View report page

105
along with it. I do not mean that she (or he) may relax at all.
Never, never, may anyone engaged in continuative educational
work relax. I mean that the life of the class as a class will be
secure, and the teacher's effort can now be concentrated on the
work, the heightening of its standard, the refinement of its quality.
Our Handicraft Class, at Deptford has, I think I may say,
turned that corner, reached that point of secure and self-sustained
life. Our students are keen and eager, the atmosphere of the
workroom animated and cheerful. We are a success, and my
chief concern now is to be always ready at the right moment with
some new idea, some fresh craft, or variation of a craft, to be
attacked with zest.
The making of stools with sea-grass seats has been a favourite
activity this year. The actual woodwork of the stools has to be
provided, but it is finished, stained and polished by the students,
who then weave seats of various patterns in "sea grass," either
natural or coloured. The firmness of our seats is particularly
satisfactory, because they are woven as carefully underneath as
on top, and there is a code of honour as to knots. There are
necessarily a good many knots, but none show.
A specially pleasing development has been glove-making.
One student showed herself to have a talent for creating charming
hand-made gloves, and has had so many orders that she is now
collecting round her a little group of women students, and they
form quite an important little glove-making industry. The
gloves they make are worthy of the most elegant hands.
Leather-work still goes on. This craft is suffering from
over-production all over London, and is rather in abeyance at the
moment. Yet we have executed some interesting orders in
leather-work, and are now trying out some new ideas in the
material.
Cane-work is the latest addition to our activities. It is one
of the more satisfying of the crafts, and we have been making
cane-edged tea trays, and numbers of tea-pot stands where
coloured tiles are surrounded by a neat plait of cane. As I write,