DR. J. H. GRATIOT:_Twentieth Century Culture and Deportment Or the Lady and Gentleman at Home and Abroad; Containing Rules of Etiquette for All Occasions, Including Calls; Invitations; Parties; Weddings; Receptions; Dinners and Teas; Etiquette of the Street; Public Places, Etc., Etc. Forming a Complete Guide to Self-Culture; the Art of Dressing Well; Conversation; Courtship; Etiquette for Children; Letter-Writing; Artistic Home and Interior Decorations, Etc.

In making some inquiries relative to the present residence of a friend

of mine, Miss Grace Gage, a mutual acquaintance of ours, Mrs. Emmons

B. Corthell, of this place, gave me your address, suggesting that you

could afford me the desired information.

This being the case, would you be so kind as to send the lady’s

present address, or, by handing her this note, permit her personally

to furnish the desired information. Any communication addressed, from

now on, to 1267 Madison Avenue, will find and greatly oblige,

(MISS) KATE G. COX.

A letter of resignation, being a rather formal document, should be

worded very much as follows:

_To the Directors of the Owatonna Public Library._

GENTLEMEN: I hereby tender my resignation of the Librarianship of the

Owatonna Public Library, said resignation to take effect on the —— day

of —— 189—.

Thanking you for the kindness and thoughtfulness with which you have

acceded to my wishes and requests during my late term of office,

I am, respectfully,

GEORGE H. GRAHAM.

OWATONNA, Minn., August 1, 189—.

Some Don’ts and Do’s for Letter-Writers.

Don’t write an anonymous letter; it is a cowardly stab in the dark.

Don’t pay any attention to an anonymous letter; it is not worth your

regard.

Don’t conduct private correspondence on a postal card. Many persons

consider this an insult. A purely business message may be thus sent,

but even then the slight saving in postage is small recompense for the

delay so often attending the delivery of postal cards.

Don’t use a postscript; it is unnecessary, old-fashioned,

schoolgirlish, and in a particular, punctilious letter the omission

of any important matter necessitates the rewriting of the entire

letter rather than the use of a postscript. In very friendly letters

one may be permitted to add the forgotten paragraph in the form of a

postscript, omitting, however, the obsolete abbreviation, “P. S.”

Don’t write on a half-sheet of paper unless the nature of the

correspondence permits the use of the ordinary business letter-head.

If the note is short, write only on one side of the paper, but don’t

tear a sheet in half for economy’s sake. The rough, torn edges, denote

haste, ill-breeding, or carelessness on the part of the writer.

Don’t use tablet paper for ceremonious letters.

Don’t write on both sides of the paper to any but very intimate friends

or relatives, they being disposed to tolerate slight departures from

formality on our part.

Don’t meddle with foreign nouns or verbs unless conversant with the

language itself; incorrect and ungrammatical usage is too apt to be

the unhappy result. Even foreign names and titles should not be used

without the exactest care as to their orthography and application.

This rule should be especially remembered with reference to all matters

destined to pass through hands editorial.

Don’t erase misspelled words in letters of any moment. Recopy the

entire missive.

Don’t quote too constantly.

Don’t underscore your words, unless they express something very

important.

Don’t send enclosures in a letter written by some one else; only the

greatest intimacy can excuse this practice. Write your own letters and

send in a separate envelope.

Don’t write a letter in a towering passion; you would not care to have

it confront you in some cooler moment.

Don’t cross the writing in your letters. Life is too short and the time

and eyesight of your correspondent too precious for this.

Don’t fill up every available blank space and margin of your letter

with forgotten messages. If these are very valuable, add an extra sheet

to your letter, thus saving its appearance and the patience of its

recipient.

Don’t divide a syllable at the end of a line. The printer may do this,

not the letter-writer.

Don’t fall into the habit of using long words in a letter, they show

a straining after effect. One should “say,” rather than “observe,”

“talk,” rather than “converse,” if one’s missives are to be easy,

well-bred and readable.

Don’t refold a letter, the marks always remain to show your

carelessness. Fold it correctly the first time.

Do remember to answer all important questions in a letter clearly and

decisively.

Do burn the great majority of your letters after answering. Those

that are to be kept should be filed away in packages adding date and

writer’s name on corner of envelope and by a word or two suggesting the

topics with which they deal. This will save time in referring to them.

Do answer your friendly letters with reasonable promptness. To do

otherwise is a breach of etiquette. An unanswered letter is an insult,

a cut direct. Business letters, of course, must be replied to at once.

Do send a postage stamp when you write a letter of inquiry, the answer

to which is of interest only to yourself. A stamped and addressed

envelope would be a still better enclosure.

Do, if you are an absent son or daughter, write home promptly and

regularly; the comfort this will be to the parents at home, and

the pain they suffer at any negligence on your part, cannot be

overestimated. Husbands and wives, when separated for a time, would do

well to follow this same advice.

Do date your letters carefully. Events and proofs of the greatest

importance have hung upon the date of a single letter.

Do put sufficient stamps upon a letter to make sure of no extra postage

falling to the lot of your correspondent.

Do put your address plainly in all letters. This ensures a prompt

answer and, in case of miscarriage, a speedy return from the

Dead-Letter Office.

Do, if a business man or woman, have your address on the outside

of your envelope. This will make sure of your uncalled-for letters

returning to you immediately. It is well to do this in any case where a

little uncertain as to the exact address of your correspondent.

Do read your letters over carefully before sending, that no errors may

be overlooked.

Do give every subject a separate paragraph instead of running the whole

letter, social items and sentiment, all into one indistinguishable

whole.

Do begin the first line of each paragraph, at least one inch from the

margin of the page.

[Illustration: Decoration]

Artistic Home Decorations.

The greatest art work the individual has to do is the building of a

home. “A small and inexpensive house may be the House Beautiful,” says

Edmund Russell.

A famous architect once wrote that he could furnish a plan for a house

of a given size and cost without knowing whether the owner was a

millionaire or a day laborer. But if he wanted a _home_ the case was

different. “I desire then to know his antecedents, how he made his

money, the size of his family, the number of his servants, and how

his daughters spend their time: whether they are domestic, musical,

literary or stylish. I want to know the number and quality of his

guests, whether he drinks wine with his dinner, and his views on

sanitary questions; for this home-building is not mere spending, it is

the shaping of human destiny.”

In a home things must be beautiful and true and good, and as a

celebrated art critic says, “related to us, belonging to us, expressing

us at our best; our taste and culture, our personal likings, our

comforts and needs, and not merely the high-tide mark of our purses.”

Fireplaces and Windows.

We are all of us by nature fire worshipers and the altar of every

home is, or should be, the glowing, open fire. Next to this are the

great, clear windows meant to admit the glorious glances of the fire

worshiper’s sun.

As to the first, “if you can have but one, the house or the fireplace,

give up the house and keep the fire. If you wish to test the soundness

of this advice, build a house, furnish it extravagantly and supply

furnace heat to all but one room, and in that room build upon an ample

hearth a glowing fire of hickory logs, and in the presence of that

genial blaze, upon the bare floor of that unfurnished room, will gather

the united household.” The broader this family hearth the better. The

old English baronial halls with their mighty fireplaces and their

great stone hearths had more of light and beauty than all our modern

improvements.

[Illustration: ARTISTIC FIREPLACE.]

Next come the broad, open windows. Better one window five feet wide

than two of two and a half feet. Better for light, warmth or interior

furnishing, and better for the illuminating effect upon the whole

apartment.

Stairways.

Stairs are a necessity, and their comfort and sightliness depend on

several features. Steps must be broad and deep, landings wide and

windowed, if may be. If they must be crowded into a narrow hallway it

is better that they be made deep and sloping as space permits, and

then inclosed with an archway and curtain at foot instead of a door.

This also saves heat. But where the great square reception hall can be

devoted to them they may be made a thing of beauty.

Woodwork.

Says one writer, “There is a widespread illusion gone out through the

world that to have everything in a dwelling ‘finished in hard wood

throughout,’ as the advertisements say, is the only orthodox thing.

Paint smells of turpentine and heresy.” In this respect it is useless

to deny that there is solid comfort in the permanency and genuineness

of oak, walnut, or ash, that paint is powerless to give.

But the natural color of woods in many cases may fail to harmonize

with the scheme of color to be carried out in the furnishings of the

apartment.

In such case, the woodwork should be subjected to delicate, harmonious,

painted tints, or polish or gilding, as the case may be.

There is a great variety of woods from which we may choose, but to

obtain from them the finer shadings and combinations of color is

difficult, not to say impossible.

[Illustration: WINDOW DECORATION.]

There is no necessity for making the woodwork that is to be painted

unnecessarily substantial or elaborate. Woods such as white maple,

holly, poplar, for the light effects; black birch, cherry, mahogany,

for darker.

“One fallacy among people,” says an architect, “is an immovable

faith that the first duty of a human apartment is to look as high as

possible. A cathedral, or the rotunda of the Capitol, must have height

to produce an overpowering effect. But in an ordinary room of ordinary

size, comfort, convenience and prettiness are more to be sought after

than height.”

[Illustration: An elaborate drawing of plants and birdcage.]

Ordinary woodwork must be painted in such shades as will debar it from

occupying the prominent position to which positive beauty is alone

entitled. Give it a similarity to the ground of the paper, but a little

darker, and the rounded surface of any fancy moldings, a shade or two

darker. Paint the doors the same, except the panels, which may be

decorated, in which case they must be painted the tint of the furniture

as a background for the design. This may be very simple, a band of

color, a vine in outline or flat color. Trace the outline of wild

vines, or ferns, anything graceful. Originality is not demanded. There

are good reasons why window casings should start from floor or base,

since in this way a visible means of support is given to the entire

window, which otherwise has a suspended, insecure look. The panel

underneath may be of wood or plaster.

Doors.

Doors are the greatest problem in a room. They monopolize the space on

the floor and wall that should be free for pictures and large articles

of furniture, and otherwise completely demoralize the apartment. To

do away with this inconvenience substitute heavy curtains whenever an

impassable barrier is unnecessary; closet doors, for instance, and

those between parlors. Again, doors that are much open may be made to

slide into the walls. Then, for ornament and as a screen, the doorway

may be furnished with hangings, costly or not, as the purse may dictate.

The outer doors are intended as a defense from intrusion from without.

It is not really good taste to have these doors of plate glass as that

militates against the primal idea of strength and protection.

A Door Divan.

Chairs and sofas we have without end in variety and beauty. Every

alcove and nook in every possible sort of room has been thought of and

provided for except the one place that exists in almost every house and

is the one place where people are always wanting to sit—that is the

doorway itself. Folding doors between communicating rooms are seldom

closed. An ordinary chair within a few feet of the space never looks

well. It shows its back to one room or the other and is in the way.

A divan is an addition to any decorative arrangement of either room. It

does not interfere with any graceful drapery that may be arranged at

the door. It is decidedly useful, convenient and gives a certain touch

of the unusual to the room.

An Improvised Bookcase.

A superfluous doorway or window too often mars the effect of a room,

and the present day architecture, as found in cheap apartments and

houses, frequently abounds in this sort of generosity.

To surmount the difficulty a very useful inclosure can be constructed

by placing two uprights and a few shelves within the door jamb, or

against it, as the case may be. Staining or painting them to match the

rest of the woodwork is a small matter, while arranging brass rods and

pretty curtains is not much more.

Screens.

Screens are a necessary object of household adornment. It is not

requisite that they should be expensive, but the uses to which they

can be put are legion. A plain frame of hard wood, or pine stained,

rectangular, three or four inches wide and one inch thick, furnished

with feet, and with or without castors, is all that is necessary.

Covering may be done with a great variety of materials, cheap or

dear. Ornamentation may be applied, embroidered, sketched, outlined,

or painted. If the screen is made in two or three parts to fold like

clothes bars, feet will not be necessary.

A rustic fire-screen is a unique affair, handsome and useful where

there are open fires, as a shield from heat in cold weather, and as a

screen for the emptiness of grate or fireplace during the summer. It

is formed from natural branches, two straight and two crotched ones,

from which all the smaller branches and twigs have been cut away so

as to have but little more than protruding knots. When these are well

seasoned, rub, brush and rebrush, both with a soft brush and a stiff

one, to remove from every crevice in the bark every loose particle of

moss and dust. Then, with liquid gold, gild the bark all over, or, if

preferred, gild only the bare wood where it is exposed at the ends and

where the limbs are cut off, and give a touch of gold to every crack or

protuberance, or, if a smoother finish is desired, remove all of the

bark and smoothly gild or enamel the whole surface.

The screen, suspended from the upper crosspiece, is a fringed silk rug

woven on a hand loom, as old-fashioned carpets were woven. It falls

freely from the top, its own weight keeping it in place, but it might

be tied to the standards—half way down and at the upper corners—with

bows of braid, soft ribbon or with heavy tassel-tipped cords, or

a smaller rug without fringe might be suspended by gilt rings and

finished at the bottom with a row of tassels in mingled shades.

In a small apartment, where the radiator is an objection, hang on the

wall over it a large picture, placing before the unsightly heater a

screen of not too high dimensions. If a space is too large for your

picture, hang on either side a bracket, on which place a quaint jug or

jar.

[Illustration: An elaborate glass planter.]

For a sewing-room, or, in fact, any apartment where the weekly mending

is done, a darning screen is wonderfully commodious. Its conveniences

consist of two capacious pockets, to hold stockings or any garment

fresh from the laundry and needing attention; a handy shelf whereon to

place one’s sewing, a tidy little cushion with scissors and loosely

swung by ribbons to one side.

[Illustration: ORNAMENTAL SCREEN.]

It is a delightful bit of property to serve one, while seated at an

open window in summer time or upon an upper veranda with one’s work,

looking out over the sea with the perfume of flowers in the air.

Trim the skeleton screen to harmonize with the fittings of the room.

A carpenter constructed the framework for the two panels, with the bar

across the top, and the little shelf for twenty-five cents. The pine

used was an old packing box. The panels must be three and one-half feet

high and eighteen inches wide, made of strips three inches broad. The

shelf should be eight inches wide and twelve inches long.

Four yards and one-half of chintz in cream-tinted ground, sprinkled

with Dresden nosegays gaily dashed with pink and delicate green color,

eight cents a yard. Four grades of delicate pink silesia and two and

one-half yards of unbleached muslin for interlining, made an item of

fifty cents. Hinges and corners and nail-heads of brass, satin ribbon

and tacks, by considerable calculation, can be pressed into the amount

of seventy-five cents.

A Saturday morning industriously spent in the upholstery of the little

screen presented it in completeness.

Screens can be used to protect from drafts of air, by day or night, to

keep the sun from an exposed spot on the carpet, to shade the light

from weary eyes, to temporarily close archways that have no doors, and

to conceal a door that is not often used. They will divide a large

room into two small ones when a sudden influx of company arrives, or

even close in a corner for the same hospitable emergency. They make

delightful nooks in sitting-rooms for the little folks’ playhouse, or

they may screen off, from the morning caller, a temporary sewing-room

in the back parlor, and in sleeping-rooms, occupied by more than one

person, a cosy dressing-room may be made by their use.

Draperies.

The new swinging portieres that have appeared have a handsome swinging

crane fastened to the wall near the ceiling, upon which a portiere or

curtain is suspended. This can then be swung back against the wall or

swung out to make a cozy corner or to shut off one portion of a room

from another. These swinging portieres can in many cases be made to

take the place of screens and often fit with great advantage where a

fixed portiere of the old sort could not be used.

The handsome cranes are of course more or less expensive, but a

home-made substitute will answer the purpose very well. It is not

exactly home-made, however, for the services of a blacksmith may have

to be called in to bend the three-eighths inch iron rod into shape

for use. The ends are bent to fit into screw eyes or other sockets

fastened to the wall, upon which this improvised crane can be swung.

The portiere is suspended from the iron rod by rings.

Denim is one of the best of all fabrics for a portiere in rooms

constantly used. It may be washed out and will look quite as well as

new. If you want a variety put one entire width in right side out, and

split another and join to the first section, putting the side pieces

wrong side out. Sew the seams, then fell them and featherstitch the

outside of the seams in colored linen. Then with a teacup or saucer

draw some circles, intersecting or lapping at one edge. Work these with

linen in short stitches and make eccentric lines or spider-web lines

from the central design. The edges may be hemmed or featherstitched or

done in button-hole and cut out in scallops. It is better to have the

edge of the facing instead of making a turned-in hem.

Then denim, as a floor covering, wears far better than low-cost matting

and never becomes disagreeably faded; for, being made for hard usage,

it but takes a quieter tone when other blues would surely fade into

unpleasant, soiled-looking hues.

Some Useful Bits of Furniture.

A settee table of oak has an adjustable top, which can be turned over

by the removal of two pegs, making a high back to the bench, whose

deep seat is utilized as a household linen closet. These tables are

in great demand where the saving of space is an object and come in

various sizes. They can be purchased without the top and used as a

window seat. One in a pretty studio of a woman artist in New York was

most artistically treated. It was painted a dull green. The back and

the lid of the seat were upholstered in an effective gold colored

tapestry drawn over a padding of hair and held down by gimp and gilt

nails, making a most artistic seat or table, as its use for either was

required. Another one was stained green, and on the back and lid of the

seat was used natural toned burlap, with stenciled griffins in dark

brown as a decoration.

These tables may be treated in various ways to suit their surroundings.

It is suggested in _The Decorator and Furnisher_ that one stained the

natural oak and upholstered in green rep, turcoman, corduroy, burlap or

denim would be most attractive, or for green, substitute brown in the

same materials and put on with dull brass nails, making an effective

seat for a hall.

Another, painted white and enameled, would be charming in a blue and

white dining-room. Upholster in dark blue denim with white nails, and

fill with a number of pretty pillows in various designs of blue and

white, and one of vivid scarlet to give a warm touch, which is needed

in these coldly decorated rooms.

The lovely liberty chintzes in dark blue and white, and sometimes

yellow, red and white on blue, are good to use on these settees, which

are first painted black.

A Hanging Desk.

The economy of space necessary in apartment living has brought about

the evolution of some remarkable pieces of furniture that may be useful

in small houses anywhere.

The writing desk may be included in the list of household wonders

directly attributable to the necessity of fitting that most useful

household article in a six by ten apartment. When closed, it really

occupies the very smallest amount of room imaginable, and for the young

students’ use, or in flat bedrooms, where space is at a premium, it is

unique and valuable.

The material may be oak or such wood as one fancies. Pine enameled

in white or black is as good, so long as it matches the woodwork or

furniture of the room. Two strips of the wood, each two inches by three

feet, are attached to the wall by long screws. Across the top of these

are placed three shelves about five inches wide, supported by brackets

of brass. Between the two upper ones partitions are glued in to form

pigeonholes.

From four to six inches from the lower end of each of the strips of

wood is firmly placed a strip about two inches wide, to which is hinged

the shelf that forms the desk. This is upheld when open by brass

chains, and is thus made firm. When it is desired to close it, it is

merely shut to the wall, the chains falling into place. The ledge upon

which the lid is hinged forms a firm place for the inkstand and other

necessary fitments of a desk.

Against the wall, between the supporting strips, may be fixed a

Japanese panel or some tapestry or silk, as taste may dictate. A

picture can be so fastened to the panel as to form a good letter or

cardholder.

The whole affair is simple and easily managed. Any good carpenter will

make the necessary woodwork for a very small sum.

A Window Desk.

One of the most convenient and altogether satisfactory contrivances

quite in the power of a woman to manipulate is a window desk.

Take a board about fifteen inches wide and saw it the length of the

window sill. Put small iron hinges on it and screw it to the sill, so

that it can hang down against the under wall when desirable.

Tack a narrow strip of wood under the board, near the front edge.

Resting on the floor and wedged under this cleat there is a prop of

planed wood, slender and neat looking. You can put a beading around the

board, with small brads and stain it cherry or some other color.

The sill holds pens, pencils and inkstands, and a large blotter laid on

the board, is a most desirable writing pad. This idea comes from an art

student in Paris, who dotes on her window desk.

It will be found useful in the nursery as a place for pasting pictures,

drawings, etc., and when done can be swung down and out of the way.

A Hall Chest.

A pretty hall chest is one of the things that may be successfully

produced at home. In a seaport town, the chest of some ancient mariner

is easily procured; otherwise, one of similar style and make must be

fashioned for you by a carpenter. As it need only be made of soft wood

the cost is not great. After it has left the carpenter’s hands it may

be decorated with the applied ornamentation in scroll design, which

is now obtainable ready to put on, and afterward treated to a coat of

stain.

Old oak is the most satisfactory, or it may be ebonized, if preferred.

Polished brass corners and hinges may be added, and a row of brass

nails set around the edge with good effect. The convenience of these

chests for hall use has been accepted. They beautifully conceal

rubbers, mackintoshes, a storm shawl and various unsightly but useful

impedimenta of the hall rack, and if, in addition, a seat is desired,

a strip of dark leather with a light pad beneath it may be set on with

brass nails across the middle of the lid.

Cozy Corners.

They are so easy to arrange. Have your carpenter make a double

right-angle bench, with a high, straight back. The seat must be two and

a half feet wide, and the top of the back five feet from the floor.

This now looks like an ungainly three-sided square, or rather oblong,

for it is better to have one side somewhat longer than the others. The

wood should be stained cherry or oak, to match the other furniture

in the room, and oiled and polished so as to be smooth and of rich

appearance; or, use hard wood, black walnut, ebony, mahogany.

The seat and inside back may be thickly and prettily upholstered, and

then piled high with pillows, or, the wood having been nicely finished,

the upholstery may cover the seat only. Be sure and have the seat made

low, otherwise the Cozy Corner will be uncomfortable, its name will be

belied, and no one will hie to what might have been the favorite seat

in the room.

Now, where shall we place the corner? Put it in the space next to the

grate fire, and since you have had this place in view, the side to fit

in there should be made the requisite number of feet and inches so as

to actually fit.

Placed in this part of the room, two sides of the corner are against

the wall, but the third side presents a bare and uninviting appearance.

This may be avoided by suspending a silk or gauze hanging close to

its side, in the same way that the back of an upright piano is often

screened. The seats should be piled with sofa pillows, and in the

inclosure a few hassocks would not be found amiss.

The word cozy suggests warmth and pleasantry, as well as comfort.

Therefore, this corner is always by the fire, and those occupying it

are presumably cheery and happy.

It is just the place to rest in, just the place to read in, just the

place for you and your dearest friend to chat in, just the place to

play a game in, as bags, balls, etc., could easily be tossed from one

seat to the other; just the place to lay plans in, for you are in no

hurry to move, and so your plans, not being hurriedly completed, would

be more apt to prove satisfactory; just the place to nap in, just

the place to frolic in. Indeed, just the place to add to our already

comfortable homes if we would have them one remove nearer the ideal

home than they now are.

Plenty of Pillows.

All cosy corners and all couches are incomplete without numberless

pillows of all sorts, shapes and sizes.

A serviceable pillow, and one that can be laundered, is of blue denim,

with a band of Irish point embroidery running around the four sides of

the square with the edge toward the center. A ruffle of denim with a

narrow embroidered insertion to match the edge, completes this sensible

head-rest.

An Indian silk pillow is always pretty, and is pleasant next to the

face when one is lying down.

An open-work scrim with rows of ribbon placed upon the plain stripes,

made over a contrasting color of silk, with ruffle of sheer lace over

the color of the pillow, is effective and bright looking.

Any one who is fond of an Oriental effect can have it in the pillow

by sewing silks and satins hit and miss, as in making an old-time rag

carpet, then having it woven with black linen chain.

One who is expert with crochet needle can have a creation worthy of

handing down for ages to come. Crochet a number of artistic wheels or

medallions of knitting silk in a golden yellow shade; join together,

making a square the size of the pillow desired. Place this lace cover

over a contrasting shade of yellow, finishing the edges with yellow

silk pompoms placed close together.

Yellow cheese cloth perfectly plain on both sides, with two ruffles of

the same and a fullness of lace between, makes a dainty and inexpensive

pillow; the under ruffle being six inches, lace ruffle five inches, and

the top ruffle of cheese cloth three inches in width.

For the woman whose tastes run to the elegant, a pillow of silk-faced

velvet and satin ribbon is grateful. A novel pillow is the clover

pillow, but to carry out the idea as originally designed one must await

the coming of the season when clover is at its fullest and sweetest

blossom. Then gather the large red clover heads. Take as many as would

fill a large washtub, sprinkle a pound of fine salt over them, and stir

them well, about once a day, until they are thoroughly dried, without

falling to pieces. This is the filling for a pillow made of white linen

duck, embroidered with a straggling design of clover.

The convenient and ornamental floor pillow is especially adapted for

the summer home, the piazza, the lawn or the lounging-room. The frame,

which is made of good springs enclosed in a strong linen covering,

is on casters, and can be readily moved from place to place. Covered

with Baghdad stripes, tapestry, or any artistic material, it makes a

Christmas present that would please the most fastidious taste.

A Corner Closet.

Lack of closet room in a house is a fruitful theme for complaint in

these days of contracted space. Architects there are who are willing

to sacrifice every consideration, not excepting internal utility, for

picturesque outside effects.

In such cases recourse must be had to wardrobes, but as these are

expensive, the busy fingers of the housewife must be depended upon

to improvise substitutes. If there is a corner in the room with

sufficient space (sometimes the architect denies us this small boon)

it may be utilized in the manner herewith described.

Two strips of wood as long as you desire and four inches wide by one

inch thick are screwed in the angle of the wall about six feet from the

floor; boards are cut off to fit in the corner and resting on these

strips; this will form the roof. A brass or wooden rod is then run

across the front of this board from wall to wall and from which the

curtain is suspended by rings. Cretonne, chintz or printed cotton, will

make a good list to choose from, and are inexpensive. One may screw

upon the underside of the roof and on the cleats as many hooks as are

required, and, if desired, a shelf may be introduced about fifteen

inches below the roof, and on that attach the hooks. Such an emergency

closet will often be found a great convenience, and the cost will be

trifling. It will be well to stretch a piece of muslin or paper across

the upper side of the roof to keep out the dust.

A home-made Japanese cabinet may be readily made of the common

materials found about the house, such as boxes of hard or soft wood.

The smoother the boxes, the better; but they can be planed, if they are

not.

[Illustration: REPLICA OF A GRECIAN VASE.]

The shelves are so arranged as to accommodate the different sizes of

Japanese bric-a-brac. The small cabinet in the upper left-hand corner

is simply a smooth bit of the board, finished with two ornamental

hinges, either brass or bronze. The escutcheon is of the same. The

circular panel can be either of Lincrusta, bronzed, or to make it a

little more unique, a circular hole can be cut in the door, and a

pretty blue Japanese plate inserted, held in place at the back, and the

door lined. The supports are easily obtained by a visit to a factory

where they have a turning lathe. The ornamental finish at the bottom is

of lightly carved wood, if one can do these things, or a strip can be

purchased at a carpenter shop or wall paper store. Still another way

out of the difficulty is to get just the length of Lincrusta and tack

it on neatly.

Before the hinges and escutcheon are put on, the staining should

be done, and the simplest way out of the difficulty is to purchase

Pik-Ron, stain whatever color or wood you require, then afterward

give it a coat of varnish, coach varnish giving a durable finish that

is heavy and beautiful, or the whole cabinet may be covered with the

stamped Japanese cotton goods in gilt and colors, each shelf being

covered before being put in place, and the uprights gilded or stained.

Still again, if the work is of pine, it may be stained a rich bronze,

and left with dead finish, which is a very fair imitation of Japanese

woodwork.

Piano Decoration.

An upright piano should be placed with its back to the room. This

position is not only good from a decorative standpoint, but a performer

likes to be shielded by the instrument. Here are enumerated various

graceful ways to cover the polished bareness of this musical instrument.

To hang a square of tapestry over the back from a brass rod is

exceedingly striking. If possible, let the painted subject relate to

music or sentiment, and have it sufficiently large to cover the surface

of the piano.

If the tapestry is very fine work its surface should be unspoiled by

additions. Across the top of the piano lay a scarf of Liberty silk, or

another painted panel. The only bric-a-brac that combines with this

drapery is a pair of candelabra, the quainter in style the better.

Algerian stripes, Baghdad tapestry or Persian prints make good

backgrounds. Their cost is $1.25 a yard, and width fifty inches. With

this as a foundation many schemes may be carried out. Bas-relief heads

in plaster can be swung on it without injuring the wood of the piano.

Medallions of Beethoven, Mozart or Wagner can be purchased for $1 each.

A long panel of cherubs goes well, or a line of Delft or Japanese

plates.

A low settle has a comfortable resting place underneath this. Either

a box seat upholstered in dark, contrasting stuff, or one of the

$4.50 green wooden settles, sold to artists, would serve. A number of

cushions placed on the seat against the piano add to the coziness and

grace of the decoration.

Lighting.

Rooms should be lighted from the sides, if possible. The great central

chandeliers, casting their downward shadows, age every face in the room

by emphasizing every line, and bringing out every defect sharply.

Decorating.

In decorating a room a harmony of the shades of one color should be

used. Beware of spotty effects. It should really, according to Edmond

Russell, “be conceived, as a piece of music is, in a certain key. There

should be sympathy and harmony. Even the pictures should be chosen with

as much regard to their surroundings as to their individual merits.”

Another important item in the decoration of the home is considering

the choice of ground tones with reference to the complexion of its

hostess. Guests appear there but casually. She is always there, and no

one should elect to occupy a room, whose color tones either totally

efface what little color one may possess, or else, by an exaggeration

of natural ruddiness, be made a rival of the setting sun.

The effect of color upon the appearance is so important that every

change of color, changes not only the color of the skin, but that of

the hair and eyes as well.

Edmond Russell once studied a room with reference to complexions,

mixing his paints to a relative hue with the general tone of

complexions, making it duller and grayer, so that standing near it the

skin looked clear and fresh beside it.

“I made the tone,” he said, “a little greener and colder than flesh, so

that one looked lighter and warmer and was enriched by the contrast.

Any who stood in front of that wall looked five or ten years younger

than they were.”

In using a flower, or other design, for a frieze or dado, they should

be conventionalized. This term is used to signify the modification of a

real object with its surroundings. The more formal they are the better;

no attempt at shading or perspective is necessary, and the square and

compass should be used as much as possible in their designing.

In decorating a room, a dark floor is the beginning, and the walls grow

lighter as the ceiling is approached. The richest effects should be

congregated at the mantel, with the fire as its central object.

“The ability to combine is a rare one.” Ruskin writes truly that, “one

rarely meets even an educated person who can select a good carpet, a

wall paper, and a ceiling, and have them in harmony.” There is too

much of a temptation to adopt beautiful things simply because they are

beautiful, without pausing to consider the weightier matter of their

eternal fitness, or remembering that a thing intrinsically beautiful in

itself may become hideous by inharmonious proximity or combination with

another beautiful object.

Home of the Soul.

A mystic German writer calls a house, properly ordered, the “home of

the soul,” carrying out the idea that the house in which an orderly

soul lives, is only an expansion of the body built and adorned out of

her passing experiences. “All sorts of delicate affinities establish

themselves between her and the lights and shadows of her abode; the

particular picture on the wall; the scent of flowers at a particular

window until she seems incorporated into it.”

In other words, one’s environments, as one’s dress, must be in harmony

with their individual type, or a permanent discord will result; for

instance, Emma Moffett Tyng speaks of a “pond-lily type of woman, soft

color, gray blue eyes, pale brown eyes,” appealing to her as to the

“effect” of the gorgeous, redecorated interior of her home, with flames

of color in hangings and rugs, and “her Egyptian gown with its glow and

glint of purple and gold. All these things were artistic and beautiful,

and perfect in their relations to each other,” but in their relation to

her nothing could have been worse. The woman, herself, was eclipsed,

obliterated. “A Cleopatra, dark and flashing, would make the picture

complete. But such a colorless woman needs repose in her surroundings;

the low tones of blue and gray, the palest flush of the sunset heavens.”

Some Lovely Rooms.

Edmond Russell has treated two rooms exquisitely. A gold and ivory

parlor, tinted, walls and ceiling in a grayish white with a greenish

tinge, and this is mottled with gold flecked lightly over the surface.

The broad frieze is adorned in free, simple style with leaves and

blossoms of magnolia. Everything in this room should be light and

delicate in color. The soft gold and ivory would be nullified by

heavy walnut window casings; red and green carpet, red or blue plush

furnishings, or vivid hangings would ruin the effect. Pictures in such

a room should be preferably water-colors with pale gray mats, and gold

or white frames. Oil paintings are only permissible when dreamy and

vaporous in tint. Light, delicate colors in upholstery, creamy madras

for curtains. The carpet may be a little darker, verging on some of the

delicate, woody browns. Any bric-a-brac should be in pale shades of

yellow or rose.

The tender lights of this room seem to clear and soften the complexion

of the occupants.

Another is a dining-room of copper, bronze and terra cotta shades. A

pale tint of copper to the background overlaid with dashes of bronze

and strong copper color. The frieze is a succession of pine boughs,

lightly fringed with their needles. Above the sideboard is a panel

representing magnolia blossoms, and their heavy polished leaves, with

brown in stem and shadows. The effect of this color scheme is to give

a suggestion of warmth and cheer. The gold and copper used in flecking

the wall are merely the two shades of the common bronze powder.

[Illustration: RICH PIECES OF FURNITURE.]

Still another nest of a sleeping-room comes to mind, a creation of

Moscheles. Floor covered with white bearskin rugs, furnished with a

delicate tint of robin’s-egg blue. Toilet table strewn with every

imaginable luxury in old ivory and silver. Panels in the wardrobe and

doors filled with paintings by Burne-Jones, classic figures given the

preference.

These rooms are given as examples of harmony of coloring. Great expense

is not always necessary to secure this artistic harmony. Money goes

a long way, but good taste and ingenuity will go just as far, with a

minimum of expenditure.

There is a little room, a symphony in green and gold, created by one

girl’s taste, a pale seafoam green that is delightful to the eye. The

woodwork, banded with a narrow strip of gilt, is of this color, and

the enterprising young woman painted it all with her own hands. The

curtains at the three windows are of the freshest and purest white

muslin, prettily ruffled. They are the kind that always look as if they

had just been laundered and they are tied back with pale green ribbons

that make them look the more exquisitely neat. The floor is covered

with plain matting, which particularly recommended itself, by the way,

because it was inexpensive.

As to Furniture.

Every article of furniture in the room is of the prevailing green and

there are no off shades, for they were all painted from the same can

of paint. The bedstead was nothing but common pine, made to order at

the factory, and it is of a quaint design that originated in the same

fertile brain that is responsible for all the rest of the perfect

appointments. The headboard is in the shape of a shield and there is

painted thereon a spray of wild roses to bring to the sleeper over

whom they bend sweet dreams of perpetual summer time. And the white

counterpane and snowy pillows in the setting of green and gold make it

a most inviting place of repose.

The chairs were resurrected from the débris in the family attic. There

are two heavy old-fashioned ones of curly maple, and they are cushioned

with a brocaded green and gold material that exactly match the green

of the furniture. Then there is a comfortable little rocking chair

cushioned with the same material and painted in green with many stripes

of gold.

But it is the dressing table that is the most charming of all the

unique devices that make the room attractive. It was a battered old

washstand at first, but now it is a work of art. It is painted, of

course, in green and gilt, and there is a spray of wild roses on the

front. Above it is a green and gilt framed mirror with a spray of the

favorite wild roses again overhanging the top part. Over mirror and

washstand and all is draped a canopy of white muslin. Among the other

articles that find place on the table is a little fairy lamp with a

shade of green tissue paper that gives the softest light imaginable.

A comfortable green window seat in the corner is well supplied with

pillows covered in green and gold brocade, and up and around the window

there clambers an old English ivy.

There is an oddly fashioned bookcase in another corner. You would never

guess it, of course, but it was constructed out of two dry goods boxes.

It is painted green inside and out and fitted up with four shelves. A

green silk curtain hangs from a brass rod, and about the edge of the

bookcase is a gilt cornice. The top is covered with bric-a-brac.

For pictures there is an etching or two on the wall in green and

gold frames, and you have a room the very sight of which is cool and

refreshing, and which cost its owner some time and some planning, but

very little money.

Pictures.

Be careful of the pictures and their relations to the walls. Rooms

should rather be a setting for a beautiful moving picture of the

shifting groups of people in it.

Too much gilding, too many gaudy oil paintings attract the eye and

distract the mind.

There is a simple picture in my room, red curtains, a white-robed

child kneeling, that is all, but everything in it harmonizes, and it

harmonizes with the furnishings of the room, and my eye is often drawn

toward it.

One authority objects to portraits as a decoration. “Their presence, if

at all impressive, is too stimulating.”

Picture frames should never be so gorgeous as to distract the mind from

the picture. “Frames are to protect the picture and relate it to the

walls.”

Group etchings together and put engravings in the portfolio. Over low

bookcases pictures should be large, and in this form they give a style

to the room. Water colors look admirable if treated in this manner,

and if two bookcases are put together so as to form one, divide the

pictures by a bracket, on which place a jar of some unique pattern.

[Illustration: SELECTING PAINTINGS FOR HOME DECORATION.]

Small rooms require medium-size pictures, which can be hung one above

the other, and three may even be placed on line with good effect. For

an ideal head in oil the frame should be of broad gilt. Hang it in a

good light, and on one side group two small water-color pieces in the

fashionable white band frame. For an oblong picture a small sketch

under it looks well equipped.

A very large and beautiful picture sometimes sets the keynote of color

for the apartment. Otherwise, subordinate them as decorations to the

colorings of the room, as in the ivory and gold room.

In a room where there are to be many pictures, give rather a neutral

color to the walls, merely as a picture background. Where there are

finely decorated walls pictures are rather out of place, since one

decoration spoils the effect of the other.

Mottoes.

The motto, whose revival is noted in the above title, is the expression

in architecture of some sentiment suitable to the place to which it

is applied. It is more frequently and more noticeably in domestic

architecture than elsewhere that the motto is found. Scarcely a country

house of sufficient size to boast a hall and fireplace but announces

in script or text a welcome to all guests or some appreciation of

the comforts of its four walls. The favorite place for this motto is

over the fireplace, either above or below the mantel shelf, and of

all the old ones, “East or west, home is best,” with its variety of

expressions, is the favorite. “A man’s house is his castle.”

“Home is the resort

Of love, of joy, of peace.”

“A man’s best things are nearest him;” “Our house is ever at your

service;” “You are very welcome;” “Take the goods the gods provide

thee”—any one of these will as appropriately welcome the stranger as

the friend.

Over the mantel of one’s private room the restful motto, “Duty done is

the soul’s fireside,” may find appropriate place.

How to be Beautiful.

To begin at the beginning: to insure a good complexion strict attention

must be paid to the diet. Wholesome, well-cooked food must be eaten;

regular exercise in the open air is another point, and the body must be

bathed three hundred and sixty-five times a year. It may be considered

almost supererogatory to remark that not any amount of cerates, washes

or powders will cover or obliterate blotches, pimples and blackheads

caused by unwholesome food or uncleanly habits. We may not be able to

afford elegantly-appointed bath-rooms, but we all can indulge in a

daily bath.

A quick and simple method for the busy housekeeper, which need only

occupy a few moments, is as follows: buy a yard of coarse Turkish

toweling, and make of it two mittens. Have a bowl of warm water, in

which dissolve some borax. This is soothing to tired nerves, besides

rendering the skin soft and white. When ready, slip on one of the

mittens, wet it thoroughly, rub well with soap, and quickly wash the

body all over. All the impurities of the body are now on this mitten.

Lay it to one side. Put on the other mitten, and wash the body again.

The mittens may be washed and hung to dry, ready for the next bath. Rub

the skin briskly with a rough towel until it glows.

If this treatment is followed daily, with a tub-bath weekly, you will

not complain of those tired, nervous headaches, your face will lose its

sallowness, and your walk will gain in sprightliness. Here let us say,

for the benefit of those who are obliged to live in rented houses,

or who have no facilities for a bath-room, that a folding bathtub is

now offered. It folds up somewhat after the manner of a folding bed.

When closed it looks like a cabinet, and is nicely finished in oak. In

connection with it is a tank and heating apparatus. The water may be

heated with gas, kerosene or gasoline.

Lemon juice, diluted, is a famous whitener for the skin, as are all

vegetable acids, such as tomato, cucumber and watermelon. Oftentimes

something is needed to heal as well as whiten. For this, take two

tablespoonfuls of oatmeal and cook it with enough water to form a thin

gruel, strain, and when cool add to two tablespoonfuls of the gruel

one tablespoonful of lemon juice. Wash the face with this at night,

allowing it to dry on the skin. This is excellent for a shiny face.

Another very soothing preparation to use at night is made of one ounce

of glycerine, half an ounce of rosemary (fluid), and twenty drops of

carbolic acid. This is excellent for any irritation of the skin, and

also for prickly heat. The face must always be well washed with water

and pure soap before applying any of these preparations. If the skin is

oily, bathe with diluted camphor (a teaspoonful to a pint of water),

but it is injurious to a naturally dry skin.

Treatment for a Rough Skin.

A wash for a rough face is two ounces of water, one ounce of glycerine,

one ounce of alcohol, and half an ounce of gum of benzoin, to be

dissolved in the alcohol first. Apply at night. For wrinkles—do we see

some of you looking interested?—take some clippings of sheep’s wool

and steep in hot alcohol. It is said that the grease thus obtained

is identical with an element found in the human bile. I know that if

rubbed on the skin it not only removes but prevents wrinkles, making

the skin soft and pliable. These remedies all have the merit of being

harmless, which cannot be said of all cosmetics.

Let us give one more recipe, and that is for brightening the eyes. When

you are tired and warm, and your eyes are dull, take a cloth and wring

it out of very hot water, as hot as you can bear it. Lie down for ten

minutes with this cloth spread over your burning face and tired eyes.

You will be surprised to see how the tired lines will fade out and how

the eyes will shine, and when your “dearest” comes home he will pay you

a compliment which will more than reward you.

Reducing Flesh.

The real mode of life and diet should be changed if the fat would

be reduced. If necessary, procure a pair of scales and weigh the

different foods that are taken into the system. Reduce the diet then

to about four ounces of starch or sugar material per day, one and a

half ounces of fat, taken chiefly in the form of butter, and about six

or seven ounces of albuminous food, such as lean meat or fish. This

is the minimum that should be resorted to, and the patient can take

more of each at first and reduce the diet gradually to this point. The

proportion of the different food compounds, however, with the exception

of figs, dates, grapes and nuts, should also be eaten daily, and

one-third of a pound of some of the following vegetables: asparagus,

turnips, cucumbers, parsley, watercress, celery, kale or cabbage.

Fluids have a fattening tendency, and they must be taken in small

quantities.

The drinking should be confined to tea, coffee or water, and never

should be taken at mealtime, nor within one hour of a meal. This is

peremptory, for food will produce fat much quicker and surer when

watered by some good beverage.

Refreshing Sleep.

What is the correct method to pursue in preparing for a trip into

dreamland, for there is a right as well as a wrong way? The business of

disrobing should be so systematized that attending to all the little

niceties included in the process will become, after a while, second

nature. There is something more to be done, let us assure you, in

addition to putting your hair up in curl-papers and dabbing a bit of

cold cream on your face, if you would wake up in the morning looking as

fresh as a rose. In the first place, do not put off these important

preparations until you are so heavy-lidded that you are ready to

give everything belonging to the toilet the go by. And now for the

first step. Early in the evening your sleeping apartments should be

thoroughly aired by dropping the window from the top and raising it at

the bottom.

The current of fresh air is especially important when the room has

been, as so many sleeping apartments are, in constant use all day.

Ten minutes will be quite sufficient for toning up the atmosphere.

Now close the window and allow the room to become thoroughly warmed,

that you may not experience a chill while taking a rub down. Prepare

a big bowl of tepid water, into which you sprinkle a small quantity

of ammonia or borax. Take a Turkish towel, which is much better than

a sponge, wring it out as dry as possible, and, grasping a corner in

each hand, give the spine a vigorous rubbing. Have at hand another

Turkish towel, and as you bathe the body in sections, dry as quickly as

possible.

From the points of your rosy toes to the curve of your soft throat

you are a blushing model of the charming effects of the bath. When

finished, slip over your head a soft little shirt, high neck and short

sleeves (a white silk or lisle thread is the best), the rosy skin

beneath giving it the appearance of being lined with pink silk. Then

comes the nightrobe, and next the pajama or lounging robe, which may be

of anything, from flannel to eider down.

Tuck your feet into a pair of bedroom slippers, and your are ready to

attend to minor details. Never think of retiring in any article of

clothing which you have worn during the day. Such a barbarous custom

has nothing whatever in common with health and refinement. Neither is

it well to discard everything but your nightgown, for it is exceedingly

dangerous to chill the system by night draughts.

How to Take Care of the Eyes.

Avoid sudden changes from darkness to brilliant light.

Avoid the use of stimulants and drugs which affect the nervous system.

Avoid reading when lying down or when mentally and physically exhausted.

When the eyes feel tired rest them by looking at objects at a long

distance.

Pay special attention to the hygiene of the body, for that which tends

to promote the general health acts beneficially upon the eye.

Do not depend on your own judgment in selecting spectacles.

Old persons should avoid reading much by artificial light, be guarded

as to diet and avoid sitting up late at night.

After fifty, bathe the eyes morning and evening with water so hot that

you wonder how you stand it; follow this with cold water that will make

them glow with warmth.

Do not give up in despair when you are informed that a cataract is

developing; remember that in these days of advanced surgery it can be

removed with little or no danger to vision.

Never read in bed or when lying upon the sofa. Sit with your back to

the light as much as possible. Attend to your digestion. Do not work

longer than two hours without closing your eyes and resting them for

five minutes. If your eyes are weak, bathe them in water to which a

little salt and a little brandy have been added.

The Hair and How to Take Care of It.

If the hair has that soft, glossy look that tells of regular care, and

if it is well kept, with every pin in its place, you may rely upon it

that its owner possesses the instinct of ladyhood.

Each hair has tiny prongs or tentacles, something like those on the

cockle bur, which catch the dust; hence the especial need of brushing.

At a lady’s school in England, some twenty years ago, the girls were

required to brush their hair for fifteen minutes daily in the long

dressing-room, and they were timed at this exactly as if it were any

other exercise.

Occasionally the hair and the scalp need washing, as the face, though

less often if the brushing be carefully attended to. When, however,

it begins to seem dirty, give it a good shampooing. Wash both hair

and scalp thoroughly in a washbowl of warm water in which has been

dissolved a tablespoonful of powdered borax; then rinse it well in

clear warm water; you will be surprised sometimes at the complexion of

the water.

Many women dread the shampooing because of their liability to take

cold in the process. Let such a person choose a room where the air is

warm and dry. After wiping the hair thoroughly dry with towels, and

pinning a fresh one around the neck and shoulders, let her get some

one to come and make a breeze with a large palm-leaf fan upon her hair

while she is engaged in carefully disentangling it with a brush and

comb, occasionally giving the scalp a little vigorous rubbing if it

begins to feel chilly. The fanning greatly hastens the drying process.

Another plan is to lie down with the hair spread out on cushions in the

sunshine. Be sure to get it thoroughly dry before putting it up.

An Excellent Head Covering.

A very pleasant step, though not a necessary one, next to take is to

have a little thin silk mob-cap (of some pretty shade of silk, so that

it is becoming rather than disfiguring, if needful, to wear about the

home), lined, and thickly wadded with cotton-batting, well powdered

with heliotrope or some other delicate sachet powder (these come in ten

or fifteen-cent packages), and wear this from one to three hours. Here,

again, those thousands of minute tentacles come into play; they catch

and retain (one would almost think they close over them) the atoms of

the perfume when they are thus freed from dust, and when the hair is

soft and light in its new cleanness—and it is astonishing for how long

a time the hair will retain that faint, delicate aroma which is so

truly lovely in a woman’s hair; and all to be obtained in so simple and

innocent a way as with this little mob-cap, put on at the right time.

A good rule for ensuring the regular brushing of the hair which may be

taught to children (and perhaps good for busy women also), is to brush

the hair with fifty long strokes both at morning and at night.

Much also depends upon the brush. Let it not be stiff enough to hurt

the scalp. Choose a brush of medium stiffness, with bristles long and

close together, and nowhere will it pay better, “in the long run,” to

give a good price for a good article than in a woman’s hairbrush which

she proposes to use as described above.

Do not use a fine-tooth comb. Frequent washing will remove the dandruff

in all cases, and without the injury caused to the scalp by the fine

comb.

It is also well to clip the ends of the hair regularly once a month,

keeping it smooth and even, besides, as is thought by some stimulating

the growth and keeping it in a more healthy condition.

Perseverance in this treatment will give the hair a fine natural gloss,

and a healthy tone. It will tend to prevent its falling out, and will

also help to preserve its natural color much longer than if it were

neglected.

“Show me a woman,” said a wise matron the other day, “though she be in

the busiest farmer’s kitchen in America, who may always be found with

her hair neatly and carefully arranged and with a fresh linen collar,

and I will show you a lady in mind and manners. Those two points always

settle the rest in my opinion!”

Recipe for the Complexion.

A mixture for preserving the complexion, easily made at home, is

as follows: take a wineglassful of the best French orange flower

water. Add a tiny pinch of carbonate of soda and two teaspoonfuls

of glycerine. Melt a piece of camphor the size of a pea and three

teaspoonfuls of cologne water and add to the orange flower water. Shake

the whole for five minutes. Apply to the face every night.

Care of the Lips.

The Cupid’s bow in dainty curves has always been symbolical of a

perfect mouth, and lips most kissable have never been represented as

other than pink and perfect.

No other portion of the face, however, so quickly responds to

symptoms of ill-health in the body as do the lips. Fever blisters are

the disfiguring reminders of a cold; dry, broken or bloodless lips

show that one is out of sorts, even more certainly than heavy eye or

dejected mien, and it is a woman’s duty to endeavor to restore them to

their soft, rich redness, which is the outward and visible sign of good

health.

To do this the general system must be toned up, diet regulated, and a

regular house-cleaning gone into; but there are certain defects of the

lips that can be overcome without all this trouble, because they arise

from a woman’s own fault. Many of us, from nervousness or habit, have a

way of biting our lips which will surely result in swelling, bruise or

dryness that is both uncomfortable and unpleasant to look at.

Therefore, the first step is to break off so pernicious a practice by

watching one’s self very carefully. Next, anoint the poor, bruised

members with some healing salve of a pure make.

Do not, however, think to cure chapped lips by anointing them after

being out in the air. The time for treatment is before the mischief is

done, putting on a little cold cream every time you start out for a

walk, which you will find highly beneficial and will keep your lips in

winter just as sweet and rosy as when the milder zephyrs of summer rule

the air.

Remedies for the Lips.

A writer whose knowledge of such subjects is beyond question says that

glycerine and rose water should never be used to soften the lips, as

this remedy has one great drawback, namely, that it induces the growth

of superfluous hair, a warning which all women will gladly heed, for no

one desires to pose as a bearded lady. When cold sores appear rub them

with cold cream, being careful not to break them, and they will soon

disappear.

The reason that they usually cling so long is, that they are tampered

with by rubbing or biting, and therefore cannot have a chance to heal

properly, as they would if left alone. The same writer who warns us

against glycerine and rose water is a strong advocate of hot water,

and affirms that there is scarcely any ailment that will not succumb

to its healing virtues. Therefore, with cold cream and hot water one

should be able to present to the world a pair of rosy lips free from

any unsightly blemishes.

Smoothing Out the Wrinkles.

Wrinkles are, of course, the special detestation of every woman, and

when they begin to make their appearance, one of the most perplexing

questions is as to how they can be removed, or at least the evil hour

of their coming be put off for a time. There has recently been a good

deal of nonsense printed in various channels as to this subject, and

one of the most cherished fads is that the steaming of the face will

remove them. This is one of those half-truths which are simply deceit

and disappointment.

Wrinkles appear because the fine muscles of the face lose their tone,

the tissue shrinks, and the skin fits itself to the depressions which

are thus left. It is a mistake to suppose that wrinkles can be wholly

eradicated, especially those which are due to advancing years. Let us

“grow old gracefully” and accept the inevitable with the best grace

possible. A cheerful disposition will do wonders toward lighting up the

face and making one’s friends forget or overlook entirely the signs of

advancing years. But wrinkles frequently come on prematurely, and prove

extremely vexations. It is unquestionably true that a proper, thorough

and careful course of face massage will do a good deal to help things,

where the skin has become dull and lifeless, as will especially happen

in cases of general decline or ill health.

From two to four times during each twenty-four hours the face should

be gently but systematically rubbed, the best method being to employ a

fine towel or a bit of red flannel. The finger ends answer very well,

but it is quite difficult to use them without weariness. It will be

noticed after a few days that the skin is gaining in tone and rigor,

when the degree of vigor employed may properly be increased.

Bad air is one of the most potent causes of wrinkles and the remedy,

of course, as the getting of good air. Excellence of the highest degree

may not be attainable; if not, let us get the best we can. With good

air should come good living and plenty of nutritious food, especially

that which has fat-producing qualities.

Massage of the face is well recommended, using a light, gentle,

circular motion of the fingers, while much may be done by cultivating

flexibility and voluntary motions of the muscles of the face,

especially those affecting the wrinkled portions. And it may not be

amiss, though it be a delicate matter, to suggest that an overworked,

thankless, hopeless life will inevitably wrinkle the fairest face with

furrows that no agency this side of the grave can remove, till the

cause shall have been lifted.

The Feminine Waist.

We have already had occasion to discuss the question of small waists

and the abuse of proportions that tight-lacing frequently entails.

We have only to consider now the caprices of fashion with regard to

length. Sometimes this fickle goddess sends our waists up under our

arms, and then a reaction sets in, and they lengthen gradually till

the points and basques of our bodices reach very nearly to our knees.

Of the two extremes, the more sanitary, as well as the more artistic,

is the former, but these considerations have little effect on the

arrangements of fashion.

The weight of clothing should hang as little as possible from the

waist. Many women believe that it is better that it should come from

the hips than from the shoulders, but the testimony of all medical men

is clear and indisputable on this subject. Nor is it upon hygienic

grounds alone that this is objectionable. This weight from the hips

destroys all freedom of movement, just as the tight corset deprives the

body of all the suppleness and flexibility given it by nature.

The belt is, on a perfect figure, an interruption to harmonious

lines that could well be dispensed with. On an imperfect figure it

is excusable, when associated with a form of bodice that seems to

require to be confined, such as the loosely plaited or gathered bodice

sometimes worn. Over a tight bodice the belt has no reason for being,

and is absurdly out of place. For this and also sanitary reasons we

feel inclined to condemn it.

Beautiful Arms.

Beautiful arms are a powerful weapon in the armory of beauty; but

though most women appreciate to the full the charm of this possession,

the fact remains that in America undeveloped arms are the rule, and

rounded, dimpled symmetry the exception. Lately, however, the gymnasium

is producing charming arms.

Exercise is essential to the development of the arms: exercise, that

is, of the arms themselves. Gymnastic exercises that bring the muscles

of these into play should be, as far as possible, encouraged in girls,

as tending not only to their improvement in this particular, but as

being beneficial to the general health.

Arms disproportionately large as compared to the rest of the frame

are, on the other hand, at least equally disagreeable with those we

have been discussing. Very large arms carry with them a suggestion of

coarseness that is unpleasant as associated with a woman. It is, as

we have said before, impossible to give the exact proportions which

one portion of the human frame should bear to the rest. The ideal

arm, however, should gradually decrease in size from the shoulder to

the wrist, the outlines being marked by those inward curves which are

also noticeable in well-formed shoulders. The wrist should be slender

without being thin, the bone at the outer side being well covered and

indicated rather by dimples than otherwise.

There is an old rule for measurement that approaches accuracy in some

degree. We give it for what it may be worth, advising our readers not

to pin their faith to it too implicitly. Twice round the thumb, once

round the wrist; twice round the wrist, once round the neck; twice

round the neck, once round the waist.

The roundest arms in the world fail to be beautiful if they are red.

There are beautiful white arms, brown arms, copper-colored arms,

and even black arms, but beautiful red arms are not. This fault is

seldom to be found with the arms of ladies, which are so constantly

kept covered as to be protected from the influences of weather. It is

characteristic of a cook, a dairymaid, a housemaid, a field-hand, to

have red arms, and it is probably from this association that they have

fallen into such extreme disrepute.

The use of violet-powder may be condoned when it modifies the contrast

between red arms and white evening dresses. The application being only

temporary, it can only very slightly affect the well-being of the

pores, but it should be very carefully used, or it will come off on the

coat sleeves of the partners of the red-armed one.

When the arms are very thin the sleeves should not be too tight,

though, as a rule, thin arms do not look at all badly in tight sleeves.

When the arms are too long, their apparent length may be diminished by

crossway trimmings on the sleeve. When, on the contrary, the arms are

disproportionately short, a lengthwise trimming will remedy the defect.

The sleeve of to-day is a blessing in disguise for ladies with thin

arms.

The leg-of-mutton (_gigot_) sleeve was invented to conceal defects

in the arm, and to make the waist appear small by contrast with the

size of the sleeves. Puffs at the shoulder give grace and delicacy to

the neck and head. The pagoda sleeves, copied from the Chinese, being

wide and open, cause the hands to appear smaller by contrast with the

aperture from which they emerge; but when the sleeve is exaggeratedly

large and wide, the effect of the contrast is lost, the sleeve losing

itself in, and mingling with, the rest of the draperies. The epaulette

worn some years ago is useful as giving width to narrow shoulders. The

Louis XV., or _sabot_ sleeve, tight to the elbow, and ending in a frill

of lace, is perhaps the most becoming of all sleeves to a really pretty

arm, while the sleeve open to the shoulder is the most trying to a

defective outline.

Treatment for the Hands.

The hands of growing girls are often red and clumsy, and girls who are

beginning to take thought of their appearance are sometimes in despair

about them, not being aware that they will grow whiter and whiter with

every year. The ideal hand is white, certainly, but not dead white. It

should have a dash of healthy flesh-tints. The tips of the fingers and

the portions that surround the palm should be tinged with pink. The

fingers should taper towards the nails, the most approved shape for

which is the “filbert,” so called from its resemblance to the oval form

of the nut of that name, and the similarity of the direction of the

lines of the nail to those on the wood of the nut.

Scissors and Nail-brush.

The appearance of white spots on the nails is caused by knocks or

blows. To obviate the appearance of such spots the hands must be taken

care of and the nails disturbed as little as possible. When the nails

become stained or discolored, a little lemon juice is the best agent to

employ as a corrective. It is equally valuable in discoloration of the

skin.

The care of the nails, should be strictly limited to the use of the

knife or scissors to their free border, and of the ivory presser

to their base, to prevent the adhesion of the free margin of the

scarf-skin to the surface of the nail and its forward growth upon it,

The edge of scarf-skin should never be pared, nor surface of the nail

ever scraped, nor should the nails be cleaned with any instrument

whatever except the nail-brush.

There is no rule for the management of the nail of greater importance

than that which prescribes the pressing back of the edge of the

scarf-skin which forms the boundary of the base of the nail. This

margin is naturally adherent to the surface of the nail, and has a

tendency to grow forward with it and become ragged and attenuated.

When allowed to do so, the ragged edge is apt to split up into shreds,

and these projecting from the surface, are pulled and torn, and often

occasion a laceration of the skin and a painful wound. The occurrence

of these little shreds, denominated _agnails_, may be effectually

prevented by the regular use of the presser once or twice a week. It

must be used with gentleness.

The following is said to be an excellent preparation for making the

hands white; and as it cannot possibly injure them, we give it a place

here. Take as much scraped horseradish as will fill a tablespoon; pour

on it half-a-pint of hot milk. Use it before washing, allowing it to

dry on the hands before applying the water. Redness and chapping are

sometimes caused by the hands being imperfectly dried. The greatest

care should be taken in drying them, more especially in cold weather,

and when the hands are exposed to cold winds.

If the hands become rough from any cause, the following may be applied

with good effect: Half fill a basin with fine sand and soapsuds, as

hot as can be borne. Brush and rub the hands thoroughly with hot sand.

The best is flint sand, or the powered quartz sold for filters. It may

be used repeatedly by pouring the water away and adding fresh. Rinse

the hands in a warm lather of fine soap, then clean cold water. While

they are still wet, put into the palm of each hand a very small piece

of almond cream and rub it all over them. This, again, forms a strong

lather. After drying the hands, rub them in dry bran or powdered starch

till every atom of moisture is absorbed, and finish by dusting off the

bran or starch. This will make the hands very soft and smooth.

To Cure Burning of the Skin.

Occasionally the hands and face become red and flushed while the feet

are cold. This very uncomfortable state of things may be effectually

remedied by bathing the feet in hot water with a tablespoonful of

Kretol in it. This will frequently be found an immediate cure for

headache, but must not be attempted just before going out in cold or

damp weather. A simple remedy is to wash the face and hands in very

warm water, as hot as can be borne. This will frequently dispel the

burning sensation and induce a cooler condition of the skin.

A slice of raw potato rubbed well into them will remove stains from

the fingers and hands. Lemon juice is also effective in this way,

and, if not used immoderately, may be applied without fear of evil

consequences. For chapped hands and lips the following will be found

efficacious: Equal quantities of white wax (wax candle) and sweet oil;

dissolve in these a small piece of camphor; put it in a jam crock, and

place it upon the hob till melted. It must be kept closely covered. It

should be applied to the hands after washing, and previous to drying

them.

A few drops of glycerine poured into the palms of the hands after

washing, and rubbed all over them before drying with a towel, is

perhaps the best and simplest remedy for chapping; but if good soap

is always used, and the hands well dried and protected by warm gloves

against the cold, the chapping will be prevented, which is preferable

to the very best cures.

Remedy for Chilblains.

Chilblains may be cured very speedily by rubbing into them morning

and evening as much spirits of turpentine as they will absorb. This

must not be applied to broken chilblains, but if taken in time it will

prevent their breaking. The water in which potatoes have been boiled

is an excellent remedy for chilblains on feet or hands. These members

should be put into the water while it is as hot as can be borne.

The same specific applies equally to what are called “whitlows,” or

“felons” a gathering in the region of the fingernail that is extremely

painful, and to which some are constitutionally liable.

When the feet are large, the owners should never be tempted into

wearing any but the very plainest boots and shoes. Ornamentation of any

kind makes the foot look larger. Even a pretty foot looks its best in

a perfectly plain satin slipper, with only a small rosette with buckle

on the toe. This rosette must not, however, be permitted to the large

foot. It may, certainly, be worn on the place intended for the instep,

when that ornamental rise in the outline of the foot is totally absent.

Lines of white stitching on the boot make it look larger than it really

is. The best boot for a large foot is one in which the toe-cap comes

well up on the foot. Its lines are thus broken up, and the apparent

length diminished. A pretty foot, on the contrary, looks better in a

boot that has no toe-cap, the “upper” of which is made all in one. This

displays to advantage the beautiful outline of the foot, and the gentle

but decided curve of the instep.

The possessors of large feet should be particularly careful to have

their boots perfectly cleaned and very glossy. The feet look much

smaller when this is the case than when the boot has a rim of mud

around the sole and a shadow of dust upon the uppers. Where the

instep is defective or totally absent, a pretence at one may be made

by blacking that portion of the sole of the foot that is immediately

adjacent to the heel. This causes a kind of optical illusion which is

favorable to the flat-footed.

Patent leather is a most objectionable material for wearing upon the

feet. Through it ventilation is absolutely impossible. So much for the

sanitary part of the subject; and as to convenience, this is as much in

the shade as sanitation, for patent leather “draws” the feet much more

than any other kind. Of late, ladies and children have begun to borrow

this material from gentlemen, but as much smaller shoes can be worn

with comfort in any other kind of leather, it is not likely to become

universally popular. Large feet should never be clad in satin.

Foot-Wear.

The fit of the stocking is almost as essential to the perfection of

the foot as that of the boot or the shoe itself. It should be large

enough to allow freedom to the toes, and not so large as to wrinkle on

the foot. In a well-fitting stocking the foot can be more accurately

measured than otherwise, and the comfort of the foot is sadly impeded

by an ill-fitting one.

The feet should be bathed every morning, and for those who walk

much, a daily change of stockings is advisable. This daily change is

more than advisable, it is necessary, for persons who suffer from

perspiring feet. Regular washing of the feet preserves their strength

and elasticity, and helps to keep them in shape. At least once a week

they should be washed in hot water, with plenty of soap, rubbing them

with a ball of sandstone, which will be found a very useful article for

toilet purposes, also a tablespoonful of Kretol in the water. The nails

should then be carefully pared, and, in drying the feet, much friction

should be used in order to stimulate the skin to healthy action.

When corns appear, they may be accepted with resignation as lifelong

acquaintances. Seldom, indeed, do they quit the victim, who has invited

them by ill-advised pinchings and squeezings. All that one can do is

to keep them under control by constant care. The treatment recommended

is the same as that used for warts—viz., to pare the hard and dry skin

from the tops, and then touch them with the smallest drop of acetic

acid, taking care that the acid does not run off the wart upon the

neighboring skin, which would occasion inflammation and much pain. This

should be done once or twice a day with regularity.

We should, no doubt, easily get rid of all our corns if we could

make up our minds to do without shoes, or even to wear them of such

a large size as would prevent all pressure upon the corn. This

disagreeable effect results quite as often from badly made boots as

from injudiciously tight ones.

There is a particular knack to be observed in paring a corn. It

should be cut in such a manner as to excavate the center, while the

hardened sides are left to protect the more sensitive portion against

the pressure of the boot. When the corn is small and yet young, the

best application is a piece of soft buff-leather spread with adhesive

plaster and pierced in the center with a hole of exactly the size of

the summit of the corn. There are two varieties of corn, the hard and

the soft. The latter occurs between the toes, and is quite as painful

as, and less easily guarded against, than the hard variety.

Twentieth Century Culture and Deportment Or the Lady and Gentleman at Home and Abroad; Containing Rules of Etiquette for All Occasions, Including Calls; Invitations; Parties; Weddings; Receptions; Dinners and Teas; Etiquette of the Street; Public Places, Etc., Etc. Forming a Complete Guide to Self-Culture; the Art of Dressing Well; Conversation; Courtship; Etiquette for Children; Letter-Writing; Artistic Home and Interior Decorations, Etc. · 第 182 / 182 题

DR. J. H. GRATIOT:

DR. J. H. GRATIOT: