Art and Handcraft in the Woman's Building
of the World's Columbian Exposition

192 ART AND HANDICRAFT Sophy Sturge, who settled down at Letterfrack, in the wild west of Culare, single-handed and amidst many difficulties, to start a basket industry. She began with one pupil, but now has a most flourish- ing and attractive little industry. Or, take the results which have come to the village of Marlfield, near Clonmel, through the wise and devoted efforts of Mrs. Bagwell, who has the girls in the neighborhood taught every kind of plain needlework, and also embroidery, for which she obtains orders. She makes a condition of her employment of the workers that they should put a certain, portion of their earnings in the savings-bank so that they may have a nice little sum put by for their start in life. A very brief visit to the homes of Marlfield, and to other districts where like training has been given, would suffice to prove what has been wrought by such efforts. These few scattered notes concerning the home industries of Scotland and Ireland will give an idea of the condition of things with which we are striving to deal, and the class of workers whose goods we are bringing before the public. In. the meantime we are obliged to provide some outlet into the market for work for which we have not yet found regular trade connections; and this is why we have depots in London (at 20 Motcomb Street, S. W.) and in Dublin (at 14 Suffolk Street), for our Irish work, and at 14 Lower Grosvenor Place, London, for our Scotch work, and why we have sales from time to time. By these means we are making the public acquainted with the excellence of our wares, and we are proud to think that customers who come to us from a charitable desire to help the Scottish and Irish poor, come back to us because they find our work of so good a quality and so moderate in price. A very considerable sum yearly is by these means sent to the homes of the workers, as much as $25,000 having been forwarded last year to the Irish peasants alone. It is difficult to realize, but delightful to contemplate, what comfort and relief this has meant to many, many a home, and we fondly hope that we shall not appeal in vain to our American sisters to take an interest in this undertaking, and to do what in them lies to gain support for it and to help us carry it on and develop it. Ishbel Aberdeen.