The Great Round World And What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1. No. 23, April 15, 1897 | Page 9

row of feather-stitching, which gave it a
finish that was very pretty.
The daintiest set of garments came from the Industrial School for
Colored and Indian Children, in Hampton, Va.
The most complete exhibit, which included plain sewing, dress-making,
hat-trimming, and fancy work of all kinds, was sent by the Pratt
Institute, in Brooklyn. The useful sewing from that school was above
the standard of excellence, and the art work fully equal to that of the

New York School of Applied Design.
A very interesting part of the exhibit of every American school was the
darning and patching. We hear a good deal about people not learning to
sew properly nowadays, since the sewing-machine has come into such
common use, but the patches and darns shown by the twelve-year-old
pupils of our public schools would put the far-famed patching of our
grandmothers to shame.
There were square patches, with the patterns matched so exquisitely
that you had to feel the edge before you could realize that the patch was
there; three-cornered "jags" darned so perfectly with their own threads
that they were invisible, and every kind of rent and tear and hole was
treated in its own particular way.
The Japanese sent a number of beautiful designs for embroidery, and a
case full of queer little Japanese garments, but unfortunately they, too,
were made of coarse materials, and looked ugly and uninteresting.
Russia sent Russian lace, and a number of photographs of school
children learning to sew. They also sent some lovely Russian
embroidery, but no plain sewing.
Mexico had a case full of wonderful drawn work; France some
wonderful designs for dresses, and some beautifully finished
dress-waists, but the little under-garments were as coarse as those of
Switzerland. This was a disappointment, because we always suppose
that France sets the fashion for daintiness.
Two very interesting pieces of work had been loaned for the occasion:
one, a sofa cushion worked by Martha Washington; and the other a map
of England and Wales, done in Berlin wools by George Washington's
aunt.
The map was beautifully worked, and was a marvel of neatness, with
the counties all outlined in different colors, and their names worked in
with very fine stitches.
Of Martha Washington's handiwork it is hard to speak. It was the
ugliest sofa cushion you can imagine, worked in browns so that it
should not show the dirt, and with such irregular stitches that either
Madam Washington must have been losing her sight when she worked
it, or else she was a very poor needle-woman.
The American exhibit had one wonderful case of work done by the
blind. It consisted of patches with specimens of sewing and running on

them, a great many very fairly done buttonholes, and several little dolls'
aprons very neatly hemmed, and gathered with fine, even gathers.
It seemed impossible to believe that the hands that did this work had no
eyes to guide them. The buttonholes were so well made that they
looked like the work of some careful, clever young children.
What a wonderful age we live in! Fancy bringing the art of teaching to
such perfection that the blind can be taught to sew! Our young folks
ought to be very thankful that they are growing up at a time when
teachers endeavor to make learning a pleasure as well as a profit.
G.H.R.

BOOK REVIEWS.
We publish the following letter about the "Carved Cartoon":
This book deserves every word of praise given to it by our
correspondent. It is one of the most delightful stories written. It treats
of the adventures of Grinling Gibson, the famous carver in wood, who
carved flowers so delicately that they could absolutely move on their
stems. EDITOR.
_To the Editor:_
DEAR SIR.--Every year the cry for books increases. "Tell us what to
read," is the constantly repeated demand, and parents, teachers, and
publishers are often at a loss to keep the active brains of our young
people supplied with sound, wholesome, and interesting literature.
Science, art, history, and zoology are presented to the little ones in
varied and attractive forms, and now THE GREAT ROUND WORLD
has come forward to fill a long-felt want by giving the boys and girls
clean, healthy, and concise accounts of what is taking place in their
own and other countries.
It has always seemed strange to me that so few parents place in their
children's hands that beautiful story entitled the "Carved Cartoon." It is
a book of breathless interest, containing the adventures of a young artist
and a boy musician during the great London plague and fire.
The story is founded on fact, and the author's pen holds the reader
entranced as it vividly pictures the stirring scenes of those thrilling
years.
The noble character and brilliant talents of the