INTRODUCTION.
If it be true that “home scenes are rendered happy or miserable in
proportion to the good or evil influence exercised over them by
woman—as sister, wife, or mother”—it will be admitted as a fact of the
utmost importance, that every thing should be done to improve the taste,
cultivate the understanding, and elevate the character of those “high
priestesses” of our domestic sanctuaries. The page of history informs
us, that the progress of any nation in morals, civilization, and
refinement, is in proportion to the elevated or degraded position in
which woman is placed in society; and the same instructive volume will
enable us to perceive, that the fanciful creations of the needle, have
[iv]exerted a marked influence over the pursuits and destinies of man.
To blend the useful, with the ornamental and to exhibit the gushing
forth of mind, vitalised by the warm and glowing affections of the
heart, is the peculiar honor and sacred destiny of woman. Without her
influence, life would be arrayed in sables, and the proud lords of
creation would be infinitely more miserable and helpless than the beasts
that perish. To render then those “terrestrial angels” all that our
fondest wishes could desire, or our most vivid imaginations picture,
must be, under any circumstances, a pleasing and delightful employment;
while for a father or a brother to behold her returning all the care
bestowed upon her, by the thousand offices of love, to the performance
to which she alone is equal, is doubtless one of the most exalted
sources of human felicity.
Providence has, in a remarkable manner, adapted woman’s tastes and
propensities to the station she was designed to occupy in the scale of
being. Tender and affectionate, it is her highest bliss to minister to
the wants, the convenience, or the pleasure of those she loves; and
hence, her inventive powers have been, in all ages, called into early
and active exercise, in the fabrication of those articles calculated to
accomplish those desirable ends. Amongst these, Useful and Ornamental
[v]Needlework, Knitting, and Netting, occupy a distinguished place, and
are capable of being made, not only sources of personal gratification,
but of high moral benefit, and the means of developing in surpassing
loveliness and grace, some of the highest and noblest feelings of the
soul.
To become an expert needle-woman should be an object of ambition to
every fair one. Never is beauty and feminine grace so attractive, as
when engaged in the honorable discharge of household duties, and
domestic cares. The subjects treated of in this little manual are of
vast importance, and to them we are indebted for a large amount of the
comforts we enjoy; as, without their aid, we should be reduced to a
state of misery and destitution of which it is hardly possible to form
an adequate conception. To learn, then, how to fabricate articles of
dress and utility for family use, or, in the case of ladies blessed with
the means of affluence, for the aid and comfort of the deserving poor,
should form one of the most prominent branches of female education. And
yet experience must have convinced those who are at all conversant with
the general state of society, that this is a branch of study to which
nothing like due attention is paid in the usual routine of school
instruction. The effects of this neglect are often painfully apparent in
[vi]after life, when, from a variety of circumstances, such knowledge would
be of the highest advantage, and subservient to the noblest ends, either
of domestic comfort, or of active and generous benevolence.
The records of history inform us of the high antiquity of the art of
needlework; and its beautiful mysteries were amongst the earliest
developments of female taste and ingenuity. As civilization increased,
new wants called forth new exertions; the loom poured forth its
multifarious materials, and the needle, with its accompanying
implements, gave form and utility to the fabrics submitted to its
operations. No one can look upon THE NEEDLE, without emotion; it is a
constant companion throughout the pilgrimage of life. We find it the
first instrument of use placed in the hand of budding childhood, and it
is found to retain its usefulness and charm, even when trembling in the
grasp of fast declining age. The little girl first employs it in the
dressing of her doll: then she is taught its still higher use, in making
up some necessary articles for a beloved brother, or a revered parent.
Approaching to womanhood, additional preparations of articles of use, as
ornaments of herself and others, call for its daily employment; and with
what tender emotions does the glittering steel inspire the bosom, as
beneath its magic touch, that which is to deck a lover[vii] or adorn a
bride, becomes visible in the charming productions of female skill and
fond regard. To the adornments of the bridal bed, the numerous
preparations for an anxiously-expected little stranger, and the various
comforts and conveniences of life, the service of this little instrument
is indispensible. Often too is it found aiding in the preparation of
gifts of friendship, the effects of benevolence, and the works of
charity. Many of those articles, which minister so essentially to the
solace of the afflicted, would be unknown without it; and its friendly
aid does not desert us, even in the dark hour of sorrow and affliction.
By its aid, we form the last covering which is to enwrap the body of a
departed loved one, and prepare those sable habiliments, which custom
has adopted as the external signs of mourning.
The needle is also capable of becoming an important monitor to the
female heart; and we would impress this truth seriously upon their
recollection, that as there is
“Sermons in stones,
And good in every thing.”
so the needle they so often use, is, or may be, a silent but salutary
moral teacher. They all know that however good the eye of a[viii] needle may
be, if it were rusted and pointless, it would be of little use. Let them
also recollect, that though it may posses the finest point and polish in
the world, if destitute of the eye, it would be of no use at all. The
lesson we wish them to derive from hence, is this; that as it is the eye
which holds the thread, and that it is by the thread alone that the
needle becomes useful, so it is the eye of intelligence directed to the
attainment of useful ends, that gives all the real value to the point
and polish, which is so much admired in the educated female; and that
unless the intellectual powers of the mind be engaged in the pursuits of
goodness, all other endowments will be useless to their possessor. Let
them learn also, not to despise such of their companions as, though
intelligent and useful, are neither possessed of wit or elegance equal
to their own. Circumstances may have rendered them, like the needle,
rusty and pointless; but the eye of intelligence is there, and they may
still be useful.
The want of a work containing clear instructions, without unnecessary
diffuseness, by which the uninitiated may become their own instructors,
has long been sensibly felt; and this want, the following pages are
intended to supply. Our aim is, not to make[ix] young ladies servile
copyists, but to lead them to the formation of habits of thought and
reflection, which may issue in higher attainments than the knitting of a
shawl, or the netting of a purse.
Indeed, it is only when accomplishments are rendered subservient to the
development of moral goodness, that they may become pursuits at all
worthy of an accountable being. We were not sent into this world to
flutter through life, like the gaudy butterfly, only to be seen and
admired. We were designed to be useful to our fellow beings; and to make
all our powers and capabilities, in some way or other conducive to the
happiness and welfare of our co-journeyers on the path of time. To this
end, we wish our fair countrywomen to devote their best attention; and,
in its attainment, to exert every energy which they possess. We wish
them to make all the knowledge which they may acquire subserve some
noble purpose, which will outlive the present hour. But to do this, the
well-spring of the purest affections must be opened in the soul; and the
elegant productions of taste and genius become vitalized, and animated,
by the spirit of love. Thus, and thus only, can the occupations of a
leisure hour be converted into efficient ministers of good; and such
they will assuredly be found, if practised from right motives,[x] and
placed in due subordination to the right exercise of more important
duties, which we owe to Heaven, to our fellow beings, and to ourselves.
We are anxious to render elegant amusements conducive to the attainment
of moral ends; and to lay that foundation of intellectual superiority,
and affectionate regard, for the comfort and happiness of others, which
can alone give light and animation, sweetness and blooming freshness, to
the interesting scenes of future life. All engagements, which are
calculated to elevate, soften, and harmonize the human character, have
this tendency; and it is in the assured conviction that the employments
here treated of, are, when cultivated in due subordination to higher
duties, well adapted to secure these objects, and to promote these
domestic ends, that the Ladies’ Work-Table Book has been prepared, and
is now presented to the lovely daughters of our land. The public will be
the best judge how far we have succeeded in our effort. Small as the
work is, it has not been produced without much labor, and considerable
exercise of thought; and it is dedicated to our fair countrywomen, in
the fervent hope, that it will not be found altogether unworthy of their
favorable notice and regard.
[xi]In concluding these introductory remarks, we wish to say a word or two
to the parents and guardians of those, whose excellence of character is
so essential to the welfare of our beloved country. We trust by you, our
little manual will be cordially approved, and placed, as a memento of
affection, in the hands of those you most desire to see models of
sincerity, elegance, and accomplishments. This will be well; but we
trust the matter will not be allowed to rest there. It is not when good
instructors and proper books are provided for the young, that the duties
of the parental relationship are performed. No; care must be taken to
give efficiency to the means thus called into requisition, by the most
assiduous care, devoted attention, and judiciously expressed approval on
the part of those who claim the highest regard from the rising
generation. The path of education is not always strewed with flowers,
nor can it ever be pursued with either pleasure or advantage unless a
foundation of practical piety and moral worth be laid, on which the
superstructure may securely rest.
It has been well remarked “that intellect may be cultivated at school,
but that the affections of the heart can only be properly developed amid
the scenes of home.” Our aim in this work has[xii] been, while seeking to
promote the purposes of genuine education, to raise high the moral
sentiments, and cultivate to an eminent degree the best sensibilities of
the soul. In this we ask for your cordial and careful co-operation. We
know the influence of a judicious mother, and we confidently commend our
labor to your favorable regard.
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