THE IRISH INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE “sprecerroal
Si,—Will you allow me to draw the attention of your readers to the annual sale organised by the London General Com- mittee of the Irish Industries Association, which will be held this year (by kind permission of the Marquis of Salisbury) at 20 Arlington Street on March 17th (St. Patrick's Day) and 18th? Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales have graciously signified their intention of being present on the first day of the sale. The main object of the Irish Industries Association is to unite all classes and all creeds in Ireland in promoting the welfare of Irish cottage and other industries. The lot of the Irish peasant is often a hard one. An arid and ungrateful soil is by itself unable to supply him and his family with all the necessaries of life. He is, therefore, frequently compelled to supplement his scanty earnings by an annual migration to the English and Scotch harvest fields, or forced to seek another home in America or in our Colonies. A cottage industry will, by the extra wage which it enables the women, and some- times the men, of the family to earn, afford them a genuine inducement to stop at home and earn amidst their own healthy surroundings a substantial increase to the family income. The women have learnt to copy rosepoint, once the proud monopoly of the Republic of Venice ; Irish point, based on the old "point de Milan"; guipure and applique, run and tambour lace. Irish crochet has steadily grown in popularity of late years. In Donegal and in Mayo the women have become spinners, and the men have learnt to weave their thread into those Irish homespuns which have deservedly earned a reputation in the market. The metalworkers of Fivemiletown and the woodcarvers of Killarney do credit to the organisation and taste of Mrs. Montgomery of Blessing. bourne and of Lady Castlerosse. Irish embroidery has been fostered by Lady Duncannon and the Irish School of Art Needlework. Basket-making has been raised to a fine art in the counties of Waterford and Galway. The Donegal, Valentia, Mayo, and Waterford knitters vie with their rivals . in the Highlands of Scotland. These and many other Irish industrial products will be on sale on Monday and Tuesday next.—I am. Sir, &c., V. HUSSEY WALSH, Hon. Sec., London General Committee, Irish Industries Association.
We make an exception to our general rule against publish- ing charitable appeals—a rule based on the exigencies of space —and print Mr. Hussey Walsh's plea for support for "The Irish Industries Association" for two reasons. In the first place, because the Irish peasantry are in need of help, and next, because the things they make are per se useful and beautiful. We are not so foolish as to condemn all machine- made goods, but there is a real place, quite apart from charity, for sound hand-made and cottage-made goods, as those who visit the sale will not fail to discover.—En. Spectator.]
Previous page
