WAR NEEDLEWORK.
By VIOLET M. METHLEY.
EVEN now there are plenty of women without definite war work. Many are too elderly, too delicate, or too much tied at home to undertake work on the land, in a canteen, in a hospital; they feel that it is only a few hours a week, perhaps, which can justly be spared from their household duties.
It is to these that I would appeal. There is work which is needed, which is definitely "war work," and which will occupy just as much or as little time as they can honestly give to it.
There are few places now in the British Isles—more's the pity—which are out of reach of a military hospital. From the very beginning of the war, it was evident that occupation and amusement for the thousands of wounded men in the hospitals was desirable and necessary, but it must have been a bold spirit who first suggested needle-work!
At the start, it was rather uphill work: the men were shy—afraid of ridicule. Bit by bit the feeling wore off; a few took to the new departure enthusiastically, others followed, and now needle-work is the fashion. One need not press the men; they are eager to begin. Groups collect round the beds to advise, criticise, and compare; such feminine terms as "broderie anglaise," "stem-stitch" and "long-and-short" are bandied freely.
Embroidery.
And the embroidery of all kinds accomplished by these men, who probably never touched a needle until a few months ago, is nothing less than wonderful. One need not fear unresponsive or dull pupils; personally, I think men are even quicker than women in picking up the stitches, in learning to knit, to crochet, to plain-sew.
With the increase of pupils and interest, with the growing tendency in doctors and nurses to recommend and encourage needle-work, especially for the nervous patients—it is often definitely ordered, now, as part of the regime—the need for teachers has also grown. In this district—a group of six or seven general and subsidiary hospitals—we could do with much more help.
Teachers for every kind of needle-work and handicraft are needed, from elaborate embroidery down to the plainest of sewing. "Soft-toy making" is a very favourite industry, and this requires only careful cutting-out from good patterns and neat, strong stitching.
In some hospitals, the men work for their own pleasure only, but it is generally more satisfactory when the articles are destined for sale. At our hospitals we have made many hundreds of pounds for war charities by the sale of the men's work.
Moreover, where some of the hopeless cases are concerned, needle-work will be far more than a recreation. One man—doomed to lie on his back, probably, for the rest of his life—has already made a good sum of money by embroidering regimental badges, which he executes in a really wonderful manner.
I am sure no one who takes up this work will wish to give it up. If one has little time, it need not be exacting: if one has much, it can all be profitably occupied. It is interesting, and it gives one the opportunity to get intimately in touch with the men. That, in itself, even from a selfish point of view, is worth doing; indeed, in the case of our wounded men, I am not sure that the teachers do not learn more than the taught.
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