ns its position as a craft is a matter of
conjecture. Personally, I incline to the belief that it is absolutely
extinct. The death-knell rang for all time when the sewing-machine was
invented. The machine has been a very doubtful blessing, as it has
allowed even the art of stitchery in ordinary work to slide into the
limbo of forgotten things. What woman now knows what it is to
"back-stitch" a shirt cuff, for instance, drawing a thread for guidance,
and carefully going back two or three threads in order to make a neat,
firm line of stitching? The sewing-machine does all this, and _does_ it
_well_, a clever machinist turning out more work in a week than a
seamstress in a year. If this were all, it would be no matter for
regret, but with the necessity for needlework has vanished the desire.
The lady quoted in Green's History is now non-existent. "She was a
pattern of sobriety unto many, very seldom seen abroad except at
church; when others recreated themselves at holidays and other times,
she would take her needlework, and say, 'Here is my recreation.'"

In spite of the many Schools of Embroidery, with a few notable
exceptions, nothing is done to raise the standard of embroidery above
making miserable little cushion-covers, table-centres, and suchlike
pretty fripperies for the temporary adornment of the house. The women of
Germany, Holland, Sweden, Italy, on the contrary, take a great interest
in the embroidery of the bed and table linen and the really artistic
embroidery of their national costumes. Nothing of this is seen in
England. Table linen is bought _ready hemmed_ at the shop. Dainty
tea-cloths and serviettes are purchased ready embroidered (by machine)
and trimmed with machine-made lace. Even _lingerie_ of all classes is
machine-made and bought by the dozen, instead of being made by the
daughters of the house.

The only hope of a revival lies in the various Art schools in the
country where designing for fine embroidery and lace is encouraged.
Unfortunately, however, equal facilities are offered for designing of
machine-made imitations. The Royal School of Needlework, not being a
Government institution, offers no encouragement to outsiders. It is in
the hands of a number of ladies, who manage it as they will; and
although very fine work is accomplished, they trust too much to modern
designers and artists who work out their own pet theories and hobbies.
If only they would put aside all theories and new ideas, and _