interesting exhibition, in New York, of sewing done
by the children in the public schools.

France, England, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, China, and Japan have all
sent exhibits of their work, and so it has been possible to see what kind
of sewing is being done all over the world.

It is very much to the credit of America that the home work far outshines
that of any of the foreign countries.

This exhibition was not one of fancy work or embroideries, though every
country sent some specimens of the special work for which it is
celebrated. The work shown was plain sewing, the cutting and making of new
garments, and the mending of old ones.

The first principles of sewing were shown on neat little squares of
cloth--running, hemming, stitching, gathering, and buttonhole-making. Then
there were garments in which all these first steps were applied.

While every country has sent specimens of clothing made by its children,
and each exhibits its own system of teaching sewing, none of these systems
seem so complete nor the finished garments so perfect as those of our own
country.

In foreign countries no particular attention seems to be paid to the
cutting, shaping, and ornamenting of garments. The little underclothes
from Switzerland and Germany, especially, were made of such coarse cloth,
of such a hideous pattern, and so utterly without ornament, that it is not
pleasant to think there are really people in the world contented to wear
such unsightly clothes.

In the American exhibit, every garment, for rich child or poor child, had
its little frill of lace, or its row of feather-stitching, which gave it a
finish that was very pretty.

The daintiest set of garments came from the Industrial School for Colored
and Indian Children, in Hampton, Va.

The most complete exhibit, which included plain sewing, dress-making,
hat-trimming, and fancy work of all kinds, was sent by the Pratt
Institute, in Brooklyn. The useful sewing from that school was above the
standard of excellence, and the art work fully equal to that of the New
York School of Applied Design.

A very interesting part of the exhibit of every American school was the
darning and patching. We hear a good deal about people not learning to sew
properly nowadays, since the sewing-machine has come into such common use,
but the patches and darns shown by the twelve-year-old pupils of our
public schools would put the far-famed patching of our grandmothers to
shame.