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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-06-06, Page 43.4,' ,• Page 8—Crossroads—June 8, 1983 By Louisa Rush I received a lovely letter from a reader the other day, inquiring about Mountmel- lick work, which really sur- prised me, as it is a little known subject. Only some- one who has attended the Royal School of Needlework and had to learn all these various types of needlework which are now almost a lost art, would ever know about Mountmellick work. It has been suggested that it grew from the White Work which was done as a cottage industry during the late 1700s and early half of the 1800s. White work was very dainty embroidery, all done by hand, on very fine cotton with many eyelets and a great deal of open-work, but. not to be confused with Bro- derie Anglaise, which is en- tirely eyelet work. Mountmellick work seems to be distinguished by the ab- sence of eyelets and the BUY AND SELL Reach over 40,.000 households in ° midwestern Ontario with Buy and Sell. Call Farming Today at 323-1550 or 5958921 or Crossroads at 291-1660. • 1981 Chevrolet; Impala - small V8, air condi- ___ -boning,_cruise--control,-FM-radios original „paint, - - - safety checked, 66,000 miles. $6,800. • 1980 Chevrolet - '/2 ton pickup, 6 cylinder, safety checked, 26,000 miles. $5,300. addition of buttonholed and fringed edgings. Records attribute it to the result of a Quaker lady's attempt to teach the women and girls of a certain part of Ireland, a useful- craft for earning money, during. the hard times of ' the potato famine during the 1840s. This Mountmellick work was a combination of stit- ches in a soft knitting cotton type thread, which gave a dull surface to the stitches worked on a white "satin jean' • which was a heavy cotton material with a shiny surface. One of the distinc- tions was that the edge of the article, which seems to have been all household linens, rather than wearing apparel, was the buttonholed edge, • then a variety of fringe was added. I have seen several exam- ples of this type of work, in fact we had to learn to do it. I can remember some exam- ples of tablecloths in my great-aunt's house. Now you will only find them in muse - "^,e no doubt the Victoria and Albert in London, Eng- land would have some; but there is no record of it being popular on the North Ameri- can continent. 0-0---0 This lovely Florentine cushion can be yours with very little -effort, and you'll find it fascinating to do with a variety of needlepoint stitches. The chart, plus instructions of the various stitches along with a color guide are all on the one leaf- let., To order Leaflet No. 8060, send 75 cents, plus a stamped self addressed return envel- ope. If you do not have a stamp or envelope, please enclose an extra 50 cents to cover the cost of handling and print your, name and ad- dress. Send to: Louisa Rush, "Craft Talk", 486 Montford Drive, Dollard des Ormeaux, P.Q., H9G 1M6. Please be sure to state pattern num- bers correctly when ordering and to enclose your stamped return ' envelope for faster service. %rte!`//•.. 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass Brougham - Small V8, air conditioning, clean, comfortable car, should be seen to be appreciated. $8,000. Rev. Josiah Henson died 100 years ago this month in the southwestern Ontario town of Dresden. He was better known as Uncle Tom. In fact, it was by that name that he became known the ado RR 2. Palmerston 343-2201 Amy. Heatherand Iatule Armstrong hc'ntltslttth world over. His early life in slavery provided much of the material for Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin", which was trans- lated into many languages and helped bring about the abolition of slavery in the United States. I went down to Dresden earlier this month to visit Uncle Tom's Museum which was set up some years ago. I'd been there before to see the original cabin where Uncle Tom and his wife lived, the little church where he preached and various artifacts to do with slavery. This month, however, they were commemorating Uncle Tom's death with special ceremonies. His grave is on the site. Nearby is the cemetery where many of the slaves who escaped to Can- ada are buried. They came via the so-called "Under- ground Railroad" that Uncle Tom organized. It was a route from Buffalo to south- western Ontario which en- abled him to smuggle the slaves out of the U.S. and bring them to the Dresden district where he established Canada's first vocational school for them. The highlight of my visit was talking to Tom Henson, the 59 -year-old great -great - great -grandson of Uncle Tom. He's a likeable man, very proud of his famous ancestor and bears a striking resemblance to him. Tom lives about a mile from the museum and works as a trucker for a Dresden hard- ware company. By the way. in September, Canada Post is releasing a stamp in honor of Uncle Tom and his great contribution to the fabric of Canadian cul- ture. wimaimallaimmft. Bill Smiley y readers write This week, another at- tempt to catch up on my cor- respondence, and a jaun- diced look at that great Canadian farce of the early 1980s, the six -and -five "res- traint" program. It's amazing how far the tentacles of Canada's com- munity newspapers carry this modest column. I've had letters from all over Canada .and the States, from Eng- land, • South America, ,Aus- tralia and New Zealand. Her old friends will be glad to know that Mrs. Jean Ran- kin (nee Crosby), now of Gis- borne, New Zealand, "just about reads the print off the hometown paper, The. Chronicle." (Dunnville?) Her letter, sent end of March, says there has been no rain there since October, and they're pumping water from the river. And women's lib thrives in N.Z. Mind you, the town planners should have been doing something (about the water) years ago. Pity more females were not on the town council. - You have been busy, Jean,-, since you left for New Zea- land 36 years ago. Six daugh- ters, one son, and nine grandchildrer. Thanks for the note, and hope you got a good look at The Royals when they were there. Mrs. Rankin says, "I still jump up' to attention when my own National Anthem • plays.' Usually, only time I hear it is at World Games, etc." Closer to home, Mervyn Dickey of Prescott, Ont., chides me for a recent slam I took at the business of brib- ing Canadians to read Cana- dian books, by offering used lottery tickets as part r pay- ment. It was the principle, , not the practice, that made me squirm, Mervyn. As you' point out, the Half -Back pro- gram was a real boon to small-town libraries with minuscule budgets, enabling them to buy new Canadian books they couldn't other- wise afford, by hoarding used Wintario tickets. I may sem, the crassness of the idea, but I'm a prag- matist. I practically flog my students to collect the lottery tickets, so that we can buy a couple of hundred books my starving English budget can't manage. Typically, the plan, which benefits Cana- dian authors; publishers, booksellers, libraries and schools, as Well as individ- uals, is being cut off at the end of May because so many are taking advantage of it. And what's the matter in Faulkner, Man.? Don't they have wire clothes hangers there? A letter from Mrs. Ilse Hofbaurer chides me for a column in which I. men- tioned the proliferation of those pests, hangers, until you throw them out -in a rage. "1 read your article every week in the Interlake Spec- tator. I'm an old woman now and to move my fingers I cover empty hangers. Would Antique or Junque Q. Are old paperback books collectible? I have a copy of "Dead Yellow Women," by Dashiell Ham- mett, published by Dell in 1949. Does it have any value? A. According to the "Paperback Price Guide," your book in good condition sells for $9; in fine condi- tion for $27, in mint condi- tion for $45. '49 PAPERBACK ... S45 for mint condition book I like to have those hangers you throw out! But how could you send them to my post office. If I had your address 1 send you some covered ones your•clothes won't fall down. I pay you the, postage back'. Excuse my English, I'm German, I learned myself.. I'rn 53 years in Canada, 50 years here in Faulkner. .Have to celebrate soon my 50th wedding day alone, my husband sleeps for' over 16 'years." Moved by this letter, as I was, my wife went out and bought some hangers in fancy colors, and they're on their way to Mrs. Hofbauer. And an old ghost turned up, again from the west. Dated :Innisfail, Alta. "Have often Wondered if you were the same Bill Smiley I met in Holland, in'a railway, station. time, Oct., 1944. "There •. was about • forty Canadians, mixed regi- ments, Canada Scots, Regina .Rifles, which I was one, Winnipeg Rifle Regi ment, Black Watch, etc., 3rd ' division. "Jerry had marched us into this railway. station: When they were ready 'to move us out, you Were miss- ing. They finally found uyou hiding in one of . the cup- boards. All I can remember is that you' called yourself Bill Smiley and that you had • been a fighter pilot. .We wound tip in Stalag 11B, Fal- ingbostal. Several of us es= paged and were back in Eng- land April, . 1945. I have farmed since and in 1973 re- ' .tired. I have a saying forgetfulness I have a western brain, wide ,open • spaces. • . Yours, Bill Shew- : kenek 1, Bill, my memory of that day and later is crystal clear,. Ulu,and the other "grunts" wre put in one box -car. After being thor- oughly beaten up, I was put in another, with the German ,guards, as 1 was a dangerous criminal. Don't you remember the two Canadian Army officers,, Capt. Bob BroWnrigg of Cal- gary and Capt. Roger, some -- thing -or -other? They treated you guys like dirt. There was a big German guy from the west; a conscientious objec- tor, who dressed wounds with whatever he had: Remember how they marched us through Holland. after we left the train? Sleeping' in barns? Eating hot spuds Dutch farmers boiled for us? The night the Mosquito night -fighter at- tacked the train? The offi- cers and some of the guys in your box -car escaped. They were recaptured and I tnet them later. How's that for memory after almost 40 years? Well, there goes my space, and I haven't even opened fire on the six -and -five fias- co, which is strictly five-and- diine stuff, in my opinion. I11 hoard my ammunition until another week. DEPRESSED! You Must ,Have Added Up Those Heating Bills. II Your MONEY is Escaping Out The Walls & Attic of Your Homes. Give Us A Call. Don't Forget. Next Winter This All Happens ,.Again. Why Not Save Money By Insulating. 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