When Moses was found by Pharaoh's daughter, he was lying in a basket which had been woven by his mother.
Later, when the Israelites were returning to the Promised Land, they were commanded to offer unto the Lord "the first of all the fruits of the earth" in a basket, as soon as Canaan became their possession. The baskets of the rich, of these ancient Israelites were made of gold and silver, and so valuable were they that when a gift was sent in one of them the basket was always returned.
The ancient Britons were remarkably expert in the manufacture of baskets, which were so beautifully made that they were highly prized by the Romans.
Our own American Indians were, and still are, such adepts in the art of basket-making that, for beauty and artistic effect, their baskets are excelled by none.
The perfection attained in this art by the uncivilized is marvelous. Adapting the materials about them to their use, they produce masterpieces which the civilized man beholds in wonder and amazement.
Though handed down to us through many ages, this ancient occupation has never lost its fascination. The adult and the child of to-day are as eager to learn its secrets as were those dwellers on the banks of the Nile, hundreds of years ago.
As a plastic art it lies between paper construction and clay modeling on one side, and wood and iron work on the other.
A keen interest in the art may be awakened by arousing in the child a desire for a basket for some practical purpose. In the autumn, the collecting of seeds for next spring's planting, the gathering of nuts, the need for something in which to take the lunch to school, or, perhaps, a wish to make a pleasing gift for the coming Christmas, will immediately suggest its utility.
