Annual Meeting at St. Joseph. 173 



tion in needle work, is comparatively yonng ; its object and aim is 

 to reach a certain class of women, and teach them to nse their deft 

 fingers and tnrn them to profitable account — a class that could 

 not be reached in any other way. These are the refined poor, 

 taught from infancy that labor belonged to the poor and ignorant ; 

 they find themselves, when thrown upon their own resources, illy 

 prepared for the great battle of life. We are told that this society 

 alone paid out to its pupils for work skilfully done, last year, over 

 118,000. 



Then we have the Cooper Union art school, largely endowed 

 by the late Peter Cooper, who is known on both continents for his 

 liberality as a public benefactor. They give to their pupils the 

 tuition free, in the different branches taught. It is a sort of bureau 

 from which teachers and designers can be procured. Most of ouj- 

 American carpets and wall paper and buttons are designed by joupils 

 from this school. Is it any wonder that our homes are more attract- 

 ive than those of our grandmothers' ? With our walls hung with 

 such beautiful combinations in our paper, our floors covered with 

 carpets whose colors and shadings are so exquisite that they become 

 a study, and one could almost believe them to be tiie work of the 

 needle. Yet these were planned and designed by pupils from the 

 art schools — which makes the manufacturer and designer depend 

 upon each other for success. It is with the blending of these arts 

 with some of the manufacturing interests of our country, that some 

 of -our brave women are so closely identified. 



We all remember the struggle for years of the American silk 

 weavers to compete with foreign importation and get a footing for 

 their goods at home. It was not until Mrs. Wheeler, one of the 

 leading spirits of the associated artists' club of New York, came 

 to their relief did they succeed. It was through her suggesting 

 and designing silk and woolen fabrics for the use of this club, that 

 places that manufacturing interest where it stands to-day, equal to 

 any and second to none. The utilizing of the wasted silk from the 

 more costly goods, and woven into cloth known as raw silk was the 

 invention of her brain. 



These designers have not confined ftiemselves to the costly 

 silks ; the pretty cretonnes, chintzes and lawns have received much 

 attention. Our Bazars have told us in our remote villages, what 

 uses the designers intended for the pretty cretonnes seen everywhere. 

 They have found artistic use for the heavy old-fashioned Kentucky 

 jeans as heavy drapery for certain places ; this goods is well known 

 to most of our western farmers. Was there ever a time in the 



