EVERLASTING CLOTHES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 82, 31 December 1907, Page 3

EVERLASTING CLOTHES.

•;;Th6/'newi3ft'' , of Itglyiis, as wo All know - (writes the ■ Countess Tarsis iii the "Daily Mad.) a.thing from;whicb to hide the face. Wo-read of th<s golden age qf ..Italy, when overy. /ponce..,artisan,-and; peasant was bohi'au artist, and. w&fly to Rome and; Florence and ■ f -\.enicp".to worship their, works of art,' but •'"only a-few of usj know where to fiiid the remnant:.that; is left to».day of-these artist-work /•ers of Jong ago—the' faithful few; w;hdse work ' {Hejjilmost-fbrgotteii ' iplajdour's .of:aTfcientrica"ly?j r " ~~~" ; . ~T7r"" •TKb > Italian artist of to-dav is the peasant wom/an A who • sits at; homo fin her hut arid' w,orkV,oufc'- the ..same, intricate .and.- exquisite' designs'of lace.and embroidery that. her.ancestors.'worked ..in'the-'Middle.; Ages and'tho" Renaissance. -' " ' ■ ..'•■■• .- ; • - ■ ■ -A society'-has'been formed in Italy,' corresponding. nioro o.rless: ..to.- the- English "Home ..Arts and.Crafts;" ofltalian' ladies, with the King arid Queen arid Queen-mother at' their' head, who . interest 'themselves in collecting r'beiiutiful.and'aiifiqiie' design's'"of' needlework;all-over Italy, and sending:theft' .to bo: copied by these;women artists of the ■ lagoons, and fountains and plains! ■:' -. /. ' At.intervals'we'ar'o sending/to be shoivn in' lionaon specimens of the work of the society;. ; Among them-will be several varieties of • the; "telardi canepo,"-.or.,hemp-cloth, which .is the prop and mainstay of' Italian peasant life,'.among, whose'wonderful. colour's the most uscd-H;he "iron-rust,'.' or reddish.;tan; colour, which/lasts-,for ;a|l. time' without fadfbbta Wed by burying .'the cloth in the ir'ori bogs rdurid'BologrtaV ''~;''■ ;#igh up.pntlie Italian Alp's,'in the valley 61 - , 't'h.e.- v Se'3ia; A '-a.'iie3stot'-;.'wdhftin- 'recently Bho.wetl.me a family h'eirlpoin .'which, had' been handed ' down' from', father, to son .for three" generations, 'arid'•■'way then;hanging' out to' dry : gfapo-la'den 1 vine'.'' It was a man's' hemp-cloth shirt, still; good '.for its ' owner's" 60ns:.'aml graridsqns. : .. And .the reason of. itsstrength',wasitbis:..,". .'V \ Rotting: In' (he 'take.- , • ;'.;/, <.:;■'■. Th'at plant's greatrgraiidnfothor ; one' February, morning about'th'p beginning of ttie' last ce'ut,ury > had. so.wn.,the. seeds, on ground prepared by. herself; prayed',:, of course, to all' fier,. sain'ts-,ih /turn through ' the •ffloifths'thafc'folltiwed.to - 'guard-it : from", tho-dFedricd,-"tenTpca'ta'j'.-'a'nd in .August had.;pi)lled"it ftom'' its^;q'ed i a'nd-';stobkedUt , .in , '-f;h l o'Jsun : >oiJrjdVth'Q' shrin.e;.qf plished,', stio'.had .waded with it .in 'lior.'arms jrito"her' moutaih lake, 'and.;-iaid'it under the' water,",';prcssed',down:by heavyi.stbnesj' to'rot.-, . Then- she again consigned; it to .the Madonna/ to drvj; and :thencefbrth, takingl'tha, management, of'it''entirely-,into, h'er : own hands', had spent long.weeks in stripping trio butovtis'siie; from-the libroiof thevplanti and hackling and combing this out . into" ; fine ..: whitish-grey threads. ,' . '.. ■■-,' ....-'' ' 'Then she- had' tiicked'her distaff into' her. belt,.•.•and- with .'her'.spindle 'swinging backwards, and. forwards,, had followed her #>ats '■ over,' tho mountains, day in, day out, spinning a-thread that scores of years of wear Would"-never weaken. ■' When at last ' she- laid a row \of henlp-cloth on the table', she had to cut tho. shirt; with -a -sharp knife -because of-the/.hardness,and closeness of;its texture." In the villas in the north of .Italy there is no use to'which'-this ; 'cloth is not applied; House'linen'-' of every/description is- made of it. The boats on thevhjkenro. upholstered in ,tho; unfading irbn'Tiftt-dyed., sort. The cows wear,it to keep them, warm in the winter,' and the mistress of the villa ; to keep her cool in the sumnler. The children's overalls" are made of it, and the chef's caps-and-aprons. The peasants have eyonevolyed forme from .this all-sufficing fabric a most delightful • raotbr-coat. TVithout its "tela di tanepe'-'- -Italy' would be' a sadder and 1 a pqoret country. J ■'■ '■"."' ■'•-■'■

The incognito titles.of Sovereigns arc, sometimes, rather curious'. THus, ; ;the charming' Consort of King Charles; of Portugal is' journeying to the wedding of her sister, the Princess Louise of France, as,the Countess del!a' : Villaviciosa! Quecti Victoria preferred the stylo of Countess of Jtalmoral to that of Dii'-: chess or Countess ; of^Lancaster; although Queen Alexandra has' made' use of -tlib last 1 ' 'title. ■•;.•;,.Tlio \Princess\of; Wales, travelled lately, to. Germany as; Countess of Killarney,: - and the Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, generally assumes the title of her husband's barony of Sundridge. Tho Empress Eugonio has mado ' many' journeys as Conitcsse dfc Picrrofonds, and-tho. late Empress of Austria almost always' travelled 'as tho'Countess of Hohencnibs. / '(~..-■ . • • • •• ■Tho beauty .of a -Mmo; Recamier makes us shorten our waists to-day. ; (too often with deplorable'results), the grace of a Marie Antoinette has- inspired many a : square-shoul-dered woman to; drape herself in a fichu.— "Grannie." ■ ■