The Daily Dispatch: September 7, 1864., [Electronic resource]

Romance of the Neeple

‘ "What a wonderful thing is this matte of sewing ! It began in Paradise, and was the earliest fruit of the fall. Amid the odor of flowers, and by the meandering streams and under the shade of the dark green foliage, the cowering forms of the guilty progenitors of our race bowed in anguish and shame as they took their first lessons in the art which has ever since been the mark of servitude or sorrow.--And yet the curse has not been without its blessing.

"The needle, with the thimble, has done more for man than the needle of the compass. The needlework of the Tabernacle is the most ancient record of the art. Early used to adorn the vestments of the priests, it was honored by God himself, and became a type of beauty and holiness. 'The king's daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold; she shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework.' The magnificence of kingly, pomp, the imposing spectacle of religion or wealth, the tribute of honor to the great, the charm of dignified society, the refined attractions of beauty, are dependent upon the needle."

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