF VALENCIENNES 241 - Lace executed in Flanders by 40 women in - two months; embroidery and mounting in - Brussels by four women in three months. - - VALENCIENNES, SQUARE MESH 241 - - FAN IN NEEDLE-POINT 256 - Executed by three women in six weeks. - “Shields of the Allies,” design drawn by - M. Knoff for the Lace Committee. - - EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MARRIAGE VEIL IN NEEDLE-POINT, - BELONGING TO THE COMTESSE ELIZABETH - D’OULTREMONT 257 - It would take 40 workers about a half year - to copy this veil. - - AT WORK ON DETAILS OF A NEEDLE-POINT SCARF - TO BE PRESENTED TO QUEEN ELIZABETH 268 - - NEEDLE LACE CLASS-ROOM IN THE TRADE UNION - LACE SCHOOL AT ZELE 268 - - NEEDLE-POINT ILLUSTRATION FOR THE FABLE OF THE - FOX AND THE GRAPES 269 - - IN THE ZELE LACE SCHOOL. JOINING DETAILS OF - THE NEEDLE-POINT SCARF PRESENTED TO QUEEN - ELIZABETH 269 - - - - -PREFACE - - -I entered the lace-world by the grim door of war. For it was the -war-time work of the women of the Brussels Lace Committee that opened -the way to me. - -Long before the war, Queen Elizabeth in Belgium, like Queen Margharita -in Italy, had sought means to protect the lace worker, through -centuries the victim of an economic injustice, not to say crime, and -to rescue and develop an industry threatened from many sides. In 1911 -she gave her royal encouragement to a group of prominent Belgian women -who organized as “Amies de la Dentelle,” Friends of Lace, and began -a lace-saving campaign by trying to remedy the deplorable condition -of most of the lace schools, the defective teaching, long hours, and -pitiful pay. They could insist in the schools, as they could not -elsewhere, on the right to inspect, to grant or refuse patronage. They -subsidized worthy institutions, and advocated the establishment of a -lace normal school and of a special school of design. Education they -felt to be the main road leading out of the prevailing misery, and they -were making progress along this road, when suddenly the Invader poured -over their borders. - -While other women hurried to open refuges and hospitals and -soup-kitchens, a few of the Friends of Lace remembered first the -lace-makers; and by November 1914, had effected a war emergency -organization, known as the Brussels Lace Committee, with Mrs. Whitlock -as honorary president. Unfortunately most of the lace dealers failed to -cooperate with them, but they won the approval of the powerful Belgian -Comité National, which, with the Commission for Relief in Belgium, -carried on the relief of the occupied territory throughout the war. -And with an initial gift of $25,000 from America to be converted -into lace, they were able to start their work. It soon came to be -directed altogether by four women; The Comtesse Elizabeth d’Oultremont, -Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth; the Vicomtesse de Beughem, an -American; Madame Josse Allard, and Madame Kefer-Mali. At the same time -the aid and protection of workers on filets and other commonly called -“imitation” laces, was assigned by the Comité National to another -group of women, the “Union Patriotique des Femmes Belges.” - -The Brussels Lace Committee employed, as trusted business director of -their offices, M. Collart, generously released to them by the Allard -Bank, and as technical expert, Madame Sharlaecken, before the war with -the Compagnie des Indes, one of the largest lace houses in Belgium; -and as the work developed, an increasing number of designers and aides -necessary to a lace business were added. - -During the first few months the situation seemed utterly hopeless; -thread was impossible to obtain; and even if the thread were -forthcoming, no one could say who would buy the laces they might -encourage the women to make; the Germans were cutting off successive -sections of the lace-making areas where they had established -sub-committees, and were forbidding communication with them. And yet -these four women continued bravely to create the foundations of a great -lace business—for an extraordinary commercial organization grew from -their efforts. - -However, despite all their intelligence and devotion, such a result -would have been impossible but for a hard-won diplomatic victory. -In early 1915 Mr. Hoover forced an international agreement which -permitted the C. R. B. to bring thread for the Lace Committee into -Belgium, and to take out an equivalent weight in lace, to be sold -in the Allied countries for the benefit of the workers. England -required a rigid control of the thread, and that it be given only -to establishments open to inspection by the C. R. B. At one time -these thread shipments were stopt—a period of cruel anxiety for the -women—but happily after a re-adjustment they were continued. And -once these international guaranties were obtained, the Belgian Comité -National was able to arrange for the distribution of the thread to the -various, even remote, lace centers, and for the return of the finished -laces to Brussels. They granted the women a subsidy of $10,000 and -insured to each _dentellière_ the chance to make at least three francs -worth of lace a week—a small minimum, to be sure, but every one -understood it might be increased later, and that if each of the many -thousands of workers was to have an equal opportunity, it could not -in the beginning be more. After this the Lace Committee had at times -as many as 45,000 women on its lists. The work in the schools and out -of them began to bear fruit. The sweating system, and payment in kind -(in clothing and food) were practically wiped out, and inspection and -control established. Everywhere the standard of design and of execution -was raised; old patterns were restored and improved, and by the end of -the war 2,237 new designs had been added. - -But this was not advance through open country. There was constant -danger that at any moment the way might be completely barred; at -any time the guaranties covering the thread importations might be -withdrawn. The Germans early originated a “Lace Control” of their own, -and tried in every possible way to win over the Belgian workers, -and to buy up all the lace in the country. They accused the Brussels -Committee of being a political and patriotic body existing chiefly -to defeat the occupying powers and the Flemish activists. Then there -were other courage-testing difficulties. But despite all obstacles and -perils, the women persisted, and continually the precious skeins of -thread, with their message of “Carry On” were flung out from Brussels -to the farthermost corners of the land, binding all together in a firm -and beautiful web of hope and confidence. For the enemy was right in -suspecting the Committee of a purpose deeper than that of merely trying -to save women from the soup-line; they carried on a patriotic work of -highest importance. To them I owe a personal debt of gratitude, for -they permitted me to follow their devoted service closely, and they -opened the door for me to a new world of beauty and interest. - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -Lace is a tissue composed of mesh and “flowers” (pattern), or either -one alone, produced with a needle and single thread, or with several -threads manipulated by means of bobbins. It is the product of a natural -evolution from early embroideries and weaving. - -We possess no contemporaneous history of the origins and development of -the lace art, partly, perhaps, because of the tradition, strong among -the initiated, of hiding its secrets, and of the consequent difficulty -of an outsider to master them, and partly because successive wars and -world cataclysms have interrupted or destroyed its progress. - -We have ample proof, however, that lace in some form existed in remote -antiquity,—in early Egypt, in Persia, in Bysance and Syria, where it -was chiefly made by slaves; the Greeks and Hebrews speak of needle lace -as known throughout all time. It was not, in these oriental countries, -the delicate white mesh that we call lace, which would have been most -unbecoming to dark skin, but included richly colored passementeries -and filets and fringes, woven of gold and silver thread, of dyed wool -and cotton, and of the coarse linen fiber of the Nile Valley. It was -usually of hieratic and symbolic design, and sometimes sown with -gems—all capable of brilliantly enhancing the beauty of the East. -Egyptian ladies of 6,000 years ago trimmed their robes with elaborate -lengths of filet, and covered their dead with it. In the Cinquantenaire -Museum at Brussels there is the photograph of a remarkable little woven -linen bag, similar to one we might carry to-day, which was found in -the tomb of a Priestess of Hathor, bearing the mark of one of the -earlier dynasties. Its mesh is almost identical with that of our modern -Valenciennes, and it was undoubtedly made with bobbins. - -Between ancient and mediæval times, the lace-gap is unbridged by -written record; we must gather what we can from the archeologist -and from the works of the sculptor and painter. Occasionally we are -thrilled by such a discovery as that of M. Bixio, who in excavating -at Claterna, an old Roman City near Bologna, came upon a set of bone -bobbins, lying in pairs, as we employ them in lace-making to-day. But -interesting discoveries are rare, and the body of our knowledge of lace -history so far is meager. - -However, we are interested primarily, not in the ancient origins of the -two great lace groups, nor in early passementeries and filets and their -processes, but in the marvelous efflorescence of the lace art of the -Western Europe of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, and in its still -lovely expression of to-day. - -In mediæval painting, before the appearance of linen and its use as -trimming, or as lingerie, I know of no picture showing lace. Stuffs -were stiff and heavy, and ornamented with metal, or with gold or -silver thread. As they became more supple, we find, as in the portrait -of Wenceslas of Luxemburg (about 1360) decoration introduced in the -clipped cloth border of the collar and hood. This serrated edge -suggests the first simple Cluny lace patterns that appeared later. Then -we see the first linen showing through the slashed sleeve or above the -corsage,—one of many paintings illustrating this development, is that -of the Duke of Cleves, by Memling (second half of the 15th century). -And shortly afterward the first lace edgings appear, the beginning -of our lace of the middle ages, of its rebirth in Western Europe. The -search for these details of progress in the paintings of European -galleries is a fascinating and rewarding game; a Belgian friend of mine -has spent many years at it. - -The flowering of the lace-art was part of the great Renaissance -(lagging behind, to be sure, the major arts) and now was no longer the -work of slaves, but regarded as an important, independent _métier_, and -happily it usually escaped the despotism of the mediæval corporations. -Italy, probably through her exploitation in the early part of the -15th century of her Greek Colonies, was its first western home, and -Venice, the center for the exquisite needle laces of which our museums -fortunately still preserve specimens. While laces made with the needle -and single thread were flourishing under the Doges, bobbin laces, -twisted and braided with many threads, were being made in Sicily and -in other sections of the country. - -From Venice, the secrets of the art traveled easily in several -directions, and probably about the close of the 15th century by way -of the thriving port of Antwerp, to the industrious and beauty-loving -Flanders, where the seed fell on most fertile soil. Flanders possest a -multitude of workers already skilled in an allied art, that of weaving, -and the necessary lace material in her valley of the Lys, the finest -flax region of the world. Valenciennes, Lille, Malines, Ghent, Bruges, -turned to lace-making with a veritable passion; it spread throughout -wide districts of what are now Northern France and Belgium. - -During the 16th and 17th centuries, the lace industry made phenomenal -progress, both extensively and intensively. Holland and England sent -continually larger orders to Flanders. As cloths grew finer and -softer, and the mode of wearing them more graceful, and as daintier -linens were increasingly employed, lace became ever more filmy and -exquisite. A worker spent perhaps a whole year on a single meter of -Valenciennes, one head-dress cost as much as 200,000 livres. Every lace -had its time, its season. During this epoch, needle laces were supreme, -as bobbin laces were to be in the 18th century. - -Under Louis XIV lace reached its climax of perfection and beauty. -Colbert imported lace-women from each center where they had been -conspicuously successful. He encouraged the invention of new designs -and technique; he subsidized schools in many cities, at Reims, Alençon, -Arras, Sedan, and he threatened with the death penalty those who might -attempt to carry lace secrets beyond the French borders,—in every way -he sought to develop an art that should belong peculiarly to France. -Thus directed and subsidized by the state, and nurtured and stimulated -by a beauty-seeking court, whose love of luxury was still controlled -by taste and refinement, it is not surprizing that this lace-period -surpassed any other known. It was true of the Court of Louis XIV as -of that of Louis XIII that a _seigneur_ was known by the number and -quality of his lace points; some of them possest several hundred -garnitures. Unfortunately the workers did not profit by this brilliant -development,—they seem from the beginning predestined to be the -victims of a social and economic slavery. - -But there were already evidences of an attempt to control a demand -for luxury that threatened disaster. With the 16th century, heavy -duties and excess taxes were levied upon lace. An edict, dated -1729, prohibited the wearing of it, in the hope of checking -over-extravagance in dress. - -[Illustration: FIFTEENTH CENTURY PORTRAIT - -Showing heavy brocade as yet unrelieved by linen or lace trimming] - -[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF CHARLES IX (1570) - -Linen collar showing picot edge made with the needle] - -After its _apogée_ under Louis XIV, lace-making was caught, along with -the other arts, in the tide of degeneracy. Its designs were marked -by fantasy and grotesqueness, rather than by the delicacy and beauty -of the preceding period; tho while it deteriorated in design, its -technique grew constantly finer and more complicated, until, from the -point of view of the workmanship at least, it seemed almost superhuman. -But in the second half of the 18th century, wearied of complications -and extravagance, people amused themselves by a return to simplicity. -The Marquise de Pompadour affected laces sown with simple “flowers,” -and Marie Antoinette went further in preferring a pattern of scattered -“points” or peas. With this return to the primitive in design, the -technique of lace reverted also. In many quarters, the sheer muslins -of the Indias gained favor over lace. Trade, already burdened with the -duties and imports that had grown up around the extravagant laces, -suffered further from the sudden popularity of the simple costume. - -The death-blow of the industry in France was to follow close on the -heels of this new fashion. Since lace had been the particular pride -of the aristocrat, the Revolution made it a crime to appear in it. In -such one-time famous centers as Valenciennes and Lille, the bobbins -ceased, tho the industry of that region sought refuge farther west, in -Bailleul,—in Bailleul, dust and ashes to-day! Fortunately in Belgium, -lace-making generally survived the crisis of the Revolution, tho it has -suffered from succeeding disastrous influences. - -At the opening of the 19th century and under the Empire, taste was -heavy, design rigid and military, with nothing in common with true -lace motifs. During the opening years of 1800 the invention of -machine-made tulle, brought from England to Calais, effected further -sad changes in the lace-world; scarfs, veils, entire robes of tulle, -ornamented with applications of needle or bobbin-made details—often -palms and laurel wreaths—were all the mode. People preferred these -to the exquisite lace jabots and flounces of the preceding century. -In 1833 cotton thread began to be used instead of the stronger linen -of the best lace periods. The delicate lace-art continued to suffer -with all the others under the general decadence of the reign of Louis -Philippe and the Second Empire. Industrial and commercial development -was the note of the age; the rich amused themselves in travel, in -new scenes and sports, rather than in fostering the arts. In fact, -during the thirty years following the war of 1870, lace seemed almost -forgotten except in America. The number of workers in Belgium fell -from between 100 and 150,000, to 50,000 or less. - -But before the world was plunged into this last, most destructive of -wars, there had been signs of a renaissance in the decorative arts. -People had begun to read and compare, and refine their taste. The -rulers of Italy and France and Belgium were winning results in their -attempts to rescue, and to revive and develop the lace-art, which -had seemed threatened with extinction. Then came the war—and the -devastation of entire lace regions, like that of Bailleul in France, -and of Ypres in Belgium. It is true that many of the refugee lace-women -have been employed and encouraged during the four years, by certain -committees in France and free Belgium. And in occupied Belgium, the -unceasing efforts of the Brussels Lace Committee have borne rich fruit. -Whether the higher standards of lace design and technique, and the -improved condition of the lace workers—better education, shorter -hours, higher pay—will be maintained under post-war conditions is yet -to be proved. Over this difficult hour of reconstruction, of transfer -from war to what we fondly call normal conditions, we can but hope to -carry the hard-won gains of the testing period. - -In this little book I make no attempt to present a history of lace, -or a detailed analysis of its processes. I have wished merely to set -down in simple form a few of my observations in the lace districts of -Belgium, as the war has left her. To follow them one does not need -even an elementary knowledge of the important lace forms, tho that is -easily acquired. For there are but two large groups; the needle-lace -group, and the bobbin-lace group, between which we learn quickly to -distinguish. We can not prove the time of their respective origins; as -we know them, they seem to have existed side by side, as they do in the -Belgium of to-day. Sometimes one was more popular, sometimes the other. - -To place a piece of lace, we have first but to ask the question, “Was -it made with a needle, and by looping and twisting and weaving a single -thread; or was it made by braiding and twisting and weaving several -threads, by means of bobbins and a round or a square cushion?” - -In general, there is but one technique for all needle laces, tho -there is no limit to the variety of stitches the needle worker may -employ. I have seen a scarf, made during the war for Queen Elizabeth, -in which there were many hundred different points. One comes soon to -recognize the important needle laces; the exquisite French Alençons and -Argentins of earlier days, with their meshes made with a buttonhole -loop, and their flowers stiffened with horsehair; the various -Venetian points,—Venise, Burano, and Rose point; and the extremely -popular Brussels point, with its gauze mesh and raised flowers. It is -characteristic of these needle laces, that the flowers are thrown into -relief, sometimes high, sometimes scarcely perceptible. - -Bobbin laces may be made with a dozen or with one hundred times as many -threads, according to the design and width of the lace. They fall into -two sub-groups, the first including laces made with uncut threads, -in a single piece; the second, those made detail by detail, in which -the threads are cut as each is finished, the completed lace piece -being made by joining these separate parts. This second method was not -introduced until the latter half of the 17th century. - -In the first group, made with uncut threads, are the early Clunys and -the common Torchons, Old Flanders, the beautiful Valenciennes, Point -de Paris, Point de Lille, Malines and Binche, with their delicate -round, or square or hexagonal meshes, from which the pattern blossoms. -Their flowers are flat, never lifted in relief, tho a heavy outlining -thread often sets them off brilliantly from the surrounding field. - -The second bobbin group, in which the final lace piece is composed of -united details, includes black and white Chantilly, Blonde, popular -with Spanish peoples, Brussels Duchesse and Bruges Duchesse, most -frequently displayed in our American shops, and the finer Rosaline, -which was in great demand when the war broke out. This group of bobbin -laces admits a kind of relief. - -[Illustration: PORTRAIT TOWARD CLOSE OF SIXTEENTH CENTURY - -Showing collar ornamented with bobbin-made cluny] - -Some laces combine both needle and bobbin points. In the lovely Point -d’Angleterre, increasingly difficult to obtain, bobbin-made flowers are -united by an airy needle mesh. And the coarser Flanders lace has the -same composition. - -[Illustration: ANNE OF AUSTRIA BY VAN DYCK - -About 1635, cluny lace made with bobbins] - -There are, besides, the familiar and often beautiful Applications, in -which either needle or bobbin-made flowers are stitched, or _appliquéd_ -on machine-made tulle, or, rarely, on a tulle made by hand. And various -mixed laces, fantasies and embroidered tulles, as well as a whole -company of cheaper tissues called lace, but which can not honestly -claim the name, are trying always to crowd the true lace from the -market. - -Naturally, the technique of any given kind of lace has undergone -various transformations through the centuries. The Valenciennes mesh, -for instance, first had round spaces, while square ones became more -popular later. During a certain period the introduction of jours, or -open-work effects, added an airy lightness to many laces. - -I had the pleasure recently of being with a friend of mine, the -sister of the Belgian Consul-General at New York, Madame Kefer-Mali, -who has devoted twenty years to the study of lace, when she first -examined a lace collection lately presented to the Cinquantenaire -Museum. With magnifying glass I followed from case to case, as she -placed each specimen in its country and century, according to its -design, its mesh, the manner of directing the threads, the relief of -the flowers, the various stitches or the kind of thread employed. As -I listened to her, it was easy to appreciate why lace may become an -all-absorbing interest. Madame Kefer-Mali’s love for the lace itself -is now subordinate to her passionate desire to secure justice for the -lace-worker. As she takes a filmy length in her hand, her first thought -is of the talent and patience of the girl or woman who made it, of the -eye-straining, meticulous labor it represents, and of the pittance -still paid her for her gift to the world of art. Madame Kefer-Mali has -already won something for the _dentellière_ and she will continue to -fight for more. - -Tho there are lace sections in widely scattered parts of Belgium, none -(except Turnhout) is so important as those of the two Flanders. Western -and Eastern Flanders form an almost continuous and unrivalled lace -region, which breaks up irregularly into districts, each celebrated -for a particular kind, or for several kinds of lace. However, it would -be impossible to draw an accurate map illustrating the Belgian lace -situation, either from the point of view of the varieties made and -their quality, or of the workers. It seems, indeed, at times that lace -was invented to defeat the statistician, for he no sooner reaches a -conclusion than it proves inexact; a factory rises near a certain river -and the lace women desert their cushions to accept its better wages; -in a village long devoted to Needle Point, young girls discover that -the bobbin-made Clunys pay better, or they marry and make no lace at -all until their children are partly grown; poor crops and resulting -misery may send others who have not for some time been listed as -workers back to their cushions. For, since despite the many schools and -work-rooms, the great majority of women still work at home, lace-making -is peculiarly sensitive to every change in family and community life. -We may say, however, that despite constantly shifting conditions, -Western Flanders forms a great bobbin-lace area, unquestionably the -most important in the world to-day, while Eastern Flanders has been for -centuries and still is, famous for its needle points. - -Unfortunately, too, because of the miserable lace-wage (in Belgium, -before the war, it averaged about a franc a day) this industry has -been regarded always as a supplementary occupation, on which the -family could not rely for its main support, and which was not capable -of organization and amelioration as other industries are. The slavery -conditions have undoubtedly been due chiefly to lack of good schools -and constructive lace training, and to the system by which a _facteur_, -or first buyer, collects the laces, to re-sell them to a _fabricant_, -or dealer, who in turn may sell them to a larger fabricant—a system -permitting any number of intermediaries—and also to the fact that the -women, scattered as they are throughout the agricultural regions, have -never protected themselves by forming syndicates. The first step toward -emancipation has been taken; the new teaching is under way. The fatal -system of the many intermediaries remains to be dealt with—to be swept -away. And it is hoped that feeling the new power education will give -them, the dentellières will at last find ways either through unions or -by other means, of protecting themselves. - -For the rest, fixt data are difficult to obtain. The lace industry can -not be captured and subjected to cold analysis and tabulation. It must -be studied differently from other industries that can be localized. As -in learning to know the garden flowers of a country, one must go from -doorstep to doorstep, so if one wishes to understand lace, one should -become familiar with its _milieu_, the family and community life from -which it springs. In a sense, then, these little journeys to lace -districts which are the subjects of my chapters, may suggest more about -what lace really is than a more technical and formidable volume. - - - - -I - -TURNHOUT - -_Lace Children of the North_ - - -Lace is the flower of Belgium; the white blossom that springs from the -teeming plains of the Flanders, from the agricultural districts, and -from the mournful Campine of the North. During the long and solitary -winters, when work in the fields is impossible, thousands of women -and girls and little children turn to their lace cushions, and dreary -rooms are enlivened by the music of the flying bobbins. If the lace is -Needle Point, and lacks the accompanying click-clack of the shifting -_fuseaux_, it nevertheless gives purpose and value to the otherwise -almost unsupportable winter days. However, despite the time that must -be subtracted for weeding, for gathering the all-important potato -crop, and for other farm duties, summer with its bright light and long -day, is the true lace season; it is only then that some of the finest -varieties can be executed. Coarser pieces must be substituted for the -dull, eye-straining days. - -To be sure, some lace-making is still carried on in certain cities, -but very little. This delicate _métier_ can not successfully combat -the influences of the social and industrial groupings of the larger -centers; the living wage, the shorter hours, the distractions of -cinéma and café. The cities remain the logical centers for the normal -and training-schools, for assembling, and display, and sale; but the -age-old patience of the lace-maker is born of a certain ignorance and -isolation. This does not mean that the industry may not persist still -on the fringes of some of the larger cities, or flourish in nearby -villages—it does; and in three conspicuous instances, until the war, -it remained the dominating activity of a city. Bruges, Ypres, and -Turnhout, could truly be called “lace cities.” Now there are but two; -for Ypres, the pearl of Flanders, is gone. - -Turnhout, a town of 24,000 inhabitants, in the Northern Campine -district, is not only a “lace city,” counting 6,000 workers, but if one -considers its long list of excellent lace-schools, the fine varieties -made there, and the quality of the workmanship, it appears sufficiently -important to challenge the leadership of Bruges. However, Turnhout -stands practically alone in the north, while Bruges is the center -of western Flanders, one of the largest lace contributing areas in -Belgium, and promises, therefore, to hold for a long time her title of -first lace-city. - -It is strange to think of Turnhout as a remote town, since it is -scarcely two hours by motor from Antwerp; but the first glimpse of -the intervening sand wastes of the Campine region awakens at once a -sensation of loneliness, of isolation. I made the journey in late -November, reaching Turnhout about noon of a low gray day, just as -hundreds of golden-haired children—no mists could dull the bright -gold of their hair—were clattering along the stone sidewalks in their -wooden shoes, on their way home from school. As always, I marveled -at the way they could leap and run without losing their sabots. They -were “lace children,” nearly all of them part of the little army of -1,800 in the lace-schools, and because of the intelligent work of the -soup-kitchens and dining-rooms for debilitated children during the four -years of war, were probably, many of them, in better physical condition -than they had been at its beginning. The women of the Brussels Lace -Committee had succeeded, too, in augmenting their food ration from time -to time. Their chief visible need was for stockings and shoes—and -I knew from the teachers later that they sadly lacked underclothes. -Mothers can patch and repatch, and add in various ways to outer -garments; but after a certain number of washings, undergarments simply -disappear. - -I went first to the convent of the Abbé Berraly which, during the -war, encouraged by the advice and support of the Lace Committee, has -developed into the model school of Belgium. It is situated in a crowded -part of the town, but its own fine brick buildings cluster about a -spacious courtyard and vegetable gardens. In summer the children work -much out of doors, tho when they are inside their class-rooms it seems -still impossible for the teachers to break with the tradition of the -closed window. - -I began my visit in a little room at the right of the entrance hall, -where six older girls were still at work, tho the 500 other pupils had -gone for their lunch. Dozens of rubbed carbon copies of lace patterns -were pinned to the walls along with executed samples of the lace they -represented. This was a _piqué_ class-room; the young women seated at -high, narrow tables, were carefully at work on pieces of glossy green -cardboard on which the lace design had been drawn and which they were -pricking with pins, or covering with tiny holes, that indicate the -position of the pins that must hold the thread as it is twisted or -looped or braided, by the worker. The cardboard piqué is in a sense -both the beginning and the end of the lace course; the beginning, since -no pupil can start his lace without the piqué, or interpreted pattern, -and the end, since it is the most difficult of all the processes in the -technique of the lace. The _piqueuse_ must understand the design and -its practical execution, must interpret the picture to the worker in -terms of pin-pricks marking the progress of her thread. A good piqueuse -knows immediately, on looking at a drawing, whether it is a true lace -design, or must be adapted, and also in which kind of lace it can be -best exprest. As she shifts a pin-prick less than a hair’s width to -the left or to the right she varies appreciably the resulting mesh -or flower. She has considerable liberty in deciding which particular -stitches will be most effective to fill in the jours, or open-work -spaces indicated in the pattern. - -One of the great evils of the past has been the absence of -training-schools, and the consequent lack of piqueuses; in each -generation there have been but a few good ones, who have, in a sense, -held the lace industry in their hands. Before the war, Ypres had two -famous piqueuses, to whom patterns were sent from an entire region; -and in the town of Turnhout to-day, with its thousands of workers, tho -there are several less experienced piqueuses, there is but one woman -to whom the finest and most complicated drawings can be entrusted for -interpretation. She is the only person, for example, who could make -the piqué for the beautiful scarf, which I saw later being executed -in the Point de Paris room—for that she received 90 francs. It is a -common saying that one must be born a piqueuse to succeed; at least it -remains true that in addition to her capacity for an intricate and most -meticulous labor, the piqueuse should possess a high sensitiveness to -art values. - -The little room in the Abbé Berraly’s school is one expression of the -Lace Committee’s conviction that the emancipation of the industry and -of the lace-maker will come only through education. - -[Illustration: ABBÉ BERRALY SCHOOL, TURNHOUT - -General view] - -[Illustration: NINE-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN MAKING POINT DE PARIS] - -In general the women of the past have sat dumbly before their cushions, -helpless to do anything but continue to execute, year after year, -the particular cardboard pattern the facteur, or lace agent, placed -before them. They had little or no conception of the rich art world -of which their flowered flounces were a part, and no feeling at all -of their power to influence that world by interpreting a design for -themselves, or by correcting or improving it, or even perhaps by -creating a new one. Not that all workers should become designers, or -even piqueuses—progress depends, as it does in other industries, on -specialization; but at least trained workers will enjoy the freedom -to choose and the feeling of independence that comes from a thorough -knowledge of their _métier_. - -In this room then was a class of specialists, six smiling, intelligent -young women between 16 and 18 equipping themselves as experts in -interpretation. The designs on which they worked, many of them revivals -of classic ones long forgotten, or beautiful recent creations of -Belgian artists, had been sent up to them from the Committee’s central -room of design in Brussels. Before the war, they would have come from -the particular lace dealer to whose agent their laces were sold. - -Opening from the little pattern room I found the office with its great -oak armoire, where the costly finished laces are stored until the day -they are taken to Brussels, to be combined into beautiful confections -for the salon or bedroom or dining-room, or for personal adornment. -Of course, some are always resold by the meter, but one of the chief -successes of the Lace Committee has been the employment of motifs and -yard laces in the production of cloths and spreads and innumerable -articles of a loveliness hitherto unknown. - -From the office and the little room where the pricked cardboard -patterns are prepared for the cushions, I went further along the hall, -and turned to the left, where at the foot of a staircase were new -wooden benches awaiting the sabots of the returning children. These -benches were new because the Germans, who, here as elsewhere, had -driven the children from their school, had burned their benches, and -not only the benches, but all visible wood—they had torn casements -from the windows and doorways, as well as removing every knob and -fixture. This was disgusting, but more or less understandable. Their -country demanded more cannon, therefore they took brass and copper; -they were cold, so they ripped off the nearest available piece of wood. -But wood and metal failed to satisfy them; upstairs at one end of the -largest room there is a pretty stage arranged for school festivals, -with a painted forest background, and side wing-drops picturing -meadow-lands. These fathers and brothers of German children slashed -and ripped the painted canvas forest and ran their bayonets through -the foreground meadows, with no spur beyond that of the pleasure in -the act; for no inch of the canvas had been taken away—I could have -replaced the whole from the rags. - -It was still only a little past one o’clock, and the children had not -yet returned. I went into the beginners’ room, where large windows -let in all the light there was on this gray day, and saw the long, -even rows of low rush-seated, high-backed chairs, with the school-room -sabots (where the children were fortunate enough to possess this second -pair) hanging from the backs. Before each chair was a round or square -work-cushion and over each cushion a white cloth carefully spread to -protect the precious thread-bearing bobbins beneath. The whole empty, -silent place seemed prepared for a ceremonial or religious rite; and -every snowy cushion a tiny altar awaiting its ministrant. - -At last they were coming back, the younger children clattering in -ahead of the older girls, to deposit their muddy street sabots on the -benches. Such a rush of yellow-haired babies for their chairs—several -of them were no more than seven years old; many were between nine -and ten. Little feet slipt into the clean sabots, white cloths were -carefully lifted and folded, sisters and teachers began their rounds of -inspection and instruction, as tiny hands took their positions over the -heaps of bobbins—one at the left, one at the right—and the cadence -of the clicking wood began. It was impossible for me to follow these -incredible little fingers as they twisted and braided from pin to -pin. I had seen scales so rapidly played that the successive motions -were only a blur, but these shiftings back and forth of the bobbins -were even more bewildering. More strangely moving than the picture of -any great orchestra where gifted fingers wrung melody from a myriad of -strings, was this of the play of hundreds of baby hands over threads -and bobbins, as the flowers blossomed beneath them. It is said that to -become a good lace-maker one must begin, as he would if he expected to -become a distinguished pianist, at latest at the age of seven or eight. - -The greater number of these little girls were making Point de Paris -edgings. They had their pricked patterns pinned near the top of the -square linen-covered cushions and were working the threads vertically -toward them. Since the pins which hold the threads in place must be -constantly moved along as the work proceeds, it is very important -that the cushion should be stuffed with something that the pins can -easily penetrate. These particular cushions were stuffed with wool, -some contain straw, and the linen covering was blue, tho it is often -the natural color. Besides guiding the tiny brass pins (which vary with -the delicacy of the lace) that hold the thread, each child must know -how to manipulate the long brass pins which separate the various groups -of bobbins not in actual use. She learns, too, to roll each finished -section of her lace in blue paper and tuck it carefully away in the -little drawer below the upper part of the cushion; the true lace-maker -prides herself on the snowy whiteness of her lace, which she protects -in every conceivable way. - -While I was moving from one to another, a sister had gathered a group -of seven to ten year olds nearer the stove—a company of Fra Angelico -angels they looked, as I bent over them to watch their little hands. -They placed brass pins in the holes pricked in the pattern to hold the -rather coarse thread, twisted first two threads to the right, then -two to the left, then braided them to form the familiar hexagon of -the Point de Paris mesh. When they reached the pattern, a most simple -conventional one, other bobbins had to be brought into play. They held -the threads always from the top of the cushion vertically toward them, -with the seam edge of the lace to the left and the border to the right. -Even these babies had from 50 to 200 bobbins to keep in mind, rather -long beech-wood bobbins, these for Point de Paris, with the thread -tightly wound at the top, and a considerable pear-shaped bulge at the -end. Each lace is supposed to require a particular bobbin, especially -suited to the weight of thread employed, but workers often use them -indifferently. Some fortunate ones pride themselves on their fine ebony -or ivory sets. Of course, bobbins must be constantly resupplied with -thread, and in a corner of the room I saw a white-haired grandmother -with her _dévidoir_, or spindle, busily winding thread on the bobbins -for the children. She made a beautiful picture there at her wheel with -a dozen little girls with their cushions crowding near her. I asked if -the beginners were able to earn something and found they were making -about 10 and 15 cents a day. - -[Illustration: POINT DE PARIS CLASS - -On dark days lamps are lighted behind bottles filled with water, the -rays passing through fall in spotlights on the cushions] - -[Illustration: WINDING BOBBINS FOR THE CHILDREN] - -In this model school, for all children under sixteen years of age the -lace work alternates with regular lessons, as it should of course, -in every school. Those above that age may give their entire day to -the lace. The hours for girls between nine and thirteen are: from -8 to 11 o’clock, lessons; from 1:30 to 4 o’clock, lessons again; -and from 4 to 6:30 o’clock, lace. This is still a sadly long day -for growing children, but it nevertheless registers a most cheering -improvement over the former cruelty of a far longer day. It has been -the Committee’s hope that such a system as this might be instituted -throughout Belgium, and that from it they might advance to still better -conditions. Children from thirteen to sixteen come at 7:30 o’clock, -make lace till 11:30, and again from 1:30 to 4:45 o’clock. From 5 -until 6:30 o’clock they have regular school lessons—one wonders how -much education can be crowded into one and a half hours at the end of -a day that began at 7:30 o’clock! The girls over sixteen years of age -make lace from 7:30 until 6:30 o’clock. One thing to remember always, -in looking at these distressing figures, is the frequent number of -holidays in Belgium; the children are saved by their numerous _fête_ -days. - -It was not easy to leave the tragic and marvelous primary room; the -fairy-like fingers and the golden heads above the cushions. But I had -to go on to room number one on the ground floor where there was another -Point de Paris class, for girls about twelve years old. In the Abbé -Berraly school the girls must pass through at least three classes in -Point de Paris before they proceed to Point de Lille, to go on from -there to the “spider-web,” or delicate and most difficult Malines. - -The first striking difference between this room and the primary, was -in the number of bobbins piled on the cushions—there were hundreds -now instead of dozens. The cushions were larger, too, and most of them -were round, for many of the pupils were working on collars and doily -and handkerchief edgings. The designs were already complicated, one -of them represented, for instance, the animal symbols of the allied -nations. This class promotes to the advanced class in Point de Paris, -where I found several cushions with over 500 bobbins heaped upon them, -and girls of fourteen and fifteen years shifting that number with a -swiftness not to be followed. - -Since the heavy rain was making seeing difficult, the teachers moved a -number of iron stands (resembling umbrella stands) to various points -in the room, placing on top of each stand, in the middle, a small -kerosene lamp, and, near the edge, a large globular carafe, filled -with water. The light from the lamp passes through the bottle to fall -with concentrated and magnifying effect directly on that spot on the -cushion where the work is in progress. The rack may be turned, the -bottle raised or lowered, and usually four girls profit by the light -from one lamp. It is a picturesque and primitive system, which many -still prefer to the more modern and expensive electricity, because it -is an advantage to have the working spot on the cushion thrown into -high relief, while at the same time the bottle light is softer and less -tiring to the eyes than electricity. These iron stands and lamps were -very practical and satisfactory, but I have often seen, in poor little -rooms, the bottle set on the table on a rough wooden block, with a rude -oil dip in a cup propped up on bits of stick or stone behind it to lift -it to just the proper height; as the work progresses, the position of -course must be altered. - -While the girls were pulling their chairs closer to the bottles I -talked with the teachers about the place of Point de Paris in the -lace world. There is no fine lace, they told me, which is so much in -demand to-day as Point de Paris, for no lace so successfully combines -durability and beauty. It is more used for dainty lingerie than any -other variety. Paris buyers seem never to be able to secure sufficient -Point de Paris, which tho it was christened by that city and was -largely produced there during the 17th century, must now be supplied -by Belgium. Its strength depends on its solid hexagonal mesh, always -the test of lace, which is made with eight cotton threads, usually of -fairly coarse quality. From this substantial mesh may blossom a pattern -of extreme grace and beauty, the closely woven flat parts or toile, -being relieved by open-work spaces, or jours, and the whole design -outlined and thus thrown into a kind of relief by a heavier thread. The -roses of the Queen design, drawn for the Brussels Committee by Mlle. -Brouhon (who has since died), is one of the loveliest of the recent -ones. I saw, the other day, a box scented with lavender and filled with -rolls upon rolls of this rose pattern lace, ready for the day when a -château can be restored, and fine linen sheets and pillow slips with -their Point de Paris edgings can once again be spread on the beds. - -Point de Lille could never be successfully used for either lingerie -or table or bed linen for it is not sufficiently durable. In room 3, -girls from fourteen to sixteen years were beginning to execute this -more difficult lace. Its clear, transparent mesh originated in the city -from which it is named, where in 1788 there were as many as 16,000 -women employed on it. Its fragility results from the fact that but four -threads (instead of the customary eight of Point de Paris and Malines, -and of the mother of them all, Valenciennes) are used in twisting -and braiding the meshes. On its light, clear mesh, the designs are -now often very elegant and free, tho the traditional Point de Lille -edging has a straight border and rather rigid pattern. They are always -outlined by a heavier thread, as are the flowers of the Point de Paris -and Malines, but unlike these other laces, the Point de Lille is -characterized by little _pois_, or peas or dots, scattered through the -mesh. It is sometimes confused with Malines because of the transparency -of its mesh, which, however, is not so delicate as that of Malines, nor -so difficult to make, nor, because of its fewer threads, so solid. - -One of the most popular and more solid varieties of Point de Lille -is better known as Point d’Hollande, because it is chiefly sold to -the well-to-do Dutch peasants for their handsome bonnets. It is wide -and often of sumptuous design, a sole branch or flower frequently -furnishing the entire wing of a bonnet. - -[Illustration: POINT DE LILLE, OR POINT D’HOLLANDE; MESH SHOWING -“ESPRITS” OR DOTS CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS BOBBIN LACE] - -[Illustration: END OF A POINT DE PARIS SCARF ABOUT 2½ YARDS LONG ON -WHICH COLETTE WORKED ONE YEAR] - -In the class-room, I went directly to a dark-haired Josephine, whose -cushion seemed to hold the largest mounds of bobbins—“Yes, there are -over a thousand,” she admitted shyly and smilingly. The directress came -to help her open the little drawer beneath her round cushion, and -to shake from the blue paper a most lovely wide scarf with a charming -flower design. “I began it last January,” she added, “and I hope to -finish it this January of 1919.” One year with a thousand bobbins, and -at best 50 cents a day for her work—which was so much more than she -could have made before the war that she had no thought of complaining! -I wondered if the woman who would throw this filmy flower-sown veil -over her shoulders would care to know about the dark-eyed Josephine and -her year with the 1,000 bobbins. - -[Illustration: IN THE ABBÉ BERRALY SCHOOL, COLETTE, 16 YEARS OLD, WORKS -WITH 1,000 BOBBINS] - -But there is much more beautiful lace than either Point de Paris or -Point de Lille taught in the Turnhout school. The girls pass from -the Lille room to Malines, known in the city of its birth as the -“spider-web of Malines.” Nothing could be more airy and exquisite than -its delicate hexagonal mesh, much more difficult to make than either of -the preceding varieties because it must be worked without the aid of -pins, with only the eye to guide in securing the requisite uniformity -and exactness. No lace demands greater skill or greater patience; since -in addition to the difficulty of working without supporting pins, is -the difficulty of handling the extremely fine thread employed. The -patterns are usually of delicate flowers and leaves, with open-work -stitches introduced to add ever greater lightness to the whole. - -The dentellières in the Malines room work chiefly on insertions and -flounces to be used for handkerchiefs or fichus or dainty blouses, or -perhaps for wedding gowns. The Committee has given them, too, many -orders for inserts for table centers or doilies, so exquisite that one -feels they should be used only under glass. - -Scarcely an important family in Belgium but treasures a bit of old -Malines. Among my rarest pleasures were those I enjoyed, when the -conversation turning upon lace, a friend has said: “But would you care -to see my mother’s Malines, or my great, great-grandmother’s?”—and -she has brought from a brocade box a filmy, ivory-colored collar or -flounce, or a scarf or bonnet, all of a breath-taking loveliness and -delicacy never to be reproduced. I remember, too, a Christmas mass -and the marvelous flounce that fell from beneath the white and gold -chasuble worn by Cardinal Mercier over the scarlet of his robe. - -It is only in Turnhout that any considerable quantity of Malines is yet -made, and despite all the efforts of the Committee and of other lovers -of beautiful lace, there is little hope that it will live much longer. -When the old artists, for so they should be named, die, few young women -are found willing still to sacrifice their years to the spider-web. - -The women of the Lace Committee believe there is no future work more -important than that of improving the 200 and more lace schools of their -country. In the lace normal school at Bruges, in the national school -of design at Brussels, the excellent Needle Point school at Zele, and -in such schools as this one at Turnhout, they see the hope of the lace -art; they urge that the Government increase its subsidies to these and -other deserving institutions. Education and ever better education of -the lace-woman is their watchword. - - - - -II - -COURTRAI - -_Early Home of Valenciennes_ - - -For years I had heard of the blue flax fields of the valley of the Lys, -and of the season between April and September, when along miles of its -course, the river is filled with boxes floating the finest linen fiber -of the world, the flax of Belgium, North France and Holland, which can -be better prepared in its waters than anywhere else. - -Unfortunately I could see it only under a January rain, but Monsieur de -Stoop, a prominent weaver of Courtrai, the town of 36,000 inhabitants -which is the valley center, made the Flanders fields bloom again as he -described to me the successive steps which lead from them to the woven -linen his factory produces—I should say, produced, for the Germans -left his plant, along with seven others, an utter ruin. He was unable -to explain and apparently no analysis has yet determined, just why the -waters of the Lys river surpass all others in their power to rot the -encasing straw and generally to cleanse the flax; but one thing is -clear, they have established Courtrai as a world market for fine raw -linen. Sometimes the stalks need be floated only two or three days, -sometimes it requires very much longer to macerate them, the period -depending chiefly on the weather, and particularly on the temperature. - -[Illustration: BELGIAN LACE MESHES (Plate I) - -After Pierre Verhagen in “La Dentelle Belge” - -All meshes made with bobbins: 1 and 4, Valenciennes, round mesh; 2, -Valenciennes, square mesh; 3, Valenciennes, mesh almost round; 5, -Chantilly; 6, Old Flanders; 7, Point de Paris] - -[Illustration: BELGIAN LACE MESHES (Plate II) - -After Pierre Verhagen in “La Dentelle Belge” - -Meshes, 8 to 12, made with bobbins: 8, Binche; 9, Malines; 10, Point de -Lille, made for France; 11, Point de Lille, destined for Holland; 12, -Gauze Point, made with needle, used in Point d’Angleterre; 13, Brussels -machine-made net; 14, Ordinary machine-made net.] - -After its soaking and cleansing, the linen fiber starts again on its -journey, this time to the various countries where it is to be made into -thread and woven into tissues. Much goes to England and to Ireland, -to such firms as Beth and Cox. From there it returns to Belgium in -the form of linen thread for fine laces, quite a different variety, -of course, from that employed in sewing. Lace thread, both cotton and -linen, may be used for sewing, but never sewing-thread for good lace. -An outsider can scarcely estimate the importance of the quality of the -thread to the lace-maker. Of two skeins bearing the same number, one -may be supple and easily led, while the other is brittle and wayward. -We hear many stories of how women used to spend their lives in damp -cellars, in order to keep their thread moist and soft. I have been told -several times, for instance, that a certain piece of lace had been made -below ground, because only there was its marvelous technique possible. -Whatever the degree of truth or legend in these assertions, it is known -that the rarest laces require certain atmospheric conditions, and are, -above all, dependent on a superior fineness and pliability of the -thread. - -The English and Irish spinneries lead the world; they produce -most of its lace thread. One of them; the Coates firm of Paisley, -has established in Belgium branches in which Belgian capital is -interested,—at Gent are the _filteries_, which prepare thread for -weaving, and at Alost and Ninove are the _filatures_ or spinneries -which turn out the finished sewing and embroidery thread. The cottons -and linens of these mills are too coarse for the delicate laces; -however, during a single war year, the Brussels Committee was happy to -be able to buy from Alost as much as 600,000 francs worth of thread. -By some miracle, the Ghent filteries escaped the practically universal -ruin visited on mills and factories, and should be operating before -peace is signed, but for the spinneries of Alost and Ninove, the future -is still dark. - -During two years the enemy, feeling they might one day run the mills -where they stood, left them intact, tho they requisitioned their -stocks of thread. Then as they saw they might not perhaps be able to -continue their beneficent occupation of Belgium, even if they won the -war, they began to remove the mill machinery to Germany. They were -especially ruthless when the mills were known to be of English or -French ownership. They stole the secrets of the factories and finally -they deported the workmen. These men are scattered everywhere. Even if -the machines of the factories were not completely destroyed it would be -impossible under a considerable time to reassemble the skilled workmen -essential to the spinning industry. The Germans will undoubtedly try -to capture the trade, and to market their goods, if they must, through -such neutral countries as Denmark and Switzerland. - -When I arrived at Courtrai, Monsieur and his family were just moving -back into the house from which they had been ejected. They apologized -for the room they so hospitably offered me, in which the original bed -had been replaced by an iron one they recognized as having belonged to -an English family of Courtrai. The brass trimmings were gone, and the -mattress had of course been removed, but Madame had been able to find -one stuffed with sea-moss for me. The curtains were slashed, blocks of -wood nailed to the once handsome walls, there were no lights, no metal -knobs or fixtures of any kind, no service wires left. Below, the cellar -had been almost filled with concrete to provide the conqueror a safe -refuge during danger periods. It requires a special kind of courage to -take up life again in a place like this, but these good people said: -“We can not complain, we are so much better off than others, and at -least we have saved our health; with that we can be sure of being able -to build again what they have destroyed.” - -From there I went to Baron de Bethune, a connoisseur of laces, who -had before the war opened a lace museum in Courtrai, chiefly for -Valenciennes. I found him ill in a little house in the town; he had -long before been driven from his château in the suburbs. His sister, -who had with great difficulty made her way from Louvain, received me -with apologies in the midst of a heterogeny of boxes and packages, the -few personal possessions they had gathered together in the hope of -some day having a home again. I was not to see the old Valenciennes -and other specimens of the famous lace days of Courtrai; fortunately -for his museum, Monsieur had succeeded in getting them to Brussels -where they were still, to my personal regret, hidden away. However, I -was not surprized, for I had been unable before starting for Flanders -to see the celebrated collection of the Cinquantenaire Museum at -Brussels, for that, too, had been successfully secreted. Museums are -slow in rehanging their treasures. Even tho the presence of the three -neutral Ministers, the Spanish, American and Dutch, in the capital, was -supposed to be a guaranty of protection to the national collections, -and undoubtedly it was only their presence that prevented in Belgium -what happened to the Museums of Northern France, the Belgians with -unwearying ingenuity concealed what they could. Whenever I hear of -hidden laces, I am reminded of a morning at Malines and a sad little -basket containing a fine collection of old Malines lace, I saw exhumed. -It had been buried deep in a box, along with the family silver, and as -the daughter of the mother who had worn it took its once lovely flowers -and webs, now gray and earth-stained, between her fingers, they -powdered to dust. - -Monsieur suggested that I see Mlle. Mullie, a leading dealer of -Courtrai, who still handles a large output of Valenciennes; tho -Courtrai, which was once a brilliant production center, is no longer -of great importance. After the French Revolution, which killed -Valenciennes-making in its original home, it migrated to other parts of -Northern France, and to the two Flanders; to Ypres, where it enjoyed an -especially happy development, to Bruges, Ghent, Dixmude, Furnes, Menin, -Nieuport, Poperinghe and elsewhere. For a long time Ghent led all -these, with over 5,000 workers listed in 1756. But starvation wages and -successful imitations have told against this, as against other laces. -Nevertheless, in the census of 1896, Bruges was still credited with -2,000 Valenciennes workers, and Poperinghe with 500, while there were -scattered groups of considerable importance in a great number of the -villages of Western, and some of Eastern Flanders. - -Courtrai and the nearby villages where the lace is actually made, -still stand, tho many buildings have been destroyed, but while her -people were not forced to become refugees, lace-making was seriously -interrupted; workers were evicted from their homes and their schools. -And they suffered further because there was scarcely any thread left, -the dealers often asking as much as 20 cents for ¾ of a yard of lace -thread, about the previous value of the same length in finished lace. -Under these conditions it was especially easy to see the importance -of the efforts of the Brussels Lace Committee, which furnished thread -at the normal price, and gave more for the lace than was ever offered -before the war. - -[Illustration: BOBBIN LACES - - First column: Malines, Malines, Point de Paris, Point de Paris, - Valenciennes (square mesh) - - Middle column: Point de Paris - - Third column: First three, Valenciennes; fourth, Point de Paris] - -[Illustration: CUSHION COVER REPRESENTING BELGIUM’S GRATITUDE TO -AMERICA FOR BREAD - -Point de Paris lace combined with linen. The lower right-hand -centerpiece shows the rose design, emblem of Queen Elizabeth] - -Unfortunately the German facteurs (agents for lace dealers) worked -cleverly here, too, as in other districts. They had always plenty of -requisitioned thread to offer, and succeeded in buying considerable -lace, for which they offered high and varying prices. - -The younger women of the Courtrai region have been rapidly giving up -Valenciennes to make Cluny, which pays better. A Valenciennes beginner, -for example, must work a year as an apprentice, during which time she -is able to earn scarcely more than five cents a day. The wages of the -good workers have advanced, but unless they can be increased even more, -there are few who will continue to make this difficult lace. - -After 60 years’ experience in lace, and latterly she has employed 1,000 -women, Mlle. Mullie says that one is fortunate, among 5,000 workers, -to find five who can execute a sample from a drawing not already -interpreted or pricked for the worker. Before the war there were two -good piqueuses in Ypres to whom Courtrai sent her difficult patterns, -but only one of these still lives. - -In peace-time the greater part of this Courtrai lace goes to Paris -(some is sent to New York), which is all one needs to say in tribute -to its pattern and its quality. Paris knows lace better than any other -city in the world; she accepts only the best. We were talking of the 60 -per cent. duty the United States Government levies on imported laces, -and the harm it works to the Belgian industry. “That is our greatest -discouragement, but there are other Government stupidities,” Mlle. -Mullie smiled. “France, for instance, charges 10½ francs on a kilo -of Valenciennes, and the same amount on an equal weight of Cluny; the -Valenciennes may be worth several thousand, and the Cluny three or four -francs!” - -The true old Valenciennes mesh, called “Rond,” is still made at -Courtrai, as well as at Bruges; the modern Valenciennes commonly has -a square mesh, which is preferred by many connoisseurs, since it is -more transparent and sets the flowers off more strikingly. “Whether or -not you prefer it to the square, you must see the traditional round -Valenciennes mesh,” Mlle. Mullie said, and we started off in the rain -for a group of tiny brick houses, the Gottshuisen (God’s houses) which -the city furnishes free to certain old people. - -Before we reached the first, I saw two white heads near a window, -bending over cushions; and once inside, on those cushions, lengths of -snowy Valenciennes of the old round mesh, of an admirable regularity -and loveliness. These two women were both over 70 years old, and they -sat before their bobbins, twisting and braiding the eight threads of -the mesh as they had twisted and braided them for over a half century, -and still cheerfully hoping that they might some day win more than 15 -or 20 cents a day for their work. “Now we must have more,” they said -gently, “because thread and oil are so much more expensive than they -were before the war.” - -In the next house, the old woman whose sister was ill could afford no -light at all; when dusk fell she had to leave her bobbin mounds and her -mesh and flowers and go to bed—what else could she do without coal or -oil? - -It was the last day of 1918, and I decided that Mrs. Bayard Henry of -Philadelphia, who had sent me a little money to use as I chose, would -be happy to give to these sweet, faithful women and their thirteen -neighbors, candles and oil as hope symbols for the New Year. I left her -gift with Mlle. Mullie. - -It was already very late, and I had not time to go to Wevelghem and -Gulleghem, two of the most important lace-villages contributing to -Courtrai. Mlle. Mullie was facing the future with courage. “I am sure,” -she said, “that Peat, from whom I have bought thread for forty years, -will not forget me, and that I may be able to count on a shipment -from England at a just price as soon as anything can come through. -That I have been cut off during four years will make no difference. -I shall write, too, to a friend in France, and from Puy I may have a -few skeins. The question of pins and bobbins is serious—they seem to -have disappeared, and one can not start a worker on less than a dozen -bobbins. Those I have thus far succeeded in finding cost 95 centimes -the dozen, as against the 28 centimes of pre-war times. There seem -literally to be no pins. However, despite everything, I, at least, hope -to see my thousand women at some not too distant time again busy over -their cushions. A few have already sought me out to let me know they -are ready, waiting only for the precious thread. I regret infinitely -the passing of the fine ‘Val,’ but we shall continue to produce as -much as we can, and at any rate we shall try unceasingly to raise the -standard of the Clunys and Torchons.” - - - - -III - -THOUROUT-THIELT-WYNGHENE - -_In the Important Bobbin Lace Area_ - - -On a spring-like Saturday in early January, I left Bruges by the -Thourout road for Thielt. As I turned beyond the Porte, I found myself -speeding toward the great arms of one of those Dutch windmills that -so frequently, in the lowlands, close the long vista. The farther I -rode into the Thourout region, the more it seemed the loveliest bit -of Western Flanders I had yet seen. The gentle outlines of the low -red brick farmhouses followed with satisfying harmony the landscape -contours. Farm succeeded farm in swift succession, small farms, where -every square foot of soil was green with sprouting grain or vegetables, -and in the morning sunlight the thickly sown cottages shone like jewels -on the plain. - -Pink and white geraniums blossomed behind many of the quaint windows, -and I knew that near them grandmothers, or mothers, or daughters (or -possibly all three together) were sitting before their cushions, and -from pin to pin were twisting and braiding Cluny and Duchesse, the -characteristic laces of this section. This was an excellent day for -lace-making with its sunshine of summer. - -To the south and east of the badly shelled town of Thourout, I visited -the districts of Iseghem, Thielt and Wynghene, all celebrated for their -guipures. Guipure, a rather vague commercial term covering two widely -different groups of lace, may be loosely defined as bobbin lace without -a mesh base. One group of guipures includes the Clunys (named after -the Cluny museum in Paris because they employ many old Gothic designs) -which are made in one length or piece. They closely resemble the more -common Torchons, surpassing them, however, in fineness and firmness of -execution, and in brilliancy of design—the distinguishing connecting -bars of Cluny often throw the figures into conspicuous relief. While -this one-piece lace is usually made of the coarser threads, fine linen -or cotton, or even silk thread, is also employed. In the second group -of guipures are those made in separate small bits, or details, which -are afterward joined to make the flounce or piece, the most common of -these varieties being Flanders and Duchesse. In the schools of Thielt -and Wynghene all the kinds are taught. Because they are made of coarser -thread and therefore more quickly than such laces as Valenciennes or -Needle Point, are less taxing to the eyes, and pay better, these -guipures have gained ground in almost every lace center in Belgium, and -often threaten the very existence of the finer laces. If it had not -been for the leadership of the “Amies de la Dentelle,” of a few of the -more intelligent and disinterested dealers, and above all of certain -convents to whom Belgium owes the preservation of many of her finest -designs and varieties, it is a question if any but the few remaining -old women, who for forty or fifty years have preferred to follow one -pattern, would still produce the old meshes and points. Much hope now -centers in the corrective influence of the recently founded Normal -School at Bruges and of the other schools of Belgium, but, despite all -the efforts of these combined groups, delicate laces like the Malines -have been fast disappearing. - -The little farmhouse, if one can call two rooms a house, I visited -on the edge of Thielt demonstrated clearly what is happening. It -was Saturday afternoon and the mother of the large family of boys at -play on the neat brick path outside, was scrubbing the tiled floor, -moving the small baskets of potatoes and heaps of tobacco leaves and -sabots and the winter sled from place to place as she proceeded. The -socks to be darned, each already a fantastic patchwork, were piled -on the window-sill, where there was room beside for a geranium and a -fern. The stove and the table were also crowded into this, the general -living-room, which despite all attempts to arrange things, boasted -scarcely one unincumbered foot of floor space. However, over near the -window with its two plants, were the customary chair and the cushion, -and the girl of sixteen, absorbed in her lace, quite oblivious of the -water her mother was splashing about her feet. - -The adjoining room was similarly crowded; it had to serve as bedroom -for this large family. There was the mantel-piece with the familiar -row of bright plates and vases,—the place where the family’s art -sense finds concentrated expression. Fortunately, this room, too, had -a window with other plants, and before it sat the grandmother in her -black cap and shawl, who, as I entered, was just slipping her battered -eye-glasses into the little side drawer beneath her cushion. She -smiled a friendly greeting, and uncovered her lace, a filmy flounce of -Valenciennes about four inches wide, firm and regular, and of a good -old design. She had been making Valenciennes all her life; she would -make it to the end. She was delighted to show me how she twisted four -threads to form one side of the hexagon of the mesh, and four to form -the opposite, and the union points where the eight met. Then she held -up a length of her lace and told us that a facteur (neighborhood buyer -for a large business house) had been there just before we arrived, -to try to buy her flounce at nine francs the _aune_, which would be -roughly, about $2.50 a meter. The committee has been giving her 19 fr. -50 c. ($3.90) for the same amount, and she asked anxiously, tho still -smilingly, if she might not continue to hope for the committee price, -even tho the war had stopt. It is pathetic, day after day, to hear that -question repeated, and not yet to be certain of the answer. However, -one can always reply truthfully, that the women of the “Friends of the -Lace” will work unceasingly not only to hold wages where they are, but -to advance them. - -I turned from this delicate lace to the granddaughter’s cushion—she -was making guipure de Cluny, of coarse linen thread. Marie’s pattern -happened to be a good one and she was working swiftly and evenly, sure -of a fair day’s wage. - -Here, then, was a suggestive contrast, and however one may regret it, -it exists in the large majority of lace-making households in Belgium, -and is only to be expected. It is but the deserved penalty of a past -and present economic blindness or callousness. Where they are not -making Cluny, the younger women of this district give their time to -ordinary varieties of guipure which they call Bruges and Milan, or -Point de Bruges, and Point de Milan. - -[Illustration: BOBBIN LACES - -(1) Torchon (2) Cluny (3) Old Flemish (4) Binche] - -[Illustration: TABLE CLOTH SHOWING ARMS OF THE ALLIES - -Cut linen with squares of Venise surrounded by filet and cluny. Venise -made with the needle, cluny with bobbins] - -While I had been watching the Valenciennes and Cluny, the mother of -the household, who had the mop of fuzzy dark red hair often seen in -this region, had hurried her scrubbing to an end, and wiping her hands -on her blue apron, was ready to uncover her own cushion. I looked -at the chapped, rough skin and the hands used to pulling weeds and -digging potatoes and scrubbing, and realized that they could not -possibly hold a piece of fine sewing—the thread would catch with -every stitch—and yet that she could turn from her scrubbing-brush to -the little wooden bobbins (her fingers need not touch the thread) and -proceed without difficulty on a snowy bit of Valenciennes—for happily -she was following her mother in Valenciennes. - -There are three schools in Thielt, of which the convent schools de la -Charité and de l’Espérance are the more important. I went first to the -Convent de la Charité, with Mlle. van der Graeht, who has throughout -the war been devoted to the workers and the lace. Tho Thielt lay in the -danger zone, she refused to choose a safer city, remaining to share the -work of her father, who added to his arduous duties as administrator -of the _arrondisement_, those of the representative of the Brussels -Lace Committee. Two weeks before the end, however, the Germans drove -these patriots from their house (three bombs from Allied aeroplanes -had already fallen on it) and they were denied the experience they had -been waiting for throughout all the years, that of seeing the Allied -soldiers march into Thielt. One of the Germans was frank enough to -tell them that they were being forced away chiefly to prevent their -“assisting” at that deliverance. - -Immediately after the armistice they returned, and installed themselves -comfortably once more on the first floor of their almost roofless -house. When I arrived they had not yet come in from their first -inspection trip of the communes just behind the lines, and I was -welcomed by pretty, brown-haired Flavia and her six-year-old Albert. -Flavia’s husband had been killed at the front during the first months -of the war, and she had served in this household throughout all its -terrible duration. As I looked from the windows of the drawing-room, -still intact, across the rear garden, to the mass of wreckage that was -once the neighboring house, I understood the feeling of the impotence -of all effort produced by the casualness of these bombs, that spare -here to strike there, and why in the war one inevitably becomes a -fatalist. And as I looked across the garden, Flavia told me something -of her experience with the thirteen Germans who took over the house -when they drove her master out and of how whenever the shelling was -severe they ran to the cellars, and several times tried to persuade her -to go with them but she always refused. “I preferred,” she said, “to -die alone with my little boy in the open, to risking being killed with -them in the cellar.” On Sunday, October 13, between 11 and 2 o’clock, -sixty shells fell on Thielt, and all day Monday and the following days -they continued to fall, until on Saturday the 19th, the French marched -into the town. To add to the horror of this period, people were dying -in large numbers of influenza. Flavia told me of the street-sweeper who -died at the corner with her broom in her hand. By some miracle she and -her little boy escaped both shell and pestilence, and when Monsieur -and his daughter returned they found her scrubbing and restoring as -best she could after the flight of the enemy. This was one of the -centers where during the four terror-years a bright beacon burned for -all the surrounding territory, for it was here that the people of the -villages and the convents could bring their laces for the committee, -knowing they would be accepted and paid for. In 1916, the Baron van -der Graeht was encouraging the work in no less than seventeen communes -and of as many as 3,500 lace-workers. Flavia smiled as she remembered -something—“What good luck, there will be a sister coming this very -day about 2 o’clock, with her laces.” As she said this, the door -opened—father and daughter were back from their pony-cart expedition -to the front-lines. - -Monsieur was still visibly moved by what he had seen, even after his -own four years’ experience. “Madame,” he said, “I can not describe my -emotion on going about in those little shattered villages just behind -the lines, where the women have insisted on remaining, and where day -by day, and year after year, they have sat calmly before their cushions -making lace, while the shells burst before and behind them. After such -a victory as theirs, the lace industry of Belgium must live.” - -Mademoiselle gave me the list of the badly destroyed villages, and -then the names of those which had suffered less and that, with Thielt, -produced the most lace. Among them were Pittham and Ardois (which -specializes in old Bruges); Ruysselede (with an excellent school for -Valenciennes), Aerseele, and Maria Loop. Thielt, itself, had at the -beginning of 1919 about 300 workers, of whom a hundred were in the -school of the convent de l’Espérance, and about 60 in the Convent -de la Charité. There had been times of great discouragement; in one -particularly dark hour in 1917 many of the workers had turned back to -the old facteurs, or village agents, for help, and unfortunately some -of these sold to the Germans, who were constantly trying to win them by -offering large sums for their laces. Since he was under no obligation -to turn over a fixt wage to the workers, the facteur might reap any -profit he could secure. - -We abandoned this unpleasant subject to talk of the schools, the hope -of the future, and after lunch I went with Mlle. to visit one of these, -the Convent de la Charité, on the edge of the town, with its 60 girls, -who have supplied the committee with much old Flanders and Cluny. Even -tho this was a Saturday afternoon in winter, 45 of the 60 chairs were -occupied by girls between 12 and 16. One rarely finds a girl over 18 -in the schools; once she has learned her trade, she prefers to work at -home with the mother and grandmother. - -Unfortunately in this, which is considered a “good” school for -Flanders, I found the longest hours I had yet met, that is, summer -hours. In winter, because of the poor light, they are shorter. It seems -unbelievable, but the sisters told me that in summer the children come -at 5:30 o’clock and work until 8 at night—with only three half-hours -for recreation—one at 8:30 o’clock, one at 12, and one at 4. A day of -13 hours for growing children, and girls who are maturing! It is such -cruel conditions as these that the Committee have done their best to -ameliorate. In this case, tho the hours are still criminal, the wages -have been improved. - -However, “improved wages” leave much still to be fought for. I talked -with a girl of twelve in the front row, an apprentice, and found that -she earns between 40 and 50 centimes a day, or about 10 cents for her -13 hours’ labor, which tho it is almost double what she could have -earned before the war, is nevertheless only 10 cents per day. The -Committee was able to add the war-time subsidy of 20 per cent. to this. -Naturally, the learner can not yet make what is called good lace, and -unfortunately her parents are often only too content to have her bring -home 10 cents a day. The older, more experienced girls, were earning -from one to two francs a day, or from 20 to 40 cents, that is, on a -summer’s day or full day. - -Monsieur told me later that in his region if the wage of the good -worker can be raised to 50 cents per day, she will be able to live, and -will be content to remain at home before her lace cushion rather than -to go to the shoe and cotton factories of Thielt. - -The advanced pupils were eager to uncover their treasure. Nearly all of -them had protected their round cushions with a circular piece of thick -blue glazed paper, with a hole in the middle. Through the hole they -worked with their rather heavy cherry wood bobbins, on the meshless -guipures of Cluny and Bruges and Flanders, which this school prefers. -Several were finishing the collar and cuff sets of rather coarse -but pretty Bruges with its characteristic rose and trefoil, seen so -commonly in shop windows, and which are especially effective when worn -with cotton or linen frocks. The Guipure de Flandres pupils were making -square insets for table and tray-cloths of simple, geometric designs. -Two girls were at work on what they called Guipure de Milan, of a wide -spreading branch and flower pattern. - -However, the most interesting lace was not the guipure but the Point -de Flandres or Old Flanders, with its elaborate mesh base, just now -experiencing an interesting and encouraging revival, in which the -zealous Baron van der Graeht felt Thielt should assist. A half-dozen -older girls were executing doily and table center rounds in this lace, -after the Committee’s very popular Swan pattern. They were using a -fairly coarse linen thread, and working the rich, solid mesh with eight -bobbins. “Whoever would make the Old Flanders mesh must be willing -to play a game of patience,” Madame had once said to me. The dull, -plain woven parts of the pattern are brilliantly outlined by a still -coarser thread, and in the “jours” or open-work spaces are the much -loved snow-balls characteristic of Binche lace. Because of its combined -strength and beauty, there could hardly be a more successful lace for -general use than this Old Flanders, sometimes called Antik. - -While it was once the most generally made and most celebrated of -Flemish bobbin laces (it was known in every part of Flanders in 1500), -it had been almost forgotten for generations, but even tho it has been -little remembered for some time, Old Flanders may be said never to have -died. In certain regions, that of Antwerp for instance, it is found -continuously on the garments of priests. It is the lace that remained -always at the base and from which the other bobbin laces, from time to -time, sprang. It is to be hoped that the Committee’s laudable effort to -revive it will bear increasing rewards. - -Tho they could understand no French, and I knew only a few words -of Flemish, these little and big girls found much amusement in my -visit, and in my inability to follow their swift fingers. These were -fingers accustomed, too, to weed the fields and to dig potatoes, for -there is practically no lace made here during the weeks of August and -September when the potato-crop is gathered. The Sisters of Charity, -teachers in this school, were poor themselves, as their surroundings -testified. They had no fine carved oak armoire for their laces, but -brought from some safe place a tin box, like an ordinary bread-box, in -which were the dainty white packets ready to be sent to the Committee -at Brussels. As they were exhibiting piece after lovely piece, they -unfolded the swan pattern doily rounds of Old Flanders, and after a -moment’s hesitation, Sister A. ventured, “There is one thing you might -do for us, Madame; when you return to Brussels, could you not tell the -Committee that while the small swan doily rounds are sufficiently paid, -this large centerpiece round is not? It is our fault in estimating; we -did not realize how long it would take to make it.” I could not resist -teasing them a little and replied that I should be delighted to carry -the message were it not for the fact that it was precisely this set of -swan doilies (as it was) that the Committee had given me for Christmas. -“Should you like me to tell them,” I asked, “that they had not paid -enough for my present?” They were covered with confusion, as I expected -they would be, and then how they laughed, those frail little sisters. -“_Mais_, Madame, that would indeed be difficult; we will write; we had -forgotten. _Non_, Madame, you certainly could not tell them that! But -we can write letters now whenever we wish—can we not? One loses the -habit in four years.” And then they laughed again all together. - -It was already late when I reached Wynghene. The shell-pitted roads of -western Flanders had made all my traveling difficult and I could not -see Mlle. Slock, one of the rare lace dealers who has looked beyond -her immediate purse and has taken time to revive old models and invent -new ones, seeking in every way to raise the standard of the present -production in all her region, which is chiefly devoted to Cluny. I had -not time to stop in the village, but hurried on beyond it to a cheerful -red brick manor house set in a forest, the home of the Burgomaster of -Wynghene, whose wife has been the untiringly devoted representative of -the Committee for this section. - -As we sat at tea together, near the conservatory windows, where we -could look through the naked garden trees across a meadow to the -forest beyond, the Burgomaster told me of the morning when they stood -at these windows, after the shells had been falling for days all about -them, waiting and watching, scarcely daring to breathe, and of how as -they watched, he saw through the trees of the forest what looked like a -brown shadow, but the brown shadow moved, and then running across the -meadow, where he had always believed they must break through, came the -Belgian soldiers, the soldiers of deliverance. “I know our hearts stopt -beating; we stood choking, incapable of motion, as we watched them -come—still unable to believe after four years of waiting.” - -We were silent for a few minutes, then we began to talk of the lace. -As his wife turned to get the list of her villages, I asked if the -Germans had attempted to get her workers away from her. “They had their -agents here, as everywhere,” she answered, “and I regret to admit that -one of their most successful ones was a Belgian woman, who had been a -facteur, or lace gatherer for larger houses, before the war. When the -Germans offered her large prices, she consented to serve them. If she -had been sacrificing herself for what she believed to be the good of -the workers, we might have forgiven her, but it was obvious that she -was not—she is pretty and likes pretty clothes—_Voilà tout!_ Along -with several other disloyal citizens, she was imprisoned the other day, -but unfortunately after only twenty-four hours, succeeded in freeing -herself. However, the people will never forget that she trafficked with -the enemy.” - -I had known of the German lace organization first through seeing the -huge sign, “_Allgemeine Spitzen Centrale_” (Central lace depot), just -across from our C. R. B. offices. And as soon as I got in touch with -the loyal work of the women of the Belgian Lace Committee, I was -daily hearing of this or that attempt of their oppressors to capture -the designs and the output of the country. They might succeed with -the simpler, more helpless workers, who because of their great misery -may be forgiven for selling to them—and with the deserters and -activists—but they were daily defeated by the Committee patriots. -I was thoroughly interested to hear, now, from one of the patriots, -that the idea of the German “Lace Control” possibly had its birth in -Wynghene. In February, 1915, a certain Freiherr Von Rippenhausen was -stationed at Wynghene. He had with him his young American wife—they -had been married but a short time, and the people of the village were -kind enough to say they believed she was not German by conviction! -However that may be, the Von Rippenhausens requisitioned lodgings in -the house of one of the lace buyers of Wynghene, and in this house -they naturally discovered much regarding the lace situation, the lack -of thread, and the distress of the workers, and of the Belgian system -by which the facteur furnishes the thread to the worker and buys -the finished products, which he in turn sells to a big lace house, -reaping what profit he can as intermediary. Frau von Rippenhausen, -in particular, informed herself thoroughly, and together she and -her husband, it is said, organized the German “Lace Control,” with -headquarters at Brussels. - -Since the Germans had requisitioned all the thread they could lay -their hands on, of which there were enormous stocks in Belgium, it was -not difficult for them to offer it to the workers. They sent German -soldier facteurs into every corner of the country to offer large prices -to native facteurs or to individual workers. On receiving a piece of -lace, they supplied an equal weight of thread to the workers, thus -establishing a continuing chain of material and product. And they -claimed to be selling their lace in America! They were clever enough to -profit, in 1917, by the Committee’s apparent inability to go on at that -moment, exercising every pressure they could, and naturally they gained -ground. No one can say yet how much lace they were able to buy, but the -amount of inferior lace was considerable. - -Madame Van der Bruggen’s records show that before 1917 there were in -Wynghene, contributing to the Committee, 400 workers on Cluny and -Duchesse, about 200 on Cluny and Valenciennes in Beernem, 200 on -Valenciennes in Oedelem, and 350 in Oostcamp, all grateful to have the -Committee’s fixt minimum of three francs’ work a week insured to them. -Some of these villages, Beernem and Oostcamp for instance, are usually -included in the Bruges district. - -She praised the Committee’s method of raising the wage by standardizing -the values of certain designs as executed by an average worker; the -poorer workers then gained less, the superior ones, more. “I thought -I realized,” she said, “how cruelly underpaid our women were, but it -was not until I saw their joy when the Committee promised them that at -least they should always have a minimum of ten centimes an hour for -their work, that I really understood. Ten centimes (two cents), just a -postage stamp, for a whole hour’s straining effort; and they were happy -because that was so much more than they had been sure of winning before -the war!” - - - - -IV - -GRAMMONT - -_Belgian Home of Chantilly_ - - -The Committee was discouraging about Grammont. When I told Madame de -Beughem of my plan to go there to see Chantilly lace in the making, -she answered, “But that will be a futile journey; the women have had -practically no black or white silk thread since the war, and the few -who were still working in 1914 will have stopt; that one-time important -branch of the industry has almost ceased to exist.” I decided, however, -to visit the tomb of Chantilly, the lace so closely identified with -Grammont that in Belgium it takes its name from that city, rather than -from its original French home. - -And Grammont itself, a town of 13,000 inhabitants, was well worth the -journey, situated as it is in a lovely region of rolling hills, and -deriving its name from the steep slope (Grand Mont) to which part of -the city clings. The surrounding undulating country is dotted with -quaint, clustered villages, some with thatched, some with tiled roofs, -and only twenty miles away is the charming town of Audenarde—poor -Audenarde, so cruelly wounded by the war! - -I reached Grammont about noon, having lost an hour on the way through -the difficulty of passing camions and artillery and marching companies -of Canadian soldiers. Between Ninove and Grammont, too, were many -squads of German prisoners at work on the ruined road. They were -guarded by the French, but it was a rather lenient surveillance, at any -rate the sullen groups in their trailing gray capes appeared to be -casually tapping the mud with their spades instead of being genuinely -at work. - -[Illustration: A “MARIE ANTOINETTE” IN CHANTILLY LACE, MADE WITH -BOBBINS, NEAR GRAMMONT] - -[Illustration: CUSHION COVER - -Center Venise, borders Valenciennes, lace executed by 12 workers in one -month, embroidery and mounting by four women in two months, design by -M. de Rudder] - -[Illustration: TEA CLOTH - -Point de Paris, cock design] - -My Belgian chauffeur, whose health is broken after three years of -forced labor in Germany, would have been delighted to run them down, -and at one point did succeed in splashing a group with mud, as he -called “Boches” and something I did not catch. I began to understand -the ruling that released Belgian prisoners shall not be placed over -Germans still held here. - -After lunch I started with Madame Cuseners to the little lace school -whose director has courageously carried on during the four years. We -walked through a narrow arched passageway beside a brick building -and into a large hall at the rear which was at one time the lace -class-room. Instead of lace-workers, however, we found Scotch and -Canadian soldiers busy tacking the Union Jack and Belgian flags on -the wall, and hanging boughs and festoons of colored paper rings—they -were making ready for a “grand” New Year’s Eve dancing party. In -the courtyard still farther back a half-dozen Scotchmen had built a -campfire, protecting it with a low canvas roof, and it was burning -brightly despite the dismal rain. - -It shone on the windows of the long, narrow room at the side of the -court, which looked like a conservatory, but which had become the -refuge of the lace-workers, when because of lack of thread and fuel, -they could no longer occupy their hall. I found fifty sweet-faced girls -between thirteen and fifteen busy over their cushions, a faithful, -tired-looking old Abbé and an enthusiastic young woman teacher. They -were not making black nor the less important white silk Chantilly, for -they had long been entirely without silk thread. Nevertheless, they -were preserving the art of making it, since they had been kept at work -on Chantilly designs executed with bobbins and the white cotton thread -furnished by the Committee. They had some fine flounces, which were -not, however, to be compared with the traditional black silk ones of -the great Chantilly days. - -For Chantilly has seen great days. It appeared first in France -about 1740, where it achieved a phenomenal popularity, which was -unfortunately rudely ended by the Revolution, for since it was a -favorite lace at court, the Revolutionists made it a crime to appear -in Chantilly. Later, under the Empire, it enjoyed a revival, the -fabrication of the silk laces spread in France; Bayeux became a -celebrated center; and, finally, toward 1835, it crossed to Belgium, -where Grammont was early recognized as its home. In 1851 all of the -forty-nine schools of that province taught the technique of this -lace. Then toward 1870 true Chantilly seemed doomed a second time -to extinction by the success of the machine imitations of St. Pierre -des Calais, and also because the vogue for black lace had passed. But -again the pendulum has swung back; the imitations are now greatly in -favor and there is a cheering increase in the demand for the true lace -flounces. - -The Abbé brought out from dusty drawers the school’s stock of designs, -elegant groupings of bouquets and foliage, with occasional striking -geometrical details introduced, all joined by a fine hexagonal mesh, -which resembled at first that of Malines, and later, more closely, the -Point d’ Alençon mesh. The fact that this lace is often used for scarfs -and gowns, and that the customary flounce is of generous width, has -encouraged the development of elaborate patterns. Some of the sketches -were divided by heavy pencil lines into the separate narrow strips -on which the lace-maker actually works. To achieve the wide flounce, -these strips are attached one to another by special workers who employ -a joining stitch that defies detection. The individual pattern strips -include both mesh and flowers and follow irregular lines, curving, it -may be, to include a full-petaled rose. When one examines the fineness -of the clear hexagonal mesh that forms the base of Chantilly, it seems -all the more remarkable that the division lines are not visible. This -Chantilly mesh has differed during various periods and besides there -are always almost as many varieties as there are workers, for one -weaves more closely or more firmly than another. I came soon to realize -how great a difference in effect results from a practically invisible -variation in the thickness of the thread, or in the manner of twisting -or looping it or in the placing of the pins. One of the distinguishing -characteristics of Chantilly is the relief produced by a heavier thread -that outlines the pattern and forms the twigs and veins of the leaves. -In securing a brilliant relief, the French have always succeeded better -than the Belgians. - -These Grammont pupils were also making Blonde, a favorite lace with -the Spanish people, and introduced into Belgium from France at the -same time as Chantilly. Its processes are very similar, tho it is -easily differentiated from its sister by the heavy glossy petals of its -flowers and their conspicuous open-work centers in the Point de Paris -stitch. The name Blonde is derived from the écru silk which was first -employed in its making; now it is made of white or of black silk, and -chiefly in the form of scarfs or mantillas. The girls were making their -war-time Blonde of cotton, the good Peat cotton of Nottingham, brought -in by the C. R. B. for the Lace Committee. It is practically only in -the Grammont and Turnhout regions that Blonde is still made. - -The instructress showed me the little bundles of poor, crooked brass -pins that were all that remained after four years of the occupation, -explaining what harm poor pins can work in a fine mesh like that of -Chantilly. Then she asked if I could not tell them when they might -expect new ones. Alas, these disheartening months of the winter of -1918–1919 when one hope after another has been deferred; so many things -to be done at once, and all depending on the re-establishment of a -system of transportation utterly destroyed. - -I went from the school-room, past the fire in the courtyard, back to -the large hall where the Canadians were still decorating for their -party, and where we wished one another a Happy New Year—brave -Canadian boys well loved by the Belgians—then on to the house of -Madame’s mother, who for a half-century has been a lace _fabricant_, -or dealer, and whose front room served easily as combined salon and -office. Precious laces need very little space; they can be stored in a -handsome carved oak armoire, which is at once a safe and a beautiful -article of furniture. This old lady’s hair was still dark and glossy, -as is so often the case with grandmothers in Europe, and her brown -eyes were bright and keen. She talked of the time when there were more -than twenty dealers employing over 2,000 workers on Chantilly in the -Grammont region, and of the gradual decline of the industry. “Certain -empty houses on the heights above the town tell the story. Long ago the -lace-makers left the valley at the foot of the slope, and seeking the -brighter light on the hill, formed a lace colony there; but they have -come down again, the houses on the hill are deserted. One by one the -skilled old workers have died, and their secrets with them. There is -only one really excellent piqueuse left and she is a baker-woman who -exercises her talent of pricking patterns between baking! And I believe -that instead of the former thousands, we have not more than eight -hundred dentellières to-day. Here, as elsewhere, factories have come, -and the lace has fled. With us it is the cigar and the match that have -banished it, they furnish better wages and our women follow. However, -if we can win a higher pay for the lace, and can but develop the little -school you have just visited, and continue to train our girls, we shall -yet be able to restore Chantilly. Especially,” she added, “if we can -be helped by that fickle Mistress Fashion, who last year smiled again -on the black lace gown. Some of our patterns for robes can be made in -a few weeks, but the truly fine ones take months, even a year to make. -All depends on the design and the number of threads. We have had much -to combat in the success of the marvelous Calais machine imitations of -Chantilly, but true lovers of lace will never be content with them, -however clever they are.” - -She shook out a folded triangular shawl. “There is no lace in the -world more beautiful than this,” she said, as she spread it on the -white tablecloth, the better to display the wealth of its black flower -clusters and long fronds, and then had me squeeze the delicate mesh in -my hand to test its resiliency. I could not but agree with her. Her -daughter brought out an exquisite collar, a tendril and flower pattern, -with long tabs that could be crossed in front and let fall like a sash -behind, a “Marie Antoinette” of most tempting loveliness; then a dainty -parasol and a fan and a few filmy winged butterflies—all pieces made -before the war, before the Germans set a wall of fire between the women -of Grammont and the silk thread (Grenadine d’Alays) which meant their -bread. - -I was glad to have a few hours of sweeping hill country between these -elegant black laces and the Valenciennes I was next to see; for the -moment all white lace seemed negligible. - - - - -V - -BRUGES - -_Queen of Lace Cities_ - - -After a day beside the graves of Nieuport and Dixmude and Ypres, the -first glimpse of the singing towers of Bruges against the evening sky -seems an unearthly vision. During four years no one had known that -Bruges would not perish as her sisters had perished. One must have come -direct from the desolation of Nieuport, to her pignons and bridges, -from the skeleton of Les Halles of Ypres to her Hôtel de Ville, to -estimate her incomparable beauty. Since Ypres is dead, only Bruges and -Turnhout remain as true lace cities of Belgium; Ghent, the elegant -neighbor of Bruges, and herself once a Queen in the lace world, -has turned to her factories and no longer counts. Except Turnhout, -then, with its famous schools for fine laces, no Belgian city to-day -challenges the leadership of Bruges, and beyond Belgium, she has but -one great rival—Venice. - -[Illustration: LACE-MAKERS OF BRUGES] - -This claim to leadership rests on a solid foundation. Bruges is of -ancient lineage in the lace world; she has preserved unbroken, through -at least four centuries, the traditions of that world. There are -those even who believe that mediæval bobbin lace had its origin in -her territory, and they are at least supported by legend. A pretty -story tells of a poor and infirm widow, who with her many children -lived in a little street of Bruges. The entire family depended only -on the work of Serena, the eldest, who from dawn till dark turned her -wheel. She had long been loved by a neighbor, Arnold, the son of a -great merchant, and she did not view him with disfavor. But as winter -and misery settled again on the poor little hut, and Serena saw that -all her efforts appeared vain, she vowed to the Virgin never to marry -unless her family could be rescued from their suffering. Then one day -when near the Minnewater, as she was making sad thoughts, suddenly -she saw a light, and from the Virgin threads descended toward her, -which, skipping the branches, dropt in her lap, where they by chance -designed lovely patterns. Serena understood this to be the response to -her prayer, and she tried at once to reproduce the arabesques in linen -thread. She ended by attaching little woods to them and by aiding them -with pins. And thus to the great emotion of Bruges bobbin-lace was -born. And all the rich seigneurs and bourgeois wished to possess it. -Ease came and Serena married Arnold, and they had many daughters, all -of whom she taught to make lace. - -[Illustration: BRUGES AND SIMILAR BOBBIN LACES - - First column: Bruges - Middle column: Bruges, Bruges, Bruges, Rosaline - Third Column: Rosaline, Old Flanders, Old Flanders, Duchesse] - -The often quoted picture in the Louvre Gallery, painted by Hans Memling -(14—to 1494) and representing the Virgin and the Infant Christ -surrounded by gift-bearers, among whom is a rich Brugeois wearing a -gray costume trimmed with a bobbin-lace edging, certainly indicates -that the industry existed in this epoch, and possibly had its center at -Bruges, then the principal city in Flanders and the seat of the court. -Furthermore, records prove that already at the opening of the 16th -century, lace-making was included as a necessary part of the education -of women. The edicts of Charles V requiring that it should be taught -in all the schools and convents, greatly stimulated its development in -Bruges, as well as throughout the entire Flanders and the provinces -of Hainaut, Brabant and Antwerp. It became so popular an occupation -for women that Charles’s successor, Philip II, required that the -magistrates of Ghent and Bruges restrict the number of lace-workers in -their cities, in order that the rich might find some women left willing -to serve them. Another enlightening document shows that in 1544 Bruges -counted 7,696 poor among her population, and that the department of -public charity required of the young women among them that they should -cease to walk the streets and should learn the lace industry. There -were at that time many lace schools. During the following centuries, -Bruges maintained her position as a lace center and was able to -survive the death-blow the French Revolution dealt the industry. For -we find, about the middle of the 19th century, the city still counted -seventy-nine schools, attended by 2,722 pupils, while in Valenciennes, -for example, lace-making no longer existed. - -There is, then, a rich and ancient past back of the clicking bobbins -of the Bruges of to-day. After four years of German rule it is still -difficult to give accurate statistics, but generally speaking, in this -city of 54,000 inhabitants, as many as 5,000 women and girls make lace -of some sort. If you question the average woman, she will probably look -at you in surprize and say: “How many lace-makers? Why, everybody; -there is hardly a house in Bruges without its cushion and bobbins.” -While if you put the same question to such a celebrated lace dealer -as M. Gillemont de Cock, who counts gold and silver medals from many -nations, he will be very apt to answer: “Madame, before the war I knew -of about thirty, now I can not say!” The Lace Committee at Brussels -considers 5,000 a fair estimate for Bruges and her contributing -villages, which is the number given, too, by Professor Maertens of the -Normal School. - -By the Bruges district is meant chiefly Bruges, quite the contrary of -the usual situation. One hears of the Alost region, for instance, and -finds that while the villages of the surrounding area count thousands -of workers, in the city of Alost itself very few are left. However, -Bruges, too, counts some few outlying villages. Madame Ryeland, -representative during the war of the Brussels Lace Committee, told me -that forty communes contributed to her committee, the most important -being Syssele (where Valenciennes is the favorite lace), Maldeghem -(applications and filet), Saint Andre (Cluny and Valenciennes), -Oostcamp and Lophem (Valenciennes), Saint Croix (Cluny and other -guipures), and Saint Michele (an unusually beautiful Duchesse de -Bruges). - -In Bruges itself there are three important convent lace schools, -working largely for the shops, but which also execute private commands; -the convent school of the Apostolines, typical of those where the -children learn a little Flemish, a little French, much catechism, and -for the rest make the laces of the region from morning till evening; -the school Defoere, and the well-known school Josephine. Each has -between 100 and 200 dentellières, who make the popular Torchons and -Clunys and Valenciennes, and also the more difficult Binche, with its -mesh characterized by the airy “_boules de neige_,” snow-balls. They -make, too, Old Flanders, which has a particularly strong and elaborate -mesh; and of course the Duchesse de Bruges, or Bruges, for which the -city is famous. In addition to the convent schools and a few other -less important laique schools and some work-rooms, one finds in the -Hospices, or free homes for the old, another goodly company working -together. In their picturesque retreats some 200 old women pass their -days making lace, chiefly Valenciennes. - -There remain the individual households; to the common statement that in -each one, some member makes some kind of lace, one might add, at some -time during the year. If the children from these homes do not go to the -schools to learn, they are taught by their mothers and grandmothers. A -favorite Christmas gift to children is a cushion and set of bobbins, -with which they soon learn to produce simple patterns. For example, -Madame Roose, the daughter of the concierge of the Groothuis Museum, -which houses the marvelous Baron Liedts collection of old laces, -accustomed from childhood to see and hear of these laces, became -herself a lace-maker and later a successful dealer and now has five -daughters of her own, all of whom she has herself taught to ply their -bobbins. The Lace Committee told me that during the war the clothing -committee had difficulty in finding young girls and women who could -darn and sew even moderately well; since childhood they had given all -their time to lace-making. Conscious of the danger in this situation, -the Lace Normal School preaches that until she has learned other -necessary things, no young girl should be allowed to spend more than -half a day over her cushion. - -[Illustration: LACE NORMAL SCHOOL, BRUGES, BEGINNER’S CLASS - -Symbolic color pattern on left-hand easel; demonstration bobbins -attached to colored threads at right] - -By far the greater number working at home make Torchon, Cluny and -Valenciennes, tho the Bruges district is celebrated, too, for Rosaline -and Binche and Old Flanders, and above all for the Duchesse de Bruges, -once so named because it was thought worthy to adorn a Duchess. Bruges -lace has always been made entirely with bobbins, in separate flowers, -or details that are united not by mesh, but by little picot-edged cords -or bars. There are many varieties of this familiar lace; between the -coarse, much marketed modern Bruges, with its well-known roses and -trefoils, sometimes scarcely meriting the name of lace, and the Bruges -of the robe presented in 1901 to Queen Elizabeth, then the Princess -Elizabeth, there is a deplorable distance. The individual trefoils -and arabesques and roses of the coarser kinds are made very quickly -on the round cushion, which can be readily turned, and are produced -in great quantities in many of the communes of the Bruges region, -while fortunately in such a village as Saint Michel one can still see -exquisite examples of the finer Bruges in the making. - -[Illustration: BED COVER IN DUCHESSE, OR BRUSSEL’S LACE - -Made with bobbins; executed in Flanders by 30 women in three months; -design by The Lace Committee] - -Rather than be introduced to the lace-making of Bruges by the younger -workers in the schools, or in one of the thousand homes given over to -it, I preferred to go first to the place where probably more strangers, -especially English and Americans, have been initiated into the -mysteries of the cushion and its bobbins than anywhere else in the -world. There have been other famous Béguinages in Belgium—congeries -of houses maintained by private endowment, for women, who, while -they object to taking the vows of the convent, yet wish to live in -a kind of partial retreat from the world and under the protection -of the church—but none lovelier than this one of Bruges, with its -sixteenth century buildings of pure Flemish architecture, grouped -about a wide green court shaded by elm trees. Naturally the Béguinage -has not been a mecca for travelers and artists merely because several -of the gentle old ladies in retreat there made beautiful lace; they -have come in search of its quaint pignons and doorways, its inner -gardens, the bridges that span the surrounding canals where the swans -paddle peacefully. And they have been delighted to find included -in the picture the white-capped women before their lace cushions, -intent (doubtless unconsciously) on perpetuating other beauties, as -old as those of the buildings encircling the court, the designs of -Valenciennes that have been handed down by French and Belgian mothers -to their children through generations. These ladies of the Béguinage -may keep their private fortunes and pay for the privileges of the -retreat. They are supposed, however, to live austerely; their charming -brick houses are white inside—wall-papers (as being too gay) are -forbidden—while the floors are covered with a kind of pretty, rude -rush carpet. They may not go on journeys, and no man outside, except -the clergy, may enter the sacred precincts of the court, the gates -of which are closed at 8 o’clock. Can one imagine an atmosphere more -encouraging to hours spent patiently in lace-making? It is recorded -that in the Béguinage of Ghent, in 1756, there were as many as 5,000 -women engaged in making the Valenciennes for which that city was -famous. But the day of this particular kind of retreat has passed, and -even at Bruges many of the houses are vacant; when the old die, there -are few who wish to take their places. And it is only because those few -who remain preserve the best traditions of the lace that they count -in the lace-world of to-day; the quantity produced is negligible. -Nevertheless, I was delighted that my first knowledge of Bruges lace -should come through the few wide Valenciennes flounces of exquisite -flower and vine pattern and firm and even workmanship that I found -still pinned to the cushions of the Béguinage. - -Curiously enough, in this retreat, pervaded by the sadness that -inevitably reigns where the old order changes, I found the young and -enthusiastic Vicaire, Professor Maertens, assistant director of the -new Lace Normal School of Bruges. He lives with his aunt, who is the -mother director of the Béguinage and called “Madame, la Grande Dame,” -tho she is still Mademoiselle. The Béguinage may in one sense represent -the despair of the lace, since what is happening there is happening -throughout Belgium. But in the person of Professor Maertens of the -Normal School, the Béguinage represents, too, the hope of the lace. -In the plain little room of his charming Gothic house, he explained -with admirable clarity the necessity which led to the founding of -this Normal School by the State in 1911, and the system which it has -developed. He then arranged that I should “assist” at the _réouverture_ -of the school the following morning. There was to be a reopening -because, in common with so many schools of Belgium, the Lace Normal -had been driven from its quarters by the Germans, and tho after their -eviction the teachers had persisted in continuing their classes in a -convent, where their persecutors forced them to receive two Austrian -pupils (from whom, however, they concealed much), they were in the -true sense to begin again on January 7, 1919. That was fully four -weeks after the invader had had to evacuate, for eager as they were to -commence, with their best effort, they had not been able before this -to prepare three school-rooms and a few smaller ones on the ground -floor for use. We are accustomed to the pictures of the territories -desolated by the Germans, but unless one goes from house to house in -the districts supposed to be left unharmed, he can have no conception -of the state in which they were left. However, by Thursday morning the -few rooms on the ground floor had been disinfected and whitewashed, -and the Lace Normal School of Belgium re-opened its doors at 8:30 -o’clock. Poets have described the shining faces of children on their -way to school—but after pupils and teachers have been ground under the -heel of an implacable oppressor for four years there is still another -light in their faces as they reassemble in a free school-room. It was -generous of them to allow me to share their first morning. - -The teachers’ course covers two years. In order to insure careful -individual training the directors prefer to have no more than eight -or ten earnest students in each year’s class; they prefer, too, that -these shall not have been lace-makers before entering, and that they -be between sixteen and thirty years of age. There are, then, two -class-rooms, light and airy, and equipped with blackboards and charts, -and the all-important large demonstration cushion with its gigantesque -bobbins attached to heavy colored wool threads to aid the eye and -brain. Each young woman records the steps of her progress in a series -of copy-books so beautiful in their penmanship and their drawing as to -recall at once the manuscripts of long ago. - -What, then, is the instruction which they receive? Since there had -never been a system of teaching lace-making in Belgium, the directors -of the Normal School were obliged to develop one, and as it exists -to-day, logical, comprehensive, far-seeing, it belongs exclusively to -the School of Bruges. By the defective method employed before, a pupil -was taught to make one kind of lace, then another, and another, but -tho she might become proficient in the execution of thirty kinds, she -might still be incapable of executing a new thirty-first variety if it -were presented to her, because she had not been taught the underlying -principles. - -[Illustration: ROSALINE, WHICH CLOSELY RESEMBLES BRUGES] - -[Illustration: DETAILS FOR BRUGES LACE - -Made with bobbins on round cushion] - -The Bruges directors found, after a long and careful analysis of the -processes employed in all known laces, that they depend on but -between twenty and thirty major operations, and that, in the final -analysis, for the bobbin laces, these reduce themselves always to the -simple question, “Does the thread pass from left to right, or does it -pass from right to left?” - -[Illustration: DOILY SET IN POINT DE PARIS IN THE “ANIMALS OF THE -ALLIES” DESIGN, EXECUTED AT TURNHOUT] - -They chose specific colors, red, purple, green and others, to represent -specific movements of the threads, thus establishing a symbolic color -system of design which enables the pupil to read a blackboard drawing -as he would a written page. And they realized that before the processes -are portrayed by lines on the blackboard, they should be executed with -the gigantesque bobbins and the colored wool cords. - -They then outlined the two years’ work, which they made to include -classes in practical lace-making, in design, in commerce and English, -in the history of lace-making, and religion. Because the two years’ -course was already over-crowded they did not attempt to teach the -needle points, which, according to them, do not demand a system of -instruction in the same sense that the bobbin laces require it. -Besides, they look upon bobbin lace as more uniquely Belgian and as -therefore more necessary to develop. Dr. Rubbens of Zele, farther east, -plans soon to have a needle lace Normal School in operation in that -town. - -In the first year class, a demonstration of the use of the tools, the -winding-wheel, the cushion and bobbins is followed at once by the study -of the Torchons, which tho they are the commonest known laces, yet -in all their varieties employ all the more important lace processes. -The Torchons once thoroughly mastered, the student has traveled a -considerable distance on the lace journey. The study of Torchon is -succeeded by Cluny in all its varieties and Cluny is in turn followed -by a kind of barbaric Russian lace, of baroque design, which is, -like the Torchons and Clunys, made of linen thread, and resembles -them closely in other ways. The finer laces, Valenciennes, Duchesse, -Flanders, and others are taught only after these first three groups -have been mastered. - -Along with the actual lace-making, the students follow courses in -design, where they begin first with simple studies in geometry and -in drawing. They then execute geometric designs and adapt them to -lace-making. From these studies they proceed to drawing from nature, -and to what is more difficult, the adaption of the drawings from nature -to lace designs, for it is one thing to create a beautiful flower and -leaf arabesque, and quite another thing to draw it so that it may be -exprest in thread. - -The important classes in commerce and English and those in history and -religion run parallel with the studies in lace-making and design. - -Of great value to these future teachers of Belgium is the model -practise school across the court from the main rooms, where at four -o’clock each day the poorer children of the neighborhood come to be -taught. Each has her cushion and bobbins and pins and thread furnished -by the Normal, and enjoys all the advantages offered by its excellent -system; while the coming teachers find here the opportunity to perfect -their methods. - -I asked if these teachers could look confidently to finding positions. -Since only the initial class had graduated before the Germans were upon -Belgium and since that class was composed almost entirely of women -sent from the already existing convent schools, who sought to improve -their methods, it is as yet impossible to answer this question. But as -this is the single training-school in Belgium (the Brussels School, -so capably directed by Mme. Paulis, being chiefly a school of design) -there seems to be every reason to hope that once the country has risen -from the chaos into which it has been plunged, the Bruges graduates -will have no difficulty in securing places. Teachers are as yet very -poorly paid, but as regards salaries, too, there is reason to hope. The -ideal plan for a school would seem to be that it should be in charge of -a graduate of the Normal School, while a specialist in design from the -Brussels school should come once a week with her charts and drawings to -give particular instruction in that branch. The vital decision as to -the part lace-making should have in the curriculum of the communal or -free public schools is still in abeyance. - -Since factories have killed the lace industry in every other city in -Belgium except Bruges and Turnhout, people often ask if it can persist -much longer in Bruges. There seems to be good ground to believe it -will. Under the Germans the port of Zeebrugge acquired a momentary -prominence, but with Antwerp so near, there seems little chance that -it will ever become important, or that Bruges herself may look forward -to any large industrial development. Lovely, tranquil city guarding a -beauty of long ago, it is probable that Bruges will maintain her right -to the title “Queen of Lace Cities.” “Yes,” M. Gillemont de Cock would -add, seeing the patterns and quality of the Valenciennes and the modern -Old Flanders and Bruges, and Binche, pinned to her cushions to-day, and -remembering the exquisite delicate webs of a few decades ago, “_Une -Reine, Madame, c’est vrai, mais une Reine bien malade_”—“a Queen, -Madame, it is true, but a very sick Queen.” The Lace Normal and other -schools can help greatly to restore her. - - - - -VI - -KERXKEN - -_Sister Robertine_ - - -On a wet, cheerless day between Christmas and New Year’s, I started -with Madame de Beughem and Madame Allard for the most important lace -district of Eastern Flanders. The Alost region, which in 1896 counted -8,500 workers, is known throughout the lace world for its Needle Point -and Venise. - -We went first to Alost itself, the center of the area, where, however, -modern industries have won their already oft-repeated victory over the -lace. It was in Alost, the 16th of November, 1918, that my car had -scarcely been able to push its way between the two lines of Belgian -soldiers of deliverance holding back the smiling, tearful population, -and where, too, I passed Burgomaster Max free after four years in -prison in Germany, on his way to King Albert at the Army Headquarters -near Ghent. - -A short distance south of Alost we passed Haltaert, from which this -lace section might more justly take its name, since in Haltaert there -is scarcely a household without its needle or bobbin workers. And but -a little farther south lay Kerxken, which even in the rain, looked a -friendly village and where beside fully three-fourths of the windows -women were plying their needles. - -Before the war companies of the men of this region went to France to -work in the harvest, as many as 40,000 migrating annually, because even -before the war, France was short-handed agriculturally and the French -fields offered higher wages than their own. The women and girls helped -those who remained to gather the crops, and in the fall, when the -men came back and the season for working the farms had passed, whole -families turned to lace-making as a means of piecing out the gains of -the summer. Sometimes the men cared for the children or assisted with -the housework so that the women might sit uninterruptedly before their -patterns, and in certain instances they themselves made lace—the -census of 1896 lists 117 men lace-workers in Belgium. In Kerxken we -found that thirty young men who had been silk weavers before the war -had during the occupation been able to make lace—not true lace, but -such imitations as filet, really a form of embroidery. They made, too, -Application, not genuine Application where true lace details, made -either with the bobbin or needle, are sewed upon the tulle base, but -tulle ornamented with machine-made lacets, narrow braids of various -sorts that come to the region from Calais. Lacets usually have a strong -thread along one edge, which can be drawn so that the braid may be more -swiftly fashioned into curving leaves or flowers. These distressing -imitations, which unfortunately pay much better than the true laces, -since they can be made with great speed and find a ready market, are a -constant menace to them. “_Voilà notre ennemie!_” said Madame Allard, -as we looked into a work-room where the table showed little piles of -lacet collars. The only method of fighting this enemy is through higher -wages for the genuine lace. - -We could not see Adele Rulant, once with hardly a peer in Needle Point, -to whom people from far and near had sent their old pieces, even -shreds of their family treasure, for restoration, knowing that almost -certainly her artist’s needle would recapture the lost mesh or flower. -Adele Rulant had died and we realized again how surely one by one the -famous dentellières of the last half of the 19th century are dropping -out. - -We turned down a lane and were soon at the green door of the convent -of the black-robed Franciscaine Sisters, who dismayed, but smiling, -hurried forward to greet us, very fresh looking in their white lined -coiffes and collars. I say dismayed, because through an error they had -expected us the day before and had kept a fire burning for hours, a -supreme expression of hospitality in this bitter, coalless winter; this -was Saturday afternoon, there was no fire, and the lace-workers were at -home scrubbing their tiled floors and doorsteps. But they would light -a fire at once, and send a Sister to the nearest houses to recall at -least a few of the women; they would prepare lunch for us, a plate of -little cakes and a bottle of wine had already been set on the table. -Such an apologetic bustle of welcome was heart-warming on a cheerless -day. Nothing less, I am certain, would have made it possible for me to -drink an entire glass of sour red wine at 10:30 o’clock in the morning. - -I wished particularly to visit the convent because I had known during -the four years of Sœur Robertine’s successive victories over the -Germans. After they refused to let laces pass except through their -hands, which taxed and had frequently stolen from the parcels, time and -again she outwitted them, crossing the forbidden village frontier and -carrying the precious rolls herself to the office of the Committee at -Brussels. - -Beneath the calm of that office there was always tense expectancy; at -any moment anything might happen, even the worst thing. One day after -weeks of being entirely cut off from many of their lace sections, -when the women were more strained and anxious than ever before, the -door opened quietly and Sœur Robertine, of Kerxken, a prohibited -district, stood before them. Fear for her quite overcame their joy at -seeing her; they quickly turned the key and hurried her into a rear -room. “But why have you come? We did not send for you—we should never -have allowed you to take such risks!” - -At first only Sœur Robertine’s twinkling, keen gray eyes answered, -as she slowly threw off her long black cape and from beneath other -garments began unwinding meter upon meter of lovely white lace, till -the billowy lengths covered all the table. “It was very simple—I -had to come. For weeks our thread has been exhausted; the women are -suffering for need of their earnings. I found a way, and I’ll find a -way back, never fear; we’ll all return safely to Kerxken—the thread -and the money and I—even tho we may have to slip in under the very -nose of the Boche!” She was still laughing and still producing lace, -little packets now of square insets and bouquets, when I had to leave. - -It was a delight to meet her again here freely directing her -convent—she who had so bravely held her right to freedom. Her parents -had been shop-keepers and she had brought to the Order a goodly store -of practical knowledge and a general alertness and good sense, which -added to her unselfishness and swift sympathy and ever-ready laugh, -easily explained the admiration and affection generally felt for her. - -[Illustration: POINT DE FLANDRES, OR FLANDERS LACE - -Flowers made with bobbins, mesh with the needle: designs by The Lace -Committee] - -[Illustration: HANDKERCHIEF IN NEEDLE-POINT - -Made near Alost. Both mesh and flowers made with needle] - -[Illustration: DETAIL SHOWING SEVEN DIFFERENT FILLING-IN STITCHES] - -While we were sitting in the large, cold reception room, waiting for -the workers to reassemble, I asked Sœur Robertine about a painting -over the door—a striking portrait which proved to be that of the Curé -Van Hoeimessen, who, in 1857, founded the convent in an attempt to -relieve the misery of the village. A short time before this, greatly -distrest by the idleness and poverty of his parishioners, he had asked -that a teacher be sent to Kerxken to instruct a few girls in the art -of lace-making, and since there was no building in which to start a -school, he called the class of five or six girls together in his own -house. Then, later, as the experiment succeeded, he invited a group of -sisters to come and founded for them the convent of the Franciscaines, -which from that day has held unswervingly to the traditions of its -foundation in teaching and executing the fine needle laces. There are -at present 15 sisters, and about 150 true lace-workers in their lace -school. In addition, 300 makers of filet and “imitation” are connected -with the convent. - -From the salon we went to the work-room, which looks on a deep -walled-in garden, a treasure-plot for potatoes and cabbage during -the famine years. About a dozen girls and women had dropt their -brushes and brooms and hurried through the rain in their wooden shoes -to take up their patterns and go on with the delicate traceries of -Needle Point and Venise. It was easy to pick out their leader—a -beautiful-faced, white-haired woman wearing a black crochet cap, at -work on a Venise insertion. She was Sidonie, the best piqueuse, or -interpreter of design, in the convent. There were no cushions here, as -in the bobbin-lace classes, and the workers held the small, shining, -black cloth pattern in their hands, following the pricked holes with -their needles; there were fewer of these guiding pin-pricks than in -the bobbin-lace picqués. The patterns for Venise and Needle Point are -usually small because most women object to large details, as difficult -to turn in the hand. Later in a neighboring convent I noticed that the -patterns were considerably larger than those at Kerxken, and Sœur -Robertine, pointing to them said, “I should have to cut those in two -for my girls.” Fortunately a detail can usually easily be separated -and later rejoined. To protect her lace, the worker covers it with -thick blue paper, cutting a hole about the size of a twenty-five-cent -piece through which the needle and thread may move freely. Here it -was not the marvel of the flying fingers, as in the bobbin-rooms at -Turnhout, that most won our admiration, but the skill in directing the -fine threads in complicated designs of incredible delicacy. I chose -to sit beside fifteen-year-old Colette who held the partly finished -section of a handkerchief square beneath her needle. She explained -that it was Point de Gaze, gauze point, a name more recently given -the old Needle or Brussels Point. And the fragile hexagonal mesh she -was weaving between two beautiful full-blown roses, whose raised -petals curved outward from elaborately worked centers, seemed most -appropriately named. Her cotton, for Needle Point is made with cotton -thread, was so fine that I could not, despite her amused reiterations, -believe it did not break with every second stitch. A heavier thread -had been used to make the flat, closely woven portions of the flowers, -and a still heavier one to outline each finished petal or leaf with -the _cordonnet_ (cord) or _brode_, produced by an extremely firm and -regular buttonhole stitch. This cord throws the flowers into very -brilliant relief. - -[Illustration: VENISE DESIGNS BY THE BRUSSELS LACE COMMITTEE] - -Colette had not woven the roses, for because of the difficulty in -making it, workers usually specialize on the various individual parts -composing this extremely popular lace. A second girl had made the -flowers, and a third the exquisite open-work details introduced to -lighten the whole. Considerable freedom is allowed the lace-worker -in the execution of these open-work stitches. If she has talent she -may obtain many interesting original results in filling in, for there -is apparently no limit to the number of stitches she may employ. -In Colette’s little handkerchief square, I discovered miniature -marguerites and stars and airy balls. Each group had been made by a -specialist (many women have spent their lives in making just tiny stars -or wheels), and sent to the convent to be bound together with the -leaves and roses into a beautiful whole by the clear mesh that dropt -hexagon by hexagon from Colette’s swift needle. - -[Illustration: HANDKERCHIEF AND JEWEL BOXES, FLANDERS AND VENISE OVER -SATIN AND VELVET] - -Colette’s neighbor was making the same mesh, but as a background for -bobbin-made clusters, sent here from a bobbin-lace village to make -the rare Point d’Angleterre, a small quantity of which Kerxken still -produces. - -In the corner of this class-room were the shelves with the essential -skeins of thread; cotton for the Needle Point, linen for the Venise. -The linen is more and more difficult to obtain, and since it is hard -to handle and breaks easily, has been largely supplanted by cotton -thread. There were large cardboard boxes for the drawings and the -pricked working patterns; others for the little bobbin-lace roses and -leaves and vines that were to be worked into Brussels Point; and still -more boxes for the finished meters and insets ready to be sold to the -Committee, and later to the dealer who will replace the Committee. -While we were examining the boxes a pretty, dark-haired dentellière -of about sixteen came in, with work she had finished at home, two -handkerchiefs with Brussels Point borders, and two and a half meters of -Venise, on which she had worked five and a half months and for which -she asked 160 francs, or $40.00. - -In the “imitation” room we passed quickly by the lengths of inferior -filet and the piles of cheap collars made by men; there was little -temptation to linger there. The only defense against that room is more -pay for the work across the hall. - -We climbed the stairs shivering and looked into the neat little -bedrooms with their white board floors, and into the icy chapel where -Sœur Robertine declared she could be quite comfortable with only a -small black woolen shawl over her shoulders. - -We had brought our lunch, but were not allowed to eat it. Sister A., -an excellent cook, had prepared hot soup, potatoes and meat, and a -dried apple mousse which we persuaded Sœur Robertine to share with -us. And after lunch, the orphan and refugee children came in to shake -hands, also Janiken, the poor “_idiote_” who is forty-nine years old, -but still a child, with a strange, animal-like expression on her face. -Sœur Robertine held her hand for us to shake, otherwise little -Janiken seemed able to direct her own movements. She smiled and chatted -in Flemish, then waddled off quite happy with the candies and cakes we -had brought. Janiken spends her days making bead collars and bracelets -for the sisters, whom she loves, and when her bead boxes are empty she -places them at the foot of the statue at the end of the narrow corridor -upstairs, and prays the good Saint Anthony to refill them, that she -may weave more necklaces. At night as the sisters pass silently by the -statue, they snap the threads of their former gifts, letting the beads -shower into the boxes, and in the morning Janiken is happy again. - -Sœur Robertine had never ridden in a motor, and when we proposed -that she accompany us to the Franciscaine convent at Erembodeghem, not -very far away, her eyes shone. And I shall not forget the faces of the -others, as after a further bustle of leave-takings and good wishes, -they leaned from the green doorway in the rain, clasping their hands -and laughing and nodding, while we tucked their beloved sister into -our car. Sœur Robertine herself sat silently and ecstatically in a -corner, determined to miss no part of this extraordinary experience. - - - - -VII - -EREMBODEGHEM - -_The Queen’s Cloth_ - - -Erembodeghem is a commune of about 6,000 inhabitants, tho the pretty -winding street by which we entered, with the picturesque, red-tiled -houses clustered irregularly along both sides of it, suggests a smaller -village. Nearly all the women in this town, as in Kerxken, make lace, -and again it is chiefly Needle Point and Venise. The convent, which -furnishes the customary directing and stimulating center, has no -superior in the country for its particular laces, unless one grants -preference to its own mother house at Opbrakel. - -As we entered the courtyard, a group of French soldiers were warming -themselves before a fire they had lighted beneath a dripping canvas -tent-roof stretched across a corner of the wall. In the dreary rain -the fire flaming against the brick wall, and the horizon blue of the -uniforms were a cheery greeting. But inside the convent, alas, there -was less cheer; indeed, there was the chill of the tomb, no coal for -the poor sisters, who were for lack of it unable to conduct the regular -school classes. They told us of their distress over the idleness of -the children, who had been turned into the streets by the Germans many -weeks before, and whom they were not yet able to reassemble. “Their -manners are already so bad,” Sister A. said, “that we are ashamed -to own them as our pupils.” The Germans left the class-rooms in the -familiar condition, and the sisters had no sooner finished patching and -disinfecting, than the Italian soldiers were billeted there. They were -too loyal to criticise but I suspect that their experiences after the -departure of the Italians must have convinced them that, after all, a -new army is just another army. The French followed, but they at least -were occupying only four class-rooms, and the sisters were trying to be -optimistic. “We believe they must be better,” one of them said, with a -smile; “however, we shall not know until they are gone.” - -“At any rate,” she continued, “our lace-room has not been -requisitioned; we have had enough coal to keep a little fire there. -During all the four years that work has never stopt.” Since it was -Saturday afternoon there were many vacant chairs in the class-room, but -still enough girls were present to enable us to judge of the kind of -lace school this is. - -Little girls between nine and ten, sitting up very straight in their -high-backed chairs, were working with swift, steady fingers and -already producing a good Venise insertion of a simple leaf pattern. -Several of the other girls were busy with the now well-known Venetian -Point medallions representing the arms of the Allied nations, and the -provinces of Belgium; still others were executing flower details for -yard lace. All this Venise they were making with a needle and single -linen thread, for this convent works exclusively with linen thread. -They were handling the black cloth patterns, eight to ten inches wide, -with apparent ease, turning them with almost every stitch. This mere -mastery of the pattern is in itself impressive. - -In a corner, near one of the great windows overlooking the walled-in -winter garden, a slim, darkly clad girl about sixteen was absorbed in -pricking a complicated pattern. Sister A. led me a little aside to -explain that this was their feeble-minded girl and that tho they could -not explain it, she was able to interpret correctly very difficult -drawings. - -[Illustration: VENISE BANQUET CLOTH PRESENTED BY THE LACE COMMITTEE TO -H.M. QUEEN ELIZABETH ON HER RETURN FROM EXILE - -Design by M. de Rudder; executed by the 30 best Venise-makers in -Belgium in six months] - -At the Committee Bureau I had seen many of the wonderful cloths made -from Venise details from this convent (among them the cloth typifying -the burning cities, presented to Mrs. Hoover), but I had never imagined -anything so lovely as the exhibit the sisters had been arranging -on the long, low table, while we were passing from chair to chair -following the magic needles.... We turned to find the separate parts -of a banquet cloth to be offered to Queen Elizabeth on her return from -exile, assembled for us. Two hundred and twenty details, there were, -on which during the darkest days of the war, women had worked with -unfaltering faith and love. M. de Rudder, a well-known Belgian artist, -had drawn the design for the Lace Committee. The border, edged with -ivy, the symbol of endurance, is composed of ferns and wild flowers, -eels and sea-weed, suggesting the forests and fields and waters of -Belgium. Adjoining them are the coats of arms of destroyed cities, -bordered by a band of lilies of the valley, signifying the return of -happiness. In the center, the four patron saints of Brussels, Saints -Michel and George, and Saints Elizabeth and Gudule, are enwreathed with -olive branches. Saint Elizabeth, above the Red Cross, represents the -Queen and her devoted service as nurse during the war, while the eight -medallions near her carry the names of the Beatitudes. Opposite Saint -Elizabeth is Saint George, who represents King Albert. Below him is -the Belgian decoration for bravery, and in the surrounding medallions -are woven the names of battles won by him. Between Saint Elizabeth and -Saint George, are the immortal words spoken by His Majesty as he went -from the Chamber, sword in hand, on the 4th of August, 1914: “_J’ai -foi dans nos destinées! Un pays qui se défend s’impose au respect -de tous, ce pays ne périt pas!_” It is one thing to mention a few -of the two hundred and twenty details of this glorious cloth, it is -quite another to hold any one of them in one’s hand and realize its -perfection, its incredible combination of softness and delicacy and -firmness and regularity. The twelve sisters gathered happily about us, -as we sat before the table quite breathless over the discovery of one -new beauty after another in their truly royal gift. - -And then they brought us something much less important, but -nevertheless exquisite, the work of Sister S., which they show rarely, -a length of Rose Point about four inches wide, and which even the women -of the Committee after their long years’ constant experience in lace, -said they had never seen surpassed. The linen thread ordinarily used -in Venise runs from Number 200 to Number 300. This lace, whose base -is formed by an ethereal interlacing of vines and tendrils, is made -with Number 2000. One can work on it scarcely more than two or three -hours a day, and then only under the best light. Sister S. brought -me the magnifying-glass, without which I could not have followed the -exquisitely varied points, and lifted the infinitesimal petals of the -tiny flowers incrusting the background of interwoven tendrils. In some -of these microscopic blooms were as many as four layers of petals. It -would be useless to attempt to describe the loveliness that results -from the blending of the background of vines and lifted blossoms. I -asked what a meter of such lace would bring and learned that it will -probably be sold in Paris for 1,000 francs, tho these sisters would be -happy to guard it as one of their convent treasures. - -[Illustration: CUSHION COVER IN VENISE - -Pekinese dog design, by M. Allard] - -[Illustration: TABLE CENTER IN FLANDERS WITH CENTER AND BORDER OF VENISE - -Design by Lace Committee; executed in West Flanders by five workers in -15 days] - -We had intended going into some of the neighborhood houses to watch -the work of the older women, but it seemed impossible to look at -any other lace that day and we said good-by. And while the chauffeur -brushed away the small boys clinging to or crawling over the car, we -again tucked our sister in, to carry her home to Kerxken; it had been a -great day for Sœur Robertine and for us. - - - - -VIII - -OPBRAKEL - -_Mother House of a Famous Lace-making Order_ - - -After Kerxken and Erembodeghem I was not surprized, when inquiring -about needle laces further south, to learn that the only school whose -work could dispute first place with them was that of the mother house -of the same order at Opbrakel. I had come to know that the finest -needle laces of Belgium are made in these convents of the Sœurs -Franciscaines. - -It was a bitter day, but I determined to reach Opbrakel despite -shell-pitted roads and rain. I succeeded even in making a short stop -on the way at Cruyshautem Convent, famous, too, for its Needle Point, -where the sisters would have detained me longer to describe again and -again the entry of the American soldiers at 9 o’clock in the morning on -All Saints Day—the wonderful American soldiers who had arrived to free -them from their oppressors of four years, and who had remained to buy -every scrap of lace in the convent, carrying away the address with the -promise to send for more. - -In my journeying I discovered a pretty way of learning whose army -occupied a particular village—I looked for the first small boy to see -which soldier’s cap he proudly wore. Thus at Opbrakel, tho it was late -afternoon when I arrived, there were children still playing in the -street, and the boys jauntily wearing the horizontal blue announced to -me that the French were there. These small boys, and later the soldiers -themselves, examined my mud-splashed car with much curiosity, as it -drew up in front of the convent door. - -My visit was quite unannounced, but the sisters held out their hands -in welcome, and drew me in out of the rain, speaking, as they did so, -words I had almost forgotten, “Hot milk; you must drink a cup of hot -milk at once, Madame, and your chauffeur also; this is a cruel day -for journeying.” They led me to a little room, where I found another -unaccustomed comfort, a tiny fire burning brightly. As I sat before -it, sipping the sweet milk, the first I had had since leaving America, -I remembered the gratitude of travelers in the middle ages toward the -convents and abbeys whose doors they found open. The war had brought a -return of many of the difficulties and perils that beset them, with the -comfortable hostelries of pre-war days pillaged and ruined, the little -restaurants or cafés that could do business filled to overflowing -with soldiers (I have spent hours in the wind and rain at night vainly -trying to find a bed, or a place for my car), with roads wrecked, -neither post nor telegraph, nor train, and natural accompaniment of -all this disorganization, the necessity of being ever on guard against -thieves—in the midst of conditions like these we can appreciate the -meaning of the cheering hospitality the convent offers. - -While we sat before the fire the Mother Superior had one of the sisters -show me a treasure of the school, a framed exhibit, illustrating in -miniature all the processes employed in the making of the needle -laces, which they had prepared for the last International Exposition -at Brussels. Then she recounted for me a little of the history of her -lace-making convent, which celebrates its centenary this year, this -free year of 1919. I could imagine what it would have meant to try to -be joyful over such an anniversary with the enemy heel still on one’s -back. - -One hundred years ago the commune of Opbrakel was in such a wretched -state of poverty and misery that among its 2,000 inhabitants, 800 -were beggars; and as often happened elsewhere during the period of -suffering following the Napoleonic wars, the curé of the commune -sought to relieve it by founding a convent which should teach the art -of lace-making, to furnish a means of earning bread. He called the -Franciscaine Sisters who soon had 100 pupils in their lace-classes, -and among them a number of boys. From those days to these, lace-making -in this convent has never ceased; there are now not more than 125 -pupils in the excellent school, but in the homes of the entire region -are those who have learned their art there. The sisters taught first, -Chantilly (Opbrakel is very near Grammont, the Belgian home of -Chantilly), but about fifty years ago changed from bobbin to needle -lace, and since about twelve years ago, they have specialized on the -particular needle lace, Venetian Point, in which they are unexcelled. -Few of the enraptured tourists in Venise realize that the laces they -are buying there were very probably made in Flanders! - -Important lace schools and work-rooms have from time to time -concentrated all their skill on the production of a masterpiece -that might represent them to the world and awaken wide interest and -approval. We have a long list of such _chefs-d’œuvres_ from the -lace-rooms of Belgium, of lovely scarfs and cloths and robes offered -to sovereigns or distinguished patrons. And happily during the war the -Committee could encourage this practise by giving orders or special -“commands” to be executed as gifts for benefactors. Several of these -presentation pieces will have enduring value historically as well as -artistically. - -More than one command fell to the share of Opbrakel, and among others -that for a scarf offered to the Queen of Holland in appreciation -of her country’s generosity to Belgians within Dutch borders. The -dentellières, each proud to be selected for the royal task, worked -many months on the countless exquisite needle points in this delicate -veil. On the scarf ends they united the arms of Holland and Belgium, -engarlanding them with hyacinths and tulips, the Dutch national -flowers, and about these in turn they wove lilies of the valley, -symbolizing the return of happiness. Below the medallion rest the -Belgian provinces, enchained, and above them they represented the -children of Holland showering flowers of abundance upon the martyred -children of their sister kingdom. - -It would have been pleasant to talk of other master-works, but we had -already sat too long before the fire and we hurried now to reach the -large, airy class-room across the court before dark. When starting -on my lace journey, I had been warned that, once I had visited the -bobbin-lace work-room with all the picturesqueness of the cushion -with its mounds of bobbins and clustered pins, and of the flying -fingers and the continuous cadences of the clinking wood, I would find -needle-lace classes uninteresting. In the beginning this was true; -there was nothing particularly dramatic or stirring in a great room -filled with girls and young women holding little black paper patterns -in their hands and plying a needle above them. But the more I watched -these little patterns and the fingers directing the needle and thread, -the more marvelous the accomplishment appeared—cotton and linen -so fine that it seemed impossible that any finger should control -them—cobwebby, diaphanous meshes, richly petalled tiny flowers, and -delicately veined leaves growing beneath just a common needle and a -single thread. In the end I looked eagerly for the needle rooms. - -[Illustration: “THE TOURNEY” BANQUET CLOTH - -Design reproducing a mediæval painting in Tournai, executed in Venise -lace by 10 workers in one month, mounting and embroidery by five -workers in one month. Price in Brussels, 1,000 francs] - -[Illustration: “ARMS OF YPRES” CUSHION COVER IN VENISE, WITH DETAILS IN -FLANDERS] - - -And this was the most rewarding one I had yet visited. It happened that -the majority of the pupils were busy on the details of a tablecloth -recently designed by Madame Allard, in which the linen center is -encircled by a family of little beasts as gay as any ever gathered -together to cheer a dinner company. I laughed outright, as a little -girl, herself laughing, held up an exquisitely worked and most vividly -real group of happy ducks floating on a pond. The next showed her -enchanting rabbits, another her deer—all along the line they were -chuckling over the success of their particular pets. They had captured -the sunshine and happy motion of a farm-yard world with just a needle -and a single linen thread! Here, as at Erembodeghem, only linen thread -is used, because tho it is more difficult to handle, it produces a -finer and stronger lace than cotton. After several months (it took six -months to execute the first cloth of this design) the details would -be assembled and joined by special workers, following the large paper -pattern the sisters were now spreading across a table, which had been -sent down to Opbrakel from the room of design at Brussels. And the -finished cloth, as delightful as an early naive tapestry with its -smiling animals, would be sent to the Committee for sale. - -Opbrakel stands unquestionably first in Belgium in the production of -figures in Point de Venise. During the war, its workers have repeated -several times for the Committee their beautiful “Fables de La -Fontaine” series of medallions, as well as those which represent so -charmingly “Little Red Riding-Hood,” “Puss in Boots,” “The Sleeping -Beauty,” and other much loved fairy-tale figures. These medallions -have been sold separately as doilies, or have been combined with -Flanders lace or linen in handsome cloths. - -It was fast growing dark, and the 125 girls began folding their -patterns, and carefully wrapping their delicately pictured little -rabbits and ducks to keep them clean till the morrow; maids appeared -with dust-pans and brooms, and we gathered up our skirts and stept out -into the courtyard. As we crossed it in the dark and the rain it was -difficult to refuse the further hospitality of these sisters, who would -have kept me for the night. - - - - -IX - -LIEDEKERKE - -_The Last Lace Stronghold of Brabant_ - - -In the court in front of the big brick convent building with its odd -little steeple, two sisters, skirts tucked up, and pails swung over -their shoulders, Chinese fashion, were about to begin the Saturday -scrubbing. Madame Kefer-Mali and I were on our way to Liedekerke, the -principal remaining lace center in Brabant, and had stopt in this less -important village of Heckelgem for a look at the convent school opened -nine years ago. - -In the village itself we had found about 150 of the 2,000 inhabitants -busy with their needles, for this is distinctly a needle-lace commune, -producing a fairly good quality of Venise. Which means that there are -as yet no local mills, and tho an adjacent match factory has already -attracted a number of Heckelgem girls, most of the women are still -content to spend their time making Venise, which they take to the -convent, to be sold there to Brussels or other agents. - -The convent class-rooms were warm and cheery; fern baskets hung from -the ceilings and every window was gay with potted plants. Practically -all the village children were gathered inside, and since it was 11 -o’clock when we arrived, were happily engaged in drinking their daily -Comité National cup of cocoa and in eating the good white biscuit that -goes with it. Saturday morning is mending time and on the girls’ desks -I saw more of those amazing patchwork socks and stockings, the result -of three or four years’ weekly attempts to hold them together. - -[Illustration: NEEDLE-POINT SCARF EXPRESSING GRATITUDE OF BELGIUM TO -HOLLAND, PRESENTED TO H.M. QUEEN WILHELMINA - -Executed by 30 workers in eight months] - -In the advanced lace class-room, thirty girls, between thirteen and -sixteen, were working with cotton thread on Venise insertions and on -details for larger pieces. They had come at 8 o’clock that morning, a -more humane beginning hour than most schools allow, and would remain -as long as there was daylight—looping and weaving with a needle and -single thread. I stopt beside Rosalie, who was making a pretty flower -detail for a cushion cover. She had begun it five days before and hoped -to finish, and receive the seven francs she was allowed for it, that -night. - -On the table was a pile of chairbacks in Venise, with figure centers -and surrounding garlands of flowers all connected by the bars -characterizing this lace—an order for a Brussels dealer, who had -recently offered fifty-two francs each for them. The sisters were -excited and happy over this new price, which was considerably more than -anything Heckelgem has hitherto been able to command, one and a half -francs a day having been the average wage of the best workers. - -A little farther to the south and still in Brabant, tho it lies near -the Flanders border, is the much better known convent of Liedekerke, -which boasts an unbroken record of sixty years of lace-making, and -which before the war received a yearly subsidy of 800 francs from the -“Amies de la Dentelle.” As we walked beside the pretty orchard and -vegetable garden, bright with purple cabbages, that form the entrance -court, toward the rather impressive red-brick buildings, again with -their odd miniature steeple, I saw the great arms of a Dutch windmill -turning lazily somewhere in the rear. And nearer the door, off at the -left in a side court, a war-kitchen with tiled floor and uncertain -roof, where hundreds of the village poor still were coming for their -daily pint of soup. Of the 4,000 inhabitants as many as 2,900 were -forced on to the soup-line during the occupation. - -This, then, was one of the important and successful convent schools of -Belgium; but in January, 1919, it was in a much sadder plight than the -little neighboring school at Heckelgem. There was no coal, not a class -was in session, not a child at work with her bobbins. At 4 o’clock in -the afternoon, on Monday, October 28, when there were between 800 and -900 children, among them 100 lace-workers, gathered in the various -class-rooms, German officers had appeared to announce that by 7 o’clock -the rooms must be cleared of both teachers and children. I had already -had many demonstrations of what taking possession of school-rooms -meant. It was not necessary that the sisters should lead me from room -to room, pointing out this or that ruined wall, or casement torn -away, or vacant space where the benches or chairs burned as firewood, -once stood; but I followed them about for their own sakes. There was -at least a kind of comfort in being able to furnish proof of these -outrages to somebody. - -One small room was undisturbed, but it was a sadder room than any of -the others. The primary lace-class had occupied it, and several rows of -little girls were learning to make their first flowers and leaves when -the enemy drove them out. The baby chairs and the cushions were just as -they left them, tho thick dust dulled the blue of the linen covers and -the tiny unfinished white roses and tendrils held by the rusty pins. -One would have liked to bring the enemy mothers into this room with its -baby chairs, and its dust-covered unfinished roses. - -In the large adjoining hall Sister M. kindly came to work at a -table, on Application, one of the laces for which Liedekerke has been -especially distinguished. Before the English invention, early in 1800, -of machine-made tulle, which had an incalculable influence on the -development of the lace-industry, all meshes had to be made either with -the needle or with bobbins. The factory substitute for these difficult -processes won instant favor, and with the general public the more -swiftly made and cheaper tulle Application, supplanted the exquisite -Point d’Angleterre, which it imitated. Liedekerke, for example, had -begun its lace career with Point d’Angleterre, and in changing later to -Application, was merely responding to popular demand. Its sixty years -of lace-history reads: Point d’Angleterre, Application, Rosaline. - -These things Madame Kefer-Mali explained, as Sister M. was placing -her square of blue paper on the linen of the table cushion, and then -the bobbin-made bouquet, wrong side up on the blue square, pinning it -carefully and smoothly through the paper to the cushion. Over this -she stretched her scarf length of tulle. I was surprized at the time -and painstaking effort she gave to these simple operations, until I -saw later the effect of the slightest carelessness on the finished -flounce. Almost any clever needlewoman can join a flower to a piece -of tulle—but only an artist can produce a beautiful scarf or veil in -Application. Once the bouquet was properly placed and pinned, Sister -M. began to sew, lifting the tulle lightly with each stitch, and -smoothly attaching all the edges, for this bouquet was being appliquéd -on the body of the scarf. Had it formed the border one edge would have -remained free. - -Liedekerke Convent, to which some 200 of the villagers bring their -laces and which once made little else than Application (many beautiful -robes and flounces and scarfs have gone out from the commune and the -school), now makes comparatively little of it; for during the last -six years Paris and other markets have asked for Rosaline. It is to -be hoped that this small quantity may be continued, and that the lace -world may still win at least a few pieces yearly of the earlier, more -exquisite Point d’Angleterre. - -Point d’Angleterre, so named because of its great popularity in -England, reached its height in beauty and in favor during the -seventeenth century, when it occupied the talent and energy of all the -lace-workers of Brussels. It differs from Needle Point, in which both -flowers and mesh are made with the needle. It is one of the loveliest -of all laces, combining in rare beauty, rich bouquets and arabesques -and birds of finest bobbin work, with a frail transparent needle mesh, -the flowers themselves becoming frequently more light and delicate -through the introduction of charmingly varied needle-worked open -spaces. Certain workers make the flowers, and others the connecting -mesh. If one can imagine the softness of a kind of sublimated or -diaphanous velvet, added to the fragility of an airy and cobwebby lace, -one may have some idea of the effect of good Point d’Angleterre. And -if one would possess a collar or a flounce, one should buy it quickly, -for Point d’Angleterre is going the way of the other difficult and -exquisite points. Such villages as Kerxken, Liedekerke, Destelbergen -(near Ghent), and those of the Alost region still make occasional -pieces. - -[Illustration: BOBBIN LACES - -(1) Malines (2) Application, flowers sewn on tulle (3) Duchesse, with -needle-point insertions] - -[Illustration: APPLICATION DETAILS TO BE SEWED ON TULLE - -Upper flower shows open spaces left by bobbin worker for needle worker; -lower flower shows both bobbin and needle work completed] - -The more ordinary Point de Flandres, or Flanders, so generally produced -to-day, has the same composition as Point d’Angleterre, since in it -bobbin-work flowers are joined by a needle-mesh. And even tho coarser -and less complicated than Point d’Angleterre, Point de Flandres -is also difficult to make, and should be much better paid. There are -innumerable differences in quality, and many ways in which this lace -may be employed. The Committee has used it chiefly in elegant table -centers and cloths, in lamp-shades and in various articles to embellish -a drawing-or dining-room. And this summer of 1919 it is being used -with much success by important French houses as trimming for dainty -_ninon_ underclothing. Nineteenth century Point de Flandres, then, is -little more than a commercial name for a very coarse kind of Point -d’Angleterre. - -This Point de Flandres must not be confused with Old Flanders or Antik, -the ancient bobbin-lace experiencing a happy revival at present. Old -Flanders is, like Cluny, made entirely with bobbins and with uncut -threads; in other words, in single lengths, and not in separate or cut -details. - -Liedekerke, then, first made Point d’Angleterre for which, after a -certain time, it substituted Application, changing again about two -years before the war to Rosaline, suddenly become a popular lace. - -Rosaline is not very different in appearance from the finer varieties -of Bruges; in fact, it employs much the same technique, and is made -as is Bruges with bobbins, in small pieces, which are later joined by -special workers. A dentellière who can make fine Bruges can usually -make Rosaline. Each small piece is composed of elaborately interlacing -flowers and leaves and arabesques, without a connecting mesh, but -joined by _brides_ or bars, with a picot edge. Sometimes the tiny -incrustations called pearls, common to Burano lace, are added, to -further ornament the richly covered ground. - -I watched a Rosaline cushion, on which the pattern of an arabesque -detail was pinned, and Sister A., as she began to shift in pairs the -fourteen bobbins needed to execute it; one pair, the _voyageurs_, were -continually traveling from right to left and back again as she wove -the flat parts of the leaves and blossoms. The Rosaline technique is -particularly difficult, since the pins must be continually and rapidly -changed as the worker, with a crochet-hook, lifts the thread to pass -her bobbin through in the characteristic loop stitch. This delicate -operation, constantly repeated, strains both eyes and nerves. The pins -are placed along the outside edge of the flowers, instead of inside, as -in Bruges, which produces the picot or looped-edge effect of Rosaline. -In Bruges the flower edges are even. - -I turned from the arabesques just beginning to grow on the cushion, -to a lovely little finished detail, about four inches square, one of -several in a box which was to hold them till they could be joined to -make a scarf. It had taken seven days of thirteen hours each to make -this four by four piece, which meant that the maximum a skilled worker -could earn in executing it was about two francs a day. - -The Liedekerke convent school does not accept children under twelve for -more than two complete afternoons a week and for more than one hour -each of the other days, these hours being lengthened gradually until -the girl of sixteen gives her entire time to her lace. The sisters -hope that once they find coal and thread and can put their class-room -in order, they may again have 100 pupils, and that the village may -continue to count at least 200 good dentellières. - - - - -X - -HERZELE - -_A Château of Refuge_ - - -There are certain châteaux in Belgium that will be remembered -throughout this century as harbors of refuge; they dared not flare -beacons from their roofs, but during four dark years, people of the -nearby communes knew that day and night lights burned there for them. -The château of the Comte du Parc was such a one, a property lying -on the edge of the village of Herzele, south of Alost, which, tho -the house itself is unpretentious, embraces a lovely park and wood, -and from which, incidentally, the Germans cut 1,000 trees. It is no -longer only the estate of the du Parcs, it is the loved shelter of -every villager accustomed to hurry toward it in sad or perilous hours. -The morale of the entire region was sustained by the knowledge that -the people of the château had not left, as they easily might have, -for their safer Brussels home, in the zone of civil administration, -where if not free, they would at least have been less imprisoned, but -had chosen to remain in the military zone, utterly cut off from their -relatives and the rest of Belgium. - -They might have considered several reasons sufficiently important to -call them away (the Bourgmestre of Herzele had found at least one, his -ill-health); among other things their château was as yet practically -uninhabitable. It had been begun only a short time before the war broke -out, and with the sounding of the first alarm the workmen had rushed -out to report to their officers, leaving electric cords dangling, -unmounted fixtures standing against the walls, and neither hot water -nor heating systems installed. Madame told me later of her desperate -and amusing efforts to fasten locks on the most important doors. As she -and her husband were debating how they might arrange one large room in -the left wing as their single general living-room they could already -see the villagers coming anxiously along the tree-lined avenue and -across the park to inquire if they were still there. “After the first -troubled questions,” Monsieur said, “even if we had not already decided -we must stay, it would have been quite impossible to go away.” - -The soldiers of the village were leaving with scarcely time for -good-bys; Madame understood the fears of the women who came to the -château for comfort; her only son, too, a brave, handsome boy, was off -to join the colors—her brave, handsome boy, who now lies buried not -far from the Yser. - -In October the victorious Germans pushed southward, and from the 14th -to the 18th, shrapnel fell like rain on the park, but the château -escaped unharmed. Then three officers of the occupying army rode up on -horseback, revolvers in hand, demanding that the Comte present himself -immediately. Madame followed her husband, not knowing what to expect. -To their first threat, Monsieur replied calmly, “I do not like those -objects,” and after a moment’s hesitation the officers lowered their -weapons. Then they demanded guaranties that they would be absolutely -safe from attack by any person, either of the château or the village. -“I can, of course, speak for my château,” Monsieur answered, “but I -can not be responsible for the villagers if they are pushed too far.” -These villagers themselves told me later that they were convinced it -was only the presence of the Comte (the bullies were frequently servile -before titles and powerless before fearlessness) that saved Herzele -from destruction. “We always expected the worst,” they said; “in the -early days, when the Boches lighted a great fire in the wood, we rushed -to the château, believing it was burning.” - -From the beginning, Madame and her two daughters looked for some -constructive aid they might give their women, something more than the -general relief furnished by the Comité National. - -Of the 2,500 inhabitants of the village, 1,700 were soon on the lists -of the helpless or destitute; among these were many tuberculosis -victims. The château living-room became first a clothing bureau, where -daily all sorts of garments, sent from America, were distributed. -Madame engaged some of the women of the village to patch and re-fashion -these, and with certain sums of money that succeeded in reaching her -from time to time from an American lady who had “adopted” Herzele, she -was able to purchase new materials and offer further saving employment. -I do not know the American lady, but if she could have seen Madame’s -eyes as she told me of what it meant, imprisoned as they were, to -receive these gifts from some one outside who remembered them, I do not -doubt she would have felt sufficiently rewarded. - -In 1916, when I was in Belgium as a member of the Commission for Relief -in Belgium, the Germans prevented my going near Herzele, or any point -in the zone of direct military preparation, so I could follow the -work of Monsieur and Madame only through the Brussels Lace Committee, -which had itself great difficulty in keeping connected with them. They -made their judgments from the ever increasing quantities and improved -quality of the laces that somehow came through. - -The room in the château was the lace office not only for Herzele, but -for eleven additional villages, where between 2,500 and 3,000 girls -and women, encouraged by the Committee support—its designs and thread -and money—were busy with their needles and bobbins; for while this is -chiefly a needle-work district, large quantities of bobbin laces are -also made. To be sure, none of these laces is superior, but they are -good, and marketable. They include Cluny, Duchesse de Bruxelles, a kind -of coarse Flanders (where the flowers are made with bobbins and the -mesh with the needle), Venise, and Rosaline; and of these the Flanders -and Venise are most important. At times it was not difficult for the -dentellières to take or send their finished lace to the château, at -others they were threatened with fines and imprisonment if they were -discovered trying to get it there. To refer to but one instance, the -facteur of the village three miles distant was fined seventy-five -francs when caught on the way with his pieces. The Germans were doing -their utmost always, to attach lace-makers to their _Spitzen Centrale_, -and despite the international agreement which engaged their protection -of the work of the Brussels Lace Committee, they interfered with and -obstructed its work again and again. At one point they insisted that -all deliveries to the Committee should be made through them, and that -they be paid 1 per cent. on the value, in gold, for transmission, where -transmission, unfortunately, only too often spelled for them retention. - -In the village Madame and her daughters went from house to house, -instructing and comforting. The days of the deportations were more -terrible than any others. In remembering that first hideous deportation -night in Herzele, one remembers, too, that early in the war Cardinal -Mercier said that while there was once a time, when to make people -believe, we felt we must heighten, or embellish the cold facts, that -now in order that they should believe, we must withhold part of the -truth. That first night, men and boys were torn from their beds and -herded into the school, from there to be carried off in cattle-cars -to Germany. There was neither light nor heat, and in the cold and -the darkness, the tortured little village broke into a great cry of -lamentation, while the château was filled with wives and mothers -seeking comfort. - -Later, when the activist troubles became acute, the two daughters held -meetings even in the cabarets to urge loyalty to a united Belgium. They -believe that not one person in their entire village can be said to -have worked for the enemy, except when deported bodily, or otherwise -coerced. - -Somehow the years passed, and then one day, the 16th of September, -1917, bits of white paper fell like snow from the clouds. The family -rushed out to gather them and found Lord Northcliffe’s celebrated -posters, “The First Million,” representing a vast multitude on the -march, the statue of liberty in the background, the fields of France in -the foreground, and a continuous bridge of ships connecting them. This -snowfall was followed by others, and each brought hope. - -Finally, in October, 1918, the Germans, knowing the Allied Army of -Liberation was almost upon them, again pulled their guns up into the -château grounds, but in the final fighting, as in the earliest, the -house somehow escaped. - -[Illustration: WEDDING GIFT OF MR. HOOVER TO MRS. PAGE - -Executed in Venise and Flanders lace by 30 women working three months. -American eagles with outspread wings, protecting the Belgian Lion -enchained in the four corners] - -[Illustration: FLANDERS—NEEDLE MESH, BOBBIN FLOWERS] - -When I reached Herzele, in January, 1919, the wide park was beautiful -and still, green things were sprouting beneath the trees, there were a -few birds; to a stranger there was little evidence of the terrible -years. But inside, in the cold, unfinished hall, the electric cords -still dangled; everything was as the Belgian workmen had left it four -and a half years before. And in the single living-room at the left, -rudely furnished, but including through large windows the beauty of -the park, there were still the war-time desk and long table with the -piles of trousers and shirts at one end, and the rolls of white lace -at the other. I shook out a scarf of Duchesse de Bruxelles of flower -and leaf pattern, with insets in needle work, and several wide flounces -of Flanders lace, of the same pattern I had seen used in the charming -lamp-shades on sale in the Committee room at Brussels. There were also -rolls of Bruges, and Rosaline, Application, and Point d’Angleterre. - -[Illustration: VENISE LACE CENTER, BORDER OF VALENCIENNES - -Lace executed in Flanders by 40 women in two months; embroidery and -mounting in Brussels by four women in three months] - -[Illustration: VALENCIENNES, SQUARE MESH] - -As I examined them, Monsieur got out his records and discust the -future of his lace-workers. “I am convinced they will be happy to -continue in this district, if only they can be sure of a living wage. -And apart from other determining factors, to make that, they must -learn to execute laces of better quality. We need, above all, a school -which will offer along with its courses in practical lace-making, -training in design. During the war we had many beautiful designs from -the Committee, but each time we were cut off from them we realized -our helplessness. In one of the villages the patterns are drawn by a -furniture-maker. One reason for the wretched condition of the workers -before the war was their entire dependence on the particular lace -dealer who furnished them their patterns and their thread, and who, -of course, protected his models by copyright. The old, unprotected -designs, which may be copied by any one, are little in demand, and -during the process of generations of recopying, many of them have so -greatly deteriorated as to become scarcely recognizable. If our women -were trained they could restore these, and, what is more important, -some of them, at least, could invent new ones.” - -I asked what it would cost to found a school and support it during its -first year. “Perhaps 20,000 or 25,000 francs; we might hope that the -State would undertake such a work, but with its present overwhelming -burden, it is a question if the Government can occupy itself with -lace needs. If it could be started by private initiative, and prove -successful, I believe there is no doubt that the Government would be -willing later to subsidize it.” - -Madame brought a picture post-card from the mantel, of three brothers -who had been deported, two of whom had not returned. Other men were -drifting back from Metz, where most of the _déportés_ from Herzele -had been for over two and a half years, but these two would not -return, for they had been frozen to death. I understood at once, for -I remembered the sixty-five men with black arms and legs who had been -“returned” to the Brussels Hospital in 1917. “No”; Madame looked at -the portrait of her boy, with the Belgian colors above it and a vase -of flowers in front, and then again at the little post-card; “No,” -she said simply, “I have no desire yet to go to Brussels. I prefer to -remain here with my people, where we may still, from time to time, weep -together.” - - - - -XI - -GHENT - -_A Lace Queen of Long Ago_ - - -Of the cities I visited during three months’ continuous travel in -Belgium following the armistice, Ghent appeared to me to be attacking -her problems with greatest speed and vigor. Brave old Burgher city of -canals and mellow buildings and bell-towers, this Flemish capital is at -the same time an active, modern, commercial center; which explains why -Bruges has been able to win from her the title she once proudly held of -“Queen of Lace Cities.” - -The lace history of Ghent begins with the lace history of Belgium, in -the sixteenth century; but her great period dates from the seventeenth -century and the introduction of the epoch-making mesh of Valenciennes. -The activity of her women and girls, following the appearance of this -new lace, surpassed anything she had hitherto known; it was not long -before the music of 1,000,000 bobbins rose to meet the riotous pealing -of her bells. In the sixteenth century Malines had undisputed first -place in lace; Ghent now out-stript her. One wonders if part of the -fascination of this city for the men the United States sent there in -1814, to make peace with England, and who, after six months’ lingering, -had to be urged to return home, lay in its clicking bobbins and the -joyous garlands that blossomed under them. - -There is a portrait in the Hôtel de Ville, where one may see the -Empress Marie-Thérèse, wearing the marvelous Valenciennes and the -Needle Point robe presented to her by the Canton de Gand in 1743. And -scarcely more than a century later, in 1853, the city made its last -gift of similar magnificence—another robe, valued at 20,000 francs, -on which 80,000 bobbins were employed unceasingly during six months, -and this time offered to the Duchess of Brabant, Marie-Henriette. There -were no succeeding world-stirring gifts of lace because Ghent had begun -to think of other things, of industrial and commercial development, and -as she advanced in these, the art of lace-making declined, until to-day -it has ceased to exist. - -However, in the surrounding communes (the region counts fifty) there -are still perhaps 2,000 dentellières making most of the bobbin and -needle varieties, the best among them being Valenciennes, Flanders, -Duchesse, Needle Point, Bruges and Rosaline. The Comtesse de Bousies, -chairman of the Ghent Lace Committee during the war, did her best to -encourage the work in these outlying districts, and was able to help, -in addition, many needy women in the city itself. - -In 1917, for instance, Celine appeared at the office to ask for thread. -She was twenty years old, and before the war had been one of the -10,000 women employed in the linen spinning mills; her mother was ill -with tuberculosis, her father without work, and also ill; there were -five younger children. “I know I have not proper fingers,” she said, -as she held out her rough hands, “but if you will only promise I may -bring my lace, I believe I can learn.” The Committee believed this, -too, and because she worked with intelligence and with almost feverish -eagerness, she was soon assured the minimum wage of three francs a -week, and later the larger sums made possible with the Committee’s -success. Shortly before the armistice, the mother died, and only last -week Celine came again to the desk to ask anxiously if the Committee -could not somehow arrange, that even after they had disbanded, she -might continue to make lace. Her father had found a little work; she -wanted to remain at home where she might at least direct the younger -children, and she could, if only she were sure of her war-time -wage. Could not the Committee promise the sale of her laces? Often -repeated question during these courage-testing days, when emergency -organizations are breaking up, and poor women do not yet see what is to -replace them. - -Among the more important communes on the Ghent committee list, I found -Oosterzele, Baelegem, and Landsanter, all three producing a good -quality of Duchesse, Flanders, Needle Point and Venise, and counting -together about 160 lace-makers; Gysenzeele and Destelbergen, which make -fine Flanders, and Duchesse, Knesselars, with 250 Cluny workers; Asper -with 60 in Venise; the convents of Scheldewinkle and Eecke, the first -occupied with Venise, the second with Needle Point and Duchesse, which -it sells to an American house, and finally, the larger Deynze district, -including Vynck, Lootenhulle, Machelin, the Valenciennes convent school -at Ruysselede, and Bachte, with perhaps 400 lace-makers in all. - -I got my orientation for this last southern district from the Comtesse -d’Alcantara, who has been indefatigable in her double rôle of chairman -of Deynze and vice-chairman of the regional committee. Constantly -throughout the war, she might have been seen starting from the handsome -château at Bachte—one of the most imposing in Belgium—on bicycle or -on foot on her way to one of the lace villages, with thread and money -for the workers, or at night returning with the rolls of lace which she -had then to get to Ghent and from there to Brussels. The Germans never -succeeded in obstructing her work, nor that of her father and mother, -for their villagers and for the orphans of the entire region. Women -came between shells to bring laces. It was a moral help just to be able -to talk about their work. - -As I crossed the moat and passed under the archway, I saw the spot -where the last Allied shell exploded, killing nineteen Germans, while -the family and the 200 villagers in the cellars, where they had been -for two weeks, escaped unharmed. In fact, in all the Deynze country I -was in the midst of the destruction accompanying the final push of the -liberating army, and was vividly reminded of what would have happened -to the rest of Belgium had the armistice been further delayed. - -But already in the partially wrecked villages many of the women had -gone back to their cushions—their reason-saving cushions, for they -furnished practically the only employment to be had, and however small -the earnings, they at least insured a few francs a week, and best of -all they proved that something of the past persisted. - -In Vynck, a poor little town of 1,700 people, I found 40 -Valenciennes-makers, and heard that 100 young girls were being taught -at home by their mothers. I talked with two maiden sisters—one 68, the -other 72—whom I spied hidden behind a window-screen of potted plants, -working, with 450 bobbins each, on a kind of Valenciennes one finds -only on the cushions of the past generation. They could not repeat -often enough their gratitude to the Committee, which had been paying -them 44 francs ($8.80) a meter for their lace, so much more than they -had received before the war from the Courtrai facteur to whom they had -sold. They counted on making about five meters during the winter ($44 -worth), and they work from dawn sometimes till nine at night. - -In a neighboring house was a grandmother of eighty-one and her -granddaughter, and on the grandmother’s cushion such a covering and -re-covering of bobbins and lace, to keep them spotless. Over all she -had spread a large towel, beneath it a worn napkin, then a piece of -pink gingham, and below that two remnants of white and blue cloth, -and it seemed appropriate that the snowy treasure, Valenciennes, too, -should be revealed to me only after such a ceremony of unveiling as -this bent old woman of Vynck performed. - -I passed quickly through Lootenhulle with its 125 workers, who make, -among other varieties, good Duchesse and Rosaline; and Hansbeek, which -produces a superior Valenciennes; and Ruysselede, with its excellent -school for Valenciennes; to cross from the south to Destelbergen, which -lies almost directly east of Ghent. All the plain was white under the -first deep snow of winter, but to enjoy its loveliness one had to be -able to forget the torn roofs and fireless hearths. - -At Destelbergen I went at once to the atelier of Mme. Coppens, to -whom women of both France and Belgium send their old Applications and -spider-web meshes, for restoration. Before the war she employed seventy -expert lace-makers in her school, now she can depend on no more than -twenty—tho there are some 100 less skilful ones in the village. On -this particular January day the school was empty. As Mme. Coppens -received me, she said, “I regret, Madame, but I am without coal, and -without thread; I have been forced to close my work-room; however,” -she hesitated an instant, “if Madame does not object to coming into -the kitchen, she may yet see Stéphanie, the first lace-maker of the -village, at work.” - -[Illustration: FAN IN NEEDLE-POINT - -Executed by three women in six weeks. “Shields of the Allies,” design -drawn by M. Knoff for the Lace Committee] - -[Illustration: EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MARRIAGE VEIL IN NEEDLE-POINT, -BELONGING TO COMTESSE ELIZABETH D’OULTREMONT - -It would take 40 workers about a half year to copy this veil] - -Remembering the glistening shelves and floors of other Flemish -kitchens, I did not mind; happily not, for in the end Stéphanie was -more to me than many villages. She was bending over an immaculate -cushion, seventy-eight and unmarried, and all her person as -scrupulously neat as her cushion, from her odd little peaked black -crochet cap to the felt shoes she had made herself. She was weaving -the flat surfaces of a dainty French bouquet, and as I stept toward -her chair, looked up, delighted that some one was interested in what -she was making. When I picked up a Bruges collar on the nearby table -she tried in ejaculatory Flemish to make me understand, that even tho -she had made parts of it, she disowned the whole as unworthy the name -of lace, and she brought my eyes back to the delicate texture of the -leaves and petals on her cushion. - -I wished to know what Stéphanie was getting for a day’s work on -her fine bouquets. She has been making lace for seventy years, is -intelligent and quick, and her maximum wage is two cents an hour, a -franc for a day of ten hours. I asked about the future—she has thought -of that, not without anxiety, and is providing at seventy-eight for -what she calls “old age” by trying hard to put by two cents a week. -Madame C. has been kind to her, and gives her as much freedom and -comfort as she can offer; for instance, when Stéphanie was ill for -three days last week, she did not deduct her wages. She would gladly -double her pay, or triple it, for she realizes there are few like -Stéphanie left, but the Paris firm to whom she sells pays so little -for her lace that she has never been able to offer more than a franc a -day. “If I could give two francs, I could quickly gather a company of -1,000 contented lace-makers, I am certain,” she said. “But when my old -workers fall ill or die, I find no young girls willing to come to me; -they prefer the twenty francs a week they can make picking wool. When -Stéphanie goes, I shall have no single artist to replace her.” “_C’est -un vrai cœur de dentelle_” (she is a true heart of lace), she said -affectionately, as she patted her on the shoulder. - -And then she went to fetch a cardboard box and I took a chair by the -table, to watch her unfold what it might contain. She spread three -beautiful widths of Application on blue paper so that I might better -see the tiny bouquets and scattered buds and leaves that blossomed -from the fine quality of machine-made tulle; all these had come from -Stéphanie’s bobbins, and she was having difficulty to continue at her -cushion because of her eagerness to explain them. They were French -designs, as their charming lines had made me suspect. In the box -with the Application were two rolls of Point d’Angleterre, the lace -one finds rarely at present. We held the first one, a length of four -meters, six inches wide, against the light, and then Stéphanie could -sit still no longer; she knew something about this piece, for she -had made its first flower in 1911, and not finished its last until -the war was half over. She pointed out the spaces where a special -needle-worker had introduced almost microscopic open stitches into her -leaves and blooms to give them even greater airiness, and showed how -almost impossible it would have been to execute these needle-stitches -with bobbins; and how difficult is the stitch made with a special -crochet-hook required for the raised veins and outlines (brodes) of -the petals and leaves, since the hook must catch and attach the thread -each time beneath the surface. Finally, a needle-worker, again, as is -always the case in Point d’Angleterre, had spun the clear web between -the flowers, uniting them all into the finished flounce. Stéphanie -pointed to a single detail. “It took me five days to make that tiny -bouquet, and the needle-worker one and a half days more to add the open -stitches.” - -Since the snow-covered roads made traveling extremely hazardous, I -decided that I could not stop longer, no matter how absorbing the -Applications and Points d’Angleterre, or how endearing the personality -and contagious the enthusiasm of Stéphanie. I said “Good-by,” -explaining that I had yet that day to visit the needle-lace school at -Zele, twenty kilometers away. - - - - -XII - -ZELE - -_Stéphanie Visits the Trade Union Lace School_ - - -But I was not to have to part with Stéphanie. When her Flemish ears -gathered from my French that I was starting for Zele and the school -founded three years ago, which had been the talk of the region ever -since, her eyes fairly spoke her eager desire. Seventy-eight and -earning twenty cents a day, and yet consumed by a love for her art (for -with her, lace-making is a true art), and a passion to learn more about -it! I asked Mme. Coppens if Stéphanie might not come along in the car. -In answer she began bustling about, tears in her eyes, to help get her -ready, and Stéphanie in her odd little woolen cap could scarcely tie -her long black-hooded cape because she was constantly throwing up her -hands, and exclaiming, and pressing them together, as she tried to make -me understand that in all her seventy-eight years she had only twice -ridden in a wagon and never had she dreamed of being in an automobile -before she died. What would the neighbors say? We bundled her into the -corner of the car and were off, but she could not sit still, leaning -forward to exclaim over the beauty of the snow, or a windmill, or the -children skating in their sabots, or huddling down to cover her face -with her hands in swift shyness if some one had seemed to see her; no -spirit was ever so bubbling and gay and eager and timid all at once as -Stéphanie’s as we rode through the snow toward Zele. - -Nor so patient as hers after we arrived; for instead of going to the -school, I had to leave her in the car while I went to the house of the -director, Dr. Armand Rubbens, unfortunately ill with rheumatism, who -is not only the founder of the school but the inspiration of all the -unusual accomplishments of the lace-workers of this town, where his -father is Burgomaster. After her long wait, Stéphanie’s only comment as -she looked a little fearfully at the gathering dusk, was: “It is not -yet too late to see the school.” - -Inside, Dr. Rubbens, who since taking his university degree has not -been strong enough to follow his profession, and has devoted himself -to the 800 lace-workers of his district, explained the organization of -the Zele “Trade Union Lace School,” founded three years ago and the -only one of its kind in Belgium. I felt, as he talked, that he was -reproducing in miniature a Henry Ford plant, and when I told him this, -he smiled. “I begin to think I should see one of Mr. Ford’s factories, -for in reading an account of his system in the Paris _Matin_ last week, -I was astonished at the number of his ideas I had incorporated.” - -The fifty advanced workers in the atelier (there are 140 apprentices) -share the profit of the lace sales in proportion to their wages, and -own part of the stock of the union. The best workers of this group -make twenty-five centimes an hour, or two and a half francs (fifty -cents) a day of eight hours, the highest pay I know of, so far, -gained by a lace-maker. The girls may go four hours each week to a -school of domestic science, without losing pay; there are illness and -pension funds, and other provisions for the health and protection of -the members of the school. Dr. Rubbens has seemed to accept every -opportunity as a privilege. - -[Illustration: AT WORK ON DETAILS OF A NEEDLE-POINT SCARF TO BE -PRESENTED TO QUEEN ELIZABETH] - -[Illustration: NEEDLE LACE CLASS-ROOM IN THE TRADE UNION LACE SCHOOL AT -ZELE] - -I looked over the files and photographs and records, for even tho Zele -is a remote town of but 6,000 inhabitants, this wide-awake director has -made it provide for him a better set of records and announcement and -advertising cards (some of them in English) than I have seen anywhere -else in Belgium. While I was inspecting the books, he opened a chest -and spread on the table a finished model from his school—a Needle -Point scarf or veil, sown with marguerites and varied by a bewildering -succession of open-work stitches, each seemingly more exquisite than -the preceding and some of them invented for this particular veil. The -needle-workers who had made it had given about 9,000 hours to its -flowers and gauze, and it would bring 3,000 francs to the Trade Union -treasury. - -[Illustration: NEEDLE-POINT ILLUSTRATION FOR THE FABLE OF THE FOX AND -THE GRAPES] - -[Illustration: IN THE ZELE LACE SCHOOL; JOINING DETAILS OF THE -NEEDLE-POINT SCARF PRESENTED TO QUEEN ELIZABETH] - -I felt that I must fetch Stéphanie to see this, but Dr. Rubbens advised -hurrying now to the school, where there was something still more -beautiful to be seen—the scarf just completed that will be presented -to Queen Elizabeth, and so far the _chef-d’œuvre_ of the Zele -lace-makers. I told Stéphanie about it on our way through the village. - -Once arrived, we went directly to the most advanced class, where -Stéphanie might find most to interest her. The young women were at work -on Needle Point collars and medallions, a series of tableaux from the -legend of the Fox and the Grapes, and she was all eyes and ears as she -went eagerly from chair to chair, trying to see what these girls had -been taught that she had missed learning, and to add to her lore, if -she could. I believe it is only in such a modern school as this that -an outsider would have been allowed to examine, as Stéphanie did, the -stitches and patterns, for the tradition of the locked door and the -carefully guarded secret still prevails in the lace word. - -I was impatient to see the school’s masterpiece, the royal scarf, and -it was now brought from the safe and held before us by three young -women, as the directress led us from point to point in the airy mesh -spun between its rose garlands and medallions. On either side of the -center medallion, the arms of Belgium, were two others, in which human -figures symbolized cities the war has made immortal. For Nieuport a -fisher-maiden stood on the shore with her basket, and about her the -net took up a cockleshell motif; Poperinghe had the graceful hop-vine -as its device; for Furnes there was a dairy-maid with her churn in -the midst of blossoming butter flowers; while Ypres was represented -by a beautiful Flamande sitting before a lace cushion heaped with -bobbins—countless stitches, occupying 12,000 hours, and the entire -weight 125 grammes! And yet, at the end, Stéphanie tilted her dear old -head and said: “Nevertheless, Madame, for the Queen, I should have -made the mesh yet finer.” - -This Trade Union is in a sense a professional school, since it -teaches design, but there is the weak spot in an otherwise remarkable -achievement. The designs executed by Dr. Rubbens and the school are -often the kind that have led foreign lace-buyers to order through -Paris, which could furnish the drawings, rather than direct from -Belgium. They lack the lightness and grace that lace designs should -unfailingly possess, just the qualities which the Friends of Lace have -done so much to encourage and cultivate. If Dr. Rubbens can see his way -to follow their suggestions, or to employing a French teacher, there -seems no limit to what he may accomplish. - -He is now attempting to establish a true needle-lace Normal School, -which will offer courses in commerce, English, history, and all the -branches necessary to a complete lace education. This will supplement -the instruction of the Bruges bobbin-lace Normal, already well under -way. He holds that the teaching of the fine needle points is more -tedious and difficult than the teaching of the bobbin points, and that -it takes more years to become expert in needle laces than in others. - -On the way home, Stéphanie asked what she might do for me. “You may -pray for me, if you wish, Stéphanie.” She was silent a moment. “But, -Madame, should I not make a pilgrimage to Lourdes for you? On one of my -trips in the wagon, I saw the sea, and for three years after that the -sea was every day just before my eyes. And to-day will remain until I -die just in front of my eyes. Madame, should I not go to Lourdes for -you?” - - - - -APPENDIX - -[Illustration: Map showing important lace areas in 1919, especially -prepared for this volume by the Brussels Lace Committee. - -The size of the circles indicates the approximate geographical extent -of lace-making activity, and has no reference to the quality produced. - -The finest varieties are made in the areas indicated by circles 3 -(noted for Valenciennes, Bruges, Cluny), 4 (Bruges, Valenciennes, -Cluny), 11 (Duchesse, Application, Rosaline), 15 (Maline, Pt. de Paris, -Pt. de Lille, Binche). - -Second quality, circles 5 (Val., Cluny), 6 (Val., Bruges, Cluny), 7 -(Duchesse, Needle Point, Val., Cluny), 9 (Point d’Hollande, Val., -Venise, Needle Point, Cluny). - -Third quality, circles 8 (Duchesse, Needle Point), 12 (Venise Needle -Point, Duchesse, Chantilly), 10 (Bruges, Duchesse, Val., Cluny), 14 -(Needle Point, Application), 13 (Cluny, Torchon), 16 (Cluny). - -The least important laces are found in regions 17 (Venise, filet), 18 -(filet, Torchon), 19 (Point de Paris, Chantilly).] - -[Illustration: _a._ Pattern] - -[Illustration: _b._ Worker’s piqure made from pattern] - - - - -APPENDIX - -_With Drawings by the Directrice of the Brussels School of Design, Mme. -Lucie Paulis_ - - -From the point of view of technique, all laces are divided into two -groups; laces made with the needle, and laces made with bobbins. - - -_I.—Laces Made with the Needle_ - -All needle lace is executed in the same manner. First, the design of -the whole is divided into details sufficiently small to allow of their -being easily held and turned by the worker. The design of each of these -details is reproduced on a special kind of black paper by means of tiny -pricked holes that follow all its lines. - -The lace worker sews this pattern (or _piqure_) to a piece of double -white cloth, which gives it solidity. She is then ready to begin the -_tracé_ or outlining process. A strand of two or three threads is -appliquéd along all the contours of the pattern by means of a very fine -needle and very fine thread, which catches the cloth below the black -paper, passing and repassing through each of the holes of the pattern, -thus holding the outlining strand in a sort of embrace. When all the -contours of the drawing have been traced, the second part of the work -begins, the execution of the points that are to fill in the spaces. - -[Illustration: _c._ The outlining or tracing cord] - -All the points or stitches of needle lace are loops, simple or twisted, -formed by a needle carrying a single thread. (The worker holds the -needle with the base instead of the point, forward.) The first row of -loops is attached to the threads of the outlining strand. Arriving at -the extremity of the space she is working, the lace-maker begins a -second row of loops running in the opposite direction, attaching each -loop to the corresponding loop of the first row. At the end of this -row she fastens it to the outlining strand by one or two stitches and -starts on the third row, repeating this operation until her space is -completely covered. - -The _points_ or stitches most frequently employed are: - - 1. The plat (sketch d), or stitch which forms the flat woven parts, - which can be more or less tightly drawn, and serves for all the - opaque parts of the lace. It is made by simple loops, each row being - consolidated by means of a stretched thread as illustrated in the - sketch. - -[Illustration: _d._ Stitch for the _plat_ or surface] - -[Illustration: _e._ Stitch one] - - 2. The _jours_ or open-work stitches. Among the fantasy stitches - employed in the jours are: - - [Illustration: _f._ Mirror stitch] - - _a._ The _point one_, or stitch one, (sketch e.) - - There exists also a stitch _two_, and stitch _three_, which differ in - the number of loops forming the group. - -_b._ The _mirror_ stitch (sketch f.) and a kind of _ball_ stitch -(sketch g.), and lastly the famous extremely transparent _point de -gaze_, or gauze stitch (sketch h.), which constitutes the mesh of the -popular Brussels lace. - -[Illustration: _g._ Ball stitch] - -All the surfaces having been covered, the lace is further embellished -by the confection of _brodes_, or firm outlining cords around the -filled-in spaces, which produce a more or less striking effect of -relief in needle laces. This _brode_ (sketch i), is made of a strand of -fine or heavier threads, appliquéd as was the original strand outlining -the pattern spaces, and then beautifully covered by the buttonhole -stitch. When the brode is well made, the buttonhole stitches follow -closely, touching side by side. - -[Illustration: _h._ Gauze mesh stitch] - -Many differing little details which help to give to needle lace its -richness and brilliancy (balls, rings, etc.), are also varieties of -brodes, and are made for the most part in the buttonhole stitch. The -bars forming the base of Venise lace are made in this way. - -The execution of the brodes is the final work in needle lace. After -they are finished, the lace detail is detached from the underlying -pattern by cutting the thread between the black paper and supporting -cloth, the fine thread which in the beginning attached the outlining -strand. There remains only to join the separate details of the pattern -by a very fine stitch called the _point invisible_. - -[Illustration: _i._ Brode, buttonhole stitch] - -The varieties of needle laces are: - - _a._ Venise (_fond_ or base composed of _brides_ or bars). - - _b._ Reticella (Venise lace of geometric design and made without - brodes or outlining relief cords). - - _c._ Rose Point (Venise with a design of fine branches and tendrils). - - _d._ Brussels Point or Needle Point (very fine lace in which a gauze - mesh replaces the bars employed in Venise). - - -_II.—Bobbin Lace_ - -Bobbin laces fall under two groups: (1) Those made with cut threads, -and (2) those made with continuous threads. - -1. Laces made with cut threads, or of repeated details, are executed -on a round cushion, which can be easily turned and they require but a -limited number of bobbins (generally not more than two dozen). They -may be said to be composed essentially of a braid which grows wider -or narrower as it follows all the variations of the pattern, and is -interrupted as often as is necessary. - -The parts in process of operation are attached to those already -finished by veritable running knots made with the aid of a little -crochet needle, a tool absolutely indispensable to the making of this -kind of lace. The design of the whole is divided into portions so small -that they cover only the middle of the cushion. It is necessary to have -all around the detail, space for the bobbins, each of which carries a -thread about four inches long. - -[Illustration: _j._ Bobbins used in making Belgian laces - - _1_, _2_ and _3_ Valenciennes - _4_ and _5_ Malines] - -[Illustration: _j._ Bobbins used in making Belgian laces - - _6_ Malines - _7_ Point de Paris - _8_ Application - _9_ Torchon - _10_ Duchesse] - -[Illustration: _k._ A pattern for bobbin lace, with l, m, n, the braids -in which it must be executed] - -Each fragment is traced on a dark blue paper or _patron_ on which -the place for the pins is not indicated (sketch k.). The lace-maker -pins this blue paper to the middle of her cushion, covering the whole -with a piece of dark blue linen which has a hole in the middle large -enough to leave free the part of the pattern actually being worked. The -lace already finished is thus protected. She then places a pin on -the spot where she decides to begin, attaching the necessary number of -bobbins and starts to weave as a weaver does, first from right to left, -then from left to right, carrying the two bobbins holding the threads -forming the woof (_trame_) successively above and below the threads -forming the warp (_chaine_). Each time all of the threads of the warp -have been crossed by the threads of the woof, she places a pin, and -now the two woof threads caught by this pin lead back to the opposite -side. She turns her cushion according to the direction of the braid -she is executing, so that the threads forming the warp always fall -vertically. - -[Illustration: _l._ A braid which forms the _toile_] - -[Illustration: _m._ A _grillé_ braid] - -[Illustration: _n._ A braid of 4 threads] - -The fundamental stitch in these laces and that which forms the greatest -part of the braids is the _point de toile_, or _toile_ (sketch 1.). -Certain open stitches are also employed, the most common being the -_grillé_ or half-stitch (sketch m.). - -The different varieties of bobbin laces made with cut threads, or in -repeated pieces are: - - _a._ Bruges, the flowers are united by brides or bars that are braided - with four threads (sketch n.). - - _b._ Duchesse (made only with fine thread, loosely worked and - producing a not particularly pleasing result). - - _c._ Rosaline (an imitation with bobbins of Rose Point. Brodes, or - raised outlines made with the needle, give it relief). - - _d._ Flanders (in this lace the base of brides or bars is replaced by - a net mesh base executed with a needle). - - _e._ Application (the flowers, executed like those of Bruges are sewed - upon tulle). - -2. Lace made with uncut or continuous threads. Laces of this group are -executed on a stationary cushion. The design, before it can be used by -the worker, must pass through the hands of a _piqueuse_, or interpreter, -who prepares what is called the patron or pattern (sketch o), that -is to say, determines in advance the places where the pins destined -to hold the threads, must be placed (sketch of a piqure, p.). This -work of the piqueuse demands great skill and infinite patience. Upon -her interpretation will depend the aspect of the lace, for the worker -follows her indications rigidly. This pattern is pricked on a supple -and resistant cardboard (in olden times it was made on parchment) and -is pinned to the cushion with the selvage of the lace at the left. The -worker then attaches to a row of pins placed all across the top of the -pattern, the threads which she will need, often many hundreds. - -[Illustration: _o._ Pattern from which piqure is made] - -[Illustration: _p._ Piqure] - -Now she commences her work, braiding, twisting, intercrossing the -threads in diverse ways, and placing a pin each time the threads must -be held in a position which they can not retain without the aid of a -fixt support. When she arrives at the bottom of her pattern, with great -care she takes out all the pins, and lifts her work to the top of the -pattern, replacing the pins so that the lace will be kept absolutely -regular. She then recommences her work of braiding or weaving, -repeating the same operation till the length of lace she must make is -finished. The patterns are usually about a foot long. - -[Illustration: _q._ Valenciennes mesh] - -The bobbin laces made with continuous thread comprise: - - _a._ Cluny and - _b._ Laces with a mesh base: - 1. Valenciennes, - 2. Binche, - 3. Malines, - 4. Point de Paris, - 5. Point de Lille, - 6. Chantilly. - -The varieties in Group _b_ may truly be called woven lace, because they -contain a veritable tissue in which, tho the threads are combined in -such a way as to produce more or less open effects, the opaque parts -are woven regularly, that is as linen is woven. The pattern of the mesh -of each of these laces is different. - - Valenciennes (sketch q.). - Binche (sketch r and s.). - Malines (sketch t.). - Point de Paris (sketch u.). - Point de Lille (sketch v.). - -Further, Malines, Chantilly, Point de Lille, and Point de Paris are -characterized by the presence of the _bourdon_, or heavy thread, -slightly twisted, outlining all the details of the design. - -Grammont, or Chantilly lace, is usually made of black silk thread. -The mesh is the same as that of Point de Lille. In it the toile is -replaced by the grillé, which adds greatly to the lightness of the -effect. - -[Illustration: _r._ Binche mesh] - -N. B.—To be understood technically, all these laces made with -continuous thread should be considered from the point of view of -the place they occupy on the cushion of the worker: They are held -vertically with the selvage at the left. - -[Illustration: _s._ Mesh of “snow-ball” pattern, used in Binche] - -It is necessary to mention with these laces, Torchon, the most common -of all, which has little artistic value, and has entered more and more -into the domain of the machine. Torchon base (sketch w.). - -[Illustration: _t._ Malines mesh] - -[Illustration: _u._ Point de Paris mesh] - -[Illustration: _v._ Point de Lille mesh] - -[Illustration: _w._ Torchon base] - -[Illustration: _x._ Picot] - -[Illustration: _y._ Cluny pattern] - -Group _A._—Cluny laces demand great ingenuity in execution. The most -simple are made entirely by braiding in such a way as to produce an -effect of interlacing (sketch y.). The braids are formed of four -threads; when the interlacing is more important they become more -complicated. At times the braids group themselves to form the flat -surface or toile which later will resolve again into braids. They -unite and part, sometimes dividing into strands (brides) of two -threads according to the lines of the design. This design should be -absolutely precise. And since in it the future employment of each -thread must be constantly foreseen, it is quite impossible to compose -a Cluny lace pattern without a knowledge of the technique of that lace -(sketch y). - -[Illustration: _z._ Interpreted Torchon pattern] - -[Illustration: Completed lace] - -Sometimes the general name guipure is given to Cluny, as well as to all -laces made with continuous thread which have not a mesh base. - - - - -INDEX - - - Aerseele, 110 - - Albert King, 194 - - Alcantara, Comtesse d’, 252 - - Alençon (town), 31 - - Alençon lace, 38, 132 - - Allard, Mme. Josse, 169, 172, 209 - - Alost, Lace region of, 149, 169ff, 224 - Spinneries of, 82 - - America, Aid from, 17, 235, 236 - Lace buyer of, 252 - Laces displayed in, 40 - - Americans in Ghent, 248 - - Amies de la Dentelle, Convent subsidized by, 218 - Lace quality conservation by, 100, 272 - Prices under, 103 - School reforms under, 15 - War committee, see Brussels Lace Committee - - Antik lace, see Flanders, Old - - Antwerp, Old Flanders in, 115 - Port of, 30, 166 - Province of, 146 - - Application lace, 226, 241 - Areas producing, 277 - Bobbins for, 289 - Lacets for, 171 - Method of making, 221ff, 292 - Restoration of, 256 - Tulle base for, 41, 259 - - Ardois, 109 - - Argentin lace, 38 - - Arras, 31 - - Asper, 252 - - - Bachte, 252 - - Baelegem, 251 - - Bailleul, 34 - Devastation of, 36 - - Bayeux, 131 - - Beernem, 123 - - Béguinage of Bruges, 154ff - of Ghent, 155 - - Berraly’s convent, Abbé, 53ff - - Beth, Thread firm of, 81 - - Bethune, Baron de, 85 - - Beughem, Vicomtesse de, 17, 127, 169 - - Binche lace, 115, 150, 152, 166 - Areas producing, 277 - Mesh designs, 297, 298 - Method of making, 40, 296 - - Bixio, M., 27 - - Blonde lace, 40 - Method of making, 134 - - Bobbin lace, 37 - Areas producing, 97ff, 144ff - Method of making, 39, 287ff - Teaching, 161 - Varieties of, 39, 40, 292, 296 - - Bousies, Comtesse de, 249 - - Brabant, Lace area of, 215ff - Province of, 146 - - Bruges (town), 30, 51, 87, 91, 124, 247 - Lace region of, 143ff - Lace Normal School of, 76, 100 - - Bruges lace, 241, 249, 257 - Areas producing, 143ff, 277 - Collars and cuffs, 113 - Duchesse, 40, 149, 150, 152 - Method of making, 292 - Old, 109 - Point de, 104 - Rosaline and, 226ff - - Bruggen, Mme. Van der, 123 - - Brussels (town), 19, 21, 85, 204, 210, 216, 217, 232, 241, 253 - German “Lace Control” in, 122 - Museum, 26, 42, 86 - Point d’Angleterre in, 223 - School of Design, 76, 165, 279 - - Brussels lace, - Duchesse, 40, 237, 241 - Point, 39, 179, 182, 283, 286 - Method of making Brussels Point, 286 - - Brussels Lace Committee, 127, 148, 151, 195 - Agency, purchasing and sales, 108, 116, 174, 182, 206, - 210, 225, 237, 241 - Designs of, 58, 193, 242 - Educational aims of, 56, 75, 115 - German interference with, 123, 238 - Improvements through, 36, 53, 121 - Map of lace areas, 276 - Origin and purpose of, 15ff - Personnel of, 17 - Prices paid by, 103, 112, 123, 124, 254 - Representatives of, 105, 118, 149, 236, 252 - Thread supply for, 82, 88 - - Burano lace, 39 - - Bysance, 26 - - - Calais, 35, 172 - - Celine, 250 - - Chantilly lace, 40, 205 - Areas producing, 127ff, 277 - Method of making, 296 - - Cinquantenaire Museum, 26, 42, 86 - - Claterna, Ancient bobbins of, 27 - - Cluny lace, 28, 44, 89, 94, 98, 111, 118, 123, 149, - 150, 152, 162, 225, 237, 251 - Areas producing, 277 - Designs, 302 - Duty on, 90 - Guipures of, 99, 103, 104, 113, 149 - Method of making, 39, 296, 302, 304 - - Coates, Thread firm of, 82 - - Cock, Gillemont de, 148, 166 - - Colbert, 31 - - Colette, 179 - - Collart, M., 17 - - Comité National, Cooperation of, 16, 17, 19 - Relief work of, 216, 235 - - Commission for Relief in Belgium, 120, 236 - Cooperation of, 16, 19, 135 - - Compagnie des Indes, 17 - - Convents, Lace-making - Bruges, 149 - Cruyshautem, 202 - Eecke, 252 - Erembodeghem, 189ff - Heckelgem, 215ff - Kerxken, 173 - Liedekerke, 218ff - Opbrakel, 201ff - Ruysselede, 252, 255 - Scheldewinkle, 252 - Thielt, 105, 110 - Turnhout, 53ff - - Coppens, Mme., 256ff, 265 - - Courtrai lace region, 79ff - - Cox, Thread firm of, 81 - - Cruyshautem convent, 202 - - Cuseners, Mme., 129 - - - Designs of various laces, 278ff - - Destelbergen, 224, 251, 256 - - Deynze district, 252, 253 - - Dixmude, 87, 143 - - Duchesse lace, 98, 123, 163, 249, 251, 252, 255 - Areas producing, 277 - Bobbins for, 289 - Bruges, 40, 149, 150, 152 - Brussels, 40, 237, 241 - Guipures, 99 - Method of making, 292 - - - Eecke convent, 252 - - Egypt, 26 - - Elizabeth, Queen, 17 - Laces for, 38, 193ff, 270ff - Patronage of, 15 - - England, 30 - Thread from, 19, 82 - Tulle from, 35 - - Erembodeghem, 185, 210 - Lace region of, 189ff - - - Flanders (district), Lace industry in 30, 43ff, 146 - - Flanders lace, 41, 99, 163, 237, 241, 251 - Details of, 224, 114ff - Guipures of, 113 - Method of making, 292 - Old, 40, 111, 114ff, 150, 152, 166, 225 - - France, History of lace in, 30ff - - Franciscaine Sisters, 173ff, 189ff, 201ff - - Friends of Lace, see Amies de la Dentelle - - Furnes, 87, 271 - - - Gand, Canton de, 248 - - German depredations, 51, 59, 80, 82ff, 88, 231 - facteurs, 88, 119 - interference with lace workers, 18, 105, 110, 119, - 120ff, 157ff, 174, 190, 219, 237ff - “Lace Control,” 20, 120ff - - Ghent, 30, 87, 143, 147 - Béguinage of, 155 - Lace Committee, 249ff - Lace region of, 247ff - Spinneries of, 82 - - Graeht, Baron van der, 105, 108, 114 - Mlle. van der, 105 - - Grammont, Chantilly lace region, 127ff, 206, 296 - - Greeks, 26 - - Grenadine d’Alays, 139 - - Groothuis museum, 151 - - Gulleghem, 92 - - Gysenzeele, 251 - - - Hainaut, Province of, 146 - - Haltaert, 170 - - Hansbeek, 255 - - Hebrews, 26 - - Heckelgem convent, 215ff - - Henry, Mrs. Bayard, 92 - - Herzele lace region, 231ff - - Holland, 30 - Lace for Queen of, 207 - - Hoover, Herbert C., 18 - Mrs. Herbert C., 193 - - Hours of lace workers, 65ff 111ff 217, 228, 255, 268 - - - Imitations, 17, 41, 171, 183 - of Chantilly, 132, 138 - of Point d’Angleterre, 221 - - Import duty on lace, 90 - - Ireland, Thread from, 82 - - Iseghem, 98 - - Italy, 15, 36 - Ancient bobbins in, 27 - History of lace in, 29 - - - Kefer-Mali, Mme., 17, 42, 215, 221 - - Kerxken lace region, 169ff, 224 - - Knesselars, 251 - - - Lace areas, List and Map of, 276ff - History of, 25ff - Methods of making, 279ff - Schools, 146, 147, 242ff - Amies de la Dentelle and, 15ff, 76 - Chantilly, 129, 131 - Convent, 53ff 105, 149ff, 177, 190ff, 205ff, 215, 218ff, 252 - Coppens’, 256 - Normal, 100, 110ff, 152, 156ff, 273 - Trade Union, 265ff - Varieties of, see Bobbin lace and Needle lace - - Landsanter, 251 - - Liedekerke lace region, 215ff - - Liedt’s collection, Baron, 151 - - Lille, 30, 34 - - Lootenhulle, 252, 255 - - Louis XIII, 32 - - Louis XIV, 31, 32, 33 - - Louis Philippe, 35 - - Lys River valley flax, 30, 79ff - - - Machelin, 252 - - Maertens, Professor, 148, 156 - - Maldeghem, 149 - - Malines (town) 30, 86, 248 - - Malines lace, 40, 100 - Areas producing, 277 - Bobbins for, 288, 289 - Mesh design, 299 - Method of making, 73ff, 296 - Old laces, 86 - Point de Lille and, 71, 72 - - Map of lace areas, 276 - - Margharita of Italy, Queen, 15 - - Maria Loop, 110 - - Marie Antoinette, 33 - - Marie-Henriette, Duchess of Brabant, 249 - - Marie-Thérèse, Empress, 248 - - Menin, 87 - - Mercier, Cardinal, 239 - Malines lace of, 75 - - Milan lace, 104 - Guipure of, 114 - - Mullie, Mlle., 87, 89, 90 - - Museum, Brussels, 26, 42, 86 - Courtrai, 85 - Groothuis, 151 - - - Needle lace, 37ff, 201, 206, 208ff, 273 - Method of making, 279ff - Varieties of, 38ff, 286 - - Needle Point lace, 44, 99, 162, 169, 189, 202, 223, - 248, 249, 251, 252, 269, 270 - Areas producing, 277 - Method of making, 178ff, 286 - - New York, 90 - - Nieuport, 87, 143, 271 - - Ninove, 128 - Spinneries of, 82 - - Northcliffe’s posters, Lord, 240 - - - Oedelem, 123 - - Oostcamp, 123, 149 - - Oosterzele, 251 - - Opbrakel convent, 189, 201ff - - Oultremont, Comtesse Elizabeth d’, 17 - - - Paisley spinneries, 82 - - Parc, Comte du, 231ff - Mme. du, 231ff - - Paris lace market, 69, 90, 196, 223 - - Paulis, Mme. Lucie, 165, 279 - - Peat, Thread firm of, 93, 134 - - Persia, 26 - - Pittham, 109 - - Point d’ Alençon, 132 - d’Angleterre, 181, 221, 241, 260 - Method of making, 40, 223ff - de Bruges, 104 - de Flanders, 224ff - de Gaze, 179, 283 - d’Hollande, 72 - Areas producing, 277 - de Lille, 40 - Areas producing, 277 - Mesh design, 300 - Method of making, 71, 296 - de Milan, 104 - de Paris, 40, 134 - Areas producing, 277 - Bobbins for, 289 - Mesh design, 299 - Method of making, 62, 296 - Various uses of, 69, 71 - de Venise, see Venetian Point - - Pompadour, Marquise de, 33 - - Poperinghe, 87, 271 - - Prices paid for lace, 88, 103, 117, 183, 196, 217, 254 - - Prices paid for supplies, 88, 93 - - Priestess of Hathor, 27 - - Puy, Thread firm of, 93 - - - Reims, 31 - - Reticella, 286 - - Retreats, 154ff - - Rippenhausen, Freiherr von, 121 - - Robertine, Sœur, 174ff, 197 - - Rond mesh, 91 - - Roose, Mme., 151 - - Rosalie, 217 - - Rosaline lace, 40, 152, 221, 223, 237, 241, 249, 255 - Areas producing, 277 - Method of making, 226ff, 292 - - Rose point lace, 39, 195, 292 - Method of making, 286 - - Rubbens, Dr. Armand, 162, 267ff - - Rudder, M. de, 193 - - Rulant, Adele, 172 - - Russian lace, 163 - - Ruysselede, 110, 252, 255 - - Ryeland, Mme., 149 - - - St. Andre, 149 - - St. Croix, 149 - - St. Michel, 149, 153 - - St. Pierre des Calais, 132 - - Scheldewinkle convent, 252 - - Schools, see Lace schools - - Sedan, 31 - - Sharlaecken, Mme., 17 - - Sicily, 30 - - Sidonie, 178 - - Sister A., 190ff - - Sister M., 220ff - - Sister S., 195 - - Slock, Mlle., 118 - - Spain, Blonde lace for, 40, 134 - - Stéphanie, 257ff, 265ff - - Stoop, M. de, 79, 84 - - Syria, 26 - - Syssele, 149 - - - Thielt lace region, 97ff - - Thourout lace region, 97ff - - Torchon lace, 40, 94, 99, 150, 152, 298 - Areas producing, 277 - Bobbins for, 289 - Designs of, 301, 303 - Teaching of, 162 - - Turnhout, 43, 135, 143, 144, 165 - Lace region of, 49ff - - - Union Patriotique des Femmes Belges, 17 - - - Valenciennes (town), 30, 34, 147 - - Valenciennes lace, 31, 40, 85, 89, 94, 99, 102, 105, - 123, 149, 150, 151, 152, 155, 156, 163, 166, 248, 249 - Areas producing, 79ff, 87, 277 - Bobbins for, 288 - Duty on, 90 - Mesh, 27, 41, 71, 90 - Mesh design, 295 - Method of making, 296 - Prices paid for, 254ff - School for, 110, 252 - - Values of lace, 31, 88, 90, 225, 269 - See also Prices - - Van Hoeimessen, Curé, 176 - - Venetian Point lace, 206 - Medallions, 192, 210 - Varieties of, 39 - See also Venise - - Venice, 29, 30, 144, 206 - - Venise lace, 39, 169, 182, 189, 216, 237, 251, 252 - Areas producing, 277 - Method of making, 178, 192, 285, 286 - “Queen’s Cloth” of, 193ff - - Vynck, 252, 254 - - - Wages paid lace workers, 44, 65, 73, 89, 92, 110, 112ff, - 124, 172, 218, 228, 250, 258, 268 - - Wevelghem, 92 - - Whitlock, Mrs. Brand, 16 - - Wynghene lace region, 97ff - Burgomaster of, 118 - - - Ypres, 36, 87, 90, 143, 271 - - - Zele, Lace school at, 76, 162, 265ff - - - - -WOMEN _of_ BELGIUM - -TURNING TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH - -_A Book of Gripping Human Interest_ - -By CHARLOTTE KELLOGG - -An absorbingly interesting narrative of personal experience by the only -woman member of the Relief Commission, who tells in moving language the -story of the unbreakable spirit sustaining the Belgians and the noble -service the Belgian women have rendered and inspired in a land made -desolate by war. - -Introduction by HERBERT C. HOOVER, - -_Chairman, Commission for Relief in Belgium_ - - To quote from Mr. Hoover’s own foreword: “The soul of Belgium received - a grievous wound, but the women of Belgium are staunching the flow, - sustaining and leading this stricken nation to greater strength and - greater life. We of the Relief have been proud of the privilege to - place the tools in the hands of these women and have watched their - skilful use and their improvement in method with hourly admiration.... - Mrs. Kellogg has done more than record in simple terms passing - impressions of the varied facts of the work of these women, for she - spent months in loving sympathy with them. We offer her little book - as our, and Mrs. Kellogg’s tribute in admiration of them and the - inspiration which they have contributed to this whole organization.” - -_12mo, cloth, $1.00; by mail, $1.12._ - - -_What Leading Periodicals Say of_ - -WOMEN _of_ BELGIUM - -By CHARLOTTE KELLOGG - - “So impressed was Mrs. Kellogg by the greatness and value of what the - Belgian women are doing to help save the Belgian people that she has - written this book, in which each chapter describes some phase or tells - some incident of what she saw. The simplicity with which she writes - makes the wonderful story of the devotion, the unstinted service, - the utter self-abnegation with which many thousands of Belgian women - are giving themselves completely to this work stand out all the more - grandly.”—_Times_, New York. - - “Among the thousands of books that have been written on the - war, in this country and abroad, the pen of a woman has given - us the truest portrayal of the real heart of a heart-broken - people.”—_Constitution_, Atlanta, Ga. - - “The pages brim with information and with profoundest pathos. - As you read some of them you will feel a lump in your - throat.”—_Knickerbocker Press_, Albany, N. Y. - - “It is a book of tears, heart-throbs, and of devotion.... We do not - think that anyone who reads it will regret sending a son to redress - the wrongs of humanity.”—_Inquirer_, Philadelphia, Pa. - - “The farther you read the more you will wish to read, so great is the - charm, so intense the interest.”—_Eastern Argus_, Portland, Me. - - “It is full of the kind of stuff that makes us proud of the part - played by Americans in the work of saving Belgium from famine during - the long, sad months that Germany had its iron heel on this stricken - land.”—_Evening Star_, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. - - “The only American woman member of that Commission wrote the - book—Mrs. Charlotte Kellogg—after spending eight months on Belgian - soil; and her strong sympathy, her unfailing appreciation, intensify - the literary charm of its pages. Learning how these women have - labored, in their mothering of smitten millions, we get from this book - side-lights upon the effects of the war.”—_Richmond Times Despatch._ - -_12mo, cloth, $1.00; by mail, $1.12._ - - -FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY, Publishers - - 354–360 Fourth Avenue, New York - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Bobbins of Belgium, by Charlotte Kellogg - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOBBINS OF BELGIUM *** - -***** This file should be named 60275-0.txt or 60275-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/2/7/60275/ - -Produced by F E H, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Bobbins of Belgium - A book of Belgian lace, lace-workers, lace-schools and lace-villages - -Author: Charlotte Kellogg - -Release Date: September 11, 2019 [EBook #60275] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOBBINS OF BELGIUM *** - - - - -Produced by F E H, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<h1 class="faux">BOBBINS OF BELGIUM</h1> - - -<div class="transnote"> -<h2 class="nopagebreak" title="">Transcriber’s Notes</h2> - -<p>A few words in relation to era/dialect have been retained e.g. tho, - possest, stopt, dropt, slipt, distrest.</p> - -<p>The frontispiece spelling of the Queen of Belgium is Elisabeth, as shown -in the photo with her signature. Throughout the main text however, it has -been spelt Queen Elizabeth. These spellings have been left as printed.</p> - -<p>In the Appendix, where there are two or more illustrations per page, the -words (Top), (Middle), (Bottom) have been used, to indicate the link with -the text and illustration.</p> - -<p>p.292: changed 4 to _d_</p> - -<p>Printer errors have silently been corrected.</p> -</div> - - - -<div class="center"> -<img src="images/i_cover.jpg" alt="cover" width="490" height="780" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="FRONTISPIECE" id="FRONTISPIECE">[4]</a></span> -</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_frontis" name="image_frontis"><img src="images/i_frontis.jpg" alt="" width="381" height="600" /></a> -<p class="captioncenter">H.M. QUEEN ELISABETH OF BELGIUM</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2>BOBBINS OF BELGIUM</h2> - -<p class="center">A BOOK OF BELGIAN LACE, LACE-WORKERS,<br /> - LACE-SCHOOLS AND<br /> - LACE-VILLAGES</p> - -<p class="center space-above"></p> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">By</span></p> - -<p class="center">CHARLOTTE KELLOGG<br /> - <i>Of the Commission for Relief in Belgium, and Author of<br /> - “Women of Belgium”</i></p> - -<p class="center space-above"></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_colophon.jpg" alt="" width="81" height="80" /> -</div> - -<p class="center space-above"></p> - -<p class="center">FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY<br /> - NEW YORK AND LONDON<br /> - 1920</p> - -</div> - -<p class="center space-above1"></p> -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1920, by</span><br /> - FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY<br /> - [Printed in the United States of America]<br /> - Published in February, 1920</p> - -<p class="center space-above"></p> - -<p class="center"> Copyright Under the Articles of the Copyright Convention<br /> - of the Pan-American Republics and the<br /> - United States, August 11, 1910. -</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2><a name="DEDICATION" id="DEDICATION"></a>DEDICATION</h2> - - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>To the women of the Brussels war-time -lace committee—Madame Allard, the -Vicomtesse de Beughem, Madame Kefer-Mali, -and the Comtesse Elizabeth d’Oultremont, -with admiration and gratitude.</p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p> -<table class="toc" summary="Contents"> - <tr> - <td class="chn">CHAPTER</td> - <th></th> - <td class="pag">PAGE</td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - <td class="tdl">Preface</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - <td class="tdl">Introduction</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">I.</td> - <td class="cht">Turnhout</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_49">49</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">II.</td> - <td class="cht">Courtrai</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_79">79</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">III.</td> - <td class="cht">Thourout-Thielt-Wynghene</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_97">97</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">IV.</td> - <td class="cht">Grammont</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_127">127</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">V.</td> - <td class="cht"> Bruges</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_143">143</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">VI.</td> - <td class="cht">Kerxken</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_169">169</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">VII.</td> - <td class="cht">Erembodeghem</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_189">189</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">VIII.</td> - <td class="cht">Opbrakel</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_201">201</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">IX.</td> - <td class="cht">Liedekerke</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_215">215</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">X.</td> - <td class="cht">Herzele</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_231">231</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">XI.</td> - <td class="cht">Ghent</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_247">247</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">XII.</td> - <td class="cht">Zele</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_265">265</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="chn">XIII.</td> - <td class="cht"> Appendix </td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_275">275</a></td> - </tr><tr> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - <td class="tdl">Index</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_307">307</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></p> -<table class="toi" summary="Illustrations"> - <tr> - <td> </td> - <td class="smcap right"><small><small>FACING PAGE</small></small></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">H.M. Queen Elizabeth of Belgium,</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#image_frontis" title=""><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Fifteenth Century Portrait</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Showing heavy brocade as yet unrelieved - by linen or lace trimming.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Portrait of Charles <abbr title="9">IX</abbr> (1570)</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_33">33</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Linen collar showing picot edge made with - the needle.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Portrait Towards End of Sixteenth Century</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_40">40</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Showing collar ornamented with bobbin-made cluny.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Anne of Austria by Van Dyck</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub"> About 1635, cluny lace made with bobbins.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Abbé Berraly School, Turnhout</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub"> General view.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Nine-Year Children Making Point de Paris</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_57">57</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Point de Paris Class</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">On dark days lamps are lighted behind bottles - filled with water, the rays passing - through, fall in spotlights on the cushions.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Winding Bobbins for the Children</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Point de Lille, or Point D’Hollande</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_72">72</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Mesh showing “Esprits” or dots characteristic - of this bobbin lace.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">End of a Point de Paris Scarf About 2½ Yards - Long on Which Colette Worked One Year</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_73">73</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">In the Abbé Berraly School, Colette, 16-Years - Old, Works with 1,000 Bobbins</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_73">73</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Belgian Lace Meshes</span>(Plate <abbr title="1">I</abbr>)</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_80">80</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">After Pierre Verhagen in “La Dentelle - Belge.”</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Belgian Lace Meshes</span> (Plate <abbr title="2">II</abbr>)</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">After Pierre Verhagen in “La Dentelle - Belge.”</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Bobbin Laces</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_88">88</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub"> Malines, Point de Paris, Valenciennes.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Cushion Cover Representing Belgium’s Gratitude - to America for Bread</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_89">89</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Point de Paris lace combined with linen. - The lower right-hand centerpiece shows the - rose design, emblem of Queen Elizabeth.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Bobbin Laces</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_104">104</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Torchon, Cluny, Old Flemish, Binche.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Table Cloth Showing Arms of the Allies</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_105">105</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub"> Cut linen with squares of Venise surrounded - by filet and cluny; Venise made - with the needle; cluny with bobbins.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">A “Marie Antoinette” in Chantilly Lace</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_128">128</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Made with bobbins, near Grammont.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Cushion Cover</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_129">129</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Center Venise, borders Valenciennes, lace - executed by 12 workers in one month, - embroidery and mounting by four women - in two months; design by M. de Rudder.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Tea Cloth</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_129">129</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Point de Paris, cock design.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Lace Makers of Bruges</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_144">144</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Bruges and Similar Bobbin Laces</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_145">145</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Lace Normal School, Bruges. Beginner’s - Class</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_152">152</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Symbolic color pattern on left-hand easel; - demonstration bobbins attached to colored - threads at right.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Bed Cover in Duchesse or Brussels Lace</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_153">153</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Made with bobbins; executed in Flanders by - 30 women in three months; design by the - Lace Committee.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Rosaline, which Closely Resembles Bruges</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_160">160</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Details for Bruges Lace</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_160">160</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub"> Made with bobbins on round cushion.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Doily Set in Point de Paris in the “Animals - of the Allies” Design, Executed at Turnhout</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_161">161</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Point de Flandres or Flanders Lace</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_176">176</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Flowers made with bobbins, mesh with needle; - designs by the Lace Committee.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Handkerchief in Needle-Point</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_177">177</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub"> Made near Alost. Both mesh and flowers - made with needle.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Detail Showing Seven Different Filling-in - Stitches</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_177">177</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Venise Designs by the Brussels Lace Committee</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_180">180</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Handkerchief and Jewel Boxes; Flanders and - Venise Over Satin and Velvet</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_181">181</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Venise Banquet Cloth Presented by the Lace - Committee to H.M. Queen Elizabeth on Her - Return from Exile</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_192">192</a>–<a href="#Page_193">193</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Design by M. de Rudder; executed by 30 - best Venise-makers in Belgium in six months.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Cushion Cover in Venise</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_196">196</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Pekinese dog; design by M. Allard.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Table Center in Flanders with Center and - Border of Venise</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_197">197</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Design by Lace Committee; executed in West - Flanders by five workers in 15 days.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">“The Tourney” Banquet Cloth</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_208">208</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Design reproducing a mediæval painting in - Tournai, executed in Venise lace by 10 workers - in one month, mounting and embroidery - by five workers in one month. Price in - Brussels, 1,000 francs.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">“Arms of Allies” Cushion Cover in Venise, - with Details in Flanders</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_209">209</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Needle-Point Scarf Expressing Gratitude of - Belgium to Holland. Presented to H.M. - Queen Wilhelmina</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_216">216</a>–<a href="#Page_217">217</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Executed by 30 workers in eight months.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Bobbin Laces</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_224">224</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub"> Malines; Application, flowers sewn on tulle; - Duchesse, with Needle-Point insertion.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Application Details to be Sewed on Tulle</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_225">225</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Upper flower shows open spaces left by - bobbin worker for needle worker; lower - flower shows both bobbin and needle work - completed.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Wedding Gift of Mr. Hoover to Mrs. Page</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Executed in Venise and Flanders lace by 30 - women working three months. American - eagles with outspread wings, protecting the - Belgian Lion enchained in the four corners.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Flanders—Needle Mesh, Bobbin Flowers</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_240">240</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Venise Lace Center, Border of Valenciennes</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_241">241</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Lace executed in Flanders by 40 women in - two months; embroidery and mounting in - Brussels by four women in three months.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Valenciennes, Square Mesh</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_241">241</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Fan in Needle-Point</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_256">256</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">Executed by three women in six weeks. - “Shields of the Allies,” design drawn by - M. Knoff for the Lace Committee.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Eighteenth Century Marriage Veil in Needle-Point, - Belonging to the Comtesse Elizabeth - D’Oultremont</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_257">257</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdsub">It would take 40 workers about a half year - to copy this veil.</td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">At Work on Details of a Needle-Point Scarf - to be Presented to Queen Elizabeth</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_268">268</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Needle Lace Class-Room in the Trade Union - Lace School at Zele</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_268">268</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">Needle-Point Illustration for the Fable of the - Fox and the Grapes</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_269">269</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="in"><span class="smcap">In the Zele Lace School. Joining Details of - the Needle-Point Scarf Presented to Queen - Elizabeth </span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_269">269</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></p><h2><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE"></a>PREFACE</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">I</span> entered the lace-world by the -grim door of war. For it was the -war-time work of the women of the -Brussels Lace Committee that opened the -way to me.</p> - -<p>Long before the war, Queen Elizabeth -in Belgium, like Queen Margharita in -Italy, had sought means to protect the -lace worker, through centuries the victim -of an economic injustice, not to say crime, -and to rescue and develop an industry -threatened from many sides. In 1911 she -gave her royal encouragement to a group -of prominent Belgian women who organized -as “Amies de la Dentelle,” Friends -of Lace, and began a lace-saving campaign -by trying to remedy the deplorable -condition of most of the lace schools, the -defective teaching, long hours, and pitiful -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>pay. They could insist in the schools, as -they could not elsewhere, on the right to -inspect, to grant or refuse patronage. -They subsidized worthy institutions, and -advocated the establishment of a lace normal -school and of a special school of -design. Education they felt to be the -main road leading out of the prevailing -misery, and they were making progress -along this road, when suddenly the -Invader poured over their borders.</p> - -<p>While other women hurried to open -refuges and hospitals and soup-kitchens, -a few of the Friends of Lace remembered -first the lace-makers; and by November -1914, had effected a war emergency organization, -known as the Brussels Lace -Committee, with Mrs. Whitlock as honorary -president. Unfortunately most of -the lace dealers failed to cooperate with -them, but they won the approval of the -powerful Belgian Comité National, which, -with the Commission for Relief in Belgium,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -carried on the relief of the occupied -territory throughout the war. And -with an initial gift of $25,000 from -America to be converted into lace, they -were able to start their work. It soon -came to be directed altogether by four -women; The Comtesse Elizabeth d’Oultremont, -Lady-in-Waiting to Queen -Elizabeth; the Vicomtesse de Beughem, -an American; Madame Josse Allard, and -Madame Kefer-Mali. At the same time -the aid and protection of workers on -filets and other commonly called “imitation” -laces, was assigned by the Comité -National to another group of women, the -“<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Union Patriotique des Femmes Belges</span>.”</p> - -<p>The Brussels Lace Committee employed, -as trusted business director of -their offices, M. Collart, generously released -to them by the Allard Bank, and -as technical expert, Madame Sharlaecken, -before the war with the Compagnie des -Indes, one of the largest lace houses in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span>Belgium; and as the work developed, -an increasing number of designers and -aides necessary to a lace business were -added.</p> - -<p>During the first few months the situation -seemed utterly hopeless; thread was -impossible to obtain; and even if the -thread were forthcoming, no one could -say who would buy the laces they might -encourage the women to make; the Germans -were cutting off successive sections -of the lace-making areas where they had -established sub-committees, and were forbidding -communication with them. And -yet these four women continued bravely -to create the foundations of a great lace -business—for an extraordinary commercial -organization grew from their efforts.</p> - -<p>However, despite all their intelligence -and devotion, such a result would have -been impossible but for a hard-won diplomatic -victory. In early 1915 Mr. Hoover -forced an international agreement which -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>permitted the C. R. B. to bring thread -for the Lace Committee into Belgium, -and to take out an equivalent weight in -lace, to be sold in the Allied countries -for the benefit of the workers. England -required a rigid control of the thread, and -that it be given only to establishments -open to inspection by the C. R. B. At -one time these thread shipments were -stopt—a period of cruel anxiety for -the women—but happily after a re-adjustment -they were continued. And once -these international guaranties were obtained, -the Belgian Comité National was -able to arrange for the distribution of the -thread to the various, even remote, lace -centers, and for the return of the finished -laces to Brussels. They granted the -women a subsidy of $10,000 and insured -to each <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellière</i> the chance to make at -least three francs worth of lace a week—a -small minimum, to be sure, but every -one understood it might be increased -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>later, and that if each of the many thousands -of workers was to have an equal -opportunity, it could not in the beginning -be more. After this the Lace Committee -had at times as many as 45,000 -women on its lists. The work in the -schools and out of them began to bear -fruit. The sweating system, and payment -in kind (in clothing and food) were -practically wiped out, and inspection and -control established. Everywhere the -standard of design and of execution was -raised; old patterns were restored and -improved, and by the end of the war -2,237 new designs had been added.</p> - -<p>But this was not advance through open -country. There was constant danger that at -any moment the way might be completely -barred; at any time the guaranties covering -the thread importations might be -withdrawn. The Germans early originated -a “Lace Control” of their own, and -tried in every possible way to win over -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span>the Belgian workers, and to buy up all -the lace in the country. They accused the -Brussels Committee of being a political -and patriotic body existing chiefly to defeat -the occupying powers and the Flemish -activists. Then there were other -courage-testing difficulties. But despite -all obstacles and perils, the women persisted, -and continually the precious skeins -of thread, with their message of “Carry -On” were flung out from Brussels to the -farthermost corners of the land, binding -all together in a firm and beautiful web -of hope and confidence. For the enemy -was right in suspecting the Committee of -a purpose deeper than that of merely -trying to save women from the soup-line; -they carried on a patriotic work of highest -importance. To them I owe a personal -debt of gratitude, for they permitted -me to follow their devoted service -closely, and they opened the door for me -to a new world of beauty and interest.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p><h2><a name="INTRODUCTION" id="INTRODUCTION"></a>INTRODUCTION</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Lace</span> is a tissue composed of mesh and -“flowers” (pattern), or either one -alone, produced with a needle and single -thread, or with several threads manipulated -by means of bobbins. It is the -product of a natural evolution from early -embroideries and weaving.</p> - -<p>We possess no contemporaneous history -of the origins and development of -the lace art, partly, perhaps, because of -the tradition, strong among the initiated, -of hiding its secrets, and of the consequent -difficulty of an outsider to master -them, and partly because successive wars -and world cataclysms have interrupted -or destroyed its progress.</p> - -<p>We have ample proof, however, that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>lace in some form existed in remote antiquity,—in -early Egypt, in Persia, in -Bysance and Syria, where it was chiefly -made by slaves; the Greeks and Hebrews -speak of needle lace as known throughout -all time. It was not, in these oriental -countries, the delicate white mesh that -we call lace, which would have been most -unbecoming to dark skin, but included -richly colored passementeries and filets -and fringes, woven of gold and silver -thread, of dyed wool and cotton, and of -the coarse linen fiber of the Nile Valley. -It was usually of hieratic and symbolic -design, and sometimes sown with gems—all -capable of brilliantly enhancing the -beauty of the East. Egyptian ladies of -6,000 years ago trimmed their robes with -elaborate lengths of filet, and covered -their dead with it. In the Cinquantenaire -Museum at Brussels there is the photograph -of a remarkable little woven linen -bag, similar to one we might carry to-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>day, -which was found in the tomb of a -Priestess of Hathor, bearing the mark -of one of the earlier dynasties. Its mesh -is almost identical with that of our modern -Valenciennes, and it was undoubtedly -made with bobbins.</p> - -<p>Between ancient and mediæval times, -the lace-gap is unbridged by written -record; we must gather what we can from -the archeologist and from the works of the -sculptor and painter. Occasionally we are -thrilled by such a discovery as that of M. -Bixio, who in excavating at Claterna, an -old Roman City near Bologna, came upon -a set of bone bobbins, lying in pairs, as we -employ them in lace-making to-day. But -interesting discoveries are rare, and the -body of our knowledge of lace history so -far is meager.</p> - -<p>However, we are interested primarily, -not in the ancient origins of the two great -lace groups, nor in early passementeries -and filets and their processes, but in the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>marvelous efflorescence of the lace art of -the Western Europe of the <abbr title="sixteenth">16th</abbr>, <abbr title="seventeenth">17th</abbr> -and <abbr title="eighteenth">18th</abbr> centuries, and in its still lovely -expression of to-day.</p> - -<p>In mediæval painting, before the appearance -of linen and its use as trimming, -or as lingerie, I know of no picture showing -lace. Stuffs were stiff and heavy, -and ornamented with metal, or with gold -or silver thread. As they became more -supple, we find, as in the portrait of -Wenceslas of Luxemburg (about 1360) -decoration introduced in the clipped cloth -border of the collar and hood. This serrated -edge suggests the first simple Cluny -lace patterns that appeared later. Then -we see the first linen showing through -the slashed sleeve or above the corsage,—one -of many paintings illustrating this -development, is that of the Duke of -Cleves, by Memling (second half of the -<abbr title="fifteenth">15th</abbr> century). And shortly afterward -the first lace edgings appear, the beginning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -of our lace of the middle ages, of -its rebirth in Western Europe. The -search for these details of progress in the -paintings of European galleries is a fascinating -and rewarding game; a Belgian -friend of mine has spent many years at -it.</p> - -<p>The flowering of the lace-art was part -of the great Renaissance (lagging behind, -to be sure, the major arts) and now was -no longer the work of slaves, but regarded -as an important, independent -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">métier</i>, and happily it usually escaped -the despotism of the mediæval corporations. -Italy, probably through -her exploitation in the early part of the -<abbr title="fifteenth">15th</abbr> century of her Greek Colonies, was -its first western home, and Venice, the -center for the exquisite needle laces of -which our museums fortunately still preserve -specimens. While laces made with -the needle and single thread were flourishing -under the Doges, bobbin laces, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span>twisted and braided with many threads, -were being made in Sicily and in other -sections of the country.</p> - -<p>From Venice, the secrets of the art -traveled easily in several directions, and -probably about the close of the <abbr title="fifteenth">15th</abbr> century -by way of the thriving port of -Antwerp, to the industrious and beauty-loving -Flanders, where the seed fell on -most fertile soil. Flanders possest a -multitude of workers already skilled in an -allied art, that of weaving, and the necessary -lace material in her valley of the -Lys, the finest flax region of the world. -Valenciennes, Lille, Malines, Ghent, -Bruges, turned to lace-making with a -veritable passion; it spread throughout -wide districts of what are now Northern -France and Belgium.</p> - -<p>During the <abbr title="sixteenth">16th</abbr> and <abbr title="seventeenth">17th</abbr> centuries, -the lace industry made phenomenal progress, -both extensively and intensively. -Holland and England sent continually -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span>larger orders to Flanders. As cloths -grew finer and softer, and the mode of -wearing them more graceful, and as daintier -linens were increasingly employed, -lace became ever more filmy and exquisite. -A worker spent perhaps a whole -year on a single meter of Valenciennes, -one head-dress cost as much as 200,000 -livres. Every lace had its time, its season. -During this epoch, needle laces -were supreme, as bobbin laces were to -be in the <abbr title="eighteenth">18th</abbr> century.</p> - -<p>Under Louis <abbr title="14">XIV</abbr> lace reached its -climax of perfection and beauty. Colbert -imported lace-women from each center -where they had been conspicuously successful. -He encouraged the invention of -new designs and technique; he subsidized -schools in many cities, at Reims, Alençon, -Arras, Sedan, and he threatened with -the death penalty those who might attempt -to carry lace secrets beyond the -French borders,—in every way he sought -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>to develop an art that should belong -peculiarly to France. Thus directed and -subsidized by the state, and nurtured and -stimulated by a beauty-seeking court, -whose love of luxury was still controlled -by taste and refinement, it is not surprizing -that this lace-period surpassed any -other known. It was true of the Court of -Louis <abbr title="14">XIV</abbr> as of that of Louis <abbr title="13">XIII</abbr> that -a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">seigneur</i> was known by the number and -quality of his lace points; some of them -possest several hundred garnitures. Unfortunately -the workers did not profit by -this brilliant development,—they seem -from the beginning predestined to be the -victims of a social and economic slavery.</p> - -<p>But there were already evidences of -an attempt to control a demand for luxury -that threatened disaster. With the -<abbr title="sixteenth">16th</abbr> century, heavy duties and excess -taxes were levied upon lace. An edict, -dated 1729, prohibited the wearing of it, -in the hope of checking over-extravagance -in dress.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_032.jpg" id="i_032.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_032.jpg" alt="" width="427" height="600" /> -<p class="captioncenter">FIFTEENTH CENTURY PORTRAIT</p> -<p class="small">Showing heavy brocade as yet unrelieved by linen or lace trimming</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_033.jpg" id="i_033.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_033.jpg" alt="" width="427" height="600" /> -<p class="captioncenter">PORTRAIT OF CHARLES <abbr title="9">IX</abbr> (1570)</p> -<p class="small">Linen collar showing picot edge made with the needle</p> -</div> - -<p>After its <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">apogée</i> under Louis <abbr title="14">XIV</abbr>, -lace-making was caught, along with the -other arts, in the tide of degeneracy. Its -designs were marked by fantasy and grotesqueness, -rather than by the delicacy -and beauty of the preceding period; tho -while it deteriorated in design, its technique -grew constantly finer and more -complicated, until, from the point of view -of the workmanship at least, it seemed -almost superhuman. But in the second -half of the <abbr title="eighteenth">18th</abbr> century, wearied of complications -and extravagance, people -amused themselves by a return to simplicity. -The Marquise de Pompadour -affected laces sown with simple “flowers,” -and Marie Antoinette went further in -preferring a pattern of scattered “points” -or peas. With this return to the primitive -in design, the technique of lace reverted -also. In many quarters, the sheer -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>muslins of the Indias gained favor over -lace. Trade, already burdened with the -duties and imports that had grown up -around the extravagant laces, suffered -further from the sudden popularity of the -simple costume.</p> - -<p>The death-blow of the industry in -France was to follow close on the heels -of this new fashion. Since lace had been -the particular pride of the aristocrat, the -Revolution made it a crime to appear in -it. In such one-time famous centers as -Valenciennes and Lille, the bobbins -ceased, tho the industry of that region -sought refuge farther west, in Bailleul,—in -Bailleul, dust and ashes to-day! Fortunately -in Belgium, lace-making generally -survived the crisis of the Revolution, -tho it has suffered from succeeding disastrous -influences.</p> - -<p>At the opening of the <abbr title="nineteenth">19th</abbr> century and -under the Empire, taste was heavy, design -rigid and military, with nothing in common<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -with true lace motifs. During the -opening years of 1800 the invention of -machine-made tulle, brought from England -to Calais, effected further sad -changes in the lace-world; scarfs, veils, -entire robes of tulle, ornamented with -applications of needle or bobbin-made details—often -palms and laurel wreaths—were -all the mode. People preferred these -to the exquisite lace jabots and flounces of -the preceding century. In 1833 cotton -thread began to be used instead of the -stronger linen of the best lace periods. The -delicate lace-art continued to suffer with -all the others under the general decadence -of the reign of Louis Philippe and the Second -Empire. Industrial and commercial -development was the note of the age; the -rich amused themselves in travel, in new -scenes and sports, rather than in fostering -the arts. In fact, during the thirty -years following the war of 1870, lace -seemed almost forgotten except in America.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -The number of workers in Belgium -fell from between 100 and 150,000, to -50,000 or less.</p> - -<p>But before the world was plunged into -this last, most destructive of wars, there -had been signs of a renaissance in the -decorative arts. People had begun to -read and compare, and refine their taste. -The rulers of Italy and France and Belgium -were winning results in their attempts -to rescue, and to revive and develop -the lace-art, which had seemed -threatened with extinction. Then came -the war—and the devastation of entire -lace regions, like that of Bailleul in -France, and of Ypres in Belgium. It is -true that many of the refugee lace-women -have been employed and encouraged -during the four years, by certain -committees in France and free Belgium. -And in occupied Belgium, the unceasing -efforts of the Brussels Lace Committee -have borne rich fruit. Whether the higher -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>standards of lace design and technique, -and the improved condition of the lace -workers—better education, shorter hours, -higher pay—will be maintained under -post-war conditions is yet to be proved. -Over this difficult hour of reconstruction, -of transfer from war to what we fondly -call normal conditions, we can but hope -to carry the hard-won gains of the testing -period.</p> - -<p>In this little book I make no attempt -to present a history of lace, or a detailed -analysis of its processes. I have wished -merely to set down in simple form a few -of my observations in the lace districts -of Belgium, as the war has left her. To -follow them one does not need even an -elementary knowledge of the important -lace forms, tho that is easily acquired. -For there are but two large groups; the -needle-lace group, and the bobbin-lace -group, between which we learn quickly to -distinguish. We can not prove the time -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>of their respective origins; as we know -them, they seem to have existed side by -side, as they do in the Belgium of to-day. -Sometimes one was more popular, sometimes -the other.</p> - -<p>To place a piece of lace, we have first -but to ask the question, “Was it made -with a needle, and by looping and twisting -and weaving a single thread; or was -it made by braiding and twisting and -weaving several threads, by means of -bobbins and a round or a square cushion?”</p> - -<p>In general, there is but one technique -for all needle laces, tho there is no -limit to the variety of stitches the needle -worker may employ. I have seen a scarf, -made during the war for Queen Elizabeth, -in which there were many hundred -different points. One comes soon to -recognize the important needle laces; the -exquisite French Alençons and Argentins -of earlier days, with their meshes made -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>with a buttonhole loop, and their flowers -stiffened with horsehair; the various -Venetian points,—Venise, Burano, and -Rose point; and the extremely popular -Brussels point, with its gauze mesh and -raised flowers. It is characteristic of -these needle laces, that the flowers are -thrown into relief, sometimes high, sometimes -scarcely perceptible.</p> - -<p>Bobbin laces may be made with a dozen -or with one hundred times as many -threads, according to the design and -width of the lace. They fall into two -sub-groups, the first including laces made -with uncut threads, in a single piece; the -second, those made detail by detail, in -which the threads are cut as each is finished, -the completed lace piece being made -by joining these separate parts. This -second method was not introduced until -the latter half of the <abbr title="seventeenth">17th</abbr> century.</p> - -<p>In the first group, made with uncut -threads, are the early Clunys and the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>common Torchons, Old Flanders, the -beautiful Valenciennes, Point de Paris, -Point de Lille, Malines and Binche, with -their delicate round, or square or hexagonal -meshes, from which the pattern -blossoms. Their flowers are flat, never -lifted in relief, tho a heavy outlining -thread often sets them off brilliantly -from the surrounding field.</p> - -<p>The second bobbin group, in which the -final lace piece is composed of united details, -includes black and white Chantilly, -Blonde, popular with Spanish peoples, -Brussels Duchesse and Bruges Duchesse, -most frequently displayed in our American -shops, and the finer Rosaline, which -was in great demand when the war broke -out. This group of bobbin laces admits -a kind of relief.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_040.jpg" id="i_040.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_040.jpg" alt="" width="430" height="600" /> -<p class="captioncenter">PORTRAIT TOWARD CLOSE OF SIXTEENTH CENTURY</p> -<p class="small">Showing collar ornamented with bobbin-made cluny</p> -</div> - -<p>Some laces combine both needle and -bobbin points. In the lovely Point d’Angleterre, -increasingly difficult to obtain, -bobbin-made flowers are united by an -airy needle mesh. And the coarser Flanders -lace has the same composition.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_041.jpg" id="i_041.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_041.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="600" /> -<p class="captioncenter">ANNE OF AUSTRIA BY VAN DYCK</p> -<p class="small">About 1635, cluny lace made with bobbins</p> -</div> - -<p>There are, besides, the familiar and -often beautiful Applications, in which -either needle or bobbin-made flowers are -stitched, or <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">appliquéd</i> on machine-made -tulle, or, rarely, on a tulle made by hand. -And various mixed laces, fantasies and -embroidered tulles, as well as a whole -company of cheaper tissues called lace, but -which can not honestly claim the name, -are trying always to crowd the true lace -from the market.</p> - -<p>Naturally, the technique of any given -kind of lace has undergone various transformations -through the centuries. The -Valenciennes mesh, for instance, first had -round spaces, while square ones became -more popular later. During a certain -period the introduction of <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">jours</span>, or open-work -effects, added an airy lightness to -many laces.</p> - -<p>I had the pleasure recently of being -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>with a friend of mine, the sister of the -Belgian Consul-General at New York, -Madame Kefer-Mali, who has devoted -twenty years to the study of lace, when -she first examined a lace collection lately -presented to the Cinquantenaire Museum. -With magnifying glass I followed from -case to case, as she placed each specimen -in its country and century, according to -its design, its mesh, the manner of directing -the threads, the relief of the flowers, -the various stitches or the kind of thread -employed. As I listened to her, it was -easy to appreciate why lace may become -an all-absorbing interest. Madame Kefer-Mali’s -love for the lace itself is now subordinate -to her passionate desire to secure -justice for the lace-worker. As she -takes a filmy length in her hand, her first -thought is of the talent and patience of -the girl or woman who made it, of the -eye-straining, meticulous labor it represents, -and of the pittance still paid her -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span>for her gift to the world of art. Madame -Kefer-Mali has already won something -for the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellière</i> and she will continue -to fight for more.</p> - -<p>Tho there are lace sections in widely -scattered parts of Belgium, none (except -Turnhout) is so important as those of -the two Flanders. Western and Eastern -Flanders form an almost continuous and -unrivalled lace region, which breaks up -irregularly into districts, each celebrated -for a particular kind, or for several kinds -of lace. However, it would be impossible -to draw an accurate map illustrating -the Belgian lace situation, either from the -point of view of the varieties made and -their quality, or of the workers. It seems, -indeed, at times that lace was invented to -defeat the statistician, for he no sooner -reaches a conclusion than it proves inexact; -a factory rises near a certain river -and the lace women desert their cushions -to accept its better wages; in a village -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span>long devoted to Needle Point, young -girls discover that the bobbin-made -Clunys pay better, or they marry and -make no lace at all until their children -are partly grown; poor crops and resulting -misery may send others who have not -for some time been listed as workers back -to their cushions. For, since despite the -many schools and work-rooms, the great -majority of women still work at home, -lace-making is peculiarly sensitive to -every change in family and community -life. We may say, however, that despite -constantly shifting conditions, Western -Flanders forms a great bobbin-lace area, -unquestionably the most important in the -world to-day, while Eastern Flanders has -been for centuries and still is, famous for -its needle points.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, too, because of the miserable -lace-wage (in Belgium, before the -war, it averaged about a franc a day) -this industry has been regarded always -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>as a supplementary occupation, on which -the family could not rely for its main -support, and which was not capable of -organization and amelioration as other -industries are. The slavery conditions -have undoubtedly been due chiefly to lack -of good schools and constructive lace -training, and to the system by which a -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">facteur</i>, or first buyer, collects the laces, -to re-sell them to a <i>fabricant</i>, or dealer, -who in turn may sell them to a larger -fabricant—a system permitting any number -of intermediaries—and also to the -fact that the women, scattered as they -are throughout the agricultural regions, -have never protected themselves by forming -syndicates. The first step toward -emancipation has been taken; the new -teaching is under way. The fatal system -of the many intermediaries remains to be -dealt with—to be swept away. And it is -hoped that feeling the new power education -will give them, the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellières</span> will -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>at last find ways either through unions -or by other means, of protecting themselves.</p> - -<p>For the rest, fixt data are difficult to -obtain. The lace industry can not be captured -and subjected to cold analysis and -tabulation. It must be studied differently -from other industries that can be -localized. As in learning to know the -garden flowers of a country, one must go -from doorstep to doorstep, so if one -wishes to understand lace, one should -become familiar with its <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">milieu</i>, the family -and community life from which it -springs. In a sense, then, these little -journeys to lace districts which are the -subjects of my chapters, may suggest -more about what lace really is than a -more technical and formidable volume.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="I" id="I"></a><abbr title="1">I</abbr><br /> - -<a name="TURNHOUT" id="TURNHOUT"></a>TURNHOUT<br /> - -<small><i>Lace Children of the North</i></small></h2> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Lace</span> is the flower of Belgium; the -white blossom that springs from the -teeming plains of the Flanders, from -the agricultural districts, and from the -mournful Campine of the North. During -the long and solitary winters, when -work in the fields is impossible, thousands -of women and girls and little children -turn to their lace cushions, and dreary -rooms are enlivened by the music of the -flying bobbins. If the lace is Needle Point, -and lacks the accompanying click-clack of -the shifting <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">fuseaux</i>, it nevertheless gives -purpose and value to the otherwise almost<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -unsupportable winter days. However, -despite the time that must be subtracted -for weeding, for gathering the all-important -potato crop, and for other -farm duties, summer with its bright light -and long day, is the true lace season; it -is only then that some of the finest varieties -can be executed. Coarser pieces must -be substituted for the dull, eye-straining -days.</p> - -<p>To be sure, some lace-making is still -carried on in certain cities, but very little. -This delicate <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">métier</i> can not successfully -combat the influences of the social and -industrial groupings of the larger centers; -the living wage, the shorter hours, -the distractions of cinéma and café. The -cities remain the logical centers for the -normal and training-schools, for assembling, -and display, and sale; but the age-old -patience of the lace-maker is born of -a certain ignorance and isolation. This -does not mean that the industry may not -persist still on the fringes of some of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>larger cities, or flourish in nearby villages—it -does; and in three conspicuous -instances, until the war, it remained the -dominating activity of a city. Bruges, -Ypres, and Turnhout, could truly be -called “lace cities.” Now there are but -two; for Ypres, the pearl of Flanders, is -gone.</p> - -<p>Turnhout, a town of 24,000 inhabitants, -in the Northern Campine district, -is not only a “lace city,” counting 6,000 -workers, but if one considers its long list -of excellent lace-schools, the fine varieties -made there, and the quality of the workmanship, -it appears sufficiently important -to challenge the leadership of Bruges. -However, Turnhout stands practically -alone in the north, while Bruges is the -center of western Flanders, one of the -largest lace contributing areas in Belgium, -and promises, therefore, to hold -for a long time her title of first lace-city.</p> - -<p>It is strange to think of Turnhout as -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>a remote town, since it is scarcely two -hours by motor from Antwerp; but the -first glimpse of the intervening sand -wastes of the Campine region awakens -at once a sensation of loneliness, of isolation. -I made the journey in late November, -reaching Turnhout about noon of -a low gray day, just as hundreds of -golden-haired children—no mists could -dull the bright gold of their hair—were -clattering along the stone sidewalks in -their wooden shoes, on their way home -from school. As always, I marveled at -the way they could leap and run without -losing their sabots. They were “lace -children,” nearly all of them part of the -little army of 1,800 in the lace-schools, -and because of the intelligent work of -the soup-kitchens and dining-rooms for -debilitated children during the four years -of war, were probably, many of them, -in better physical condition than they had -been at its beginning. The women of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span>Brussels Lace Committee had succeeded, -too, in augmenting their food ration from -time to time. Their chief visible need -was for stockings and shoes—and I knew -from the teachers later that they sadly -lacked underclothes. Mothers can patch -and repatch, and add in various ways to -outer garments; but after a certain number -of washings, undergarments simply -disappear.</p> - -<p>I went first to the convent of the Abbé -Berraly which, during the war, encouraged -by the advice and support of the -Lace Committee, has developed into the -model school of Belgium. It is situated -in a crowded part of the town, but its -own fine brick buildings cluster about a -spacious courtyard and vegetable gardens. -In summer the children work -much out of doors, tho when they are -inside their class-rooms it seems still impossible -for the teachers to break with -the tradition of the closed window.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p> -<p>I began my visit in a little room at -the right of the entrance hall, where six -older girls were still at work, tho the -500 other pupils had gone for their lunch. -Dozens of rubbed carbon copies of lace -patterns were pinned to the walls along -with executed samples of the lace they -represented. This was a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqué</i> class-room; -the young women seated at high, -narrow tables, were carefully at work on -pieces of glossy green cardboard on -which the lace design had been drawn -and which they were pricking with pins, -or covering with tiny holes, that indicate -the position of the pins that must hold -the thread as it is twisted or looped or -braided, by the worker. The cardboard -piqué is in a sense both the beginning -and the end of the lace course; the beginning, -since no pupil can start his lace -without the piqué, or interpreted pattern, -and the end, since it is the most difficult -of all the processes in the technique of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>the lace. The <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuse</i> must understand -the design and its practical execution, -must interpret the picture to the worker -in terms of pin-pricks marking the progress -of her thread. A good <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuse</span> -knows immediately, on looking at a -drawing, whether it is a true lace design, -or must be adapted, and also in which -kind of lace it can be best exprest. As -she shifts a pin-prick less than a hair’s -width to the left or to the right she -varies appreciably the resulting mesh or -flower. She has considerable liberty in -deciding which particular stitches will be -most effective to fill in the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">jours</span>, or open-work -spaces indicated in the pattern.</p> - -<p>One of the great evils of the past has -been the absence of training-schools, and -the consequent lack of <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuses</span>; in each -generation there have been but a few -good ones, who have, in a sense, held -the lace industry in their hands. Before -the war, Ypres had two famous pique<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>uses, -to whom patterns were sent from an -entire region; and in the town of Turnhout -to-day, with its thousands of workers, -tho there are several less experienced -<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuses</span>, there is but one woman -to whom the finest and most complicated -drawings can be entrusted for interpretation. -She is the only person, for example, -who could make the piqué for the -beautiful scarf, which I saw later being -executed in the Point de Paris room—for -that she received 90 francs. It is a common -saying that one must be born a -<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuse</span> to succeed; at least it remains -true that in addition to her capacity -for an intricate and most meticulous -labor, the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuse</span> should possess a high -sensitiveness to art values.</p> - -<p>The little room in the Abbé Berraly’s -school is one expression of the Lace -Committee’s conviction that the emancipation -of the industry and of the lace-maker -will come only through education.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_056.jpg" id="i_056.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_056.jpg" alt="" width="510" height="318" /> -<p class="captioncenter"> ABBÉ BERRALY SCHOOL, TURNHOUT</p> -<p class="small">General view</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_057.jpg" id="i_057.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_057.jpg" alt="" width="510" height="321" /> -<p class="captioncenter">NINE-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN MAKING POINT DE PARIS</p> -</div> - -<p>In general the women of the past have -sat dumbly before their cushions, helpless -to do anything but continue to execute, -year after year, the particular cardboard -pattern the facteur, or lace agent, placed -before them. They had little or no conception -of the rich art world of which -their flowered flounces were a part, and -no feeling at all of their power to influence -that world by interpreting a design -for themselves, or by correcting or -improving it, or even perhaps by creating -a new one. Not that all workers should -become designers, or even <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuses</span>—progress -depends, as it does in other industries, -on specialization; but at least -trained workers will enjoy the freedom to -choose and the feeling of independence -that comes from a thorough knowledge -of their <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">métier</i>.</p> - -<p>In this room then was a class of specialists, -six smiling, intelligent young -women between 16 and 18 equipping -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>themselves as experts in interpretation. -The designs on which they worked, many -of them revivals of classic ones long forgotten, -or beautiful recent creations of -Belgian artists, had been sent up to them -from the Committee’s central room of -design in Brussels. Before the war, they -would have come from the particular lace -dealer to whose agent their laces were -sold.</p> - -<p>Opening from the little pattern room -I found the office with its great oak armoire, -where the costly finished laces are -stored until the day they are taken to -Brussels, to be combined into beautiful -confections for the salon or bedroom or -dining-room, or for personal adornment. -Of course, some are always resold by the -meter, but one of the chief successes of -the Lace Committee has been the employment -of motifs and yard laces in the production -of cloths and spreads and in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>numerable -articles of a loveliness hitherto -unknown.</p> - -<p>From the office and the little room -where the pricked cardboard patterns are -prepared for the cushions, I went further -along the hall, and turned to the left, -where at the foot of a staircase were -new wooden benches awaiting the sabots -of the returning children. These benches -were new because the Germans, who, -here as elsewhere, had driven the children -from their school, had burned their -benches, and not only the benches, but all -visible wood—they had torn casements -from the windows and doorways, as well -as removing every knob and fixture. This -was disgusting, but more or less understandable. -Their country demanded -more cannon, therefore they took brass -and copper; they were cold, so they -ripped off the nearest available piece of -wood. But wood and metal failed to -satisfy them; upstairs at one end of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>largest room there is a pretty stage -arranged for school festivals, with a -painted forest background, and side wing-drops -picturing meadow-lands. These -fathers and brothers of German children -slashed and ripped the painted canvas -forest and ran their bayonets through the -foreground meadows, with no spur beyond -that of the pleasure in the act; for -no inch of the canvas had been taken -away—I could have replaced the whole -from the rags.</p> - -<p>It was still only a little past one o’clock, -and the children had not yet returned. I -went into the beginners’ room, where -large windows let in all the light there -was on this gray day, and saw the long, -even rows of low rush-seated, high-backed -chairs, with the school-room sabots -(where the children were fortunate enough -to possess this second pair) hanging from -the backs. Before each chair was a -round or square work-cushion and over -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span>each cushion a white cloth carefully -spread to protect the precious thread-bearing -bobbins beneath. The whole -empty, silent place seemed prepared for -a ceremonial or religious rite; and every -snowy cushion a tiny altar awaiting its -ministrant.</p> - -<p>At last they were coming back, the -younger children clattering in ahead of -the older girls, to deposit their muddy -street sabots on the benches. Such a -rush of yellow-haired babies for their -chairs—several of them were no more -than seven years old; many were between -nine and ten. Little feet slipt into the -clean sabots, white cloths were carefully -lifted and folded, sisters and teachers -began their rounds of inspection and instruction, -as tiny hands took their positions -over the heaps of bobbins—one at -the left, one at the right—and the cadence -of the clicking wood began. It was impossible -for me to follow these incredible -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>little fingers as they twisted and braided -from pin to pin. I had seen scales so -rapidly played that the successive motions -were only a blur, but these shiftings -back and forth of the bobbins were even -more bewildering. More strangely moving -than the picture of any great orchestra -where gifted fingers wrung melody -from a myriad of strings, was this of the -play of hundreds of baby hands over -threads and bobbins, as the flowers blossomed -beneath them. It is said that to -become a good lace-maker one must -begin, as he would if he expected to become -a distinguished pianist, at latest at -the age of seven or eight.</p> - -<p>The greater number of these little girls -were making Point de Paris edgings. -They had their pricked patterns pinned -near the top of the square linen-covered -cushions and were working the threads -vertically toward them. Since the pins -which hold the threads in place must be -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span>constantly moved along as the work proceeds, -it is very important that the cushion -should be stuffed with something that -the pins can easily penetrate. These particular -cushions were stuffed with wool, -some contain straw, and the linen covering -was blue, tho it is often the natural -color. Besides guiding the tiny -brass pins (which vary with the delicacy -of the lace) that hold the thread, each -child must know how to manipulate the -long brass pins which separate the various -groups of bobbins not in actual use. -She learns, too, to roll each finished section -of her lace in blue paper and tuck -it carefully away in the little drawer -below the upper part of the cushion; the -true lace-maker prides herself on the -snowy whiteness of her lace, which she -protects in every conceivable way.</p> - -<p>While I was moving from one to another, -a sister had gathered a group of -seven to ten year olds nearer the stove—<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span>a -company of Fra Angelico angels they -looked, as I bent over them to watch their -little hands. They placed brass pins in -the holes pricked in the pattern to hold -the rather coarse thread, twisted first two -threads to the right, then two to the left, -then braided them to form the familiar -hexagon of the Point de Paris mesh. -When they reached the pattern, a most -simple conventional one, other bobbins -had to be brought into play. They held -the threads always from the top of the -cushion vertically toward them, with the -seam edge of the lace to the left and the -border to the right. Even these babies -had from 50 to 200 bobbins to keep in -mind, rather long beech-wood bobbins, -these for Point de Paris, with the thread -tightly wound at the top, and a considerable -pear-shaped bulge at the end. -Each lace is supposed to require a particular -bobbin, especially suited to the -weight of thread employed, but workers -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>often use them indifferently. Some fortunate -ones pride themselves on their fine -ebony or ivory sets. Of course, bobbins -must be constantly resupplied with -thread, and in a corner of the room I -saw a white-haired grandmother with her -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dévidoir</i>, or spindle, busily winding -thread on the bobbins for the children. -She made a beautiful picture there at her -wheel with a dozen little girls with their -cushions crowding near her. I asked if -the beginners were able to earn something -and found they were making about -10 and 15 cents a day.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_064.jpg" id="i_064.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_064.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="303" /> -<p class="captioncenter">POINT DE PARIS CLASS</p> -<p class="small">On dark days lamps are lighted behind bottles filled with water, the rays passing through -fall in spotlights on the cushions</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_065.jpg" id="i_065.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_065.jpg" alt="" width="422" height="600" /> -<p class="captioncenter">WINDING BOBBINS FOR THE CHILDREN</p> -</div> - -<p>In this model school, for all children -under sixteen years of age the lace work -alternates with regular lessons, as it should -of course, in every school. Those above -that age may give their entire day to -the lace. The hours for girls between -nine and thirteen are: from 8 to 11 o’clock, -lessons; from 1:30 to 4 o’clock, lessons -again; and from 4 to 6:30 o’clock, lace. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>This is still a sadly long day for growing -children, but it nevertheless registers a -most cheering improvement over the former -cruelty of a far longer day. It has -been the Committee’s hope that such a -system as this might be instituted -throughout Belgium, and that from it -they might advance to still better conditions. -Children from thirteen to sixteen -come at 7:30 o’clock, make lace till 11:30, -and again from 1:30 to 4:45 o’clock. From -5 until 6:30 o’clock they have regular -school lessons—one wonders how much -education can be crowded into one and a -half hours at the end of a day that began at -7:30 o’clock! The girls over sixteen years -of age make lace from 7:30 until 6:30 -o’clock. One thing to remember always, -in looking at these distressing figures, is -the frequent number of holidays in Belgium; -the children are saved by their -numerous <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">fête</i> days.</p> - -<p>It was not easy to leave the tragic -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span>and marvelous primary room; the fairy-like -fingers and the golden heads above -the cushions. But I had to go on to -room number one on the ground floor -where there was another Point de Paris -class, for girls about twelve years old. In -the Abbé Berraly school the girls must -pass through at least three classes in -Point de Paris before they proceed to -Point de Lille, to go on from there to the -“spider-web,” or delicate and most difficult -Malines.</p> - -<p>The first striking difference between -this room and the primary, was in the -number of bobbins piled on the cushions—there -were hundreds now instead of -dozens. The cushions were larger, too, -and most of them were round, for many -of the pupils were working on collars and -doily and handkerchief edgings. The -designs were already complicated, one of -them represented, for instance, the animal -symbols of the allied nations. This -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>class promotes to the advanced class in -Point de Paris, where I found several -cushions with over 500 bobbins heaped -upon them, and girls of fourteen and fifteen -years shifting that number with a -swiftness not to be followed.</p> - -<p>Since the heavy rain was making seeing -difficult, the teachers moved a number -of iron stands (resembling umbrella -stands) to various points in the room, -placing on top of each stand, in the middle, -a small kerosene lamp, and, near the -edge, a large globular carafe, filled with -water. The light from the lamp passes -through the bottle to fall with concentrated -and magnifying effect directly on -that spot on the cushion where the work -is in progress. The rack may be turned, -the bottle raised or lowered, and usually -four girls profit by the light from one lamp. -It is a picturesque and primitive system, -which many still prefer to the more modern -and expensive electricity, because it -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>is an advantage to have the working spot -on the cushion thrown into high relief, -while at the same time the bottle light is -softer and less tiring to the eyes than -electricity. These iron stands and lamps -were very practical and satisfactory, but -I have often seen, in poor little rooms, -the bottle set on the table on a rough -wooden block, with a rude oil dip in a -cup propped up on bits of stick or stone -behind it to lift it to just the proper -height; as the work progresses, the position -of course must be altered.</p> - -<p>While the girls were pulling their -chairs closer to the bottles I talked with -the teachers about the place of Point de -Paris in the lace world. There is no fine -lace, they told me, which is so much in -demand to-day as Point de Paris, for no -lace so successfully combines durability -and beauty. It is more used for dainty -lingerie than any other variety. Paris -buyers seem never to be able to secure -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>sufficient Point de Paris, which tho -it was christened by that city and was -largely produced there during the <abbr title="seventeenth">17th</abbr> -century, must now be supplied by Belgium. -Its strength depends on its solid -hexagonal mesh, always the test of lace, -which is made with eight cotton threads, -usually of fairly coarse quality. From -this substantial mesh may blossom a pattern -of extreme grace and beauty, the -closely woven flat parts or <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">toile</span>, being -relieved by open-work spaces, or <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">jours</span>, -and the whole design outlined and thus -thrown into a kind of relief by a heavier -thread. The roses of the Queen design, -drawn for the Brussels Committee by -<abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> Brouhon (who has since died), is -one of the loveliest of the recent ones. -I saw, the other day, a box scented with -lavender and filled with rolls upon rolls -of this rose pattern lace, ready for the -day when a château can be restored, and -fine linen sheets and pillow slips with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span>their Point de Paris edgings can once -again be spread on the beds.</p> - -<p>Point de Lille could never be successfully -used for either lingerie or table or -bed linen for it is not sufficiently durable. -In room 3, girls from fourteen to sixteen -years were beginning to execute this more -difficult lace. Its clear, transparent mesh -originated in the city from which it is -named, where in 1788 there were as many -as 16,000 women employed on it. Its -fragility results from the fact that but -four threads (instead of the customary -eight of Point de Paris and Malines, and -of the mother of them all, Valenciennes) -are used in twisting and braiding the -meshes. On its light, clear mesh, the -designs are now often very elegant and -free, tho the traditional Point de Lille -edging has a straight border and rather -rigid pattern. They are always outlined -by a heavier thread, as are the flowers of -the Point de Paris and Malines, but unlike<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> -these other laces, the Point de Lille -is characterized by little <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">pois</i>, or peas or -dots, scattered through the mesh. It is -sometimes confused with Malines because -of the transparency of its mesh, which, -however, is not so delicate as that of -Malines, nor so difficult to make, nor, -because of its fewer threads, so solid.</p> - -<p>One of the most popular and more -solid varieties of Point de Lille is better -known as Point d’Hollande, because it is -chiefly sold to the well-to-do Dutch peasants -for their handsome bonnets. It is -wide and often of sumptuous design, a -sole branch or flower frequently furnishing -the entire wing of a bonnet.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_072.jpg" id="i_072.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_072.jpg" alt="" width="510" height="336" /> -<p class="captioncenter">POINT DE LILLE, OR POINT D’HOLLANDE; MESH SHOWING “ESPRITS” -OR DOTS CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS BOBBIN LACE</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_073.jpg" id="i_073.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_073.jpg" alt="" width="343" height="450" /> -<p class="captioncenter">END OF A POINT DE PARIS SCARF ABOUT 2½ YARDS -LONG ON WHICH COLETTE WORKED ONE YEAR</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_073a.jpg" id="i_073a.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_073a.jpg" alt="" width="340" height="500" /> -<p class="captioncenter">IN THE ABBÉ BERRALY SCHOOL, COLETTE, 16 -YEARS OLD, WORKS WITH 1,000 BOBBINS</p> -</div> - -<p>In the class-room, I went directly to a -dark-haired Josephine, whose cushion -seemed to hold the largest mounds of -bobbins—“Yes, there are over a thousand,” -she admitted shyly and smilingly. -The directress came to help her open the -little drawer beneath her round cushion, -and to shake from the blue paper a most -lovely wide scarf with a charming flower -design. “I began it last January,” she -added, “and I hope to finish it this January -of 1919.” One year with a thousand -bobbins, and at best 50 cents a day -for her work—which was so much more -than she could have made before the war -that she had no thought of complaining! -I wondered if the woman who would -throw this filmy flower-sown veil over her -shoulders would care to know about the -dark-eyed Josephine and her year with -the 1,000 bobbins.</p> - -<p>But there is much more beautiful lace -than either Point de Paris or Point de -Lille taught in the Turnhout school. The -girls pass from the Lille room to Malines, -known in the city of its birth as the -“spider-web of Malines.” Nothing could -be more airy and exquisite than its delicate -hexagonal mesh, much more difficult to -make than either of the preceding varieties<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -because it must be worked without -the aid of pins, with only the eye to guide -in securing the requisite uniformity and -exactness. No lace demands greater skill -or greater patience; since in addition to -the difficulty of working without supporting -pins, is the difficulty of handling the -extremely fine thread employed. The -patterns are usually of delicate flowers -and leaves, with open-work stitches introduced -to add ever greater lightness to -the whole.</p> - -<p>The <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellières</span> in the Malines room -work chiefly on insertions and flounces -to be used for handkerchiefs or fichus or -dainty blouses, or perhaps for wedding -gowns. The Committee has given them, -too, many orders for inserts for table centers -or doilies, so exquisite that one feels -they should be used only under glass.</p> - -<p>Scarcely an important family in Belgium -but treasures a bit of old Malines. -Among my rarest pleasures were those I -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span>enjoyed, when the conversation turning -upon lace, a friend has said: “But would -you care to see my mother’s Malines, or -my great, great-grandmother’s?”—and -she has brought from a brocade box a -filmy, ivory-colored collar or flounce, or -a scarf or bonnet, all of a breath-taking -loveliness and delicacy never to be reproduced. -I remember, too, a Christmas -mass and the marvelous flounce that fell -from beneath the white and gold chasuble -worn by Cardinal Mercier over the scarlet -of his robe.</p> - -<p>It is only in Turnhout that any considerable -quantity of Malines is yet made, -and despite all the efforts of the Committee -and of other lovers of beautiful -lace, there is little hope that it will live -much longer. When the old artists, for -so they should be named, die, few young -women are found willing still to sacrifice -their years to the spider-web.</p> - -<p>The women of the Lace Committee -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>believe there is no future work more important -than that of improving the 200 -and more lace schools of their country. -In the lace normal school at Bruges, in -the national school of design at Brussels, -the excellent Needle Point school at Zele, -and in such schools as this one at Turnhout, -they see the hope of the lace art; -they urge that the Government increase -its subsidies to these and other deserving -institutions. Education and ever better -education of the lace-woman is their -watchword.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="II" id="II"></a><abbr title="2">II</abbr><br /> - -<a name="COURTRAI" id="COURTRAI"></a>COURTRAI<br /> - -<small><i>Early Home of Valenciennes</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">For</span> years I had heard of the blue -flax fields of the valley of the Lys, -and of the season between April and -September, when along miles of its -course, the river is filled with boxes floating -the finest linen fiber of the world, -the flax of Belgium, North France and -Holland, which can be better prepared -in its waters than anywhere else.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately I could see it only under -a January rain, but Monsieur de Stoop, -a prominent weaver of Courtrai, the town -of 36,000 inhabitants which is the valley -center, made the Flanders fields bloom -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>again as he described to me the successive -steps which lead from them to the woven -linen his factory produces—I should say, -produced, for the Germans left his plant, -along with seven others, an utter ruin. -He was unable to explain and apparently -no analysis has yet determined, just why -the waters of the Lys river surpass all -others in their power to rot the encasing -straw and generally to cleanse the flax; -but one thing is clear, they have established -Courtrai as a world market for fine -raw linen. Sometimes the stalks need be -floated only two or three days, sometimes -it requires very much longer to macerate -them, the period depending chiefly on the -weather, and particularly on the temperature.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_080.jpg" id="i_080.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_080.jpg" alt="" width="435" height="600" /> -<p class="captioncenter">BELGIAN LACE MESHES (Plate <abbr title="1">I</abbr>)</p> -<p class="small">After Pierre Verhagen in “La Dentelle Belge”</p> -<p class="small">All meshes made with bobbins: 1 and 4, Valenciennes, round mesh; 2, Valenciennes, -square mesh; 3, Valenciennes, mesh almost round; 5, Chantilly; -6, Old Flanders; 7, Point de Paris</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_081.jpg" id="i_081.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_081.jpg" alt="" width="380" height="548" /> -<p class="captioncenter">BELGIAN LACE MESHES (Plate <abbr title="2">II</abbr>)</p> -<p class="small">After Pierre Verhagen in “La Dentelle Belge”</p> - -<p class="small">Meshes, 8 to 12, made with bobbins: 8, Binche; 9, Malines; 10, Point de -Lille, made for France; 11, Point de Lille, destined for Holland; 12, -Gauze Point, made with needle, used in Point d’Angleterre; 13, Brussels -machine-made net; 14, Ordinary machine-made net.</p> -</div> - -<p>After its soaking and cleansing, the -linen fiber starts again on its journey, -this time to the various countries where -it is to be made into thread and woven -into tissues. Much goes to England and -to Ireland, to such firms as Beth and Cox. -From there it returns to Belgium in the -form of linen thread for fine laces, quite -a different variety, of course, from that -employed in sewing. Lace thread, both -cotton and linen, may be used for sewing, -but never sewing-thread for good lace. -An outsider can scarcely estimate the importance -of the quality of the thread to -the lace-maker. Of two skeins bearing -the same number, one may be supple and -easily led, while the other is brittle and -wayward. We hear many stories of how -women used to spend their lives in damp -cellars, in order to keep their thread -moist and soft. I have been told several -times, for instance, that a certain piece -of lace had been made below ground, -because only there was its marvelous -technique possible. Whatever the degree -of truth or legend in these assertions, it is -known that the rarest laces require certain -atmospheric conditions, and are, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span>above all, dependent on a superior fineness -and pliability of the thread.</p> - -<p>The English and Irish spinneries lead -the world; they produce most of its lace -thread. One of them; the Coates firm -of Paisley, has established in Belgium -branches in which Belgian capital is interested,—at -Gent are the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">filteries</i>, which -prepare thread for weaving, and at Alost -and Ninove are the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">filatures</i> or spinneries -which turn out the finished sewing and -embroidery thread. The cottons and -linens of these mills are too coarse for -the delicate laces; however, during a single -war year, the Brussels Committee was -happy to be able to buy from Alost as -much as 600,000 francs worth of thread. -By some miracle, the Ghent filteries escaped -the practically universal ruin visited -on mills and factories, and should be -operating before peace is signed, but for -the spinneries of Alost and Ninove, the -future is still dark.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p> -<p>During two years the enemy, feeling -they might one day run the mills where -they stood, left them intact, tho they -requisitioned their stocks of thread. Then -as they saw they might not perhaps be -able to continue their beneficent occupation -of Belgium, even if they won the -war, they began to remove the mill machinery -to Germany. They were especially -ruthless when the mills were known -to be of English or French ownership. -They stole the secrets of the factories -and finally they deported the workmen. -These men are scattered everywhere. -Even if the machines of the factories -were not completely destroyed it would -be impossible under a considerable time -to reassemble the skilled workmen essential -to the spinning industry. The Germans -will undoubtedly try to capture the -trade, and to market their goods, if they -must, through such neutral countries as -Denmark and Switzerland.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p> -<p>When I arrived at Courtrai, Monsieur -and his family were just moving back -into the house from which they had been -ejected. They apologized for the room -they so hospitably offered me, in which -the original bed had been replaced by an -iron one they recognized as having belonged -to an English family of Courtrai. -The brass trimmings were gone, and the -mattress had of course been removed, but -Madame had been able to find one stuffed -with sea-moss for me. The curtains were -slashed, blocks of wood nailed to the -once handsome walls, there were no -lights, no metal knobs or fixtures of any -kind, no service wires left. Below, the -cellar had been almost filled with concrete -to provide the conqueror a safe -refuge during danger periods. It requires -a special kind of courage to take -up life again in a place like this, but these -good people said: <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>“We can not complain, -we are so much better off than others, -and at least we have saved our health; -with that we can be sure of being able to -build again what they have destroyed.”</p> - -<p>From there I went to Baron de -Bethune, a connoisseur of laces, who had -before the war opened a lace museum in -Courtrai, chiefly for Valenciennes. I -found him ill in a little house in the town; -he had long before been driven from his -château in the suburbs. His sister, who -had with great difficulty made her way -from Louvain, received me with apologies -in the midst of a heterogeny of -boxes and packages, the few personal -possessions they had gathered together in -the hope of some day having a home -again. I was not to see the old Valenciennes -and other specimens of the famous -lace days of Courtrai; fortunately -for his museum, Monsieur had succeeded -in getting them to Brussels where they -were still, to my personal regret, hidden -away. However, I was not surprized, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span>for I had been unable before starting for -Flanders to see the celebrated collection -of the Cinquantenaire Museum at Brussels, -for that, too, had been successfully -secreted. Museums are slow in rehanging -their treasures. Even tho the presence -of the three neutral Ministers, the -Spanish, American and Dutch, in the capital, -was supposed to be a guaranty of -protection to the national collections, and -undoubtedly it was only their presence -that prevented in Belgium what happened -to the Museums of Northern -France, the Belgians with unwearying -ingenuity concealed what they could. -Whenever I hear of hidden laces, I am -reminded of a morning at Malines and a -sad little basket containing a fine collection -of old Malines lace, I saw exhumed. -It had been buried deep in a box, along -with the family silver, and as the daughter -of the mother who had worn it took -its once lovely flowers and webs, now -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span>gray and earth-stained, between her fingers, -they powdered to dust.</p> - -<p>Monsieur suggested that I see <abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> -Mullie, a leading dealer of Courtrai, who -still handles a large output of Valenciennes; -tho Courtrai, which was once -a brilliant production center, is no longer -of great importance. After the French -Revolution, which killed Valenciennes-making -in its original home, it migrated -to other parts of Northern France, and -to the two Flanders; to Ypres, where it -enjoyed an especially happy development, -to Bruges, Ghent, Dixmude, Furnes, -Menin, Nieuport, Poperinghe and elsewhere. -For a long time Ghent led all -these, with over 5,000 workers listed in -1756. But starvation wages and successful -imitations have told against this, as -against other laces. Nevertheless, in the -census of 1896, Bruges was still credited -with 2,000 Valenciennes workers, and -Poperinghe with 500, while there were -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>scattered groups of considerable importance -in a great number of the villages of -Western, and some of Eastern Flanders.</p> - -<p>Courtrai and the nearby villages where -the lace is actually made, still stand, -tho many buildings have been destroyed, -but while her people were not -forced to become refugees, lace-making -was seriously interrupted; workers were -evicted from their homes and their -schools. And they suffered further because -there was scarcely any thread left, -the dealers often asking as much as 20 -cents for ¾ of a yard of lace thread, -about the previous value of the same -length in finished lace. Under these conditions -it was especially easy to see the -importance of the efforts of the Brussels -Lace Committee, which furnished thread -at the normal price, and gave more for -the lace than was ever offered before -the war.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_088.jpg" id="i_088.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_088.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="317" /> -<p class="captioncenter">BOBBIN LACES</p> -<p class="small">First column: Malines, Malines, Point de Paris, Point de Paris, Valenciennes (square mesh)<br /> -Middle column: Point de Paris<br /> -Third column: First three, Valenciennes; fourth, Point de Paris</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_089.jpg" id="i_089.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_089.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="379" /> -<p class="captioncenter">CUSHION COVER REPRESENTING BELGIUM’S GRATITUDE TO AMERICA FOR BREAD</p> - -<p class="small">Point de Paris lace combined with linen. The lower right-hand -centerpiece shows the rose design, emblem of Queen Elizabeth</p> -</div> - -<p>Unfortunately the German facteurs -(agents for lace dealers) worked cleverly -here, too, as in other districts. They -had always plenty of requisitioned thread -to offer, and succeeded in buying considerable -lace, for which they offered -high and varying prices.</p> - -<p>The younger women of the Courtrai -region have been rapidly giving up Valenciennes -to make Cluny, which pays better. -A Valenciennes beginner, for example, -must work a year as an apprentice, -during which time she is able to earn -scarcely more than five cents a day. The -wages of the good workers have advanced, -but unless they can be increased -even more, there are few who will continue -to make this difficult lace.</p> - -<p>After 60 years’ experience in lace, and -latterly she has employed 1,000 women, -<abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> Mullie says that one is fortunate, -among 5,000 workers, to find five who can -execute a sample from a drawing not -already interpreted or pricked for the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span>worker. Before the war there were two -good <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuses</span> in Ypres to whom Courtrai -sent her difficult patterns, but only -one of these still lives.</p> - -<p>In peace-time the greater part of this -Courtrai lace goes to Paris (some is sent -to New York), which is all one needs to -say in tribute to its pattern and its quality. -Paris knows lace better than any -other city in the world; she accepts only -the best. We were talking of the 60 per -cent. duty the United States Government -levies on imported laces, and the harm it -works to the Belgian industry. “That is -our greatest discouragement, but there -are other Government stupidities,” <abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> -Mullie smiled. “France, for instance, -charges 10½ francs on a kilo of Valenciennes, -and the same amount on an equal -weight of Cluny; the Valenciennes may -be worth several thousand, and the Cluny -three or four francs!”</p> - -<p>The true old Valenciennes mesh, called -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>“Rond,” is still made at Courtrai, as -well as at Bruges; the modern Valenciennes -commonly has a square mesh, -which is preferred by many connoisseurs, -since it is more transparent and sets the -flowers off more strikingly. “Whether -or not you prefer it to the square, you -must see the traditional round Valenciennes -mesh,” <abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> Mullie said, and -we started off in the rain for a group of -tiny brick houses, the Gottshuisen (God’s -houses) which the city furnishes free to -certain old people.</p> - -<p>Before we reached the first, I saw two -white heads near a window, bending over -cushions; and once inside, on those cushions, -lengths of snowy Valenciennes of -the old round mesh, of an admirable regularity -and loveliness. These two women -were both over 70 years old, and they -sat before their bobbins, twisting and -braiding the eight threads of the mesh as -they had twisted and braided them for -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>over a half century, and still cheerfully -hoping that they might some day win -more than 15 or 20 cents a day for their -work. “Now we must have more,” they -said gently, “because thread and oil are -so much more expensive than they were -before the war.”</p> - -<p>In the next house, the old woman -whose sister was ill could afford no light -at all; when dusk fell she had to leave -her bobbin mounds and her mesh and -flowers and go to bed—what else could -she do without coal or oil?</p> - -<p>It was the last day of 1918, and I -decided that Mrs. Bayard Henry of Philadelphia, -who had sent me a little money -to use as I chose, would be happy to give -to these sweet, faithful women and their -thirteen neighbors, candles and oil as -hope symbols for the New Year. I left -her gift with <abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> Mullie.</p> - -<p>It was already very late, and I had -not time to go to Wevelghem and Gulleghem,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -two of the most important lace-villages -contributing to Courtrai. <abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> -Mullie was facing the future with courage. -“I am sure,” she said, <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span>“that Peat, -from whom I have bought thread for -forty years, will not forget me, and that I -may be able to count on a shipment from -England at a just price as soon as anything -can come through. That I have -been cut off during four years will make -no difference. I shall write, too, to a -friend in France, and from Puy I may -have a few skeins. The question of pins -and bobbins is serious—they seem to have -disappeared, and one can not start a -worker on less than a dozen bobbins. -Those I have thus far succeeded in finding -cost 95 centimes the dozen, as against -the 28 centimes of pre-war times. There -seem literally to be no pins. However, -despite everything, I, at least, hope to see -my thousand women at some not too distant -time again busy over their cushions. -A few have already sought me out to -let me know they are ready, waiting only -for the precious thread. I regret infinitely -the passing of the fine ‘Val,’ but we -shall continue to produce as much as we -can, and at any rate we shall try unceasingly -to raise the standard of the -Clunys and Torchons.”</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="III" id="III"></a><abbr title="3">III</abbr><br /> - -<a name="THOUROUT-THIELT-WYNGHENE" id="THOUROUT-THIELT-WYNGHENE"></a>THOUROUT-THIELT-WYNGHENE<br /> - -<small><i>In the Important Bobbin Lace Area</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">On</span> a spring-like Saturday in early -January, I left Bruges by the -Thourout road for Thielt. As I turned -beyond the Porte, I found myself -speeding toward the great arms of one -of those Dutch windmills that so frequently, -in the lowlands, close the long -vista. The farther I rode into the Thourout -region, the more it seemed the loveliest -bit of Western Flanders I had yet -seen. The gentle outlines of the low red -brick farmhouses followed with satisfying -harmony the landscape contours. -Farm succeeded farm in swift succession,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -small farms, where every square foot of -soil was green with sprouting grain or -vegetables, and in the morning sunlight -the thickly sown cottages shone like -jewels on the plain.</p> - -<p>Pink and white geraniums blossomed -behind many of the quaint windows, and -I knew that near them grandmothers, or -mothers, or daughters (or possibly all -three together) were sitting before their -cushions, and from pin to pin were twisting -and braiding Cluny and Duchesse, -the characteristic laces of this section. -This was an excellent day for lace-making -with its sunshine of summer.</p> - -<p>To the south and east of the badly -shelled town of Thourout, I visited the districts -of Iseghem, Thielt and Wynghene, -all celebrated for their guipures. Guipure, -a rather vague commercial term covering -two widely different groups of lace, may -be loosely defined as bobbin lace without -a mesh base. One group of guipures includes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -the Clunys (named after the Cluny -museum in Paris because they employ -many old Gothic designs) which are -made in one length or piece. They -closely resemble the more common Torchons, -surpassing them, however, in fineness -and firmness of execution, and in -brilliancy of design—the distinguishing -connecting bars of Cluny often throw the -figures into conspicuous relief. While -this one-piece lace is usually made of the -coarser threads, fine linen or cotton, or -even silk thread, is also employed. In -the second group of guipures are those -made in separate small bits, or details, -which are afterward joined to make the -flounce or piece, the most common of -these varieties being Flanders and -Duchesse. In the schools of Thielt and -Wynghene all the kinds are taught. Because -they are made of coarser thread -and therefore more quickly than such -laces as Valenciennes or Needle Point, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>are less taxing to the eyes, and pay better, -these guipures have gained ground -in almost every lace center in Belgium, -and often threaten the very existence of -the finer laces. If it had not been for -the leadership of the “Amies de la Dentelle,” -of a few of the more intelligent -and disinterested dealers, and above all -of certain convents to whom Belgium -owes the preservation of many of her -finest designs and varieties, it is a question -if any but the few remaining old -women, who for forty or fifty years have -preferred to follow one pattern, would -still produce the old meshes and points. -Much hope now centers in the corrective -influence of the recently founded Normal -School at Bruges and of the other schools -of Belgium, but, despite all the efforts of -these combined groups, delicate laces like -the Malines have been fast disappearing.</p> - -<p>The little farmhouse, if one can call -two rooms a house, I visited on the edge -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span>of Thielt demonstrated clearly what is -happening. It was Saturday afternoon -and the mother of the large family of -boys at play on the neat brick path outside, -was scrubbing the tiled floor, moving -the small baskets of potatoes and -heaps of tobacco leaves and sabots and -the winter sled from place to place as -she proceeded. The socks to be darned, -each already a fantastic patchwork, were -piled on the window-sill, where there was -room beside for a geranium and a fern. -The stove and the table were also crowded -into this, the general living-room, which -despite all attempts to arrange things, -boasted scarcely one unincumbered foot -of floor space. However, over near the -window with its two plants, were the -customary chair and the cushion, and the -girl of sixteen, absorbed in her lace, -quite oblivious of the water her mother -was splashing about her feet.</p> - -<p>The adjoining room was similarly -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span>crowded; it had to serve as bedroom for -this large family. There was the mantel-piece -with the familiar row of bright -plates and vases,—the place where the -family’s art sense finds concentrated expression. -Fortunately, this room, too, -had a window with other plants, and before -it sat the grandmother in her black -cap and shawl, who, as I entered, was just -slipping her battered eye-glasses into the -little side drawer beneath her cushion. -She smiled a friendly greeting, and uncovered -her lace, a filmy flounce of Valenciennes -about four inches wide, firm -and regular, and of a good old design. -She had been making Valenciennes all -her life; she would make it to the end. -She was delighted to show me how she -twisted four threads to form one side of -the hexagon of the mesh, and four to -form the opposite, and the union points -where the eight met. Then she held up -a length of her lace and told us that a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span>facteur (neighborhood buyer for a large -business house) had been there just before -we arrived, to try to buy her flounce -at nine francs the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">aune</i>, which would be -roughly, about $2.50 a meter. The committee -has been giving her 19 fr. 50 c. -($3.90) for the same amount, and she -asked anxiously, tho still smilingly, if she -might not continue to hope for the committee -price, even tho the war had stopt. -It is pathetic, day after day, to hear that -question repeated, and not yet to be certain -of the answer. However, one can always -reply truthfully, that the women of -the “Friends of the Lace” will work unceasingly -not only to hold wages where -they are, but to advance them.</p> - -<p>I turned from this delicate lace to the -granddaughter’s cushion—she was making -guipure de Cluny, of coarse linen -thread. Marie’s pattern happened to be -a good one and she was working swiftly -and evenly, sure of a fair day’s wage.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span></p> -<p>Here, then, was a suggestive contrast, -and however one may regret it, it exists -in the large majority of lace-making -households in Belgium, and is only to be -expected. It is but the deserved penalty -of a past and present economic blindness -or callousness. Where they are not making -Cluny, the younger women of this district -give their time to ordinary varieties -of guipure which they call Bruges and -Milan, or Point de Bruges, and Point -de Milan.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_104.jpg" id="i_104.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_104.jpg" alt="" width="375" height="600" /> -<p class="captioncenter">BOBBIN LACES</p> -<p class="small">(1) Torchon (2) Cluny (3) Old Flemish (4) Binche</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_105.jpg" id="i_105.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_105.jpg" alt="" width="343" height="444" /> -<p class="captioncenter">TABLE CLOTH SHOWING ARMS OF THE ALLIES</p> -<p class="small">Cut linen with squares of Venise surrounded by filet and cluny. -Venise made with the needle, cluny with bobbins</p> -</div> - -<p>While I had been watching the Valenciennes -and Cluny, the mother of the -household, who had the mop of fuzzy -dark red hair often seen in this region, -had hurried her scrubbing to an end, and -wiping her hands on her blue apron, was -ready to uncover her own cushion. I -looked at the chapped, rough skin and -the hands used to pulling weeds and digging -potatoes and scrubbing, and realized -that they could not possibly hold a piece -of fine sewing—the thread would catch -with every stitch—and yet that she could -turn from her scrubbing-brush to the -little wooden bobbins (her fingers need -not touch the thread) and proceed without -difficulty on a snowy bit of Valenciennes—for -happily she was following -her mother in Valenciennes.</p> - -<p>There are three schools in Thielt, of -which the convent schools de la Charité -and de l’Espérance are the more important. -I went first to the Convent de -la Charité, with <abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> van der Graeht, -who has throughout the war been devoted -to the workers and the lace. Tho Thielt -lay in the danger zone, she refused to -choose a safer city, remaining to share -the work of her father, who added to -his arduous duties as administrator of -the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">arrondisement</i>, those of the representative -of the Brussels Lace Committee. -Two weeks before the end, however, the -Germans drove these patriots from their -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>house (three bombs from Allied aeroplanes -had already fallen on it) and they -were denied the experience they had -been waiting for throughout all the -years, that of seeing the Allied soldiers -march into Thielt. One of the Germans -was frank enough to tell them that they -were being forced away chiefly to prevent -their “assisting” at that deliverance.</p> - -<p>Immediately after the armistice they -returned, and installed themselves comfortably -once more on the first floor of -their almost roofless house. When I -arrived they had not yet come in from -their first inspection trip of the communes -just behind the lines, and I was -welcomed by pretty, brown-haired Flavia -and her six-year-old Albert. Flavia’s -husband had been killed at the front during -the first months of the war, and she -had served in this household throughout -all its terrible duration. As I looked from -the windows of the drawing-room, still -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>intact, across the rear garden, to the -mass of wreckage that was once the neighboring -house, I understood the feeling -of the impotence of all effort produced -by the casualness of these bombs, that -spare here to strike there, and why in -the war one inevitably becomes a fatalist. -And as I looked across the garden, Flavia -told me something of her experience with -the thirteen Germans who took over the -house when they drove her master out -and of how whenever the shelling was -severe they ran to the cellars, and several -times tried to persuade her to go with -them but she always refused. “I preferred,” -she said, “to die alone with my -little boy in the open, to risking being -killed with them in the cellar.” On Sunday, -October 13, between 11 and 2 o’clock, -sixty shells fell on Thielt, and all day -Monday and the following days they -continued to fall, until on Saturday the -<abbr title="nineteenth">19th</abbr>, the French marched into the town. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>To add to the horror of this period, people -were dying in large numbers of influenza. -Flavia told me of the street-sweeper -who died at the corner with her -broom in her hand. By some miracle she -and her little boy escaped both shell and -pestilence, and when Monsieur and his -daughter returned they found her scrubbing -and restoring as best she could after -the flight of the enemy. This was one of -the centers where during the four terror-years -a bright beacon burned for all -the surrounding territory, for it was here -that the people of the villages and the -convents could bring their laces for the -committee, knowing they would be accepted -and paid for. In 1916, the Baron -van der Graeht was encouraging the work -in no less than seventeen communes and -of as many as 3,500 lace-workers. Flavia -smiled as she remembered something—<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>“What -good luck, there will be a sister -coming this very day about 2 o’clock, with -her laces.” As she said this, the door -opened—father and daughter were back -from their pony-cart expedition to the -front-lines.</p> - -<p>Monsieur was still visibly moved by -what he had seen, even after his own four -years’ experience. “Madame,” he said, -“I can not describe my emotion on going -about in those little shattered villages -just behind the lines, where the women -have insisted on remaining, and where -day by day, and year after year, they -have sat calmly before their cushions -making lace, while the shells burst before -and behind them. After such a victory -as theirs, the lace industry of Belgium -must live.”</p> - -<p>Mademoiselle gave me the list of the -badly destroyed villages, and then the -names of those which had suffered less -and that, with Thielt, produced the most -lace. Among them were Pittham and -Ardois (which specializes in old Bruges); -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>Ruysselede (with an excellent school for -Valenciennes), Aerseele, and Maria Loop. -Thielt, itself, had at the beginning of -1919 about 300 workers, of whom a hundred -were in the school of the convent -de l’Espérance, and about 60 in the Convent -de la Charité. There had been times -of great discouragement; in one particularly -dark hour in 1917 many of the -workers had turned back to the old -facteurs, or village agents, for help, and -unfortunately some of these sold to the -Germans, who were constantly trying to -win them by offering large sums for their -laces. Since he was under no obligation -to turn over a fixt wage to the workers, -the facteur might reap any profit he -could secure.</p> - -<p>We abandoned this unpleasant subject -to talk of the schools, the hope of the -future, and after lunch I went with <abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> -to visit one of these, the Convent de la -Charité, on the edge of the town, with its -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span>60 girls, who have supplied the committee -with much old Flanders and Cluny. Even -tho this was a Saturday afternoon in -winter, 45 of the 60 chairs were occupied -by girls between 12 and 16. One rarely -finds a girl over 18 in the schools; once -she has learned her trade, she prefers to -work at home with the mother and grandmother.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately in this, which is considered -a “good” school for Flanders, I -found the longest hours I had yet met, -that is, summer hours. In winter, because -of the poor light, they are shorter. It -seems unbelievable, but the sisters told -me that in summer the children come at -5:30 o’clock and work until 8 at night—with -only three half-hours for recreation—one -at 8:30 o’clock, one at 12, and -one at 4. A day of 13 hours for growing -children, and girls who are maturing! -It is such cruel conditions as these that -the Committee have done their best to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>ameliorate. In this case, tho the hours -are still criminal, the wages have been -improved.</p> - -<p>However, “improved wages” leave -much still to be fought for. I talked -with a girl of twelve in the front row, an -apprentice, and found that she earns between -40 and 50 centimes a day, or about -10 cents for her 13 hours’ labor, which -tho it is almost double what she could -have earned before the war, is nevertheless -only 10 cents per day. The Committee -was able to add the war-time subsidy -of 20 per cent. to this. Naturally, -the learner can not yet make what is -called good lace, and unfortunately her -parents are often only too content to have -her bring home 10 cents a day. The -older, more experienced girls, were earning -from one to two francs a day, or from -20 to 40 cents, that is, on a summer’s day -or full day.</p> - -<p>Monsieur told me later that in his region<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span> -if the wage of the good worker can be -raised to 50 cents per day, she will -be able to live, and will be content to -remain at home before her lace cushion -rather than to go to the shoe and cotton -factories of Thielt.</p> - -<p>The advanced pupils were eager to uncover -their treasure. Nearly all of them -had protected their round cushions with a -circular piece of thick blue glazed paper, -with a hole in the middle. Through the -hole they worked with their rather heavy -cherry wood bobbins, on the meshless -guipures of Cluny and Bruges and Flanders, -which this school prefers. Several -were finishing the collar and cuff sets of -rather coarse but pretty Bruges with its -characteristic rose and trefoil, seen so -commonly in shop windows, and which -are especially effective when worn with -cotton or linen frocks. The Guipure de -Flandres pupils were making square insets -for table and tray-cloths of simple, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>geometric designs. Two girls were at -work on what they called Guipure de -Milan, of a wide spreading branch and -flower pattern.</p> - -<p>However, the most interesting lace -was not the guipure but the Point de -Flandres or Old Flanders, with its elaborate -mesh base, just now experiencing -an interesting and encouraging revival, -in which the zealous Baron van der -Graeht felt Thielt should assist. A half-dozen -older girls were executing doily -and table center rounds in this lace, after -the Committee’s very popular Swan pattern. -They were using a fairly coarse -linen thread, and working the rich, solid -mesh with eight bobbins. “Whoever -would make the Old Flanders mesh must -be willing to play a game of patience,” -Madame had once said to me. The dull, -plain woven parts of the pattern are -brilliantly outlined by a still coarser -thread, and in the “<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">jours</span>” or open-work -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span>spaces are the much loved snow-balls -characteristic of Binche lace. Because of -its combined strength and beauty, there -could hardly be a more successful lace -for general use than this Old Flanders, -sometimes called Antik.</p> - -<p>While it was once the most generally -made and most celebrated of Flemish -bobbin laces (it was known in every part -of Flanders in 1500), it had been almost -forgotten for generations, but even -tho it has been little remembered for -some time, Old Flanders may be said -never to have died. In certain regions, -that of Antwerp for instance, it is found -continuously on the garments of priests. -It is the lace that remained always at the -base and from which the other bobbin -laces, from time to time, sprang. It is -to be hoped that the Committee’s laudable -effort to revive it will bear increasing rewards.</p> - -<p>Tho they could understand no French, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>and I knew only a few words of Flemish, -these little and big girls found much -amusement in my visit, and in my inability -to follow their swift fingers. These -were fingers accustomed, too, to weed the -fields and to dig potatoes, for there is -practically no lace made here during the -weeks of August and September when -the potato-crop is gathered. The Sisters -of Charity, teachers in this school, were -poor themselves, as their surroundings -testified. They had no fine carved oak -armoire for their laces, but brought from -some safe place a tin box, like an ordinary -bread-box, in which were the dainty -white packets ready to be sent to the -Committee at Brussels. As they were -exhibiting piece after lovely piece, they -unfolded the swan pattern doily rounds -of Old Flanders, and after a moment’s -hesitation, Sister A. ventured, “There is -one thing you might do for us, Madame; -when you return to Brussels, could you -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>not tell the Committee that while the -small swan doily rounds are sufficiently -paid, this large centerpiece round is not? -It is our fault in estimating; we did not -realize how long it would take to make -it.” I could not resist teasing them a -little and replied that I should be delighted -to carry the message were it not -for the fact that it was precisely this set -of swan doilies (as it was) that the Committee -had given me for Christmas. -“Should you like me to tell them,” I -asked, “that they had not paid enough -for my present?” They were covered -with confusion, as I expected they would -be, and then how they laughed, those -frail little sisters. “<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Mais</i>, Madame, that -would indeed be difficult; we will write; -we had forgotten. <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Non</i>, Madame, you -certainly could not tell them that! But -we can write letters now whenever we -wish—can we not? One loses the habit -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span>in four years.” And then they laughed -again all together.</p> - -<p>It was already late when I reached -Wynghene. The shell-pitted roads of -western Flanders had made all my traveling -difficult and I could not see <abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> -Slock, one of the rare lace dealers who -has looked beyond her immediate purse -and has taken time to revive old models -and invent new ones, seeking in every -way to raise the standard of the present -production in all her region, which is -chiefly devoted to Cluny. I had not time -to stop in the village, but hurried on beyond -it to a cheerful red brick manor -house set in a forest, the home of the -Burgomaster of Wynghene, whose wife -has been the untiringly devoted representative -of the Committee for this section.</p> - -<p>As we sat at tea together, near the conservatory -windows, where we could look -through the naked garden trees across a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span>meadow to the forest beyond, the Burgomaster -told me of the morning when they -stood at these windows, after the shells -had been falling for days all about them, -waiting and watching, scarcely daring to -breathe, and of how as they watched, he -saw through the trees of the forest what -looked like a brown shadow, but the -brown shadow moved, and then running -across the meadow, where he had always -believed they must break through, came -the Belgian soldiers, the soldiers of deliverance. -“I know our hearts stopt beating; -we stood choking, incapable of motion, -as we watched them come—still -unable to believe after four years of waiting.”</p> - -<p>We were silent for a few minutes, then -we began to talk of the lace. As his wife -turned to get the list of her villages, I -asked if the Germans had attempted to -get her workers away from her. “They -had their agents here, as everywhere,” -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span>she answered, “and I regret to admit that -one of their most successful ones was a -Belgian woman, who had been a facteur, -or lace gatherer for larger houses, before -the war. When the Germans offered -her large prices, she consented to serve -them. If she had been sacrificing herself -for what she believed to be the good of -the workers, we might have forgiven her, -but it was obvious that she was not—she -is pretty and likes pretty clothes—<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Voilà -tout!</i> Along with several other disloyal -citizens, she was imprisoned the other -day, but unfortunately after only twenty-four -hours, succeeded in freeing herself. -However, the people will never forget -that she trafficked with the enemy.”</p> - -<p>I had known of the German lace organization -first through seeing the huge sign, -“<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Allgemeine Spitzen Centrale</i>” (Central -lace depot), just across from our C. R. B. -offices. And as soon as I got in touch -with the loyal work of the women of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>Belgian Lace Committee, I was daily -hearing of this or that attempt of their -oppressors to capture the designs and the -output of the country. They might succeed -with the simpler, more helpless -workers, who because of their great -misery may be forgiven for selling to -them—and with the deserters and -activists—but they were daily defeated -by the Committee patriots. I was -thoroughly interested to hear, now, from -one of the patriots, that the idea of the -German “Lace Control” possibly had its -birth in Wynghene. In February, 1915, -a certain Freiherr Von Rippenhausen -was stationed at Wynghene. He had -with him his young American wife—they -had been married but a short time, and -the people of the village were kind enough -to say they believed she was not German -by conviction! However that may be, -the Von Rippenhausens requisitioned -lodgings in the house of one of the lace -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>buyers of Wynghene, and in this house -they naturally discovered much regarding -the lace situation, the lack of -thread, and the distress of the workers, -and of the Belgian system by which the -facteur furnishes the thread to the -worker and buys the finished products, -which he in turn sells to a big lace house, -reaping what profit he can as intermediary. -Frau von Rippenhausen, in -particular, informed herself thoroughly, -and together she and her husband, it is -said, organized the German “Lace Control,” -with headquarters at Brussels.</p> - -<p>Since the Germans had requisitioned -all the thread they could lay their hands -on, of which there were enormous stocks -in Belgium, it was not difficult for them -to offer it to the workers. They sent -German soldier facteurs into every -corner of the country to offer large prices -to native facteurs or to individual -workers. On receiving a piece of lace, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span>they supplied an equal weight of thread -to the workers, thus establishing a continuing -chain of material and product. -And they claimed to be selling their lace -in America! They were clever enough -to profit, in 1917, by the Committee’s apparent -inability to go on at that moment, -exercising every pressure they could, and -naturally they gained ground. No one -can say yet how much lace they were able -to buy, but the amount of inferior lace -was considerable.</p> - -<p>Madame Van der Bruggen’s records -show that before 1917 there were in -Wynghene, contributing to the Committee, -400 workers on Cluny and Duchesse, -about 200 on Cluny and Valenciennes in -Beernem, 200 on Valenciennes in -Oedelem, and 350 in Oostcamp, all grateful -to have the Committee’s fixt minimum -of three francs’ work a week insured -to them. Some of these villages, -Beernem and Oostcamp for instance, are -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>usually included in the Bruges district.</p> - -<p>She praised the Committee’s method of -raising the wage by standardizing the -values of certain designs as executed by -an average worker; the poorer workers -then gained less, the superior ones, more. -“I thought I realized,” she said, “how -cruelly underpaid our women were, but it -was not until I saw their joy when the -Committee promised them that at least -they should always have a minimum of ten -centimes an hour for their work, that I -really understood. Ten centimes (two -cents), just a postage stamp, for a whole -hour’s straining effort; and they were -happy because that was so much more -than they had been sure of winning before -the war!”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="IV" id="IV"><abbr title="4">IV</abbr></a><br /> - -<a name="GRAMMONT" id="GRAMMONT"></a>GRAMMONT<br /> - -<small><i>Belgian Home of Chantilly</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">The</span> Committee was discouraging -about Grammont. When I told -Madame de Beughem of my plan to -go there to see Chantilly lace in the -making, she answered, “But that will be -a futile journey; the women have had -practically no black or white silk thread -since the war, and the few who were -still working in 1914 will have stopt; that -one-time important branch of the industry -has almost ceased to exist.” I decided, -however, to visit the tomb of -Chantilly, the lace so closely identified -with Grammont that in Belgium it takes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -its name from that city, rather than from -its original French home.</p> - -<p>And Grammont itself, a town of 13,000 -inhabitants, was well worth the journey, -situated as it is in a lovely region of rolling -hills, and deriving its name from -the steep slope (Grand Mont) to which -part of the city clings. The surrounding -undulating country is dotted with quaint, -clustered villages, some with thatched, -some with tiled roofs, and only twenty -miles away is the charming town of -Audenarde—poor Audenarde, so cruelly -wounded by the war!</p> - -<p>I reached Grammont about noon, having -lost an hour on the way through the -difficulty of passing camions and artillery -and marching companies of Canadian soldiers. -Between Ninove and Grammont, -too, were many squads of German prisoners -at work on the ruined road. They -were guarded by the French, but it was -a rather lenient surveillance, at any rate -the sullen groups in their trailing gray -capes appeared to be casually tapping the -mud with their spades instead of being -genuinely at work.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_128.jpg" id="i_128.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_128.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="331" /> -<p class="captioncenter">A “MARIE ANTOINETTE” IN CHANTILLY LACE, MADE WITH BOBBINS, NEAR GRAMMONT</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_129.jpg" id="i_129.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_129.jpg" alt="" width="420" height="426" /> -<p class="captioncenter">CUSHION COVER</p> - -<p class="small">Center Venise, borders Valenciennes, lace executed by 12 workers -in one month, embroidery and mounting by four women in two -months, design by M. de Rudder</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_129a.jpg" id="i_129a.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_129a.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="251" /> -<p class="captioncenter">TEA CLOTH</p> - -<p class="small">Point de Paris, cock design</p> -</div> - -<p>My Belgian chauffeur, whose health is -broken after three years of forced labor -in Germany, would have been delighted -to run them down, and at one point did -succeed in splashing a group with mud, -as he called “Boches” and something I -did not catch. I began to understand the -ruling that released Belgian prisoners -shall not be placed over Germans still -held here.</p> - -<p>After lunch I started with Madame -Cuseners to the little lace school whose -director has courageously carried on during -the four years. We walked through -a narrow arched passageway beside a -brick building and into a large hall at the -rear which was at one time the lace class-room. -Instead of lace-workers, however, -we found Scotch and Canadian soldiers -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>busy tacking the Union Jack and Belgian -flags on the wall, and hanging boughs -and festoons of colored paper rings—they -were making ready for a “grand” -New Year’s Eve dancing party. In the -courtyard still farther back a half-dozen -Scotchmen had built a campfire, protecting -it with a low canvas roof, and it was -burning brightly despite the dismal rain.</p> - -<p>It shone on the windows of the long, -narrow room at the side of the court, -which looked like a conservatory, but -which had become the refuge of the lace-workers, -when because of lack of thread -and fuel, they could no longer occupy -their hall. I found fifty sweet-faced girls -between thirteen and fifteen busy over -their cushions, a faithful, tired-looking -old Abbé and an enthusiastic young -woman teacher. They were not making -black nor the less important white silk -Chantilly, for they had long been entirely -without silk thread. Nevertheless, they -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>were preserving the art of making it, -since they had been kept at work on -Chantilly designs executed with bobbins -and the white cotton thread furnished by -the Committee. They had some fine -flounces, which were not, however, to be -compared with the traditional black silk -ones of the great Chantilly days.</p> - -<p>For Chantilly has seen great days. It -appeared first in France about 1740, -where it achieved a phenomenal popularity, -which was unfortunately rudely ended -by the Revolution, for since it was a -favorite lace at court, the Revolutionists -made it a crime to appear in Chantilly. -Later, under the Empire, it enjoyed a revival, -the fabrication of the silk laces -spread in France; Bayeux became a celebrated -center; and, finally, toward 1835, -it crossed to Belgium, where Grammont -was early recognized as its home. In -1851 all of the forty-nine schools of that -province taught the technique of this -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span>lace. Then toward 1870 true Chantilly -seemed doomed a second time to extinction -by the success of the machine imitations -of <abbr title="Saint">St.</abbr> Pierre des Calais, and also -because the vogue for black lace had -passed. But again the pendulum has -swung back; the imitations are now -greatly in favor and there is a cheering -increase in the demand for the true lace -flounces.</p> - -<p>The Abbé brought out from dusty -drawers the school’s stock of designs, -elegant groupings of bouquets and -foliage, with occasional striking geometrical -details introduced, all joined by -a fine hexagonal mesh, which resembled -at first that of Malines, and later, more -closely, the Point d’ Alençon mesh. The -fact that this lace is often used for scarfs -and gowns, and that the customary -flounce is of generous width, has encouraged -the development of elaborate -patterns. Some of the sketches were -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span>divided by heavy pencil lines into the -separate narrow strips on which the lace-maker -actually works. To achieve the -wide flounce, these strips are attached -one to another by special workers who -employ a joining stitch that defies detection. -The individual pattern strips include -both mesh and flowers and follow -irregular lines, curving, it may be, to include -a full-petaled rose. When one examines -the fineness of the clear hexagonal -mesh that forms the base of Chantilly, it -seems all the more remarkable that the -division lines are not visible. This Chantilly -mesh has differed during various -periods and besides there are always almost -as many varieties as there are -workers, for one weaves more closely or -more firmly than another. I came soon -to realize how great a difference in effect -results from a practically invisible variation -in the thickness of the thread, or in -the manner of twisting or looping it or -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span>in the placing of the pins. One of the -distinguishing characteristics of Chantilly -is the relief produced by a heavier thread -that outlines the pattern and forms the -twigs and veins of the leaves. In securing -a brilliant relief, the French have -always succeeded better than the Belgians.</p> - -<p>These Grammont pupils were also making -Blonde, a favorite lace with the -Spanish people, and introduced into Belgium -from France at the same time as -Chantilly. Its processes are very similar, -tho it is easily differentiated from its -sister by the heavy glossy petals of its -flowers and their conspicuous open-work -centers in the Point de Paris stitch. The -name Blonde is derived from the écru -silk which was first employed in its making; -now it is made of white or of black -silk, and chiefly in the form of scarfs or -mantillas. The girls were making their -war-time Blonde of cotton, the good Peat -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>cotton of Nottingham, brought in by the -C. R. B. for the Lace Committee. It is -practically only in the Grammont and -Turnhout regions that Blonde is still -made.</p> - -<p>The instructress showed me the little -bundles of poor, crooked brass pins that -were all that remained after four years -of the occupation, explaining what harm -poor pins can work in a fine mesh like -that of Chantilly. Then she asked if I -could not tell them when they might expect -new ones. Alas, these disheartening -months of the winter of 1918–1919 when -one hope after another has been deferred; -so many things to be done at once, and -all depending on the re-establishment of -a system of transportation utterly destroyed.</p> - -<p>I went from the school-room, past the -fire in the courtyard, back to the large hall -where the Canadians were still decorating -for their party, and where we wished -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>one another a Happy New Year—brave -Canadian boys well loved by the Belgians—then -on to the house of Madame’s -mother, who for a half-century has been -a lace <i>fabricant</i>, or dealer, and whose -front room served easily as combined -salon and office. Precious laces need very -little space; they can be stored in a handsome -carved oak armoire, which is at -once a safe and a beautiful article of -furniture. This old lady’s hair was still -dark and glossy, as is so often the case -with grandmothers in Europe, and her -brown eyes were bright and keen. She -talked of the time when there were more -than twenty dealers employing over 2,000 -workers on Chantilly in the Grammont -region, and of the gradual decline of the -industry. <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>“Certain empty houses on the -heights above the town tell the story. -Long ago the lace-makers left the valley -at the foot of the slope, and seeking the -brighter light on the hill, formed a lace -colony there; but they have come down -again, the houses on the hill are deserted. -One by one the skilled old workers have -died, and their secrets with them. There -is only one really excellent <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuse</span> left -and she is a baker-woman who exercises -her talent of pricking patterns between -baking! And I believe that instead of -the former thousands, we have not more -than eight hundred <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellières</span> to-day. -Here, as elsewhere, factories have come, -and the lace has fled. With us it is the -cigar and the match that have banished -it, they furnish better wages and our -women follow. However, if we can win -a higher pay for the lace, and can but -develop the little school you have just -visited, and continue to train our girls, -we shall yet be able to restore Chantilly. -Especially,” she added, <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>“if we can be -helped by that fickle Mistress Fashion, -who last year smiled again on the black -lace gown. Some of our patterns for -robes can be made in a few weeks, but -the truly fine ones take months, even a -year to make. All depends on the design -and the number of threads. We have had -much to combat in the success of the -marvelous Calais machine imitations of -Chantilly, but true lovers of lace will -never be content with them, however -clever they are.”</p> - -<p>She shook out a folded triangular -shawl. “There is no lace in the world -more beautiful than this,” she said, as -she spread it on the white tablecloth, the -better to display the wealth of its black -flower clusters and long fronds, and then -had me squeeze the delicate mesh in my -hand to test its resiliency. I could not -but agree with her. Her daughter -brought out an exquisite collar, a tendril -and flower pattern, with long tabs that -could be crossed in front and let fall -like a sash behind, a “Marie Antoinette” -of most tempting loveliness; then a dainty -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span>parasol and a fan and a few filmy winged -butterflies—all pieces made before the -war, before the Germans set a wall of -fire between the women of Grammont and -the silk thread (Grenadine d’Alays) -which meant their bread.</p> - -<p>I was glad to have a few hours of -sweeping hill country between these elegant -black laces and the Valenciennes I -was next to see; for the moment all white -lace seemed negligible.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="V" id="V"></a><abbr title="5">V</abbr><br /> - -<a name="BRUGES" id="BRUGES"></a>BRUGES<br /> - -<small><i>Queen of Lace Cities</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">After</span> a day beside the graves of -Nieuport and Dixmude and Ypres, -the first glimpse of the singing towers -of Bruges against the evening sky -seems an unearthly vision. During four -years no one had known that Bruges -would not perish as her sisters had perished. -One must have come direct from -the desolation of Nieuport, to her pignons -and bridges, from the skeleton of Les -Halles of Ypres to her Hôtel de Ville, -to estimate her incomparable beauty. -Since Ypres is dead, only Bruges and -Turnhout remain as true lace cities of -Belgium; Ghent, the elegant neighbor of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -Bruges, and herself once a Queen in the -lace world, has turned to her factories -and no longer counts. Except Turnhout, -then, with its famous schools for fine -laces, no Belgian city to-day challenges -the leadership of Bruges, and beyond -Belgium, she has but one great rival—Venice.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_144.jpg" id="i_144.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_144.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="292" /> -<p class="captioncenter">LACE-MAKERS OF BRUGES</p> -</div> - -<p>This claim to leadership rests on a -solid foundation. Bruges is of ancient -lineage in the lace world; she has preserved -unbroken, through at least four -centuries, the traditions of that world. -There are those even who believe that -mediæval bobbin lace had its origin in -her territory, and they are at least supported -by legend. A pretty story tells -of a poor and infirm widow, who with -her many children lived in a little street -of Bruges. The entire family depended -only on the work of Serena, the eldest, -who from dawn till dark turned her -wheel. She had long been loved by a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span>neighbor, Arnold, the son of a great merchant, -and she did not view him with disfavor. -But as winter and misery settled -again on the poor little hut, and Serena -saw that all her efforts appeared vain, -she vowed to the Virgin never to marry -unless her family could be rescued from -their suffering. Then one day when near -the Minnewater, as she was making sad -thoughts, suddenly she saw a light, and -from the Virgin threads descended -toward her, which, skipping the branches, -dropt in her lap, where they by chance -designed lovely patterns. Serena understood -this to be the response to her -prayer, and she tried at once to reproduce -the arabesques in linen thread. She -ended by attaching little woods to them -and by aiding them with pins. And thus -to the great emotion of Bruges bobbin-lace -was born. And all the rich seigneurs -and bourgeois wished to possess it. -Ease came and Serena married Arnold, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>and they had many daughters, all of -whom she taught to make lace.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_145.jpg" id="i_145.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_145.jpg" alt="" width="486" height="268" /> -<p class="captioncenter">BRUGES AND SIMILAR BOBBIN LACES</p> -<p class="small">First column: Bruges<br /> -Middle column: Bruges, Bruges, Bruges, Rosaline<br /> -Third Column: Rosaline, Old Flanders, Old Flanders, Duchesse</p> -</div> - -<p>The often quoted picture in the Louvre -Gallery, painted by Hans Memling (14— to 1494) -and representing the Virgin and -the Infant Christ surrounded by gift-bearers, -among whom is a rich Brugeois -wearing a gray costume trimmed with a -bobbin-lace edging, certainly indicates -that the industry existed in this epoch, -and possibly had its center at Bruges, -then the principal city in Flanders and -the seat of the court. Furthermore, -records prove that already at the opening -of the <abbr title="sixteenth">16th</abbr> century, lace-making was -included as a necessary part of the education -of women. The edicts of Charles -<abbr title="5">V</abbr> requiring that it should be taught in -all the schools and convents, greatly stimulated -its development in Bruges, as well -as throughout the entire Flanders and the -provinces of Hainaut, Brabant and Antwerp. -It became so popular an occupation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -for women that Charles’s successor, -Philip <abbr title="2">II</abbr>, required that the magistrates -of Ghent and Bruges restrict the number -of lace-workers in their cities, in order -that the rich might find some women left -willing to serve them. Another enlightening -document shows that in 1544 Bruges -counted 7,696 poor among her population, -and that the department of public charity -required of the young women among -them that they should cease to walk the -streets and should learn the lace industry. -There were at that time many lace -schools. During the following centuries, -Bruges maintained her position as a lace -center and was able to survive the death-blow -the French Revolution dealt the industry. -For we find, about the middle of -the <abbr title="nineteenth">19th</abbr> century, the city still counted -seventy-nine schools, attended by 2,722 -pupils, while in Valenciennes, for example, -lace-making no longer existed.</p> - -<p>There is, then, a rich and ancient past -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>back of the clicking bobbins of the Bruges -of to-day. After four years of German -rule it is still difficult to give accurate -statistics, but generally speaking, in this -city of 54,000 inhabitants, as many as -5,000 women and girls make lace of some -sort. If you question the average woman, -she will probably look at you in surprize -and say: “How many lace-makers? Why, -everybody; there is hardly a house in -Bruges without its cushion and bobbins.” -While if you put the same question to -such a celebrated lace dealer as M. Gillemont -de Cock, who counts gold and silver -medals from many nations, he will be -very apt to answer: “Madame, before -the war I knew of about thirty, now I -can not say!” The Lace Committee at -Brussels considers 5,000 a fair estimate -for Bruges and her contributing villages, -which is the number given, too, by Professor -Maertens of the Normal School.</p> - -<p>By the Bruges district is meant chiefly -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>Bruges, quite the contrary of the usual -situation. One hears of the Alost region, -for instance, and finds that while the -villages of the surrounding area count -thousands of workers, in the city of Alost -itself very few are left. However, -Bruges, too, counts some few outlying -villages. Madame Ryeland, representative -during the war of the Brussels Lace -Committee, told me that forty communes -contributed to her committee, the most -important being Syssele (where Valenciennes -is the favorite lace), Maldeghem -(applications and filet), Saint Andre -(Cluny and Valenciennes), Oostcamp and -Lophem (Valenciennes), Saint Croix -(Cluny and other guipures), and Saint -Michele (an unusually beautiful Duchesse -de Bruges).</p> - -<p>In Bruges itself there are three important -convent lace schools, working -largely for the shops, but which also execute -private commands; the convent -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>school of the Apostolines, typical of those -where the children learn a little Flemish, -a little French, much catechism, and for -the rest make the laces of the region from -morning till evening; the school Defoere, -and the well-known school Josephine. -Each has between 100 and 200 <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellières</span>, -who make the popular Torchons -and Clunys and Valenciennes, and also -the more difficult Binche, with its mesh -characterized by the airy “<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">boules de -neige</i>,” snow-balls. They make, too, Old -Flanders, which has a particularly strong -and elaborate mesh; and of course the -Duchesse de Bruges, or Bruges, for which -the city is famous. In addition to the -convent schools and a few other less important -laique schools and some work-rooms, -one finds in the Hospices, or free -homes for the old, another goodly company -working together. In their picturesque -retreats some 200 old women -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>pass their days making lace, chiefly -Valenciennes.</p> - -<p>There remain the individual households; -to the common statement that in -each one, some member makes some kind -of lace, one might add, at some time during -the year. If the children from these -homes do not go to the schools to learn, -they are taught by their mothers and -grandmothers. A favorite Christmas -gift to children is a cushion and set of -bobbins, with which they soon learn to -produce simple patterns. For example, -Madame Roose, the daughter of the concierge -of the Groothuis Museum, which -houses the marvelous Baron Liedts collection -of old laces, accustomed from -childhood to see and hear of these laces, -became herself a lace-maker and later a -successful dealer and now has five daughters -of her own, all of whom she has herself -taught to ply their bobbins. The -Lace Committee told me that during the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>war the clothing committee had difficulty -in finding young girls and women who -could darn and sew even moderately well; -since childhood they had given all their -time to lace-making. Conscious of the -danger in this situation, the Lace Normal -School preaches that until she has learned -other necessary things, no young girl -should be allowed to spend more than -half a day over her cushion.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_152.jpg" id="i_152.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_152.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="301" /> -<p class="captioncenter">LACE NORMAL SCHOOL, BRUGES, BEGINNER’S CLASS</p> - -<p class="small">Symbolic color pattern on left-hand easel; demonstration -bobbins attached to colored threads at right</p> -</div> - -<p>By far the greater number working at -home make Torchon, Cluny and Valenciennes, -tho the Bruges district is celebrated, -too, for Rosaline and Binche and -Old Flanders, and above all for the -Duchesse de Bruges, once so named because -it was thought worthy to adorn a -Duchess. Bruges lace has always been -made entirely with bobbins, in separate -flowers, or details that are united not -by mesh, but by little picot-edged cords -or bars. There are many varieties -of this familiar lace; between the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>coarse, much marketed modern Bruges, -with its well-known roses and trefoils, -sometimes scarcely meriting the name of -lace, and the Bruges of the robe presented -in 1901 to Queen Elizabeth, then the -Princess Elizabeth, there is a deplorable -distance. The individual trefoils and -arabesques and roses of the coarser kinds -are made very quickly on the round -cushion, which can be readily turned, and -are produced in great quantities in many -of the communes of the Bruges region, -while fortunately in such a village as -Saint Michel one can still see exquisite -examples of the finer Bruges in the making.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_153.jpg" id="i_153.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_153.jpg" alt="" width="410" height="410" /> -<p class="captioncenter">BED COVER IN DUCHESSE, OR BRUSSEL’S LACE</p> - -<p class="small">Made with bobbins; executed in Flanders by 30 women in three -months; design by The Lace Committee</p> -</div> - -<p>Rather than be introduced to the lace-making -of Bruges by the younger -workers in the schools, or in one of the -thousand homes given over to it, I preferred -to go first to the place where probably -more strangers, especially English -and Americans, have been initiated into -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>the mysteries of the cushion and its -bobbins than anywhere else in the world. -There have been other famous Béguinages -in Belgium—congeries of houses maintained -by private endowment, for women, -who, while they object to taking the vows -of the convent, yet wish to live in a -kind of partial retreat from the world -and under the protection of the church—but -none lovelier than this one of Bruges, -with its sixteenth century buildings of -pure Flemish architecture, grouped about -a wide green court shaded by elm trees. -Naturally the Béguinage has not been a -mecca for travelers and artists merely -because several of the gentle old ladies -in retreat there made beautiful lace; they -have come in search of its quaint pignons -and doorways, its inner gardens, the -bridges that span the surrounding canals -where the swans paddle peacefully. And -they have been delighted to find included -in the picture the white-capped women -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span>before their lace cushions, intent (doubtless -unconsciously) on perpetuating other -beauties, as old as those of the buildings -encircling the court, the designs of -Valenciennes that have been handed down -by French and Belgian mothers to their -children through generations. These -ladies of the Béguinage may keep their -private fortunes and pay for the privileges -of the retreat. They are supposed, however, -to live austerely; their charming -brick houses are white inside—wall-papers -(as being too gay) are forbidden—while -the floors are covered with a kind of -pretty, rude rush carpet. They may not -go on journeys, and no man outside, except -the clergy, may enter the sacred precincts -of the court, the gates of which are -closed at 8 o’clock. Can one imagine an -atmosphere more encouraging to hours -spent patiently in lace-making? It is recorded -that in the Béguinage of Ghent, -in 1756, there were as many as 5,000 -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>women engaged in making the Valenciennes -for which that city was famous. -But the day of this particular kind of retreat -has passed, and even at Bruges many -of the houses are vacant; when the old die, -there are few who wish to take their -places. And it is only because those few -who remain preserve the best traditions -of the lace that they count in the lace-world -of to-day; the quantity produced -is negligible. Nevertheless, I was delighted -that my first knowledge of Bruges -lace should come through the few wide -Valenciennes flounces of exquisite flower -and vine pattern and firm and even workmanship -that I found still pinned to the -cushions of the Béguinage.</p> - -<p>Curiously enough, in this retreat, pervaded -by the sadness that inevitably reigns -where the old order changes, I found the -young and enthusiastic Vicaire, Professor -Maertens, assistant director of the new -Lace Normal School of Bruges. He -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span>lives with his aunt, who is the mother -director of the Béguinage and called -“Madame, la Grande Dame,” tho she is -still Mademoiselle. The Béguinage may -in one sense represent the despair of the -lace, since what is happening there is -happening throughout Belgium. But in -the person of Professor Maertens of the -Normal School, the Béguinage represents, -too, the hope of the lace. In the plain -little room of his charming Gothic house, -he explained with admirable clarity the -necessity which led to the founding of -this Normal School by the State in 1911, -and the system which it has developed. -He then arranged that I should “assist” -at the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">réouverture</i> of the school the -following morning. There was to be a -reopening because, in common with so -many schools of Belgium, the Lace -Normal had been driven from its quarters -by the Germans, and tho after their -eviction the teachers had persisted in continuing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -their classes in a convent, where -their persecutors forced them to receive -two Austrian pupils (from whom, however, -they concealed much), they were in -the true sense to begin again on January -7, 1919. That was fully four weeks -after the invader had had to evacuate, for -eager as they were to commence, with -their best effort, they had not been able -before this to prepare three school-rooms -and a few smaller ones on the ground -floor for use. We are accustomed to the -pictures of the territories desolated by -the Germans, but unless one goes from -house to house in the districts supposed to -be left unharmed, he can have no conception -of the state in which they were left. -However, by Thursday morning the few -rooms on the ground floor had been disinfected -and whitewashed, and the Lace -Normal School of Belgium re-opened its -doors at 8:30 o’clock. Poets have described -the shining faces of children on -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>their way to school—but after pupils and -teachers have been ground under the -heel of an implacable oppressor for four -years there is still another light in their -faces as they reassemble in a free school-room. -It was generous of them to allow -me to share their first morning.</p> - -<p>The teachers’ course covers two years. -In order to insure careful individual -training the directors prefer to have no -more than eight or ten earnest students -in each year’s class; they prefer, too, that -these shall not have been lace-makers -before entering, and that they be between -sixteen and thirty years of age. -There are, then, two class-rooms, light -and airy, and equipped with blackboards -and charts, and the all-important large -demonstration cushion with its gigantesque -bobbins attached to heavy colored -wool threads to aid the eye and brain. -Each young woman records the steps of -her progress in a series of copy-books so -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>beautiful in their penmanship and their -drawing as to recall at once the manuscripts -of long ago.</p> - -<p>What, then, is the instruction which -they receive? Since there had never been -a system of teaching lace-making in Belgium, -the directors of the Normal School -were obliged to develop one, and as it -exists to-day, logical, comprehensive, far-seeing, -it belongs exclusively to the -School of Bruges. By the defective -method employed before, a pupil was -taught to make one kind of lace, then -another, and another, but tho she might -become proficient in the execution of -thirty kinds, she might still be incapable -of executing a new thirty-first variety if -it were presented to her, because she had -not been taught the underlying principles.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_160.jpg" id="i_160.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_160.jpg" alt="" width="558" height="400" /> -<p class="captioncenter">ROSALINE, WHICH CLOSELY RESEMBLES BRUGES</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_160a.jpg" id="i_160a.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_160a.jpg" alt="" width="527" height="400" /> -<p class="captioncenter">DETAILS FOR BRUGES LACE</p> - -<p class="small">Made with bobbins on round cushion</p> -</div> - -<p>The Bruges directors found, after a -long and careful analysis of the processes -employed in all known laces, that they -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>depend on but between twenty and thirty -major operations, and that, in the final -analysis, for the bobbin laces, these reduce -themselves always to the simple -question, “Does the thread pass from -left to right, or does it pass from right -to left?”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_161.jpg" id="i_161.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_161.jpg" alt="" width="438" height="550" /> -<p class="captioncenter">DOILY SET IN POINT DE PARIS IN THE “ANIMALS OF THE ALLIES” -DESIGN, EXECUTED AT TURNHOUT</p> -</div> - -<p>They chose specific colors, red, purple, -green and others, to represent specific -movements of the threads, thus establishing -a symbolic color system of design -which enables the pupil to read a blackboard -drawing as he would a written -page. And they realized that before the -processes are portrayed by lines on the -blackboard, they should be executed with -the gigantesque bobbins and the colored -wool cords.</p> - -<p>They then outlined the two years’ work, -which they made to include classes in -practical lace-making, in design, in commerce -and English, in the history of lace-making, -and religion. Because the two -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>years’ course was already over-crowded -they did not attempt to teach the needle -points, which, according to them, do not -demand a system of instruction in the -same sense that the bobbin laces require -it. Besides, they look upon bobbin lace -as more uniquely Belgian and as therefore -more necessary to develop. Dr. -Rubbens of Zele, farther east, plans soon -to have a needle lace Normal School in -operation in that town.</p> - -<p>In the first year class, a demonstration -of the use of the tools, the winding-wheel, -the cushion and bobbins is followed at -once by the study of the Torchons, which -tho they are the commonest known laces, -yet in all their varieties employ all the -more important lace processes. The -Torchons once thoroughly mastered, the -student has traveled a considerable distance -on the lace journey. The study of -Torchon is succeeded by Cluny in all -its varieties and Cluny is in turn followed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span>by a kind of barbaric Russian lace, of -baroque design, which is, like the Torchons -and Clunys, made of linen thread, -and resembles them closely in other ways. -The finer laces, Valenciennes, Duchesse, -Flanders, and others are taught only -after these first three groups have been -mastered.</p> - -<p>Along with the actual lace-making, the -students follow courses in design, where -they begin first with simple studies in -geometry and in drawing. They then execute -geometric designs and adapt them to -lace-making. From these studies they -proceed to drawing from nature, and to -what is more difficult, the adaption of the -drawings from nature to lace designs, for -it is one thing to create a beautiful flower -and leaf arabesque, and quite another -thing to draw it so that it may be exprest -in thread.</p> - -<p>The important classes in commerce and -English and those in history and religion -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span>run parallel with the studies in lace-making -and design.</p> - -<p>Of great value to these future teachers -of Belgium is the model practise school -across the court from the main rooms, -where at four o’clock each day the poorer -children of the neighborhood come to be -taught. Each has her cushion and bobbins -and pins and thread furnished by the -Normal, and enjoys all the advantages -offered by its excellent system; while the -coming teachers find here the opportunity -to perfect their methods.</p> - -<p>I asked if these teachers could look -confidently to finding positions. Since -only the initial class had graduated before -the Germans were upon Belgium and -since that class was composed almost entirely -of women sent from the already -existing convent schools, who sought to -improve their methods, it is as yet impossible -to answer this question. But as -this is the single training-school in Belgium<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -(the Brussels School, so capably -directed by <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr> Paulis, being chiefly a -school of design) there seems to be every -reason to hope that once the country has -risen from the chaos into which it has -been plunged, the Bruges graduates will -have no difficulty in securing places. -Teachers are as yet very poorly paid, but -as regards salaries, too, there is reason -to hope. The ideal plan for a school -would seem to be that it should be in -charge of a graduate of the Normal -School, while a specialist in design from -the Brussels school should come once a -week with her charts and drawings to -give particular instruction in that branch. -The vital decision as to the part lace-making -should have in the curriculum of -the communal or free public schools is -still in abeyance.</p> - -<p>Since factories have killed the lace industry -in every other city in Belgium except -Bruges and Turnhout, people often -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>ask if it can persist much longer in -Bruges. There seems to be good ground -to believe it will. Under the Germans -the port of Zeebrugge acquired a momentary -prominence, but with Antwerp so -near, there seems little chance that it -will ever become important, or that -Bruges herself may look forward to any -large industrial development. Lovely, -tranquil city guarding a beauty of long -ago, it is probable that Bruges will maintain -her right to the title “Queen of Lace -Cities.” “Yes,” M. Gillemont de Cock -would add, seeing the patterns and quality -of the Valenciennes and the modern -Old Flanders and Bruges, and Binche, -pinned to her cushions to-day, and remembering -the exquisite delicate webs of -a few decades ago, “<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Une Reine, Madame, -c’est vrai, mais une Reine bien malade</i>”—“a -Queen, Madame, it is true, but a -very sick Queen.” The Lace Normal and -other schools can help greatly to restore -her.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="VI" id="VI"><abbr title="6">VI</abbr></a><br /> - -<a name="KERXKEN" id="KERXKEN"></a>KERXKEN<br /> - -<small><i>Sister Robertine</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">On</span> a wet, cheerless day between -Christmas and New Year’s, I -started with Madame de Beughem -and Madame Allard for the most important -lace district of Eastern Flanders. -The Alost region, which in 1896 counted -8,500 workers, is known throughout the -lace world for its Needle Point and -Venise.</p> - -<p>We went first to Alost itself, the center -of the area, where, however, modern industries -have won their already oft-repeated -victory over the lace. It was in -Alost, the <abbr title="sixteenth">16th</abbr> of November, 1918, that -my car had scarcely been able to push its -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>way between the two lines of Belgian soldiers -of deliverance holding back the -smiling, tearful population, and where, -too, I passed Burgomaster Max free after -four years in prison in Germany, on his -way to King Albert at the Army Headquarters -near Ghent.</p> - -<p>A short distance south of Alost we -passed Haltaert, from which this lace section -might more justly take its name, -since in Haltaert there is scarcely a -household without its needle or bobbin -workers. And but a little farther south -lay Kerxken, which even in the rain, -looked a friendly village and where beside -fully three-fourths of the windows -women were plying their needles.</p> - -<p>Before the war companies of the men -of this region went to France to work in -the harvest, as many as 40,000 migrating -annually, because even before the war, -France was short-handed agriculturally -and the French fields offered higher -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span>wages than their own. The women -and girls helped those who remained to -gather the crops, and in the fall, when -the men came back and the season for -working the farms had passed, whole -families turned to lace-making as a -means of piecing out the gains of the -summer. Sometimes the men cared for -the children or assisted with the housework -so that the women might sit uninterruptedly -before their patterns, and -in certain instances they themselves made -lace—the census of 1896 lists 117 men -lace-workers in Belgium. In Kerxken -we found that thirty young men who -had been silk weavers before the war had -during the occupation been able to make -lace—not true lace, but such imitations -as filet, really a form of embroidery. -They made, too, Application, not genuine -Application where true lace details, made -either with the bobbin or needle, are -sewed upon the tulle base, but tulle ornamented<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -with machine-made lacets, narrow -braids of various sorts that come to the -region from Calais. Lacets usually have -a strong thread along one edge, which -can be drawn so that the braid may be -more swiftly fashioned into curving -leaves or flowers. These distressing -imitations, which unfortunately pay -much better than the true laces, since -they can be made with great speed and -find a ready market, are a constant -menace to them. “<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Voilà notre ennemie!</i>” -said Madame Allard, as we looked into -a work-room where the table showed little -piles of lacet collars. The only method -of fighting this enemy is through higher -wages for the genuine lace.</p> - -<p>We could not see Adele Rulant, once -with hardly a peer in Needle Point, to -whom people from far and near had sent -their old pieces, even shreds of their -family treasure, for restoration, knowing -that almost certainly her artist’s needle -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span>would recapture the lost mesh or flower. -Adele Rulant had died and we realized -again how surely one by one the famous -<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellières</span> of the last half of the <abbr title="nineteenth">19th</abbr> -century are dropping out.</p> - -<p>We turned down a lane and were soon -at the green door of the convent of the -black-robed Franciscaine Sisters, who -dismayed, but smiling, hurried forward -to greet us, very fresh looking in their -white lined coiffes and collars. I say dismayed, -because through an error they -had expected us the day before and had -kept a fire burning for hours, a supreme -expression of hospitality in this bitter, -coalless winter; this was Saturday afternoon, -there was no fire, and the lace-workers -were at home scrubbing their -tiled floors and doorsteps. But they -would light a fire at once, and send a -Sister to the nearest houses to recall at -least a few of the women; they would -prepare lunch for us, a plate of little -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>cakes and a bottle of wine had already -been set on the table. Such an apologetic -bustle of welcome was heart-warming on -a cheerless day. Nothing less, I am certain, -would have made it possible for me -to drink an entire glass of sour red wine -at 10:30 o’clock in the morning.</p> - -<p>I wished particularly to visit the convent -because I had known during the -four years of Sœur Robertine’s successive -victories over the Germans. After -they refused to let laces pass except -through their hands, which taxed and -had frequently stolen from the parcels, -time and again she outwitted them, -crossing the forbidden village frontier -and carrying the precious rolls herself to -the office of the Committee at Brussels.</p> - -<p>Beneath the calm of that office there -was always tense expectancy; at any moment -anything might happen, even the -worst thing. One day after weeks of -being entirely cut off from many of their -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>lace sections, when the women were more -strained and anxious than ever before, -the door opened quietly and Sœur -Robertine, of Kerxken, a prohibited district, -stood before them. Fear for her -quite overcame their joy at seeing her; -they quickly turned the key and hurried -her into a rear room. “But why have -you come? We did not send for you—we -should never have allowed you to take -such risks!”</p> - -<p>At first only Sœur Robertine’s twinkling, -keen gray eyes answered, as she -slowly threw off her long black cape and -from beneath other garments began unwinding -meter upon meter of lovely white -lace, till the billowy lengths covered all -the table. <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>“It was very simple—I had to -come. For weeks our thread has been -exhausted; the women are suffering for -need of their earnings. I found a way, -and I’ll find a way back, never fear; we’ll -all return safely to Kerxken—the thread -and the money and I—even tho we may -have to slip in under the very nose of -the Boche!” She was still laughing and -still producing lace, little packets now of -square insets and bouquets, when I had -to leave.</p> - -<p>It was a delight to meet her again here -freely directing her convent—she who -had so bravely held her right to freedom. -Her parents had been shop-keepers and -she had brought to the Order a goodly -store of practical knowledge and a general -alertness and good sense, which -added to her unselfishness and swift -sympathy and ever-ready laugh, easily -explained the admiration and affection -generally felt for her.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_176.jpg" id="i_176.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_176.jpg" alt="" width="586" height="367" /> -<p class="captioncenter">POINT DE FLANDRES, OR FLANDERS LACE</p> - -<p class="small">Flowers made with bobbins, mesh with the needle: -designs by The Lace Committee</p> -</div> - -<p>While we were sitting in the large, -cold reception room, waiting for the -workers to reassemble, I asked Sœur -Robertine about a painting over the door—a -striking portrait which proved to be -that of the Curé Van Hoeimessen, who, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>in 1857, founded the convent in an attempt -to relieve the misery of the village. -A short time before this, greatly distrest -by the idleness and poverty of his parishioners, -he had asked that a teacher be -sent to Kerxken to instruct a few girls -in the art of lace-making, and since there -was no building in which to start a school, -he called the class of five or six girls together -in his own house. Then, later, as -the experiment succeeded, he invited a -group of sisters to come and founded for -them the convent of the Franciscaines, -which from that day has held unswervingly -to the traditions of its foundation -in teaching and executing the fine needle -laces. There are at present 15 sisters, -and about 150 true lace-workers in their -lace school. In addition, 300 makers of -filet and “imitation” are connected with -the convent.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_177.jpg" id="i_177.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_177.jpg" alt="" width="407" height="400" /> -<p class="captioncenter">HANDKERCHIEF IN NEEDLE-POINT</p> - -<p class="small">Made near Alost. Both mesh and flowers made with needle</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_177a.jpg" id="i_177a.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_177a.jpg" alt="" width="562" height="400" /> -<p class="captioncenter">DETAIL SHOWING SEVEN DIFFERENT FILLING-IN STITCHES</p> -</div> - -<p>From the salon we went to the work-room, -which looks on a deep walled-in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>garden, a treasure-plot for potatoes and -cabbage during the famine years. About -a dozen girls and women had dropt their -brushes and brooms and hurried through -the rain in their wooden shoes to take up -their patterns and go on with the delicate -traceries of Needle Point and Venise. It -was easy to pick out their leader—a -beautiful-faced, white-haired woman -wearing a black crochet cap, at work on -a Venise insertion. She was Sidonie, the -best <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuse</span>, or interpreter of design, in -the convent. There were no cushions -here, as in the bobbin-lace classes, and -the workers held the small, shining, black -cloth pattern in their hands, following the -pricked holes with their needles; there -were fewer of these guiding pin-pricks -than in the bobbin-lace picqués. The patterns -for Venise and Needle Point are -usually small because most women object -to large details, as difficult to turn in the -hand. Later in a neighboring convent I -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>noticed that the patterns were considerably -larger than those at Kerxken, and -Sœur Robertine, pointing to them said, -“I should have to cut those in two for -my girls.” Fortunately a detail can -usually easily be separated and later rejoined. -To protect her lace, the worker -covers it with thick blue paper, cutting a -hole about the size of a twenty-five-cent -piece through which the needle and -thread may move freely. Here it was -not the marvel of the flying fingers, as in -the bobbin-rooms at Turnhout, that most -won our admiration, but the skill in directing -the fine threads in complicated designs -of incredible delicacy. I chose to -sit beside fifteen-year-old Colette who -held the partly finished section of a handkerchief -square beneath her needle. She -explained that it was Point de Gaze, -gauze point, a name more recently given -the old Needle or Brussels Point. And -the fragile hexagonal mesh she was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>weaving between two beautiful full-blown -roses, whose raised petals curved outward -from elaborately worked centers, seemed -most appropriately named. Her cotton, -for Needle Point is made with cotton -thread, was so fine that I could not, -despite her amused reiterations, believe -it did not break with every second stitch. -A heavier thread had been used to make -the flat, closely woven portions of the -flowers, and a still heavier one to outline -each finished petal or leaf with the <i>cordonnet</i> -(cord) or <i>brode</i>, produced by an -extremely firm and regular buttonhole -stitch. This cord throws the flowers into -very brilliant relief.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_180.jpg" id="i_180.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_180.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="325" /> -<p class="captioncenter">VENISE DESIGNS BY THE BRUSSELS LACE COMMITTEE</p> -</div> - -<p>Colette had not woven the roses, for -because of the difficulty in making it, -workers usually specialize on the various -individual parts composing this extremely -popular lace. A second girl had made -the flowers, and a third the exquisite -open-work details introduced to lighten -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span>the whole. Considerable freedom is allowed -the lace-worker in the execution -of these open-work stitches. If she has -talent she may obtain many interesting -original results in filling in, for there is -apparently no limit to the number of -stitches she may employ. In Colette’s -little handkerchief square, I discovered -miniature marguerites and stars and airy -balls. Each group had been made by a -specialist (many women have spent their -lives in making just tiny stars or wheels), -and sent to the convent to be bound together -with the leaves and roses into a -beautiful whole by the clear mesh that -dropt hexagon by hexagon from Colette’s -swift needle.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_181.jpg" id="i_181.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_181.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="373" /> -<p class="captioncenter">HANDKERCHIEF AND JEWEL BOXES, FLANDERS AND VENISE OVER -SATIN AND VELVET</p> -</div> - -<p>Colette’s neighbor was making the -same mesh, but as a background for -bobbin-made clusters, sent here from a -bobbin-lace village to make the rare -Point d’Angleterre, a small quantity of -which Kerxken still produces.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p> -<p>In the corner of this class-room were -the shelves with the essential skeins of -thread; cotton for the Needle Point, linen -for the Venise. The linen is more and -more difficult to obtain, and since it is -hard to handle and breaks easily, has been -largely supplanted by cotton thread. -There were large cardboard boxes for -the drawings and the pricked working -patterns; others for the little bobbin-lace -roses and leaves and vines that were to be -worked into Brussels Point; and still -more boxes for the finished meters and -insets ready to be sold to the Committee, -and later to the dealer who will replace -the Committee. While we were examining -the boxes a pretty, dark-haired -<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellière</span> of about sixteen came in, with -work she had finished at home, two handkerchiefs -with Brussels Point borders, -and two and a half meters of Venise, on -which she had worked five and a half -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>months and for which she asked 160 -francs, or $40.00.</p> - -<p>In the “imitation” room we passed -quickly by the lengths of inferior filet -and the piles of cheap collars made by -men; there was little temptation to linger -there. The only defense against that -room is more pay for the work across the -hall.</p> - -<p>We climbed the stairs shivering and -looked into the neat little bedrooms with -their white board floors, and into the icy -chapel where Sœur Robertine declared -she could be quite comfortable with only -a small black woolen shawl over her -shoulders.</p> - -<p>We had brought our lunch, but were -not allowed to eat it. Sister A., an excellent -cook, had prepared hot soup, -potatoes and meat, and a dried apple -mousse which we persuaded Sœur -Robertine to share with us. And after -lunch, the orphan and refugee children -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>came in to shake hands, also Janiken, the -poor “<i>idiote</i>” who is forty-nine years old, -but still a child, with a strange, animal-like -expression on her face. Sœur -Robertine held her hand for us to shake, -otherwise little Janiken seemed able to direct -her own movements. She smiled -and chatted in Flemish, then waddled off -quite happy with the candies and cakes -we had brought. Janiken spends her -days making bead collars and bracelets -for the sisters, whom she loves, and when -her bead boxes are empty she places them -at the foot of the statue at the end of the -narrow corridor upstairs, and prays the -good Saint Anthony to refill them, that -she may weave more necklaces. At night -as the sisters pass silently by the statue, -they snap the threads of their former -gifts, letting the beads shower into the -boxes, and in the morning Janiken is -happy again.</p> - -<p>Sœur Robertine had never ridden in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span>a motor, and when we proposed that she -accompany us to the Franciscaine convent -at Erembodeghem, not very far -away, her eyes shone. And I shall not -forget the faces of the others, as after a -further bustle of leave-takings and good -wishes, they leaned from the green doorway -in the rain, clasping their hands and -laughing and nodding, while we tucked -their beloved sister into our car. Sœur -Robertine herself sat silently and ecstatically -in a corner, determined to miss -no part of this extraordinary experience.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="VII" id="VII"><abbr title="7">VII</abbr></a><br /> - -<a name="EREMBODEGHEM" id="EREMBODEGHEM"></a>EREMBODEGHEM<br /> - -<small><i>The Queen’s Cloth</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Erembodeghem</span> is a commune -of about 6,000 inhabitants, tho the -pretty winding street by which we -entered, with the picturesque, red-tiled -houses clustered irregularly along both -sides of it, suggests a smaller village. -Nearly all the women in this town, as in -Kerxken, make lace, and again it is chiefly -Needle Point and Venise. The convent, -which furnishes the customary directing -and stimulating center, has no superior -in the country for its particular laces, unless -one grants preference to its own -mother house at Opbrakel.</p> - -<p>As we entered the courtyard, a group -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span>of French soldiers were warming themselves -before a fire they had lighted beneath -a dripping canvas tent-roof -stretched across a corner of the wall. In -the dreary rain the fire flaming against -the brick wall, and the horizon blue of -the uniforms were a cheery greeting. But -inside the convent, alas, there was less -cheer; indeed, there was the chill of the -tomb, no coal for the poor sisters, who -were for lack of it unable to conduct the -regular school classes. They told us of -their distress over the idleness of the -children, who had been turned into the -streets by the Germans many weeks before, -and whom they were not yet able to -reassemble. “Their manners are already -so bad,” Sister A. said, “that we are -ashamed to own them as our pupils.” The -Germans left the class-rooms in the -familiar condition, and the sisters had no -sooner finished patching and disinfecting, -than the Italian soldiers were billeted -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span>there. They were too loyal to criticise -but I suspect that their experiences after -the departure of the Italians must have -convinced them that, after all, a new -army is just another army. The French -followed, but they at least were occupying -only four class-rooms, and the sisters -were trying to be optimistic. “We believe -they must be better,” one of them -said, with a smile; “however, we shall not -know until they are gone.”</p> - -<p>“At any rate,” she continued, “our lace-room -has not been requisitioned; we have -had enough coal to keep a little fire there. -During all the four years that work has -never stopt.” Since it was Saturday -afternoon there were many vacant chairs -in the class-room, but still enough girls -were present to enable us to judge of the -kind of lace school this is.</p> - -<p>Little girls between nine and ten, sitting -up very straight in their high-backed -chairs, were working with swift, steady -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>fingers and already producing a good -Venise insertion of a simple leaf pattern. -Several of the other girls were busy with -the now well-known Venetian Point -medallions representing the arms of the -Allied nations, and the provinces of Belgium; -still others were executing flower -details for yard lace. All this Venise they -were making with a needle and single -linen thread, for this convent works exclusively -with linen thread. They were -handling the black cloth patterns, eight to -ten inches wide, with apparent ease, turning -them with almost every stitch. This -mere mastery of the pattern is in itself -impressive.</p> - -<p>In a corner, near one of the great windows -overlooking the walled-in winter -garden, a slim, darkly clad girl about sixteen -was absorbed in pricking a complicated -pattern. Sister A. led me a little -aside to explain that this was their feeble-minded -girl and that tho they could not -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span>explain it, she was able to interpret correctly -very difficult drawings.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_192.jpg" id="i_192.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_192.jpg" alt="" width="490" height="344" /> -<p class="captioncenter">VENISE BANQUET CLOTH PRESENTED BY THE LACE COMMITTEE TO H.M. QUEEN ELIZABETH ON HER RETURN FROM EXILE</p> - -<p class="small">Design by M. de Rudder; executed by the 30 best Venise-makers in Belgium in six months</p> -</div> - -<p>At the Committee Bureau I had seen -many of the wonderful cloths made from -Venise details from this convent (among -them the cloth typifying the burning -cities, presented to Mrs. Hoover), but I -had never imagined anything so lovely as -the exhibit the sisters had been arranging -on the long, low table, while we were -passing from chair to chair following the -magic needles.... We turned to find -the separate parts of a banquet cloth to -be offered to Queen Elizabeth on her return -from exile, assembled for us. Two -hundred and twenty details, there were, on -which during the darkest days of the war, -women had worked with unfaltering faith -and love. M. de Rudder, a well-known -Belgian artist, had drawn the design for -the Lace Committee. The border, edged -with ivy, the symbol of endurance, is composed -of ferns and wild flowers, eels and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>sea-weed, suggesting the forests and fields -and waters of Belgium. Adjoining them -are the coats of arms of destroyed cities, -bordered by a band of lilies of the valley, -signifying the return of happiness. In the -center, the four patron saints of Brussels, -Saints Michel and George, and Saints -Elizabeth and Gudule, are enwreathed -with olive branches. Saint Elizabeth, -above the Red Cross, represents the Queen -and her devoted service as nurse during -the war, while the eight medallions near -her carry the names of the Beatitudes. -Opposite Saint Elizabeth is Saint George, -who represents King Albert. Below him -is the Belgian decoration for bravery, and -in the surrounding medallions are woven -the names of battles won by him. Between -Saint Elizabeth and Saint George, -are the immortal words spoken by His -Majesty as he went from the Chamber, -sword in hand, on the <abbr title="fourth">4th</abbr> of August, -1914: <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span>“<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">J’ai foi dans nos destinées! Un -pays qui se défend s’impose au respect -de tous, ce pays ne périt pas!</i>” It is one -thing to mention a few of the two hundred -and twenty details of this glorious -cloth, it is quite another to hold any -one of them in one’s hand and realize -its perfection, its incredible combination -of softness and delicacy and firmness and -regularity. The twelve sisters gathered -happily about us, as we sat before the -table quite breathless over the discovery -of one new beauty after another in their -truly royal gift.</p> - -<p>And then they brought us something -much less important, but nevertheless exquisite, -the work of Sister S., which they -show rarely, a length of Rose Point about -four inches wide, and which even the -women of the Committee after their long -years’ constant experience in lace, said -they had never seen surpassed. The linen -thread ordinarily used in Venise runs -from Number 200 to Number 300. This -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span>lace, whose base is formed by an ethereal -interlacing of vines and tendrils, is made -with Number 2000. One can work on -it scarcely more than two or three hours -a day, and then only under the best light. -Sister S. brought me the magnifying-glass, -without which I could not have followed -the exquisitely varied points, and -lifted the infinitesimal petals of the tiny -flowers incrusting the background of interwoven -tendrils. In some of these -microscopic blooms were as many as four -layers of petals. It would be useless to -attempt to describe the loveliness that results -from the blending of the background -of vines and lifted blossoms. I asked -what a meter of such lace would bring -and learned that it will probably be sold -in Paris for 1,000 francs, tho these sisters -would be happy to guard it as one -of their convent treasures.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_196.jpg" id="i_196.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_196.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="311" /> -<p class="captioncenter">CUSHION COVER IN VENISE</p> - -<p class="small">Pekinese dog design, by M. Allard</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_197.jpg" id="i_197.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_197.jpg" alt="" width="490" height="365" /> -<p class="captioncenter">TABLE CENTER IN FLANDERS WITH CENTER AND BORDER OF VENISE</p> - -<p class="small">Design by Lace Committee; executed in West Flanders by five workers in 15 days</p> -</div> - -<p>We had intended going into some of -the neighborhood houses to watch the -work of the older women, but it seemed -impossible to look at any other lace that -day and we said good-by. And while -the chauffeur brushed away the small -boys clinging to or crawling over the car, -we again tucked our sister in, to carry -her home to Kerxken; it had been a great -day for Sœur Robertine and for us.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="VIII" id="VIII"><abbr title="8">VIII</abbr></a><br /> - -<a name="OPBRAKEL" id="OPBRAKEL"></a>OPBRAKEL<br /> - -<small><i>Mother House of a Famous Lace-making Order</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">After</span> Kerxken and Erembodeghem -I was not surprized, when inquiring -about needle laces further south, -to learn that the only school whose -work could dispute first place with -them was that of the mother house of -the same order at Opbrakel. I had come -to know that the finest needle laces of -Belgium are made in these convents of -the Sœurs Franciscaines.</p> - -<p>It was a bitter day, but I determined -to reach Opbrakel despite shell-pitted -roads and rain. I succeeded even in making -a short stop on the way at Cruyshautem<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -Convent, famous, too, for its -Needle Point, where the sisters would -have detained me longer to describe again -and again the entry of the American soldiers -at 9 o’clock in the morning on All -Saints Day—the wonderful American -soldiers who had arrived to free them -from their oppressors of four years, and -who had remained to buy every scrap of -lace in the convent, carrying away the -address with the promise to send for -more.</p> - -<p>In my journeying I discovered a pretty -way of learning whose army occupied a -particular village—I looked for the first -small boy to see which soldier’s cap he -proudly wore. Thus at Opbrakel, tho it -was late afternoon when I arrived, there -were children still playing in the street, -and the boys jauntily wearing the horizontal -blue announced to me that the -French were there. These small boys, -and later the soldiers themselves, examined<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -my mud-splashed car with much -curiosity, as it drew up in front of the -convent door.</p> - -<p>My visit was quite unannounced, but -the sisters held out their hands in welcome, -and drew me in out of the rain, -speaking, as they did so, words I had -almost forgotten, “Hot milk; you must -drink a cup of hot milk at once, Madame, -and your chauffeur also; this is a cruel -day for journeying.” They led me to a -little room, where I found another unaccustomed -comfort, a tiny fire burning -brightly. As I sat before it, sipping the -sweet milk, the first I had had since leaving -America, I remembered the gratitude -of travelers in the middle ages -toward the convents and abbeys whose -doors they found open. The war had -brought a return of many of the difficulties -and perils that beset them, with the -comfortable hostelries of pre-war days -pillaged and ruined, the little restaurants -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>or cafés that could do business filled to -overflowing with soldiers (I have spent -hours in the wind and rain at night -vainly trying to find a bed, or a place for -my car), with roads wrecked, neither -post nor telegraph, nor train, and natural -accompaniment of all this disorganization, -the necessity of being ever on guard -against thieves—in the midst of conditions -like these we can appreciate the -meaning of the cheering hospitality the -convent offers.</p> - -<p>While we sat before the fire the Mother -Superior had one of the sisters show me a -treasure of the school, a framed exhibit, -illustrating in miniature all the processes -employed in the making of the needle -laces, which they had prepared for -the last International Exposition at -Brussels. Then she recounted for me a -little of the history of her lace-making -convent, which celebrates its centenary -this year, this free year of 1919. I could -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span>imagine what it would have meant to try -to be joyful over such an anniversary -with the enemy heel still on one’s back.</p> - -<p>One hundred years ago the commune -of Opbrakel was in such a wretched state -of poverty and misery that among its -2,000 inhabitants, 800 were beggars; and -as often happened elsewhere during the -period of suffering following the Napoleonic -wars, the curé of the commune -sought to relieve it by founding a convent -which should teach the art of lace-making, -to furnish a means of earning -bread. He called the Franciscaine Sisters -who soon had 100 pupils in their lace-classes, -and among them a number of -boys. From those days to these, lace-making -in this convent has never ceased; -there are now not more than 125 pupils -in the excellent school, but in the homes -of the entire region are those who have -learned their art there. The sisters -taught first, Chantilly (Opbrakel is very -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>near Grammont, the Belgian home of -Chantilly), but about fifty years ago -changed from bobbin to needle lace, and -since about twelve years ago, they have -specialized on the particular needle lace, -Venetian Point, in which they are unexcelled. -Few of the enraptured tourists in -Venise realize that the laces they are buying -there were very probably made in -Flanders!</p> - -<p>Important lace schools and work-rooms -have from time to time concentrated all -their skill on the production of a masterpiece -that might represent them to the -world and awaken wide interest and approval. -We have a long list of such -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">chefs-d’œuvres</i> from the lace-rooms of -Belgium, of lovely scarfs and cloths -and robes offered to sovereigns or distinguished -patrons. And happily during -the war the Committee could encourage -this practise by giving orders or special -“commands” to be executed as gifts for -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span>benefactors. Several of these presentation -pieces will have enduring value historically -as well as artistically.</p> - -<p>More than one command fell to the -share of Opbrakel, and among others that -for a scarf offered to the Queen of Holland -in appreciation of her country’s -generosity to Belgians within Dutch -borders. The <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellières</span>, each proud to -be selected for the royal task, worked -many months on the countless exquisite -needle points in this delicate veil. On the -scarf ends they united the arms of Holland -and Belgium, engarlanding them with -hyacinths and tulips, the Dutch national -flowers, and about these in turn they wove -lilies of the valley, symbolizing the return -of happiness. Below the medallion rest the -Belgian provinces, enchained, and above -them they represented the children of -Holland showering flowers of abundance -upon the martyred children of their sister -kingdom.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_208.jpg" id="i_208.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_208.jpg" alt="" width="510" height="276" /> -<p class="captioncenter">“THE TOURNEY” BANQUET CLOTH</p> - -<p class="small">Design reproducing a mediæval painting in Tournai, -executed in Venise lace by 10 workers in one month, -mounting and embroidery by five workers in one month. -Price in Brussels, 1,000 francs</p> -</div> - -<p>It would have been pleasant to talk of -other master-works, but we had already -sat too long before the fire and we -hurried now to reach the large, airy class-room -across the court before dark. When -starting on my lace journey, I had been -warned that, once I had visited the -bobbin-lace work-room with all the picturesqueness -of the cushion with its -mounds of bobbins and clustered pins, -and of the flying fingers and the continuous -cadences of the clinking wood, I -would find needle-lace classes uninteresting. -In the beginning this was true; -there was nothing particularly dramatic -or stirring in a great room filled with -girls and young women holding little -black paper patterns in their hands and -plying a needle above them. But the -more I watched these little patterns and -the fingers directing the needle and -thread, the more marvelous the accomplishment -appeared—cotton and linen -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span>so fine that it seemed impossible that any -finger should control them—cobwebby, -diaphanous meshes, richly petalled tiny -flowers, and delicately veined leaves -growing beneath just a common needle -and a single thread. In the end I looked -eagerly for the needle rooms.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_209.jpg" id="i_209.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_209.jpg" alt="" width="490" height="348" /> -<p class="captioncenter">“ARMS OF YPRES” CUSHION COVER IN VENISE, WITH DETAILS IN FLANDERS</p> -</div> - -<p>And this was the most rewarding one -I had yet visited. It happened that the -majority of the pupils were busy on the -details of a tablecloth recently designed -by Madame Allard, in which the linen -center is encircled by a family of little -beasts as gay as any ever gathered together -to cheer a dinner company. I -laughed outright, as a little girl, herself -laughing, held up an exquisitely worked -and most vividly real group of happy -ducks floating on a pond. The next -showed her enchanting rabbits, another -her deer—all along the line they were -chuckling over the success of their particular -pets. They had captured the sunshine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span> -and happy motion of a farm-yard -world with just a needle and a -single linen thread! Here, as at Erembodeghem, -only linen thread is used, because -tho it is more difficult to handle, -it produces a finer and stronger lace than -cotton. After several months (it took -six months to execute the first cloth of -this design) the details would be assembled -and joined by special workers, -following the large paper pattern the -sisters were now spreading across a table, -which had been sent down to Opbrakel -from the room of design at Brussels. -And the finished cloth, as delightful as -an early naive tapestry with its smiling -animals, would be sent to the Committee -for sale.</p> - -<p>Opbrakel stands unquestionably first in -Belgium in the production of figures in -Point de Venise. During the war, its -workers have repeated several times for -the Committee their beautiful <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span>“Fables de -La Fontaine” series of medallions, as well -as those which represent so charmingly -“Little Red Riding-Hood,” “Puss in -Boots,” “The Sleeping Beauty,” and -other much loved fairy-tale figures. -These medallions have been sold separately -as doilies, or have been combined -with Flanders lace or linen in handsome -cloths.</p> - -<p>It was fast growing dark, and the 125 -girls began folding their patterns, and -carefully wrapping their delicately pictured -little rabbits and ducks to keep -them clean till the morrow; maids appeared -with dust-pans and brooms, and -we gathered up our skirts and stept out -into the courtyard. As we crossed it in -the dark and the rain it was difficult to -refuse the further hospitality of these -sisters, who would have kept me for the -night.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="IX" id="IX"><abbr title="9">IX</abbr></a><br /> - -<a name="LIEDEKERKE" id="LIEDEKERKE"></a>LIEDEKERKE<br /> - -<small><i>The Last Lace Stronghold of Brabant</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">In</span> the court in front of the big brick -convent building with its odd little -steeple, two sisters, skirts tucked up, -and pails swung over their shoulders, -Chinese fashion, were about to begin the -Saturday scrubbing. Madame Kefer-Mali -and I were on our way to Liedekerke, -the principal remaining lace center -in Brabant, and had stopt in this less important -village of Heckelgem for a look -at the convent school opened nine years -ago.</p> - -<p>In the village itself we had found about -150 of the 2,000 inhabitants busy with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span>their needles, for this is distinctly a -needle-lace commune, producing a fairly -good quality of Venise. Which means -that there are as yet no local mills, and -tho an adjacent match factory has already -attracted a number of Heckelgem -girls, most of the women are still content -to spend their time making Venise, -which they take to the convent, to be sold -there to Brussels or other agents.</p> - -<p>The convent class-rooms were warm -and cheery; fern baskets hung from the -ceilings and every window was gay with -potted plants. Practically all the village -children were gathered inside, and since -it was 11 o’clock when we arrived, were -happily engaged in drinking their daily -Comité National cup of cocoa and in eating -the good white biscuit that goes with -it. Saturday morning is mending time -and on the girls’ desks I saw more of -those amazing patchwork socks and -stockings, the result of three or four -years’ weekly attempts to hold them together.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_216.jpg" id="i_216.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_216.jpg" alt="" width="510" height="222" /> -<p class="captioncenter">NEEDLE-POINT SCARF EXPRESSING GRATITUDE OF BELGIUM TO HOLLAND, PRESENTED TO H.M. QUEEN WILHELMINA</p> - -<p class="small">Executed by 30 workers in eight months</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p> -<p>In the advanced lace class-room, thirty -girls, between thirteen and sixteen, were -working with cotton thread on Venise -insertions and on details for larger -pieces. They had come at 8 o’clock that -morning, a more humane beginning hour -than most schools allow, and would remain -as long as there was daylight—looping -and weaving with a needle and -single thread. I stopt beside Rosalie, -who was making a pretty flower detail -for a cushion cover. She had begun it -five days before and hoped to finish, and -receive the seven francs she was allowed -for it, that night.</p> - -<p>On the table was a pile of chairbacks -in Venise, with figure centers and surrounding -garlands of flowers all connected -by the bars characterizing this -lace—an order for a Brussels dealer, who -had recently offered fifty-two francs each -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>for them. The sisters were excited and -happy over this new price, which was considerably -more than anything Heckelgem -has hitherto been able to command, one -and a half francs a day having been the -average wage of the best workers.</p> - -<p>A little farther to the south and still -in Brabant, tho it lies near the Flanders -border, is the much better known convent -of Liedekerke, which boasts an unbroken -record of sixty years of lace-making, -and which before the war received -a yearly subsidy of 800 francs from the -“Amies de la Dentelle.” As we walked -beside the pretty orchard and vegetable -garden, bright with purple cabbages, -that form the entrance court, toward the -rather impressive red-brick buildings, -again with their odd miniature steeple, I -saw the great arms of a Dutch windmill -turning lazily somewhere in the rear. -And nearer the door, off at the left in a -side court, a war-kitchen with tiled floor -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span>and uncertain roof, where hundreds of -the village poor still were coming for their -daily pint of soup. Of the 4,000 inhabitants -as many as 2,900 were forced on to -the soup-line during the occupation.</p> - -<p>This, then, was one of the important -and successful convent schools of Belgium; -but in January, 1919, it was in a -much sadder plight than the little neighboring -school at Heckelgem. There was -no coal, not a class was in session, not a -child at work with her bobbins. At 4 -o’clock in the afternoon, on Monday, October -28, when there were between 800 -and 900 children, among them 100 lace-workers, -gathered in the various class-rooms, -German officers had appeared to -announce that by 7 o’clock the rooms -must be cleared of both teachers and -children. I had already had many demonstrations -of what taking possession of -school-rooms meant. It was not necessary -that the sisters should lead me from -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span>room to room, pointing out this or that -ruined wall, or casement torn away, or -vacant space where the benches or chairs -burned as firewood, once stood; but I followed -them about for their own sakes. -There was at least a kind of comfort in -being able to furnish proof of these outrages -to somebody.</p> - -<p>One small room was undisturbed, but it -was a sadder room than any of the others. -The primary lace-class had occupied it, -and several rows of little girls were -learning to make their first flowers and -leaves when the enemy drove them out. -The baby chairs and the cushions were -just as they left them, tho thick dust -dulled the blue of the linen covers and -the tiny unfinished white roses and tendrils -held by the rusty pins. One would -have liked to bring the enemy mothers -into this room with its baby chairs, and -its dust-covered unfinished roses.</p> - -<p>In the large adjoining hall Sister M. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span>kindly came to work at a table, on Application, -one of the laces for which -Liedekerke has been especially distinguished. -Before the English invention, -early in 1800, of machine-made tulle, -which had an incalculable influence on -the development of the lace-industry, all -meshes had to be made either with the -needle or with bobbins. The factory substitute -for these difficult processes won -instant favor, and with the general public -the more swiftly made and cheaper tulle -Application, supplanted the exquisite -Point d’Angleterre, which it imitated. -Liedekerke, for example, had begun its -lace career with Point d’Angleterre, and -in changing later to Application, was -merely responding to popular demand. -Its sixty years of lace-history reads: -Point d’Angleterre, Application, Rosaline.</p> - -<p>These things Madame Kefer-Mali explained, -as Sister M. was placing her -square of blue paper on the linen of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span>table cushion, and then the bobbin-made -bouquet, wrong side up on the blue square, -pinning it carefully and smoothly through -the paper to the cushion. Over this she -stretched her scarf length of tulle. I -was surprized at the time and painstaking -effort she gave to these simple operations, -until I saw later the effect of the -slightest carelessness on the finished -flounce. Almost any clever needlewoman -can join a flower to a piece of -tulle—but only an artist can produce a -beautiful scarf or veil in Application. -Once the bouquet was properly placed -and pinned, Sister M. began to sew, lifting -the tulle lightly with each stitch, and -smoothly attaching all the edges, for this -bouquet was being appliquéd on the body -of the scarf. Had it formed the border -one edge would have remained free.</p> - -<p>Liedekerke Convent, to which some -200 of the villagers bring their laces and -which once made little else than Application<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -(many beautiful robes and flounces -and scarfs have gone out from the commune -and the school), now makes comparatively -little of it; for during the last -six years Paris and other markets have -asked for Rosaline. It is to be hoped that -this small quantity may be continued, and -that the lace world may still win at least -a few pieces yearly of the earlier, more -exquisite Point d’Angleterre.</p> - -<p>Point d’Angleterre, so named because -of its great popularity in England, -reached its height in beauty and in favor -during the seventeenth century, when it -occupied the talent and energy of all the -lace-workers of Brussels. It differs from -Needle Point, in which both flowers and -mesh are made with the needle. It is -one of the loveliest of all laces, combining -in rare beauty, rich bouquets and -arabesques and birds of finest bobbin -work, with a frail transparent needle -mesh, the flowers themselves becoming -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span>frequently more light and delicate through -the introduction of charmingly varied -needle-worked open spaces. Certain -workers make the flowers, and others the -connecting mesh. If one can imagine the -softness of a kind of sublimated or -diaphanous velvet, added to the fragility -of an airy and cobwebby lace, one may -have some idea of the effect of good -Point d’Angleterre. And if one would -possess a collar or a flounce, one should -buy it quickly, for Point d’Angleterre is -going the way of the other difficult and -exquisite points. Such villages as -Kerxken, Liedekerke, Destelbergen (near -Ghent), and those of the Alost region -still make occasional pieces.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_224.jpg" id="i_224.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_224.jpg" alt="" width="335" height="550" /> -<p class="captioncenter">BOBBIN LACES</p> - -<p class="small">(1) Malines (2) Application, flowers sewn on tulle<br /> -(3) Duchesse, with needle-point insertions</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_225.jpg" id="i_225.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_225.jpg" alt="" width="413" height="500" /> -<p class="captioncenter">APPLICATION DETAILS TO BE SEWED ON TULLE</p> - -<p class="small">Upper flower shows open spaces left by bobbin worker for needle -worker; lower flower shows both bobbin and needle work completed</p> -</div> - -<p>The more ordinary Point de Flandres, -or Flanders, so generally produced to-day, -has the same composition as Point -d’Angleterre, since in it bobbin-work -flowers are joined by a needle-mesh. And -even tho coarser and less complicated -than Point d’Angleterre, Point de -Flandres is also difficult to make, and -should be much better paid. There are -innumerable differences in quality, and -many ways in which this lace may be employed. -The Committee has used it -chiefly in elegant table centers and cloths, -in lamp-shades and in various articles to -embellish a drawing-or dining-room. -And this summer of 1919 it is being used -with much success by important French -houses as trimming for dainty <i>ninon</i> underclothing. -Nineteenth century Point de -Flandres, then, is little more than a commercial -name for a very coarse kind of -Point d’Angleterre.</p> - -<p>This Point de Flandres must not be -confused with Old Flanders or Antik, the -ancient bobbin-lace experiencing a happy -revival at present. Old Flanders is, like -Cluny, made entirely with bobbins and -with uncut threads; in other words, in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span>single lengths, and not in separate or cut -details.</p> - -<p>Liedekerke, then, first made Point -d’Angleterre for which, after a certain -time, it substituted Application, changing -again about two years before the war to -Rosaline, suddenly become a popular lace.</p> - -<p>Rosaline is not very different in appearance -from the finer varieties of -Bruges; in fact, it employs much the -same technique, and is made as is Bruges -with bobbins, in small pieces, which are -later joined by special workers. A -<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellière</span> who can make fine Bruges can -usually make Rosaline. Each small -piece is composed of elaborately interlacing -flowers and leaves and arabesques, -without a connecting mesh, but joined -by <i>brides</i> or bars, with a picot edge. -Sometimes the tiny incrustations called -pearls, common to Burano lace, are -added, to further ornament the richly -covered ground.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span></p> -<p>I watched a Rosaline cushion, on which -the pattern of an arabesque detail was -pinned, and Sister A., as she began to -shift in pairs the fourteen bobbins needed -to execute it; one pair, the <i>voyageurs</i>, -were continually traveling from right to -left and back again as she wove the flat -parts of the leaves and blossoms. The -Rosaline technique is particularly difficult, -since the pins must be continually and -rapidly changed as the worker, with a -crochet-hook, lifts the thread to pass her -bobbin through in the characteristic loop -stitch. This delicate operation, constantly -repeated, strains both eyes and -nerves. The pins are placed along the -outside edge of the flowers, instead of inside, -as in Bruges, which produces the -picot or looped-edge effect of Rosaline. -In Bruges the flower edges are even.</p> - -<p>I turned from the arabesques just beginning -to grow on the cushion, to a -lovely little finished detail, about four -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span>inches square, one of several in a box -which was to hold them till they could -be joined to make a scarf. It had taken -seven days of thirteen hours each to -make this four by four piece, which meant -that the maximum a skilled worker could -earn in executing it was about two francs -a day.</p> - -<p>The Liedekerke convent school does not -accept children under twelve for more -than two complete afternoons a week and -for more than one hour each of the other -days, these hours being lengthened gradually -until the girl of sixteen gives her -entire time to her lace. The sisters hope -that once they find coal and thread and -can put their class-room in order, they -may again have 100 pupils, and that the -village may continue to count at least -200 good <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellières</span>.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="X" id="X"><abbr title="10">X</abbr></a><br /> - -<a name="HERZELE" id="HERZELE">HERZELE</a><br /> - -<small><i>A Château of Refuge</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">There</span> are certain châteaux in Belgium -that will be remembered -throughout this century as harbors of -refuge; they dared not flare beacons -from their roofs, but during four dark -years, people of the nearby communes -knew that day and night lights burned -there for them. The château of the -Comte du Parc was such a one, a property -lying on the edge of the village of -Herzele, south of Alost, which, tho the -house itself is unpretentious, embraces a -lovely park and wood, and from which, -incidentally, the Germans cut 1,000 trees. -It is no longer only the estate of the du<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -Parcs, it is the loved shelter of every -villager accustomed to hurry toward it -in sad or perilous hours. The morale of -the entire region was sustained by the -knowledge that the people of the château -had not left, as they easily might have, -for their safer Brussels home, in the zone -of civil administration, where if not free, -they would at least have been less imprisoned, -but had chosen to remain in -the military zone, utterly cut off from -their relatives and the rest of Belgium.</p> - -<p>They might have considered several -reasons sufficiently important to -call them away (the Bourgmestre of -Herzele had found at least one, his ill-health); -among other things their -château was as yet practically uninhabitable. -It had been begun only a short -time before the war broke out, and with -the sounding of the first alarm the workmen -had rushed out to report to their -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span>officers, leaving electric cords dangling, -unmounted fixtures standing against the -walls, and neither hot water nor heating -systems installed. Madame told me later -of her desperate and amusing efforts to -fasten locks on the most important doors. -As she and her husband were debating -how they might arrange one large room -in the left wing as their single general -living-room they could already see the -villagers coming anxiously along the -tree-lined avenue and across the park to -inquire if they were still there. “After -the first troubled questions,” Monsieur -said, “even if we had not already decided -we must stay, it would have been quite -impossible to go away.”</p> - -<p>The soldiers of the village were leaving -with scarcely time for good-bys; Madame -understood the fears of the women who -came to the château for comfort; her -only son, too, a brave, handsome boy, was -off to join the colors—her brave, handsome<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -boy, who now lies buried not far from the -Yser.</p> - -<p>In October the victorious Germans -pushed southward, and from the <abbr title="fourteenth">14th</abbr> to -the <abbr title="eighteenth">18th</abbr>, shrapnel fell like rain on the -park, but the château escaped unharmed. -Then three officers of the occupying army -rode up on horseback, revolvers in hand, -demanding that the Comte present himself -immediately. Madame followed her -husband, not knowing what to expect. -To their first threat, Monsieur replied -calmly, “I do not like those objects,” and -after a moment’s hesitation the officers -lowered their weapons. Then they demanded -guaranties that they would be -absolutely safe from attack by any person, -either of the château or the village. -“I can, of course, speak for my château,” -Monsieur answered, “but I can not be responsible -for the villagers if they are -pushed too far.” These villagers themselves -told me later that they were convinced<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -it was only the presence of the -Comte (the bullies were frequently servile -before titles and powerless before fearlessness) -that saved Herzele from destruction. -“We always expected the -worst,” they said; “in the early days, -when the Boches lighted a great fire in -the wood, we rushed to the château, believing -it was burning.”</p> - -<p>From the beginning, Madame and her -two daughters looked for some constructive -aid they might give their -women, something more than the general -relief furnished by the Comité National.</p> - -<p>Of the 2,500 inhabitants of the village, -1,700 were soon on the lists of the helpless -or destitute; among these were many -tuberculosis victims. The château living-room -became first a clothing bureau, -where daily all sorts of garments, sent -from America, were distributed. Madame -engaged some of the women of the village -to patch and re-fashion these, and with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span>certain sums of money that succeeded in -reaching her from time to time from an -American lady who had “adopted” -Herzele, she was able to purchase new -materials and offer further saving employment. -I do not know the American -lady, but if she could have seen Madame’s -eyes as she told me of what it meant, imprisoned -as they were, to receive these -gifts from some one outside who remembered -them, I do not doubt she would -have felt sufficiently rewarded.</p> - -<p>In 1916, when I was in Belgium as a -member of the Commission for Relief in -Belgium, the Germans prevented my -going near Herzele, or any point in the -zone of direct military preparation, so I -could follow the work of Monsieur and -Madame only through the Brussels Lace -Committee, which had itself great difficulty -in keeping connected with them. -They made their judgments from the -ever increasing quantities and improved -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span>quality of the laces that somehow came -through.</p> - -<p>The room in the château was the lace -office not only for Herzele, but for eleven -additional villages, where between 2,500 -and 3,000 girls and women, encouraged -by the Committee support—its designs -and thread and money—were busy with -their needles and bobbins; for while this -is chiefly a needle-work district, large -quantities of bobbin laces are also made. -To be sure, none of these laces is superior, -but they are good, and marketable. They -include Cluny, Duchesse de Bruxelles, a -kind of coarse Flanders (where the -flowers are made with bobbins and the -mesh with the needle), Venise, and Rosaline; -and of these the Flanders and Venise -are most important. At times it was not -difficult for the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellières</span> to take or -send their finished lace to the château, at -others they were threatened with fines -and imprisonment if they were discovered -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span>trying to get it there. To refer to but -one instance, the facteur of the village -three miles distant was fined seventy-five -francs when caught on the way with his -pieces. The Germans were doing their -utmost always, to attach lace-makers to -their <i>Spitzen Centrale</i>, and despite the -international agreement which engaged -their protection of the work of the -Brussels Lace Committee, they interfered -with and obstructed its work again and -again. At one point they insisted that -all deliveries to the Committee should be -made through them, and that they be -paid 1 per cent. on the value, in gold, for -transmission, where transmission, unfortunately, -only too often spelled for -them retention.</p> - -<p>In the village Madame and her daughters -went from house to house, instructing -and comforting. The days of the deportations -were more terrible than any -others. In remembering that first hideous -deportation night in Herzele, one remembers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -too, that early in the war Cardinal -Mercier said that while there was once a -time, when to make people believe, we -felt we must heighten, or embellish the -cold facts, that now in order that they -should believe, we must withhold part of -the truth. That first night, men and -boys were torn from their beds and -herded into the school, from there to be -carried off in cattle-cars to Germany. -There was neither light nor heat, and in -the cold and the darkness, the tortured -little village broke into a great cry of -lamentation, while the château was filled -with wives and mothers seeking comfort.</p> - -<p>Later, when the activist troubles became -acute, the two daughters held meetings -even in the cabarets to urge loyalty -to a united Belgium. They believe that -not one person in their entire village can -be said to have worked for the enemy, -except when deported bodily, or otherwise -coerced.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p> -<p>Somehow the years passed, and then -one day, the <abbr title="sixteenth">16th</abbr> of September, 1917, -bits of white paper fell like snow from -the clouds. The family rushed out to -gather them and found Lord Northcliffe’s -celebrated posters, “The First Million,” -representing a vast multitude on the -march, the statue of liberty in the background, -the fields of France in the foreground, -and a continuous bridge of ships -connecting them. This snowfall was followed -by others, and each brought hope.</p> - -<p>Finally, in October, 1918, the Germans, -knowing the Allied Army of Liberation -was almost upon them, again pulled their -guns up into the château grounds, but in -the final fighting, as in the earliest, the -house somehow escaped.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_240.jpg" id="i_240.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_240.jpg" alt="" width="458" height="480" /> -<p class="captioncenter">WEDDING GIFT OF MR. HOOVER TO MRS. PAGE</p> - -<p class="small">Executed in Venise and Flanders lace by 30 women working three -months. American eagles with outspread wings, protecting the Belgian -Lion enchained in the four corners</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_240a.jpg" id="i_240a.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_240a.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="241" /> -<p class="captioncenter">FLANDERS—NEEDLE MESH, BOBBIN FLOWERS</p> -</div> - -<p>When I reached Herzele, in January, -1919, the wide park was beautiful and -still, green things were sprouting beneath -the trees, there were a few birds; to a -stranger there was little evidence of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span>terrible years. But inside, in the cold, unfinished -hall, the electric cords still dangled; -everything was as the Belgian workmen -had left it four and a half years before. -And in the single living-room at the -left, rudely furnished, but including -through large windows the beauty of the -park, there were still the war-time desk -and long table with the piles of trousers -and shirts at one end, and the rolls of white -lace at the other. I shook out a scarf of -Duchesse de Bruxelles of flower and leaf -pattern, with insets in needle work, and -several wide flounces of Flanders lace, of -the same pattern I had seen used in the -charming lamp-shades on sale in the -Committee room at Brussels. There were -also rolls of Bruges, and Rosaline, Application, -and Point d’Angleterre.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_241.jpg" id="i_241.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_241.jpg" alt="" width="371" height="420" /> -<p class="captioncenter">VENISE LACE CENTER, BORDER OF VALENCIENNES</p> - -<p class="small">Lace executed in Flanders by 40 women in two months; embroidery -and mounting in Brussels by four women in three months</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_241a.jpg" id="i_241a.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_241a.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="320" /> -<p class="captioncenter">VALENCIENNES, SQUARE MESH</p> -</div> - -<p>As I examined them, Monsieur got out -his records and discust the future of his -lace-workers. “I am convinced they will -be happy to continue in this district, if -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> -only they can be sure of a living wage. -And apart from other determining -factors, to make that, they must learn to -execute laces of better quality. We need, -above all, a school which will offer along -with its courses in practical lace-making, -training in design. During the war we -had many beautiful designs from the -Committee, but each time we were cut -off from them we realized our helplessness. -In one of the villages the patterns -are drawn by a furniture-maker. One -reason for the wretched condition of the -workers before the war was their entire -dependence on the particular lace dealer -who furnished them their patterns and -their thread, and who, of course, protected -his models by copyright. The old, -unprotected designs, which may be copied -by any one, are little in demand, and -during the process of generations of recopying, -many of them have so greatly -deteriorated as to become scarcely recognizable. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -If our women were trained they -could restore these, and, what is more -important, some of them, at least, could -invent new ones.”</p> - -<p>I asked what it would cost to found a -school and support it during its first year. -“Perhaps 20,000 or 25,000 francs; we -might hope that the State would undertake -such a work, but with its present -overwhelming burden, it is a question if -the Government can occupy itself with -lace needs. If it could be started by -private initiative, and prove successful, I -believe there is no doubt that the Government -would be willing later to subsidize -it.”</p> - -<p>Madame brought a picture post-card -from the mantel, of three brothers who -had been deported, two of whom had not -returned. Other men were drifting back -from Metz, where most of the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">déportés</i> -from Herzele had been for over two and -a half years, but these two would not -return,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> for they had been frozen to death. -I understood at once, for I remembered -the sixty-five men with black arms and -legs who had been “returned” to the -Brussels Hospital in 1917. “No”; -Madame looked at the portrait of her -boy, with the Belgian colors above it and -a vase of flowers in front, and then again -at the little post-card; “No,” she said -simply, “I have no desire yet to go to -Brussels. I prefer to remain here with -my people, where we may still, from time -to time, weep together.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="XI" id="XI"><abbr title="11">XI</abbr></a><br /> - -<a name="GHENT" id="GHENT"></a>GHENT<br /> - -<small><i>A Lace Queen of Long Ago</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Of</span> the cities I visited during three -months’ continuous travel in Belgium -following the armistice, Ghent -appeared to me to be attacking her -problems with greatest speed and vigor. -Brave old Burgher city of canals and -mellow buildings and bell-towers, this -Flemish capital is at the same time -an active, modern, commercial center; -which explains why Bruges has been able -to win from her the title she once proudly -held of “Queen of Lace Cities.”</p> - -<p>The lace history of Ghent begins with -the lace history of Belgium, in the sixteenth -century; but her great period dates -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span>from the seventeenth century and the introduction -of the epoch-making mesh of -Valenciennes. The activity of her women -and girls, following the appearance of -this new lace, surpassed anything she had -hitherto known; it was not long before -the music of 1,000,000 bobbins rose to -meet the riotous pealing of her bells. In -the sixteenth century Malines had undisputed -first place in lace; Ghent now out-stript -her. One wonders if part of the -fascination of this city for the men the -United States sent there in 1814, to make -peace with England, and who, after six -months’ lingering, had to be urged to -return home, lay in its clicking bobbins -and the joyous garlands that blossomed -under them.</p> - -<p>There is a portrait in the Hôtel de -Ville, where one may see the Empress -Marie-Thérèse, wearing the marvelous -Valenciennes and the Needle Point robe -presented to her by the Canton de Gand -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span>in 1743. And scarcely more than a century -later, in 1853, the city made its last -gift of similar magnificence—another -robe, valued at 20,000 francs, on which -80,000 bobbins were employed unceasingly -during six months, and this time -offered to the Duchess of Brabant, -Marie-Henriette. There were no succeeding -world-stirring gifts of lace because -Ghent had begun to think of other things, -of industrial and commercial development, -and as she advanced in these, the -art of lace-making declined, until to-day -it has ceased to exist.</p> - -<p>However, in the surrounding communes -(the region counts fifty) there are -still perhaps 2,000 <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dentellières</span> making -most of the bobbin and needle varieties, -the best among them being Valenciennes, -Flanders, Duchesse, Needle Point, Bruges -and Rosaline. The Comtesse de Bousies, -chairman of the Ghent Lace Committee -during the war, did her best to encourage<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span> -the work in these outlying districts, -and was able to help, in addition, -many needy women in the city itself.</p> - -<p>In 1917, for instance, Celine appeared -at the office to ask for thread. She was -twenty years old, and before the war had -been one of the 10,000 women employed -in the linen spinning mills; her mother -was ill with tuberculosis, her father without -work, and also ill; there were five -younger children. “I know I have not -proper fingers,” she said, as she held out -her rough hands, “but if you will only -promise I may bring my lace, I believe I -can learn.” The Committee believed this, -too, and because she worked with intelligence -and with almost feverish eagerness, -she was soon assured the minimum wage -of three francs a week, and later the -larger sums made possible with the Committee’s -success. Shortly before the -armistice, the mother died, and only last -week Celine came again to the desk to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span>ask anxiously if the Committee could not -somehow arrange, that even after they -had disbanded, she might continue to -make lace. Her father had found a -little work; she wanted to remain at home -where she might at least direct the -younger children, and she could, if only -she were sure of her war-time wage. -Could not the Committee promise the sale -of her laces? Often repeated question -during these courage-testing days, when -emergency organizations are breaking -up, and poor women do not yet see what -is to replace them.</p> - -<p>Among the more important communes -on the Ghent committee list, I found -Oosterzele, Baelegem, and Landsanter, -all three producing a good quality of -Duchesse, Flanders, Needle Point and -Venise, and counting together about 160 -lace-makers; Gysenzeele and Destelbergen, -which make fine Flanders, and -Duchesse, Knesselars, with 250 Cluny -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span>workers; Asper with 60 in Venise; the -convents of Scheldewinkle and Eecke, the -first occupied with Venise, the second -with Needle Point and Duchesse, which -it sells to an American house, and finally, -the larger Deynze district, including -Vynck, Lootenhulle, Machelin, the Valenciennes -convent school at Ruysselede, and -Bachte, with perhaps 400 lace-makers in -all.</p> - -<p>I got my orientation for this last southern -district from the Comtesse d’Alcantara, -who has been indefatigable in her -double rôle of chairman of Deynze and -vice-chairman of the regional committee. -Constantly throughout the war, she -might have been seen starting from the -handsome château at Bachte—one of the -most imposing in Belgium—on bicycle -or on foot on her way to one of the lace -villages, with thread and money for the -workers, or at night returning with the -rolls of lace which she had then to get to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span>Ghent and from there to Brussels. The -Germans never succeeded in obstructing -her work, nor that of her father and -mother, for their villagers and for the -orphans of the entire region. Women -came between shells to bring laces. It -was a moral help just to be able to talk -about their work.</p> - -<p>As I crossed the moat and passed under -the archway, I saw the spot where -the last Allied shell exploded, killing nineteen -Germans, while the family and the -200 villagers in the cellars, where they -had been for two weeks, escaped unharmed. -In fact, in all the Deynze -country I was in the midst of the destruction -accompanying the final push of the -liberating army, and was vividly reminded -of what would have happened to -the rest of Belgium had the armistice -been further delayed.</p> - -<p>But already in the partially wrecked -villages many of the women had gone -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span>back to their cushions—their reason-saving -cushions, for they furnished practically -the only employment to be had, -and however small the earnings, they at -least insured a few francs a week, and -best of all they proved that something of -the past persisted.</p> - -<p>In Vynck, a poor little town of 1,700 -people, I found 40 Valenciennes-makers, -and heard that 100 young girls were -being taught at home by their mothers. -I talked with two maiden sisters—one 68, -the other 72—whom I spied hidden behind -a window-screen of potted plants, -working, with 450 bobbins each, on a -kind of Valenciennes one finds only on -the cushions of the past generation. They -could not repeat often enough their gratitude -to the Committee, which had been -paying them 44 francs ($8.80) a meter -for their lace, so much more than they -had received before the war from the -Courtrai facteur to whom they had sold. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span>They counted on making about five -meters during the winter ($44 worth), -and they work from dawn sometimes till -nine at night.</p> - -<p>In a neighboring house was a grandmother -of eighty-one and her granddaughter, -and on the grandmother’s -cushion such a covering and re-covering -of bobbins and lace, to keep them spotless. -Over all she had spread a large -towel, beneath it a worn napkin, then a -piece of pink gingham, and below that -two remnants of white and blue cloth, -and it seemed appropriate that the snowy -treasure, Valenciennes, too, should be revealed -to me only after such a ceremony -of unveiling as this bent old woman of -Vynck performed.</p> - -<p>I passed quickly through Lootenhulle -with its 125 workers, who make, among -other varieties, good Duchesse and Rosaline; -and Hansbeek, which produces a -superior Valenciennes; and Ruysselede, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span>with its excellent school for Valenciennes; -to cross from the south to Destelbergen, -which lies almost directly east of Ghent. -All the plain was white under the first -deep snow of winter, but to enjoy its -loveliness one had to be able to forget the -torn roofs and fireless hearths.</p> - -<p>At Destelbergen I went at once to the -atelier of <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr> Coppens, to whom -women of both France and Belgium send -their old Applications and spider-web -meshes, for restoration. Before the war -she employed seventy expert lace-makers -in her school, now she can depend on no -more than twenty—tho there are some -100 less skilful ones in the village. On -this particular January day the school -was empty. As <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr> Coppens received -me, she said, “I regret, Madame, but I -am without coal, and without thread; I -have been forced to close my work-room; -however,” she hesitated an instant, “if -Madame does not object to coming into -the kitchen, she may yet see Stéphanie, -the first lace-maker of the village, at -work.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_256.jpg" id="i_256.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_256.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="248" /> -<p class="captioncenter">FAN IN NEEDLE-POINT</p> - -<p class="small">Executed by three women in six weeks. “Shields of the Allies,” design drawn by M. Knoff -for the Lace Committee</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_257.jpg" id="i_257.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_257.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="251" /> -<p class="captioncenter">EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MARRIAGE VEIL IN NEEDLE-POINT, BELONGING TO COMTESSE ELIZABETH D’OULTREMONT</p> - -<p class="small">It would take 40 workers about a half year to copy this veil</p> -</div> - -<p>Remembering the glistening shelves -and floors of other Flemish kitchens, I -did not mind; happily not, for in the end -Stéphanie was more to me than many -villages. She was bending over an immaculate -cushion, seventy-eight and unmarried, -and all her person as scrupulously -neat as her cushion, from her odd -little peaked black crochet cap to the felt -shoes she had made herself. She was -weaving the flat surfaces of a dainty -French bouquet, and as I stept toward -her chair, looked up, delighted that some -one was interested in what she was making. -When I picked up a Bruges collar -on the nearby table she tried in ejaculatory -Flemish to make me understand, -that even tho she had made parts of it, -she disowned the whole as unworthy the -name of lace, and she brought my eyes -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span>back to the delicate texture of the leaves -and petals on her cushion.</p> - -<p>I wished to know what Stéphanie was -getting for a day’s work on her fine -bouquets. She has been making lace for -seventy years, is intelligent and quick, -and her maximum wage is two cents an -hour, a franc for a day of ten hours. I -asked about the future—she has thought -of that, not without anxiety, and is providing -at seventy-eight for what she calls -“old age” by trying hard to put by two -cents a week. Madame C. has been kind -to her, and gives her as much freedom -and comfort as she can offer; for instance, -when Stéphanie was ill for three -days last week, she did not deduct her -wages. She would gladly double her pay, -or triple it, for she realizes there are few -like Stéphanie left, but the Paris firm to -whom she sells pays so little for her lace -that she has never been able to offer more -than a franc a day. <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span>“If I could give two -francs, I could quickly gather a company -of 1,000 contented lace-makers, I am certain,” -she said. “But when my old -workers fall ill or die, I find no young -girls willing to come to me; they prefer -the twenty francs a week they can make -picking wool. When Stéphanie goes, I -shall have no single artist to replace her.” -“<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">C’est un vrai cœur de dentelle</i>” (she -is a true heart of lace), she said affectionately, -as she patted her on the -shoulder.</p> - -<p>And then she went to fetch a cardboard -box and I took a chair by the table, to -watch her unfold what it might contain. -She spread three beautiful widths of Application -on blue paper so that I might -better see the tiny bouquets and scattered -buds and leaves that blossomed from the -fine quality of machine-made tulle; all -these had come from Stéphanie’s bobbins, -and she was having difficulty to continue -at her cushion because of her eagerness -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span>to explain them. They were French designs, -as their charming lines had made -me suspect. In the box with the Application -were two rolls of Point d’Angleterre, -the lace one finds rarely at present. -We held the first one, a length of four -meters, six inches wide, against the light, -and then Stéphanie could sit still no -longer; she knew something about this -piece, for she had made its first flower in -1911, and not finished its last until the -war was half over. She pointed out the -spaces where a special needle-worker -had introduced almost microscopic open -stitches into her leaves and blooms to -give them even greater airiness, and -showed how almost impossible it would -have been to execute these needle-stitches -with bobbins; and how difficult is the -stitch made with a special crochet-hook -required for the raised veins and outlines -(brodes) of the petals and leaves, since -the hook must catch and attach the thread -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span>each time beneath the surface. Finally, -a needle-worker, again, as is always the -case in Point d’Angleterre, had spun the -clear web between the flowers, uniting -them all into the finished flounce. -Stéphanie pointed to a single detail. “It -took me five days to make that tiny -bouquet, and the needle-worker one and -a half days more to add the open -stitches.”</p> - -<p>Since the snow-covered roads made -traveling extremely hazardous, I decided -that I could not stop longer, no matter -how absorbing the Applications and -Points d’Angleterre, or how endearing -the personality and contagious the enthusiasm -of Stéphanie. I said “Good-by,” -explaining that I had yet that day -to visit the needle-lace school at Zele, -twenty kilometers away.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="XII" id="XII"><abbr title="12">XII</abbr></a><br /> - -<a name="ZELE" id="ZELE"></a>ZELE<br /> - -<small><i>Stéphanie Visits the Trade Union Lace School</i></small></h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">But</span> I was not to have to part with -Stéphanie. When her Flemish -ears gathered from my French that -I was starting for Zele and the school -founded three years ago, which had -been the talk of the region ever -since, her eyes fairly spoke her eager -desire. Seventy-eight and earning twenty -cents a day, and yet consumed by a love -for her art (for with her, lace-making is -a true art), and a passion to learn more -about it! I asked <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr> Coppens if -Stéphanie might not come along in the -car. In answer she began bustling -about, tears in her eyes, to help get her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span> -ready, and Stéphanie in her odd little -woolen cap could scarcely tie her long -black-hooded cape because she was constantly -throwing up her hands, and exclaiming, -and pressing them together, as -she tried to make me understand that in -all her seventy-eight years she had only -twice ridden in a wagon and never had -she dreamed of being in an automobile -before she died. What would the neighbors -say? We bundled her into the -corner of the car and were off, but she -could not sit still, leaning forward to exclaim -over the beauty of the snow, or a -windmill, or the children skating in their -sabots, or huddling down to cover her -face with her hands in swift shyness if -some one had seemed to see her; no spirit -was ever so bubbling and gay and eager -and timid all at once as Stéphanie’s as -we rode through the snow toward Zele.</p> - -<p>Nor so patient as hers after we arrived;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> -for instead of going to the school, -I had to leave her in the car while I went -to the house of the director, Dr. Armand -Rubbens, unfortunately ill with rheumatism, -who is not only the founder of -the school but the inspiration of all the -unusual accomplishments of the lace-workers -of this town, where his father is -Burgomaster. After her long wait, -Stéphanie’s only comment as she looked -a little fearfully at the gathering dusk, -was: “It is not yet too late to see the -school.”</p> - -<p>Inside, Dr. Rubbens, who since taking -his university degree has not been strong -enough to follow his profession, and has -devoted himself to the 800 lace-workers of -his district, explained the organization of -the Zele “Trade Union Lace School,” -founded three years ago and the only one -of its kind in Belgium. I felt, as he talked, -that he was reproducing in miniature a -Henry Ford plant, and when I told him -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span>this, he smiled. “I begin to think I should -see one of Mr. Ford’s factories, for in -reading an account of his system in the -Paris <i>Matin</i> last week, I was astonished -at the number of his ideas I had incorporated.”</p> - -<p>The fifty advanced workers in the -atelier (there are 140 apprentices) share -the profit of the lace sales in proportion -to their wages, and own part of the stock -of the union. The best workers of this -group make twenty-five centimes an hour, -or two and a half francs (fifty cents) a -day of eight hours, the highest pay I -know of, so far, gained by a lace-maker. -The girls may go four hours each week -to a school of domestic science, without -losing pay; there are illness and pension -funds, and other provisions for the health -and protection of the members of the -school. Dr. Rubbens has seemed to accept -every opportunity as a privilege.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_268.jpg" id="i_268.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_268.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="312" /> -<p class="captioncenter">AT WORK ON DETAILS OF A NEEDLE-POINT SCARF TO BE PRESENTED TO -QUEEN ELIZABETH</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_268a.jpg" id="i_268a.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_268a.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="314" /> -<p class="captioncenter">NEEDLE LACE CLASS-ROOM IN THE TRADE UNION LACE SCHOOL AT ZELE</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span></p> - -<p>I looked over the files and photographs -and records, for even tho Zele is a remote -town of but 6,000 inhabitants, this wide-awake -director has made it provide for -him a better set of records and announcement -and advertising cards (some of -them in English) than I have seen anywhere -else in Belgium. While I was inspecting -the books, he opened a chest and -spread on the table a finished model from -his school—a Needle Point scarf or veil, -sown with marguerites and varied by a -bewildering succession of open-work -stitches, each seemingly more exquisite -than the preceding and some of them -invented for this particular veil. The -needle-workers who had made it had -given about 9,000 hours to its flowers -and gauze, and it would bring 3,000 -francs to the Trade Union treasury.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_269.jpg" id="i_269.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_269.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="465" /> -<p class="captioncenter"> NEEDLE-POINT ILLUSTRATION FOR THE FABLE OF THE -FOX AND THE GRAPES</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_269a.jpg" id="i_269a.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_269a.jpg" alt="" width="401" height="600" /> -<p class="captioncenter">IN THE ZELE LACE SCHOOL; JOINING DETAILS -OF THE NEEDLE-POINT SCARF PRESENTED TO -QUEEN ELIZABETH</p> -</div> - -<p>I felt that I must fetch Stéphanie to -see this, but Dr. Rubbens advised hurrying -now to the school, where there was -something still more beautiful to be -seen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span>—the scarf just completed that will -be presented to Queen Elizabeth, and so far -the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">chef-d’œuvre</i> of the Zele -lace-makers. I told Stéphanie about it -on our way through the village.</p> - -<p>Once arrived, we went directly to the -most advanced class, where Stéphanie -might find most to interest her. The -young women were at work on Needle -Point collars and medallions, a series of -tableaux from the legend of the Fox and -the Grapes, and she was all eyes and -ears as she went eagerly from chair to -chair, trying to see what these girls had -been taught that she had missed learning, -and to add to her lore, if she could. I -believe it is only in such a modern school -as this that an outsider would have been -allowed to examine, as Stéphanie did, the -stitches and patterns, for the tradition -of the locked door and the carefully -guarded secret still prevails in the lace -word.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span></p> -<p>I was impatient to see the school’s masterpiece, -the royal scarf, and it was now -brought from the safe and held before -us by three young women, as the directress -led us from point to point in the -airy mesh spun between its rose garlands -and medallions. On either side of the -center medallion, the arms of Belgium, -were two others, in which human figures -symbolized cities the war has made immortal. -For Nieuport a fisher-maiden -stood on the shore with her basket, and -about her the net took up a cockleshell -motif; Poperinghe had the graceful -hop-vine as its device; for Furnes there -was a dairy-maid with her churn in the -midst of blossoming butter flowers; while -Ypres was represented by a beautiful -Flamande sitting before a lace cushion -heaped with bobbins—countless stitches, -occupying 12,000 hours, and the entire -weight 125 grammes! And yet, at the -end, Stéphanie tilted her dear old head -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span>and said: “Nevertheless, Madame, for the -Queen, I should have made the mesh yet -finer.”</p> - -<p>This Trade Union is in a sense a professional -school, since it teaches design, -but there is the weak spot in an otherwise -remarkable achievement. The designs -executed by Dr. Rubbens and the school -are often the kind that have led foreign -lace-buyers to order through Paris, which -could furnish the drawings, rather than -direct from Belgium. They lack the -lightness and grace that lace designs -should unfailingly possess, just the qualities -which the Friends of Lace have done -so much to encourage and cultivate. If -Dr. Rubbens can see his way to follow -their suggestions, or to employing a -French teacher, there seems no limit to -what he may accomplish.</p> - -<p>He is now attempting to establish a -true needle-lace Normal School, which will -offer courses in commerce, English, history,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -and all the branches necessary to a -complete lace education. This will supplement -the instruction of the Bruges -bobbin-lace Normal, already well under -way. He holds that the teaching of the -fine needle points is more tedious and -difficult than the teaching of the bobbin -points, and that it takes more years to -become expert in needle laces than in -others.</p> - -<p>On the way home, Stéphanie asked -what she might do for me. “You may -pray for me, if you wish, Stéphanie.” -She was silent a moment. “But, Madame, -should I not make a pilgrimage to -Lourdes for you? On one of my trips -in the wagon, I saw the sea, and for -three years after that the sea was every -day just before my eyes. And to-day -will remain until I die just in front of my -eyes. Madame, should I not go to -Lourdes for you?”</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span></p> - - - -<h2><a name="APPENDIX" id="APPENDIX">APPENDIX</a></h2> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_276.jpg" id="i_276.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_276.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="362" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span></p> - -<p class="small">Map showing important lace areas in 1919, especially prepared for this volume -by the Brussels Lace Committee.</p> - -<p class="small">The size of the circles indicates the approximate geographical extent of -lace-making activity, and has no reference to the quality produced.</p> - -<p class="small">The finest varieties are made in the areas indicated by circles 3 (noted for -Valenciennes, Bruges, Cluny), 4 (Bruges, Valenciennes, Cluny), 11 (Duchesse, -Application, Rosaline), 15 (Maline, <abbr title="Point">Pt.</abbr> de Paris, <abbr title="Point">Pt.</abbr> de Lille, Binche).</p> - -<p class="small">Second quality, circles 5 (Val., Cluny), 6 (Val., Bruges, Cluny), 7 (Duchesse, -Needle Point, Val., Cluny), 9 (Point d’Hollande, Val., Venise, Needle -Point, Cluny).</p> - -<p class="small">Third quality, circles 8 (Duchesse, Needle Point), 12 (Venise Needle -Point, Duchesse, Chantilly), 10 (Bruges, Duchesse, Val., Cluny), 14 (Needle -Point, Application), 13 (Cluny, Torchon), 16 (Cluny).</p> - -<p class="small">The least important laces are found in regions 17 (Venise, filet), 18 (filet, -Torchon), 19 (Point de Paris, Chantilly).</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_278.jpg" id="i_278.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_278.jpg" alt="" width="247" height="500" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>a.</i> (Top) Pattern<br /> -<i>b.</i> (Bottom) Worker’s <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqure</span> made from pattern</p> -</div> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p class="center">APPENDIX</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span></p> -<p class="center"><i>With Drawings by the Directrice of the Brussels -School of Design, <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr> Lucie Paulis</i></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">From</span> the point of view of technique, all -laces are divided into two groups; laces -made with the needle, and laces made -with bobbins.</p> - -<p class="center space-above"><i><abbr title="1">I</abbr>.—Laces Made with the Needle</i></p> - -<p>All needle lace is executed in the same manner. -First, the design of the whole is divided into details -sufficiently small to allow of their being -easily held and turned by the worker. The design -of each of these details is reproduced on a -special kind of black paper by means of tiny -pricked holes that follow all its lines.</p> - -<p>The lace worker sews this pattern (or <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqure</i>) -to a piece of double white cloth, which gives it -solidity. She is then ready to begin the <i>tracé</i> -or outlining process. A strand of two or three -threads is appliquéd along all the contours of -the pattern by means of a very fine needle and -very fine thread, which catches the cloth below -the black paper, passing and repassing through -each of the holes of the pattern, thus holding the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span>outlining strand in a sort of embrace. When all -the contours of the drawing have been traced, -the second part of the work begins, the execution -of the points that are to fill in the spaces.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_280.jpg" id="i_280.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_280.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="161" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>c.</i> The outlining or tracing cord</p> -</div> - -<p>All the points or stitches of needle lace are -loops, simple or twisted, formed by a needle -carrying a single thread. (The worker holds the -needle with the base instead of the point, forward.) -The first row of loops is attached to the -threads of the outlining strand. Arriving at the -extremity of the space she is working, the lace-maker -begins a second row of loops running in -the opposite direction, attaching each loop to the -corresponding loop of the first row. At the end -of this row she fastens it to the outlining strand -by one or two stitches and starts on the third -row, repeating this operation until her space is -completely covered.</p> - -<p>The <i>points</i> or stitches most frequently employed -are:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>1. The plat (sketch d), or stitch which forms -the flat woven parts, which can be more or -less tightly drawn, and serves for all the -opaque parts of the lace. It is made by -simple loops, each row being consolidated -by means of a stretched thread as illustrated -in the sketch.</p></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_282.jpg" id="i_282.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_282.jpg" alt="" width="204" height="450" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>d.</i> (Top) Stitch for the <i>plat</i> or surface<br /></p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>e.</i> (Bottom )Stitch one</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_283.jpg" id="i_283.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_283.jpg" alt="" width="266" height="320" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>f.</i> Mirror stitch</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span></p> -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>2. The <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">jours</i> or open-work stitches. Among -the fantasy stitches employed in the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">jours</span> -are:</p> - -<p><i>a.</i> The <i>point one</i>, or stitch one, (sketch e.)</p> - -<p>There exists also a stitch <i>two</i>, and stitch -<i>three</i>, which differ in the number of loops -forming the group.</p> - -<p><i>b.</i> The <i>mirror</i> stitch (sketch f.) and a kind of -<i>ball</i> stitch (sketch g.), and lastly the famous -extremely transparent <i>point de gaze</i>, or -gauze stitch (sketch h.), which constitutes -the mesh of the popular Brussels lace.</p></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_284.jpg" id="i_284.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_284.jpg" alt="" width="249" height="320" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>g.</i> Ball stitch</p> -</div> - -<p>All the surfaces having been covered, the lace -is further embellished by the confection of -<i>brodes</i>, or firm outlining cords around the filled-in -spaces, which produce a more or less striking -effect of relief in needle laces. This <i>brode</i> -(sketch i), is made of a strand of fine or heavier -threads, appliquéd as was the original strand -outlining the pattern spaces, and then beautifully -covered by the buttonhole stitch. When the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span>brode is well made, the buttonhole stitches follow -closely, touching side by side.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_285.jpg" id="i_285.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_285.jpg" alt="" width="290" height="330" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>h.</i> Gauze mesh stitch</p> -</div> - -<p>Many differing little details which help to give -to needle lace its richness and brilliancy (balls, -rings, etc.), are also varieties of brodes, and are -made for the most part in the buttonhole stitch. -The bars forming the base of Venise lace are -made in this way.</p> - -<p>The execution of the brodes is the final work -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span>in needle lace. After they are finished, the lace -detail is detached from the underlying pattern by -cutting the thread between the black paper and -supporting cloth, the fine thread which in the -beginning attached the outlining strand. There -remains only to join the separate details of the -pattern by a very fine stitch called the <i>point -invisible</i>.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_286.jpg" id="i_286.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_286.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="198" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>i.</i> Brode, buttonhole stitch</p> -</div> - -<p>The varieties of needle laces are:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p><i>a.</i> Venise (<i>fond</i> or base composed of <i>brides</i> -or bars).</p> - -<p><i>b.</i> Reticella (Venise lace of geometric design -and made without brodes or outlining relief -cords).</p> - -<p><i>c.</i> Rose Point (Venise with a design of fine -branches and tendrils).</p> - -<p><i>d.</i> Brussels Point or Needle Point (very fine -lace in which a gauze mesh replaces the -bars employed in Venise).</p></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span></p> - -<p class="center space-above"><i><abbr title="2">II</abbr>.—Bobbin Lace</i></p> - -<p>Bobbin laces fall under two groups: (1) Those -made with cut threads, and (2) those made with -continuous threads.</p> - -<p>1. Laces made with cut threads, or of repeated -details, are executed on a round cushion, which -can be easily turned and they require but a limited -number of bobbins (generally not more than -two dozen). They may be said to be composed -essentially of a braid which grows wider or narrower -as it follows all the variations of the pattern, -and is interrupted as often as is necessary.</p> - -<p>The parts in process of operation are attached -to those already finished by veritable running -knots made with the aid of a little crochet needle, -a tool absolutely indispensable to the making of -this kind of lace. The design of the whole is -divided into portions so small that they cover only -the middle of the cushion. It is necessary to have -all around the detail, space for the bobbins, each -of which carries a thread about four inches long.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_288.jpg" id="i_288.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_288.jpg" alt="" width="270" height="330" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>j.</i> Bobbins used in making Belgian laces<br /></p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>1</i>, <i>2</i> and <i>3</i> Valenciennes<br /></p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>4</i> and <i>5</i> Malines</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_289.jpg" id="i_289.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_289.jpg" alt="" width="281" height="320" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>j. </i>Bobbins used in making Belgian laces</p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>6</i> Malines<br /></p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>7</i> Point de Paris<br /></p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>8</i> Application<br /></p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>9</i> Torchon<br /></p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>10</i> Duchesse</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_290.jpg" id="i_290.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_290.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="250" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>k.</i> A pattern for bobbin lace, with l, -m, n, the braids in which it must -be executed</p> -</div> - -<p>Each fragment is traced on a dark blue paper -or <i>patron</i> on which the place for the pins is not -indicated (sketch k.). The lace-maker pins this -blue paper to the middle of her cushion, covering -the whole with a piece of dark blue linen which -has a hole in the middle large enough to leave free -the part of the pattern actually being worked. The -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a><br /><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a><br /><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span>lace already finished is thus protected. She then -places a pin on the spot where she decides to -begin, attaching the necessary number of bobbins -and starts to weave as a weaver does, first -from right to left, then from left to right, carrying -the two bobbins holding the threads forming -the woof (<i>trame</i>) successively above and below -the threads forming the warp (<i>chaine</i>). Each -time all of the threads of the warp have been -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a><br /><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span>crossed by the threads of the woof, she places -a pin, and now the two woof threads caught by -this pin lead back to the opposite side. She turns -her cushion according to the direction of the -braid she is executing, so that the threads forming -the warp always fall vertically.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_291.jpg" id="i_291.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_291.jpg" alt="" width="476" height="280" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>l.</i> (Left) A braid which forms -the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">toile</i></p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>m.</i> (Middle) A <i>grillé</i> braid</p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>n.</i> (Right) A braid of 4 threads</p> -</div> - -<p>The fundamental stitch in these laces and that -which forms the greatest part of the braids is -the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">point de toile</i>, or <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">toile</i> (sketch 1.). Certain -open stitches are also employed, the most common -being the <i>grillé</i> or half-stitch (sketch m.).</p> - -<p>The different varieties of bobbin laces made -with cut threads, or in repeated pieces are:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><i>a.</i> Bruges, the flowers are united by brides or -bars that are braided with four threads -(sketch n.).</p> - -<p><i>b.</i> Duchesse (made only with fine thread, -loosely worked and producing a not particularly -pleasing result).</p> - -<p><i>c.</i> Rosaline (an imitation with bobbins of -Rose Point. Brodes, or raised outlines -made with the needle, give it relief).</p> - -<p><i>d.</i> Flanders (in this lace the base of brides or -bars is replaced by a net mesh base executed -with a needle).</p> - -<p><i>e.</i> Application (the flowers, executed like -those of Bruges are sewed upon tulle).</p></div> - -<p>2. Lace made with uncut or continuous -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span>threads. Laces of this group are executed on a -stationary cushion. The design, before it can -be used by the worker, must pass through the -hands of a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuse</i>, or interpreter, who prepares -what is called the patron or pattern (sketch o), -that is to say, determines in advance the places -where the pins destined to hold the threads, must -be placed (sketch of a <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqure</span>, p.). This work of -the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqueuse</span> demands great skill and infinite -patience. Upon her interpretation will depend -the aspect of the lace, for the worker follows her -indications rigidly. This pattern is pricked on a -supple and resistant cardboard (in olden times it -was made on parchment) and is pinned to the -cushion with the selvage of the lace at the left. -The worker then attaches to a row of pins placed -all across the top of the pattern, the threads -which she will need, often many hundreds.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_294.jpg" id="i_294.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_294.jpg" alt="" width="182" height="350" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>o.</i> (Top) Pattern from which <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">piqure</span> is made</p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>p.</i> (Bottom) <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Piqure</span></p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_295.jpg" id="i_295.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_295.jpg" alt="" width="218" height="280" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>q.</i> Valenciennes mesh</p> -</div> - -<p>Now she commences her work, braiding, twisting, -intercrossing the threads in diverse ways, -and placing a pin each time the threads must be -held in a position which they can not retain without -the aid of a fixt support. When she arrives -at the bottom of her pattern, with great care she -takes out all the pins, and lifts her work to the -top of the pattern, replacing the pins so that the -lace will be kept absolutely regular. She then -recommences her work of braiding or weaving, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a><br /><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span>repeating the same operation till the length of -lace she must make is finished. The patterns are -usually about a foot long.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span></p> -<p>The bobbin laces made with continuous thread -comprise:</p> - -<p><i>a.</i> Cluny and<br /></p> -<p><i>b.</i> Laces with a mesh base:</p> - -<ol> -<li> Valenciennes,<br /></li> -<li> Binche,<br /></li> -<li> Malines,<br /></li> -<li> Point de Paris,<br /></li> -<li> Point de Lille,<br /></li> -<li> Chantilly.</li> -</ol> - -<p>The varieties in Group <i>b</i> may truly be called -woven lace, because they contain a veritable tissue -in which, tho the threads are combined in -such a way as to produce more or less open -effects, the opaque parts are woven regularly, -that is as linen is woven. The pattern of the -mesh of each of these laces is different.</p> - -<ul> -<li>Valenciennes (sketch q.).<br /></li> -<li>Binche (sketch r and s.).<br /></li> -<li>Malines (sketch t.).<br /></li> -<li>Point de Paris (sketch u.).<br /></li> -<li>Point de Lille (sketch v.).<br /></li> -</ul> - - -<p>Further, Malines, Chantilly, Point de Lille, -and Point de Paris are characterized by the presence -of the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bourdon</i>, or heavy thread, slightly -twisted, outlining all the details of the design.</p> - -<p>Grammont, or Chantilly lace, is usually made -of black silk thread. The mesh is the same as -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span>that of Point de Lille. In it the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">toile</span> is replaced -by the grillé, which adds greatly to the lightness -of the effect.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_297.jpg" id="i_297.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_297.jpg" alt="" width="227" height="280" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>r.</i> Binche mesh</p> -</div> - -<p>N. B.—To be understood technically, all these -laces made with continuous thread should be considered -from the point of view of the place they -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span>occupy on the cushion of the worker: They are -held vertically with the selvage at the left.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_298.jpg" id="i_298.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_298.jpg" alt="" width="338" height="270" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>s.</i> Mesh of “snow-ball” pattern, used in Binche</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_299.jpg" id="i_299.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_299.jpg" alt="" width="461" height="260" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>t.</i> (Left) Malines mesh</p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>u.</i> (Right) Point de Paris mesh</p> -</div> - -<p>It is necessary to mention with these laces, -Torchon, the most common of all, which has little -artistic value, and has entered more and more -into the domain of the machine. Torchon base -(sketch w.).</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_300.jpg" id="i_300.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_300.jpg" alt="" width="298" height="280" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>v.</i> Point de Lille mesh</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_301.jpg" id="i_301.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_301.jpg" alt="" width="213" height="280" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>w.</i> Torchon base</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302]</a></span></p> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_302.jpg" id="i_302.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_302.jpg" alt="" width="332" height="280" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>x.</i> (Top) Picot</p> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>y.</i> (Bottom) Cluny pattern</p> -</div> - -<p>Group <i>A.</i>—Cluny laces demand great ingenuity -in execution. The most simple are made entirely -by braiding in such a way as to produce an -effect of interlacing (sketch y.). The braids are -formed of four threads; when the interlacing is -more important they become more complicated. At -times the braids group themselves to form the flat -surface or <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">toile</span> which later will resolve again into -braids. They unite and part, sometimes dividing -into strands (brides) of two threads according to -the lines of the design. This design should be -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[303]</a><br /><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span>absolutely precise. And since in it the future -employment of each thread must be constantly -foreseen, it is quite impossible to compose a -Cluny lace pattern without a knowledge of the -technique of that lace (sketch y).</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a name="i_303.jpg" id="i_303.jpg"></a><img src="images/i_303.jpg" alt="" width="187" height="280" /> -<p class="captioncenter"><i>z.</i> (Top) Interpreted Torchon pattern</p> -<p class="captioncenter"> (Bottom) Completed lace</p> -</div> - -<p>Sometimes the general name guipure is given -to Cluny, as well as to all laces made with continuous -thread which have not a mesh base.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span></p> -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[307]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="INDEX" id="INDEX"></a>INDEX</h2> - -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst"> Aerseele, <a href="#Page_110" title="Go to Page 110">110</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Albert King, <a href="#Page_194" title="Go to Page 194">194</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Alcantara, Comtesse d’, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Alençon (town), <a href="#Page_31" title="Go to Page 31">31</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Alençon lace, <a href="#Page_38" title="Go to Page 38">38</a>, <a href="#Page_132" title="Go to Page 132">132</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Allard, <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr> Josse, <a href="#Page_169" title="Go to Page 169">169</a>, <a href="#Page_172" title="Go to Page 172">172</a>, <a href="#Page_209" title="Go to Page 209">209</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Alost, Lace region of, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a>, <a href="#Page_169" title="Go to Page 169">169</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_224" title="Go to Page 224">224</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Spinneries of, <a href="#Page_82" title="Go to Page 82">82</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> America, Aid from, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_235" title="Go to Page 235">235</a>, <a href="#Page_236" title="Go to Page 236">236</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Lace buyer of, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Laces displayed in, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Americans in Ghent, <a href="#Page_248" title="Go to Page 248">248</a></li> - -<li class="indx" id="Amies_de_la_Dentelle">Amies de la Dentelle, Convent subsidized by, <a href="#Page_218" title="Go to Page 218">218</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Lace quality conservation by, <a href="#Page_100" title="Go to Page 100">100</a>, <a href="#Page_272" title="Go to Page 272">272</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Prices under, <a href="#Page_103" title="Go to Page 103">103</a></li> -<li class="isub4">School reforms under, <a href="#Page_15" title="Go to Page 15">15</a></li> -<li class="isub4">War committee, see <a href="#Brussels_Lace_Committee">Brussels Lace Committee</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Antik lace, see <a href="#Old">Flanders, Old</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Antwerp, Old Flanders in, <a href="#Page_115" title="Go to Page 115">115</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Port of, <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_166" title="Go to Page 166">166</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Province of, <a href="#Page_146" title="Go to Page 146">146</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Application lace, <a href="#Page_226" title="Go to Page 226">226</a>, <a href="#Page_241" title="Go to Page 241">241</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Bobbins for, <a href="#Page_289" title="Go to Page 289">289</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Lacets for, <a href="#Page_171" title="Go to Page 171">171</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_221" title="Go to Page 221">221</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_292" title="Go to Page 292">292</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Restoration of, <a href="#Page_256" title="Go to Page 256">256</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Tulle base for, <a href="#Page_41" title="Go to Page 41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_259" title="Go to Page 259">259</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Ardois, <a href="#Page_109" title="Go to Page 109">109</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Argentin lace, <a href="#Page_38" title="Go to Page 38">38</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Arras, <a href="#Page_31" title="Go to Page 31">31</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Asper, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Bachte, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Baelegem, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bailleul, <a href="#Page_34" title="Go to Page 34">34</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Devastation of, <a href="#Page_36" title="Go to Page 36">36</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bayeux, <a href="#Page_131" title="Go to Page 131">131</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Beernem, <a href="#Page_123" title="Go to Page 123">123</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Béguinage of Bruges, <a href="#Page_154" title="Go to Page 154">154</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">of Ghent, <a href="#Page_155" title="Go to Page 155">155</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Berraly’s convent, Abbé, <a href="#Page_53" title="Go to Page 53">53</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Beth, Thread firm of, <a href="#Page_81" title="Go to Page 81">81</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[308]</a></span></li> -<li class="indx"> Bethune, Baron de, <a href="#Page_85" title="Go to Page 85">85</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Beughem, Vicomtesse de, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_127" title="Go to Page 127">127</a>, <a href="#Page_169" title="Go to Page 169">169</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Binche lace, <a href="#Page_115" title="Go to Page 115">115</a>, <a href="#Page_150" title="Go to Page 150">150</a>, <a href="#Page_152" title="Go to Page 152">152</a>, <a href="#Page_166" title="Go to Page 166">166</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Mesh designs, <a href="#Page_297" title="Go to Page 297">297</a>, <a href="#Page_298" title="Go to Page 298">298</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_296" title="Go to Page 296">296</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bixio, M., <a href="#Page_27" title="Go to Page 27">27</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Blonde lace, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_134" title="Go to Page 134">134</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> <a id="Bobbin_lace" name="Bobbin_lace"></a>Bobbin lace, <a href="#Page_37" title="Go to Page 37">37</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_97" title="Go to Page 97">97</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_144" title="Go to Page 144">144</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_39" title="Go to Page 39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_287" title="Go to Page 287">287</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Teaching, <a href="#Page_161" title="Go to Page 161">161</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Varieties of, <a href="#Page_39" title="Go to Page 39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_292" title="Go to Page 292">292</a>, <a href="#Page_296" title="Go to Page 296">296</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bousies, Comtesse de, <a href="#Page_249" title="Go to Page 249">249</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Brabant, Lace area of, <a href="#Page_215" title="Go to Page 215">215</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Province of, <a href="#Page_146" title="Go to Page 146">146</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bruges (town), <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_51" title="Go to Page 51">51</a>, <a href="#Page_87" title="Go to Page 87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_91" title="Go to Page 91">91</a>, <a href="#Page_124" title="Go to Page 124">124</a>, <a href="#Page_247" title="Go to Page 247">247</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Lace region of, <a href="#Page_143" title="Go to Page 143">143</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Lace Normal School of, <a href="#Page_76" title="Go to Page 76">76</a>, <a href="#Page_100" title="Go to Page 100">100</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bruges lace, <a href="#Page_241" title="Go to Page 241">241</a>, <a href="#Page_249" title="Go to Page 249">249</a>, <a href="#Page_257" title="Go to Page 257">257</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_143" title="Go to Page 143">143</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Collars and cuffs, <a href="#Page_113" title="Go to Page 113">113</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Duchesse, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a>, <a href="#Page_150" title="Go to Page 150">150</a>, <a href="#Page_152" title="Go to Page 152">152</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_292" title="Go to Page 292">292</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Old, <a href="#Page_109" title="Go to Page 109">109</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Point de, <a href="#Page_104" title="Go to Page 104">104</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Rosaline and, <a href="#Page_226" title="Go to Page 226">226</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bruggen, <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr> Van der, <a href="#Page_123" title="Go to Page 123">123</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Brussels (town), <a href="#Page_19" title="Go to Page 19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_21" title="Go to Page 21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_85" title="Go to Page 85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_204" title="Go to Page 204">204</a>, <a href="#Page_210" title="Go to Page 210">210</a>, <a href="#Page_216" title="Go to Page 216">216</a>, <a href="#Page_217" title="Go to Page 217">217</a>, <a href="#Page_232" title="Go to Page 232">232</a>, <a href="#Page_241" title="Go to Page 241">241</a>, <a href="#Page_253" title="Go to Page 253">253</a></li> -<li class="isub4">German “Lace Control” in, <a href="#Page_122" title="Go to Page 122">122</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Museum, <a href="#Page_26" title="Go to Page 26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_42" title="Go to Page 42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_86" title="Go to Page 86">86</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Point d’Angleterre in, <a href="#Page_223" title="Go to Page 223">223</a></li> -<li class="isub4">School of Design, <a href="#Page_76" title="Go to Page 76">76</a>, <a href="#Page_165" title="Go to Page 165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_279" title="Go to Page 279">279</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Brussels lace,</li> -<li class="isub4">Duchesse, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_237" title="Go to Page 237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_241" title="Go to Page 241">241</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Point, <a href="#Page_39" title="Go to Page 39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_179" title="Go to Page 179">179</a>, <a href="#Page_182" title="Go to Page 182">182</a>, <a href="#Page_283" title="Go to Page 283">283</a>, <a href="#Page_286" title="Go to Page 286">286</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making Brussels Point, <a href="#Page_286" title="Go to Page 286">286</a></li> - -<li class="indx" id="Brussels_Lace_Committee">Brussels Lace Committee, <a href="#Page_127" title="Go to Page 127">127</a>, <a href="#Page_148" title="Go to Page 148">148</a>, <a href="#Page_151" title="Go to Page 151">151</a>, <a href="#Page_195" title="Go to Page 195">195</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Agency, purchasing and sales, <a href="#Page_108" title="Go to Page 108">108</a>, <a href="#Page_116" title="Go to Page 116">116</a>, <a href="#Page_174" title="Go to Page 174">174</a>, <a href="#Page_182" title="Go to Page 182">182</a>,</li> - -<li class="isub4"> <a href="#Page_206" title="Go to Page 206">206</a>, <a href="#Page_210" title="Go to Page 210">210</a>, <a href="#Page_225" title="Go to Page 225">225</a>, <a href="#Page_237" title="Go to Page 237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_241" title="Go to Page 241">241</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Designs of, <a href="#Page_58" title="Go to Page 58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_193" title="Go to Page 193">193</a>, <a href="#Page_242" title="Go to Page 242">242</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Educational aims of, <a href="#Page_56" title="Go to Page 56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_75" title="Go to Page 75">75</a>, <a href="#Page_115" title="Go to Page 115">115</a></li> -<li class="isub4">German interference with, <a href="#Page_123" title="Go to Page 123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_238" title="Go to Page 238">238</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Improvements through, <a href="#Page_36" title="Go to Page 36">36</a>, <a href="#Page_53" title="Go to Page 53">53</a>, <a href="#Page_121" title="Go to Page 121">121</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Map of lace areas, <a href="#Page_276" title="Go to Page 276">276</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Origin and purpose of, <a href="#Page_15" title="Go to Page 15">15</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Personnel of, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Prices paid by, <a href="#Page_103" title="Go to Page 103">103</a>, <a href="#Page_112" title="Go to Page 112">112</a>, <a href="#Page_123" title="Go to Page 123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_124" title="Go to Page 124">124</a>, <a href="#Page_254" title="Go to Page 254">254</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Representatives of, <a href="#Page_105" title="Go to Page 105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_118" title="Go to Page 118">118</a>, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a>, <a href="#Page_236" title="Go to Page 236">236</a>, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[309]</a></span></li> -<li class="isub4">Thread supply for, <a href="#Page_82" title="Go to Page 82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_88" title="Go to Page 88">88</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Burano lace, <a href="#Page_39" title="Go to Page 39">39</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Bysance, <a href="#Page_26" title="Go to Page 26">26</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Calais, <a href="#Page_35" title="Go to Page 35">35</a>, <a href="#Page_172" title="Go to Page 172">172</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Celine, <a href="#Page_250" title="Go to Page 250">250</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Chantilly lace, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_205" title="Go to Page 205">205</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_127" title="Go to Page 127">127</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_296" title="Go to Page 296">296</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Cinquantenaire Museum, <a href="#Page_26" title="Go to Page 26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_42" title="Go to Page 42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_86" title="Go to Page 86">86</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Claterna, Ancient bobbins of, <a href="#Page_27" title="Go to Page 27">27</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Cluny lace, <a href="#Page_28" title="Go to Page 28">28</a>, <a href="#Page_44" title="Go to Page 44">44</a>, <a href="#Page_89" title="Go to Page 89">89</a>, <a href="#Page_94" title="Go to Page 94">94</a>, <a href="#Page_98" title="Go to Page 98">98</a>, <a href="#Page_111" title="Go to Page 111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_118" title="Go to Page 118">118</a>, <a href="#Page_123" title="Go to Page 123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a>, <a href="#Page_150" title="Go to Page 150">150</a>,</li> - -<li class="isub4"> <a href="#Page_152" title="Go to Page 152">152</a>, <a href="#Page_162" title="Go to Page 162">162</a>, <a href="#Page_225" title="Go to Page 225">225</a>, <a href="#Page_237" title="Go to Page 237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Designs, <a href="#Page_302" title="Go to Page 302">302</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Duty on, <a href="#Page_90" title="Go to Page 90">90</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Guipures of, <a href="#Page_99" title="Go to Page 99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_103" title="Go to Page 103">103</a>, <a href="#Page_104" title="Go to Page 104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_113" title="Go to Page 113">113</a>, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_39" title="Go to Page 39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_296" title="Go to Page 296">296</a>, <a href="#Page_302" title="Go to Page 302">302</a>, <a href="#Page_304" title="Go to Page 304">304</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Coates, Thread firm of, <a href="#Page_82" title="Go to Page 82">82</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Cock, Gillemont de, <a href="#Page_148" title="Go to Page 148">148</a>, <a href="#Page_166" title="Go to Page 166">166</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Colbert, <a href="#Page_31" title="Go to Page 31">31</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Colette, <a href="#Page_179" title="Go to Page 179">179</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Collart, M., <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Comité National, Cooperation of, <a href="#Page_16" title="Go to Page 16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_19" title="Go to Page 19">19</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Relief work of, <a href="#Page_216" title="Go to Page 216">216</a>, <a href="#Page_235" title="Go to Page 235">235</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Commission for Relief in Belgium, <a href="#Page_120" title="Go to Page 120">120</a>, <a href="#Page_236" title="Go to Page 236">236</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Cooperation of, <a href="#Page_16" title="Go to Page 16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_19" title="Go to Page 19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_135" title="Go to Page 135">135</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Compagnie des Indes, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Convents, Lace-making</li> -<li class="isub4">Bruges, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Cruyshautem, <a href="#Page_202" title="Go to Page 202">202</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Eecke, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Erembodeghem, <a href="#Page_189" title="Go to Page 189">189</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Heckelgem, <a href="#Page_215" title="Go to Page 215">215</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Kerxken, <a href="#Page_173" title="Go to Page 173">173</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Liedekerke, <a href="#Page_218" title="Go to Page 218">218</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Opbrakel, <a href="#Page_201" title="Go to Page 201">201</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Ruysselede, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a>, <a href="#Page_255" title="Go to Page 255">255</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Scheldewinkle, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Thielt, <a href="#Page_105" title="Go to Page 105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_110" title="Go to Page 110">110</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Turnhout, <a href="#Page_53" title="Go to Page 53">53</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Coppens, <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr>, <a href="#Page_256" title="Go to Page 256">256</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_265" title="Go to Page 265">265</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Courtrai lace region, <a href="#Page_79" title="Go to Page 79">79</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Cox, Thread firm of, <a href="#Page_81" title="Go to Page 81">81</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Cruyshautem convent, <a href="#Page_202" title="Go to Page 202">202</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Cuseners, <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr>, <a href="#Page_129" title="Go to Page 129">129</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Designs of various laces, <a href="#Page_278" title="Go to Page 278">278</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Destelbergen, <a href="#Page_224" title="Go to Page 224">224</a>, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a>, <a href="#Page_256" title="Go to Page 256">256</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Deynze district, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a>, <a href="#Page_253" title="Go to Page 253">253</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Dixmude, <a href="#Page_87" title="Go to Page 87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_143" title="Go to Page 143">143</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Duchesse lace, <a href="#Page_98" title="Go to Page 98">98</a>, <a href="#Page_123" title="Go to Page 123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_163" title="Go to Page 163">163</a>, <a href="#Page_249" title="Go to Page 249">249</a>, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a>, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a>, <a href="#Page_255" title="Go to Page 255">255</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Bobbins for, <a href="#Page_289" title="Go to Page 289">289</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Bruges, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a>, <a href="#Page_150" title="Go to Page 150">150</a>, <a href="#Page_152" title="Go to Page 152">152</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Brussels, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_237" title="Go to Page 237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_241" title="Go to Page 241">241</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Guipures, <a href="#Page_99" title="Go to Page 99">99</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_292" title="Go to Page 292">292</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Eecke convent, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Egypt, <a href="#Page_26" title="Go to Page 26">26</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[310]</a></span></li> -<li class="indx"> Elizabeth, Queen, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Laces for, <a href="#Page_38" title="Go to Page 38">38</a>, <a href="#Page_193" title="Go to Page 193">193</a><abbr title="and following">ff,</abbr> <a href="#Page_270" title="Go to Page 270">270</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Patronage of, <a href="#Page_15" title="Go to Page 15">15</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> England, <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Thread from, <a href="#Page_19" title="Go to Page 19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_82" title="Go to Page 82">82</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Tulle from, <a href="#Page_35" title="Go to Page 35">35</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Erembodeghem, <a href="#Page_185" title="Go to Page 185">185</a>, <a href="#Page_210" title="Go to Page 210">210</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Lace region of, <a href="#Page_189" title="Go to Page 189">189</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="ifrst"> Flanders (district), Lace industry in <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_43" title="Go to Page 43">43</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_146" title="Go to Page 146">146</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Flanders lace, <a href="#Page_41" title="Go to Page 41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_99" title="Go to Page 99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_163" title="Go to Page 163">163</a>, <a href="#Page_237" title="Go to Page 237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_241" title="Go to Page 241">241</a>, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Details of, <a href="#Page_224" title="Go to Page 224">224</a>, <a href="#Page_114" title="Go to Page 114">114</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Guipures of, <a href="#Page_113" title="Go to Page 113">113</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_292" title="Go to Page 292">292</a></li> -<li class="isub4"><a id="Old" name="Old"></a>Old, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_111" title="Go to Page 111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_114" title="Go to Page 114">114</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_150" title="Go to Page 150">150</a>, <a href="#Page_152" title="Go to Page 152">152</a>, <a href="#Page_166" title="Go to Page 166">166</a>, <a href="#Page_225" title="Go to Page 225">225</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> France, History of lace in, <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Franciscaine Sisters, <a href="#Page_173" title="Go to Page 173">173</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_189" title="Go to Page 189">189</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_201" title="Go to Page 201">201</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Friends of Lace, see <a href="#Amies_de_la_Dentelle">Amies de la Dentelle</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Furnes, <a href="#Page_87" title="Go to Page 87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_271" title="Go to Page 271">271</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Gand, Canton de, <a href="#Page_248" title="Go to Page 248">248</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> German depredations, <a href="#Page_51" title="Go to Page 51">51</a>, <a href="#Page_59" title="Go to Page 59">59</a>, <a href="#Page_80" title="Go to Page 80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_82" title="Go to Page 82">82</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_88" title="Go to Page 88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_231" title="Go to Page 231">231</a></li> -<li class="isub4">facteurs, <a href="#Page_88" title="Go to Page 88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_119" title="Go to Page 119">119</a></li> -<li class="isub4">interference with lace workers, <a href="#Page_18" title="Go to Page 18">18</a>, <a href="#Page_105" title="Go to Page 105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_110" title="Go to Page 110">110</a>, <a href="#Page_119" title="Go to Page 119">119</a>, <a href="#Page_120" title="Go to Page 120">120</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>,</li> -<li class="isub4"> <a href="#Page_157" title="Go to Page 157">157</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_174" title="Go to Page 174">174</a>, <a href="#Page_190" title="Go to Page 190">190</a>, <a href="#Page_219" title="Go to Page 219">219</a>, <a href="#Page_237" title="Go to Page 237">237</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">“Lace Control,” <a href="#Page_20" title="Go to Page 20">20</a>, <a href="#Page_120" title="Go to Page 120">120</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Ghent, <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_87" title="Go to Page 87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_143" title="Go to Page 143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_147" title="Go to Page 147">147</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Béguinage of, <a href="#Page_155" title="Go to Page 155">155</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Lace Committee, <a href="#Page_249" title="Go to Page 249">249</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Lace region of, <a href="#Page_247" title="Go to Page 247">247</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Spinneries of, <a href="#Page_82" title="Go to Page 82">82</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Graeht, Baron van der, <a href="#Page_105" title="Go to Page 105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_108" title="Go to Page 108">108</a>, <a href="#Page_114" title="Go to Page 114">114</a></li> -<li class="isub4"><abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr> van der, <a href="#Page_105" title="Go to Page 105">105</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Grammont, Chantilly lace region, <a href="#Page_127" title="Go to Page 127">127</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_206" title="Go to Page 206">206</a>, <a href="#Page_296" title="Go to Page 296">296</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Greeks, <a href="#Page_26" title="Go to Page 26">26</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Grenadine d’Alays, <a href="#Page_139" title="Go to Page 139">139</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Groothuis museum, <a href="#Page_151" title="Go to Page 151">151</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Gulleghem, <a href="#Page_92" title="Go to Page 92">92</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Gysenzeele, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Hainaut, Province of, <a href="#Page_146" title="Go to Page 146">146</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Haltaert, <a href="#Page_170" title="Go to Page 170">170</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hansbeek, <a href="#Page_255" title="Go to Page 255">255</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hebrews, <a href="#Page_26" title="Go to Page 26">26</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Heckelgem convent, <a href="#Page_215" title="Go to Page 215">215</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Henry, Mrs. Bayard, <a href="#Page_92" title="Go to Page 92">92</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Herzele lace region, <a href="#Page_231" title="Go to Page 231">231</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Holland, <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Lace for Queen of, <a href="#Page_207" title="Go to Page 207">207</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hoover, Herbert C., <a href="#Page_18" title="Go to Page 18">18</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Mrs. Herbert C., <a href="#Page_193" title="Go to Page 193">193</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Hours of lace workers, <a href="#Page_65" title="Go to Page 65">65</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr> <a href="#Page_111" title="Go to Page 111">111</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr> <a href="#Page_217" title="Go to Page 217">217</a>, <a href="#Page_228" title="Go to Page 228">228</a>, <a href="#Page_255" title="Go to Page 255">255</a>, <a href="#Page_268" title="Go to Page 268">268</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Imitations, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_41" title="Go to Page 41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_171" title="Go to Page 171">171</a>, <a href="#Page_183" title="Go to Page 183">183</a></li> -<li class="isub4">of Chantilly, <a href="#Page_132" title="Go to Page 132">132</a>, <a href="#Page_138" title="Go to Page 138">138</a></li> -<li class="isub4">of Point d’Angleterre, <a href="#Page_221" title="Go to Page 221">221</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Import duty on lace, <a href="#Page_90" title="Go to Page 90">90</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Ireland, Thread from, <a href="#Page_82" title="Go to Page 82">82</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Iseghem, <a href="#Page_98" title="Go to Page 98">98</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Italy, <a href="#Page_15" title="Go to Page 15">15</a>, <a href="#Page_36" title="Go to Page 36">36</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Ancient bobbins in, <a href="#Page_27" title="Go to Page 27">27</a></li> -<li class="isub4">History of lace in, <a href="#Page_29" title="Go to Page 29">29</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[311]</a></span></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Kefer-Mali, <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr>, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_42" title="Go to Page 42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_215" title="Go to Page 215">215</a>, <a href="#Page_221" title="Go to Page 221">221</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Kerxken lace region, <a href="#Page_169" title="Go to Page 169">169</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_224" title="Go to Page 224">224</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Knesselars, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Lace areas, List and Map of, <a href="#Page_276" title="Go to Page 276">276</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">History of, <a href="#Page_25" title="Go to Page 25">25</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Methods of making, <a href="#Page_279" title="Go to Page 279">279</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4"><a id="Schools" name="Schools"></a>Schools, <a href="#Page_146" title="Go to Page 146">146</a>, <a href="#Page_147" title="Go to Page 147">147</a>, <a href="#Page_242" title="Go to Page 242">242</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub5">Amies de la Dentelle and, <a href="#Page_15" title="Go to Page 15">15</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_76" title="Go to Page 76">76</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Chantilly, <a href="#Page_129" title="Go to Page 129">129</a>, <a href="#Page_131" title="Go to Page 131">131</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Convent, <a href="#Page_53" title="Go to Page 53">53</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr> <a href="#Page_105" title="Go to Page 105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_177" title="Go to Page 177">177</a>, <a href="#Page_190" title="Go to Page 190">190</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_205" title="Go to Page 205">205</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_215" title="Go to Page 215">215</a>, <a href="#Page_218" title="Go to Page 218">218</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Coppens’, <a href="#Page_256" title="Go to Page 256">256</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Normal, <a href="#Page_100" title="Go to Page 100">100</a>, <a href="#Page_110" title="Go to Page 110">110</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_152" title="Go to Page 152">152</a>, <a href="#Page_156" title="Go to Page 156">156</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_273" title="Go to Page 273">273</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Trade Union, <a href="#Page_265" title="Go to Page 265">265</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Varieties of, see <a href="#Bobbin_lace">Bobbin lace</a> and <a href="#Needle_lace">Needle lace</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Landsanter, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Liedekerke lace region, <a href="#Page_215" title="Go to Page 215">215</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Liedt’s collection, Baron, <a href="#Page_151" title="Go to Page 151">151</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Lille, <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_34" title="Go to Page 34">34</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Lootenhulle, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a>, <a href="#Page_255" title="Go to Page 255">255</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Louis <abbr title="13">XIII</abbr>, <a href="#Page_32" title="Go to Page 32">32</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Louis <abbr title="14">XIV</abbr>, <a href="#Page_31" title="Go to Page 31">31</a>, <a href="#Page_32" title="Go to Page 32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_33" title="Go to Page 33">33</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Louis Philippe, <a href="#Page_35" title="Go to Page 35">35</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Lys River valley flax, <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_79" title="Go to Page 79">79</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Machelin, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Maertens, Professor, <a href="#Page_148" title="Go to Page 148">148</a>, <a href="#Page_156" title="Go to Page 156">156</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Maldeghem, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Malines (town) <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_86" title="Go to Page 86">86</a>, <a href="#Page_248" title="Go to Page 248">248</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Malines lace, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_100" title="Go to Page 100">100</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Bobbins for, <a href="#Page_288" title="Go to Page 288">288</a>, <a href="#Page_289" title="Go to Page 289">289</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Mesh design, <a href="#Page_299" title="Go to Page 299">299</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_73" title="Go to Page 73">73</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_296" title="Go to Page 296">296</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Old laces, <a href="#Page_86" title="Go to Page 86">86</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Point de Lille and, <a href="#Page_71" title="Go to Page 71">71</a>, <a href="#Page_72" title="Go to Page 72">72</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Map of lace areas, <a href="#Page_276" title="Go to Page 276">276</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Margharita of Italy, Queen, <a href="#Page_15" title="Go to Page 15">15</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Maria Loop, <a href="#Page_110" title="Go to Page 110">110</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Marie Antoinette, <a href="#Page_33" title="Go to Page 33">33</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Marie-Henriette, Duchess of Brabant, <a href="#Page_249" title="Go to Page 249">249</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Marie-Thérèse, Empress, <a href="#Page_248" title="Go to Page 248">248</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Menin, <a href="#Page_87" title="Go to Page 87">87</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Mercier, Cardinal, <a href="#Page_239" title="Go to Page 239">239</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Malines lace of, <a href="#Page_75" title="Go to Page 75">75</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Milan lace, <a href="#Page_104" title="Go to Page 104">104</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Guipure of, <a href="#Page_114" title="Go to Page 114">114</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Mullie, <abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr>, <a href="#Page_87" title="Go to Page 87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_89" title="Go to Page 89">89</a>, <a href="#Page_90" title="Go to Page 90">90</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Museum, Brussels, <a href="#Page_26" title="Go to Page 26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_42" title="Go to Page 42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_86" title="Go to Page 86">86</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Courtrai, <a href="#Page_85" title="Go to Page 85">85</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Groothuis, <a href="#Page_151" title="Go to Page 151">151</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> <a id="Needle_lace" name="Needle_lace"></a>Needle lace, <a href="#Page_37" title="Go to Page 37">37</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_201" title="Go to Page 201">201</a>, <a href="#Page_206" title="Go to Page 206">206</a>, <a href="#Page_208" title="Go to Page 208">208</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_273" title="Go to Page 273">273</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_279" title="Go to Page 279">279</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Varieties of, <a href="#Page_38" title="Go to Page 38">38</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_286" title="Go to Page 286">286</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[312]</a></span></li> -<li class="indx"> Needle Point lace, <a href="#Page_44" title="Go to Page 44">44</a>, <a href="#Page_99" title="Go to Page 99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_162" title="Go to Page 162">162</a>, <a href="#Page_169" title="Go to Page 169">169</a>, <a href="#Page_189" title="Go to Page 189">189</a>, <a href="#Page_202" title="Go to Page 202">202</a>, <a href="#Page_223" title="Go to Page 223">223</a>,</li> -<li class="isub4"> <a href="#Page_248" title="Go to Page 248">248</a>, <a href="#Page_249" title="Go to Page 249">249</a>, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a>, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a>, <a href="#Page_269" title="Go to Page 269">269</a>, <a href="#Page_270" title="Go to Page 270">270</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_178" title="Go to Page 178">178</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_286" title="Go to Page 286">286</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> New York, <a href="#Page_90" title="Go to Page 90">90</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Nieuport, <a href="#Page_87" title="Go to Page 87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_143" title="Go to Page 143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_271" title="Go to Page 271">271</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Ninove, <a href="#Page_128" title="Go to Page 128">128</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Spinneries of, <a href="#Page_82" title="Go to Page 82">82</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Northcliffe’s posters, Lord, <a href="#Page_240" title="Go to Page 240">240</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Oedelem, <a href="#Page_123" title="Go to Page 123">123</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Oostcamp, <a href="#Page_123" title="Go to Page 123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Oosterzele, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Opbrakel convent, <a href="#Page_189" title="Go to Page 189">189</a>, <a href="#Page_201" title="Go to Page 201">201</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Oultremont, Comtesse Elizabeth d’, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Paisley spinneries, <a href="#Page_82" title="Go to Page 82">82</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Parc, Comte du, <a href="#Page_231" title="Go to Page 231">231</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4"><abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr> du, <a href="#Page_231" title="Go to Page 231">231</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Paris lace market, <a href="#Page_69" title="Go to Page 69">69</a>, <a href="#Page_90" title="Go to Page 90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_196" title="Go to Page 196">196</a>, <a href="#Page_223" title="Go to Page 223">223</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Paulis, <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr> Lucie, <a href="#Page_165" title="Go to Page 165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_279" title="Go to Page 279">279</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Peat, Thread firm of, <a href="#Page_93" title="Go to Page 93">93</a>, <a href="#Page_134" title="Go to Page 134">134</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Persia, <a href="#Page_26" title="Go to Page 26">26</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Pittham, <a href="#Page_109" title="Go to Page 109">109</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Point d’ Alençon, <a href="#Page_132" title="Go to Page 132">132</a></li> -<li class="isub4">d’Angleterre, <a href="#Page_181" title="Go to Page 181">181</a>, <a href="#Page_221" title="Go to Page 221">221</a>, <a href="#Page_241" title="Go to Page 241">241</a>, <a href="#Page_260" title="Go to Page 260">260</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Method of making, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_223" title="Go to Page 223">223</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">de Bruges, <a href="#Page_104" title="Go to Page 104">104</a></li> -<li class="isub4">de Flanders, <a href="#Page_224" title="Go to Page 224">224</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">de Gaze, <a href="#Page_179" title="Go to Page 179">179</a>, <a href="#Page_283" title="Go to Page 283">283</a></li> -<li class="isub4">d’Hollande, <a href="#Page_72" title="Go to Page 72">72</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">de Lille, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Mesh design, <a href="#Page_300" title="Go to Page 300">300</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Method of making, <a href="#Page_71" title="Go to Page 71">71</a>, <a href="#Page_296" title="Go to Page 296">296</a></li> -<li class="isub4">de Milan, <a href="#Page_104" title="Go to Page 104">104</a></li> -<li class="isub4">de Paris, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_134" title="Go to Page 134">134</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Bobbins for, <a href="#Page_289" title="Go to Page 289">289</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Mesh design, <a href="#Page_299" title="Go to Page 299">299</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Method of making, <a href="#Page_62" title="Go to Page 62">62</a>, <a href="#Page_296" title="Go to Page 296">296</a></li> -<li class="isub5">Various uses of, <a href="#Page_69" title="Go to Page 69">69</a>, <a href="#Page_71" title="Go to Page 71">71</a></li> -<li class="isub4">de Venise, see <a href="#Venetian_Point_lace">Venetian Point</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Pompadour, Marquise de, <a href="#Page_33" title="Go to Page 33">33</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Poperinghe, <a href="#Page_87" title="Go to Page 87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_271" title="Go to Page 271">271</a></li> - -<li class="indx" id="Prices">Prices paid for lace, <a href="#Page_88" title="Go to Page 88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_103" title="Go to Page 103">103</a>, <a href="#Page_117" title="Go to Page 117">117</a>, <a href="#Page_183" title="Go to Page 183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_196" title="Go to Page 196">196</a>, <a href="#Page_217" title="Go to Page 217">217</a>, <a href="#Page_254" title="Go to Page 254">254</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Prices paid for supplies, <a href="#Page_88" title="Go to Page 88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_93" title="Go to Page 93">93</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Priestess of Hathor, <a href="#Page_27" title="Go to Page 27">27</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Puy, Thread firm of, <a href="#Page_93" title="Go to Page 93">93</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Reims, <a href="#Page_31" title="Go to Page 31">31</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Reticella, <a href="#Page_286" title="Go to Page 286">286</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Retreats, <a href="#Page_154" title="Go to Page 154">154</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Rippenhausen, Freiherr von, <a href="#Page_121" title="Go to Page 121">121</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Robertine, Sœur, <a href="#Page_174" title="Go to Page 174">174</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_197" title="Go to Page 197">197</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Rond mesh, <a href="#Page_91" title="Go to Page 91">91</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Roose, <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr>, <a href="#Page_151" title="Go to Page 151">151</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Rosalie, <a href="#Page_217" title="Go to Page 217">217</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[313]</a></span></li> -<li class="indx"> Rosaline lace, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_152" title="Go to Page 152">152</a>, <a href="#Page_221" title="Go to Page 221">221</a>, <a href="#Page_223" title="Go to Page 223">223</a>, <a href="#Page_237" title="Go to Page 237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_241" title="Go to Page 241">241</a>, <a href="#Page_249" title="Go to Page 249">249</a>, <a href="#Page_255" title="Go to Page 255">255</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_226" title="Go to Page 226">226</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_292" title="Go to Page 292">292</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Rose point lace, <a href="#Page_39" title="Go to Page 39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_195" title="Go to Page 195">195</a>, <a href="#Page_292" title="Go to Page 292">292</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_286" title="Go to Page 286">286</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Rubbens, Dr. Armand, <a href="#Page_162" title="Go to Page 162">162</a>, <a href="#Page_267" title="Go to Page 267">267</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Rudder, M. de, <a href="#Page_193" title="Go to Page 193">193</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Rulant, Adele, <a href="#Page_172" title="Go to Page 172">172</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Russian lace, <a href="#Page_163" title="Go to Page 163">163</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Ruysselede, <a href="#Page_110" title="Go to Page 110">110</a>, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a>, <a href="#Page_255" title="Go to Page 255">255</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Ryeland, <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr>, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> <abbr title="Saint">St.</abbr> Andre, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> <abbr title="Saint">St.</abbr> Croix, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> <abbr title="Saint">St.</abbr> Michel, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a>, <a href="#Page_153" title="Go to Page 153">153</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> <abbr title="Saint">St.</abbr> Pierre des Calais, <a href="#Page_132" title="Go to Page 132">132</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Scheldewinkle convent, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Schools, see <a href="#Schools">Lace schools</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Sedan, <a href="#Page_31" title="Go to Page 31">31</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Sharlaecken, <abbr title="Madam">Mme.</abbr>, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Sicily, <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Sidonie, <a href="#Page_178" title="Go to Page 178">178</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Sister A., <a href="#Page_190" title="Go to Page 190">190</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Sister M., <a href="#Page_220" title="Go to Page 220">220</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Sister S., <a href="#Page_195" title="Go to Page 195">195</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Slock, <abbr title="Mademoiselle">Mlle.</abbr>, <a href="#Page_118" title="Go to Page 118">118</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Spain, Blonde lace for, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_134" title="Go to Page 134">134</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Stéphanie, <a href="#Page_257" title="Go to Page 257">257</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_265" title="Go to Page 265">265</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Stoop, M. de, <a href="#Page_79" title="Go to Page 79">79</a>, <a href="#Page_84" title="Go to Page 84">84</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Syria, <a href="#Page_26" title="Go to Page 26">26</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Syssele, <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Thielt lace region, <a href="#Page_97" title="Go to Page 97">97</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Thourout lace region, <a href="#Page_97" title="Go to Page 97">97</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Torchon lace, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_94" title="Go to Page 94">94</a>, <a href="#Page_99" title="Go to Page 99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_150" title="Go to Page 150">150</a>, <a href="#Page_152" title="Go to Page 152">152</a>, <a href="#Page_298" title="Go to Page 298">298</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Bobbins for, <a href="#Page_289" title="Go to Page 289">289</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Designs of, <a href="#Page_301" title="Go to Page 301">301</a>, <a href="#Page_303" title="Go to Page 303">303</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Teaching of, <a href="#Page_162" title="Go to Page 162">162</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Turnhout, <a href="#Page_43" title="Go to Page 43">43</a>, <a href="#Page_135" title="Go to Page 135">135</a>, <a href="#Page_143" title="Go to Page 143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_144" title="Go to Page 144">144</a>, <a href="#Page_165" title="Go to Page 165">165</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Lace region of, <a href="#Page_49" title="Go to Page 49">49</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Union Patriotique des Femmes Belges, <a href="#Page_17" title="Go to Page 17">17</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Valenciennes (town), <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_34" title="Go to Page 34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_147" title="Go to Page 147">147</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Valenciennes lace, <a href="#Page_31" title="Go to Page 31">31</a>, <a href="#Page_40" title="Go to Page 40">40</a>, <a href="#Page_85" title="Go to Page 85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_89" title="Go to Page 89">89</a>, <a href="#Page_94" title="Go to Page 94">94</a>, <a href="#Page_99" title="Go to Page 99">99</a>,<a href="#Page_102" title="Go to Page 102">102</a>, <a href="#Page_105" title="Go to Page 105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_123" title="Go to Page 123">123</a>,</li> -<li class="isub4"> <a href="#Page_149" title="Go to Page 149">149</a>, <a href="#Page_150" title="Go to Page 150">150</a>, <a href="#Page_151" title="Go to Page 151">151</a>, <a href="#Page_152" title="Go to Page 152">152</a>, <a href="#Page_155" title="Go to Page 155">155</a>, <a href="#Page_156" title="Go to Page 156">156</a>, <a href="#Page_163" title="Go to Page 163">163</a>, <a href="#Page_166" title="Go to Page 166">166</a>, <a href="#Page_248" title="Go to Page 248">248</a>, <a href="#Page_249" title="Go to Page 249">249</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_79" title="Go to Page 79">79</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_87" title="Go to Page 87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Bobbins for, <a href="#Page_288" title="Go to Page 288">288</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Duty on, <a href="#Page_90" title="Go to Page 90">90</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Mesh, <a href="#Page_27" title="Go to Page 27">27</a>, <a href="#Page_41" title="Go to Page 41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_71" title="Go to Page 71">71</a>, <a href="#Page_90" title="Go to Page 90">90</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Mesh design, <a href="#Page_295" title="Go to Page 295">295</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_296" title="Go to Page 296">296</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Prices paid for, <a href="#Page_254" title="Go to Page 254">254</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">School for, <a href="#Page_110" title="Go to Page 110">110</a>, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Values of lace, <a href="#Page_31" title="Go to Page 31">31</a>, <a href="#Page_88" title="Go to Page 88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_90" title="Go to Page 90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_225" title="Go to Page 225">225</a>, <a href="#Page_269" title="Go to Page 269">269</a></li> -<li class="isub4">See also <a href="#Prices">Prices</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Van Hoeimessen, Curé, <a href="#Page_176" title="Go to Page 176">176</a></li> - -<li class="indx" id="Venetian_Point_lace">Venetian Point lace, <a href="#Page_206" title="Go to Page 206">206</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Medallions, <a href="#Page_192" title="Go to Page 192">192</a>, <a href="#Page_210" title="Go to Page 210">210</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Varieties of, <a href="#Page_39" title="Go to Page 39">39</a></li> -<li class="isub4">See also <a href="#Venise">Venise</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Venice, <a href="#Page_29" title="Go to Page 29">29</a>, <a href="#Page_30" title="Go to Page 30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_144" title="Go to Page 144">144</a>, <a href="#Page_206" title="Go to Page 206">206</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[314]</a></span></li> -<li class="indx" id="Venise">Venise lace, <a href="#Page_39" title="Go to Page 39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_169" title="Go to Page 169">169</a>, <a href="#Page_182" title="Go to Page 182">182</a>, <a href="#Page_189" title="Go to Page 189">189</a>, <a href="#Page_216" title="Go to Page 216">216</a>, <a href="#Page_237" title="Go to Page 237">237</a>, <a href="#Page_251" title="Go to Page 251">251</a>, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Areas producing, <a href="#Page_277" title="Go to Page 277">277</a></li> -<li class="isub4">Method of making, <a href="#Page_178" title="Go to Page 178">178</a>, <a href="#Page_192" title="Go to Page 192">192</a>, <a href="#Page_285" title="Go to Page 285">285</a>, <a href="#Page_286" title="Go to Page 286">286</a></li> -<li class="isub4">“Queen’s Cloth” of, <a href="#Page_193" title="Go to Page 193">193</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -<li class="indx"> Vynck, <a href="#Page_252" title="Go to Page 252">252</a>, <a href="#Page_254" title="Go to Page 254">254</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Wages paid lace workers, <a href="#Page_44" title="Go to Page 44">44</a>, <a href="#Page_65" title="Go to Page 65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_73" title="Go to Page 73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_89" title="Go to Page 89">89</a>, <a href="#Page_92" title="Go to Page 92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_110" title="Go to Page 110">110</a>, <a href="#Page_112" title="Go to Page 112">112</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr>, <a href="#Page_124" title="Go to Page 124">124</a>, <a href="#Page_172" title="Go to Page 172">172</a>,</li> -<li class="isub4"> <a href="#Page_218" title="Go to Page 218">218</a>, <a href="#Page_228" title="Go to Page 228">228</a>, <a href="#Page_250" title="Go to Page 250">250</a>, <a href="#Page_258" title="Go to Page 258">258</a>, <a href="#Page_268" title="Go to Page 268">268</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Wevelghem, <a href="#Page_92" title="Go to Page 92">92</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Whitlock, Mrs. Brand, <a href="#Page_16" title="Go to Page 16">16</a></li> - -<li class="indx"> Wynghene lace region, <a href="#Page_97" title="Go to Page 97">97</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> -<li class="isub4">Burgomaster of, <a href="#Page_118" title="Go to Page 118">118</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Ypres, <a href="#Page_36" title="Go to Page 36">36</a>, <a href="#Page_87" title="Go to Page 87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_90" title="Go to Page 90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_143" title="Go to Page 143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_271" title="Go to Page 271">271</a></li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> Zele, Lace school at, <a href="#Page_76" title="Go to Page 76">76</a>, <a href="#Page_162" title="Go to Page 162">162</a>, <a href="#Page_265" title="Go to Page 265">265</a><abbr title="and following">ff</abbr></li> - -</ul> - -<div class="border"> -<h2><b>WOMEN <i>of</i> BELGIUM</b></h2> - -<p class="p90 center"><b>TURNING TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH</b></p> - -<p class="center"><i>A Book of Gripping Human Interest</i></p> - -<p class="p75 center"><b>By CHARLOTTE KELLOGG</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>An absorbingly interesting narrative of -personal experience by the only woman -member of the Relief Commission, who -tells in moving language the story of the -unbreakable spirit sustaining the Belgians -and the noble service the Belgian women -have rendered and inspired in a land made -desolate by war.</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>Introduction by HERBERT C. HOOVER,</p> - -<p><i>Chairman, Commission for Relief in Belgium</i></p> - -<p class="p90">To quote from Mr. Hoover’s own foreword: “The -soul of Belgium received a grievous wound, but the -women of Belgium are staunching the flow, sustaining -and leading this stricken nation to greater strength and -greater life. We of the Relief have been proud of -the privilege to place the tools in the hands of these -women and have watched their skilful use and their -improvement in method with hourly admiration.... -Mrs. Kellogg has done more than record in simple terms -passing impressions of the varied facts of the work of -these women, for she spent months in loving sympathy -with them. We offer her little book as our, and Mrs. -Kellogg’s tribute in admiration of them and the inspiration -which they have contributed to this whole organization.”</p></div> - -<p class="center"><b><i>12<abbr title="duodecimo">mo</abbr>, cloth, $1.00; by mail, $1.12.</i></b></p> -</div> - -<p class="center space-above"></p> - -<div class="border"> -<p class="center space-above"></p> -<p class="center"><i>What Leading Periodicals Say of</i></p> - -<p class="center"><b>WOMEN <i>of</i> BELGIUM</b></p> - -<p class="p75 center"><b>By CHARLOTTE KELLOGG</b></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="p90">“So impressed was Mrs. Kellogg by the greatness -and value of what the Belgian women are doing to help -save the Belgian people that she has written this book, -in which each chapter describes some phase or tells -some incident of what she saw. The simplicity with -which she writes makes the wonderful story of the devotion, -the unstinted service, the utter self-abnegation -with which many thousands of Belgian women are -giving themselves completely to this work stand out -all the more grandly.”—<i>Times</i>, New York.</p> - -<p class="p90">“Among the thousands of books that have been written -on the war, in this country and abroad, the pen of -a woman has given us the truest portrayal of the real -heart of a heart-broken people.”—<i>Constitution</i>, Atlanta, -Ga.</p> - -<p class="p90">“The pages brim with information and with profoundest -pathos. As you read some of them you will -feel a lump in your throat.”—<i>Knickerbocker Press</i>, -Albany, N. Y.</p> - -<p class="p90">“It is a book of tears, heart-throbs, and of devotion.... -We do not think that anyone who reads it will -regret sending a son to redress the wrongs of humanity.”—<i>Inquirer</i>, -Philadelphia, Pa.</p> - -<p class="p90">“The farther you read the more you will wish to -read, so great is the charm, so intense the interest.”—<i>Eastern -Argus</i>, Portland, Me.</p> - -<p class="p90">“It is full of the kind of stuff that makes us proud -of the part played by Americans in the work of saving -Belgium from famine during the long, sad months that -Germany had its iron heel on this stricken land.”—<i>Evening -Star</i>, Poughkeepsie, N. Y.</p> - -<p class="p90">“The only American woman member of that Commission -wrote the book—Mrs. Charlotte Kellogg—after -spending eight months on Belgian soil; and her strong -sympathy, her unfailing appreciation, intensify the literary -charm of its pages. Learning how these women -have labored, in their mothering of smitten millions, we -get from this book side-lights upon the effects of the -war.”—<i>Richmond Times Despatch.</i></p></div> - -<p class="center"><b><i>12<abbr title="duodecimo">mo</abbr>, cloth, $1.00; by mail, $1.12.</i></b></p> - -<hr class="wide" /> -<div class="blockquot"> -<p><b>FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY, Publishers</b></p> - -<p> -354–360 Fourth Avenue, New York<br /> -</p></div> - -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Bobbins of Belgium, by Charlotte Kellogg - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOBBINS OF BELGIUM *** - -***** This file should be named 60275-h.htm or 60275-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/2/7/60275/ - -Produced by F E H, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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