MISCELLANEOUS.
There are many little pieces of rudeness, only too common, which, while
they evince ill-breeding, and are many of them extremely annoying, yet
they are met with every day, and in persons otherwise well-bred.
As they come under no particular head, they will merely be mentioned
here, as habits carefully to avoid.
It is rude to look over the shoulder of a person who is either reading
or writing, yet it is done every day.
To stand with the arms a-kimbo, the hands on the hips, or with the arms
crossed, while conversing, is exceedingly unlady-like.
Avoid restless movements either with the hands, or feet; to sit
perfectly quiet, without stiffness, easily, yet at the same time almost
motionless, is one of the surest proofs of high-breeding.
If you wish to make yourself agreeable to any one, talk as much as you
please about his or her affairs, and as little as possible about your
own.
Avoid passing before persons seated in the same room with yourself. If
you must rise to move from place to place, endeavor to pass behind the
chairs of your companions. Above all, never pass between two persons
who are conversing together.
Avoid personal remarks; they evince a want of judgment, good taste,
kindness, and politeness. To exchange glances or significant smiles with
a third person, whilst engaged in a conversation with a second, is a
proof of low-breeding. Suppressed laughter, shrugging of the shoulders,
rolling of the eyes, and significant glances are all marks of
ill-breeding.
If you meet a gentleman at the foot of a flight of stairs, do not go up
before him. Stop, bow, and motion to him to precede you. He will return
your bow, and run up, leaving you to follow him.
Never whisper, or make any confidential communication in company. Keep
private remarks for private occasions.
Accepting presents from gentlemen is a dangerous thing. It is better to
avoid any such obligations, and, if you make it a rule _never_ to accept
such presents, you will avoid hurting any one's feelings, and save
yourself from all further perplexity.
In meeting your elderly friends in the street, look at them long enough
to give them an opportunity of recognizing you; and if they do so,
return their salutations respectfully, not with the familiar nod you
would give to one of your own age.
Never remain seated, whilst a person older than yourself is standing
before you, talking to you.
Never lounge on a sofa, while there are those in the room, whose years
give them a better claim to this sort of indulgence.
Never tease a person to do what she has once declined.
Never refuse a request or invitation in order to be urged, and accept
afterwards. Comply at once. If the request is sincere, you will thus
afford gratification; if not, the individual making it deserves to be
punished for insincerity, by being taken at her word.
It is not polite when asked what part of a dish you will have, to say,
"Any part--it is quite indifferent to me;" it is hard enough to carve
for one's friends, without choosing for them.
It is not polite to entertain a visitor with your own family history, or
the events of your own household.
It is not polite for married ladies to talk, in the presence of
gentlemen, of the difficulty they have in procuring domestics, and how
good-for-nothing they are when procured.
It is not polite to put food upon the plate of a guest without asking
leave, or to press her to eat more than she wants.
It is not polite to stare under ladies' bonnets, as if you suspected
they had stolen the linings from you, or wore something that was not
their own.
Never affect a foolish reserve in a mixed company, keeping aloof from
others as if in a state of mental abstraction. If your brain is so full
and so busy that you cannot attend to the little civilities, cheerful
chit-chat, and light amusements of society, keep out of it.
Never read in company. You may open a book to look over the engravings,
if you will, but do not attend to the letter-press until you are alone.
Never jest upon serious subjects. Avoid scandal. If another person
attempts to open a conversation upon scandalous matters, check her. Say
gravely that it is painful for you to hear of the faults or misfortunes
of others, where your counsel and assistance can be of no service.
Many persons, whose tongues never utter a scandalous word, will, by a
significant glance, a shrug of the shoulders, a sneer, or curl of the
lip, really make more mischief, and suggest harder thoughts than if they
used the severest language. This is utterly detestable. If you have your
tongue under perfect control, you can also control your looks, and you
are cowardly, contemptible, and wicked, when you encourage and
countenance slander by a look or gesture.
Never speak of gentlemen by their first name unless you are related to
them. It is very unlady-like to use the surname, without the prefix, Mr.
To hear a lady speak of Smith, Brown, Anderson, instead of Mr. Anderson
or Mr. Smith sounds extremely vulgar, and is a mark of low breeding.
Avoid eccentricity either in dress, conversation, or manner. It is a
form of vanity, as it will attract attention, and is therefore in bad
taste.
Never act as if in a hurry. Ease of action need not imply laziness, but
simply polite self-possession.
Never laugh at your own wit. That is the part of those who hear you, and
if you take their duty from them, they may omit to join you in your
laugh.
Do not indulge in ridicule. It is coarse and unlady-like as well as
unfeeling. Like every other personality, it should be carefully avoided.
Never handle any ornament or article of furniture in the room in which
you are a visitor.
Do not lean your head against the wall. You leave an indelible mark upon
the paper, or, if the wall is whitewashed, you give your hair a dingy,
dusty look, by bringing it into contact with the lime.
Never lean forward upon a table. Let neither hands nor arms rest there
heavily.
To bestow flattery upon a person to his face, betrays a want of
delicacy; yet, not less so, rudely to rebuke his errors or mention his
faults, and not have a tender regard for his feelings. It is not
improper, and may sometimes be very kind to mention to an individual
what yourself and others think of his conduct or performances, when it
is for his interest or usefulness to know it. To express to a friend
deserved approbation is generally proper.
Nothing but a quick perception of the feelings of others, and a ready
sympathy with them, can regulate the thousand little proprieties that
belong to visits of condolence and congratulation. There is one hint,
however, as regards the former, which may perhaps be useful, and that
is, not to touch upon the cause of affliction, unless the mourner leads
the way to it; and if a painful effort is made to appear cheerful, and
to keep aloof from the subject, do not make the slightest allusion that
could increase this feeling.
When at table to _press_ your guests to take more than they have
inclination for, is antiquated and rude. This does not, however,
prevent your recommending particular dishes to their attention.
Everything like compulsion is quite exploded.
It is a great mistake to suppose that the best music is the most
difficult of execution. The very reverse, generally speaking, is the
case. Music of a high order certainly demands high gifts and attainments
on the part of the performer. But the gifts of nature may be possessed
by the amateur as well as by the professor; and the attainments of art
may be the result of moderate study and application. A young lady
possessed of a sweet and tunable voice, a good ear, intelligence, and
feeling, may cultivate music in its grandest and most beautiful forms,
and may render its practice a source of the purest enjoyment, not only
to herself but to her domestic and social circle.
The various ceremonies observed in refined society are very useful in
settling little points, on which there might otherwise be much doubt and
perplexity; but they should never be so strenuously insisted upon as to
make an accidental omission of them a ground of resentment, and an
apology should always be accepted in their place.
Your enjoyment of a party depends far less on what you find there, than
on what you carry with you. The vain, the ambitious, the designing, will
be full of anxiety when they go, and of disappointment when they return.
A short triumph will be followed by a deep mortification, and the
selfishness of their aims defeats itself. If you go to see, and to hear,
and to make the best of whatever occurs, with a disposition to admire
all that is beautiful, and to sympathize in the pleasures of others, you
can hardly fail to spend the time pleasantly. The less you think of
yourself and your claims to attention, the better. If you are much
attended to, receive it modestly, and consider it as a happy accident;
if you are little noticed, use your leisure in observing others.
It were unjust and ungrateful to conceive that the amusements of life
are altogether forbidden by its beneficent Author. They serve, on the
contrary, important purposes in the economy of human life, and are
destined to produce important effects both upon our happiness and
character. They are, in the first place, in the language of the
Psalmist, "the wells of the desert;" the kind resting-places in which
toil may relax, in which the weary spirit may recover its tone, and
where the desponding mind may resume its strength and its hopes. It is
not, therefore, the use of the innocent amusements of life which is
dangerous, but the abuse of them; it is not when they are occasionally,
but when they are constantly pursued; and when, from being an occasional
indulgence, it becomes an habitual desire.
Women in the middle rank are brought up with the idea that if they
engage in some occupations, they shall lose "their position in society."
Suppose it to be so; surely it is wiser to quit a position we cannot
honestly maintain, than to live dependent upon the bounty and caprice of
others; better to labor with our hands, than eat the bread of idleness;
or submit to feel that we must not give utterance to our real opinions,
or express our honest indignation at being required to act a base or
unworthy part. And in all cases, however situated, every female ought to
learn how all household affairs are managed, were it only for the
purpose of being able to direct others. There cannot be any disgrace in
learning how to make the bread we eat, to cook our dinners, to mend our
clothes, or even to clean the house. Better to be found busily engaged
in removing the dust from the furniture, than to let it accumulate there
until a visitor leaves palpable traces where his hat or his arm have
been laid upon a table.
Never put temptation in a servant's way; never be severe for trifling
offences, such as accidentally breaking anything, but reserve your
severity for those offences which are moral evils, such as a want of
truth, general laxity of principle, &c. The orders given to servants
should be clear and definite; and they should be trained as much as
possible to perform their duties regularly, so that every morning they
may know pretty nearly what will be expected of them during the day. It
is a great point to live, when you are alone, as if you expected
company; that is to say, to have everything so neat and orderly that you
need not be ashamed of any one seeing your table. It is very little more
trouble, and certainly no more expense; and the advantages in point of
comfort are unspeakable.
If a foolish girl, by dint of squeezing and bracing with busk and bones,
secures the conventional beauty of a wasp waist, she is tolerably
certain to gain an addition she by no means bargained for, a _red nose_,
which, in numberless instances, is produced by no other cause than the
unnatural girth, obstructing circulation, and causing stagnation of the
blood, in that prominent and important feature. Often, in assemblages of
the fair, we have seen noses faultless in form, but tinged with the
abhorred hue, to which washes and cosmetics have been applied in wild
despair; but in vain! If the lovely owners had known the cause, how
speedily the effect would have vanished! for surely the most perverse
admirer of a distorted spine and compressed lungs, would deem the
acquisition of a dram-drinker's nose, too heavy a condition to be
complied with.
A well-bred woman will not demand as a right what she may have a claim
to expect from the politeness of the other sex, nor show dissatisfaction
and resentment if she fancies herself neglected. For want of good
breeding some females are exorbitant in their expectations, and appear
unthankful even when everything is done which true politeness demands.
Young women should guard against this unamiable defect.
A well-bred person will take care not to use slang words and
expressions. There never has been a time, at least in late years, when
there have not been some two or three cant vulgarisms in vogue among all
the blackguards of the country. Sometimes these phrases have been caught
up from some popular song or farce; sometimes, we believe, they have had
their origin "where assembles the collective wisdom of the country." A
dozen of these terse but meaningless sayings now dance before our
recollection, for who has not heard them, even to loathing? But from
whatever source they may have been drawn, or whatever wit there might be
in their original position, the obtrusion of them into decent society is
an unwarrantable piece of impertinence.
A habit of inserting into familiar conversation such phrases as "You
know," "You perceive," "You understand," "Says he," "Says she," is, so
far as those matters extend, a sign of a want of good breeding.
With regard to any specific rules for dressing, we do not pretend to
arbitrate in such matters. Let a true sense of propriety, of the fitness
of things, regulate all your habits of living and dressing, and it will
produce such a beautiful harmony and consistency of character as will
throw a charm around you that all will feel, though few may comprehend.
Always consider well whether the articles of dress, which you wish to
purchase, are suited to your age, your condition, your means; to the
climate, to the particular use to which you mean to put them; and let
the principles of good taste keep you from the extremes of the fashion,
and regulate the form, so as to combine utility and beauty, whilst the
known rules of harmony in colors save you from shocking the eye of the
artist by incongruous mixtures.
"Manners," says the eloquent Edmund Burke, "are of more importance than
laws. Upon them, in a great measure, the laws depend. The law can touch
us here and there, now and then. Manners are what vex or sooth, corrupt
or purify, exalt or debase, barbarise or refine, by a constant, steady,
uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in. They
give their whole form and colors to our lives. According to their
quality they aid morals, they supply them, or they totally destroy
them."
FOUR IMPORTANT RULES.
"Order is heaven's first law."
1. A suitable place for everything, and everything in its place.
2. A proper time for everything, and everything done in its time.
3. A distinct name for everything, and everything called by its name.
4. A certain use for everything, and everything put to its use.
Much time would be saved; many disputes avoided; numerous articles kept
from being lost or injured, and constant confusion and disorder
prevented, by the strict observance of these four important rules.
Dispense with ornaments altogether rather than wear mock jewelry.
Depend upon it, silvery hair is better adapted to the faded cheeks of
middle age, than are tresses of nut-brown or coal-black, or any of the
mysterious shades produced by a dirty decoction called Hair-dye.
The habitual use of very thin shoes invariably makes the feet tender,
and a host of other inconveniences arise therefrom. If you are tempted
to purchase tight shoes, don't, for several reasons; but one may
suffice--you will not wear them more than twice.
If you are not quite certain of the line between neatness and the
reverse, be over-scrupulous about your under garments. The edge of a
soiled petticoat, or the glimpse of a rent stocking is singularly
disenchanting.
Men of sense--I speak not of boys of eighteen to five and twenty,
during their age of detestability--men who are worth the trouble of
falling in love with, and the fuss and inconvenience, of being married
to, and to whom one might, after some inward conflicts, and a course
perhaps of fasting and self-humiliation, submit to fulfil those
ill-contrived vows of obedience which are exacted at the altar, such men
want, for their wives, companions, not dolls; and women who would suit
such men are just as capable of loving fervently, deeply, as the
Ringlettina, full of song and sentiment, who cannot walk, cannot rise in
the morning, cannot tie her bonnet-strings, faints if she has to lace
her boots, never in her life brushed out her beautiful hair, would not
for the world prick her delicate finger with plain sewing; but who can
work harder than a factory girl upon a lamb's-wool shepherdess, dance
like a dervise at balls, ride like a fox-hunter, and, whilst every
breath of air gives her cold in her father's house, and she cannot think
how people can endure this climate, she can go out to parties in
February and March, with an inch of sleeve and half-a-quarter of
boddice.
All circumstances well examined, there can be no doubt Providence has
willed that man should be the head of the human race, even as woman is
its heart; that he should be its strength, as she is its solace; that he
should be its wisdom, as she is its grace; that he should be its mind,
its impetus, and its courage, as she is its sentiment, its charm, and
its consolation. Too great an amelioration could not be effected, in our
opinion, in the system generally adopted, which, far from correcting or
even compensating the presumed intellectual inequality of the two
sexes, generally serves only to increase it. By placing, for example,
dancing and needle-work at the extreme poles of female study, the one
for its attraction and the other for its utility, and by not filling the
immense interval with anything more valuable than mere monotonous,
imperfect, superficial, and totally unphilosophical notions, this system
has made of the greater number of female seminaries, establishments
which may be compared alike to nursery-grounds for coquettes and
sempstresses. It is never remembered that in domestic life conversation
is of more importance than the needle or choregraphy; that a husband is
neither a pacha nor a lazzarone, who must be perpetually intoxicated or
unceasingly patched; that there are upon the conjugal dial many long
hours of calm intimacy, of cool contemplation, of cold tenderness; and
that the husband makes another home elsewhere if his own hearth offers
him only silence; or what is a hundred times worse, merely frivolous and
monotonous discourse. Let the woman play the gossip at a given moment,
that is all very well; let her superintend the laundry or the kitchen at
another, that is also very well; but these duties only comprise
two-thirds of her mission. Ought care not to be taken that during the
rest of her time she could also be capable of becoming to her husband a
rational friend, a cheerful partner, an interesting companion, or, at
least, an efficient listener, whose natural intelligence, even if
originally inferior to his own, shall, by the help of education, have
been raised to the same level!
Pascal says: "Kind words do not cost much. They never blister the tongue
or lips. And we have never heard of any mental trouble arising from
this quarter. Though they do not cost much. 1. They help one's own good
nature. Soft words soften our own soul. Angry words are fuel to the
flame of wrath, and make it blaze more fiercely. 2. Kind words make
other people good natured. Cold words freeze people, and hot words
scorch them, and bitter words make them bitter, and wrathful words make
them wrathful. There is such a rush of all other kinds of words in our
days, that it seems desirable to give kind words a change among them.
There are vain words, and idle words, and hasty words, and spiteful
words, and silly words, and empty words, and profane words, and
boisterous words, and warlike words. Kind words also produce their own
image on men's souls. And a beautiful image it is. They smooth, and
quiet, and comfort the hearer. They shame him out of his sour, morose,
unkind feelings. We have not yet begun to use kind words in such
abundance as they ought to be used."
A writer in the New York Observer, speaking of the necessity of guarding
the tongue, says:--
"It is always well to avoid saying everything that is improper; but it
is especially so before children. And here parents, as well as others,
are often in fault. Children have as many ears as grown persons, and
they are generally more attentive to what is said before them. What they
hear, they are very apt to repeat; and, as they have no discretion, and
not sufficient knowledge of the world to disguise anything, it is
generally found that 'children and fools speak the truth.' See that
boy's eyes glisten while you are speaking of a neighbor in a language
you would not wish to have repeated. He does not fully understand what
you mean, but he will remember every word; and it will be strange if he
does not cause you to blush by the repetition.
"A gentleman was in the habit of calling at a neighbor's house, and the
lady had always expressed to him great pleasure from his calls. One day,
just after she had remarked to him, as usual, her happiness from his
visit, her little boy entered the room. The gentleman took him on his
knee, and asked, 'Are you not glad to see me, George?' 'No, sir,'
replied the boy. 'Why not, my little man?' he continued. 'Because mother
don't want you to come,' said George. 'Indeed! how do you know that,
George?' Here the mother became crimson, and looked daggers at her
little son. But he saw nothing, and therefore replied, 'Because, she
said yesterday, she wished that old bore would not call here again.'
That was enough. The gentleman's hat was soon in requisition, and he
left with the impression that 'great is the truth, and it will prevail.'
"Another little child looked sharply in the face of a visitor, and being
asked what she meant by it, replied, 'I wanted to see if you had a drop
in your eye; I heard mother say you had frequently.'
"A boy once asked one of his father's guests who it was that lived next
door to him, and when he heard his name, inquired if he was not a fool.
'No, my little friend,' replied the guest, 'he is not a fool, but a very
sensible man. But why did you ask that question?' 'Because,' replied the
boy, 'mother said the other day, that you were next door to a fool; and
I wanted to know who lived next door to you.'"
The best way to overcome the selfishness and rudeness you sometimes meet
with on public occasions, is, by great politeness and disinterestedness
on your part; overcome evil with good, and you will satisfy your own
conscience, and, perhaps, touch theirs. Contending for your rights stirs
up the selfish feelings in others; but a readiness to yield them awakens
generous sentiments, and leads to mutual accommodation. The more refined
you are, and the greater have been your advantages, the more polite and
considerate you should be toward others, the more ready to give place to
some poor, uneducated girl, who knows no better than to push herself
directly in your way.
Politeness is as necessary to a happy intercourse with the inhabitants
of the kitchen, as with those of the parlor; it lessens the pains of
service, promotes kind feelings on both sides, and checks unbecoming
familiarity; always thank them for what they do for you, and always ask
rather than command their services.
Of late years, the wearing of jewelry, in season and out of season, both
by matrons and unmarried females, has increased vastly. It is an
indication that the growing wealth of the people is not accompanied by a
corresponding refinement; but that the love of vulgar show, the low
pride of ostentation, takes the place of a pure and elevated taste. The
emulation with fashionable dames, now-a-days, so far from being, as with
the Spartan women, to excel each other in household virtues, is to wear
the largest diamonds. And, in this ambition, they forget fitness,
beauty, taste, everything but the mere vulgar desire to shine. To be
gracefully and elegantly attired, in short, is secondary to the desire
to be a sort of jeweler's walking show-card. We do not oppose the use of
diamonds and pearls altogether, as some persons might imagine from these
remarks. A few diamonds, judiciously worn, look well, on proper
occasions, on married women. But young girls rarely, or never, improve
their appearance by the use of these dazzling jewels; and, as a general
rule, the simpler the costume of a woman in her teens, the better. Women
are usually pretty, up to the age of twenty, at least. Consequently, at
this period of life, there are few whom an elaborate attire does not
injure; a simple dress, or a rose-bud in the hair, is frequently all
that is required; and more only spoils that combination of youthfulness,
grace, and modesty, which it should be the highest ambition of the girl
to attain; because, if she did but know it, it is her highest charm.
Instead of this, however, we see gay females, scarcely freed from the
nursery, wearing enormous jeweled ear-drops, or sporting on the finger,
a diamond ring as large as a sixpence. Sometimes, too, ladies pretending
to be well-bred, descend to receive a morning visitor of their own sex,
glittering like a jeweler's case, with costly gems. In all this, we
repeat, there is neither refinement nor elegance, but simply vulgar
ostentation. Female dress has ceased to be a means of beautifying the
person or displaying the wearer's taste, and has become instead, a mere
brag of the husband's or father's wealth.
A knowledge of domestic duties is beyond all price to a woman. Every
one of the sex ought to know how to sew, and knit, and mend, and cook,
and superintend a household. In every situation of life, high or low,
this sort of knowledge is of great advantage. There is no necessity that
the gaining of such information should interfere with intellectual
acquirement or even elegant accomplishment. A well-regulated mind can
find time to attend to all. When a girl is nine or ten years old, she
should be accustomed to take some regular share in household duties, and
to feel responsible for the manner in which her part is performed--such
as her own mending, washing the cups and putting them in place, cleaning
silver, or dusting and arranging the parlor. This should not be done
occasionally, and neglected whenever she finds it convenient--she should
consider it her department. When older than twelve, girls should begin
to take turns in superintending the household--making puddings, pies,
cakes, &c. To learn effectually, they should actually do these
themselves, and not stand by and see others do them. Many a husband has
been ruined for want of these domestic qualities in a wife--and many a
husband has been saved from ruin by his wife being able to manage well
the household concerns.
It is a mark, not only of ill-breeding, but of positive want of feeling
and judgment, to speak disparagingly of a physician to one of his
patients. Many persons, visiting an invalid friend, will exclaim loudly
against the treatment pursued, recommend a different doctor, and add to
the sufferings of the patient by their injudicious remarks upon the
medicines or practice used.
It is too much the fashion, in conversation, to use exaggerated
expressions which are opposed to _truth_, without the person employing
them being aware of it, from the mere force of habit. Why need we say
splendid for pretty, magnificent for handsome, horrid for unpleasant,
immense for large, thousands, or myriads, for any number more than two?
This practice is pernicious, for the effect is to deprive the person who
is guilty of it, from being believed, when she is in earnest. No one can
trust the testimony of an individual who, in common conversation, is
indifferent to the import, and regardless of the value of words.
Politeness is very essential to the right transaction of that great
business of woman's life, _shopping_. The variety afforded by the shops
of a city renders people difficult to please; and the latitude they take
in examining and asking the price of goods, which they have no thought
of buying, is so trying to the patience of those who attend upon them,
that nothing but the most perfect courtesy of demeanor can reconcile
them to it. Some persons behave, in shopping, as if no one had any
rights, or any feelings, but the purchasers; as if the sellers of goods
were mere automatons, put behind the counter to do their bidding; they
keep them waiting, whilst they talk of other things, with a friend; they
call for various goods, ask the price, and try to cheapen them, without
any real intention of buying. A lady who wants decision of character,
after hesitating and debating, till the poor trader's patience is almost
exhausted, will beg him to send the article to her house, for her to
examine it there; and, after giving him all this trouble, she will
refuse to purchase it, without any scruple or apology. Some think they
have a right to exchange articles at the place where they were bought;
whereas that privilege should be asked as a favor, only by a good
customer,--and then but rarely.
RECEIPTS.
FOR THE COMPLEXION.
COLD CREAM, 1.--Take 2-1/2 ounces of sweet oil of almonds, 3 drachms of
white wax, and the same of spermaceti, 2-1/2 ounces of rose-water, 1
drachm of oil of bergamot, and 15 drops each of oil of lavender, and
otto of roses. Melt the wax and spermaceti in the oil of almonds, by
placing them together in a jar, which should be plunged into boiling
water. Heat a mortar (which should, if possible, be _marble_) by pouring
boiling water into it, and letting it remain there until the mortar is
uniformly heated; the water is to be poured away, and the mortar dried
well. Pour the melted wax and spermaceti into the warm mortar, and add
rose-water gradually, while the mixture is constantly stirred or whisked
with an egg-whisp, until the whole is cold, and, when nearly finished,
add the oils and otto of roses.
In the absence of a mortar, a basin plunged into another containing
boiling water will answer the purpose.
COLD CREAM, 2.--Take 10 drachms of spermaceti, 4 drachms of white wax,
half a pound of prepared lard, 15 grains of subcarbonate of potash, 4
ounces of rose-water, 2 ounces of spirits of wine, and ten drops of otto
of roses.
Proceed as above. Some persons prefer orange-flower-water instead of
rose-water, in which case use the same proportions.
Cold cream is a useful local application to hard and dry parts of the
skin, to abrasions and cracks. When spread thickly upon rag, it is an
excellent application to blistered surfaces or burns, or may be used to
protect exposed parts from the influence of the sun.
GRANULATED COLD CREAM.--Take white wax and spermaceti, of each one
ounce; almond oil 3 ounces, otto of rose, as much as you please.
Dissolve the wax and spermaceti in the almond oil, by means of heat, and
when a little cool, pour the mixture into a large wedgwood mortar
previously warmed, and containing about a pint of warm water. Stir
briskly until the cream is well divided, add the otto, and _suddenly_
pour the whole into a clean vessel containing 8 or 12 pints of _cold
water_. Separate the cream by straining through muslin, and shake out as
much water as possible.
WHITE CAMPHORATED OINTMENT, 1.--Take 3 ounces 2 drachms of powdered
carbonate of lead (cerussa), 45 grains of powdered camphor. Mix, and
then stir into 5 ounces of melted lard.
This is applied to burns and contusions with very good effect, and is
much used in Austria. The surface must not be abraded when it is
applied.
WHITE CAMPHORATED OINTMENT, 2.--Take 4 ounces of olive oil, 1 ounce of
white wax, 22 grains of camphor, and 6 drachms of spermaceti. Melt the
wax and spermaceti with the oil, and when they have cooled rub the
ointment with the camphor, dissolved in a little oil. Sometimes the
white wax is omitted, and lard substituted for it.
It is useful in chaps, fissures, abrasions, and roughness of the skin.
PITCH POMADE, 1.--Take 1 drachm of pitch, and 1 ounce of lard. Mix well,
and apply twice a day to the affected parts.
This is used for ringworm, and scald head.
TO SOFTEN THE SKIN, AND IMPROVE THE COMPLEXION.--If flowers of sulphur
be mixed in a little milk, and, after standing an hour or two, the milk
(without disturbing the sulphur) be rubbed into the skin, it will keep
it soft, and make the complexion clear. It is to be used before washing.
TO REMOVE BLACK STAINS FROM THE SKIN.--Ladies that wear mourning in warm
weather are much incommoded by the blackness it leaves on the arms and
neck, and which cannot easily be removed, even by soap and warm water.
To have a remedy always at hand, keep, in the drawer of your wash-stand,
a box, containing a mixture in equal portions of cream of tartar, and
oxalic acid (POISON). Get, at a druggist's, half an ounce of each of
these articles, and have them mixed and pounded together in a mortar.
Put some of this mixture into a cup that has a cover, and if,
afterwards, it becomes hard, you may keep it slightly moistened with
water. See that it is always closely covered. To use it, wet the black
stains on your skin with the corner of a towel, dipped in water (warm
water is best, but is not always at hand). Then, with your finger, rub
on a little of the mixture. Then _immediately_ wash it off with water,
and afterwards with soap and water, and the black stains will be visible
no longer. This mixture will also remove ink, and all other stains from
the fingers, and from _white_ clothes. It is more speedy in its effects
if applied with warm water. No family should be without it, but care
must be taken to keep it out of the way of young children, as, if
swallowed, it is poisonous.
PASTES.
ALMOND.--Take 1 ounce of bitter almonds, blanch and pound them to a fine
powder, then add 1 ounce of barley flour, and make it into a smooth
paste by the addition of a little honey. When this paste is laid over
the skin, particularly where there are freckles, it makes it smooth and
soft.
PALATINE.--Take 8 ounces of soft-soap, of olive oil, and spirits of
wine, each 4 ounces, 1-1/2 ounce of lemon-juice, sufficient silver-sand
to form into a thick paste, and any perfume that is grateful to the
person. Boil the oil and soap together in a pipkin, and then gradually
stir in the sand and lemon-juice. When nearly cool add the spirit of
wine, and lastly the perfume. Make into a paste with the hands, and
place in jars or pots for use.
This paste is used instead of soap, and is a valuable addition to the
toilette, as it preserves the skin from chapping, and renders it smooth
and soft.
AMERICAN COSMETIC POWDER.--Calcined magnesia applied the same as
ordinary toilette powders, by means of a swan's-down ball, usually
called a "puff."
MALOINE.--Take 4 ounces of powdered marsh-mallow roots, 2 ounces of
powdered white starch, 3 drachms of powdered orris-root, and 20 drops of
essence of jasmine. Mix well, and sift through fine muslin.
This is one of the most agreeable and elegant cosmetics yet known for
softening and whitening the skin, preserving it from chapping, and being
so simple that it may be applied to the most delicate or irritable skin.
This receipt has never before been published, and we know that only six
bottles of it have been made.
OXIDE OF ZINC is sprinkled into chaps and fissures to promote their
cure.
YAOULTA.--Take 1 ounce of white starch, powdered and sifted, 1/2 a
drachm of rose pink, 10 drops of essence of jasmine, and 2 drops of otto
of roses. Mix and keep in a fine muslin bag.
This exquisite powder is to be dusted over the face, and, being
perfectly harmless, may be used as often as necessity requires. It also
imparts a delicate rosy tinge to the skin preferable to rouge.
CREME DE L'ENCLOS.--Take 4 ounces of milk, 1 ounce of lemon-juice, and 2
drachms of spirit of wine. Simmer over a slow fire, and then bring it to
the boil, skim off the scum, and when cold apply it to the skin.
It is much used by some persons to remove freckles and sun-burnings.
WASHES AND LOTIONS.
MILK OF ROSES, 1.--Take 2 ounces of blanched almonds; 12 ounces of
rose-water; white soft-soap, or Windsor soap; white wax; and oil of
almonds, of each 2 drachms; rectified spirit, 3 ounces; oil of bergamot,
1 drachm; oil of lavender, 15 drops; otto of roses, 8 drops. Beat the
almonds well, and then add the rose-water gradually so as to form an
emulsion, mix the soap, white wax, and oil together, by placing them in
a covered jar upon the edge of the fire-place, then rub this mixture in
a mortar with the emulsion. Strain the whole through very fine muslin,
and add the essential oils, previously mixed with the spirit.
This is an excellent wash for "sunburns," freckles, or for cooling the
face and neck, or any part of the skin to which it is applied.
MILK OF ROSES, 2.--This is not quite so expensive a receipt as the last;
and, at the same time is not so good.
Take 1 ounce of Jordan almonds; 5 ounces of distilled rose-water; 1
ounce of spirit of wine; 1/2 a drachm of Venetian soap, and 2 drops of
otto of roses. Beat the almonds (previously blanched and well dried with
a cloth) in a mortar, until they become a complete paste, then beat the
soap and mix with the almonds, and afterwards add the rose-water and
spirit. Strain through a very fine muslin or linen, and add the otto of
roses.
The common milk of roses sold in the shops, frequently contains salt of
tartar, or pearlash, combined with olive oil and rose-water, and
therefore it is better to make it yourself to ensure it being good.
FRENCH MILK OF ROSES.--Mix 2-1/2 pints of rose-water with 1/2 a pint of
rosemary-water, then add tincture of storax and tincture of benzoin, of
each 2 ounces; and _esprit de rose_, 1/2 an ounce. This is a useful wash
for freckles.
GERMAN MILK OF ROSES.--Take of rose-water and milk of almonds, each 3
ounces; water 8 ounces; rosemary-water 2 ounces; and spirit of lavender
1/2 an ounce. Mix well, and then add 1/2 an ounce of sugar of lead.
This is a dangerous form to leave about where there are children, and
should never be applied when there are any abrasions, or chaps on the
surface.
MILK OF ALMONDS.--Blanch 4 ounces of Jordan almonds, dry them with a
towel, and then pound them in a mortar; add 2 drachms of white or curd
soap, and rub it up with the almonds for about ten minutes or rather
more, gradually adding one quart of rose-water, until the whole is well
mixed, then strain through a fine piece of muslin, and bottle for use.
This is an excellent remedy for freckles and sunburns, and may be used
as a general cosmetic, being applied to the skin after washing by means
of the corner of a soft towel.
ANTI-FRECKLE LOTION, 1.--Take tincture of benzoin, 2 ounces; tincture of
tolu, 1 ounce; oil of rosemary, 1/2 a drachm. Mix well and bottle. When
required to be used, add a teaspoonful of the mixture to about a
wine-glassful of water, and apply the lotion to the face or hands, &c.,
night and morning, carefully rubbing it in with a soft towel.
ANTI-FRECKLE LOTION, 2.--Take 1 ounce of rectified spirit of wine; 1
drachm of hydrochloric acid (spirit of salt); and 7 ounces of water. Mix
the acid gradually with the water, and then add the spirit of wine;
apply by means of a camel's-hair brush, or a piece of flannel.
GOWLAND'S LOTION.--Take 1-1/2 grains of bichloride of mercury, and 1
ounce of emulsion of bitter almonds; mix well. Be careful of the
bichloride of mercury, because it is a poison.
This is one of the best cosmetics for imparting a delicate appearance
and softness to the skin, and is a useful lotion in acne, ringworm, hard
and dry skin, and sun-blisterings.
COLD CREAM.--Sweet almond oil, 7 lbs. by weight, white wax, 3/4 lb.,
spermaceti, 3/4 lb., clarified mutton suet, 1 lb., rose-water, 7 pints,
spirits of wine, 1 pint. Directions to mix the above:--Place the oil,
wax, spermaceti, and suet in a large jar; cover it over tightly, then
place it in a saucepan of boiling water, (having previously placed two
or more pieces of fire-wood at the bottom of the saucepan, to allow the
water to get underneath the jar, and to prevent its breaking) keep the
water boiling round the jar till all the ingredients are dissolved; take
it out of the water, and pour it into a large pan previously warmed and
capable of holding 21 pints; then, with a wooden spatula, stir in the
rose-water, cold, as quickly as possible, (dividing it into three or
four parts, at most,) the stirring in of which should not occupy above
five minutes, as after a certain heat the water will not mix. When all
the water is in, stir unremittingly for thirty minutes longer, to
prevent its separating, then add the spirits of wine, and the scent, and
it is finished. Keep it in a cold place, in a white glazed jar, and do
not cut it with a _steel_ knife, as it causes blackness at the parts of
contact. Scent with otto of roses and essential oil of bergamot to
fancy. For smaller quantities, make ounces instead of pounds.
PALM SOAP.--I make it in the following manner:--Cut thin two pounds of
yellow soap into a double saucepan, occasionally stirring it till it is
melted, which will be in a few minutes if the water is kept boiling
around it; then add quarter of a pound of palm oil, quarter of a pound
of honey, three pennyworth of true oil of cinnamon; let all boil
together another six or eight minutes; pour out and stand it by till
next day; it is then fit for immediate use. If made as these directions
it will be found to be a very superior soap.
CURE FOR CHAPPED HANDS.--Take 3 drachms of gum camphor, 3 drachms of
white beeswax, 3 drachms of spermaceti, 2 ounces of olive oil,--put them
together in a cup upon the stove, where they will melt slowly and form a
white ointment in a few minutes. If the hands be affected, anoint them
on going to bed, and put on a pair of gloves. A day or two will suffice
to heal them.
TO WHITEN THE NAILS.--Diluted sulphuric acid, 2 drachms; tincture of
myrrh, 1 drachm; spring water, 4 ounces. Mix. First cleanse with white
soap, and then dip the fingers into the mixture.
TO WHITEN THE HANDS.--Take a wine-glassful of eau de Cologne, and
another of lemon-juice; then scrape two cakes of brown Windsor soap to a
powder, and mix well in a mould. When hard, it will be an excellent soap
for whitening the hands.
FOR THE TEETH.
TO REMOVE TARTAR FROM THE TEETH.--1st. The use of the tooth-brush night
and morning, and, at least, rinsing the mouth after every meal at which
animal food is taken. 2nd. Once daily run the brush lightly two or three
times over soap, then dip it in salt, and with it clean the teeth,
working the brush up and down rather than--or as well as--backwards and
forwards. This is a cheap, safe, and effectual dentrifice. 3rd. Eat
freely of common cress, the sort used with mustard, under the name of
small salad; it must be eaten with salt only. If thus used two or three
days in succession it will effectually loosen tartar, even of long
standing. The same effect is produced, though perhaps not in an equal
degree, by eating strawberries and raspberries, especially the former. A
leaf of common green sage rubbed on the teeth is useful both in
cleansing and polishing, and probably many other common vegetable
productions also.
CARE OF THE TEETH.--The water with which the teeth are cleansed should
be what is called lukewarm. They should be well but gently brushed both
night and morning; the brush should be neither too hard nor too soft.
The best tooth-powders are made from cuttle-fish, prepared chalk, and
orris-root commingled together in equal quantities.
SIMPLE MEANS OF REMOVING TARTAR FROM THE TEETH.--In these summer months,
tartar may be effectually removed from the teeth, by partaking daily of
strawberries.
TOOTH POWDER.--Powdered orris-root, 1/2 an ounce; powdered charcoal, 2
ounces, powdered Peruvian bark, 1 ounce; prepared chalk, 1/2 an ounce;
oil of bergamot, or lavender, 20 drops. These ingredients must be well
worked up in a mortar, until thoroughly incorporated. This celebrated
tooth-powder possesses three essential virtues, giving an odorous
breath, cleansing and purifying the gums, and preserving the enamel; the
last rarely found in popular tooth-powders.
TOOTH-POWDER.--One of the best tooth-powders that can be used may be
made by mixing together 1-1/2 ounces prepared chalk, 1/2 ounce powder of
bark, and 1/4 ounce of camphor.
A CHEAP BUT GOOD TOOTH-POWDER.--Cut a slice of bread as thick as may be,
into squares, and burn in the fire until it becomes charcoal, after
which pound in a mortar, and sift through a fine muslin; it is then
ready for use.
CHEAP AND INVALUABLE DENTIFRICE.--Dissolve 2 ounces of borax in three
pints of water; before quite cold, add thereto one tea-spoonful of
tincture of myrh, and one table-spoonful of spirits of camphor; bottle
the mixture for use. One wine-glass of the solution, added to half a
pint of tepid water, is sufficient for each application. This solution,
applied daily, preserves and beautifies the teeth, extirpates all
tartarous adhesion, produces a pearl-like whiteness, arrests decay, and
induces a healthy action in the gums.
INVALUABLE DENTIFRICE.--Dissolve two ounces of borax in three pints of
boiling water; before quite cold, add one tea-spoonful of tincture of
myrrh, and one table-spoonful of spirits of camphor; bottle the mixture
for use. One wine-glassful of this solution, added to half a pint of
tepid water, is sufficient for each application.
FOR THE HAIR.
LOSS OF HAIR.--The most simple remedy for loss of hair, is friction to
the scalp of the head, using for the purpose an old tooth-brush, or one
of which the bristles have been softened by soaking in boiling water.
The shape of the instrument adapts it to be inserted readily and
effectually between the hair, where it should be rubbed backwards and
forwards over the space of an inch or so at a time. In addition to the
friction, which should be used once or twice a day, the head may be
showered once a day with cold water, carefully drying it with soft,
spongy towels.
POMATUM.--Take of white mutton suet 4 pounds, well boiled in hot water,
(3 quarts,) and washed to free it from salt. Melt the suet, when dried,
with 1-1/2 pounds of fresh lard, and 2 pounds of yellow wax. Pour into
an earthen vessel, and stir till it is cold; then beat into it 30 drops
of oil of cloves, or any other essential oil whose scent you prefer. If
this kind of pomatum is too hard, use less wax.
At times numbers of loose hairs come away in the brushing or combing.
Such cases as these will generally be found remedial. Wilson recommends
women with short hair to dip their heads into cold water every morning,
and afterwards apply the brush until a glow of warmth is felt all over
the scalp. Those who have long hair are to brush it till the skin
beneath becomes red, when a lotion is to be applied, as here specified.
Eau de Cologne 2 oz.
Tincture of Cantharides 1/2 oz.
Oil of Nutmegs 1/2 drachm.
Oil of Lavender 10 drops.
To be well mixed together.
Another is composed of:--
Mezereon bark in small pieces 1 oz.
Horse-Radish root in small pieces 1 oz.
Boiling distilled Vinegar 1/2 pint.
Let this infusion stand for a week, and then strain through muslin for
use.
If irritating to the skin, these lotions can be made weaker, or less
frequently applied than might otherwise be necessary. Either of them, or
distilled vinegar alone, may be rubbed into a bald patch with a
tooth-brush. The same lotions may also be used if the hair is disposed
to become gray too early; as they invigorate the apparatus situated
beneath the skin, and enable it to take up coloring matter. Dyeing of
the hair is a practice which ought never to be resorted to. Those who
are unwilling or unable to discontinue the practice of applying some
kind of dressing to the hair, should, at least, content themselves with
a simple, yet good material. The best olive oil is most suitable for the
purpose, scented with otto of roses or bergamot; the latter, as many
persons know, is the essence of a species of mint. The same scents may
also be used for pomatum, which should be made of perfectly pure lard,
or marrow.
HAIR OILS, &c.--When used moderately, oils, ointments, &c., tend to
strengthen the hair, especially when it is naturally dry. When used in
excess, however, they clog the pores, prevent the escape of the natural
secretions, and cause the hair to wither and fall off. The varieties of
"oils," "Greases," "ointments," rivaling each-other in their high
sounding pretensions, which are daily imposed upon public credulity, are
interminable. We add one or two of the most simple.
FOR THICKENING THE HAIR.--To one ounce of Palma Christi oil, add a
sufficient quantity of bergamot or lavender to scent it. Apply it to the
parts where it is most needed, brushing it well into the hair.
AN OINTMENT FOR THE HAIR.--Mix two ounces of bear's grease, half an
ounce of honey, one drachm of laudanum, three drachms of the powder of
southernwood, three drachms of the balsam of Peru, one and a half
drachms of the ashes of the roots of bulrushes, and a small quantity of
the oil of sweet almonds.
MACASSAR OIL.--It is said to be compounded of the following
ingredients:--To three quarts of common oil, add half-a-pint of spirits
of wine, three ounces of cinnamon powder, and two ounces of bergamot;
heat the whole in a large pipkin. On removing from the fire, add three
or four small pieces of alkanet root, and keep the vessel closely
covered for several hours. When cool, it may be filtered through a
funnel lined with filtering paper.
Whether oils are used or not, the hair ought night and morning to be
carefully and elaborately brushed. This is one of the best preservatives
of its beauty.
The following is recommended as an excellent Hair Oil:--Boil together
half-a-pint of port wine, one pint and a-half of sweet oil, and
half-a-pound of green southernwood. Strain the mixture through a linen
rag several times; adding, at the last operation, two ounces of bear's
grease. If fresh southernwood is added each time it passes through the
linen, the composition will be improved.
POMADE VICTORIA.--This highly-praised and excellent pomade is made in
the following way--and if so made, will be found to give a beautiful
gloss and softness to the hair:--Quarter of a-pound of honey and
half-an-ounce of bees' wax simmered together for a few minutes and then
strain. Add of oil of almonds, lavender, and thyme, half-a-drachm each.
Be sure to continue stirring till quite cold, or the honey and wax will
separate.
LEMON POMATUM.--Best lard, two pounds; suet, half-a-pound; dissolve with
a gentle heat, and mix them well together. Then add four ounces of
orange-flower water, and four ounces of rose-water, and mix them well
together before adding, or they will separate. Having done this, add a
quarter of an ounce of essence of lemon; half-a-drachm of musk, and
half-a-drachm of oil of thyme.
TO COLOR POMATUM.--Yellow, by palm oil or annatto; red, by alkanet root;
and green, by guaiacum, or the green leaves of parsley.
BANDOLINE FOR THE HAIR, (A FRENCH RECEIPT).--To one quart of water put
1/2 ounce of quince pips, boil it nearly an hour, stirring it well,
strain it through a fine muslin, let it stand twenty-four hours, and
then add fourteen drops of the essential oil of almonds. A
dessert-spoonful of brandy may be added, if required to keep a long
time.
BANDOLINE FOR THE HAIR.--Take of castor oil, two ounces; spermaceti,
one drachm; oil of bergamot, one drachm; mix with heat and strain; then
beat in six drops otto of roses. If wished colored, add half-a-drachm of
annatto.
ANOTHER.--I furnish you with an excellent form of Bandoline, much more
quickly made than others. Have a small packet of powdered gum dragon by
you, and when you require any fresh bandoline, take a tea-spoonful of
the powder, and pour enough of boiling water on it to make a small
bottle full. Scent with otto of roses.
CURLING FLUID.--Place two pounds of common soap, cut small, into three
pints of spirits of wine, with eight ounces of potash, and melt the
whole, stirring it with a clean piece of wood. Add, on cooling, essence
of amber, vanilla, and neroli, of each quarter of an ounce. The best
method of keeping _ringlets_ in curl, is the occasional application of
the yolk of an egg, and the hair, afterwards, well washed in lukewarm
water. Apply the egg with a tooth or hair-brush.
FOR THE LIPS.
VERY EXCELLENT LIP-SALVE.--Take four ounces of butter, fresh from the
churn, cut it small, put it into a jar, cover it with good rose-water,
and let it remain for four or five days; then drain it well, and put it
into a small and very clean saucepan, with one ounce of spermaceti, and
one of yellow beeswax sliced thin, a quarter of an ounce of bruised
alkanet root, two drachms of gum benzoin, and one of storax, beaten to
powder, half an ounce of loaf sugar, and the strained juice of a
moderate sized lemon. Simmer these gently, keeping them stirred all the
time, until the mixture looks very clear, and sends forth a fine
aromatic odour; then strain it through a thin doubled muslin, and stir
to it from twelve to twenty drops of essential oil of roses, and pour it
into small gallipots, from which it can easily be turned out when cold,
and then be rubbed against the lips, which is the most pleasant way of
using it, as it is much firmer than common lip-salve, and will be found
more healing and infinitely more agreeable. When butter cannot be had
direct from the churn, any which is quite fresh may be substituted for
it, after the salt has been well washed and soaked out of it, by working
it with a strong spoon in cold water, in which it should remain for a
couple of days or more, the water being frequently changed during the
time.
ROSE LIP-SALVE.--8 ounces sweet almond oil, 4 ounces prepared mutton
suet, 1-1/2 ounces white wax, 2 ounces spermaceti, 20 drops otto; steep
a small quantity of alkanet root in the oil, and strain before using.
Melt the suet, wax, and spermaceti together, then add the coloric oil
and otto.
LIP-SALVES.--A good lip-salve may be made as follows:--Take an ounce of
the oil of sweet almonds, cold drawn; a drachm of fresh mutton suet; and
a little bruised alkanet root: and simmer the whole together in an
earthen pipkin. Instead of the oil of sweet almonds you may use oil of
Jasmin, or oil of any other flower, if you intend the lip-salve to have
a fragrant odour.--2. Take a pound of fresh butter; a quarter of a pound
of beeswax; four or five ounces of cleansed black grapes, and about an
ounce of bruised alkanet root. Simmer them together over a slow fire
till the wax is wholly dissolved, and the mixture becomes of a bright
red color; strain, and put it by for use. 3. Oil of almonds, spermaceti,
white wax, and white sugar-candy, equal parts, form a good white
lip-salve.
SUPERIOR LIP-SALVE.--White wax, two and a half ounces; spermaceti, three
quarters of an ounce; oil of almonds, four ounces. Mix well together,
and apply a little to the lips at night.
ANOTHER.--A desert spoonful of salad oil in a saucer, hold it over a
candle, and drop melted wax over it till the oil is thinly covered, when
they are incorporated, pour it into boxes.--(Wax taper will do.)
FOR CORNS.
CURE FOR CORNS.--Place the feet for half an hour, two or three nights
successively, in a pretty strong solution of common soda. The alkali
dissolves the indurated cuticle, and the corn falls out spontaneously,
leaving a small excavation, which soon fills up.
TO REMOVE CORNS.--Get four ounces of white diachylon plaster, four
ounces of shoemaker's wax, and sixty drops of muriatic acid or spirits
of salt. Boil them for a few minutes in an earthen pipkin, and when
cold, roll the mass between the hands and apply a little on a piece of
white leather.
A CERTAIN CURE FOR SOFT CORNS.--Dip a piece of soft linen rag in
turpentine, and wrap it round the toe on which the soft corn is, night
and morning; in a few days the corn will disappear; but the relief is
instantaneous.
PERFUMES.
TO MAKE EAU DE COLOGNE.--Rectified spirits of wine, four pints; oil of
bergamot, one ounce; oil of lemon, half an ounce; oil of rosemary, half
a drachm; oil of Neroli, three quarters of a drachm; oil of English
lavender, one drachm; oil of oranges, one drachm. Mix well and then
filter. If these proportions are too large, smaller ones may be used.
EAU DE COLOGNE.--Oil of neroli, citron, bergamot, orange, and rosemary,
of each twelve drops; cardamom seeds, one drachm; spirits of wine, one
pint. Let it stand for a week.
LAVENDER WATER.--Oil of lavender, 2 drachms; oil of bergamot, 1/2
drachm; essence of musk, 1 drachm; spirits of wine, 13 ounces; water, 5
ounces. Let it stand for a week.
FOR KEEPING THE WARDROBE IN ORDER.
TO CLEAN KID GLOVES.--Make a strong lather with curd soap and warm
water, in which steep a small piece of new flannel. Place the glove on a
flat, clean, and unyielding surface--such as the bottom of a dish, and
having thoroughly soaped the flannel (when squeezed from the lather),
rub the kid till all dirt be removed, cleaning and resoaping the flannel
from time to time. Care must be taken to omit no part of the glove, by
turning the fingers, &c. The gloves must be dried in the sun, or before
a moderate fire, and will present the appearance of old parchment. When
quite dry, they must be gradually "pulled out," and will look new.
ANOTHER.--First see that your hands are clean, then put on the gloves
and wash them, as though you were washing your hands, in a basin of
spirits of turpentine, until quite clean; then hang them up in a warm
place, or where there is a good current of air, which will carry off all
smell of the turpentine. This method was brought from Paris, and
thousands of dollars have been made by it.
TO CLEAN COLORED KID GLOVES.--Have ready on a table a clean towel,
folded three or four times, a saucer of new milk, and another saucer
with a piece of brown soap. Take one glove at a time, and spread it
smoothly on the folded towel. Then dip in the milk a piece of clean
flannel, rub it on the soap till you get off a tolerable quantity, and
then, with the wet flannel, commence rubbing the glove. Begin at the
wrist, and rub lengthways towards the end of the fingers, holding the
glove firmly in your right-hand. Continue this process until the glove
is well cleaned all over with the milk and soap. When done, spread them
out, and pin them on a line to dry gradually. When nearly dry, pull them
out evenly, the crossway of the leather. When quite dry, stretch them on
your hands. White kid gloves may also be washed in this manner, provided
they have never been cleaned with India-rubber.
TO CLEAN WHITE OR COLORED KID GLOVES.--Put the glove on your hand, then
take a small piece of flannel, dip it in camphene, and well, but gently,
rub it over the glove, _taking care not to make it too wet_, when the
dirt is removed, dip the flannel (or another piece if that is become too
dirty) into pipe-clay and rub it over the glove; take it off, and hang
it up in a room to dry, and in a day or two very little smell will
remain; and if done carefully they will be almost as good as new. In
colored ones, if yellow, use gamboge after the pipe-clay, and for other
colors match it in dry paint.
TO CLEAN WHITE KID GLOVES.--Stretch the gloves on a clean board, and rub
all the soiled or grease-spots with cream of tartar or magnesia. Let
them rest an hour. Then have ready a mixture of alum and Fuller's earth
(both powdered), and rub it all over the gloves with a brush (a clean
tooth-brush or something similar), and let them rest for an hour or two.
Then sweep it all off, and go over them with a flannel dipped in a
mixture of bran and finely powdered whiting. Let them rest another hour;
then brush off the powder, and you will find them clean.
TO CLEAN LIGHT KID GLOVES.--Put on one glove, and having made a strong
lather with common brown soap, apply it with a shaving brush, wiping it
off immediately with a clean towel, then blow into the glove, and leave
it to dry.
AN EXCELLENT PASTE FOR GLOVES.--Liquor of ammonia half an ounce,
chloride of potash ten ounces, curd soap one pound, water half a pint;
dissolve the soap in the water, with a gentle heat, then as the mixture
cools, stir in the other ingredients. Use it, by rubbing it over the
gloves until the dirt is removed.
TO WASH THREAD LACE.--Rip off the lace, carefully pick out the loose
bits of thread, and roll the lace very smoothly and securely round a
clean black bottle, previously covered with old white linen, sewed
tightly on. Tack each end of the lace with a needle and thread, to keep
it smooth; and be careful in wrapping not to crumple or fold in any of
the scallops or pearlings. After it is on the bottle, take some of the
_best_ sweet oil and with a clean sponge wet the lace thoroughly to the
inmost folds. Have ready in a wash-kettle, a strong _cold_ lather of
clear water and white Castile soap. Fill the bottle with cold water, to
prevent its bursting, cork it well, and stand it upright in the suds,
with a string round the neck secured to the ears or handle of the
kettle, to prevent its knocking about and breaking while over the fire.
Let it boil in the suds for an hour or more, till the lace is clean and
white all through. Drain off the suds, and dry it on the bottle in the
sun. When dry, remove the lace from the bottle and roll it round a wide
ribbon-block; or lay it in long folds, place it within a sheet of
smooth, white, paper, and press it in a large book for a few days.
TO WASH A WHITE LACE VEIL.--Put the veil into a strong lather of white
soap and very clear water, and let it simmer slowly for a quarter of an
hour. Take it out and squeeze it well, but be sure not to rub it. Rinse
it in two cold waters, with a drop or two of liquid blue in the last.
Have ready some very clear and weak gum-arabic water, or some thin
starch, or rice-water. Pass the veil through it, and clear it by
clapping. Then stretch it out even, and pin it to dry on a linen cloth,
making the edge as straight as possible, opening out all the scallops,
and fastening each with pins. When dry, lay a piece of thin muslin
smoothly over it, and iron it on the wrong side.
TO WASH A BLACK LACE VEIL.--Mix bullock's gall with sufficient hot water
to make it as warm as you can bear your hand in. Then pass the veil
through it. It must be squeezed, and not rubbed. It will be well to
perfume the gall with a little musk. Next rinse the veil through two
cold waters, tinging the last with indigo. Then dry it. Have ready in a
pan some stiffening made by pouring boiling water on a very small piece
of glue. Pat the veil into it, squeeze it out, stretch it, and clap it.
Afterwards pin it out to dry on a linen cloth, making it very straight
and even, and taking care to open and pin the edge very nicely. When
dry, iron it on the wrong side, having laid a linen cloth over the
ironing-blanket. Any article of black lace may be washed in this manner.
TO CLEAN WHITE SATIN AND FLOWERED SILKS.--1. Mix sifted stale bread
crumbs with powder blue, and rub it thoroughly all over, then shake it
well, and dust it with clean, soft cloths. Afterwards, where there are
any gold or silver flowers, take a piece of crimson ingrain velvet, rub
the flowers with it, which will restore them to their original lustre.
2. Pass them through a solution of fine hard soap, at a hand heat,
drawing them through the hand. Rinse in lukewarm water, dry and finish
by pinning out. Brush the flossy or bright side with a clean
clothes-brush, the way of the nap. Finish them by dipping a sponge into
a size, made by boiling isinglass in water, and rub the wrong side.
Rinse out a second time, and brush, and dry near a fire, or in a warm
room. Silks may be treated in the same way, but not brushed.
TO CLEAN WHITE SILK.--Dissolve some of the best curd soap in boiling
water, and when the solution is as hot as the hand can bear, pass the
silk through it thoroughly, handling it gently, not to injure the
texture. If there are any spots, these may be rubbed carefully until
they disappear. The article must then be rinsed in lukewarm water.
TO IRON SILK.--Silk cannot be ironed smoothly, so as to press out all
the creases, without first sprinkling it with water, and rolling it up
tightly in a towel, letting it rest for an hour or two. If the iron is
in the least too hot, it will injure the color, and it should first be
tried on an old piece of the same silk.
TO WASH SILK.--Half a pint of gin, four ounces of soft soap, and two
ounces of honey, well shaken; then rub the silk, with a sponge (wetted
with the above mixture), upon a table, and wash through two waters, in
which first put two or three spoonfuls of ox gall, which will brighten
the colors, and prevent their running. The silks should not be wrung,
but well shaken and hung up smoothly to dry, and mangled while damp. The
writer has had _green_ silk dresses washed by this receipt, and they
have looked as well as new.
TO RENOVATE BLACK SILK.--Slice some uncooked potatoes, pour boiling
water on them; when cold sponge the right side of the silk with it, and
iron on the wrong.
TO KEEP SILK.--Silk articles should not be kept folded in white paper,
as the chloride of lime used in bleaching the paper will probably impair
the color of the silk. Brown or blue paper is better--the yellowish
smooth India paper is best of all. Silk intended for a dress should not
be kept in the house long before it is made up, as lying in the folds
will have a tendency to impair its durability by causing it to cut or
split, particularly if the silk has been thickened by gum. We knew an
instance of a very elegant and costly thread-lace veil being found, on
its arrival from France, cut into squares (and therefore destroyed) by
being folded over a pasteboard card. A white satin dress should be
pinned up in blue paper, with coarse brown paper outside, sewed together
at the edges.
TO RESTORE VELVET.--When velvet gets plushed from pressure, holding the
reverse side over a basin of boiling water will raise the pile, and
perhaps it may also succeed in the case of wet from rain.
TO IRON VELVET.--Having ripped the velvet apart, damp each piece
separately, and holding it tightly in both hands, stretch it before the
fire, the wrong side of the velvet being towards the fire. This will
remove the creases, and give the surface of the material a fresh and new
appearance. Velvet cannot be ironed on a table, for, when spread out on
a hard substance, the iron will not go smoothly over the pile.
TO CLEAN ERMINE AND MINIVAR FUR.--Take a piece of soft flannel, and rub
the fur well with it (but remember that the rubbing must be always
against the grain); then rub the fur with common flour until clean.
Shake it well, and rub again with the flannel till all the flour is out
of it. I have had a Minivar boa for four years. It has never been
cleaned with anything but flour, and is not in the least injured by the
rubbing. It was a school companion who told me that her aunt (a Russian
lady) always cleaned her white furs with flour, and that they looked
quite beautiful. It has one advantage--the lining does not require to be
taken out, and it only requires a little trouble. Ermine takes longer
than Minivar. The latter is very easily done.
TO PERFUME LINEN.--Rose-leaves dried in the shade, or at about four feet
from a stove, one pound; cloves, carraway-seeds, and allspice, of each
one ounce; pound in a mortar, or grind in a mill; dried salt, a quarter
of a pound; mix all these together, and put the compound into little
bags.
TO RESTORE SCORCHED LINEN.--Take two onions, peel and slice them, and
extract the juice by squeezing or pounding. Then cut up half an ounce of
white soap, and two ounces of fuller's earth; mix with them the onion
juice, and half a pint of vinegar. Boil this composition well, and
spread it, when cool, over the scorched part of the linen, leaving it to
dry thereon. Afterwards wash out the linen.
TO WHITEN LINEN THAT HAS TURNED YELLOW.--Cut up a pound of fine white
soap into a gallon of milk, and hang it over the fire in a wash-kettle.
When the soap has entirely melted, put in the linen, and boil it half an
hour. Then take it out; have ready a lather of soap and warm water; wash
the linen in it, and then rinse it through two cold waters, with a very
little blue in the last.
TO WASH CHINA CRAPE SCARFS, &c.--If the fabric be good, these articles
of dress can be washed as frequently as may be required, and no
diminution of their beauty will be discoverable, even when the various
shades of green have been employed among other colors in the patterns.
In cleaning them, make a strong lather of boiling water--suffer it to
cool; when cold, or nearly so, wash the scarf quickly and thoroughly,
dip it immediately in cold hard water, in which a little salt has been
thrown (to preserve the colors), rinse, squeeze, and hang it out to dry
in the open air; pin it at its extreme edge to the line, so that it may
not in any part be folded together; the more rapidly it dries, the
clearer it will be.
TO CLEAN EMBROIDERY AND GOLD LACE.--For this purpose no alkaline liquors
are to be used; for while they clean the gold, they corrode the silk,
and change its color. Soap also alters the shade, and even the species
of certain colors. But spirit of wine may be used without any danger of
its injuring either color or quality; and, in many cases, proves as
effectual for restoring the lustre of the gold as the corrosive
detergents. But, though spirits of wine is the most innocent material
employed for this purpose, it is not in all cases proper. The golden
covering may be in some parts worn off; or the base metal with which it
has been alloyed may be corroded by the air, so as to leave the
particles of the gold disunited; while the silver underneath, tarnished
to a yellow hue, may continue a tolerable color to the whole, so it is
apparent that the removal of the tarnish would be prejudicial, and make
the lace or embroidery less like gold than it was before. It is
necessary that care should be taken.
TO REMOVE STAINS OF WINE OR FRUIT FROM TABLE LINEN.--A wine stain may
sometimes be removed by rubbing it, while wet, with common salt. It is
said, also, that sherry wine poured immediately on a place where port
wine has been spilled, will prevent its leaving a stain. A _certain_ way
of extracting fruit or wine stains from table-linen is to tie up some
cream of tartar in the stained part (so as to form a sort of bag), and
then to put the linen into a lather of soap and cold water, and boil it
awhile. Then transfer it wet to a lukewarm suds, wash and rinse it well,
and dry and iron it. The stains will disappear during the process.
Another way, is to mix, in equal quantities, soft soap, slackened lime,
and pearl-ash. Rub the stain with this preparation, and expose the linen
to the sun with the mixture plastered on it. If necessary, repeat the
application. As soon as the stain has disappeared, wash out the linen
immediately, as it will be injured if the mixture is left in it.
STAIN MIXTURE.--Take an ounce of sal-ammoniac (or hartshorn) and an
ounce of salt of tartar--mix them well, put them into a pint of soft
water, and bottle it for use, keeping it very tightly corked. Pour a
little of this liquid into a saucer, and wash in it those parts of a
white article that have been stained with ink, mildew, fruit, or red
wine. When the stains have, by this process, been removed, wash the
article in the usual manner.
CHEMICAL RENOVATING BALLS--for taking out grease, paint, pitch, tar,
from silks, stuffs, linen, woolen, carpets, hats, coats, &c., without
fading the color or injuring the cloth:--1/4 ounce of fuller's earth,
1/4 ounce of pipe-clay, 1 ounce salt of tartar, 1 ounce beef gall, 1
ounce spirits of wine. Pound the hard parts and mix the ingredients well
together. Wet the stain with cold water, rub it well with this ball,
then sponge it with a wet sponge and the stain will disappear.
TO PREVENT COLORED THINGS FROM RUNNING.--Boil 1/4 pound of soap till
nearly dissolved, then add a small piece of alum and boil with it. Wash
the things in this lather, but do not soap them. If they require a
second water put alum to that also as well as to the rinsing and blue
water. This will preserve them.
TO REMOVE STAINS FROM MOURNING DRESSES.--Take a good handful of
fig-leaves, and boil them in two quarts of water until reduced to a
pint. Squeeze the leaves and put the liquor into a bottle for use. The
articles, whether of bombasin, crape, cloth, &c., need only be rubbed
with a sponge dipped in the liquor, when the effect will be instantly
produced. If any reason exists to prevent the substance from being
wetted, then apply French chalk, which will absorb the grease from the
finest texture without injury.
TO SHRINK NEW FLANNEL.--New flannel should always be shrunk or washed
before it is made up, that it may be cut out more accurately, and that
the grease which is used in manufacturing it may be extracted. First,
cut off the list along the selvage edges of the whole piece. Then put it
into warm (not boiling) water, without soap. Begin at one end of the
piece, and rub it with both hands till you come to the other end; this
is to get out the grease and the blue with which new white flannel is
always tinged. Then do the same through another water. Rinse it through
a clean, lukewarm water; wring it lengthways, and stretch it well. In
hanging it out on a line do not suspend it in festoons, but spread it
along the line straight and lengthways. If dried in festoons, the edges
will be in great scollops, making it very difficult to cut out. It must
be dried in the sun. When dry let it be stretched even, clapped with the
hands, and rolled up tight and smoothly, till wanted.
GUM ARABIC STARCH.--Get two ounces of fine, white gum arabic, and pound
it to powder. Next put it into a pitcher, and pour on it a pint or more
of boiling water (according to the degree of strength you desire), and
then, having covered it, let it set all night. In the morning, pour it
carefully from the dregs into a clean bottle, cork it, and keep it for
use. A table-spoonful of gum water stirred into a pint of starch that
has been made in the usual manner, will give to lawns (either white or
printed) a look of newness to which nothing else can restore them after
washing. It is also good (much diluted) for thin white muslin and
bobinet.
TO WASH WHITE THREAD GLOVES AND STOCKINGS.--These articles are so
delicate as to require great care in washing, and they must not on any
account be rubbed. Make a lather of white soap and _cold_ water, and put
it into a saucepan. Soap the gloves or stockings well, put them in, and
set the saucepan over the fire. When they have come to a hard boil, take
them off, and when cool enough for your hand, squeeze them in the water.
Having prepared a fresh cold lather, boil them again in that. Then take
the pan off the fire, and squeeze them well again, after which they can
be stretched, dried, and then ironed on the wrong side.
TO CLEAN SILK STOCKINGS.--First wash the stockings in the usual manner,
to take out the rough dirt. After rinsing them in clean water, wash them
well in a fresh soap liquor. Then make a third soap liquor, which color
with a little stone-blue; then wash the stockings once more, take them
out, wring them, and particularly dry them. Now stove them with
brimstone, and draw on a wooden leg two stockings, one upon the other,
observing that the two fronts or outsides are face to face. Polish with
a glass bottle. The two first liquors should be only lukewarm, but the
third as hot as you can bear your hand in. Blondes and gauzes may be
whitened in the same manner, but there should be a little gum put in the
last liquor before they are stoved.
TO TAKE OUT MILDEW FROM CLOTHES.--Mix some soft soap with powdered
starch, half as much salt, and the juice of a lemon, lay it on the part
with a brush, let it be exposed in the air day and night, until the
stain disappears. Iron-moulds may be removed by the salt of lemons. Many
stains in linen may be taken out by dipping linen in sour buttermilk,
and then drying it in the sun; afterwards wash it in cold water several
times. Stains caused by acids may be removed by tying some pearlash up
in the stained part; scrape some soap in cold, soft water, and boil the
linen till the stain is out.
BLEACHING STRAW.--Straw is bleached, and straw bonnets cleaned, by
putting them into a cask into which a few brimstone matches are placed
lighted. The fumes of the sulphur have the effect of destroying the
color, or whitening the straw. The same effect may be produced by
dipping the straw into the chloride of lime dissolved in water.
TO WASH MOUSELINE-DE-LAINE.--Boil a pound of rice in five quarts of
water, and, when cool enough, wash in this, using the rice for soap.
Have another quantity ready, but strain the rice from this and use it
with warm water, keeping the rice strained off for a third washing
which, at the same time, stiffens and also brightens the colors.
TO BLEACH A FADED DRESS.--Wash the dress in hot suds, and boil it until
the color appears to be gone; then rinse it and dry it in the sun.
Should it not be rendered white by these means, lay the dress in the
open air, and bleach it for several days. If still not quite white,
repeat the boiling.
INDELIBLE MARKING INK, WITHOUT PREPARATION.--1-1/2 drachms nitrate of
silver (lunar caustic), 1 ounce distilled water, 1/2 ounce strong
mucilage of gum arabic, 3/4 drachm liquid ammonia; mix the above in a
clean glass bottle, cork tightly, and keep in a dark place till
dissolved, and ever afterwards. Directions for use:--Shake the bottle,
then dip a clean quill pen in the ink, and write or draw what you
require on the article; immediately hold it close to the fire, (without
scorching) or pass a hot iron over it, and it will become a deep and
indelible black, indestructible by either time or acids of any
description.
MIXTURE FOR REMOVING INK STAINS AND IRON-MOULDS.--Cream of tartar and
salts of sorrel, one ounce each; mix well, and keep in a stoppered
bottle.
TO WASH HAIR-BRUSHES.--Never use soap. Take a piece of soda, dissolve
it in warm water, stand the brush in it, taking care that the water only
covers the bristles; it will almost immediately become white and clean;
stand it to dry in the open air with the bristles downwards, and it will
be found to be as firm as a new brush.
TO CLEAN HEAD AND CLOTHES-BRUSHES.--Put a table-spoonful of pearl-ash
into a pint of boiling water. Having fastened a bit of sponge to the end
of a stick, dip it into the solution, and wash the brush with it;
carefully going in among the bristles. Next pour over it some clean hot
water, and let it lie a little while. Then drain it, wipe it with a
cloth, and dry it before the fire.
Lola Montez in her "Arts of Beauty" gives the following receipts for
complexion, hair, &c:--
FOR THE COMPLEXION.--"Infuse wheat-bran, well sifted, for four hours in
white wine vinegar, add to it five yolks of eggs and two grains of
ambergris, and distill the whole. It should be carefully corked for
twelve or fifteen days, when it will be fit for use.
"Distill two handfuls of jessamine flowers in a quart of rose-water and
a quart of orange-water. Strain through porous paper, and add a scruple
of musk and a scruple of ambergris."
TO GIVE ELASTICITY OF FORM.--
"Fat of the stag or deer 8 oz.
Florence oil (or olive oil) 6 oz.
Virgin wax 3 oz.
Musk 1 grain.
White brandy 1/2 pint.
Rose-water 4 oz.
"Put the fat, oil, and wax into a well glazed earthen vessel, and let
them simmer over a slow fire until they are assimilated; then pour in
the other ingredients, and let the whole gradually cool, when it will be
fit for use. There is no doubt but that this mixture, frequently and
thoroughly rubbed upon the body on going to bed, will impart a
remarkable degree of elasticity to the muscles. In the morning, after
this preparation has been used, the body should be thoroughly wiped with
a sponge, dampened with cold water."
FOR THE COMPLEXION.--"Take equal parts of the seeds of the melon,
pumpkin, gourd, and cucumber, pounded till they are reduced to powder;
add to it sufficient fresh cream to dilute the flour, and then add milk
enough to reduce the whole to a thin paste. Add a grain of musk, and a
few drops of the oil of lemon. Anoint the face with this, leave it on
twenty or thirty minutes, or overnight if convenient, and wash off with
warm water. It gives a remarkable purity and brightness to the
complexion.
"Infuse a handful of well sifted wheat bran for four hours in white wine
vinegar; add to it five yolks of eggs and two grains of musk, and
distill the whole. Bottle it, keep carefully corked fifteen days, when
it will be fit for use. Apply it over night, and wash in the morning
with tepid water."
TOOTH-POWDER.--
"Prepared chalk 6 oz.
Cassia powder 1/2 oz.
Orris-root 1 oz.
"These should be thoroughly mixed and used once a day with a firm
brush.
"A simple mixture of charcoal and cream of tartar is an excellent
tooth-powder."
TO WHITEN THE HAND.--"Both Spanish and French women--those, at least,
who are very particular to make the most of these charms--are in the
habit of sleeping in gloves which are lined or plastered over with a
kind of pomade to improve the delicacy and complexion of their hands.
This paste is generally made of the following ingredients:--
"Take half a pound of soft soap, a gill of salad oil, an ounce of mutton
tallow, and boil them till they are thoroughly mixed. After the boiling
has ceased, but before it is cold, add one gill of spirits of wine, and
a grain of musk.
"If any lady wishes to try this, she can buy a pair of gloves three or
four sizes larger than the hand, rip them open and spread on a thin
layer of the paste, and then sew the gloves up again. There is no doubt
that by wearing them every night they will give smoothness and a fine
complexion to the hands. Those who have the means, can send to Paris and
purchase them ready made.
"If the hands are inclined to be rough and to chap, the following wash
will remedy the evil.
Lemon-juice 3 oz.
White wine vinegar 3 oz.
White brandy 1/2 pint."
FOR THE HAIR.--"Beat up the white of four eggs into a froth, and rub
that thoroughly in close to the roots of the hair. Leave it to dry on.
Then wash the head and hair clean with a mixture of equal parts of rum
and rose-water."
"HONEY-WATER.--
"Essence of ambergris 1 dr.
Essence of musk 1 dr.
Essence of bergamot 2 drs.
Oil of cloves 15 drops.
Orange-flower water 4 oz.
Spirits of wine 5 oz.
Distilled water 4 oz.
"All these ingredients should be mixed together, and left about fourteen
days, then the whole to be filtered through porous paper, and bottled
for use.
"This is a good hair-wash and an excellent perfume."
"TO REMOVE PIMPLES.--There are many kinds of pimples, some of which
partake almost of the nature of ulcers, which require medical treatment;
but the small red pimple, which is most common, may be removed by
applying the following twice a-day:--
"Sulphur water 1 oz.
Acetated liquor of ammonia 1/4 oz.
Liquor of potassa 1 gr.
White wine vinegar 2 oz.
Distilled water 2 oz."
"TO REMOVE BLACK SPECKS OR 'FLESHWORMS.'--Sometimes little black specks
appear about the base of the nose, or on the forehead, or in the hollow
of the chin which are called 'fleshworms,' and are occasioned by
coagulated lymph that obstructs the pores of the skin. They may be
squeezed out by pressing the skin, and ignorant persons suppose them to
be little worms. They are permanently removed by washing with warm
water, and severe friction with a towel, and then applying a little of
the following preparation:--
"Liquor of potassa 1 oz.
Cologne 2 oz.
White brandy. 4 oz.
"The warm water and friction alone are sometimes sufficient."
"TO REMOVE FRECKLES.--The most celebrated compound ever used for the
removal of freckles was called Unction de Maintenon, after the
celebrated Madame de Maintenon, mistress and wife of Louis XIV. It is
made as follows:--
"Venice soap 1 oz.
Lemon-juice 1/2 oz.
Oil of bitter almonds 1/4 oz.
Deliquidated oil of tartar 1/4 oz.
Oil of rhodium 3 drops
"First dissolve the soap in the lemon-juice, then add the two oils, and
place the whole in the sun till it acquires the consistence of ointment,
and then add the oil of rhodium. Anoint the freckly face at night with
this unction, and wash in the morning with pure water, or, if
convenient, with a mixture of elder-flower and rose-water.
"TO REMOVE TAN.--An excellent wash to remove tan is called Creme de
l'Enclos, and is made thus:
"New milk 1/2 pint.
Lemon-juice 1/4 oz.
White brandy 1/2 oz.
"Boil the whole, and skim it clear from all scum. Use it night and
morning.
"A famous preparation with the Spanish ladies for removing the effects
of the sun and making the complexion bright, is composed simply of equal
parts of lemon-juice and the white of eggs. The whole is beat together
in a varnished earthen pot, and set over a slow fire, and stirred with a
wooden spoon till it acquires the consistence of soft pomatum. This
compound is called Pommade de Seville. If the face is well washed with
rice-water before it is applied, it will remove freckles, and give a
fine lustre to the complexion."
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Transcriber's Note:
Minor punctuation errors (e.g. missing, misprinted or misplaced
punctuation) have been corrected without note. Inconsistent hyphenation
(e.g. ball room, ball-room; bon-bons, bonbons), spelling (e.g. visiters,
visitors) and capitalization (e.g. neroli, Neroli) have not been
corrected.
Many of the "Receipts" are nearly identical. This has not been changed.
The following changes were made to the text:
p. 31: admissable to admissible (black lace mittens are admissible)
p. 45: oclock to o'clock (Thursday evening next, at 8 o'clock)
p. 137: left to right (On the upper right hand corner of your envelope)
p. 160: violincello to violoncello (a piano, violin, and violoncello)
p. 204: missing "of" added (the most graceful of dances)
p. 214: guaze to gauze (with a gauze of a different color)
p. 221: kneedles to needles (needles should be of the smallest size)
p. 235: extra close quote removed (entered that house.)
p. 244: extra "the" removed (in the highest and lowest classes)
p. 260: returnes to returns (she returns from her bridal tour)
p. 278: double quotes to single quotes ('Appetite,' says Dr. Combe,
'revives after repose.')
p. 305: extra "a" removed (containing a mixture in equal portions)
p. 318: extra "of" removed (four ounces of butter)
p. 326: inpair to impair (impair the color)
p. 340: acquired to acquires (till it acquires)
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