On this page
-
Text (1)
-
FEMAXE INDUSTRY IN IRELAND. 305
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
_. . . . The Irish Female Population Has...
Some sections of tlie community have decidedly manifested a beneficial influence from the discipline they have undergone ; the
upper very much more than the middle classes . These degrees of development are in strict accordance with the right laws of
progression , which give the first place to superior intelligence ; and the precedence is very marked . What the industrial impulse did
for intellectual female circles in Ireland was more than a restoration to fortune . It assured them of a resource for their needs far
above the accidents of transitory things , drew out their powers _,, and enabled them to test the value of their cultivation .
" Sweet were the uses of this adversity . " Acquaintance with these circles could alone convey an idea of the
extent to which the problems of domestic economy were daily solved hy their members . Irishwomen lay no claim to the quality called
" thrift" —they freely yield the palm for it to their neighboring relatives ; but for discretion of expense , ' the educated among them
may challenge any country . Unhappily , they form a very small body in comparison with those that represent the feminine
capabilities of the nation to superficial observers . But they are a ¦ wei ghty and an important minority . We have a well-developed
female power which , without the accessory of wealth , is able to maintain status and occupy position with effect . Its expression is
becoming audible , and its strength _ajDparent . It is leading the van of modern concern for its sex , and seeking to be permitted to
assist in its elevation . Individually , the members of this body have made numerous efforts to promote this object , and now it
is time they should associate and systematize their schemes . In order to assist in such a movement , it will be well to look at
some of their actions , and form an idea of their bearing on . the country .
When famine ravaged Ireland in 1847 , women were found inspired by an energy to work that was truly surprising .
Wherever there was a female hand , it seized a needle and wielded it vigorouslfor bread . The eagerness to obtain means of support
y was so pressing , that a perfect clamor for employment arose . To satisfthisa most remarkable occurrence took place . Women
of the upper y ranks , developed an extraordinary skill in needlework , and great commercial aptitude to turn it to a profitable account .
The repose of aristocratic society , and the leisure of the cloister , were disturbed . Ladies burst the bonds of conventionalities , and
went regularly into business to procure remunerative occupation for the destitute of their own sex . The female children of the
poor became , all over the land , subjects of instruction in the making up of various sorts of articles for sale , at first with
indefinite purpose of supply ; but their productions were kindly came welcomed systematic , and great attemp demand ts to consolidat promoted e it : industrial schools for effort embroidery . Then ,
VOL . IX . Z
Femaxe Industry In Ireland. 305
_FEMAXE INDUSTRY IN IRELAND . 305
-
-
Citation
-
English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), July 1, 1862, page 305, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01071862/page/17/
-