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THE AMERICAN
Domestic Cyclopedia,
A VOLUME OF UN!VERSAL READY REFERENCE
FORJlmemtm ffottjen in ^LmmcHU JjjotneB,
Containing a Large Fund of Useful Information,
Facts, Hints and Suggestions
Upon the Various Topics Pertaining to Home Life,
HOME DECORATION, HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT, DOMESTIC
AFFAIRS, COOKERY, L.fDIES' FANCY WORK, MEDICAL
MATTERS, FLORICULTURE, ETIQUETTE, HOME
AMUSEMENTS, THE NURSERY, ARTISTIC
EMBROIDERY, DECOl.ATIVEPAINT-
ING, LACE MAKING, THE TOI-
LET, THE LA UNDRY, ETC.. Q
L
With One Hundred and Eighty-Nine Illustrations.
C- ~
New York:
P. M. LUPTON, PUBLISHER, Nos.106 AND 108 BeADE' fit'j.KEET. . -'


\
%

OOPIKIOHT BT
JC. M. LUPTOM,
1890.


PREFACE.
The object of this volume is to provide a helpful assistant, guide and counsellor to the housewife, which may be consulted at all times and in
any emergency, and it is believed that the information herein contained
will save labor, time and money in every household wherein the book shall
find a place. An attempt has been made, in the compilation of the book,
to include every subject in which woman is interested, wherein information
of a practical nature can be imparted through printed instructions. Con-
sequently not only are the various practical and necessary duties of woman
helpfully treated, but considerable space is likewise given to the more fan-
ciful employments of the sex, as for instance fancy work, embroidery, lace
making, home decoration, painting, floriculture, etc. It may be said that
the work is an epitome of nearly all that may be learned from books upon
the twin subjects of housekeeping and homemaking. Nor has the social
side of woman's existence been neglected, as a perusal of the excellent
departments of "Etiquette" and "Home Amusements " will abundantly
testify.
Particular attention is called to the valuable department of " The Nur-
sery," contributed by Mrs. Effie W. Merriman, a lady of experience and an
accomplished writer; to the department of " Artistic Embroidery," written
by the popular author and eminent authority upon the subject, Mrs. Ella
Bodman Church ; to the valuable department of " Cooking Recipes," com-
piled by a practical housekeeper and believed to be the best collection of
recipes ever contained in a volume of this character; to " The Home Physi-
cian," wherein will be found simple yet reliable and efficacious home reme-
dies for all common ailments, and to the excellent department of "Decora-
tive Painting," contributed by the talented sisters Linda and M. J. Clarkson.
The mission of the book is to lighten the cares and the burdens and to
multiply the pleasures and enjoyments of home. How to reduce labor by


iT PREFACE.
the application of methods discovered by practical and progressive women;
how to save time and money by the same or similar methods; how to sub-
due disease by the use of simple home remedies rather than the employ-
ment of a physician in ordinary emergencies; how to make the home
beautiful—these are subjects of immediate personal concern to every pro-
gressive housewife. That this book may save many a weary hour of labor,
and by helpful suggestion dispense many a blessing in every home wherein
it may find a place, is the earnest hope cf its compiler and authors.


CONTENTS.
1
PAGE
Home Decoration . . . . . . . .11
Etiquette , • ... 51
Artistic Emrroidery . , ..... 79
The Nursery ........ 138
Lace Making and Crochet ....... 181
Decorative Painting ..,•»«. 217
Home Amusements .....,,. 235
Cooking Recipes ....,.., 277
Ladies' Fancy Work . , . , , , , .349
Fixjriculture ........ 381
The Home Physician ....-•••


vi OONTENTM.
FAGE
The Toilet ........ 461
The Laundry . r ..... . .471
Hints and Helps ........ 483


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Embroidered Chair
Photograph Case—Closed
""Open
Ornamental Calendar
Portiere for a Drawing Boom Door
Decorative Folding Mirror
Paper Pocket
Fancy Table Cover .
Fancy* Work Bag
Curtain for Corner Hanging Closet
Pillow Sham
Drapery for Screen .
Window Lambrequin .
Painted and Embroidered Curtain
Palette Penwiper
Fancy Sachet
Hair Beceiver
Painted Tambourine
Calendar Panel .
Card Beceiver
Decorative Blotter
Fan Wall Pocket
Chair Scarf
Whisk-Broom Holder
Sachet
Thermometer
Fig. 1 .
,? 2.
"3
"4.
"5
"6 .
"7
"8 .
"9
"10.
■ 11
"12 .
"13
"14.
"15
"16.
"17
"18 .
"19
"24.
"21
It OQ *
"24.
"25
PAGE.
. 11
12
. 13
15
. 17
19
. 20
24
. 25
26
. 27
29
. 30.
32
. 33
31
. 36
37
. 38
39
. 40
41
. 42
43
. 44
45
. 81
81
. 81
81
. 82
82
. 83
84
. 84
84
. 84
85
. 86
91
. 91
92
. 93
93
. 93
94
. 94
94
. 94
94
. 94


LIST OFILLUSTRATIONS.
Fig.
20
27
28 -Medallion in Point Busse
"29 " ""
"30—Border in Point Jtusse
"31—Border for Furniture Covers, Portieres, etc.—Chain Stitch Em-
broidery .....
"32
"33
"34
"35
"36
"37
"38
"39
"40
"41
'• 42—Border for Cover of Bible, Prayer-Book, etc-
"43—Cover for Prayer-Book
"44—Corner of Border in Satin-Stitch Embroidery for
Portfolios, etc. ....
"45
"46 .
"47
"48 .
"49
"50 .
"51—Border in Applique
"52 .
"53
"54 .
"55—Design for Limp Mats—Application Embroidery
"56—Application Border .
"57 " " . .
"58
"59
"60—Border in Applique .
"61
"62—Hand Screen in Cueuille
Medallion Lace and Insertion
Vandyke Lace, with Braid
Insertion and Button-Hole Point .
Punnet Lace ....
Wheel Lace .....
Single Spider Web Lace, with Edge .
Beaver Lace .....
Single Chain and Shell Lace and Insertion
Tortoise Shell Lace: Knitting
Wi le Noveltv Braid, with Crochet Edge
Balbriggan Crochet Lace .
Crochet Design for Tidy
Lace for Flannel Skirts
Feather Edge Lace
S aw Tooth Edge in Crochet
Wheel Lace
Shell Lace . . .
Bee-Hive Lace .
Pineapple Insertion .
Clover-Leaf Edging
Crazy Lace .
Strawberry Lace in Crochet
Insertion for Strawberrv Lace
PAGE
95
90
97
97
98
99
100
100
100
102
103
104
104
104
106
109
117
118
Album Covers,
. 119
120
. 121
122
. 123
124
. 125
126
. 127
128
. 129
130
. 131
132
. 133
134
. 135
135
. 137
181
. 183
181
. 180
188
. 190
191
. 193
195
. 196
198
. 200
20i
. 204
205
. 206
207
. 208
210
. 211
212
. 218
215


LIST OF ILLbiSIXATWXS.
ix
Decorative Panel—Pond Lilies
Decorated Gourd .
Sofa Pillow, in Kensington
Decorated Banner .
Decorated Lamp Shade Hand-Painted Decorated Fan
Screen, in Tapestry or Bronze Painting
Shadow Pantomime—Fig. 1
<• <i "2 .
it « "3 .
Work Table Cover
Embroidery Designs—Blackberry
""Initial Letter
(( (c « I(
Work Basket
Pillow Sham .
Clothes Brush Holder—No. 1 .
Back of No. 1
Hanging B isket .
Ornamental Scrap Bag
Toilet Pincushion
Needle Cushion
Pen Wiper
Music Portfolio and Stand .
Fancy Card Basket
Screen
Slipper Case . . .
Card-Receiver and Watch Case
Toilet Bottle Case—Fig. 1
"" " "2 .
Catoh-All.
Ottoman
Toilet or Work Basket .
Crochet Sofa Pillow or Bolster
Handkerchief Box
Wall Pocket .
Floral Transparency';
Lamp Shade .
Glove Box and Cover .
Sachet
Ladies' Fancy Bag Parse
Scissor Case and Needle Cushion
Hanging Portfolio
Visiting Card Stand .
Work Basket, Open
"" Closed
Knitted Dressing Slipper—Fig. 1
Detail of Fig. 1—Fig. 2
(f II (( (( It Q
Stand for Cigar Ashes
Baby Basket
Embroidered Chair Cover .
Work Stand
Ivy for Picture Frames
Double Window and Plant Shelf
Pretty Arrangement for Sitting Room Windows
Bay Window with Plant Platform
Deep Bay Window with Brackets
Ornamental Wardian Case
Rustic Hanging Basket
The Mud System of Slipping Plants


LlbT OF ILLUjTBATluXS.
Rustic Flower Stand
A Miniature Green House
Megui rhiza Califoruica
Broinus Patulus Nanus
Bhynchocarpa Glomerata
Begonia Daviaii .
An Ivy Screen
A Living Vase .
A Wardian Case
Stand for Ferns .
Trellis for Plants
A Washing Machine
Convenient Clothes Bars
Clothes Sprinkler
PAQK
395
. 397
899
. 399
400
. 400
401
. 402
404
. 406
407
. 471
473
. 475


HOME DECORATION.
Embroidered Chair.—The chair in our illustration offers a suggestion
to ladies clever in applique work, being thus decorated on a ground of
olive green plush. As tapestry embroidery is now very fashionable, no
one need be at a loss for
a pretty chair, the plainest
one being converted to an
appearance of richness by
an oblong of this work on
the back and a square on
the seat. Beautiful pat-
terns can now be purchased
with the materials and col-
ors prepared for the work-
er's use. The colors are
all of the rich low or old
tones, and the effects
gained by their use are
wonderfully quaint and
pleasing. Bright, crude
colors are no longer used
in decoration. — Ladies'
World.
Quaint Friezes, Over-
mantels and Screens.—
An amateur decorator tells
of some pretty conceits for
beautifying the house as
follows: I saw a rather
quaint frieze the other day
for a staircase and hall,
painted on the rough
brown paper specially
adapted for the purpose.
An old witch riding on the
proverbial broom, with a moonlight sky; another a fairy on a rainbow.
Puck on his mushroom, owls on a crescent moon, and several other novel
designs were roughly dashed in with wonderful effect.
A pretty substitute for an overmantel is a mirror in a deep wooden
frame, small curtains of yellow silk falling on either side. One seen had
the upper part of the frame decorated with painted sprays of willow droop-
ing on to the grass, while the lower portion was arranged with water lilies,
a swallow being introduced here and there. On the mirror itself a couple
of swans floated, reflected in the lightly painted water. The whole effect
was very charming, and though a certain outlay of the "mighty dollar"

EMBROIDERED CHAIR.


12
HoMK DJSlOltATJOJr.
was necessary to begin with, the entire cost wan less than would be imag-
ined.
Overdoora are a great decorative addition to a room, three panels, a
large center one bordered by two smaller ones mounted on a pointed
frame, being effective, and handsome modeled flowers, birds or fruit are all
suitable, and landscapes always look well if well done.
A kitchen article that has been cleverly transformed into an artistic boudoir screen is the clothes horse, but not in the way that has hitherto
been seen. Three clothes horses, if double leafed, are required to make
two screens, and they must be of graduated sizes and each one unhinged.
One division, or half of each horse, is then taken and rehinged, and the re-
sult is a screen of three sized .graduated panels. The woodwork is painted,
and the frame hidden with upper panels of painted cloth, brocade or plush,
and lower ones in the dado style of drawn pongee silk. These screens are
handsome and look well in a room.
Photograph Case.—Two views of a handsome photograph ease are
here given. The article is made much after the manner of a mouchoir

PHOTOORAPH CASK—CLOSED.
case; it consists of a section of olive plush lined with pink Surah, the
whole being juven considerable thickness by layers of sheet wadding well
sprinkled with sachet powder. The ends are folded under nearly to the
center and the edges brought together are seamed, thus forming pockets
to contain the photographs. On the ouside near one end the word "Photo-
graphs" is embroidered diagonally, and at the other end is fastened a
bunch of pink carnations and a bow of wide soft ribbon, one end of whioh
is fringed. Of course, there is no limit to the choice of colors, and one
color may be used throughout if desired. Rich oriental stuffs, brocades,
flowered fabrics, velvets, silks, etc., are suitable for such cases, and when
flowers are applied, they should correspond with the perfume used. The
word decoration may be done in silks, flosses, metallic threads, bullion or


HOME DECORATION.
13
cord, as preferred. Sometimes the monogram or initials will be embroid-
ered on one of the pockets.
Decorative Notes.—Covers for occasional tables in Oriental embroid-
ery are very pretty, writes Eva M. Nilea in the Ladies' Home Companion.
The designs are varied, and the coloring on each is arranged with due
regard to the tint of the material. Smoke grays and electric blues seem to
vie with each other for priority of public fn-vor. One of silk—green, shot-
gold—suggests a fine, old brocade, with its conventionalized pomegranate
wrought out in softly modulated but rich tints. Another appears especially
adapted to serve as a mat beneath a lamp on the top of a grand piano. It
gives the brilliancy of effect secured when numbers of bright blossoms are
gathered together and tossed down without arrangement, for the dark,
.bluish ground is literally scattered over with conventionalized flowers.

PHOTOGRAPfl CASE—OPEN. The Arab cloth is a slightly ribbed fabric, which lends itself peculiarly well
to embroideries done with silks, as all these are, for the surface is suffi-
ciently smooth for the outlines to appear clearly defined, and it has not the
hardness of ordinary cloth, nor the harshness of serge. Stools, cushions,
etc., are all made on the same principle of grouping tints with a view to
obtain harmonious results.
To note what can be done in this way, a daring combination of crimson
and scarlet is seen on a deep blue, satin ground, and the success of the venture is perfect. Terra cottas and crimsons are delightful in combina-
tion, but it requires an artist's eye, educated and experienced, to balance
the tints aright. Of the smaller articles, we will mention first the dainty
opera and work-bags, greatly affected bv our own American ladies; but
their English cousins think them sufficiently nandsome to copy from. The


14 HOME DECORATION.
thick, soft satins, and the short surahs, lined with exquisitely contrasting colors, and decorated with variously-hued silks and finished off with plaited
silk and tassels. How can we best describe them efficiently? They are
gems of color, and we can only advise our lady readers to copy as near as
possible. D'oylyes are also very beautiful. Intricate embroideries on the
delicate cambric or Chinese silks make these articles of real value. Eigh-
teen different designs form one set . Sachets, work-baskets, book-covers,
scent-sachets and cards are to be found in great numbers, and these are
always acceptable presents.
A splendid table-slip, which I saw recently, was worked by a lady as a
present for a naval officer's mess. The coloring was selected purposely
to set off advantageously the fine silver belonging to the cutter. On a
ground of bright gold satin- a handsome design was carried out in delicate
shades of gray-blue and yellow, relieved with white and outlined with a .
deeper shade of gray-blue; the result was lb tender, silver-gray harmony,
very effective and novel.
Every year the demand for pretty articles, at a moderate price, grows
more urgent. An artistic little work-table, of the Moorish style, is very
pretty. It is of white enameled wood; after this comes its claim on ac-
count of its novelty. The top is composed of two flaps that open outward
and disclose a firm, square work-bag, with compartments for scissors, -
thimble, needle-book, and so on. The outside of the bag will be draped
with India silk, finished off with pompous. When the flaps are closed, it
makes a convenient occasional table, and the top is to be tastefully painted
with groups of flowers.
Some pretty bed spreads are made of No. 70 real Scotch linen thread,
knitted in a lace pattern. These, with pillow-shams to match, and lined
with colored silks, are very effective ; and, as good housekeepers say,
"last forever." A bed-spread of fine linen has a large, central medallion
of drawn-work, and a band of the same above the lace-trimmed hem.
Under the drawn-work a piece of silk of the same size is basted.
A dainty table-scarf is of pale-green velvet, embroidered in sprays of
lily-of-the-valley and darker green foliage. It is lined with white China
silk, and fringed at the ends, with green, silk tassel-fringe in shades. An-
other, of old-blue silk, has an all-over design of golden dragons, winged,
and is lined and fringed with old-gold silk.
A very handsome table cover is of thick, piled green velvet, with the
owner's monogram worked in silver and gold threads, and a conventional
border. It is finished with a dark-green chenille fringe, and a lining of
yellow silk.
An elegant fire-screen is made as follows: It is divided into two rows of
three panels, each of which is different in shape from its fellows. The
lower panels are covered with the finest brocade; whilst the smaller, upper
division, upon which the attention of the spectator is chiefly concentrated,
are of white, watered silk. Upon each silken pane is embroidered a differ-
ent wreath of flowers and leaves, to which a still richer effect is added by
the surrounding stems, worked in silver thread.
A blue room is a hazardous experiment, but there is a new blue matting
of the finer sort which fairly tempts one to try its effect, not to cover the
floor of a room, but also to form the dad i. The skirting board is of cream
white, and above the dado runs a narrow, cream shelf, and above that the
walls are painted in narrow, cream panels, framed in blue. The draperies
at the windows are of cream wbit«, tied with burnt si nna and blue, and


HOME DECORATION.
15
the door curtain is of burnt sienna, and some gilt-framed chairs are cov-
ered in plush of the same color, others in blue, framed in white, and one
or two are of mahogany of very nearly the same hue. There is a big, white
bear skin lying in front of the fireplace—not to hide the blending of blue

ORNAMENTAL CALENDAR.
and burnt sienna in its files —and a hammock with cushions of the two
colors.
Ornamental Calendar. —A unique style of calendar is here illus-
trated. A square of cardboard forms the foundation, which is covered


16 HOME DECORATION.
smootLly with plush or velvet on one side and with silk on the other, and
edged all round with silk cord of tun same or a contrasting shade. Through
one corner is drawn a loop of cord, that serves to suspend the square, and
the opposite corner is rolled over so as to deeply reverse the lower part of
die square, making a compartment fur the reception of pencils, pens, etc.
At either side of the roll is fastened a silk cord which is carried forward
diagonally and tied in a bunch of loops aud two ends some distance below
the ends being tipped with tassels. A bunch of loops and two ends of cord
are also fastened where each cord starts from, the ends also being tipped
with tassels. Above the roll a graceful rose-spray is hand-painted, em-
broidered or appliqued. The calendar is fastened underneath to the bot-
tom of the roll from which it depends.
Portieres—Portieres differ from window curtains in that they are
usually made of heavier fabrics, and are somewhat simple in their treat
ment unless for elaborate drawing-rooms or boudoir use. They are a' longer considered luxuries, but are fast developing into necessities. Por
tieres are made of a great variety of fabrics of different degrees of rich
ness, and there is no difficulty now-a-days to find materials to suit an^tf
position in the house. The simplest, cheapest, and most effective roug<0|
and ready portieres are made of the best quality of burlaps, the warm
coloring of which recommends its use for certain doorways, such as for
passages, piazza-doors, greenhouse entrances, doorway to kitchens, laun-
dries, etc. Worsted or wood momie, linen momie, felt cloth, chevron
tapestry, cotton Gobelins, Moquotte cretonne, French cotton tapestries, ju
tapestries, petit points, Smyrna cross-stripes, art-damask, Bolton sheetin
canton flannel and satin sheeting are among double-width materials set by the yard for making up in portieres.
The portiere in the illustration is composed of a figured material, pro-
bably French tapestry, and hangs from a doorway opening into a drawing
room; it is bordered with ball fringe and lined with a material which make it harmonize with the furnishings of the room beyond in which it is seen
This portiere is mounted in Flemish plaits, and the doorway being lofty, it
does not draw aside at the top, but is raised at the side and held back by
cords slipped over brass rosette-shaped holders. The upper cord loop is finished off by tassels and the lower one left plain. The opposite side of
the doorway, as seen in the illustration, is covered by a piece of the portiere
material, but this is a treatment not to be commended, because it has
nothing to recommend it; for, if the woodwork is unsightly or of the wrong
color, it can be changed by repairing or painting. This portiere is lined,
but a great variety of materials are in vogue which need no lining. In re-
gard to the looping back just described the writer would only countenance
it for very high doorways and for rich materials that one cannot handle
often. Where doorways are very high the hanging of a separate valance
has a pleasing effect, as the valance remains stationary and the portiere can
be drawn to and fro, and is most proper.
Very wide doorways look better when furnished with two portieres, and
a very narrow doorway may be made to look like a wide one simply by having two portieres hung on a pole projecting on either side beyond the
door posts or door frame, allowing the hangings to conceal the woodwork
entirely. It is not necessary or desirable to use a valance where the door-
way is low, or only of medinm height, as it would only still further dwarf
already low entrances ; in such cases the following expedient* may be used
nn-
rort
ngfl
1
ii'S


HOME DECORATION.
17

rOBTIERE FOR A DRAWING-ROOSI DOOB.


18 HOME DECOKATIOX.
according to location; if the portiere hangs before a doorway at the end of
a passage, and the intention is to share it conceal a low door and ornament
the passage, then hang the hanging or hangings from the lintel, as near the
top as convenient. If the place of hanging is between two rooms, and the
entrance wide or moderately so, a good plan is to hang two double-width
portieres of the same or a different harmonizing material, one on one side,
that is, one in one room aud the other in the other room, to draw aside in
opposite directions, both to be on poles set in brackets on the lintel.
A portiere of figured stuff does not really need ornamentation; it may
have a frieze of plain plush, velvet or flax-velours, or a dado if preferred-
but the majority look well without such ornamentation. Plain material
portieres may, however, have various ornamental treatments, such as
trimming with frieze and dado of plain or embroidered or figured materials;
they may also be decorated beautifully by applied designs in plush, satin
or velvet, or combinations, or be embroidered with conventional flowers at
intervals, or with groups of interlaced rings, squares or disks, or embroid-
ery, or applique work or both, in either case having a band of plush across
the top or bottom. Cords and tassels, long and short, suspended from the
frieze band, also fringes used in the same manner, make a very ornamental
finish. Some materials ravel with handsome ravellings, such for example
as chenille Turcoman, cotton canvas, and, I believe, Bolton sheeting ; when
the portiere is made of any of these B pleasing finish is to set on a frieze of
the same material showing a fringe of ravelling sixteen or eighteen inches
deep. Some workers ravel enough to make B heading with two tyings
forming a diamond network or openwork, which is very effective. In selec-
ting portieres the main idea, independent of fabric, is to get the coloring
that will harmonize with the interiors from which it will be seen. It may
be added that golden brown, deep old gold, olive green, deep old red,
maroon, and peacock blue are among the best colors to use; gray-blue
also is pleasing, as well as terra-cotta and golden olive. Many cross-stripe
stuffs are also admirable, as are oriental patterned goods in low rich colors.
Pincushion.—The following directions are for the orange pincushion,
and require one-fourth ounce of bright orange-colored Germantown yarn,
and about one-third as much shaded green.
1. Chain 4 with the orange wool, join, and work 3 double in each stitch
of the round.
2. Work 3 double on the first stitch, 1 double on the next stitch, and
repeat, taking up always the two front loops of the previous round.
3. Make 3 double in the centre stitch of the 3 double of the last round,
and 1 double in each of the three between stitches.
4. Three double on the centre stitch of tho 3 double of the last round,
and 1 double on each of the five between stitches.
5. Three double on the centre stitch of the 3 double of last round, and 1
double on each of the 7 between stitches.
6. Three double in the centre stitch of the 3 double of last round, and 1
double on each of the 9 between stitches. 7. Three double on the centre stitch of the 3 double of the last round,
and 1 double on each of the 11 between stitches.
3. Work 3 double on the centre stitch of the 3 double of last round, and
intermediately make 5 consecutive doubles, take up the next 3 stitches of
preceding round, and knit them as 1 stitch, make 5 consecutive doubles,
and repeat this till you get round. Work 10 more rounds like this, and
fasten off.


home decoration:
1!)
Decorative Folding Mirror.—Three panels of beveled glass com-
pose this ornamental screen. Each section is decorated with a hand-painted
floral design, and ribbons pass through apertures made for the purpose
and are tied in tiny bows. Glass panels of this kind may be purchased in

DECORATIVE FOLDING MlRROR.
all stores dealing in artists' materials, and sometimes a double mirror is
preferred to a triple one. Such a screen unites the useful and the orna-
mental in a very effective way.
Reglet Stick Lattice-work.—Lattice-work is cheap, pretty and in
every way the desirable and useful decoration. The only thing that has
obtained against its popularity is the difficulty of getting sticks of proper
length, width and thickness, and always three feet long, that are used in
printing offices to fill out space in making up forms.
An exceedingly pretty screen is made of reglet stick lattice-work with
alternating cherry and pine sticks, set diamnnd-wise and lined either with
silk or paper of a solid color any shade desired. A common pine easel
can be transformed into a very pretty ornament by painting it black, sand-
papering it until it is smooth, oiling and rubbing it until it looks like ebony,
and introducing a lattice-work of the smaller sized reglet sticks below the
lowest peg near the bottom.
The door of a corner closet or cupboard is always expensive, besides,'
an ordinary door is by no means ornamental. A neat, simple frame, filled
in with reglet stick lattice-work, and lined with silk, cretonne, or any mate-
rial desired, answers every purpose of a solid door at half the cost, and is


20
HOME DECORATION.
really quite decorative. A transom over a door can be artistically cur-
tained by means of this lattice-work, and the upper part of a bay window
filled with it, when the shape is such that it can be made to fit, lined with
silk of some soft bright color, is not only very pretty but imparts a toned
light to the room which is admirable.
A shelf of a bookcase used for odds and ends, as one shelf is alnjpst
sure to be, may be made attractive by being filled in with reglet lattice
and lined with silk. Indeed there are so many places about a house where
it may be used with admirable effect, that when Kit ingenious housekeeper
once begins to use it she will hardly know where to stop. Not only may
lattice-work be made in diamonds, but also in many other forms, and when

PAPER POCKET.
one has the reglet sticks, the hammer, and a paper of long finishing nails,
many new designs may be evolved.
Reglet sticks are from twenty-five to thirty cents a dozen, and at any
newspaper office, one can find out where to get them.
Paper-Pocket—An ordinary wire toaster or broiler is used for the
foundation of this pocket. The toaster is painted with gold liquid paint,
and wide ribbon in two shades arranged to alternate is run in and out
through the wires, each strip of ribbon being in one continuous piece all
round, thus banking the sides; the ends are neatly joined at the back. A
ribbon bow is fastened to the top at the sides, and ribbon is also tied in a
bow near the top of the longest handle by which the pocket is suspended.
The ribbon may be in two shades of one color or in two contrasting colors,


HOME DECORATION. 21
or each row may be of a different shade or outer. When contrasting colors
are chosen care should be taken to procure a pleasing harmony.
Domestic Art—A pretty receptacle for flowers may be made at small
expense by propping up and fixing three large wooden spoons or children's
spades tripod fashion, and fitting in a small iron caldron with its handle
removed, or a child's tin bucket. The whole must be painted all over, and
a length of soft silk tied round the center is a great improvement.
Small palettes are used as backgrounds for pincushions, and tied up on
the wall with a ribbon passed through the thumb-hole and finished off in a
bow. The cushion generally forms the center of a flower, such as a large
daisy, the petals being painted on the palette, and other dasies grouped
around ; or a sunflower, dahlia, etc. With a little taste the whole can be
rendered artistic and attractive. The cushion is glued to the palette.
Butter or egg baskets with handle and lid can be converted into delight-
ful work receptacles by being lined with pretty cretonne, soft silk, or art
muslin, fluted and full, with a length wound round the handle, and finished
off in a rosette or bow at one side.
Fainted palettes, with an aperture cut for a photograph, though not
novel, have recently been brought to considerable artistic perfection at
fashionable bazaars. The background is usually of white or some delicate
color, and the flowers painted on it, twined lightly and gracefully round the
aperture, with very often a name written across one of the lower corners.
Painted battledores are another style of ornamental wall decoration,
beautifully painted, with ribbon twisted round the handle, and a ruche of
satin ribbon or a fall of colored balls or pompons round the edge. The
parchment surface is delightful to paint upon. Movable calendar cards,
slipping from beneath a painted band or border forming the frame, can be
arranged without great difficulty. This border must be of card, about an
inch wide, and glued to the battledore, except on the side where the cards
slip in and out. The rest of the surface may be painted or neatly covered
with satin.
These battledores are also arranged crossways in couples, tied with
ribbons, and have pockets attached to them to hold spills or letters. Some-
times a small pincushion is added, fitted into a shuttlecock, at the base
where the handle joins. They are usually painted as well, and thus com-
bine useful and ornnmental novelties.
For other novel wall decorations, there are some quaint-looking long
bags, tied at both ends with a contrasting color, and containing a wide necked bottle, hidden from sight, but intended to hold grasses or ferns. They are made in two shades of art muslin, or in plush, lined and tied
round with soft silk. The bottle may be of almost any shape, so that it has
a large, round neck; but those sold with sweets, or with pickles and fruit
in syrup, round, and measuring about seven inches long and seven and a
half inches in circumference, are the best. The bag should be about seven-
teen inches long and from thirty-six to forty inches wide. It is lined with
a contrasting color at the top to the depth of four inches, and this forms the flap, falling backwards just above where the bag is tied tightly round the
neck of the bottle.
The strip of material tying the bag is also used for hanging the whole to
the nail on the wall by being tied in B loop and bow; another strip of ma-
terial ties round the base of the bag at about three inches from the edge.
The flap may be lightly tacked up, with artistic negligence, according to


22 HOME DECORATION.
fan y, at one side, or caught up with a spray of ivy or B few loops of ribbon.
Terra-cotta and light green, brown and salmon-pink, peacock-blue and
deep gold, are good contrasts; but these bags, if given as presents, should
be made to suit a room or the taste of the recipient. We have but given
one size, but they can be varied according to taste and circumstances, and
if a bottle is not forthcoming, a wall basket or a tin can can be substituted.
These bags, carried out in two colors in art muslin, can be adapted to
flower-pots, drain-tiles, holding ferns or grasses, and also clothes-baskets.
For the clothes-baskets, it requires to be double, or put over sateen; and
the bag is best left open at each end. If anything very nice is required,
finish off the ends of the length of muslin, tying round the bag at top and
base with worsted or silk pompons of the two colors.
Some delightfully soft cushions, stuffed with eider or Arctic down, are
in the shape of the large diamond, heart, square, or shamrock, covered with
plain or brocaded silk or plush and edged with silk cord.
A great deal of taste and ingenuity may be displayed in grouping the
colors and arranging the different material. Many of them have a motto
extolling rest, comfort, or sleep, copied from some of the poets. Three
cushions, each entirely different, are used on a lounge now, and any num-
ber of head or back rests are scattered around easy chairs.
A beautiful sachet, intended tor a wedding present, is of white satin per-
fumed with dried orange blossoms, edged with genuine Valenciennes lace,
and painted in water colors, the design representing two love-birds resting
upon a spray of orange blossoms.
A handkerchief sachet of an almost square form is of cream colored satin
painted with sprays of white flowers, lined with pink plush and edged with
tiny pink pompons.
Pretty counterpanes are made of squares of ecru or cream linen, not too
fine, embroidered with washing cotton or silk in red, blue or gold, and
joined together with hand-knit linen thread lace, or B strong piece of the
Medicis lace, and finished with an edging to match.
Beautiful chair-seats, stools, sofas and pin cushions are of striped bro-
cade, rather in the style of Louis XVI., with designs of flower sprays em-
broidered on the plain stripes.
Tea-cloths are about a yard and a half square, and two are frequently
given as a bridal present. White, embroidered with gold-colored silks, is
very stylish. One of pure white linen is decorated with a few swallows in
neutral brown skimming over the surface, with several resting on railings,
forming a border all around.
When one or two are prepared for gifts, it is a dainty idea to send with
it a tiny white sachet folded with the tea-cloth, which, in turn, is tied up in
a small square with a length of white ribbon, before putting it in a pretty
box.
Sachets of fine white linen are beautifully ornamented with hem-stitch-
ing, drawn work, and outline embroidery done with wash silks. This cover
is drawn over the satin sachet containing the powder and wadding. Orris-
root, violet, heliotrope and white rose are the favorite perfumes, and the
embroidery should indicate the contents, as violets, roses, etc.
Chamois-skin is used for sachet and work bags, tobacco-pouches- covers
of shaving papers, etc. The edge is slit into a fine fringe by snipping the
skin up an inch deep and an eighth of an inch wide. It is embroidered or
painted, and lined with satin. When drawn up with ribbons, they are
threaded in and out of tiny slits cut in the skin.


HOME DECORATION. 23
Pincushions are ever popular, and among the newest are those fitted
into round Japanese woven baskets, sold in nest or sets, without handles. The cushion is made round and firm. First is a piece of muslin, tied tightly
round to keep it compact, and then with a pretty piece of brocade, satin or
plush. It looks like a large mushroom with a short stalk. The inner edge
of the basket is then glued all round (Lepage's glue being the best to use),
and the cushion fitted tightly in. It should be made to fit well, and rather
larger than the basket, or it is apt to slip down.
When dry, a narrow fancy ribbon is tied round the edge and finished
off in a smart bow. These cushions are newer than those fitted into Russian
bowls. The wooden spade ones comes next in novelty. A child's smallest
sized wooden spade has four little holes bored in the bowl, if it may be so
expressed, through which narrow ribbon is passed, and tied in two bows at
the back ; this ribbon secures the pin-cushion previously made and fixed
to the spade by a touch of glue.
The little cushion should be of any pretty, bright color, with or without
a narrow frill, all round, and well covered with pins. A ribbon is wound
round the handle and finished off with a large bow. Sometimes there is a
bow at the top and base of the handle.
It would be difficult to exceed in luxury the boudoirs of the young girls
of the present day who are actual or prospective heiresses. All that the
most elaborate brass work in repousse can do to give brilliancy; all that
biscuit and terra cotta can do to give daintiness; all that lace can do to
so iften ; satin, plush, and Oriental hangings, to give character; and Japanese
and Chinese screens, idols, fans, and embroideries to impart the aimed-at
grotesquerie—has been done by the most expensive means.
Fancy Work Sfoteg—Ooncordia canvas is a new textile for embroider-
ing upon, and has won much favor. It comes in single and double widths;
the latter, forty-five inches wide, makes pretty table covers. Concordia
fringed scarfs, tidies and toilet sets are novelties, and take readily to darned
embroidery.
Among novelties are bed spreads in Bolton sheeting, with the embroid-
ery commenced. Cotton moquette is another new fabric to be embroid-
ered, among other purposes, for bed-spreads and portieres. Hemp braided
bureau and lamp mats are also novelties. A pretty hemp fringe comes for
decorating them. The yellow, green, and garnet mais are pretty for many
decorative purposes.
One can make a novel and pretty lamp-shade in the following way: Cut
five pieces of stiff white net, such as is used in making summer'bonnet
shapes, in the form of a flower petal, an elongated rose petal, or a short
water lily petal. Next, cut sprays of gay pink flowers from cretonne, and
paste one on each shape, afterward covering them on both sides with pink
muslin, buttonholing the front and back linings to the shape. Next, over-
cast the five pieces together with pink silk, and trim around the five scal-
lops forming the bottom of the shade, with a frill of soft, deep cream lace.
Put a frill, or pleating, around the top, to stand upright, then trim down
the joinings of the five shapes with cascades of loops and ends of rose pink
ribbon. Leave one seam half open at the top, so the shade can be slipped
easily over the usual wire frame, and tie together with ribbon.
A Scarf in Conching.—Take garnet felt about a yard and a half in
length, with the ends stamped in three large scallops. On the pattern lay
the double worsted or Columbia yarn, and catch it down with rich Japan-


24
HOME DECORATION.
ese silk. That is what is called couching, and if it is done regularly it is
very effective. Three rows of this form the outside. The inside is all
done in tinsel. Catch this down with black or garnet silk, so as not to show
the stitches. The worsted catch down with yellow silk. The more em-
broidery you do with the yellow, the prettier your scarf will be. Finish
the ends with plush balls.
Fancy Table Cover—For a round or square table this is B handsome
cover. The material is olive-green plush, and a rich border trimming is
provided by a floriated ribbon. A
row of narrow gold fringe borders
the corner, and the entire pattern
on the ribbon is followed with
gold tinsel thread. The result
achieved is brilliant and artistic.
A card-basket, a lamp, an album,
or any preferred ornament may
be appropriately set on the table.
Silk Portieres Scraps of
silk, satin and velvet will make
lovely portieres, table covers and
quilts, when sewed in rag-carpet
style and woven according to the
new process done by a weaver in
New York only. A fine linen
warp, Turkey red in color, is
used, and hardly shows from the
manner in which the silk is ar-
ranged over it. The curtains do
not sag, and are finished with a
plain border, if the material is
mixed, and vice versa, a band of
plush crazy work, or a Roman
striped, woven border. A trifle
of tinsel woven in affords an ef-
fective contrast. A fiui*h on the
lower end is made of the silk
rags, and resembles chenille
fringe. The Turkish curtain is
composed of broad, panel stripes,
divided by narrower ones of
Tinsel braid can be sewed in with the pattern known as

fancy table cover.
brighter colors,
"hit or miss."
Bias or straight scraps may be used; cutting them evenly gives a
smoother weave; after cutting them about half an inch wide, three quar-
ters of an inch of very thin silk, and any length, except for the "hit or
miss," when they should never be over a yard long. Lap the pieces half
an inch, and sew them as you would a rag carpet; then roll in pound balls.
One and a quarter pounds of silk will make a yard of material fifty-one
inches wide; one pound makes a yard forty-five inches wide; three-quar-
ters of a pound answers for a yard twenty-seven inches wide. The warp is
furnished by the weaver.
This offers a new field for the lovers of scrap work. As an estimate,


HOME DECORATION. 25
seven and a half pounds of rags will make a pair of fifty-one inch wide poi-
tieres, each three yards long. Fresh and soiled scraps of silk may be util-
ized. If new pieces are bought, it will be well to remember that bright,
solid colors or stripes are more showy than brocades.
Fancy Work-Bag—The foundation of this bag is a small, round bas-
ket. Around tho top is gathered the lower edge of the bag portion, which
is composed of rows of fancy and plain ribbon. Each row of ribbon is of' a different variety or shade, and some of the rows are gathered slightly
along the side edges so as to produce as odd an effect as possible. The

FANCY WORK BAG.
top of each row is shaped in a point, and the bag is drawn in as closely as
desired by a shirring some distance below the top, the points looking like
tulip petals above the shirring. A wrinkled ribbon covers the shirring,
and a large bow of ribbon is fastened where its ends meet. The top of the
basket is decorated with ostrich tips alternating with groups of ripe-look-
ing fruit. Flowers, leaves, moss, etc., may take the place of the tips and
fruit. If the ribbons are neatly joined with over-and-over stitches tho bag
need not be lined.
Curtain for Corner Hanging Closet—The very picturesque and
pleasing curtain given in our illustration and used for portiere purposes is
composed of Aida canvas embroidered with a conventional ornament
worked in red embroidery cotton, or in any color combination desired, in
crossbar or plait stitch, each stitch being worked over two canvas squares


'26
HOME DECORATION.
in the height, and one in the width. For the making of this curtain a width
of the canvas thirty-two and three quarter inches wide and two yards long
is used. A border is added to the curtain, giving it a wider sweep and a
picturesque finish ; this is finished off by a fringe couched on the stuff. A
handsome cord and tassels for drawing the curtain aside adds to its attrac-
tiveness. A cornice set-
5j above the curtain pole
fronts a triangular board
forming the closet top;
this board has its under
side studded with hooks
screwed in it for banging
up dresses. Not only is
this curtain picturesque
and ornamental, but it is
also an article of utility,
a corner not otherwise
useful being converted
by its means into a clos-
et. This is an instance
of the titilizatiou of cor-
ners, and shows how a
house not blessed with
much closet space may
have this defect rem-
edied. Pleasing closets
may be made in other
apartments than the
chamber, and the cur-
1 tains, therefore, should
be in accordance. For
halls, worsted stuffs, fig-
ured or plain, velvet-
eens, and flax-velours
may be used, and for
dining-room corner clos-
ets something of the
same order; and it may
be added, where the
housewife has no time
for embroidery, pretty
chintzes and cretonnes
are quite in order for
upper room closets —
Ladies' WorldThe Daisy Tidy—Materials: one piece of serpentine braid No. 30,
one-half ounce of buttercup-yellow worsted; one yard of ribbon No. 16;
one and one-half yards torchon lace.
Begin by counting nine points of braid- then double it, join the ends
firmly together, and cut the braid loose. Pinch each point one after an-
other and draw all the points closely together, being careful to take each
one as it is drawn up. When all the points are gathered up, the shape ot
the daisy will appear. Sew the daisy by the centre to a small piece of

CURTAINFOR CORNER HANGING CLOSET.


HOME DECOMATION.
21
crape net, which is trimmed off so as not to be seen. Fill in the centre of
the daisy with the worsted in any pretty way. Make 36 daisies and join
them in squares containing nine daisies each. Cut the ribbon in half, and
fray out the ends an inch and a half deep. Cross the two pieces of ribbon
and baste in the oentre to keep in place. Join each square of daisies to each
centre of the ribbon. Full on the face ; let the ends of ribbon come out
over it.
PUlovr-Sham. —A square of sheet linen, with the hemstitched hem about
its edges and a handsomely embroidered monogram in its center, forms
the centerpiece of this attractive pillow-sham. A row of fine insertion is

PILLOW SHAM.
sewed to the hem edges of the square, and to the insertion is sewed a
folded piece of the linen, hemstitched to suggest a broader hem than that
completing the square. A hill of wide embroidery finishes the sham
daintily. A sheet-sham, made to correspond with pillow-shams of this
style, furnishes an exquisite dressing for a bed. Lace or embroidery may
be used as garniture. Sometimes such shams are underlaid with sih-sia
or satin of some delicate or bright hue, but a spotless whiteness is much
to be preferred.
Home Art.—A receptacle for shoes and slippers is most convenient
and may be made an article of decoration as well. A pretty and easily
made shoe bag may be made of cretonne, in some pretty pattern; a floral
design is the prettiest. A square of the material forms the back or fouuda-


28 HOME DECORATION.
tion of the bag, and upon this are arranged two rows of pockets. Each
row is made by a straight piece of the cretonne, laid in four box plaits, and
stitched across the lower edge to the back ; a row of stitching is also made
midway between the box plaits; and the lower edge of the lower row of
pockets is placed even with the lower edge of the back. The tops of the
pockets are bound with braid, and also all the edges of the bag. A full
bow of braid is fastened at the top of each pocket, and at each upper corner
of the bag is fastened a loop of braid, to which is attached a brass ring to
be passed over nails in the wall or door.
A sand roll is useful to lay across a music book to keep it open on the
piano. Take a piece of plush four inches wide and nine inches long, sew
up one side lengthwise and gather at one end, make a bag of muslin the
same size and fill with sand, then slip this into the plush cover, gather the
other end and finish with the plush ball at each end.
A novel table cover is of white corduroy, lined with silk and edged with
silk cord, with a silk tassel at each corner.
A pretty and unique catchall is of celluloid, cut diamond shape, lined
with apple-green silk and three corners turned together, like an envelope,
and the edges laced together with silk or gilt cord. The corners may be
painted with a cluster of flowers or any small design. A bow of ribbon is
placed at the top for suspending the catchall. This is pretty and easy to
make.
To make a pretty match receiver take a globe-shaped straw basket and
gild it, fastening on one side a bunch of gilded acorns, placing a bow of
ribbon where the acorns are attached. Then fasten two pieces of ribbon
at the opposite sides of the basket, making loops where it is fastened on.
A pretty handkerchief box may be made as follows: Take a cigar box
and cover the outside with deep blue phish, lining it with rose colored silk.
Pad the top of the box slightly before covering, and paint or embroider on
it a cluster of apple blossoms. Finish the edge with a frill of lace.
A handsome tidy is made of deep cardinal satin ribbon and white orien-
tal or Egyptian lace. Take a piece of coarse white net, the size you wish
your tidy to be, and on this sew alternate rows of ribbon and lace. Finish
with a deep frill of lace all around. Draw together in the center and tie
loosely with narrow ribbon of the same shade as that used for the tidy.
Fasten in position on the chair or sofa with safety pins. —Margaret Percy.
How to Make a Sideboard Cover.—A very useful cover for a side-
board can be made of decorative felt or canton flannel. Take a strip just
the width of the top, and let it be long enough to hang over on each end
nine or ten inches. If you use canton flannel, buy the double-faced ; if
decorative felt, line it with silk finished silesia to match its shade exactly.
Apply upon the ends figures or flowers cut out of cretonne or furniture cov-
ering, and button-hole them upon the felt. Or mark the ends in some
pretty design and work them in outline stitch. Trim the ends with cater-
pillar or chenille worsted fringe in shaded colors ; or with gilt half moons
with tassels of filoselle drawn through.
Pretty Handkerchief Case—Cut a piece of pasteboard, eight inches
square, and four triangular pieces, one side of each being eight inches long.
Cut also the same number of pieces of thin cardboard. Cover the paste-
board neatly with olive satin, and the cardboard with bright rose color,
and sew together. Take a strip of olive satin one and one-half yards long
and three inches wide, and one of pink ; sew on each edge, trim and shirr.


HOME DECORATION. W
Sew one edge of the puff to the edge of the square board, and the other
pieces to the top. On each of the triangular pieces, paint or embroider a
little spray of flowers or an initial, and bows of ribbon at the corners.
Drapery for Screen.—This handsome drapery is a long width of China
silk caught over one corner of a screen as pictured and tied in a large,
loose knot, with one end to fall much shorter than the other. Each end is
finished with a wide hem, above which is a broad band of velvet of a pea-

DRAPERY FOR SCREEN.
cock-blue shade, the silk being bright orange. The longer end is also
decorated with small plush balls arranged to hang in a row from the edge
of the hem and from the lower edge of the band.
A Pretty and Useful Tidy.—For a sitting-room or bed-chamber a
pretty and useful tidy can be made of ecru canvas. The size should be
snfBci"nt to cover the entire back of the chair. In the center the threads
are drawn longitudinally to the width of two inches and a half, and are fin-


30
HOME DECORATION.
ished at the sides with feather stitch in gold silk. A piece of dark green
ribbon is run through the threads at regular intervals. The threads on
the upper side of the ribbon are caught by a single thread from the top to
the bottom. On either side this center are alternate strips of plain and
drawn canvas about an inch and a half wide. The first 'trip has a herring
bone or leather stitch design in pink silk on the canvas; the next strip is
drawn canvas, edged with pale blue feather stitch, a piece of pink ribbon
running through the drawn work; then a strip of canvas has a herring
bone of yellow silk; then a strip of drawn canvas, edged with pink silk,
through which pale blue ribbon is run. The outer edges are of plain can-
vas worked in feather stitch with blue and cardinal floss silk. The top and
bottom of the tidy are fringed.
Window Lambrequin.—This lambrequin, though rich and elaborate
looking, is exceedingly simple in shape and is a sample of one pretty result

WINDOW LAMBREQUIN.
of water colors on Nottingham lace. The flowers and foliage are all col-
ored in their natural tints, and a row of lace edging borders the lambre-
quin. Any pattern in lace may be selected, and the lambrequin should be
cut so as to display the colored pattern to best advantage.
A Plush Crazy Quilt.—Having obtained the considerable quantity of
waste pieces of upholstery plush, writes a correspondent of the Brattleboro
Household, from a large and flourishing furniture establishment, the novel
idea occurred to me, to utilize them for a crazy patchwork quilt. I was
fully aware of the time and labor involved in such an undertaking, having
had some previous experience in converting these waste pieces into cov-
erings for arm-chairs, lambrequins, and small fancy boxes. I will add
that these pieces were beautiful, many of the pieces being of embossed
plush, in all the various fashionable colors and shades, red and old gold


BOMX DECORATION. 31
predominating. They were also in all sizes from a quarter of a yard down
to pieces of a very small size, and many of them of irregular shape.
I decided, as it would be more convenient to handle, to make the quilt
in strips instead of blocks. Accordingly, from heavy factory, I tore out five
strips of the correct length and width to make a large-sized quilt. I laid
each strip as I began working on it, on a flat surface, and commenced at
one end "basting on the pieces, slightly overlapping the edges, and judi-
ciously arranging the colors, without regard to size or shape. As soon as
the strip was completed, I side-stitched it firmly to the lining, and drew out
the basting threads. When the live strips were completed, I sewed the
lining together, overlapping the plushes so as to conceal the seams.
Now, lest some sister should form an erroneous idea of the time and
labor spent on the quilt thus far, I will say that it required my spare time for weeks to get it together, and a still longer time to embroider each sean.
in the quilt. No elaborate embroidery was undertaken, only the easiest and most simple kinds, from the fact that the plush had so firm a body tha".
it would often wear the thread off every few inches. I used different shades
of zephyr and a very coarse needle. Silk embroidery would have been
nearly lost in the pile of the plush.
For the lining, I used a plain brown sateen, and one pound of cotton batting, and tacked it to the lining the same as a comforter, only I made a
blind stitch on the upper side, and tied the thread on the other side.
Many who admire crazy work are extravagant" in praise of its beauty.
It is at least a serviceable piece of bedding which no breath of air can
penetrate, and may be used as a spread or as a comforter according to
one's taste. If any sister should have the temerity to attempt a quilt of
this kind, I would suggest that she use very heavy cloth for the interlining;
for instance, old ticking could be washed, starched and ironed smoothly,
and be utilized for this purpose. It is very difficult to make the pieces lie
smooth on anything but heavy cloth.
Five O'clock Tea Cloths, Etc.—Five o'clock tea cloths are now a
necessity, and can be made in many styles, among others, with the Ger-
man cut-work borders.
The design is stamped on the goods, and then run with a very heavy
thread, with the exception of the cross lines, or connecting lines, which are
caught from edge to edge, leaving the linen underneath untouched. These
lines it is best to do with double thread, and each one is closely button-
holed with the linen thread. After these are finished the whole design is
closely button-holed, which gives a firm edge. The straight line on the
upper edge is also button-holed. Cut the linen away from the finished
edge of the design under the cross lines. This gives an open-work border
of great beauty and strength.
Sometimes to save work the connecting lines are done in crochet cord,
Without the butlon-holing. This is more delicate and lacy in effect.
Where the threads cross, or are caught into each other, if one cares to
spend the time, pretty wheels are woven in around the threads. Occasion-
ally it is necessary to have a double line, or part of line, which is no ob-
jection. This work is done in silk for tea cloths, table mats, pillow shams,
and bed spreads, in fact, anywhere where a border is needed—it is always
beautiful. A most exquisite bed-set was made not long since of cream
Tuscan silk, with border in soft pink—pillow shams the same. In the cen-
ter was a bunch of the large English clematis in four shades of pink. The


32
HOME DECORATION.
shams had a small spray on each one of lb different design. When finished,
the whole was a beautiful and really elegant piece of work.
Speaking of bed-spreads, one of the most serviceable materials is
denim—blue being the best color. A border design may be out from the
material and reversed on the spread. Smaller designs may be cut and
powdered over the spread also. These may be couched in crewel or silk
in self colors and crossed with the same. The stitches in work like this
should be nearly, if not quite one-eigh h of an inch long, and four or five
threads of English crewel ou one strand of filoselle used as couching
thread. This style of work will be very satisfactory, if the contrast of color
is good, and the effect bold and striking, yet artistic.
Painted and Embroidered Curtain.—The pleasing curtain shown in
aurillusiration is decorated in dye colors aud embroidery, and is com-
posed of coarse linen ii
this case, painted in water
and bronze colors, and out-
lined with coarse Bargar-
ren threads. This design
may be used on canvas to
give a tapestry effect, thin-
ned oil colors or tapeslry
dye colors being used for
the coloring; in this ca se,
the canvas must be plain-
ly stretched like tapestry,
and attached to the wall.
Thus painted, this design
will be suitable for a stair-
landing decoration, or for
the walls of an ante-room.
The di sign shows large
waving poppies set among
luxuriant foliage and stalks
of smaller blossoms. In
this case, the foliage has
the lights set on in gold
and the flowers are almost
entirely in gold with the
lights set on in silver. The
painting is done with a stiff
brush, the colors laid on
thickly, either bronze color
being used- or gold and sil-
ver powder mixed with a
medium. In the latter case
only a little should be
mixed at a time, as it dries rapidly. For use in other rooms, say as a por-
tiere in a parlor, it 'is not advisable to paint in bronzes, as the effect irtild
be coarse and only suitable to be seen in a shadowed place at a distance,
as on the stair-landing, or in a hall. For the parlor paint in thinned oil
colors, and work the outlines of the whole design in crewel or Bargarren
threads, according to the material used for the curtain. The bottom of the

PAINTED AND EMBROIDERED CURTAIN.


HOME DECORATION.
33
curtain is finished by a fringe of the frayed threads of the stuff, knotted
together. For this purpose, the threads are divided in groups, an inch
apart, crossed twice and then simply knotted together.—Ladies' World.
Palette Penwiper.—Either a penwiper or a shaving-paper case can be
thus constructed. The palette may be cut from pasteboard, or its shape
in thin wood may be inexpensively purchased at any fancy store. It is
covered with velvet or plush on one side and with silk or satin on the other
side, and is edged all round
with silk cord. The papers in
different colors, or the wipers
in one or more colors of flannel,
chamois, cloth, etc., are then
added. Three camel's - hair
brushes are tied together with
leather or other fancy edged
ribbons and fastened to the
palette as pictured, and the
usual dashes of paint charac-
terizing a much-used palette
are added to produce a realistic
effect. These paint splashes
may be simulated with em-
broidery silks, if desired. Any
preferred color may be used for
the covering, which may be of ^H
any desired material. Two or
even three shades of ribbon
may be tied about the handles,
aid one end may show the em-
broidered or painted initials of
the owner.
Decorative Curtains.—In
doing fancy work, it is a great
consideration to many, either to
use what is in the house- or-
when getting new material, to
buy that which can be used after the beauty of the article is gone, or the
style is past. Particularly so when it takes a number of yards, as do por-
tieres and drapery curtains.
The blue or brown overall cloth makes up very handsomely when used
for a curtain before a closet door, or before a door between two rooms Of
course, it cannot vie in point of beauty with plush, but often it will harmo-
nize better with its surroundings, and can be used a second time, as fancy
work is apt to be a " thing of beauty," but not a "joy forever"
In measuring the quantity required, allow for a hem a quarter of a yard
deep at the bottom, and one half-yard longer than from the top of the door
casing to the floor. This extra half-yard should have a hem on it two
inch, deep' I',','1s, to hang over the top of the curtain proper. It is a good
plan to w sh the cloth before making it up, which will take out the stiffen-
ing Care must be taken in ironing, to pull it smoothly and »venlv
They hang better if lined. In that case it is not essential to put a hem
on the sides, but if it is not deemed, necessary to gmt in *- lining, have *-

PALETTE PENWIPER.


34
SOME DECORATION.
hem on each side, One or two inches deep. These are to be embroidered
in outline stitch, with German yarn. White is the most effective, though
colors can be used.
For the upper or turn over part a design of flowers or butterflies is
pretty, put on above the hem. Have the design rather compact, bo the
effect will be heavier than that of the lower part, for which can be selected
a sprawling vine, or a set figure put on at intervals all over the cloth. Dia-
mond or round shapes are effective, putting two together, letting one over-
lap on to the other. Cut a cardboard the desired shape and mark around
it on the cloth with a colored pencil. These are especially appropriate for
summer cottages.
Fancy Sachet—Three shades of grosgrain ribbon are used in this
sachet. The ribbons are frayed to form a deep fringe at the bottom and
are joined to form a bag which is filled with cotton well sprinkled with tlie
favorite perfume powder. Fancy
stitching is made on either side of all
the seams ; the top of the bag is faced
with silk, and far enough below the
top to form a full, pretly frill, it is
closed by a wide feather-edged rib-
bon that is gracefully tied in an im-
mense bow, the words "Birthday
Greeting" embroidered in bullion
decorating the loops. Any preferred
colors may be selected for the sachet,
three shades of heliotrope, green,
blue or yellow being especially effec-
tive. The ribbons may be of different
colors.

Knitted Counterpane. — This
counterpane is to be knitted in stripes
and then sewed together. There will
be a stripe of apple-leaf insertion and
an alternate stripe, and the effect is
very pretty.
Take No. 8 Dexter cotton or four-
threaded German knitting cotton, No.
10, cast on 56 stitches, and knit
across plain.
First row—S 1, k 1, o, n, k 8, p 2,
k 7, n, o, p 2, o, slip and bind, k 7, n,
p 2, k 9, o, n, o, n, k 1. (54 stitches.)
Second row—S 1, p 5, k 10, p 5, k 1.
(54 stitches.)
fancy sachet. Third row— S1, k 1, o, n, o, n, k 8,
p 2, s and b, k 5, n, p 2, o, p 2, s and
b, k 5, n, p 2, k 9, o, n, o, n, k 1. (51 stitches.)
Fourth row—S 1, p 5, k 10, p 7, k 10, p 5, k 1. (51 stitches.)
Fifth row—S 1- k 1, o, n, o, n, k 8, p 2, s and b, k 3, n, p 2, o, k 1, o, p 2,
s and b, k 3, n, p 2, k 9, o, n, o, n, k 1. (49 stitches.)
Sixth row—S 1, p 5, k 10, p 5, k 2, p 3, k 2, p 5, k 10, p 5, k t (49
etitches.)


SOME DECORATION. 35
Seventh row—8 1, k 1, o, n, o, n, k 8, p 2, a and b, k 1, n, p 2, o, k 1, o,
k 2 in one stitch, o, k 1, o, p 2, s and b, k 1, u, p 2, k 9, o, n, o, n, k 1. (50
stitches.)
Eighth row—S 1, p 5, k 10, p 3, k 2, p 3, k 2, p 3, k 2, p 3, k 10 p 5, k 1.
(50 stitchea.)
Ninth row—ri 1, k 1, o, n, o, n, k 8, p 2, k 3 together, p 2, k 1, o, k 1, o, k
1, p 2, k 1, o, k 1, o, k 1, p 2, k 3 together, p 2, k 9, o, u, o, n, k 1. (50
stitches.)
Tenth row—S 1, p 5, k 9, k 3 together, k 1, p 5, k 2, p 5, k 1, k 3 together,
k9, p5, kl. (46 stitches.)
Eleventh row—S 1, k 1, o, n, o, n, k 8, p 3, k 2, o, k 1. o, k 2, p 2, k 2, o,
k 1, o, k 2, p 3, k 9, o, n, o, n, k 1. (50 stitches.)
Twelfth row—8 1, p 6, k 8, n, k 1, p 7, k 2, p 7, k 1, n, k 8, p 5, k 1. (48
stitches.)
Thirteenth row—S 1, k 1, o, n, o, n, k 8,4) 2, k 3, o, k 1, o, k 3, p 2, k 3,
o, k 1, o, k 3, p 2, k 9, o, n, o, n, k 1. (52 stitches.)
Fourteenth row—S 1. p 5, k 10, p 9, k 2, p 9, k 10, p 5, k 1. (52 stitches.)
Fifteenth row—S 1, k 1, o, n, o, n, k 8, p 2, k 4. o, k 1, o, k 4, p 2, k 4, o,
k 1, o, k 4, p 2, k 9, o, n, o, n, k 1. (56 stitches.)
Sixteenth row— S 1, p 5, k 10, p 11, k 2, p 11, k 10, p 5, U 1. (56 stitches.)
Repeat the pattern from the first row for the length of strips required.
Alternate Stripe.—Cast on 54 stitches and knit across plain.
First row—S 1, k 2, o, k 8, s and b, k 2, n, k 8, o, k 4, o, k 8, s and b, k 2,
n, k 8, o, k 3.
Second row—S 1, p 2, k 9, p 4, k 9, p 4, k 9, p 4, k 9, p 2, k 1. Repeat
these two rows for length required. Hew the stripes neatly together and
trim the counterpane all round with edging. The number of stripes is reg-
ulated by the width of the counterpane.
Pincushion_ An English muffin pincushion is a novel idea, and is
made as follows: Take one yard of Canton flannel, cut in strips one and
one half inches wide, sew the strips together at narrowest part till you have
one very long strip. Then commence and roll tightly, as tape is rolled, or
as physicians roll bandages. The cushion when round should be four and
one half inches in diameter. Cover with one layer of cotton batting. Cut
pieces of plush one half inch larger than the cushion, cover neatly and sew
to the flannel. A narrow strip of the batting is put around cushion. This
is covered with three quarters of a yard of robin shade of plush. The rib-
bon may or may not be feather stitched on each side. Make a loop of one
quarter of yard of some kind of ribbon to hang by. Fill a small brass ring
with single crochet, run the loop through that before fastening to cushion.
Stick sixteen pins, four in a rr ', on each side of cushion, to look like a
cracker.
Hanging Portfolio—This is made of strong pasteboard, covered with
satin or other suitable material. If anything of an artist, paint a graceful
spray of flowers on the front, for instance, if made of pale blue, a bunch of
roses in creamy white and a fern or two, is lovely. Make it—the paste-
board—a foot square, the back and front, line with white satin paper and
lace the sides with cord or narrow ribbon to match the cover. Hang with
a oord and tassel. This is very useful for holding small articles. One can
be made sufficiently large for papers—out of any material preferred, and
is very handy to hang by the desk. Thin, soft pine ebonized would do well
and might be finished in gilt.


36
HOME DECORATION.
Hair-Receiver.—A snowshoe of suitable size forms the foundation or
back of this ornamental hair-receiver. The pocket is of crimson silk,
turned in deeply at the top and shirred several times across to form a
frilled heading of pretty depth. The ful-
ness is collected in gathers at the point,
and the edges are sewed to the founda-
tion with invisible stitches. Ribbon the
shade of the silk is tied high up on the
snow-shoe as illustrated. The silk may
be of any desired shade, or satin, Surah
or any preferred material may be used
instead.
Bed Spread—Twelve large silk hand-
kerchiefs with brocaded designs, were
made into a very elegant bed spread.
The handkerchiefs were of different colors,
and the designs were outlined in a con-
trasting color in silk or gold or bronze
thread. They were basted on satin sheet-
ing just as one does crazy work, and were
joined together by elaborately embroid-
ered silk bands, and each seam covered
with different stitches in silk floss.
This spread was composed of the fol-
lowing colors : Pale blue, pale pink, cream,
mouse, old-gold, crimson, red, terra-cotta,
violet, buff, white, and golden brown. It
was bordered with old-gold plush, and
on the edge a green and gold silk cord.
This spread was exceedingly handsome
and not expensive. For those who cannot
afford such an elaborate spread, here is
a very dainty and economical one. Cut
a piece ot double width cheese cloth large
enough to reach from head to foot of the
bed.
Put over this a layer of white batting.
Cover this with cheese cloth same as the
under side and catch through at intervals
with white zephyr, or cream, though one
can use any color to suit the fancy. Don't
draw the threads tight; put several
through the same place, and leave ends a
quarter of an inch long, cut evenly and
press down slightly. You can use a yellow center, making the loop appear
Jike daisies.
This makes a soft, dainty spread, and can be done up when soiled and
the zephyrs renewed. Have for the border some inexpensive lace or
woolen fringe, either would look well.
Painted Tambourine—The pretty wall decoration in our illustration
is an ordinary tambourine, painted with a pleasing group of crimson flow-
ers, and suspended by golden-olive satin ribbons to the wall; it is also

HAIR RECEIVES.


SOME DECORATION.
37
trimmed, as seen, with satin ribbons, and forms a gay :-.ud picturesque orb
of decorative color on the wall. A pretty one lately finished shows a de-
sign of dark-red poinsetta leaves, which form a very suitable deooration
for this purpose. Many workers paint figures on these tambourines, but it
is not advisable to use these as subjects, unless one is well versed in figure-
painting. The figure of an
oriental or a southern dancing
girl or a female musician are
either of them suitable sub-
jects ; a dancing figure, wheth-
er man or woman, provided
their costume is picturesque,
is always a pleasing subject;
but it must be well painted,
or it will be simply a grotesque. ^ J?
Some workers paint cats' or ipfi-Z*
dogs' heads on tambourines, :J^'	
but this is not pleasant, neither 4
is it picturesque treatment.
Heads of children or female
heads are also out of place,
the prettiest subjects, to my
mind, being birds and flowers.
An owl flitting past the moon,
or a flight of swallows or of
butterflies, can be used deeo-
ratively. A spray of blossoms
and butterflies, or one or two
birds in flight, are pretty sub-
jects. The ribbons used in hanging painted tam-
bourines and in ornamenting them should be of a
color to harmonize with the painted decoration and
the wall. One color or two, or even three, m»v bo
used at a time, as sage-green and old-pink; old-
pink, olive, and ecrn; peacock-blue and orange, or
dull-blue and olive; or shades of one color may be
used very effectively when they are warm, such as
shdes of maroon, old-pink, or pistache-green.—
Ladies' World.
Ribbon Handkerchief fuse.—This case is
simple and easily made, and is also quite taking
when made up. It consists of alternate pieces of
shrimp pink and pale green ribbon, one-eighth of a
yard in width, sewed upon the edge. These pieces
are one-quarter of a yard in length, this giving the painted tamrourine.
height of the case. The bottom is a square of thick
cardboard, covered with plush to match the ribbon. Some satchet powder
is scattered underneath the inside lining. It is drawn up at the top with
No. 1 ribbon, or a silk cord may be used. A case made similarly is very
pretty for a small work-bag. Inside pockets should be put in, us they are
indispensable in such an article. These cases are exceedingly handsome
when completed. Sometimes fancy stitching is run up at each corner, and


38
HOME UECOltATIOK.
the plush could be allowed to come up into the sides in points, and then
stitched handsomely. In fact, the make-up can be varied to suit the taste
of tho individual.
Calendar Panel—This beautiful panel is cut out of thick cardboard
and smoothly covered with corded silk. Sprays of blooms and their foliage
are painted on it in oils or water colors, and just above the sprays a small
calendar is invisibly fast-
ened. Near the upper cor-
ners bunches of loops aud
ends of ribbon are tacked-
and from them extend two
ribbons that are used to
suspend the panel. The
colors of the ribbon and silk
may be chosen to please the
fancy, and the two may be
alike or different, as pre-
ferred. The sprays may be
embroidered, painted or
applied, with good effect.
Sometimes plush, velvet or
satin will be used to cover
the panel.
Key Basket—The little
bottles of Italian wines,
which are cased in a sort of
reed or wicker basket, may
be utilized in this way: Re-
move the bottle, then cut
the case off below the neck,
or deep enough to allow the
basket to be good and open.
On the outside paint some
showy flowers. If not con-
venient to do this, then use
artificial ones and a few
bright ribbons. Suspend
with three cords, and the
housewife has a handy bas-
ket for her keys. This will
also make a pretty orna-
ment for Easter. Fill with white cotton, and nestle a few eggs on top.
A Pretty Holder.—Upon a square of canvas of any size preferred,
work in cross-stitch, beginning in upper left hand corner, the words
"Molly Put the," on the first line; on the second, or little to the right of
the word "Molly," work a small tea-kettle, and in capital letters under
"put the " of the first line, the word " on;" on the third line, the words,
"we'll all take;" then on the next line, directly under the words "all
take," work a capital "T." Bind the edges with braid, first lining the back
with a layer of cotton and one of flannel, the color of the braid; place a
loop of braid in the upper left hand corner, and it is complete. It is both
unique and handy.

CALENDAR PANEL.


UOUM DECORATION.
39
Catchall. Get a small mustard or oyster barrel, stain it with oak or
walnut stain, paint some rather large and effective flowers on it (yellow
dahlias) line it with sateen, either the color of the wood or some harmo-
nizing tint, finished off with a little gimp or fringe at the top ; tie on the
lid which of course must match, with ribbon (by means of holes made with
a red-hot poker or knitting-needle, in both lid and barrel), and you have a
splendid receptacle for work, waste paper or anything that is wanted to be
out of sight, as well as an ornament.
Stand Cover. A very pretty Stand Cover is made of dark brown Java
canvas. Two yards are needed if the material is half a yard in width, for
the strips should be four times as long as it is wide. Cut in two in the
middle, and join the selvage to make a square piece; then pull out the
threads to make a fringe two inches deep all around the edjxe. Work cross-
stitch, or any simple design, an inch above the fringe, choosing lemon,
rose color or light blue wool, whichever will best correspond with the
furnishings of the room.
Card Receiver.—A piece of stiff ribbon and two sections of celluloid
or ivorine form this unique card-receiver. The larger piece is fastened

CARD RECEIVER.
with narrow ribbon across the center of the ribbon, and on it the word
"cards " is painted; the ribbon is arranged in a loop and end on either
side and is clasped between tho loops with the smaller section of celluloid,
which is fastened with narrow ribbon. The ends are fringed and decorated
with a flower, which may be plain or embroidered. Theso card-cases are
inexpensive, yet very dainty and ornamental. The ribbons may be of any
color desired, and may be grosgrain, watered or some fancy variety.
Pretty Mats—A sheet of white wadding and a skein of Saxony will
make three mats ten inches in diameter.
Cut out a circle of wadding, any size you wish, and strips two inches
wide, long enough to go round the circle three times. Take the Saxony-
pink or light green makes beautiful ones—and crochet round the mats and
both sides of the strip- with chain of twelve stitches, caught about an inch
apart. Then plait in double box-plaits, and sew through the center, hav-
ing the edges of the plaiting and mat even. Tack the edges of each box-
plait together, malting it stand up full. They are pretty, easy made and
serviceable, as the dust slides off the shiny surface.


w
HOME DECORATION.
Card Case.-Take a piece of myrtle-green satin nine inches long and
four and a half inches wide, and a piece of bright gold surah silk of the
same dimensions. Between these pieces put a thin layer of perfumed cut-
ton and sew the pieces together neatly. Fold up to within a third of the
top, the surah on the inside, and fasten the sides together with blind
stitches, thus forming a pocket. Turn down the top third so that it over-
laps the pocket, and press it down so that it will lie quite flat. Embroider
or paint on this top third, if liked, a spray of golden rod, or the monogram
of the owner in gold. This is very easily made, and one of the few things
that may serve as a gift to a gentleman. It's useful as well as its orna-
mental qualities recommend it.
Deeorattve Blotter.—A very original design in Christmas greetings is
here illustrated. Four or five oblong pieces of blotting paper are fastened

DECORATIVE BLOTTER.
together by a large ribbon bow, which is run through openings made in the
upper corner for the purpose. The cover may be made of ivorine, cellu-
loid or satin, and any design may be painted or embroidered upon it.
A Pretty Letter Basket—Common straw hats can be so arranged as
to make very pretty wall-pockets or standing-basket. For a wall-pocket
the hat is thoroughly gilded on the outside, and also on the under part of
the rim, with gold paint, and a full lining of pink is neatly fitted in the
crown. It is well, before gilding, to sew a wire such as is used for bonnets,
around the under part of the rim, thus rendering it easier to bend in the
desired shape. The tront of the rim is then bent flat to the crown, sewed
securely, and a bunch of pink roses- buds and foliagn fastened on with a
bow of pink satin ribbon about two inches wide. The opposite side or
back of the rim is turned up so that the hat can hang flatly against the wall.
Tasten at each side on the back of the rim a long ribbon loop, with a bow
at the top. 


HOME DECORATION.
4l
Pan Wall-Pocket—A. large Japanese fan and a similar fan of much
smaller size are joined together by ribbons to form this ornamental wall-
pocket. The handle is removed from the larger fan, which is firmly
secured at the bottom to the smaller one. Two pairs of ribbon ties are
sewed at suitable intervals to the fans at one side and tied in pretty bows
so as to hold the fans
in place ; and a nar-
rower ribbon is run
through the fans at
the opposite side low
down and loosely tied.
A cord edges the fans
all round. A bunch of
bright fruits and their
foliage is fastened just
above the handle.
Sometimes the fans
will be covered with
Watteau, striped or
figured silks, though
they are sufficiently
decorative in them-
selves.
Splasher.—The
neatest and really most
serviceable splashers
are those made of
white or cream linen,
with an appropriate
design outlined with
red or blue marking
cotton, and trimmed
with torchon lace.
These, when soiled,
are quite easily humdered and look nice at
all times. Another
easily made splasher is of white oil-cloth, with a blue sky and water lilies,
and a few rushes painted on it, this can be varnished with clear varnish and when soiled wiped off with a wet cloth, then with a cloth with a little
polish—linseed oil and turpentine—and will keep fresh and bright for a
long while.
Cretonne Table Cover.—A pretty and inexpensive cover can be made
as follows:
Take nine squares of cretonne, each square measuring twelve inches.
Sew these together in the form of a large square, after which cover the
seams with narrow black velvet ribbon, on which is worked a catch stitch
in yellow silk. Line with canton flannel in gray, olive, scarlet, or brownish
yellow. The edges may be finished with balls of contrasting colors, with
fringe, with white guipure lace, or with a pinking of felt or flannel set be-
tween the outer part and lining.
In making this cover care should be taken in selection of cretonne.

FAN WALL-POCKET.


42
HOME DECORATION.
Flower patterns on pale backgrounds—particularly tints of green, pink,
blue and yellow, show to far better advantage than highly colored pat-
terns on black or dark grounds. Two prettily contrasting cretonnes should
be used, one forming the center and corner, and the other the intermediate
squares. Braid may be substituted for the velvet ribbon if desired.
Chair Scarf—This pretty scarf may be of soft printed silk or of silk
with figures outlined with vari-colored silks or tinsel. The ends are deeply
fringed, and the fringe is net-
ted at the top. Sewing-silk
fringe may be sewed to the
ends if the fringing and net-
ting be considered too trou-
blesome. The scurf is caught
up at one side of the center
and arranged on the chair as
illustrated.
A Pretty Corner Table.
— Many ingenious house-
wifes arrange for themselves
a corner table by having a
piece of wood fitted in with
little silk or cretonne cur-
tains, attached to the edge,
run on to a cord. These
draw partially, or quite close,
and hide all sorts of odds
and ends beneath the table.
Above the table is a dado of
drawn art muslin, of some
goo l-looking material, with a
shelf above. For a very tri-
fling sum a corner of a room
can be made to look cozy
and artistic. This device can
be carried out in a small
bed-room in the corner near a window, and a pretty toilet table thus ar-
ranged.
Lump Mat.—You can make a beautiful lamp mat by takin g shaded green
zephyr, that which runs from darkest green to white is prettiest. Crochet
for the middle a round mat in any stitch you choose, of the lightest green.
Forthe fringe knit in garter stitch two strips of the next two shades. Steam
these over the teakettle until quite damp, lay on the ironing sheet, lap a
cloth over them and iron with a moderately hot iron till perfectly dry.
Ravel them out carefully and fasten on your mat, the darker shade under-
neath the lighter. It looks like moss and is very pretty.
Tissue Paper Mats.—Take two sheets of tissue paper of contrasting
color, cut each sheet across where it is folded, cut each of these pieces in
two, making eight pieces in all. Fold each piece across the longest way four
times, making it eight double, and an inch of more in width, according to
the size of the paper. Place four of these, alternating the colors, and weave

CHAIR SCARF.


UOME DECORATION.
43
the other four across them, the woven part to be in the center of the
strips. Fasten the braid or woven part with a needle and thread, then cut
the ends into fine strips. The finer the strips the prettier the fringe. Lay
the mat on the table, take a damp cloth (merely damp) over your hand,
and rub the fringe round and round, and then rub it between your hands.
This makes it crinkle. Paste a stiff paper under the mat. Dust may
be removed by shaking them without damaging the mats.
Whisk-Broom Holder—This handsome holder is made of cardboard
that is shaped to form a point at the center of the front and back and cov-
ered with chamois left long enough to be cut in
a fringe of graceful depth. Before the fringe
is cut the chamois is tinted in a band a little
above the edge and along the upper and lower
edges of the foundation, the upper bands being
made fancy by ornamental markings of another
color. A pretty floral design is painted on, and
ribbons fastened to the top are used to suspend
the holder and are tied together in a pretty
bow. The whisk-broom here represented has
an oxidized silver handle that is beautifully
carved. The ribbons may be of any preferred
color, width and variety.
Portieres._^A. portiere of figured stuff does
not really need ornamentation; it may have a
frieze of plain plush, velvet or flax-velours,
or a dado if preferred, but the majority look
well without. Plain material portieres may,
however, have various ornamental treatments,
such as frieze and dado of plain or embroid-
ered or figured materials. They may also be
decorated beautifully by applied designs in
plush, satin or velvet, or combinations, or be
embroidered with conventional flowers at inter-
vals- or with groups of interlaced rings, squares
or disks, or embroidery, or applique work, or
both, in either case having a band of plush
across the top or bottom.
Cords and tassels, long and short, sus-
pended from the frieze band, also hinges used
in the same manner, make a very ornamental
finish. Some materials' ravel with handsome
ravelings, such, for example, as chenille Tusco-
man, cotton canvas, and, I believe, Bolton
sheeting. When the portiere is made of any of these, a pleasing finish is
to set on a frieze of the same material, showing a fringe of raveling sixteen
or eighteen inches deep. Some workers ravel enough to make a heading
with two tyings forcing a diamond net-work or open-work which is very
effective.
In selecting portieres, the main idea, independent of fabric, is to get
the coloring that will harmonize with the interiors from which it will be
seen. It may be added that golden brown, deep old gold, olive green. deep

WHISK-BROOM HOLDER.


u
HOME DECORA 7/0JV.
old red, maroon, and peacock blue, are among the beat colors to use ; gray- blue also is pleasing, as well as terra cotta and golden olive. Many cross-
stripe stuffs are also admirable, as are oriental patterned goods.
Photograph Case—Take a strip of bed-ticking three-fourths of a yard
long and 6 in. wide, cut one end pointed. Feather stitch all the wide white
stripes with silk in different colors. Seam tinsel cord on all the wide blue
stripes. Line with satin, fold over the straight end so as to form a pocket
nearly as deep as the length of a cabinet photograph ; leave one side open
at the top nearly two inches, turn it back, sew a bangle on to the point, also
a row across the bottom of the pocket, and one on each of the three points
of the pointed end. Pull this point tiirougha curtain ring far enough to
give a neat appearance, fasten in place, and hang it in the parlor from a
shelf or any other place that you may fancy.
Sachet.—A sachet of unique design is here represented. One of the
miniature sacks is of pale-blue satin, and the other of an olive-green shade.

The filling is cotton well sprinkled with the favorite sachet powder. A
spray of wild roses is painted upon the blue sack, and a bunch of wild
flowers above a Grecian border on the olive-green. Embroidery may deco-
rate such a sachet and ribbons be arranged in an ornamental manner.
Combination* of violet and yellow, garnet and blue, and bronze and rose,
are effective in such accessories of the dressing-case.
Japanese Tidy A pretty Japanese tidy may be made as follows:
The four squares may be made of pink cotton and creamy white linen,
the leaves and berries being cut out in brown cotton, and the conventional
flower in pale gold.
The tidy might be bordered with a band of dark blue, and have an
edging of creamy lace the same tint as the squares. Or it might be made
in patches of olive-green and gold sateen, in which case the bird, in gray
or brown, would be hemmed on a gold ground, which would also serve to
throw up the white flower with its yellow middle, while the leafy pattern,
in a darker gold color, would be effective on the duller tints of the olive-


HOME DECORATION.
45
green. In this case, the border would be of gold-colored sateen, with rough
lace at the edges dyed a golden color to match.
Thermometer—The unique frame adopted for this thermometer is an
ear of corn that was carefully dried after it became ripe. Enough of the
corn is removed from the cob to
permit the thermometer to fit
snugly in place. A braided bright
gold silk cord is fastened to the
top to form a loop for suspending
the article, and a large bow of wide
bright gold ribbon with a picot edge
conceals the fastening of the loop
and produces an elaborate effect.
Sometimes the ear is varnished or
gilded, but oftenest it is left in its
natural state.
Twine Holder. — With pale-
blue knitting silk crochet a bag
large enough to hold easily a ball
of pink druggists' twine. Work the
bag in treble crochet, and draw in
at the top with a pink satin ribbon,
using a loop of the same with which
to suspend it. Tie to one of the
ribbon loops a small pair of scissors
for use in cutting the twine when
wanted. This will be found to be
a very pretty and useful knick-
knack in almost any room, but
mostly in the chamber or sitting-
room.
Curtains.—Very pretty curtains
and portieres are made of cotton
Bolton sheeting embroidered with
linen; or of wool Bolton sheeting
worked with rope silk, if something
quite expensive is desired. If the
wool material is used, it must be
lined. They are worked in an all-
over pattern, and great care must
be used to have them look neat on
the under side. The skeleton stitch
is best adapted to this purpose, as
it looks about the same on both sides. Large conventional designs, thermometer.
either scattered or in groups, are
good for the purpose, and may be worked in the same colors as the
background, and shaded up to the lightest tint. A rather dark shade of
ecru, or the new shade called chamois, would look very pretty embroidered
in maize brown of five or six shades. A dark mahogany with a full shading
of the same color, or a combination of mahogany and old blue is well liked.


home decoration: 47
and sewed up at the sides. The top edge is turned down to form a frill,
and has a slide of ribbon run in. The ends are finished with tassels.
A Beautiful Tidy—Get half a yard of China silk any shade desired,
hem-stitch one end; have hem about one inch deep; trim other end with
the new wheel trimming. It takes not quite two spoola of Hernenway's
Crochet Silk, shade of silk used. To make one wheel, take a steel crochet
hook and common-sized lead pencil. Wind the crochet silk over the pen-
cil 24 times, slip off the pencil and fasten with a slip stitch. Fill with 36
t c, which is, silk over hook once, insert, draw silk through two stitches
twice.
Last round.—* chain 6, fasten in 3rd t c with a short stitch, repeat from
* all round. Sew three wheels together, then two under those, and one
under those. This makes a point; continue points till enough are made,
then crochet on a heading, Sew the points on by heading to end of scarf.
A Table Cover—Make the body of olive green felt, any size desired,
having all four of the edges simply pinked. Take four squares of peacock
blue plush, on each of which embroider a spray of flowers. Blind stitch
these pieces on the four corners of the felt, and your cover is complete.
An eight-inch square of plush to a cover measuring one yard is about the
right proportion.
Mantel Lambrequins.—Almost every one understands what ticking
embroidery is, but few have seen it used for a mantel lambrequin. It is
very effective, however, and may be done with a mingling of split zephvr
and silk, that will make it comparatively inexpensive. A narrow black vel-
vet ribbon, to cover the blue stripes, is a great improvement in this work'
and feather-stitch, herring-bone, point-russe and chain-stitch may all be
Used. When carefully done it has a very Oriental effect; and it can be
used as a border to almost any thick material. This mantel cover should
be finished with a fringe, of which the foundation may be a thin black silk
fringe, with strands of bright-colored silk crocheted in on the front. This
makes a very handsome edge.
For those who can paint, many beautiful things are possible; and,
among them, mantel lambrequins quite out of the common order. Some-
thing very pretty may be made of enamel cloth, with the lambrequin cut
straight and painted with designs similar to those found on tiles. The
lambrequin can he fastened on with gilt-headod nails, and a little gilding
Used in the borders. A connected story is always desirable when a num-
ber of designs are used; but something of a verv simple character only
Ihould be attempted by the amatenr. A study of Mintou's and other tiled
tvill be found very useful; but the actual imitation of tiles is to be avoided
tattier than aimed at, since real tiles would be out of place on a lambre-
quin.
The enameled cloth is used with very good effect, particularly in a
dining or sitting-room, with no other embellishment than brass-headed
nails where it is joined, and worsted iringe on the edge of the lambrequin
In using brass-hc-aaed nails avoid the common failing of placing them too
tar apart, as this gives the article a very scant look. They should be sepa-
rated only the breadth of the nail head.
Another pretty cover may be made of very dark garnet or olive-green
canton flanuel, with a border of Japanese crepe pictures framed in narrow
black velvet. This bordering should he lined with silesia, or undressed


48 HOME DECORATION.
cambric; and the fringe may be made of worsted to match the canton flan-
nel, mingled with bright silks.
Velvet and velveteen make very rich mantel covers, and are much more
expensive than the two other materials. But where something really hand-
some is wanted for i parlor mantel, a very satisfactory result may be
accomplished by covering the shelf with either fabric, attaching a lambre-
quin of white silk embroidered in outline worked after tile patterns, and
paneled with old-gold-colored velvet to carry out the picture idea. Very
little of the white ground would be visible, and that little would only en-
hance the beauty of the coloring. A fringe of gold-colored silk would com-
plete a very elegant lambrequin. Where blue is the prevailing color of
the furniture, dark blue might be used for the shelf-color, and vivid blue
forget-me-nots worked on the white silk and threads of gold.
Different colored velvet ribbons joined with feather-stitch, and em-
broidered with little dots or other devices in the center and edged with
handsome fringe, will make a lambrequin of great richness, particularly
suited to a room where the other furnishings are in dark, warm colors.
Waste-Paper Basket.—A waste-paper basket in the library is a neces-
sity, and may be a pleasant object to contemplate as well. Choose a well
made basket, and one that stands squarely on the bottom. One way to
ornament the basket is to trim it with three bands of ribbon, of different
colors; on the upper baud embroider a vine of something green with ox-
eyed daisies to brighten it. Where the ends join, cover them with a large
and handsome bow. If inclined to take so much trouble, line the basket,
and finish the upper edge with a puff of satin or of heavy silk. A hand-
some basket may be lined with cashmere with a rushing around the top,
and hanging over the edge a sort of lambrequin made of strips of red and
white cashmere, rounded at the bottom and parked on the edge, and com-
pleted by having a bouquet of flowers in applique or in Kensington em-
broidery. A tassel on the bottom of each piece is a good addition; the
pieces keep their shape better with a tassel. Another pretty way is to put
a band of canvas, either drab, blue or scarlet, around the basket; below
this put a band of black velvet; brighten both by embroidery; one design
to work on the velvet is a procession of Kate Greenaway children. A
handsome ribbon bow adds to the good effect.
A Pretty Screen—For a simple folding screen, suitable for a chamber
or dining-room, you will use seven yards of Arm, unbleached cotton cloth,
three and one-half yards each of olive silosia and of upholstery cretonne,
three small brass hinges and several dozen brass-headed tacks, and two
frames, each five feet high and two and one-quarter feet broad. These
frames are made of four strips of pine wood one inch thick and two and
one-half inches wide, nicely jointed at the corners so as to be quite flat. It
is preferable to have the cretonne of bright but harmonious colors, and of large figures. The landscape patterns are pretty for this. Cover the frames
on both sides with the cotton cloth, fastening it with very small common
tacks, and after that stretch tightly across one side of each a piece of the
cretonne, an inch larger all round than the frame. On the other side
stretch the silesia, with the edges turned in and overlapping the cretonne,
and fasten these in the middle of the inch-wide edge with a row of the
brass-head"d tacks on what will be the top and outer side when the two
panels are joined together with the hinges. The other two ends must be
sewed.
/


HOME DECORATION. 49
A Pretty Wall-Pocket—Take pasteboard and cut twenty-six round
pieces two and one-half inches in diameter, and exactly in the center of
each make a perforation about one-fourth of an inch in diameter; thread a
darning needle with shaded Germantowu yarn (from pink to brown is very
pretty), and proceed to wrap the pieces of pasteboard. Insert the needle
through the perforation and fasten the yarn at the edge of the pasteboard
with a button-hole stitch; continue so until it is entirely covered. After
you have them all covered take sixteen of them and join in form of a dia-
mond; then take the remaining ten and join in a half diamond; take this
and place on the whole diamond, point to point, and sew the edges together;
that forms a pocket. It is now completed. Hang in a corner, and you will
be pleased with it.
Summer Curtains.—A very stylish and graceful design for sitting-room
or bedroom curtains recently originated in the New York Art Rooms, and
full directions are given here for making a pair. The curtains are inex-
pensive, the full cost for two deep windows being about $3.50. The mate-
rials required are two yards of cretonne, ten or twelve yards of cheese cloth
and sufficient lace for finishing the front edges of the curtain and making an
insertion across the top of each. Be careful in purchasing the cheese
cloth to get a piece which is evenly woven, and without black threads.
Scrim may be used instead of cheese cloth, if preferred, but it is more ex-
pensive. In buying the cretonne get two patterns which harmonize, buy-
ing one yard of each. Cut each yard in four pieces, lengthwise. Each
curtain has two pieces at the top, with an insertion of lace in between. One
curtain only will be described. Of each pattern of cretonne take one
piece, stitch the lace insertion between them, turn down the edge, about
an inch, of the one intended for the top of the curtain, and stitch the cheese
cloth on the other piece with a pudding-bag seam. Make a hem twelve
inches deep on the bottom of the curtain. The pace should be four inches
wide. Lay the lace flat on the rwhtside of the curtain, an inch from the
edge, with the straight edge of the face toward the selvedge, and the point-
ed edge turning backward. Stitch it on, fold down the hem on the wrong
side, and catch it fast with long stitches. Cut a V-shaped piece out of the
lace at the lower corner of the curtain, seam the lace together, and sew it
across the bottom of the curtain.
Scrim Toilet Set—Very pretty toilet sets are made of scrim, which
comes with alternate stripes of drawn-work and the plain material. Ou the
plain stripe garlands of daisies are arranged, the foliage and stems worked
with crewels, using the different shades of green for the purpose. The
daisies are made of very thin, fine Swiss muslin, cut in strips about an inch
wide. The design should first be stamped, or lightly traced on the plain
stripe; the flowers are then executed in the following manner: Cut a strip
an inch wide, and rather longer than the petal, then gather one end of the
muslin, and with a steel or bone pi rcer make a slight hole in the point of
the petal, through the scrim, press the gathered end of the muslin through
this, and fasten securely by sewing to the wrong side. Proceed in the same
manner for the end of the petal next the stamens, leaving in the middle of
the flower a circular space in which to work the stamens, which is done
with yellow crewel. Trim the edge of the bureau cover with antique lace.
Satin ribbon, about three inches wide, and of whatever color will harmo-
nize with the room for which it is intended, is tied in pretty frill hows with


50 HOME DECORATION.
ends, and one sewed in each corner of the cover. The pincushion is square,
covered with satin, and the scrim cover, which is cut the size of the cush-
ion, should have a design on the plain stripe executed in the same manner
as that on the bureau cover. Trim the edge with the lace, and place bows
of satin ribbon at each corner. The mats for the perfume bottles are either
round or square pieces of plain scrim, trimmed with a frill ruffle of lace.
Instead ot an ordinary pincushion it is very convenient to cover and line
with satin, a wooden, or a very stiff pasteboard box. Make a stuffed cush-
ion on the top of the lid, and sew three straps of ribbon across the back
from the lid to the box, thus holding them together as with hinges. The
scrim cover is made in the same manner as described for the pincushion,
and trimmed with bows. For the sides of the box a full ruffle is made of
plain scrim, hemmed on the lower edge and trimmed with lace. The
upper edge merely turned in and gathered, then sewed round the edge of
the box. No heading is necessary, as the lace which edges the cover falls
over, and is finish enough. These sets are very easily made, and are light
and dainty-looking for summer, besides having the advantage of washing
well, for, even though the daisies may be flattened, they can be made to
look as fresh as new by running the round, glass head of a pin between the
muslin petal and the scrim, thus giving the petal its former raised appear-
UW.


ETIQUETTE.
Etiquette may be defined as the minor morality of life. Its laws, like all other social laws, are the accumulated results of the wisdom and expe-
rience of many generations. They form a code with which every educated
person is bound to be acquainted; and the object of this little work is to
place that code before the reader in as succinct, as agreeable, and as ex-
planatory as light as the subject admits of. We hope and believe that it
will be found in all respects a trusty and pleasant guide.
The laws of Etiquette must not be supposed to apply only to intercourse
with the world. In no place do they bear such sweet and gratifying results
as in the home circle. Stripped of their mere formality, tempered with
love, and fostered by all kindly impulses, they there improve the character
as well as the manners, and bear their choicest fruits. Genuine politeness
is not like a ball-dress, only to be worn when circumstances of ceremony
demand it. It is a garment which should never be laid aside, and which
ought never to be felt as an incumbrance. It should be natural and un-
conscious as the very play of the lungs, or the beating of the heart. We
feel that we cannot impress this truth too strongly upon those to whom
this little manual is especially addressed. Much of their own happiness
in life, and much of tue happiness of those whose lives they share, depends
uvon their observance of its precepts in the domestic circle.
CHAPTER I.
IKTRODOOTIOKS.
To introduce persons who are mutually unknown is to undertake a seri-
ous responsibility, and to certify to each the respectability of the other.
Never undertake this responsibility without in the first place asking your-
self whether the persons are likely to be agreeable to each other; nor, in
the second place, without ascertaining whether it will be acceptable to
both parties to become acquainted.
Always introduce the gentleman to the lady—never the lady to the gen-
tleman. The chivalry of etiquette assumes that the lady is invariably the
superior in right of her sex, and that the gentleman is honored in the intro-
duction. This rule is to be observed even when the social rank of the
gentleman is higher than that of the lady.
Where the sexes are the same, always present the inferior to the superior.
Never present a gentleman to a lady without first asking her permission
to do so.
When you are introduced to a gentleman, never offer your hand. When
introduced, persons limit their recognition of each other to a bow. Ladies
never shake hands with gentlemen unless under circumstances of great
intimacy.
Never introduce morning visitors who happen to encounter each other
in your parlor unless they are persons whom you have already obtained


5J ETIQUETTE.
permission to make known to each other. Visitor* thus casually meeting
in the house of the friend should converse with ease and freedom, as if they
were acquainted. That they are both friends of the hostess is sufficient
guarantee of their respectability. To be silent and stiff on such an occa-
sion would show much ignorance and ill-breeding.
Persons who have met at the house of a mutual friend without being
introduced, should not bow if they afterward meet elsewhere. A bow im-
plies acquaintance, and persons who have not been introduced are not
acquainted.
If you are walking with one friend, and presently meet with or are
joined by a third, do not commit the too frequent error ot introducing them
to each other. You have even less right to do so than if they encountered
each other at your house during a morning call.
There are some exceptions to the etiquette of introductions. At a ball,
or evening party where there is dancing- the mistress of the house may
introduce any gentleman to any lady without first asking the lady's per-
mission. But she should first ascertain whether the lady is willing to
dance; and this out of consideration for the gentleman, who may other-
wise be refused. No man likes to be refused the hand of a'lady, though it
be only for a quadrille.
A sister may present her brother, or a mother her son, without any kind
of preliminary; but only when there is no inferiority on the part of her own
family to that of the acquaintance.
Friends may introduce friends at the house of a mutual acquaintance;
but, as a rule, it is better to be introduced by the mistress of the house.
Such an introduction carries more authority with it.
Introductions at evening parties are now almost wholly dispensed with.
People who meet at a friend's house are ostensibly upon an equality, and
pay a bad compliment to the host by appearing suspicious and formal.
Some old-fashioned hosts yet persevere in introducing each new comer to
all the assembled guests. It is a custom that cannot be too soon abolished,
and one that places the last unfortunate visitor in a singularly awkward
position. All that she can do is to make a semicircular courtesy, like a
concert singer before an audience, and bear the general gaze with as much
composure as possible.
An introduction given at the ball for the mere purpose of conducting a
lady through a dance, does not give the gentleman any right to bow to her
on a future occasion. If he commits this error, she may remember that
she is not bound to see, or return, his salutation.
CHAPTER II.
VISITING—MORNING CALLS—CARDS.
A morning visit should be paid between the hours of two and four p. M.,
in winter, and two and five in summer. By observing this rule you avoid
intruding before the luncheon is removed, and leave in sufficient time to
allow the lady of the house an hour or two of leisure for her dinner toi-
lette.
Be careful always to avoid luncheon hours when you pay morning visits.
Some ladies dine at half-past one, and are consequently unprepared for the
early reception of visitors. When you have once ascertained this to be the
case, be careful never to intrude again at the same hour.
a good memory for these trifles is one of' the marks of good breeding.


ETIQUETTE. 53
Visits of ceremony should be short. If even the conversation should
have become animated, beware of letting your oall exceed half-an-hour s
length. It is always better to let your friends regret than desire your
withdrawal.
On returning visits of ceremony you may, without impoliteness, leave
your card at the door without going in. Do not fail, however, to inquire
if the family be well.
Should there be daughters or sisters residing with the lady upon whom
you call, you may turn down a corner of your card, to signify that the visit
is paid to all. It is in better taste, however to leave cards for each.
Unless when returning thanks for " kind inquiries," or announcing your
arrival in, or departure from, town, it is not considered respectful to send
round cards by a servant.
Leave-talfing cards have P. P. C. (pour prendre conge) written in the
corner.
It is the fashion for unmarried ladies to affix "Miss" to their visiting
cards.
Visits of condolence are paid within the week after the event which
occasions them. Personal visits of this kind are made by relations and
very intimate friends only. Acquaintances should leave cards with narrow
mourning borders. •
On the first occasion when you are received by the family after the death
of one of its members, it is etiquette to wear slight mourning.
Umbrellas should invariably be left in the hall.
If other visitors are announced, and you have already remained as long
as courtesy requires, wail- till they are seated, and then rise from your
chair, take leave of your hostess, and bow politely to the newly-arrived
guest?. Yon will, perhaps, be urged to remain, but, having once risen, it
is best to go. There is always a certain air of gaucherie in resuming your
seat and repeating the ceremony of leave-taking.
If you have occasion to look at your watch during a call, ask permission
to do so, and apologize for it on the plea of other appointments.
In receiving morning visitors, it is not necessary that the lady should
lay aside the employment in which she may be engaged, particularly if it
consists of light or ornamental needle-work. Politeness, however, requires
that music, drawing, or any other occupation which would completely
engross the attention, be at once abandoned.
You need not advance to receive visitors when announced, unless they
are persons to whom you are desirous of testifying particular attention. It
is sufficient if a lady rises to receive her visitors, moves forward a sin-
gle step to shake hands with them, and remains standing till they are
seated.
When your visitors rise to take leave, you should rise also, and remain
standing till they have quite left the room. Do not accompany them to the
door, but be careful to ring in good time, that the servant may be ready in
the hall to let them out.
A lady should dress well, but not too richly, when she pays a morning
visit. If she has a carriage at command, she may dress more elegantly
than if she were on foot.
When a gentleman makes a morning call, he should never leave his hat
or riding whip in the hall, but should take both into the room. To do
otherwise would be to make himself too much at home. The hat, however,
must never be laid on a table, piano, or any article of furniture; it should


54 ETIQ UETTE.
be held gracefully in the hand. If you are compelled to lay it aside, put it
on the floor.
The visiting cards of gentlemen are half the size of those used by ladies.
CHAPTER in.
CONVERSATION.
There is no conversation so graceful, so varied, so sparkling as that of
an intellectual and cultivated woman. Excellence in this particular is,
indeed, one of the attributes of the sex, and should be cultivated by every
lady who aspires to please in general society.
In order to talk well, three conditions are indispensable, namely—tact,
a good memory, and a fair education. ,
Remember that people take more interest in their own affairs than in
anything else which you can name. If you wish your conversation to be
thoroughly agreeable, lead a mother to talk of her children, a young lady
of her last ball, an author of his forthcoming book, or an artist of his exhi-
bition picture. Having furnished the topic, you need only listen; and you
are sure to be thought not only agreeable, but thoroughly sensible and
well-informed.
Be careful, however, on the other hand, not always to make a point of
talking to persons upon general matters relating to their professions. To
show an interest in their immediate concerns is flattering; but to converse
with them too much about their own arts looks as if you thought them
ignorant upon other topics.
Remember in conversation that a voice "gentle and low" is, above all
other extraneous acquirements, "an excellent thing in woman." There is
a certain distinct but subdued tone of voice which is peculiar to only well-
bred persons. A loud voice is both disagreeable and vulgar. It is better
to err by the use of too low than too loud a tone.
Remember that all "slang" is vulgar. It has become of lato unfortu-
nately prevalent, and we know many ladies who pride themselves on the
saucy chic with which they adopt certain slang words, and other cant
phrases of the day. Such habits cannot be too severely reprehended.
They lower the tone of society and the standard of thought. It is a great
mistake to suppose that slang is in any way a substitute for wit.
Long arguments in general company, however entercaining to the dis-
putants, are tiresome to the last degree to all others. You should always
endeavor to prevent the conversation from dwelling too long upon one
topic.
Religion is a topic which should never be introduced in society. It is
the one subject on which persons are most likely to differ, and least able
to preserve temper.
Never interrupt a person who is speaking. It has been aptly said that "if you interrupt a speaker in the middle of his sentence, you act almost
as rudely as if, when walking with a companion, you were to thrust your-
self before him and stop his progress."
To listen well is almost as great an art as to talk well. It is not enough
only to listen. You must endeavor to seem interested in the conversation
of others.
It is considered extremely ill-bred when two persons whisper in society,
or converse in a language with which all present are not familiar. If you
have any private matters to discuss, you should appoint a proper time and


ETIQUETTE. 55
plaoe to do bo, without paying others the ill compliment of excluding
them from your conversation.
Do not be always witty, even though you should be so happily gifted as
to need the caution. To outshine others on every occasion is the surest t
road to unpopularity.
Always look, but never stare, at those with whom you converse.
In order to meet the general needs of conversation in society, it is
necessary that a lady should be acquainted with the current news and his-
torical events of at least the last tew years.
Never talk on subjects of which you know nothing, unless it be for the
purpose of acquiring information. Many young ladies imagine that be-
cause they play a little, sing a little, draw a little, and frequent exhibitions
and operas, they are qualified judges of art. No mistake is moro egregri-
ons or universal.
Those who introduoe anecdotes into their conversation are warned that
these should invariably be " short, witty, eloquent, new and not far-fetched."
Scandal is the least excusable of all conversational vulgarities.
CHAPTER IV.
NOTES OF INVITATION, ETC.
Notes of invitation and acceptance are written in the third person and
the simplest style. The old-fashioned preliminary of " presenting compli-
ments " is discontinued by the most elegant letter writers.
All notes of invitation are now issued in the name of the mistress of the
house only, as follows:
"Mrs. Norman requests the honor of Mr. and Mrs. George Jones' com-
pany at an evening party,on Monday, lHh. of June."
Others prefer the subjoined form, which is purchaseable ready printed
upon either cards or note paper, with blanks for names or dates:
"Mrs. Norman,
"At home,
"Monday evening, June the lith instant."
An "At home " is, however, considered somewhat less stately than an
evening party, and partakes more of the character of a conversazione.
The reply to a note of invitation should be couched as follows:
"Mr. Berkley has much pleasure in accepting Mrs. Norman's polite invi-
tation for Monday evening, June the 14th instant."
Never "avail" yourself of an invitation. Above all, never speak or
write of an invitation as "an invite." It is neither good breeding nor good
English.
Notes of invitation and reply should be written on small paper of the
best quality, and enclosed in envelopes to correspond.
Note paper of the most dainty and fastidious kind may be used by a
lady with propriety and elegance, but only when she is writing to her friends
and equals. Business letters or letters to her tradespeople should be
written on plain paper, and enclosed either in an adhesive envelope, or
sealed with red wax.
Never omit the address and date from any letter, whether of business
or friendship.
Letters in the first person addressed to strangers should begin with 


K BT1QUETTR.
"Sir," or "Madam," and end with, "I have the honor to be your very
obedient servant." Some object to this form of words from a mistaken
sense of pride; but it is merely a form, and rightly apprehended, evinces a
"proud humility," which implies more condescension than a less formal
phrase.
At the end of your letter, at some little distance below your signature,
and in the left corner of your paper, write the name of the person to whom
your letter is addressed as "Edward Monroe, Esquire."
It is more polite to write Esquire at full length than to curtail it to Esq.
Iu writing to a person much your superior or inferior, use as few words
as possible. In the former case, to take up much of a great man's time is
to take a liberty; in the latter, to be diffuse, is to be too familiar. It is only
in familiar correspondence that long letters are permissible.
In writing a business letter begin:
"Mr. Jones .-—Sir."
A letter thus begun may, with propriety, be ended with:
"Yours truly."
Letters to persons whom you meet frequently in society, without having
arrived at intimacy, may commence with "Dear Madam," and end with,
"I am, dear Madam, yours very truly."
Letters commencing "My dear Madam," addressed to persons whom
you appreciate, and with whom you are on friendly terms, may end with
"I am, my dear Madam, yours very faithfully," or "yours very sincerely."
To be prompt in replying to a letter is to be polite.
Lady correspondents -are too apt to emphasize in their letter writing,
and in general evince the sad disregard of the laws of punctuation. We
would respectfully suggest that a comma is not designed to answer
every purpose, and that the underlining of every second or third word
adds nothing to the eloquence or clearness of a letter, however certain it
may be to provoke an unflattering smile upon the lips of the reader.
All letters must be prepaid.
CHAPTER V.
THE PROMENADE.
In England, a lady may accept the arm of a gentleman with whom she
is walking in the afternoon, even though he be only an acquaintance. This
is not the case in America. Here a lady can take the arm of no gentleman
who is not either B husband, lover or near relative.
If a lady has been making purchases during her walk, she may permit
the gentleman who accompanies her to carry any small parcel that she
may have in her own hand; but she should not burden him with more
than one under any circumstances whatever.
Two ladies may without any impropriety take each one arm of any
single oavalier; but one lady cannot, with either grace or sanction of cus-
tom, take the arms of two gentlemen at the same time.
When a lady is walking with a gentleman in a park, or public garden, or
through the rooms of an exhibition, and becomes fatigued, it is the gentle-
man's duty to find her a seat. If, however, as is very frequently the case,
he is himself obliged to remain standing, the lady should make a point of
rising as soon as she is sufficiently rested, and not abuse either the patience
or politeness of her companion.


ETIQUETTE. 87
It is the place of the lady to bow first, if she meets a gentleman of her
acquaintance.
When you meet friends or acquaintances in the streets, the exhibitions,
or any public places, be careful not to pronounce their names so loudly as
to attract the attention of bystanders. Never call across the street, or
attempt to carry on a dialogue in a public vehicle,' unless your interlocutor
occupies the seat beside your own.
A well-bred man must entertain no respect for the brim of his hat. "A
bow," says La Fontaine, "is a note drawn at sight." You are bound to
acknowledge it immediately, and to the full amount- thetwo most ele-
gant men of their day, Charles the Second and George 'he Fourth, never
failed to take off their hats to the meanest of their subjects. Always bear
this example in mind; and remember that to nod, w merely to *touch the
brim of the hat, is far from courteous. True politeness demands' it the
hat should be quite lifted from the head.
On meeting friends with whom you are likely to shake hands, remove
your hat with the left hand in order to leave the right hand free.
If you meet a lady in the street whom you are sufficiently intimate to
address, do not stop her, but turn round and walk beside her in whichever
direction she is going. When you have said all that you wish to say, you
can take your leave.
If you meet a lady with whom you are not particularly well acquainted,
wait for her recognition before you venture to bow to her.
In bowing to the lady whom you are not going to address, lift your hat
with that hf-nd which is furthest from her. For instance, it you pass her
on the right side, use your left hand ; if on the left, use your right.
If you are on horseback and wish to converse with a lady who is on
foot, you must dismount and lead your horse, so as not to give her the
fatigue of looking up to your level. Neither should you subject her to the
impropriety of carrying on a conversation in a tone necessarily louder than
is sanctioned in public by the laws of good breeding.
In walking with a lady take charge of any small parcel, parasol, or book
with which she may be encumbered.
If you so far forget what is elegant as to smoke in the street, at least
never omit to fling away your cigar if you speak to a lady.
An evening party begins about nine o'clock p. M., and ends about mid-
night, or somewhat later. Good breeding neither demands that you should
present yourself at the commencement, nor remain till the close of the
evening. You come and go as may be most convenient to you, and by
these means are at liberty, during the height of the season when evening
parties are numerous, to present yourself at two or three houses during a
single evening.
Pay your respects to the hostess before you even seem to see any other
of your friends who may be in the room. At very large and fashionable
receptions she is generally to be found near the door. Should you, how-
ever, find yourself separated by a dense crowd of guests, you are at liberty
to recognize those who are near you, and those whom you encounter as you
make your way slowly through the throng.
General salutations of the company are now wholly disused. In society
a lady only recognizes her own friends and acquaintances.
If you are at the house of a new acquaintance and find yourself among
entire strangers, remember that by so meeting under one roof you are all
in a certain sense made known to one another, and should, therefore, con-


58 ETIQUETTE.
verse freely, as equals. To shrink away to a side-table and affect to be
absorbed in some album or illustrated work; or, if you find one unlucky
acquaintance in the room, to fasten upon her like a drowning man clinging
to a spar, are gancheries which no shyness can excuse.
If you possess any musical accomplishments, do not wait to be pressed
and entreated by your hostess, but comply immediately when she pays you
the compliment of inviting you to play or sing. Remember, however, that
only the lady of the house has the right to ask you. If others do so, you
can put them off in some polite way, but must not comply till the hostess
herself invites you.
Be scrupulous to observe silence when any of the company are playing
or singing. Remember that they are doing this for the amusement of the
rest, and that to talk at such a time is as ill-bred as if you were to turn
your back upon a person who was talking to you, and begin a conversation
with some one else.
If you are yourself the performer, bear in mind that in music, as in
speech, "brevity is the soul of wit." Two verses of a song, or four pages
of a piece, are at all times enough to give pleasure. If your audience desire
more, they will ask for more; and it is infinitely more flattering to be en-
cored than to receive the thanks of your hearers, not so much in gratitude
for what you have given them, but in relief that you ' ave left off.
Impromptu charades are frequently organized at "ri ndly parties. Un-
less you have really some talent for acting and some i.adiness of speech,
you should remember that you only put others out and expose your own
inability by taking part in these entertainments. Of course,: your help is
really needed, and you would disoblige by refusing, m must do your
best, and by doing it as quietly and as coolly as possible, avoid being awk-
ward or ridiculous.
Even though you may take no pleasure in cards, some knowledge of the
etiquette and rules belonging to the games most in vogue is necessary to
you in society. If a fourth hand is wanted at a rubber, or if the rest of the
company sit down to a round game, you would be deemed guilty of an im-
politeness if you refused to join.
Married people should not play at the same table, unless where the
party is so small that it cannot be avoided. This rule supposes nothing so
disgraceful to any married couple as dishonest collusion; but persons who
play regularly together cannot fail to know so much of each other's mode
of acting, under given circumstances, that the chances no longer remain
perfectly even in favor of their adversaries.
No well-bred person ever loses temper at the card-table. You have no
right to sit down to the game unless you can bear a long run of ill-luck
with perfect composure, and are prepared to cheerfully pass over any
blunders that your partner may chance to make.
If you are an indifferent player, make a point of saying so before you
join a party at whist. If the others are fine players they will be infinitely
more obliged to you for declining than accepting their invitation. In any
case yon have no right to spoil their pleasure by your bad play.
Never let even politeness induce you to play for very high stakes.
Etiquette is the minor morality of life; but it never should be allowed to
outweigh the higher code of right and wrong.
Young ladies may decline to play at cards, without being deemed guilty
ofimpoliteness.
No very young lady should appear at an evening party without an escort.


ETIQUETTE. 58
In retiring from a crowded party it is unnecessary that you should seek
out the hostess for the purpose of bidding her a formal good night. By
doing this you would, perhaps, remind others that it was getting late, and
cause the party to break up. if you meet the lady of the house on your
way to the drawing-room door, take your leave of her as unobtrusively as
possible, and slip away without attracting the attention of her other guests.
At an evening party do not remain too long in one spot. To be afraid
to move from one drawing-room to another is the sure sign of a neophite in
society.
If you have occasion to use your handkerchief, do so as noiselessly as
possible. To blow your nose as if it were a trombone, or to turn your head
aside when using your handkerchief, are vulgarities scrupulously to be
avoided.
Never stand upon the hearth-rug with your back to the Are, either in a
friend's house or your own. We have seen even well-bred men at evening
parties commit this selfish and vulgar solecism.
Never offer any one the chair from which you have just risen, unless
there be no other disengaged.
If when slipper is announced no lady has been especially placed under
your care by the hostess, offer your arm to whichever lady you may have
last conversed with.
CHAPTER YL
THE DINNEB-TABLE.
To be acquainted with every detail of the etiquette pertaining to this
subject is of the highest importance to every lady. Ease, savoir-faire, and
good breeding are nowhere more indispensable than at the dinner-table,
and the absence of them is nowhere more apparent. How to eat soup and
what to do with a cherry-stone are weighty considerations when taken as
the index of social status ; and it is not too much to say that a young woman
who elected to take claret with her fish, or eat peas with her knife, would
justly risk the punishment of being banished from good society.
An invitation to dine should be replied to immediately, and unequivo-
cally accepted or declined. Once accepted, nothing but an event of the
last importance should cause you to fail in your engagement.
To be exactly punctual is the strictest politeness on these occasions. If
you are too early, you are in the way; if too late, you spoil the dinner,
annoy the hostess, and are hated by the rest of the guests. Some authori-
ties are even of opinion that in the question of a dinner-party "never"
is better than " late ;" and one author has gone so far as to say, "if yon do
not reach the house till dinner is served, you had better retire and send an
apology, and not interrupt the harmony of the courses by awkward excuses
and cold acceptance."
When the party is assembled, the mistress or master of the house will
point out to each gentleman tho lady whom he is to conduct to table. The
guests then go down according to precedence of rank. This order of prece-
dence must be arranged by the host or hostess, as the guests are probably
unacquainted, and cannot know each other's social rank.
The lady who is the greatest stranger should be taken down by the
master ot the house, and the gentleman who is the greatest stranger should
conduct the hostess. Married ladies take precedence of single ladies,
elder ladies of younger ones, and so forth.
When dinner is anuounced, the host offers his arm to the lady of most


60 ETIQ TTETTE.
distinction, invites the rest to follow by a few words or a bow, and leads
the way. The lady of the house should then follow with the gentleman
who is most entitled to that honor, and the visitors follow in the order that
has been previously arranged. The lady of the house frequently remains,
however, till the last, that she may see her guests go down in their pre-
scribed order; but the plan is not a convenient one. It is much better that the hostess should be in her place as the guests enter the dining-
room, in order that she may indicate their seats to them as they enter, and
not find them all crowded together in uncertainty when she arrives.
The number of guests at a dinner-party should always be determined
by the size of the table. When the party is too small, conversation flags,
and a general air of desolation pervades the table. When there are too
'many, every one is inconvenienced. A space of two feet should be allowed
to each person. It is well to arrange a party in such wise that the number
of ladies and gentlemen is equal.
The lady of the house takes the head of the table. The gentleman who
led her down to dinner occupies the seat on her right hand, and the gentle-
man next in order of precedence that on her left. The master of the house
takes the foot of the table. The lady whom he escorted sits on his right
hand, and the lady next in order of precedence on his left.
As soon as you are seated at table, remove your gloves, place your table
napkin across your knees, and remove the roll which you find probably
within it to the left side of your plate.
The soup should be placed on the table first. Some old-fashioned per-
sons still place soup and fish together; but "it is a custom more honored
in the breach than»the observance." Still more old-fashioned, and in still
worse taste, is it to ask your guests if they will take "soup or fish." They
are as much separate courses as the fish and the meat; and all experienced
diners take both. In any case, it is inhospitable to appear to force a choice
upon a visitor, when that visitor, in all probability, will prefer lo take his
soup first and his fish afterward. All well-ordered dinners begin with
soup, whether in summer or winter. The lady of the house should help it,
and send it round without asking each individual in turn. It is as much
an understood thing as the bread beside each plate, and those who do not
choose it are always at liberty to leave it untasted.
In eating soup, remember always to take it from the side of the spoon,
and to make no sound in doing so.
If the servants do not go round with wine the gentlemen should help
the ladies and themselves to sherry or sauterne immediately after the soup.
You should never ask for the second supply of either soup or fish ; it
delays the next course, and keeps the table waiting.
Never offer to " assist" your neighbors to this or that dish. The word
is inexpressibly vulgar—all the more vulgar for its affectation of elegance.
"Shall I send you some mutton ?" or " May I help you to grouse 1" is better
chosen and better bred.
As a general rule, it is better not to ask your guests if they will partake
of the dishes; but to send the plates round, and let them accept or decline
them as they please. At very large dinners it is sometimes customary to
distribute little lists of the order of the dishes at intervals along the table.
It must be confessed that this gives somewhat the air of a dinner at a hotel,
but it has the advantage of enabling the visitors to select their fare, and
as " forewarned is forearmed," to keep a corner, as the children say, for
their favorite dishes.


ETIQUETTE. 61
As soon as yon are helped, begin to eat, or, if the viands are too hot for
your palate, take up your knife and fork and appear to begin. To wait for
others is now not only old-fashioned, but ill-bred.
Never offer to pass on the plate to which you have been helped. This
is a still more vulgar piece of politeness, and belongs to the manners of a
hundred years ago. The lady of the house who sends your plate to you is
the best judge of precedence at her own table.
In helping soup, fish, or any other dish, remember that to overfill a
plate is as bad as to supply it too scantily.
Silver fish-knives will now always be met with at the best tables ; but
where there are none, a piece of crust should be taken in the left hand and
the fork in the right. There is no exception to this rule in eating fish.
We presume it is scarcely necessary to remind our fair reader that she
is never, under any circumstances, to convey her knife to her mouth. Peas
are eaten with the fork; tarts, curry, and puddings of all kinds with the
spoon.
Always help fish with a fish-knife, and tart and puddings with a spoon,
or, if necessary, with a spoon and fork.
In helping sauce, always pour it on the side of the plate.
If the servants do not go round with the wine (which is by far the best
custom) the gentlemen at a dinner-table should take upon themselves the
office of helping those ladies who sit near them. Young ladies seldom
drink more than three glasses of wine at dinner; but married ladies, pro-
fessional ladies, and those accustomed to society and habits of affluence,
will habitally take five or even six, whether in their own homes or at the
tables of their friends.
The habit of taking wine with each other has almost wholly gone out of
fashion. A gentleman may ask the lady whom he conducted down to din-
ner, or he may ask the lady of the house to take wine with him. But even
these last remnants of the old custom are fast falling into disuse.
Unless you are a total abstainer, it is extremely uncivil to decline taking
wine if you are invited to do so. In accepting, you have only to pour a
little fresh wine into your glass, look at the person who invited you, bow
slightly, and take a sip from the glass.
It is particularly ill-bred to empty your glass on these occasions.
Certain wines are taken with certain dishes, by old-established custom
—as sherry or sauterne with soup and fish; hock and claret with roast
meat; punch with turtle; champagne with whitebait; port with venison;
port or burgundy with game ; sparkling wines between the roast and the
confectionery; madeira with sweets; port .with cheese; and for dessert,
port, tokay, madeira, sherry and claret. Bed wines should never be iced,
even in summer. Claret and burgundy should always be slightly warmed;
claret cup and champagne cup should, of course, be iced.
Never speak while you have anything in your mouth.
Be careful never to taste soups or puddings till you are sure they are
sufficiently cool; as, by disregarding this caution, you may be compelled
to swallow what is dangerously hot, or be driven to the unpardonable
alternative of returning it to your plate.
When eating or drinking, avoid every kind of audible testimony to the
facts.
Finger-glasses, containing water slightly warmed and perfumed, are
placed to each person at dessert. In these you may dip the tips of your
fingers, wiping them afterward on your table-napkin. If the finger-glass


62 ETIQUETTE.
and doyley are placed on your dessert-plate, you sheuld immediately
remove the doyley to the left of your plate, and place the finger-glass upon
it. By these means you leave the right for the wine-glasses.
Be careful to know the shapes of the various kinds of wine-glasses
commonly in use, in order that you may never put forward one for another.
High and narrow, and very broad and shallow glasses, are used for cham-
pagne; large, goblet-shaped glasses lor burgundy and claret; ordinary
wine glasses for sherry and madeira; green glasses for hock; and some-
what large, bell-shaped glasses for port.
Port, sherry, and madeira are decanted. Hocks and champagnes ap-
pear in their native bottles. Claret and burgundy are handed round in a
claret jug.
The servants leave the room when the dessert is on the table.
Coffee and liquors should be handed round when the dessert has been
about a quarter of an hour on the table. After this, the ladies generally retire.
The lady of the house should never send away her plale, or appear to
to have done eating, till all her guests have finished.
If you should unfortunately overturn or break anything, do not apolo-
gize for it. You can show your regret in your face, but it is not well-bred
to put it into words.
To abstain from taking the last piece on the dish, or the last glass of
wine in the decanter, only because it is the last, is highly ill-bred. It im-
plies a fear on your part that the vacancy cannot be supplied, and almost
conveys an affront to your host.
When the ladies leave the dining-room, the gentlemen all rise in their
places, and do not resume their s-ats till the last lady is gone.
Should you injure a lady's dress, apologize amply, and assist her, if
possible, to remove all traces of the damage.
In summing up the little duties and laws of the table, a popular author
has said that "The chief matter of consideration at the dinner-table—as,
indeed, everywhere else in the life of a gentleman—is to be perfectly com-
posed and at his ease. He speaks deliberately; he performs the most
important act of the day as if he were performing the most ordinary. Yet
there is no appearance of trifling or want of gravity in his manner, he main-
tains the dignity which is so becoming on so vital an occasion. He performs
all the ceremonies, yet in the style of one who performs no ceremonies at
all. He goes through all the complicated duties of the scene as if he were
'to the manner born.'"
Bear in mind that it is your duty to entertain your friends in the best
manner .that your means permit. This is the least you can do to recom-
pense them for the expenditure of time and money which they incur in
accepting your invitation.
Never reprove or give directions to your servants before guests. If a
dish is not placed precisely where you would have wished it to stand, or
the order of a course is reversed, let the error pass unobserved by your-
self, and you may depend that it will be unnoticed by others.
If you are a mother, you will be wise never to let your children make
their appearance at dessert when you entertain friends at dinner. Children
are out of place on these occasions. Your guests only tolerate them
through politeness; their presence interrupts the genial flow of after-
dinner conversation; and you may rely upon it that, with the exception of
yourself, and perhaps your husband, there is not a person at table who
does not wish them in the nursery.


ETIQUETTE. 63
The duties of hostess at a dinner-party are not onerous; but they
demand tact and good breeding, grace of bearing and self-possession in no
ordinary degree. She does not often carve. She has no active duties to
perform; but she must neglect nothing, forget nothing, put all her guests
at their ease, encourage the timid, draw out the silent, and pay every pos-
sible attention to the requirements of each and all around her. No acci-
dent must ruffle her temper. No disappointment must embarrass her. She
must see her old china broken without a sigh, and her best glass shattered
with a smile. In short, to quote the language of a clever contemporary,
she must have "the genius of tact to perceive, and the genius of finesse to
execute; ease a«d frankness of manner; a knowledge of the world that
nothing can surprise; a calmness ot temper that nothing can disturb; and
a kindness of disposition that can never be exhausted."
CHAPTER VII.
THE BALLROOM.As the number of guests at a dinner-party is regulated by the size of the table, so should the number of invitations to a ball be limited by the pro-
portions of the ball-room. A prudent hostess will always invite a few more
guests than she really desires to entertain, in the certainty that there will
be some deserters when the appointed evening comes round; but she will
at the same time remember that to overcrowd her room is to spoil the
pleasure of those who love dancing, and that a party of this kind, when too
numerously attended, is as great the failure as one at which too few are
present.
A room which is nearly square, yet a little longer than it is broad, will
be found the most favorable for a ball. It admits of two quadrille parties,
or two round dances, at the same time. In a perfectly square room this
arrangement is not so practicable or pleasant. A very long and narrow
room is obviously of the worst shape for the purpose of dancing, and is fit
only for quadrilles and country dances.
The top of the ball-room is the part nearest the orchestt*. In a private
room the top is where it would be if the room were a aiuing-room. It is
generally at the furthest point from the door. Dancers should be careful
to ascertain the top of the room before taking their places, as the top
couples always lead the dances.
A good floor is the last importance in a ball-room. In a private house
nothing can be better than a smooth, well-stretched hulland, with the car-
pet beneath.
Abundance of light and free ventilation are indispensable to the spirits
and comfort of the dancers.
Invitations to a ball should be issued in the name of the lady of the
house, and written or engraved on small note paper of the best quality.
The paper may be gilt-edged, but not colored. The sealing-wax used
should be of some delicate hue.
An invitation to a ball should be sent out at least ten days before the
evening appointed. A fortnight, three weeks, and even a month may be
allowed in the way of notice.
Not more than two or three days should be permitted to elapse before
you reply to an invitation of this kind. The reply should always be addressed to the lady of the house, and should be couched in the same* person as the invitation. The following are the forms generally in use:


64 ETIQUETTE.
"Mrs. Molyneux requests the honor of Mr. Hamilton's company at an
evening party, on Monday, March the Wh instant.
"Dancing will begin at nine o'clock." Thursday, March 1st."
"Mr. Hamilton has much pleasure in accepting Mrs. Molyneux's polite
invitation for Monday evening, March the lltlt instant.
"Friday, March 2d."
The old form of " presenting compliments " is now out of fashion.
The lady who gives a ball. should endeavor to secure an equal number
of dancers of both sexes. Many private parties are spoiled by the prepon-
derance of young ladies, some of whom never get partners at all, unless
they dance with each other.
A room should in all cases be provided for the accommodation of the
ladies. In this room there ought to be several looking-glasses, attendants
to assist the fair visitors in the arrangement of their hair and dress, and
some place in which the cloaks and shawls can be laid in order, and found
at a moment's notice. It is well to affix tickets to the cloaks, giving a dupli-
cate at the same time to each lady, as at the public theaters and concert-
rooms. Needles and thread should also be at hand, to repair any little
accident incurred in dancing.
Another room should be devoted to refreshments, and kept amply sup-
plied with coffee, ices, lemonade, wine and biscuits during the evening.
Where this cannot be arranged, the refreshments should be handed round
between the dances.
The question of supper is one which so entirely depends on the means
of those who give a ball or evening party, that very little can be said upon it
in a treatise of this description. Where money is no object, it is, of course,
always preferable to have the whole supper, "with all appliances and
means to boot," sent in from some first-rate house If spares all trouble, whether to the entertainers or their servants, and relieves the hostess of
every anxiety. Where circumstances render such a course imprudent, we
would only observe that a home-provided supper, however simple, should
be good of its kind, and abundant in quantity. Dancers are generally hun-
gry people, and feel themselves much aggrieved if the supply of sand-
wiches proves unequal to the demand.
A ball generally begins about half-past nine or ten o'clock.
To attempt to dance without a knowledge of dancing is not only to make
one's self ridiculous, but one's partner also. No lady has a right to place a
partner in this absurd position.
Never forget a ballroom engagement. To do so is to commit an un-
pardonable offense against good breeding.
On entering the ball-room, the visitor should at once seek the lady of
the house, and pay her respects to her. Having done this, she may ex-
change salutations with such friends and acquaintances as may be in the
room.
No lady should accept an invitation to dance from a gentleman to whom
she has not been introduced. In case any gentleman should commit the error
of so inviting her, she should not excuse herself on the plea of a previous
engagement, or of fatigue, as to do so would imply that she did not herself
attach due importance to the necessary ceremony of introduction. Her
* It will be understood that we use the word " ball " to signify a private party where
there is dancing, as well as a public ball.


ETIQUETTE. 6f
best reply would be to the effect that she would have much pleasure in
accepting his invitation if he would procure an introduction to her. This
'observation may be taken as applying only to public balls. At a private
party the host and hostess are sufficient guaranties for the respectability
of their guests; and although a gentleman would show a singular want of
knowledge of the laws of society in acting as we have supposed, the lady
who should reply to him as if he were merely an impertinent stranger in a
public assembly-room would be implying an affront to her entertainers.
The mere fact of being assembled together under the roof of a mutual
friend is in itself a kind of general inlroduction of the guests to each other.
An introduction given for the mere purpose of enabling a lady and gen-
tleman to go through a dance together does net constitute an acquaintance-
ship. The lady is at liberty to pass the gentleman in the park the next
day without recognition.
It is not necessary that a lady should be acquainted with the steps in
order to walk gracefully and easily through a quadrille. An easy carriage
and a knowledge of the figure is all that is requisite. A round dance, how-
ever, should on no account be attempted without a thorough knowledge of
the steps, and some previous practice.
No person who has not a good ear for time and tune need hope to dance
well.
No lady should accept refreshments from a stranger at a public ball,
for she would thereby lay herself under a pecuniary obligation. For these
she must rely on her father, brothers, or old friends.
Good taste forbids that a lady should dance too frequently with the same
partner at either a public or private ball. Engaged persons should be
careful not to commit this conspicuous solecism.
Engagements for one dance should not be made while the present dance
is yet in progress.
Never attempt to take a place in a dance which has been previously en-
gaged.
Withdraw from a private ball-room as quietly as possible, so that your
departure may not be observed by others, and cause the party to break up.
If you meet the lady of the house on your way out, take your leave of
her in such a manner that her other guests may not suppose you are doing
wj; but do not seek her out for that purpose.
Never be seen without gloves in a ball-room, though it were for only a
few moments. Ladies who dance much and are particularly soigne in
matters relating to the toilet, take a second pair of gloves to replace the
first when soiled.
A thoughtful hostess will never introduce a bad dancer to a good one, .
because she has no right to punish one friend in order to oblige another.
It is not customary for married persons to dance together in society.
At the beginning and end of a quadrille, the gentleman bows to his
partner, and bows again on handing her to a seat.
After dancing, the gentleman may offer to conduct the lady to the
relreshment-room.
Should a lady decline your hand for a dance, and afterward stand up
with another partner, you will do well I o attribute her error to either for-
getfnlness or ignorance of the laws of etiquette. Politeness toward your
host and hostess demands that you should never make any little personal
grievance the ground of discomfort or disagreement.
A gentleman conducts his last partner to supper, waits upon her till she


6« ETIQUETTE.
has had as much refreshment as she desires, and then re-oonducts her to
the ball-room.
However much pleasure you may take in the society of any particular
lady, etiquette forbids that you should dance with her too frequently.
Engaged persons would do well to bear this maxim in mind.
It is customary to call upon your entertainers within a few days after
the ball.
CHAPTER VUL
sTAYING AT A FRIEND's HOUSE—BREAKPAST, LUNCHEON, ETC.
A visitor is bound by the laws of social intercourse to conform in all re-
spects to the habits of the house. In order to do this effectually, she
should inquire, or cause her personal servant to inquire, what those habits
are. To keep your friend's breakfast on the table till a late hour; to delay
the dinner by want of punctuality; to accept other invitations, and treat his
house as if were merely a hotel to be slept in; or to keep the family up till
unwonted hours, are alike evidence of a want of good feeling and good
breeding.
At breakfast and lunch absolute punctuality is not imperative, but a
visitor should avoid being always the last to appear at table.
If letters are delivered to you at breakfast or luncheon, you may read
them by asking permission from the lady who presides at the urn.
Always hold yourself at the disposal of those in whose house you are
visiting. If they propose to ride, drive, walk, or otherwise occupy the day,
you may take it for granted that these plans are made with reference to
your enjoyment. You should, therefore, receive them with cheerfulness,
enter into them with alacrity, and do your best to seem pleased, and be
pleased, by the efforts which your friends make to entertain you.
A guest should endeavor to amuse herself as much as possible, and not
be continually dependent on her hosts for entertainment. She should re-
member that, however welcome she may be, she is not always wanted.
Those who receive "staying visitors," as they are called, should remem-
ber that the truest hospitality is that which places the visitor most at her
ease, and affords her the greatest opportunity for enjoyment. They should
also remember that different persons have different ideas on the subject
of enjoyment, and that the surest way of making a guest happy is to find
out what gives her pleasure; not to impose that upon her which is pleasure
to themselves.
A visitor should avoid giving unnecessary trouble to the servants of the
house, and should be liberal to them on leaving.
CHAPTER IX.
RIDING AND DRIVINO.
In riding, as in walking, gentlemen give the lady the wall.
If a gentleman assists a lady to mount, hold your hand at a convenient
distance from the ground, that she may place her foot in it. As she springs,
you aid her by the impetus of your hand. In doing this, it is always better
to agree upon a signal, that her spring and your assistance may come at
the same moment. For this purpose there is no better form than the old
dueling one of "one, two, three."
When the lady is in the saddle, it is your place to find the stirrup for


ETIQUETTE. <rr
her, and guide her left foot to it. When this is done, she rises in her seat
and you assist her to draw her habit straight.
Even when a groom is present, it is more polite for the gentleman him-
self to perform this office for his fair companion, as it would be more polite
for him to hand her a chair than to have it handed by a servant.
If the lady be light, you must take care not to give her too much impe-
tus in mounting. We have known a lady nearly thrown over her horse by
a misplaced zeal of this kind.
In riding with a lady, never permit her to pay the tolls.
If a gate has to be opened, we need hardly observe that it is your place to hold it open till the lady has passed through.
In driving, B gentleman places himself with his back to the horses, and
leaves the best seat for the ladies.
If you are alone in a carriage with a lady, never sit beside her, unless
you are her husband, father, son, or brother. Even though you be her
affianced lover, you should still observe this rule ot etiquette. To do
otherwise, would be to assume the unceremonious air of a husband.
When the carriage stops, the gentleman should alight first, in order to
assist the lady.
To get in and out of a carriage gracefully is a simple but important ac-
complishment. If there is but one step, and you are going to take your
seat facing the horses, put your left foot on the step, and enter the carriage
with your right, in such a manner as to drop at once into your seat. If you
are about to sit with your back to the horses, reverse the process. As you
step into the carriage, be careful to keep your back towards the seat you
are about to occupy, so as to avoid the awkwardness of turning when
you are once in.
A gentleman cannot be too careful to avoid stepping on ladies' dresses
when he gets in or out of a carriage. He should also beware of shutting
them in with the door.
CHAPER X.
ENGAGEMENTS AND WEDDINGS.
The gentleman presents the lady with a ring as soon as they are en-
gaged. Almost any style of ring may properly be used as the symbol of
betrothal, but those who wish to conform to the ordinary usage, select
either pearls or diamonds. If the person can say with Lothair that "there
is a reserve about pearls that I like, something soft and dim," he chooses a
single-stone pearl ring; if he looks beyond that, a solitaire diamond, al-
though three-stone rings are very often used. A tasteful ring is one set
with a pearl in the center, and a small diamond on either side. The set-
ting should be of the very simple style, but good. A newer style for an en-
gagement ring is a ruby and a diamond, or a sapphire and a diamond, set
at right angles or diagonally. The Germans have a poetic formality about
an engagement ring, which is likely to become a general custom. A plain
gold circlet, inscribed within with the date, and some such tender sentiment
as "This and the giver are thine forever," is given at the time of betrothal,
and the same ring is used to complete the marriage ceremony; the groom
removing it at the altar and passing it to the clergyman. As soon after the
service as is convenient, a jeweled ring is added to guard the one which is
honored as the wedding ring.
There is no prescribed form for the announcement of an engagement, al-


68 ETIQUETTE.
though a writer on the social etiquette of New York says: "The society
newspapers are expected to gazette the engagement very soon after it is
made known to kinspeople and intimate friends. Acquaintances are thus
informed of the new relation, and the proper felicitations are expressed in
the usual manner. The propriety of adopting this method of communica-
tion with society at large is approved by our highest authorities in polite
affairs."
This sounds very well, but the young lady of delicate sentiments would
shrink from this method of communication, and prefer to make known the
engagement to friends alone, in some pleasant manner. A dinner-pa rti
may be given by the family of the bride-elect; just before rising from the
feast, the host announces the engagement, when a general ouiburstof good
feelings and congratulation follows, or the engagement may be made known
by note from the mother of the bride-elect or by the lady herself to inti-
mate friends. Notes aud calls of congratulation immediately follow. If
the families of the betrothed have been previously strangers, it is for the
gentleman's family to call first. It is very civil and proper for friends who
entertain generously to show the engaged couple some attention in the
shape of a dinner or a dancing-party given especially for them. The young
lady does not make ceremonious calls after the announcement of her en-
gagement, which is usually made but a short time before the date fixed for
her marriage.
It is the exclusive privilege of the mother to name the wedding day for
her daughter.
It is strictly demanded by etiquette that the bride-elect leave her vis-
iting card in person at the doors of her friend's residence a few days before
sending out her wedding invitation, but she does not enter, except it be to
visit an invalid or an aged friend. These ceremonious calls before mar-
riage must not be omitted.
After the invitations are issued, the young lady does not appear in
public. Her wedding cards are sent out at least two weeks before the
ceremony is to take place. Invitations to friends residing at a distance are
forwarded somewhat earlier.
The invitations are not answered save by a card enclosed in an envelope
and sent by mail, unless the ceremony occur in the morning and the guests
are requested to attend the breakfast, then the answer should be explicit
as for a dinner. It must be a very urgent reason, indeed, that leads one
to decline an invitation to a wedding, the summons being considered but a
shade less important in England than one from royalty itself. The invita-
tions are issued in the name of the bride's parents, parent, or nearest re-
lative. If the bride stand in the relationship of granddaughter, niece,
cousin, or simple friend to the persons or person issuing the invitation,
this is noted in the formula in place of the word "daughter." A wedding
invitation, as well as all others, should be engraved in script, Fashion
having long ago decreed that Old English and German text, although
perfectly harmless and respectable, have no longer any claims worthy of
recognition by an aristocratic world.
The invitation is engraved on one sheet of paper, which must be of creamy
daintiness, and shaped so as to fold once. If cipher, monogram or crest is
used upon the paper, it should not be in color for weddings; the center of
the top of the page is the place for it. The fashionable world, at present,
often has the cipher or monogram upon the envelope, omitting it from the
note, but if it appear on the note, it must also be used on the envelope;


ETIQUETTE. 69
the quality and tint of the invitations, envelopes and reception cards en-
closed, sbould be the same, and not each possess a hue of its own.
The following is the proper formula:
Mr. and Mrs. Diedrich Knickerbocker
request your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Caroline Matilda,
to
Mr. Wouier Van Tirilter,
on Wednesday, October seventeenth,
at three o'clock.
Orace Church,
Broadway and Tenth Street.
If you are bidden to the reception, a card enclosed conveys the intelligence.
This card should be square, the size of the invitation note paper once
folded.
Mr. and Mrs. Diedrich Knickerbocker,
At Home,
Wednesday, October seventeenth,
from half past three unlit six o'clock.
32 West 191s« Street.
Another less elaborate style is the following:
Seception
from half past three until six o'clock.
32 West Wist Street.
Generally, only hall an hour intervenes between the ceremony and the
reception.
The admission card (to the church), a less romantic than practical affair,
can happily be dispensed with in a rural town, but it is an absolute neces-
sity in cities, where the church would.otherwise be filled with sight-seeing
strangers.
The card of admission should be long and narrow, and engraved with
either of the two following forms:
Orace Church.
Ceremony at three o'clock.
»"\
Grace Church.
Please present this to the usher.
One or more of these cards is enclosed. They are intended for distri-
bution to personal friends of the invited, and also for the use of servants
who may accompany guests to the church. These cards, with the note of
invitation and the reception card, are enclosed in the same envelope, super-
scribed with the name only of the person invited, theu put in another en-
velope, on which is written the full name and address, and sent by mail.
For weddings at home, the form of invitation is the same as for one at
church with the single exception of the street and number being substituted
for the name of the church.
A church wedding is a beautiful affair, and also a complicated one, as
the almost couniless details testify. The bridesmaids, from two to eight in
pomber, are chosen from among the intimate friends of the young lady
**out to be married. The bride's sisters and those of the bridegroom.


70 ETIQ UETTE.
when it is possible, are usually invited to act as witnesses of the marriage,
for that is the theoretical use of bridesmaids. The dresses for the occasion
are given to them by the bride, if their circumstances are such as to make
it necessary, but not otherwise. When the bride is young, the maids should
be young, but it is not wise for a single woman of uncertain age to sur-
round herself with blooming girls.
Upon her wedding day, it is customary for the young lady to present
some souvenir of the occasion to each of her bridesmaids; the gift may
be either a ring, or bracelet, or a fan, but it need not be costly. The
bouquets of the maids and the boutonnieres of the ushers are also the gift of
of the bride.
A scarf-pin of unique or quaint device, or some other article, useful as
well as ornamental, is given to each of the ushers, by the bridegroom, as a
slight acknowledgment of their services.
The groom chooses the ushers from his circle of relatives and friends;
he also selects a single friend, whom he calls by the English title his " best
man," and to him is entrusted the arrangements of the various social and
business formalities of the wedding.
No one ever loses interest in the "divinity which doth hedge" a bride,
and the typical marriage toilet is always expected to be one of irreproach-
able taste and elegance. During the last two years a great effort has been
made by leading modistes to break in upon the "regulation" character of
wedding dresses and to some extent the attempt has been successful. The
orange blossoms, formally an inseparable part of the bridal gear, are no
longer considered an absolute necessity, although most brides prefer them
for the wreath; and combine them with white heath and lilies of the val-
ley; the bouquet, which seems rather an awkward addition, should be of
the same kind of flowers as those used for wreath, or white lilies and roses
may be used. Persian lilies, jasmines, snow-drops, water-lilies, and even
white hyacinths are used to decorate bridal toilettes, although the latter is
considered an unlucky flower not to be worn defiantly before the fates. As
to fabrics, cream white satin is the invariable choice of brides who respect
tradition, and have rare laces worn by ancestral dames. Brides adhere to
white suede gloves of extravagant length for the wedding occasion. When
the colored costume is worn, the gloves are of some harmonious shade, or
she can, if she chooses, go to the altar with uncovered hands—fashion favors
this, although it is entirely a matter of taste.
No jewelry of any description should be worn, for when a young lady goes
up to the altar, she is, as the French say, encore jeune fille. If, however,
the groom's wedding gift be something in diamonds, the bride cannot very
well do otherwise than wear the ornament, which may possibly be a cres-
cent for the neck and diamond stars to fasten the veil. When there is any
display of jewels, the marriage veil of simple tulle is scorned, and for it is
substituted one of rich,point de Venise lace.
The dresses of bridesmaids are not as elaborate as that of the bride.
They may be white or of delicate colors, and are made with trains.
Fans and baskets of flowers are preferred to bouquets for bridesmaids.
When a bouquet is carried, it is attached to a chatelaine or bridle of satin
ribbon at the loft side. Veils may or may not be worn, but if used they
must be shorter than that of the bride. It is not uncommon at present for
the ladies of bridal parties to copy an historical picture by their garments
and coiffures.
If the wedding is by day, the bridegroom and ushiss Tsar full morning


ETIQUETTE. 71
dress, which consists of a frock coat of dark cloth, vest of the same, tight
trousers and a light necktie; white neckties are not worn with frock coats. If the wedding is in the evening, full dress is demanded of the groom, and
of all the gentlemen in attendance. The groom must wear gloves of some
light shade. The ushers wears gloves of some delicate color. All the gentlemen wears favors, except the groom. He always wears only a flower.
Favors should be made of white ribbon and silver leaves.
For the occasion the church is decorated with rare plants and flowers.
A large canopy of flowers may occupy the space between the pews and
the chancel steps, and a bell of white flowers be suspended above the chan-
oel. Within this bell a peal of silver sounding metallic bells may be
secreted, and as the bridal party approach the altar, silken cords held by
some little maiden set the peals in motion, simultaneously with the organ
notes. The kneeling stool covered with white should be looked at and pro-
perly adjusted by one of the ushers, who has been selected to act as master
of the ceremonies. He is early at the church and having been made ac-
quainted with the number of guests expected to be present, he places the
ribbon or arch of flowers far enough back from the altar to give ample room
for every invited guest, or either for the relatives of the bridal pair, other
guests occupying the lower part of the church. If any friends are in
mourning they usually enter the church quietly and hide themselves in
some obscure nook. No one should attend a wedding reception in a mourn-
ing dress, which gives place to gray or lavender with a flower on the cor-
sage, otherwise the person had better stop at home and not cast a shade of
gloom over the festival. The ushers stand by the inner entrance to the
church, to be in readiness to escort ladies to their proper seats. If a lady
be accompanied by a gentleman he follows her to her seat. The usher
offers a lady his right arm, and if unacquainted with her, asks if she is a
friend of the bride or groom, the bride's friends being seated upon the left
of the main aisle, and the groom's upon the right. After the service the
ushers act as cavaliers of the bridesmaids, at the reception. The organist
should be early in his place, as he is expected to play during the arrival of
the audience. The bridesmaids and other members of the family set off
first in carriages. The bride, who meets the groom at the altar for the first
time that day, goes last, with her mother and father.
The groom, with the best man, ought to be waiting in the church. When
the bride and her attendants have arranged themselves in the vestibule,
the groom with the best man comes from the vestry and watches for the
coming of his bride, the organ meanwhile playing some melody chosen by
the bride. The ushers, who usually equal the bridesmaids in number,
walk in pairs in advance of the ladies, and arrange themselves at the right
of the two awaiting gentlemen.
Sometimes the bridesmaids, noiselessly and demurely, precede the
bride, or they may follow her and always stand at her left; if they enter in
advance, two or four little boys, young brothers or relatives of the bride, dressed as pages, bear her train, or carry baskets of flowers, which they
scatter in her path as she leaves the church. If the maids follow the bride,
she is sometimes preceded by two or four little girls, who strew her path
to the altar with flowers.
Sometimes garlands of flowers, that have been somewhere hidden, are
suddenly stretched across the aisle at brief intervals by little maidens who
stand on the seats at the ends of the pews and lift their pretty arms high in
the air to swing their roses over the pathway of the bridal party as it passes


72 ETIQUETTE.
down the aisle. The bride ia supported by her father or by the person who
represents him and is to give her away. The groom comes forward a few
steps to meet her, takes her hand and places her at the altar to his left.
The father waits at her left, and a step or two back of her; he gives her
away by bowing when the question is asked, which is a much simpler form
than stepping forward and placing his daughter's hand in that of the
clergyman. The service then begins. As at present all churches use the
ling, the bride removes the glove from her left hand and gives it to a
bridesmaid to hold, and sometimes to keep as a good omen. While the
bride and groom are making the responses, the organist plays softly, and
after the blessing the clergyman congratulates the husband and wife, who
are the first to leave the church, the bride taking the groom's right arm;
the bridesmaids follow, each escorted by an usher, and just behind the
bridal company are the father and mother of the bride. Two of the ushers usually hurry from the vestibule to the residence of the bride to be in readi-
ness to receive the newly wedded. It is now the custom to have a highly illuminated parchment certificate signed by the newly married pair with
two or three witnesses, the best man, the father and mother, and be on,
being the attesting parties.
The bridal party, with half the maids at the right of the lady, and half at
the left of the groom—the first bridesmaid retaining the place of honor-
arrange themselves for the usual congratulations; the parents of the bride
stand at a little distance upon her right, and those of the groom at his left,
As the guests arrive, the ushers offer their right arms to the ladies to con-
duct them to the married pair. The gentlemen attending the ladies follow,
If the usher ia not acquainted with the lady he is escorting, he inquires het
name on the way, presenting her and the gentleman to the bride and groom
and then to the parents. The bride should always be addressed first and receive the good wishes of her friends, and the groom the congratulations.
If ladies are present without gentlemen, an usher attends each to the
supper-room or provides an escort.
If it be a morning wedding and breakfast is served, the host site at one
end of the table and the hostess at the other, he with the bride at his right,
she with the groom. at her right hand. If healths are drunk, the father
proposes the health of the bride and groom, the bride bows, smiles and
raises the glass to her lips, while the groom is expected to reply.
CHAPTER XI.
AT HOMES, AND FIVE O'CLOCK TEAS.
Almost every kind of social gathering is now called an "At Home," with the exception of a dinner or a wedding breakfast. There are dancing
At Homes, musical At Homes, and conversational At Homes, and any ol
these may take place in the afternoon or in the evening, as the case
may be.
In addition, there are dramatic At Homes, where the performers may
be amateurs, or professionals whose services have been engaged for the
occasion.
The etiquette of all these is precisely similar. Cards are sent out three
weeks, a forthnight, or a week previous to the date, according to circum-
stances. These cards are sold ready printed, with spaces left for the
names of the hostess and for that of the invited guest, and the date and
hour. If the entertainment is to consist of music, the word "Music"


ETIQUETTE. 78
appears on one corner of the card. If of dancing, the word "Dancing"
takes its place.
If the letters S. S. V. P. appear on these cards of invitation, as they
usually do, an answer should be senl within a few days of its receipt. It
is inconvenient for the hostess not to know how many guests she is likely to
receive.
Whether the invitation be for music, dancing, recitations, or simply for
conversation, the guests retain their bonnets during their stay, when the
At Home is held in the afternoon. The cloak or outer wrap is left in the
charge of the servant, who takes it from the guest in the hall.
An At Home of this kind is, in fact, a large Five O'clock Tea, with the
difference that invitations for the latter are issued on the visiting card oi
the hostess, thus:
Mrs. Smith,
At Home.
Thursday, Oct. 17th, i to 6.
Befreshments, both at ceremonious teas and at At Homes, are served in
the dining-room, whither the guests repair during the intervals of music,
dancing, recitations, or the dramatic entertainments. Tea and coffee form
prominent features of these, and, in addition, wines and wine cups are
provided. Thin bread-and-butter, biscuits, cakes and sandwiches compose
the edible portion of the fare. Fresh fruit is also on the list, and when this
is present plates will be necessary. Otherwise—unless ices are included
in the refreshments—no plates are used.
Introductions are far from being general on such occasions. The hostess
must be guided by tact and discretion in such matters. If she sees two
ladies sitting together who are unacquainted, and with no one else near
them with whom they can converse, she will introduce them to each other,
always provided that she thinks such a course would be agreeable to both
of them. Two or three moments spent in "starting" them upon some sub-
ject congenial to both, will not be wasted.
At small five o'clock teas, tea and coffee are handed round in the draw-
ing-room, and it is unusual to employ a servant to hand the cups. The
hostess dispenses the tea herself, and if there are any gentlemen pre-
sent they naturally undertake the task of giving each lady her cup of tea or
coffee, handing her the bread-and-butter or cake, and taking her cup from
her when empty. In the absence of gentlemen, any young girls who are
friends of the hostess will volunteer to assist her.
The gloves are not removed when tea only is taken, but occasionally it •
is necessary to take them off. If the bread-and-butter is carefully rolled
so that none of the butter appears upon the exterior of the bread, it will be
found possible to partake of it without removing the gloves, which is fre-
quently a task of some difficulty—in fact, of so much difficulty that, rather
than undertake it, the visitor often takes her tea without eating any; a
practice which the doctors consider to be very injurious to the digestive
organs. Biscuits are invaluable for this reason, and the thoughtful hostess
will always provide them.
At afternoon dances, ladies retain their hats or bonnets, as at other At
Homes, inconvenient as the custom is very often found. A very large hat
will be found very much in the way, and the smaller and lighter the head-
i^ear, the better for one's partner and for one's self.
Evening At Homes are simply dancing parties under another name. A
very large ball is not called an At Home, but invitations for the ordinary


74 ETIQUETTE.
"D nee" are never issued in any other way. The fashionable " small and
early" begins at half-past ten, which is scarcely what our grandmothers
would have understood by the latter word. As in the case of the afternoon
At Home, the form which the entertainment is intended to take is specified
upon the card of invitation—" Music," "Dancing," "Theatricals," "Tab-
leaux Vivanta," or " Recitations." The hour for which the guests are in-
vited varies from 9:30 until later, but no guest is expected to arrive punc-
tually.
CHAPTER XII. BAD PRACTICES.
It may be well to caution our young friends against certain bad practices
easily contracted, but sometimes difficult to relinquish. The following are
things not to be done: Biting your nails. Slipping a ring up and down
the finger. Sitting cross-kneed aud jogging your feet. Drumming on the
table with your knuckles; or, still worse, tinkling on a piano with the fore-
finger only. Humming a tune before strangers. Singing as you go up and
down-stairs. Putting your arm round the neck of another young girl, or
promenading the room with arms encircling waists. Holding the arm of a
friend all the time she sits beside you ; or kissing and fondling her before
company. Sitting too closely.
Slapping a gentleman with your handkerchief or tapping him with your
fan. Allowing him to take a ring off your finger, to look at it. Permitting
him to unclasp your bracelet, or, still worse, to inspect your brooch. When
these ornaments are to be shown to another person, always take them off
for the purpose.
To listen at door cracks and peep through key holes is vulgar and con-
temptible. So it is to ank children questions concerning their parents,
though such things are still done.
However, smart and witty you may be considered, do not exercise your
wit in rallying and bantering your friends. If you do so, their friendship
will soon be worn out, or converted into positive enmity. A jest that carries
a sting with it can never give a pleasant sensation to the object. The bite
of a mosquito is a very little thing, but it leaves pain and inflammation be-
hind it, and the more it is rubbed the longer it rankles in the blood. No
one likes to have their foibles or mishaps turned into ridicule, before other
persons especially. And few can cordially join in a laugh that is raised
against themselves.
The slightest jest on the personal defects of those you are conversing
with is an enormity of rudeness and vulgarity. It it's, in fact, a sneer at the
Creator that made them so. No human creature is accountable for being
too small or too large ; for an ill-formed figure, or for ill-shaped limbs; for
irregular features or a bad complexion.
Still worse to rally any person (especially a woman) on her age, or to
ask indirect questions with a view of discovering what her age really is.
If we continue to live, we must continue to grow old. We must either
advance in age, or we must die. Where, then, is the shame of surviving
our youth? And when youth departs, beauty goes along with it. At least
as much beauty as depends on complexion, hair and teeth. In arriving at
middle age (or a little beyond it) a lady must compound for the loss of
either face or figure. About that period she generally becomes thinner or
fatter. If thin, her features shrink and her skin shrivels and fades, even 


ETIQUETTE. 75
though she retains a slender and perhaps girlish form. If she grows fat,
her skin may continue smooth and her complexion line, and her neck and
arms may be rounder and handsomer than in girlhood; but then symmetry
of shape will cease, and she must reconcile herself to the change as best
she can. But a woman with a good mind, a good heart, and a good temper,
can never, at any age, grow ugly—for an intelligent and pleasant expression
is in itself beauty, and the best kind of beauty.
Sad, indeed, is the condition of women in the decline of life, when "no
lights of age adorn them ;" when, having neglected in the spring and sum-
mer to lay up any stores for the winter that is sure to come, they find them selves left in the season of desolation with nothing to fall back upon but the idle gossip of the day—striving painfully to look younger than they really
are; still haunting balls and parties, and enduring all the discomforts of
crowded watering places, long after all pleasure in such scenes must have
passed away. But then they must linger in public because they are miser-
able at home, having no resources within themselves, and few enduring
friends to enliven them with their society.
The woman that knows how to grow old gracefully will adapt her dress
to her figure and her age, and wear colors that suit her complexion.
CHAPTER XIII.
GENERAL HINTS.
Never speak of absent persons by only their Christian or surnames, but
always as Mr. or Mrs. . Above all, never name anybody by the
first letter of his name. Married people are sometimes guilty of this flag-
rant offense against taste.
No lady should permit a gentleman who is not a near relative, or very
old friend of her family, to defray the cost of her entrance fee to any thea-
ter or exhibition, or to pay for her refreshments or vehicles when she hap-
pens to be under his protection.
If a person of greater age or higher rank than yourself desires you to
step first into a carriage, or through a door, it is more polite to bow and
obey than to decline.
Compliance with and deference to the wishes of others is the finest
breeding.
When you cannot agree with the propositions advanced in general con-
% ersation, be silent. If pressed for your opinion, give it with modesty.
Never defend your own views too warmly. When you find others remain
unconvinced, drop the subject, or lead to some other topic.
Look at those who address you.
Never boast of your birth, your money, or your grand friends, or any-
thing that is yours. If you have traveled, do not introduce that informa-
tion into your conversation at every opportunity. Any one can travel with
money and leisure. The real distinction is to come home with enlarged
views, improved tastes, and a mind free from prejudice.
If you present a book to a friend, do not write his or her name in it, un-
less requested. You have no right to presume that it will be rendered any
the more valuable for that addition; and you ought not to conclude before-
hand that your gift will be accepted.
Never undervalue the gift which you are yourself offering; you have no
business to offer it it it is valueless. Neither say that you do not want if


76 ETiq VETl'S.
yourself, or that you should throw it away if it were not aocepted, etc., etc.
Such apologies would be insults if true, and mean nothing if false.
No compliment that bears insincerity on the face of it is a compliment
at all.
Unmarried ladies may not accept presents from gentlemen who are
neither related nor engaged to them. Presents made by a married lady to
a gentleman can only be offered in the joint names of her husband and her-
self.
Married ladies may occasionally accept presents from gentlemen who
visit frequently at their houses, and who desire to show their sense of the
hospitality which they receive there.
There is an art and propriety in the giving of presents which it requires
a natural delicacy of disposition rightly to apprehend. You must not give
too rich a gift, nor too poor a gift. You must not give to one much weal-
thier than yourself; and you must beware how you give to one much poor-
er, lest you oflend her pride. You must never make a present with any
expectation of a return; and you must not be too eager to make a return
yourself, when you accept one. A gift must not be ostentatious, but it
should be worth offering. On the other hand, mere costliness does not con-
stitute the soul of a present.
A gift should be precious for something better than its price. It may
have been brought by the giver from some far or famous place; it may be
unique in its workmanship; it may be valuable only from association with
gome great man or strange event. Autographic papers, foreign curiosities,
and the like, are elegant gifts. An author may offer his book, or a painter
a sketch, with grace and propriety. Offerings of flowers and game are un-
exceptionable, and may be made even to those whose position is superior
to that of the giver.
Never refuse a present unless under very exceptional circumstances.
However humble the giver, and however poor the gift, you should appre-
ciate the good will and intention, and accept it with kindness and thanks.
Never say "I fear I rob you," or "I am really ashamed to take it," etc.,
etc. Such deprecatory phrases imply that you think the bestower of the
gift cannot spare or afford it.
• Acknowledge the receipt of a present without delay.
Converse with a foreigner in his own language. If not competent to do
so, apologize, and beg permission to speak English.
Members of one family should not converse together in society.
In entering a morning exhibition, or public room, where ladies are pre-
sent, the gentleman should lift his hat.
In going up-stairs the gentleman should precede the lady; in going
down, he should follow her.
If you accompany ladies to a theater or concert-room, precede them to
clear the way and secure their seats.
If when you are walking with a lady in any crowded thoroughfare you
are obliged to proceed singly, always precede her.
Always give the ladies the wall; by doing so you interpose your own
person between her and the passers-by, and assign her the cleanest part of
the pavement.
At public balls, theaters, etc., a gentleman should never permit the lady
to pay for refreshments, vehicles, and so forth. If she insists on rep :ying
him afterwards, he must, of course, defer to her wishes.
Do not smoke shortly before entering the presence of ladies.


ETIQUETTE. 77
A young man who visits frequently at the house of a married friend may
be permitted to show his sense of the kindness which he receives by the gift
of a Christmas or New Year's volume to the wife or daughter of his enter-
tainer.
We should leave our melancholy at home, and try to speak and look
kindly wherever we go. There is a world of wisdom in this advice, which
will be readily found out by those who practice it.
If another tells us of their troubles—no matter how much we may dis-
like to hear it—sympathize with them if possible, for it will make them
m iie cheerful and stronger.
Hypocrisy among females is rarely to be commended, but there Brit times when it is better to be hypocritical than to be rude and impolite.
Charity and etiquette commands a lady never to insult another in her own
house, no matter how much she may dislike the visitor; and it is the very
acme of ill-breeding to do otherwise.
Never sit cross-legged, yawn, twist your chain, lounge or fidget in com,
pany, as it is highly improper.
Always give way to those older than yourself, unless they request you
to take the lead; then obey; for it is a true sign of good breeding to com.
ply with the wishes of those who are older than yourself.
Try to master shyness; and when spoken to, never stammer or blush,
but speak boldly, and in language be correct.
In speaking, be moderate. If called upon to defend yourself, never let
your voice run away with you; and never get too warm, because hard feel-
ings follow the latter. Arguments and idle discussion Are uncalled for, as
it leads to no good. The better way is to change the subject and com-
mence one that will lead to good feeling. Profane or vulgar language is
detestable at all times; so avoid it.
None but the ill-bred brag of their family connections, wealth, or supe-
rior intelligence.
Never push yourself forward to sing or play; but when invited, do so at
once, without any excuse. If indisposed, or suffering from cold, hoarse-
ness or anything else, refuse politely but decisively.
Always keep your temper, and never cheat. Never accuse another of
cheating, even if you are morally certain of it; but keep your knowledge to
yourself; and the next time refuse firmly, but politely, to play with the
same party.
Every person is conceded the right to drink at table or not, as suits him;
and neither press him to drink more or try to force him to drink any, if he
positively refuses.
Never soandalize or ridicule any person, no matter if they are miles
away or in your immediate vicinity; and always have a proper respect for
the religious belief of others, even if they differ entirely from you.
Avoid reading in company, for you can contribute better to the pleasure
of others by not reading.
Do not slam the door as if you were trying to take it off its hinges, when
you enter a house.
In asking favors, say: "If you please;" and when granted, say: "I
thank you."
Do not lean your head against the wall, for by so doing you will soil the
paper.
No gentleman will sit in the house with his hat on, and especially in the
presence of ladies. A well-bred man will remove his hat as if by instinct


78 ETIQUETTE.
when entering a room. When handing a lady to a carriage, he, of course,
keeps his hat on, because his hands are rendering assistance to the lady;
but in leaving her, he raises his hat from off his head.
Always be punctual, and you will always be welcome.
Abstain from the fidgets, and never be uneasy, but keep quiet, no mat-
ter how the time may lag.
A lady expects you, being a polite gentleman, to hand her a chair, pick
up her glove, and, in fact, be attentive to her on all occasions.
Always knock at the door of a private room before entering, and never
peer into the private letters or other property that may be in your way. To
do so, is neither respectful or polite.
A well-bred person will never peep over the shoulder of another who is
either writing or reading.
Another mark of ill-breeding is, in asking questions of a child about
family affairs.
Confidence should never be betrayed, even if secrecy has not bound you.
No matter how ignorant some people are of the rules of politeness,
never insult them by letting them know of it, or by doing different. Genu-
ine good breeding demands that you will violate the rules of politeness
sometimes, so as to do as others do, unless what they do is too indecent.
A mere acquaintance should never be addressed by the Christian name,
and a lady should always put the prefix Mr. before the name of a gentle-
man.
Never answer impatiently, but always in courtesy, no matter how incon-
venient it may be to you.
No gentleman will ever refuse an apology when tendered in sincerity,
nor will he fail to offer one when one is due from him.
Never call upon a man or woman of business during the hours of busi-
ness, unless you really intend business.
Whispering in company is the most vulgar and ill-bred thing a person
can do, as it makes others think you are talking of them.
When entering a room, slightly bow before speaking to the persons
there.
Always say: "Good morning," or "Good evening," before taking your
seat, and particularly so to the host or hostess.
Husbands and wives should never be spoken of by their Christian name,
or as "My husband," or as " My wife," but always Mr. or Mrs. .
It is not only impolite, but unkind and uncharitable, to pay any atlen-
tion to the deformity of another.
The person who will abuse or scold any one in the presence of others is
not worthy to carry the name of lady or gentleman.
In correcting a mistake in any one, always say: "I ask your pardon,
but I think you are mistaken j" and when the mistake is not of much
moment, say nothing.
"Good name, my lord, in man or woman, is the jewel of their souls;"
so said Shakespeare, and so it is; but especially in women; and it is the
duty of every man never to speak ill of her. No matter how mean she may
she may be, or what provocation she gives you, if you cannot speak well
of her, say nothing.
Whenever you promise to do a favor for anybody, never fail in doing it.
Books that are borrowed should never be loaned to a third party; and
such books should never be kept a day after they are finished.


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
BT ELLA RODMAN CHURCH.
OHAPTEB I.
WORSTED EMBROIDERY.
Imrroidery has been denned as "the art of adding to the surface of
woven textures a representation of any object we wish to depict, through
the medinm of the needle, threaded with the material in which the work iu
to be executed."
From the earliest times, it has been the amusement of women of leisure,
and the occupation of those whose skilful fingers must be used to bring in
returns of daily bread. In the Middle Ages, a regular work-room, or "stu-
dio," was set apart for this especial purpose in the dim old castle; and
there the whole paraphernalia of embroidery frames, materials, and imple-
ments, were always to be found. There, too, the chatelaine sat with her
maidens embroidering cushions, or book-covers, or those wonderful pieces
of historical tapestry afterward displaced by the more mechanical arras.
** Tapestry richly wrought
And woven close,"
was the favorite needlework of those days; and these hangings, or "veils,"
were rendered necessary by the style of building, which afforded many
convenient chinks and loopholes for the wind. Some of these ancieut
pieces of embroidery were very rich, the designs being worked with
worsted or silk of various colors, and often mixed with gold or silver
threads, on canvas, cloth, or silk.
The oldest specimen of this kind of work now in existence is the famous
tapestry of Bayeux—the work of the English Matilda and her attendants.
A piece of embroidery over two hundred and twenty feet long, although
not much more than half a yard wide, is no trifling accomplishment; and
in spite of the red, blue, green, and yellow horses, some of thom with two
legs of a different color from the rest of their bodies, one cannot but rev-
erence this curious trinmph of the needle that cai claim eight centuries of
birthdays. It is entirely worked with worsted in very little variety of col-
oring, as the Norman princess had few advantages of this sort, but she has
represented to the best of her ability the invasion and conquest of England
by Duke William and his followers. The battle of Hastings is ingeniously
emphasized by a bordering composed of the bodies of the slain. •
Few would have the time or the inclination for such a piece of work in
these days; and "some of our moderns are inclined to think that, in days
of old, when the chief employment of a woman's life was needlework, she
must have had a very dull, dreary, monotonous time of it. But when we
survey ancient heirlooms, veritable works of art—the smooth, mossy crew-
el-work, the frost-like point-lace, the shining gold-threaded ecclesiastical
work, or even the conventional forms of the now despised cross-stitch—we


78 ETIQUETTE.
r,
when entering a room. When handing a lady to a carriage, he, of course keeps his hat on, because his hands are rendering assistance to the lady
but in leaving her, he raises his hat from off his lead. Always be punctual, and you will always be welcome. ^^0t •
Abstain from the fidgets, and never be uneasy, but keep quiet, no matl^J^
ter how the time may lag. e,. A lady expects you, being a polite gentleman, to hand her a chair, picl^^rf"
up her glove, and, in fact, be attentive to her on all occasions. ^»*
Always knock at the door of a private room before entering, and never^^^ peer into the private letters or other property that may be in your way. T ac. *
do so, is neither respectful or polite. ^C^
A well-bred person will never peep over the shoulder of another who
either writing or reading.
Another mark of ill-breeding is, in asking questions of a child abo
family affairs.
Confidence should never be betrayed, even if secrecy has not bound yo
No matter how ignorant some people are of the rules of politeness ,- g-'
never insult them by letting them know of it, or by doing different. Gen ,
ine good breeding demands that you will violate the rules of politem » ;•
sometimes, so as to do as others do, unless what they do is too indecent.
A mere acquaintance should never be addressed by the Christian nan . i *
and a lady should always put the prefix Mr. before the name of a gent
man.
Never answer impatiently, but always in courtesy, no matter how ince
venient it may be to you. "~*
No gentleman will ever refuse an apology when tendered in sinceri
nor will he fail to offer one when one is due from him.
Never call upon a man or woman of business during the hours of bi . " •
ness, unless you really intend business.
Whispering in company is the most vulgar and ill-bred thing a per „'
can do, as it makes others think you are talking of them.
When entering a room, slightly bow before speaking to the pen
there.
Always say: "Good morning," or "Good evening," before taking
seat, and particularly so to the host or hostess.
Husbands and wives should never be spoken of by their Christian n
or as "My husband," or as " My wife," but always Mr. or Mrs. .
It is not only impolite, but unkind and uncharitable, to pay any a
tion to the deformity of another.
The person who will abuse or scold any one in the presence of othc
not worthy to carry the name of lady or gentleman.
In correcting a mistake in any one, always say: "I ask your pa
but I think you are mistaken;" and when the mistake is not of
moment, say nothing.
"Good name, my lord, in man or woman, is the jewel of their s
So said Shakespeare, and so it is; but especially in women; and it
duty of every man never to speak ill of her. No matter how mean sure she may be, or what provocation she gives you, if you cannot spea
of her, say nothing.
Whenever you promise to do a favor for anybody, never fail in dc
Books that are borrowed should never be loaned to a third part
such books should never be kept a day after they are finished.


sr.
81
nust be smooth and even,
larp and complete.
ARTlSTlC
vat
woven tenures a i»im_
the medium uf AtM(4ti
to be executed.8
Trom the earh>« tao. • i—t
and the occupation «(^eiW
returns of daily bwt fcfca
dio," vaa set apart i» a, _T"
there the whole parapaeai
mews, were alwayifcfcj-
maidens embroidwi^ -^^" ^^*«fc.^
of historical ape*,****££?*<
were rendered netewrr W £***!«■!
con»enient chinki iatf L? ! *1"»«H^
pieces of embrai fcrr .IT * *» »*.
worsted or silk of Tak. «2 "*' fc •s•
threads, on eanna, deb, _!3^ ■* «k» a.
t Theoldeasp^?*
"pestrj of Batee^ 1T**<»«*IJ,k-^
A Piece of emfel^'.,"' *• h* »
not much more thak* ** ■»** «	
in »P':e of thered.C^*'*" » .a^^*.

Mence this curio* •ni
represented to the bJ7?****"l<
by Date Wilham a^Jf^V.Z?
emphasizedbtab,,,^^. ,V,'S
must ha»e had j^Sr**** '"|C
«»™y ancient ha^*". fa,n,^
el-work, the fre^fe^^"-* •«£>'«

*5S

ie
LO
P
o
Id
'r.
is

to
it-
nd
.n-
dk
-de
mt
md
kill
iful
'an-
iver
are
r, it
r of
TV.
and somewhat conventional-
a be expressed by the fewest
shades in color. Daisy-
shaped flowers are particu-
larly suitable; and the
well-known sunflower, not
| too much conventioualized,
but with the tendency of
I its long petals to droop a
little just indicated here
and there, is represented
in Fig 7
Simple, old - fashioned
flowers are most successful
id having very distinct petals
ful
petals


80 ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
imagine every happiness and beauty connected with the age of chivalry, a*
we are conscious oi a sense of wonder akin to that feeling on beholding
some magnificent ancient jewels, or plate, or pictures."
As late as the days of the Spectator, it was written: "How memorable
would that matron be who should have it inscribed on her monument that
she wrought out the whole Bible in tapestry, and died in a good old age
after having covered three hundred yards of wall in the Mansion House;"
but no such exploit is on record.
The most fashionable worsted embroidery of the present time is
CREWEL-WORK.
This style of work was much in vogue during the latter part of the
eighteenth century, and has recently been revived, and the modus operandi
dignified by the name of the South Kensington stitch. But people with
great-grandmothers produce pieces of work done in a similar manner; and
the stitch is the same as the long stitch in silk embroidery, only longer and
more careless.
Crewel-work was brought to such a stage of perfection by the famous
Miss Linwood, who literally painted pictures with her needle from her
thirteeenth until her seventy-eighth year, copying the old masters so suc-
cessfully that, at a littlo distance, the needle-worked picture could not be
distinguished from the painted one, that every one wanted to imitate her;
but lew having the gift, this art fell into disrepute.
Miss Linwood's pictures were marvels of patience and skill. They were
embroidered on a stiff, twilled fabric called "tammy," on which the out-
line was drawn in chalk; and the entire ground was covered wiih close,
irregular stitches, of great fineness in the more delicate touches. The
shading was perfect, the crewels being dyed under the artist's own super-
vision; and her first needle-painting, the " Salvator Mundi," from Carlo
Dolci, was wonderfully true to the original.
Her collection, which was exhibited for some time in London, contained
sixty-four pieces; and among them was a portrait of herself in fhe bloom
of youth and beauty.
The great beauty of crewel-work is its freedom from set rules ; in taking
the stitches, the needle is used more like the brush in the hand of the
artist.
THE CREWEL STITCH
resembles the wrong side of long back-stitching more than anything else;
and is illustrated by Figures 1 and 2.
The needle is put in at the back of the material and brought out at 1,
put in again at 2 and brought out at 3, put in again at 4 and brought out Kt
5, and so on to the end of the line. In outline work the thread should be
kept to the left of the needle, and great care taken to bring the needle up
exactly in the line of the pattern, or a wavy, uncertain outline will be the
result, and the character of the pattern will be lost.
"This method of working is to be used when the material is put in a
rame; but when the work is done in the hand, it is best illustrated by
Figure 3. The Busiest and quickest way in this case is to begin at the bot-
tom and work upward—putting the needle through (from the back) at 1,
and back again at 2—through again at 3, and back at 4—until the entire
distance has been traversed.
It will be seen that the stitch is very simple, and that much is left to
the discretion of the worker. Care must be taken that the worsted is not


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
ai
pulled too tight, nor left too loose, as the effect must be smooth and even,
with the curves clearly defined, and the points sharp and complete.
In ordinary crewel-work, the stitch should be
from three-eighths to half an inch long, according
to its position—some stitches must necessarily be
shorter—as in filling in, they must dovetail into
each other like the tiles of a roof, that no sharp
line of color may indicate the different shades. To
produce the desired effect, all the stitches should
not be taken close up to the inner edge of color.
Figures 3 and 4 will give some idea of this
shading.
A leaf or stalk should never be worked across,
but always (and the same rule, of course, applies
to flower - petals) in the same direction as the
fibres in a natural leaf. With such leaves as
brambles, and others that will suggest themselves,
one side should be a darker shade than the other.
Figure 5 shows the natural way of working a leaf.
In working the stalk of a flower, it is better to
begin at the lower end first, and work on the out-
line until it is crossed by a leaf or terminates in a
flower; then pass the needle to the other side and
work back again to the lower end; then work an-
other line of stitches inside the outline till the stalk
is filled up. See Figure 6. Leaves of one shade
are done in the same way, and the veins are put
in last.
Crewel-work has many recommendations; it is
easy, is done with comparatively little labor, and
yet it affords scope for the exercise of artistic skill
of the highest order. A great variety of beautiful shades may be had, and the worsted washes beau-
tifully, thus possessing a decided advantge over
other styles of ornamentation. The materials are
also quite inexpensive, and taking it altogether, it
produces the best effects with the least outlay of
labor and expense of any other kind of embroidery.
Floral designs suit this style of work best; and somewhat conventional-
ized models are most suitable—flowers that can be expressed by the fewest
shades in color. Daisy-
shaped flowers are particu-
larly suitable; and the
well-known sunflower, not
toomuch conventionalized,
but with the tendency of
its long petals to droop a
little just indicated here
and there, is represented
in Fig 7
Simple, old - fashioned
flowers are most successful
in crewel-work. Wild roses being simple, and having very distinct petals


Fig. 3.
Fla. 


82
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.

and well-marked centres, are better than the double or treble triumphs of
the florist—to which painting alone can do justice. The daffodil, narcissus,
and lily tribes, with primroses, honeysuckles, pansies and daisies, bloom
out charmingly in crewels, and almost any clearly defined leaf is pleasing.
Butterflies and vases may also be successfully introduced,
but the latter should be chiefly in outline.
The experienced crewel worker may study nature tor de-
signs, and discover unending combinations of beauty and
delicate touches of detail which give a character to the
whole. In the veining of leaves especially this is shown;
and the leaf of the common scarlet poppy, veined and un-
veined, in Figures 8 and 9, will show how much depends on
careful finish.
But embroidery in general should not attempt too much
detail—a thorn here and there on a rose stem being sufficient
to suggest the thorny nature of roses, while only a few of
the larger serrations of the leaves should be retained. The
bramble, when shorn of superfluous outline, is a very desir-
able leaf for embroidery; and Figure 10 shows it in its natu-
ral state, which, if worked, would be a confused mass of
nothing in particular—while in Figure 11 its shape and gen-
eral character are preserved, but all unnecessary notchings
and veinings are pruned away.
An important point in embroidery is to know what may be
to advantage left undone; and as crewel-work is entirely free from all
artificial raising, it is merely suggestive of general form.
The crewel itself is a particularly strong, twisted woolen yarn, quite un-
like zephyr and the other wools in use. The shades of color are very soft
and numerous, and blend beautifully in deli-
cate flower-petals and varying leaves. The
work is usually done on heavy linen sheet-
ing, as this wears well, is easily washed, and
is particularly suitable for tidies, doilies, and
many small articles.
Other materials may be used to advan-
tage; but cloth, velvet, or silk is not suitable
for crewel-work. Serge makes a very nice
foundation; and a pair of invalid's slippers,
made lately, were worked on white felt.But
these were done in Canada, where many
materials are to be had which cannot be
found here. Said slippers were merely to
thrust the toes in, as all the rest was sole;
and this white felt pointed piece was orna-
mented with strawberries in crewel-work.
This beautiful fruit is quite as effective as
flowers are; and in Figure 12 the clusters may be used separately, or con-
tinued indefinitely for a border. A. very pretty footstool could be made by
grouping them closely for the top, and putting the bordering on the band.
The fruit may be either red or white, as best suits the groundwork.
Velveteen makes a good background for crewel embroidery; and this is
suitable both for footstools and hangings. It is also handsome for man-
tel lambrequins. But the favorite material is crash towelling, which is b»

-


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
83
generally used for the purpose that crewels seem inseparable from it, and
the work is quite as often called "crash-work" as crewel-work. Crash is
very serviceable for tidies, toilet covers, toilet mats, traveling bags, etc.;
but it does not hang in graceful folds for Curtains and portieres, and it is
not worthy of being embroidered in silks.
There is a ribbed velveteen in different shades of drab and brown, which
looks remarkably well as a foundation for crewel-work, if the latter is done
in a rich, bold design. It should be remembered, as a general thing, that
while rich materials may be used on cheap groundwork, worsted embroi-
dery is very unsuitable on a rich foundation.
We have attempted suggestions only in the way of patterns, as these
may be bought in great variety wherever the crewels are sold; and for

Fia. 7.
those who are unable to design from nature this will be found a very great
convenience.
It is not long since all worsted work was done in mechanical patterns on
canvas; and some of this work, with stitches laid as regularly as minute
mosaics, and the shades blended as by the hand of an artist, is still very
beautiful. It is the mosaic-wnrk of embroidery, and bears the same rela-
tion to it that the real mosaic does to painting; but crewel-work has the
advantage of being more quickly done, and of expressing better the indi-
viduality of the worker. How quickly, for instance, with needle and crew-
els, the very essence of a May morning may be condensed into the cluster
of apple-blossoms from the laden boughs beside the window ; but who could
extemporise them into a pattern of set squares on the spur of the moment?


84
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
ARTICLES TO BE WORKED IN CREWELS.
It is always more satisfactory in a work of this kind to find some practi-
cal illustrations of the suggestions given ; and many people like to know

Fia. 8.
Fig. 9.
exactly what to make. We shall be more explicit, therefore, in this little
volume than would be possible in one of greater pretension, and mention
articles to be made, as far as our limits will permit.

Fig. 10.

Fio. 11.


ARTISTICEMBROIDERY.
85

Being quickly done and effective at a distance, crewel-embroidery is very
suitable for large pieces of work, such curtains, portieres, friezes, and so
forth. Portieres and friezes have a pleasant
suggestion about them of old tapestries; and
the latter are really wall-valances. One would
scarcely undertake
AN EMBROIDERED FRIEZE
even in crewel-work, for a large apartment; but
a moderate-sized room could be adorned with
this wall drapery without any uureasonable
outlay of time. Claret-colored serge or vel-
veteen, if in harmony with the other coloring of
the room, worked with perpendicular sunflowers
or lilies (Figure 13 is a good pattern for the lat-
ter), with a bordering of gold-color and green at
top and bottom, would be very ornamental. The
frieze could be finished with a fringe and hang
loose at the lower edge, which is prettier, or
fastened at both sides, paper-fashion.
Colors and figures may be varied indefinitely
—for the latter, B standing army of storks would
often be preferred. Dragons, too, are now so
generally regarded as cheerful domestic animals
in the way of adornment, that a procession of
them across the walls of an- apartment on an
elaborate frieze would, doubtless, add a pleasing
element in the way of decoration. But those
who say, Give me beauty, or give me nothing, in
the way of ornament, will prefer designs of flow-
ers and leaves.
A DADO IN CREWELS
may be done in the same way, only that there
is more of it; and being nearer the eye, the de-
sign should be more close and elaborate. The
patterns on rich papers will be found suggestive
studies; and it may be remembered that the
material tor groundwork can be adapted to the
purse of the embroiderer and the other belong-
ings of the apartment, from velveteen at a dollar
B yard to crash-toweling at ten cents.
The wide material known as jute, and just the
least bit in the style of brown straw matting,
would make a very nice dado worked in crewels,
with a darker brown picked out with gold color;
and this same material hangs in graceful folds
for curtains and portieres. A brown room could
be made very beautiful in this way; and quiet
though it is, there is a richness about brown that
is always suggestive of gilding.


Fio. 12.
A WORSTED-WORKED PORTIERE
should be of velveteen, if this harmonizes with the other hangings of the


86
ARTISTIC EMBROlDERY.
room, as the material has a particularly rich effect in doorways, and artis-
tically executed crewel-work suits it admirably. Brown velveteen with
golden sunflowers, or gray with wild roses, or dark blue with lilies, will be
found very handsome.
In working portieres, it is necessary to remember that they should be
well covered with embroidery, because the light falls on all their parts;
while an embroidered border suffices for curtains, as the edges only are
likely to catch the sun's rays.
Other hangings may be made for the open shelves of cabinets and
etageres: these should also harmonize with the general decoration of the
room in color and style, but may be richer and more elaborate than the
larger pieces of embroidery, as they will be subjected to closer inspection.
CURTAINSWITH SPRAYSOF SUMAC.
These were really beautiful. The ground was a pale sage green, in
perfect keeping with the prevailing hue of the room; and the soft, bright

Fio. 13.
shades of the crewels were so delicately blended that the effect was a per-
fect needle-painting of these bright-hued darlings of the autumn. They
were embroidered on the plain band of the sage—colored material that
formed the simple cornice—down the front of the curtains, and here and
there, on the body of the drapery, a spray seemed to have dropped by
accident.
A SWEET-PEA TABLE COVER
which emanated from the same hand was also a thing of beauty. The table
was a round one of moderate size, and the top was tightly covered with
maroon-colored flannel. A straight band of white flannel between two nar-
row strips of the maroon formed the border, and on this white ground the


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY. 81
sweet peas were worked in delicately-tinted crewels. Feather-stitching, of
black and bright green, marked the joining of the white flannel to the
maroon on either side. The bordering was fastened to the table with
silver-headed nails, and finished with a worsted fringe to match the maroon
flannel.
This beautiful work was all copied from natural models during hours
of summer leisure on a country piazza, and many beautiful thoughts and
memories were wrought into the bright-hued leaves and petals.
SCREENS IN CREWELWORK.We saw a honeysuckle screen lately, that might have been beautiful, but
was not Vecause it had altogether too sombre an air to be viewed in the
light of an ornament. The workmanship was fine, and regularly done
according to the rules of art, but as the ground was black and the coral
honeysuckle was represented in very dull reds and greens, the effect was
not enlivening. A gray ground of a silver tinge would have been a great
improvement, but dark work on a dark ground is a dismal production.
The woodbine honeysuckle can be reproduced in crewels in very natu-
ral colors, and we have seen some that almost diffused a June odor about
them. They were worked on very fine, soft crash, and intended for a tidy;
but a beautiful fire-screen could be made of them on a blue or plum-
colored ground.
The large folding screens, so often in strips of coarse Berlin-wool work,
are very handsome in crewels; and climbing vines of all kinds are particu-
larly suited to them. A crimson ground with water-lilies in one corner,
and the wild morning-glory, with its nearly white blossoms (that grows in
damp places and therefore harmonizes with the water-lily) trailing its
beautiful length across the largest space, while the inevitable heron, bal-
anced, of course, on one foot, stands sentinel among his reeds and rushes,
where classic cat-tails bristle like spears, is vis-a-vis to the water-lilies
on the other side, would be found bright in coloring and handsome in effect.
But a screen that looks as if some one had come in and thrown a hand-
ful of daisies over it may be quite as pretty, and is certainly less work.
CARRIAGE WRAPS
of fine crash, ornamented with crewel-work, are handsome and serviceable
for warm weather. A bordering of strawberries and leaves near the edge,
or one of periwinkle with its delicate blue flowers, would be very pretty J
and this bordering, with a large monogram in the center, would sufficiently
ornament the article.
But endless are the uses to which this simple and charming style of
embroidery may be put; and the suggestions given may be indefinitely
multiplied and rearranged in various forms.
CHAPTER IT.
SIMPLE IDEAS OF COLOR.Before proceeding to silk embroidery it may be well to consider some
simple rules of color, as the proper arrangement of color is of far greater
importance than the regular placing of stitches, and no embroidery can be
artistic without it.
Alt old-fashionad poet gives some good advice on this subject:
;


»8 ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
•' Choose such judicious force of shade and light.
As suits the theme and satisfies the sight ;
Weigh part with part, and with prophetic eye
The future power of all thy tints descry.'*
Truth in rhyme was never better brought out than in the following lines:
•' Know first that light displays and shade destroys
Refulgent Nature's variegated dyes;
Thus bodies near the light distinctly shine
With rays direct, and as it fades decline."
An eye for color is of the same nature as an ear for music—one knows
intuitively what is right; but this is by no means a very common gift; and
there are some rules to be observed, independently of the guidance of
taste, that are within the reach of all.
Thus scarlet and yellow were never intended for close companions;
brown or lilac invariably quarrel with a scarlet ground; blue and green
together, or yellow and green, are like an unpleasant taste in the mouth;
blue is perfectly amiable with ecru (the French name for all the drabs and
fawns); a cold green blue may be successfully paired with lilac; drabs
with a rich brown tone in them take kindly to yellow; pink and gray are as
harmonious as love-birds; scarlet affably locks arms with slate-green and
red-brown; green with maize, and also with some shades of salmon; blue
and maize were made for each other; lilac and green, blue and claret, are
also devoted couples.
One who knows eays that black should never be used next the high light;
one-eighth of every object has a high light upon it, one-eighth is darkest
nhadow, and six parts light, or half-tint. No objects in nature are positively
blue, red, or yellow, owing to two causes: one, that most objects reflect the
sky; the other, that the atmosphere between the eyes of the observer and
the light causes the brightness of the tints to be deadened. So that care
must be taken to avoid the immediate contact of bright colors with each
other when an attempt is made to imitate nature.
Shaded embroidery should be guided by the same rules that apply to
water-color painting, except that greater depth and brilliancy, and con-
sequently less delicacy, are the results in view. It requires much dis-
crimination to give a natural hue to leaves, and, at the same time, to pro-
duce such contrasts as will give the proper relief. Portions of each should
be much lighter than others ; and in the grouping, a mass should be thrown
into shadow under the bright leaves—the shadow being composed of dark
green mixed with neutral tint.
Much may be learned in the way of color by study and observation; but
to get just the right shades of even harmonious colors requires care and
skill. Thus simple red may be used with pure green; but scarlet, which is
red tinged with yellow, must have a blue green; crimson, which is red
tinged with blue, a yellow green. All colors are darker on a light ground
and lighter on a dark ground, so that tints should be selected according to
the groundwork.
Position, too, must be considered; a piece of embroidery that is in-
tended for a dark corner shouhl have brighter colors and stronger contrasts
than one which is to be placed in a full light. On a white ground very'
delicate tints are most suitable, while the broken grays of crash will har-
monizo livid colors.
Masses of blue should be avoided, as blue in & cold color; and white
requires skilful management, as it should bo shaded off delicately by


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY. 89
means of tints that have a large portion of white in their composition. But
all flowers of the same kind should not be worked in the same shades of color; three white flowers, for instance, of the same species and in one
cluster, requiring eight shades of silk or worsted to embroider them prop-
erly, should have these shades differently arranged. For one, a greater
portion of the five lightest tints would be used; for the next, the middle
shades, perhaps; in the third, the darkest would be must prominent; all
this would depend on the position of the flowers and the skill of the em-
broiderer.
Many different colors in one piece of work spoil the effect, except in
particular cases ; some one prevailing color should be adopted, and the
rest chosen with reference to it. Some of the most beautifully colored
work is done in one key of color : one color being taken as the key-note,
and those shades only are used that form its component parts, or that
have the original color in their composition. On gold-colored satin, for
instance, nothing looks so well as a design colored in shades of russet and
gi Iden browns, introducing every now and then a lighter or darker shade
of the pure ground color.
In taking green for the ground color, if a yellow green, then the highest
note should be yellow; and it should be carried down through all the
brown, warm, and russet greens, which owe all their warmth to yellow.
If the ground is a blue green, colder greens must be used, of a sage rather
than a russet tint, while the key-note is struck with a pure blue. Under
this restraint, the effect, though subdued, is very agreeable.
If a pure blue is placed near a pure yellow, the effect is glaring; but
when the blue is slightly toned with yellow and the yellow with blue, there
is quite a different result. A- strong blue and a bright red, with a yellow
gleam in it, stare each other out of countenance ; but a subdued russet-
green as a neighbor makes them harmonious.
Purples, and all shades inclining to blue, are difficult to dispose sat-
isfactorily—those with the least blue in them are preferable. Russet is one
part blue, one part yellow, and two parts red; olive, one part blue, two
parts yellow, and one part red. It is more pleasing than slate, which has
two parts blue, one part yellow, and one red.
When the ground is a red plum or maroon, pure red pinks, with no
shade of blue in them, will be much more harmonious than blue; but if
the ground is a blue plum, pale blue will be better than pink. The shading
of flowers is always in different shades of the same color; and this method
applied to embroidery produces the most charming results. A pattern
worked on a dark ground in a lighter shade of the same color is always
pleasing; and in a small room especially a great variety of colors should
be avoided. A crimson room should have chair or table cover, or tidy, in
pale crimson mingled with a little pink of the same tone.
Thus after a pretty conceit, one room might be called the rose-room,
being furnished with the crimson heart of that beautiful flower running
through the shades of pink suggestively in the lighter portions, and "broi-
dered over" with roses and buds where ornament is desirable; another
might be the sunflower-room, with its warm golden browns and gleams of
yellow, and the honest full-moon face of that plebeian blossom astonished
at being " done" in silks and crewels, and set up to be looked at; while
the morning-glory-room, in grays and blu»s, should imprison all the sun-
shine to light up its cold colors, and afford a congenial resting-place for its pictured blossoms.


90 ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
CHAPTER III.
SILK EMBROIDERY.
This beautiful work has been practised from the earliest times; and the
ancient Egyptians particularly excelled in it. Much of this was done on
linen—to which we shall rt-fr afterwards. The very sails of their galleys
were embroidered ; and their " divers colors of needlework on both sides"
seems to mean that it was done so that the work was the same on the wrong
side as on the right—a method of working that requires an immense amount
of skill and patience, and which is now found only among those eminently
painstaking races, the Chinese, Japanese, and Hindoos.
Silk embroidery is done on almost any material except cotton and coarse
linen; but silk and velvet seem the most suitable fabrics for groundwork.
If well done, it is handsome on anything; and as it is an expensive kind of
needlework, great care should be taken in doing it. As a general thing it
requires framing, and especially when floss-silk is used. Frames are of
various kinds; the best for large pieces of work being the standing frame
(see Figure 14), which has adjustable screws, and can be lowered or height-
ened at pleasure.
The hand or lap frame (Figure 15) is more convenient in embroidering
smaller articles.
In putting work into the frame, a strip of strong tape or linen should be
stitched along the woof ends of the material—which must then be firmly
sewed with strong double thread to the webbing on the frame. It should
be made as tight and firm as possible ; the strain being increased gradually
and cautiously until the tension appears to be sufficient. The woof ends
should be braced to the side pieces with fine twine. A packing-needle
threaded with twine must be drawn through the upper right-hand corner
of the tape or linen, and the end securely tied. The twine must be sewn
over the lath till the lower corner is reached, knotted securely, and cut off;
the other side must then be done in the same manner.
When the material is larger than the frame, it may be sewed on to the
bars and rolled round one of them, with tissue paper and wadding between
to prevent the stuff from creasing; and when the part in the frame is finish-
ed, it is rolled round the opposite bar, and so on, until the whole is com-
pleted. The centre ring, marked 1, is a hand frame used for small pieces
of embroidery.
Iu working with a frame it is desirable to use both hands—one to put the
needle through from ihe outside, and the other to bring it up again from
beneath. This will be slow work at first; but practice and patience will en-
able one to do it quite dextrously, and the great convenience of working in
this way will fully repay the trouble of learning it. Two thimbles will be
necessary, one for each hand.
THE STITCH FOR SILK EMBROIDERY
is the same as for crewel-work, except that it is shorter. Other stitches are
often introduced, which will be noticed in their place; bat the proper stitch
for shaded embroidery, the most attractive of this fascinating work, is to
draw the needle upward from the right and finish by putting it down to the
left. The right hand should always be above the frame, and the left be-
neath—making the stitches as long as the work will admit of their being, as
the brilliancy of the silk is destroyed by crowded and short stitches.
Silk embruidery is both dainty and effective; and as the materials are


AUTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
91
expensive, great care should be used in doing the work, that it may not only
give satisfaction at first, but prove sufficiently durable to repay the outlay

Fig. 14.
of time and money. It is best to avoid touching the silk by drawing it
through the fingers while working.
Anything like a regular embroidery stitch is to be avoided, except in
those portions of the work where it is
necessary; as the most charming ef-
fects are usually produced where there
seems to have been the greatest indif-
ference to mechanical regularity.
When the work has been properly
arranged in the frame, the first step in
artistic embroidery is to observe the po-
sition of the flowers and leaves—taking
it for granted that the outlines have
been properly traced—and if the model
is of natural blossoms, so much the bet-
ter. It is particularly advisable, before
beginning the embroidery, to study the
lights and shades, the edges and round-
er parts- both of the leaves and petals
of flowers, as they embrace more sur-
face, naturally receive the light first,
and are worked with the palest tints.
In a group of flowers (see Figure 16) it is recommended to begin with the
smaller parts, such as the stems, buds, and leaves: and great care shnrld
o
Fig. 15.


92
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
be t hem to have every portion clearly outlined—although if visible outline
should be avoided in filled-in work. Again, the careful blending of shades
mentioned in crewel-woik must be enforced—the stitches being so nicely
placed to produce the right effect, that their beginning and ending are quite
lost.
GROUP OF FLOWERS FOR SILK EMBROIDERY.
The steins of slender flowers should always be done in stalk-stitch, as
they can be made more neatly and with less trouble than in satin-stitch.

Fig. 16.
The centres are worked in French knot stitch. This is a pretty pattern for
fi variety of small articles: glovo-box, letter-box, pincushion, case, etc.
Or it may be enlarged tor a footstool, sofa-cushion, or chair-seat.
In working leaves, one half should be done first; and great care taken to
follow the direction of the fibres. Figure 17 shows the direction the lines
would take if we were shading the leaf in drawing. In working a pansy the
stitches should take the direction of the lines in Figure 18; and not cross
the petals, as in Figure 19. Figure 20 shows the proper filling up of a thick
stalk.
For narrow leaves, where one stitch will reach from the middle to the
edge, it is best to pass the thread from the edge underneath to the middle—


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
93
as this makes each stitch begin in the middle, and the under sido is nearly
the same as the upper. A broad leaf or petal requires more than one stitch
between the middle and the edge; and for these, the needle may be
brought up again wherever the next stitch seems to be wanted. But two
together should not begin nor end on the same
line—except on the outside edge to preserve the
outline, or in showing the middle rib.
Unless the embroidery is very large and bold,
the line formed by the meeting of the stitches
down the middle of a leaf, as in Figure 21, will
sufficiently mark the mid-rib. If in the real leaf
it is very deep and plainly defined, a very nar-
row space between the two lines, tapering till the
threads meet again near the point, will generally
be sufficient. See Figure 22. Lateral veins need
not usually be indicated at all; but if they are
very marked, and of a different color from the
leaf itself, they may be laid on by a cord or a
piece of thick silk twist—fastening it down with
small stitches in silk of the same color. This
must only be done in large and rather coarse
work.
Another important point is the distinct bring-
ing out of the different characters of the stalks.
The three examples given (Figures 23, 24 and 25)
will show how the different joinings vary, and
that care must be taken to make these distinc-
tions, as well as to finish them off properly. It
has been well said that the difference between
mechanical and artistic embroidery consists in
showing judgment and finish in all these small
matters.
Other stitches used in silk embroidery, be-
sides the one known distinctively as embroidery-
stitch, are satin-stitch, French-knot-stitch, stalk-
stitch, point-russe, herring-bone or feather-stitch,
ladder-stitch, chain-stitch, etc.
Satin-stitch is used a great deal in white em-
broidery, and many persons are familiar with it
who have never attempted to work colors. It
is also called
FRENCH, OR FLAT EMBROIDERY.
The stitches lie smoothly in a diagonal direc-
tion close to each other—little or no attention to
light or shade being necessary. It may be done
very effectually in one color, and is then often enriched by gold or silver
cord around the edges.
It looks best worked with Mitorse silk—which is also the most durable,
as it does not fray in the wear nor so quickly lose its glossy appearance as
when done with floss or Dacca silk. This work is suitable for articles of
furniture and dress, as well as for small ornamental work. Figure 26 is the good illustration of flat embroidery in a pretty border pattern, which may
be edged with gold thread or with silk of another color.

Fia. 19.


94
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
BORDER IN FLAT EMBROIDERY.— THE FRENCH KNOT.
This is very useful for the centres of such flowers as the daisy and sun-
flower, and for filling up leaves in a showy manner. It is made by bringing
the thread through to the front
I. ( \^?iw of tne worK' ana- holding it in
'y^hfc- \jmfcv lne left hand, fuur or five
I YxStK. iNSmYli^w inches from the work — the
needle being in the right
hand, the thread is twisted
two or three times around the
needle as close to the work as
possible; then the point is
turned down into the material
nearly, but not exactly, where
the thread came up; the nee-
dle is pulled through to the
other side, and the thread
drawn carefully till the knot is
firm. The thread must be
drawn round the needle close
up to the work before the
needle is pulled quite through, lest the knot should hang loose and spoil
the effect.
STALK-STITCH.
It is very easily and quickly done. In veining leaves and working small
systems, it is more manageable than any other stitch; and it is formed by
making a straight stitch rather more than a sixteenth of an inch in length—
then fir the next stitch, putting the needle about half-way back into the first

Fio.
Fia. 21.
Fia. 22.


Fig. 23.
Fig. 24.

Fig. 25.
one and working it the same length. This is so quickly done, that there is
danger of doing it carelessly ; but if properly worked, it resembles a finely-
twisted cord, and gives a very neat finish to the embroidery.
POINT-RUSSE.
This is a stitch frequently mentioned in new embroidery; but the modus
operandi does not seem to be so well known as that of many others. Poe 


AUTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
90
sibly because of its very simplicity—for Point Busse is merely a succession
of back-stitches neatly and regularly done. It is used for many small arti-
cles ; and is a useful
adjunct in more ar-
tistic work.
The illustration
in Figure 27 shows
the effect, and the
uses to which it can
be put. Every line
of the design must
be carefully followed
in working it; and
very pretty border-
ings and ornamental
figures in long stitch-
es are often made
with it. Medallions
are very pretty in
Point - Russe; and
we give one in Fig-
ure 28 that is work-
ed entirely in this
stitch, and made
very effective in scar-
let and gold. This
is intended for a
purse, and is work-
ed on light brown
leather or kid.
Figure 30 is also
very pretty, and may
be worked in one or
more colors.
Figure 31 is a
border pattern that
is very effective.
The diamonds are
outlined in black
and white, and the
leaflets within are of
green silk. The stars
are outlined in black
and blue, the cross-
ings are red, and the
dots yellow. The fig-
ure between the
stars is black and
yellow.
HERRING-BONE, OR FEATHER STITCH.
This is an old-fashioned embroidery stitch revived, which is always
effective.
In ancient times, fine pieces of linen were embroidered all over with


96
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
flower designs in outline, with here and there a portion filled in, and the
stems worked in a close herring-bone stitch to give them strength and sub-
stance. Sometimes the whole design would be worked in this stitch, done
so closely as to have the appearance of braid.
Some of this nlled-in work was done in a peculiar manner from side to
side. An oval leaf to be filled would be begun at the base with a few satin
stitches, then when a point was reached where it was wide enough, instead
ot passing the thread all the way underneath to the opposite side, about

Fia. 27.
one-third of the width of the leaf is taken up in the needle, and the next
stitch is done in the same way on the opposite side of the leaf—working
from side to side until the leaf becomes too narrow again, when it is finish-
ed with a few satin stitches.
This stitch throws all the silk to the top; and the crossing of the threads
in the middle of the leaf has a very rich and soft effect—giving also the ap-
pearance of a vein.
Feather-stitch seems too well known to need description; and there is a
great variety of it, from the simplest "herring-bone," to the prettiest
feather-like vine; and it has the advantage of being very easily and quickly
done.


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
It is merely bntton-hole stitch, in alternate loops and long stitches, sewed
backward. A design may be drawn first, if needed, to make the work re-
gular ; but with one straight pencil line as B guide, if the eye is not very
correct, almost any one who can use a needle will be able to do feather-
stitch.
This stitch is very much used in applique work; and it makes pretty
dividing lines in ornamenting large
articles.
We lately saw a table - cover
worked entirely in feather-stitch,
that had quite an Oriental appear-
ance. The ground was black cloth;
and all colors of worsted braid, of
different widths, were sewed on li S S
with this stitch — being placed
around an oblong piece in the cen-
tre, and in strips across to the
edge for the border.
CHAIN-STITCH.
Another well-known and simple
embroidery-stitch; and more beau-
tiful effects may be produced with it than are known to the philosophy
of the ordinary worker.
Chain-stdtch is sometimes used
for filled-in embroidery; the lines
of the chain being laid very close
together, and following the form of
the leaf or flower until the space is
filled. It should always be com-
menced on the outside, and worked
to" the centre.
Some very »ch kinds of Algerian
and Eastern work, often embroid-
ered entirely with gold thread, and
generally with a mixture of this
with silk, are done altogether in
chain-stitch. It is often found,
too, in ancient crewel-work; and is
made by Iwlding the thread firmly
over the point of the needle, while
it is drawn out, so as to form a
loop. The needle is put back again
into the centre of this loop, and the
thread again passed over the point to form a second one—and so on, the
succession of loops forming the chain.
The objection to this stitch is that it has a mechanical effect, and can be
exactly imitated with the sewing-machine. The long embroidery-stitch is
much more elastic and natural-looking, and able to accommodate itself
better to varying forms. Chain-stitch is useful, however, for outline-work,
and wherever a stronger line is required than that made by the long stitch.
Curtains, table-covers, portieres, etc., are handsomely embroidered it


98
ARTISTIC EMBROWERY.
chain-stitch; and Figure 31 gives a very rich bordering pattern for this pur-
pose. Turkish embroidery is nearly always done in chain-stitch; and
covers for small tables, with the light blue or scarlet ground, worked all over
in cbain-stitch arabesques with bright silks, make a pretty "bit of color"
for a shaded corner.
Another effective way of working a table-cover in chain-stitch is to get
black, red, and white cloth or flannel; the Mack for the centre, the red next
to the black, and the white for the border—and joining them by lapping the
edge of one a very little way over the other, proceed to chain-stilch the
whole with various colored silks.
The effect is very handsome j and the bordering may differ from the other
part by being done in loose overcast stitch over straight pieces of zephyr,
and finished with little tassels of the bright silks.
Figure 32 is a very pretty Oriental-looking pattern suitable for a border-
ing, or it can be used in other ways. The figures placed together are work-
ed in cbain-stitch with silk of two contrasting colors—two shades being
used in each figure. The outer row of the first is dark-red, and the inner

Fig. 30.—Borber in Point Rtjsse.
one bright-red. The second figure is of two shades of green; the third of
two shades of blue ; and the fourth of two shades of yellow. The knotted
stitch in the centre of the oval is violet. The dots outside the ovals are
worked in satin-stitch, and are alternately red, yellow, violet, and blue.
The stems are of black silk in point-russe stitches. The four ovals are
worked in chain-stitch with silk of two shades of brown.
LADDER-STITCH.
This is sometimes quite effective in ornamental embroidery. Figures 33
and 34 give two different patterns. The material is partly cut away in
these illustrations, and in some kinds of work this is a great improvement.
Ladder-stitch makes very pretty border lines—the outer edges being done
in overcast, and the cross-stitches in point-russe.
Exquisite pieces of work have been wrought in silk embroidery from time
immemorial; and there is scarcely a material to which it may not be ap-
plied. A fragment of old embroidery, worked more than a century ago is
represented as lb good subject for study in the way of coloring.


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.

FlO. 31.—BoEDEE FOR FtJPNITURE COVERS, PoRTIEEES ElO-
CHAIS HlITOU EMnROIDERY.
d~t rf~\ v*-i t k J1 ** a


100
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
This fragment is about eight inches deep, intended for bordering, and is
worked on white satin. The material is ravelled out in a fringe at the bot-
tom ; then comes B line about an eighth of an inch wide in dark red floss—
then a row of disks shaded in lb dark and a light green; above these and
touching one another are two broader lines of red, one the same color as
the first, the other paler; then there is a representation of mom, worked in
chenille of three shades of green—and from this mossy ground spring
roses, carnations, forget-me-nots, and leafy sprays. This part is treated

Fio. 32.
quite decoratively; and no attempt is made to preserve the natural pro-
portions of the flowers in relation to each other, or to their stems and
leaves.
In the sprays, one or two leaves are of peach-blossom color. Above
this row of flowers are branches in festoons ; of which the stems are olive-
brown, the leaves shaded, or rather parti-colored, with peach-blossom in-


Fig. 33.
Fig. 34.
dining to pink, olive-brown, and two or three shades of green. It will be
seen that nature is no more strictly adhered to in color than in form.
Over these branches is a pattern in two shades of peach-blossom, min-
gled with a very little blue. Except the moss, the embroidery is all done
in floss silk split very fine. Seen by artificial light, this beautiful piece of
work has the brilliancy of cut and polished gems; while the general effect
of color is extremely rich and sweet, and would harmonize with almost any
surroundings.
A beautiful way of treating the ground color, particularly if it be one
that seems to attract too much attention to itself, is by working a small
diaper pattern all over it in a darker shade of the same color—this gives


ARTISTICEMBROIDERY. 101
depth and richness to the whole. A network of dead gold may be imitated
in silk of the right shade.
Dark, brownish greens, deep dull blues, and rich maroons, make good
grounds; but black is best for a brilliant effect. The ground must be
decidedly dark or decidedly light—no half-way shades being allowable, as
it is far more important for the colors of the work to contrast strongly with
the ground than with each other.
CHINESE EMBROIDERY.
The French and Chinese excel in silk embroidery; and the painstaking
double work done in China is well known. The great care with which the
Chinese embroider preserves their materials bright and shining. These
materials are floss and twisted silks—also the bark of a tree spun into a
fine thread. Flat lines of gold also glitter among the silks, and are used
as stems and connecting links.
The drawing of these embroideries is sometimes as uncouth as that of
their paintings; but in some of their flowers (probably copied from nature)
they are often even botanically correct. The iris, for instance, which fre-
quently appears in their designs, is very true to nature; and so is the time-
honored stork. The iris, Figure 35, is a good flower for embroidery, and
may be made as effective in borders as the sunflower.
The moder n art of embroidery in China is thus graphically described by
a traveler:
"For 22 cash, or laeen, I purchased an elegant book filled with choice
subjects of the-graphic art as patterns for the use of the young needle-
woman. She is assumed to be poor, and hence the little manual is printed
at about one penny of our money. It has a cover of a fair yellow, studded
with spangles of gold, and contains between two and three hundred figures
culled from the various stores of nature and art.
"In fact these objects are so well selected and so numerous, that they
might serve as Illustrations to a small encyclopedia. One acquainted
with Chinese literature and natural history might deliver several lectures
with this book before him. The meadow, the grove, the brook, the anti-
quary's museum, and the pages of mythology, with the adornments of the
house and garden, are all laid under contribution.
"The book is said to be for the use of the person who belongs to the
green window—which is an epithet for the dwelling of a poor woman; while
the red gallery denotes the residence of a rich female. The industrious
poor plies her task near the green lattice, which is made of earthenware
and lets in both the light and the breath of heaven; while the rich dame
leans upon the vermeil-tinted balusters of the gaudy veranda, and gazes
carelessly at the sunbeams as they sparkle among the flowers, or waves the
soft breeze which agitates the green roof of the Indian fig-tree.
"The title-page presents us with a venerable man in the weeds of office,
holding in his hand a scroll with the motto : 'Heaven's Magistrate confers
wealth.' Over his head are bats disporting among the clouds, the emblems,
I suppose, of wakefulness—for these animals are on the alert while men
sleep.
"I once saw two girls at this work in the village of Mongha. They were
seated upon a low stool, and extended their legs across another of twice
the height of their pent. In this way a support was provided for the frame
on which the piece to be embroidered was spread forth. Their faces wore


102
AUTISTIC EMIWuIUERY.
a sickly hue, which was owing, perhaps, to close confinement and the un-
natural position in which they were obliged to sit.
"The finest specimens of embroidery are, so far as my observation

Fig. 35.


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY. 108
goes, done by men, who stand while at work—a practice which these dam-
sels could not imitate, as their feet were small. They were poor, but too
genteel, in their parents' idea, to do the drudgery of the humble house-
wife; and so their
feet were bandaged
and kept from grow-
ing beyond the lim-
its of gentility. Their
looks were not like-
ly soon to attract a
lover, and hence
they were compelled
to tease the sampler
from the glistening
dawn till dewy eve."
Chinese embroid-
ery is particularly
rich and effective for
screens, with its clear
outlines, its gorge-
ous flowers, and
showy birds and
butterflies. It bears
the closest scrutiny
—each stitch, even
the hair lines, seems
to be placed just in
the right spot; and
applique is often
brought in so suc-
cessfully that it looks
as if woven in the
material. The vivid
clusters of crepe
flowers are beauti-
ful; and the judi-
cious introduction of
gold thread here and
there gives a mar-
velous richness to
the whole work.
Very fine floss silk
is the most common
material used, and
the embroidery is
done in long, irregu-
lar stitches. Silk and
satin are generally
used for the founda-
tion; but whether

Fia. 86.
the color is vivid blue, bright scarlet, or pale gold, the effect seems to be
equally good.
The apparent carelessness of this work is one of its great attractions;


104
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
the bold, free outlines seem easy of imitation; and a study of the cheap
Chinese and Japanese fans will be found very suggestive in the way of de-
sign and coloring. A sample design on one of these fans has an intensity
blue sky it the upper edge—a white moon in its first quarter at the upper
right-hand corner—while at the left-hand lower one a small bunch of in-
tensely pink flowers send a warm
glow over the whole. The effect
is extremely pretty.
Japanese embroidery, although
similar in style and design, seenm
finer and more dainty than the
Chinese; and yet it is said that
their best specimens of work are
kept for home decoration. The
finest of these are the cloths used
as covers for the presents given
by persons paying visits of cere-
mony; these cloths are not given
with the presents they cover, but
are family heirlooms. Really good
Japanese work is said to be
rarely seen elsewhere.
The pieces of embroidery
which are done purposely for the foreign market are often very
handsome, but they do not com-
pare with those which are exe-
cuted for their own critical eyes.
White birds, usually stocks, on a
black satin ground, from which
they stand out so clearly that
they seem in the very act of fly-
ing, are the most common sub-
ject. Some rare pieces are occa-
sionally seen in which the work
is exquisite; in one, the ground
will be a deep, soft blue satin,
like the sky of a summer night,
while the leading colors of the
embroidery are gold, pale blue
and white.
In another piece, the ground
is of scarlet moreen, of a suffi-
ciently bright yellow scarlet to
harmonize with the gold that
firms the principal color in the
embroidery. The subject is a
long flight of storks; not less than eighty of them are flying in the zigzag
line, the angles of which are carefully studied from the bottom to the top
of the picture.
Most of these stocks are embroidered in white silk, the direction of the
stitches giving much of their form : they are pricked out with black, and
there is a little pale pink or yellow-green in their beaks and legs. About a


ARTISTICEMBROIDERY. 105
quarter of them are worked all in gold—representing the birds in shadow,
or seen against the light; and these have little or no detail. Each bird is
distinct, separately drawn, and having its own expression, mode of flight,
and position in the line.
The rest of the space is filled by horizontal bars of gold of varying widths, and groups of fan-stitches also in gold; these seem to indicate tha
flat sunset clouds and the tops of the distant trees passed over by the stork*
in their flight.
Both in Japanese and Chinese work the subjects are sometimes parti]
painted and partly embroidered; and the two are so happily blended that it is difficult, at a little distance, to see where one kind of the work stops and the other begins.
In imitating this kind of embroidery for small article*, unmeaning kindi
of lines in the way of reeds and grasses, as in Figure 36, have a particularly
characteristic look. Small fans may also be introduced to advantage; and
Figure 87 would admit of a small bird and bough at the top on a gold-col.
ored ground, with brown lines for sticks; while Figure S3 might have a fog of pink floss or embroidery silk with black lines at tho bottom. These farm may be very much varied, and can be made extremely ornamental. Figure
39 is a still different shape.
A full-sized fau with small ones embroidered over it would be a pretty
conceit, or to introduce them in connection with flowers, butterflies, and
other emblems of summer.
It must be borne in mind that this kind of work is never overloaded—a
few grasses, a butterfly and a flower often sufficing tor a good-sized object.
CHAPTER IV.
DESIGNING AND TRANSFERBINO DESIGNS.
This is a most important part of the work, and one that is done in vari-
ous ways. Patterns can always De stamped at the various fancy-work
stores, or bought all ready for working; but the embroiderer, with original
ideas and some taste for drawing, prefers to do this herself.
Worsted patterns may often be used for outlines, as they are generally
correct in this respect, and the leaves particularly are well drawn. But
those who are able to take their models from nature will have less stiffness
in their work; and a little practice in this way will sometimes develop
powers hitherto undreamed of. Large single flowers of all kinds are easi-
est to begin with; and a lily, or a wild rose, for instance, will be found
quite easy to manage.
A pencil-drawing or a water-color painting can often be accommodated to
embroidery; and a too spreading branch or cluster may be made more
compact by a little management. A spray of apple-blossoms, which is a
particularly desirable model, will frequently overstep the bounds as-
signed to it in one way, and not sufficiently fill them up in another. The
best way to manage is to take a piece of paper the size of the article to be
embroidered, and divide it by lines into four equal parts. The outline of
the branch can then be sketched on it; and the result will probably be
that two of the squares are filled, one barely touched with a leaf, and the
other quite empty. More blossoms, leaves, or twigs can be added on one
side and taken away on the other; if the whole ground is not sufficiently
covered, a butterfly or a bird may be introduced to furnish a bare corner.
The suitableness of any design for the purpose to which it is to be


lOli
ARTISTICEMBROIDERY.
applied depends upon whether its position
upright one.
Borders of upright sprigs, intended for a
A
A
1
i
f
3

Fig. 40.
is to be a horizontal or an
horizontal position, single or
grouped, require a
line or two below,
which serves to keep
them together; with-
out this support they
look disjointed, and
each spring is too in-
dependent of the
others. They need
not touch the line—
but one near at hand
seems to keep them
from falling into
space. When the
sprigs are large, a
series of lines should
be used; -and for
this purpose very
pretty designs are
often found in Ori-
ental china.
The combination
in Figure 40 is sim-
ple enough in de-
ys tail, but very effec-
K^" tive to edge a bor-
v- dering. It is done
in chain-stitch, lad-
der-stitch, and point
russe.
Small borders are
often improved by a
mere line on each
side; and the same
effect is produced
by sewing the bor-
dering on material
of a different shade.
^_ Birds and butter-
s'. flies are naturally
N associated with flow-
ers ; they give an air
of life, and often
serve to balance the
inequalities of a de-
sign. Butterflies are
particularly appro-
Ipriate from their
great variety both
t of size and coloring,
and being worked


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.107
Like other artistic embroidery, without any elaboration of detail, they are
very easily done.
Vases, which frequently occur in the fashionable designs, should either
be represented by some material laid on, or worked in lines only—the out-
line with the pattern on it, as it would appear in a pencil drawing without
shading.
A beautiful piece of silk embroidery was worked on a ground of bronze-
green satin. There were sprays of convolvulus springing from a vase of gray satin; the flowers were white, edged with pure blue—not the purplish
blue of the natural flower, for that would not have harmonized so well—
and yet there was nothing unnatural in the effect of the color. The leaves
were of yellow and gray greens, and the stalks a brownish green.
Then, to give warmth and life, some sulphur butterflies hovered over
the garlands. Thus, though in the coloring of the design the component
parts only of the bronze-green ground were used, the effect was perfect.
TRANSFERRING DESIGNS.
Designs are traced in various ways, according to the nature and color
of the material to be embroidered.
For a light-colored ground, the best method is to trace the pattern on
tissue or other thin paper, lay the material flat upon a table, and fix the
price of the pattern upon it very exactly. Then put a piece of carbonized
blue or black paper, face downward, on the material, between it and the
paper pattern; and with a stiletto, or other hard-pointed but not too sharp
instrument (a metallic pencil or knitting needle will often answer the pur-
pose), trace all the lines of the design, taking care to keep the pattern from
slipping, and that the fingers do not press too heavily on the transferring
paper, or more color will come off than is desirable.
An oldsheet of paper is more satisfactory than a new one; and it is ad-
visable to rub the latter gently with a cloth before using it, to remove any
unfixed coloring.
Pouncing is a more complicated process than tracing; but for dark-
colored materials it is safer.
The design must be first drawn on thick paper, and then pricked along
the lines with a pin. The paper should then be held up to the light to see
that the holes are clear, and close enough together to make the pattern
plain.
When the pattern is fixed, face upward, on the material, dust it over
with starch tied up in thin muslin, so that the fine powder goes through
the holes. Flour will answer the purpose, and may be best applied about
the pattern with a soft brush.
The paper must then be taken up very carefully, lifting it straight up-
ward off the material, be that it does not blur the little dots of white, which
ought to be in regular order underneath—marking out the design. The
lines of the pattern should be traced at once, as indicated by the dots, with
the original design before the eye, with white tracing paint.
There is also a blue powder for delicate light materials, that might be
injured by the carbonized paper.
Another method, when the nature of the design will permit it, is to cut
out the pattern in paper, place it on the material, and trace round the edges
with chalk. Then remove the paper, and go over the chalk outline with
Chinese white, renewing it where it is defective.
The richer the fabric the more care, of course, is needed in transferring


108 ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
the design; and transparent materials should Lave the pattern basted un-
derneath. Embroidery in floss is done on black net—for which the design
should be managed in this way.
CHAPTER V.
ARTICLES IN SILK EMBROIDERY.
There is scarcely an article for which ornament of this kind is used that
may not be decorated with silk embroidery, and it is suitable for all mate-
rials. Curtains, portieres and table-covers are done in outline with silk of
the same color, but a lighter shade than the ground; and whole sets of
furniture have been undertaken by ambitious workers.
A SCREEN OF PEACOCK FEATHERS.
This was embroidered on a foundation of pale peach-blossom silk with
split floss, and made up with a plain ebony frame, ornamented here and
there with a little dead gold.
It was an exquisite piece of work, both in design and execution, and so
wonderfully did the brilliant silks reflect the changeful hues of the bronze-
greens and browns, that it was difficult to convince visitors that real feath-
ers were not fastened on. The only pattern used by the embroiderer was
one tail-feather dropped by a majestic fowl almost at her feet; and while
walking with the trophy in her hand, the design of the screen came to her
and was forthwith executed.
It was a good-sized fireplace screen, and as the room was furnished in
dark blue, it showed to great advantage.
A PRETTY BANNER-SCREEN.
This was fastened to tbe end of the mantel; and the crimson satin foun-
dation was covered with a small diaper pattern in maroon silk. Thick
clusters of small daisies without leaves were worked as a bordering in
embroidery-stitch, the centres in knot-stitch. In the middle of the screen
was a beautifully-executed monogram in gold-colored silk.
ANOTHER BANNER-SCREEN
was attached to a gilt stand. This stood on a table and was intended to
shade the eyes from a lamp or candle. The ground was of pale green silk,
and it was beautifully embroidered with ivy-leaves of darker shades. In
the centre there was an antique lamp done in gold thread, and the banner
was finished with a chenille fringe of green and white. It was lined with
White silk.
EMBROIDERED TABLE-TOP.
Figure 41 may be used for a variety of purposes. It makes a very pretty
top for a small table, and is worked in stalk-stitch, chain-stitch, point russe,
and knotted stitch, with the flowers in pink, claret-color, and yellow, on a
pale blue ground. The sprays and leaves are in shades of olive-green.
The table, which looks best with a pedestal of ebony or ebonized wood,
has a border fringe of Macrame lace.
WINDOW-CURTAIN BORDER.
A very handsome bordering for window-emtains was lately worked by
an artistic needlewoman—figures of dragons in gold-colored embroidery
silk on a ground of maroon rep. The bordering was intended for the soft


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
109
gray material, and the straight cornice band was embroidered in the same
device.
EMBROIDEUED DRESSES.
Silk embroidery is very ornamental for dresses, although for this pur-
pose usually done'only in one color. Ordinarily, it would be a formidable
piece of work to do it in the style of smaller articles; but ingenuity and
rapid execution sometimes
go hand in hand. The he-
roine of a story is repre-
sented as threading her
needle with one length of
crimson silk, and with this
scanty material bringing
out the crimson rose ou a
silk handkerchief almost
as quickly as a magician
could do it. A few deft
stitches—and there it was.
It was taken to pieces quite
as easily, and no trace of it
remained.
But embroidery does
not usually go on in this
fashion; it is careful work,
and she who takes the
greatest pains as a general
thing meets with the best
success.
Embroidered robes for full dress are decidedly the fashion now, and
one of black silk or lace, embroidered with carnations, is beautiful for a
brunette—while the delicate blonde may wreathe herself with blue convol-
vulus, or deeply-pink wild roses, on a white or cream-colored ground.
Every one has her favorite flower, and to wear it embroidered on an even-
ing dress is a graceful way of proclaiming it.

Fig. 41.
Painted panels and tiles have become almost a mania; but the needle
of the embroideress can produce quite as charming results. Painting is
more quickly done; but every one cannot paint, while many who cannot do
this can embroider exquisitely.
To keep the embroidered panel or tile fresh and bright, it should be
protected by glass, and, properly treated, it will be quite :ib satisfactory as
painting.
The two panels for the doors of a small hanging cabinet are very pretty
with a ground of cloth of gold, gold-colored satin, or silk—a spray of wis-
taria worked on one, wild roses on the other. Violets and anemones are
pretty together; and on anything with four panels may be represented the
flowers or birds of the four seasons.
Silhouettes in black silk may be worked on all colored grounds for tiles,
and ingenuity can accomplish wonders in this way. The whole procession
of flowers, from the first snowdrop, or hepatica, of early spring, to the holly
and berries of Christmas, may be followed up on tiles; the fans and um-
brellas of all nations; and various other suggestions, both practical and


110 AUTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
SMALL CURTAINS OR HANOINGS
For cabinets and book-shelves may be made of various materials, and
ornamented with silk embroidery. The patterns should be more delicate
and finished, and the materials of finer quality than for large hangings.
Arabesques of chain-stitch in gold-colored silk on a dark-blue ground of
velveteen, with a pretty border pattern at top and bottom; or a bright-
colored bird on a branch, with a buttoRtly in one corner, for a background;
buttercups and daisies on a ground of golden brown, would all be effective.
A WREATHED PICTURE.
Something new in the way of embroidery in to border a picture in this
manner. The frames with painted corners may be imitated with the needle,
and tho daisies, violets, and other flowers will be-found quite as ornamen-
tal in embroidery.
But the wreathed picture was a fine engraving of the Mater Dolorosa,
small enough to make the process practicable. It was unmounted, and
the back carefully pasted on the foundation of light-blue satin. Not a
wrinkle was visible after it was thoroughly smoothed with a soft piece of
old cambric; and after sewing a piece of narrow, gold-colored silk braid
around the edge, a wreath of Anunciation lilies was traced and embroid-
ered on the satin. It was so beautifully done as to look like painting, and
with a glass over the whole the illusion was complete. It was put in a
gilded Florentine frame.
AN EMBROIDERED ROOM.
It was very pretty to read about in a story, and not impossible to carry
out practically. The prevailing colors of the room were pale-blue and car-
nation; and the curtain-lambrequins of pale-blue were embroidered with
sprays of woodbine in its autumn dress of vivid scarlet and crimson. The
mantel-hanging was in blocks like tiles, done in the same colors ; andthe
pantls of a home-made cabinet were likewise embroidered.
These things, with other accessions, made it a charming room ; and if one
could walk bodily into just such an apartment, the effect would doubtless
be all that it was represented.
A FAN TABLE-COVER.
Outlined palm leaves are very pretty, and fans are no less so. The
groundwork of cloth, flannel, or satin (if a small table), has three or five
parallel strips of velvet ribbon sewn down on each side with point russe
stitches of gold-colored silk, and put far enough apart for fans of all colors
to be embroidered between them.
These are worked in long embroidery-stitch; and although less work if
merely outlined, they are so very much richer and brighter looking when
filled in as to be quite worth the trouble. The ground may be of any color
that harmonizes with the rest of the room.
A CHAIR-COVER.
Long embroidered strips that will cover both back and seat of the kind
of lounging-chairnow so much in use are very pretty worked like the table-
cover—the groundwork of the middle strip being of gray satin or velveteen,
and the rows of fans separated by garnet-colored velvet ribbon, and a strip
of the same colored velveteen on either side of the gray. A fringe where
the covering ends at top and bottom gives it the look of being carelessly
"•«•""'=" 'here.


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY. Ill
HRE-SCREENS.
We have just been shown two exquisite pieces of embroidery Intended
for fire-screens. One represented flame-colored gladioli on a black satin
ground, and was rich beyond expression ; the other was worked with cat-
tails, reeds, and some unpretending little yellow flowers on a blue ground.
The material looked like a Chinese groundwork.
The coloring of both these needle-paintings was perfect; and as to the
stitches, it was difficult to believe that there were any—the shades were
blended as if with the brush.
A CHILD'S AFGHAN.
It was made of strips of pink and white cashmere ; the pink ones em-
broidered with daisies, the white ones with pansies, in embroidery-silk—
and it was one of the prettiest things of the kind ever seen. it was lined with
thin pink silk slightly wadded and quilted, and bordered with the ruchingof
pink ribbon. The seams were concealed by lines of feather-stitch in gar-
net-colored silk.
The resources of silk embroidery are inexhaustible; and all sorts of
email articles, pin-cushions, brackets, watch-stands, glove-boxes, sachets,
etc., will suggest themselves. Fans, too, are beautifully embroid 'red, and
divide admiration with fine painting. Ornamental velvets for neck, wrists,
and belt, are a fashionable device—and these are embroidered with single
flowers, daisies, violets, etc.
CHAPTER VI.
PRINT-WORK.
This is a very fine kind of embroidery, and specimens of it are quite
rare. As the name implies, it is intended to imitate a picture, and is gener-
ally used only for small subjects—the stitches being almost too minute to
be distinguished at all.
It is done on white silk or satin, which is carefully stretched in a frame,
and the design is then drawn on it. This is sketched with a pencil, and
usually worked in black silk; the various shades between black and white
may be used, but not colors—as the object is to represent an engraving.
Lead color, or pale slate, will be as suitable as black.
A very fine needle must be used, and fine silk to correspond; and a
dotted engraving can be so well imitated in this kind of work that it is al-
most impossible to tell the difference. This stitch used is known as mask-
ing-stitch; and it is set as closely as possible without lapping one over an-
other.
In working a copy of an engraving, the embroiderer begins with the dark-
est shades, which are done with black silk; gradually proceeding to the
lightest tints, with silks of the intermediate shades-blending them into
each other with the nicest care. To accomplish this, where it is necessary
to introduce the lighter portions, the stitches are set wide apart and the in-
tervals filled up by putting in the lightest tint used.
The worker must always have the engraving before her to study the
lights and shades. Fine engravings can be copied in the same way—but the
stitches should be longer and wider apart.
This kind of needlework requires great patience and is a heavy strain
upon the eyesight; and considering the beautiful effects produced by other
methods with less delay, it is not like?.' to become very popular.


112 ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
CHAPTER VII.
SILK EMBROIDERY WITH GOLD.
Much of the ancient work used tor hangings was magnificently wrought
with a mixture of gold embroidery—as much of the Indian needlework is
now done, especially in Japan and China. The royal palace of Jeddo has
a profusion of the finest tapestry, wrought by the most curious hands,
and adorned with pearls, gold, and silver, and other costly embellish-
ments.
The Moors of Spain have been especially celebrated for their rich and
beautiful decorative work; and with them originated the custom of using
tapestry for curtains. Mohammed forbade his followers to imitate animals,
or insects, in their ornamental work; and from this circumstance, the term
Arabesque, which represents their style of decoration, was used to express
all odd combinations of patterns from which human and animal forms
were excluded.
Gold was introduced into these arabesques with the richest possible
effect; and this style of design has never lost its popularity. It is often
mixed with other patterns in colors ; but the simple richness of an arabesque
in black and gold cannot be excelled.
In the Middle Ages the most beautiful gold embroidery was called opus
Anghcanum ; and this name clung to it whether it was done in England or
not. Much of this work was done in the convents, or "shee-schools,"' as
quaint old Fuller calls them; and besides church vestments, which will
be mentioned elsewhere, very beautiful secular robes and pieces of tapes-
try were wrought in silk and gold.
The richest tapestry was in pieces like large flags and banners ; and was
a prominent decoration on all occasions of festivity or rejoicing. Orna-
mental needlework of all kinds was hung from the windows, or balconies, in those streets through which a pageant, or festal procession was to pass-
just as flags are suspended now; and as the houses were then built with the
upper stories far overhanging the lower ones, these draperies frequently
hung in rich folds to the ground. When a street was thus adorned through
its whole length, and partly roofed by the floating streamers and banners
above, it must have had somewhat the appearance of a suite of magnificent
saloons.
The art of embroidering with gold and silver is very ancient, and these
costly materials were often woven into fabrics as well; but the pure metal
was then used, beaten into thin plates, and then cut into narrow slips,
which were rounded with a hammer and filed to make threads or wire.
The method is exactly described in Exodus xxxix. 3, as practiced by the
Israelites: "And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into
wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in
the fine linen with cunning work."
Old embroidered robes are mentioned made entirely of these gold
threads without any linen or woolen ground. Pieces of embroidery worked
with gold were called " orphroys," from the mediaeval aurifrigium or avri-
frasium; and mention is made, in the reign of Edward III., of two vests
of green velvet embroidered with gold, one of which was decorated with
sea-sirens bearing a shield with the arms of England and Hainault. Also
of a robe of velvet worked with gold; and an outer garment wrought with
pelicans, images, and tabernacles of gold.
An ancient Persian carpet was ot silk and cloth of gold sixty cubits


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY. 113
square. It was intended to represent a garden, and the figures were of
gold embroidery, with the colors heightened by precious stones, the ruby,
the sapphire, the beryl, the topaz and the pearl being arranged with great
skill to represent, in beautiful mosaic trees, fruit and flowers, rivulets,
fountains, and shrubs of every description.
These specimens, however, are things of the past.
MODERN WORK
of this kind is generally used in large and bold designs, where much dis-
play and extreme brilliancy are desired.
In these days, instead of the pure metal, silver or copper wire, gilt is
used. Silver threads are covered either with the pure metal or with plated
copper. The Chinese very cunningly use slips of gilt paper which they
twist upon silk threads, and with which they manage to produce very beau-
tiful effects.
MATERIALS USED.
Cord, braid, thread, bullion, spangles, beads, passing, etc., are all used
in gold embroidery, and in embroidery with gold and silk.
Of these, "passing," as it is termed, is the finest material of the kind.
It is a smooth thread of an even size, and resembles a thin, metallic wire,
differing from gold cord u\ the closeness with which the flattened wire is
spirally twisted round the silk, and in being formed of only one thread.
It is used in the same way as silk, the stitch being generally the satin-
stitch; and the needle should be an ordinary needle with a large eye, and
coarse enough to prevent the fretting of the gold as it is passed backwards
and forwards through the work.
Beautiful embroidery is wrought by the Turks with "passing" on
morocco.
GOLD CORD.
This is a twist of two or more threads, which are wound around with the
flattened wires in a contrary direction to that of " passing "—two, three, or
four threads being used for needlework.
Cord is often employed for edging braid-work or flat embroidery, also
for working braiding patterns. It is also used with beautiful effect as a
ground for small ornamental articles. Fine silk of the same color is best
for sewing it on; and great care must be taken, in doing this, not to chip
the metal surface, or the silk will show beneath and give the work a broken
appearance. The needle should be held as horizontally as possible, and
passed between the interstices of the cord, slightly catching up a thread or
two of the material it is intended to ornament.
GOLD BRAID.
This is a kind of plaited lace, made of three or more threads. There
are various qualities and makes, suited to different purposes, and great
judgment is required in their selection. When it is to be used on velvet, a
round, full, close make should be chosen.
It may be bought of various widths, and as a general thing the less gold
there is about it the cheaper it is, and the more liable to tarnish. Mosaic,
or copper-gilt, is the least expensive, and also the least durable.
BULLION.
This is a very rich and effective material, being made of a fine wire so
exquisitely twisted that it forms a smooth, round, elastic tube, which may
be cut with scissors into the necessary lengths.


114 ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
There are three kinds of bullion: rough, smooth, and checked—all of
which are frequently used together in the same piece of work. When a
large letter, for instance, is to be embroidered in bullion, after it is traced,
the surface is raised with cotton, and the bullion cut into pieces of the
proper size ; theu three stitches might be made with the smooth, two with
the rough, and three with the smooth ; this would form a kind of pattern,
and add very much to the richness of the letter.
Short pieces of bullion can be introduced into patterns worked with gold
thread to great advantage—two or three of them in the cup of a flower, and
in various other ways. To fasten them ou properly, take the stitch (the
needle being threaded with gold-colored silk) lengthwise of the bullion,
through the twist—this causes it to lie flat ou the foundation.
Stars of every form may be made in this way ; they are extremely bril-
liant. The centres of flowers are often formed of bullion ; in that case,
however, the stitch does not pass through the twist its full length, but is
shorter—so that the middle of the bullion is depressed, and the extremities
elevated; or the stitch may be passed through both ends of the piece of
bullion, and being drawn rather tight, a slight prominence, or expansion,
will be given to the middle. Either method has a beautiful effect.
These are small pieces of silver or other metal, gilt or plated—cut into
various forms, though usually round—and with a hole in the centre through
which the silk is passed that fastens thein to the work.
It is not easy to secure them properly, and at the same time to conceal
the means by which it is done. The only way to accomplish it is to bring
the silk from the under side and pass it through the small hole in the centre
of the spangle; the needle is next to be passed through a very small piece
of bullion ; and then put back through the hole again. This does away with
the unsightly appearance of a thread across the spangle, and makes it
more secure.
Spangles were once extensively used in decorative work, to give it rich-
ness and glitter; but now they are chiefly used to ornament fringes and
tassels, and other Masonic paraphernalia. Their value depends on their
brilliancy and color, and the amount ot gold used in their gilding.
Spangled fans are very showy; and black satin or black tulle is a good
foundation for showing them to advantage.
GOLD THREAD.
This belongs more particularly, perhaps, to "the art of sewing in golde
and silke ;" and "a robe of Indian silk thickly wrought with flowers of
gold" was certainly a gorgeous object. Another robe was adorned with
roses of gold wrought with marvellous skill, and bordered with pearls and
precious stones of exceeding value.
Various materials are used as foundations for embroidery in gold
thread; crape, Indian muslin, or some kind of silk, being usually preferred
as giving the best effect, and displaying the rich device to the greatest ad-
vantage.
The thread used should be fine and even in texture; a little care in this
matter will make the work comparatively easy. Satin-stitch is the one gen-
erally used ; and if the material to be embroidered is transparent, the pat-
tern is laid under the foundation, and the outline traced in white thread.
In working a slender flower-stock, the running thread of white should


ARTISTIC EMBhOIDEKY. 115
be omitted ; gold thread should be run in, and then slightly sewed over with
another thread'of gold; this will give a spiral appearance, which is very
beautiful.
tn using silk with gold thread, it is best to use silk of one color—the var-
iety of colors tending to destroy the harmony of contrast. Green and gold
have always been close friends, and silk of a bright green mingled with the
gold thread has a very rich effect. Gray and gold, black and gold, and
many other combinations might be mentioned; but a green branch of sprigs
embroidered in silk, with flowers formed of gold thread and bullion, is as
pretty a one as can be made.
In working crests, however, or coat-of-arms, in which gold thread is
much used, the heraldic arrangement of metals and colors must be faith-
fully followed. In such cases, the silk must be of as many colors as in the
arms when properly emblazoned ; and great care must be taken in working
devices in imitation of arms, never to place a metal upon a metal, or a color
upon a color.
In some very rich Indian work lately seen, the ground was of gold thread
worked in spirals—the rich colors of embroidery silks laid on this made it
perfectly dazzling.
India muslins are sometimes worked with a gilt or plated sheet of very
thin metal cut into strips, or any shape wanted, with scissors. Tinsel is an
imitation of it, and it comes in various colors.
Gold beads and gold and silver fringes are more or less used. These all
vary greatly in size and quality, and are valuable according to the amount
of gold used in their manufacture.
Silver thread, cord, or braid, is more likely to tarnish than gold, and is
not so rich-looking. There is, besides, embroidery silk of a decidedly silver
white, which produces almost the effect of silver thread or cord.
CHAPTER VIII.
EMBROIDERED BOOKS AND OTHER ARTICLES.
*' And often did she look
On that which in her hand she bore,
In velvet bound and broidered o'er—
Her breviary book."—Marmion.
When books were regarded as precious treasures, and the purchase of a
single volume involved as much outlay as a rare painting, before the art of
printing became established, the caskets that held such valuable posses-
sions were deemed worthy of much labor and expense.
Bare old carved ivory, gold and silver plates, and precious stones, were
often used on book-covers ; and the most ancient existing specimen of this
gorgeous style of book-making is written in silver and gold letters on a pur-
ple ground. Bich and curious devices were often wrought with the needle
on the velvet, or brocade, which last became more exclusively the fashion-
able material for binding.
The new passion for books which was at its height in Queen Elizabeth's
day made the ornamentation of book-covers a favorite employment of the
high-born dames of England. A book of rhetoric of that time has been pre-
served as much for the sake of the outside as for its contents. The cover is
of crimson satin, on which is embroidered a coat-of-arms ; a lion rampant in
gold thread on a blue field, with a transverse badge in scarlet silk, the
minor ornaments all wrought in flue gold thread.


116 ARTISTIC -EMBROIDERY.
A MAROON-VELVET BOOK.
Another old book is bouud in rich maroon velvet, with the royal arms,
the garter and motto embroidered in bluo ; on a ground of crimson, the
fleur-de-lys, leopards, and letters of the motto are worked in gold thread.
A coronet, or crown of gold, is inwrought with pearls; at the corners are
roses in red silk and gold ; the cover is fiuished with a narrow border in
burnished gold thread.
a queen's needlework.
A book of prayers copied out by Queen Elizabeth before she ascended
the throne is covered with canvas wrought all over, in a kind of tent-stitch,
with rich crimson silk and silver thread intermixed. Elizabeth's own
needle worked the ornaments, consisting of the letters " H. K.," interwined
in the middle—a smaller " K " above and below—and roses in the corners—
all very much raised, and worked in blue silk and silver.
Petrarch's sonnets.
An edition of Petrarch's Sonnets, printed at Venice, in 1544, is still in
beautiful preservation. The back is of dark crimson silver; and on each
side is worked a large royal coat-of arms in silk and gold highly raised.
The book belonged to Edward VI.
ANOTHER ROYAL BOOK
has a cover of crimson silk with a Prince's feather, worked in gold thread
in the centre. The three feathers are bound together with large pearls and
wreathed with loaves and flowers. Bound the edge of the cover there is a
broader wreath; and corner-sprigs in gold thread are thickly interspersed
with spangles and gold leaves.
These elegant volumes,
"In velvet bound and broidered o'er,"
are to be seen in the British Museum; and although the day is past for
adorning book-covers in so showy a fashion, these articles may be more
modestly ornamented with very good effect.
Kid, or leather, makes a very suitable cover for a Bible or Prayer-Book.
Two shades of brown may be used for the border pattern in Figure 42—
the figures in the lighter shade to be worked around with gold thread,
either in chain-stitch or in stalk-stitch. Silk may be substituted for the
gold thread.
A ground of gray kid, with the figures in black edged with gold, would
be equally suitable. On one side of the cover, a small cross to match the
border—and on the other, the owner's monogram would make an appro-
priate finish for either book.
The rich design in Figure 43 is on a foundation of black velvet, to which
white faille is applied around the cross.
The figures of the design being outhned, the lines are run on the edges
with maize-colored silk—going back and forth, and ovorcasting them with
gold bullion. The passion-flowers, wheat, leaves, and ornaments of the
cross, are worked in satin-stitch with gold thread. For the stems and
Vines, gold cord is sewed on with gold-colored silk.
A BOOK OF ENGRAVINGS
would be very ornamental with an embroidered cover. Crimson or maroon-
colored velveteen, brown kid, or gray canvas, conld be handsomely worked


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
117
with silk and gold thread. Borderinga of catalogues and circulars might
be copied to advantage —some of these being very rich: black, with gold
bars and dots, pink, crim-
son, or blue.
Heraldic devices, rich
monograms, dainty cor-
ners, all look well in this
kind of work; and the bor-
dering of gold acorns, or
clover leaves, on the brown orolivo ground, is
always handsome.
SCRAP-BOOK COVERS
may be made as attrac-
tive as the contents, ac-
cording to the style of
the illustrations. Bnssia
duck is a very good foun-
dation; and if the con-
tents are of a comic ua-
ture, a Chinese or Jap-
anese figure, or dragon,
or either uncanny beast
or bird, may be outlined
and made very rich and
showy with embroidery
in the proper colors mix-
ed with gold thread or
braid.
Pongee, too, may be

Fio. 42.—Border for Cover of"
. iR-BOOK, ETO.


118
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
nicely embroidered ; and ie very pretty for thin books tied with a ribbon
at the back. In this way, the contents can be changed at pleasure.

Cover for Prayer-Book.
ALBUM COVERS
should be more delicate, and worked on velvet, or silk. Figure 44 makes B very pretty corner for this purpose; and Figure 45 is very effective on a
small book. The stars might be done in gold thread, the centre in point-


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
119
russe with black silk—the diamonds in satin-stitch of a lighter or darker
shade of the same color as the foundation.
Portfolios may be embroidered in the same way; and whether for writ-
ing materials or for engravings, they can be made very ornamental.
LETTER-CASE.
A very rich and handsome letter-case is represented in Figures 46 and
47: Figure 46 showing it when completed, and Figure 47 displaying the
principal part of the embroidery.
The most suitable ground for the rich gold em-
broidery is velvet-brown, crimson, or blue;
but it may be made very handsomely in kid or
morocco. The larger part of the case is eleven
inches long, and eight inches wide; on the up-
per part of this book, there is a pattern in
gold soutache, and the word Letters or Let-
tkes embroidered in gold bul.iou; beneath
this, there is a pattern worked with white
satin beads, edged round with fine white
chenille—the scroll pattern is embroidered
in gold.
1'he second part is placed over the lower
part of the first, and forms the pocket
which holds the letters. The central
flower is formed with eleven oval beads,
edged with white chenille; another
white bead is placed in the centre, and edged with gold. The other flowers
are also composed of white satin
beads edged with gold.

GOLD AND SILK EMBROIDERY.
This rich pattern is in-
tended for a cushion, or
chair-cover. It is par-
ticularly hand-
some on a
Fig. 44.—Corner op Bouder in Satin-Stitch Emrroider* for Alrum
Covers, Portfolios, etc.


120
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
ground of blue velvet, or satin; and the large flowers, leaves, and stems,
are all outlined with gold thread sewed on with tine yellow silk. The sta-
mens are worked in satin-stitch with yellow silk, and the veins in point-
ruase with blue silk.
The forget-me-nots are done in satin-stiteh with blue silk, and the cen-
tres in knotted-stitch with gold thread. The veins and stems are done in
stalk-stitch, and the apraya and
vines in point-russe with blue silk.
The work is finished on the
outer edge with a thick cord of
blue silk and gold thread.
Figure 49 is intended for a
cigar - case; but if widened it
would make a very pretty book
or portfolio cover.
The material should be light-
brown Russia leather; the wheat-
sheaf is embroidered in satin-
stitch with da»k-brown silk—the

Fig. 45.
stem and light outlines in stalk-stitch with gold thread. The bordering is
of gold cord, with a network of dark-brown silk, and stitched with black
at all the crossings and centres.
MONOGRAM IN GOLD THREAD.
This very pretty monogram is worked with gold thread; the leaves and
flowers may be done with silk if preferred.
CHAPTER IX.
APPLIED WORK WITH EMBROIDERY.
Applique, as it is usually called, is the most simple kind of decorative
needlework, being nothing more than B pattern cut out of one material and
transferred on another. It must, of course, like all fancy-work, be neatly
done, with no rough edges or mis-matching figures, and embroidery of soma


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY. 121
kind is need as a finish ; but the same amount of skill and practice is not
required as in other artistic work.
When properly done, it is very rich and effective; and it recommends it-

self by the charming results produced with comparatively little labor. The
materials may be of almost any kind; but it is necessary that the orna-
mental part should harmonize with the foundation. One would not think,
for instance, of applying velvet on cotton or linen—while on satin, it makes
the richest kind of applied work.


122
AUTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
Applique may be fine or coarse according to the purpose for which it is
intended; if flue, it is safer to put it in a frame before beginning the work.
If the groundwork is velvet, satin, or silk, hand should be stretched in a
frame, and the design drawn upon it and upon the velvet or other material;

they should then be pasted together, and cut out with a sharp pair of scis-
sors. Cloth and commoner materials do not require this "backing," as it
is called ; but may be cut after the pattern is traced, and pasted directly on
the groundwork.
The gum, or paste. used for this purpose should be as thick and dry as


AR'ilSXIO EMBhOinEKX.
!33
fittfcatOJfwKOfmtag through and staining the materis l r wd bo-
em. olotbcr velvet, it trill be veil to ilas the pieces down tvhcra


t24
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
they are to be fastened, and view them from various points to see that the
pile always goes I he same way—or to different shade of color will be the re-
sult.
When the
material is par-
ticularly deli-
cate, isinglass
is used instead
of paste; and
the piece ap-
plied should be
very carefully
smoothed be-
fore it is left to
dry—as a curv-
ed or cross-cut
piece is apt to
get out of its
proper curves
or to stretch too
much.
With a com-
plicated design
the pattern
should be
traced on the
material, and
the duplicate
parts numbered
that Uey may
fit perfectly to-
g e t h e r. One
way of fasten-
ing the edges
down is to but-
tonhole them
with a lighter
or darker shade
of silk than the
material ap-
plied. The
veins of leaves
are defined by
long stitches,
also of a light-
er or darker
shade.
In the com-
moner kinds of
Fig. 49, applique, cloth,
for instance, on
duck, or Turkish towelling, or on cloth of another color, basting will gen-
erally answer the purpose of keeping the pattern securely in its place.


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.125
Magnificent work is done in applique; curtains of gold-colored satin
with garnet velvet leaves—the edges defined with a white cord, in which the little blue was mingled ; cushious of Moorish arabesqueB, scarlet velvet on
white satin — the velvet edged with gold braid; mantel-lambrequins of
brown velvet figures on a groundwork of dead-gold ; these suggest endless
variations, which a little taste and some eye for color may make beautiful
in the extreme.
Ivy leaves are especially satisfactory in this kind of work ; and so is any
large, clearly-defined figure. The accompanying illustration will be found
useinl for a bordering. The leaves and flowers are made of crimson cloth
—the stems and veinings
of black embroidery silk.
This would be very ef-
fective on a gray ground;
but any color both of
cloth and silk may be
used. It would be par-
ticularly pretty for a bas-
ket or a table-cover.
A LAMBREQUIN IN AP-
PLIQUE.
Beautiful combinations
may be made with white,
scarlet, and blue cloth,
embroidered with black,
gold-colored, and ma-
roon silks, in feather-
stitch and point-russe—
which are the principal Fig. 50.
stitches used in this kind
of work. For small lambrequins, to decorate baskets and brackets, such
combinations are very effective; and the illustration shows a particularly
pretty one.
The upper part of the lambrequin is of white cloth cut in points, and
pinked in a small pointed pattern ; the under part, of which the points are
larger and pinked in scollops, is of garnet color. On the white points are
star-like flowers with buds of blue cloth; and on the claret-colored ones,
the same in pink cloth—ornamented with point-rnsse stitches of silk to
match. The middle of each flower is a round piece of yellow cloth fasten-
ed with point-russe stitches of red silk. The stems and sprays are done in
stalk, chain, and feather stitches of light green silk, The dark points have, near the pinking, a line of twisted button-hole
stitches in maize-colored silk—and the light points have a similar line of
red silk. Both are also ornamented with steel beads.
A handsome tobacco pouch may be made from the illustrations, which
represent the two patterns used—each side being duplicated.
Four such pieces are cut out of crimson or scarlet cloth, and worked in
applique. In the first one, the chain-stitch border (not the outer edge) is
worked with green silk. The knot from which the different articles are
suspended is done with black silk; the cigar-case is of yellow cloth; the
cigars are worked in satin-stiteh with brown silk. The case has two bands
of chain-stitch in blue milk, and is edged all round with button-hole stitch
in the same color. The pipes are of white cloth shaded with long stitches


126
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
of gray silk, and edged with yellow. The upper part of the pouch is of
blue cloth, with white silk edging and yellow dots; the under part of brown
cloth, with black edging and a pattern worked in chain-stitch with white;
the three tassels are embroidered with black and yellow silk.
In the second pattern, the outer border is yellow, the knots black; the
small pattern at the top is of blue cloth edged with yellow; the pipes
of white cloth edged with blue and shaded with gray. The bundle of cigars
is ol brown cloth shaded with black stitches, and fastened on with double
rows of chain-stitch in yellow silk. The cigar-case is of light green cloth, edged with white; the, Grecian pattern and dow are embroidered over it
with white silk also.
To make the pouch up, join the four pieces together by seams—which
are concealed by gold braid, cut out also and join four similar pieces of
kid for the lining; fasten this to the outside at the top only. Sew small
brass rings around the top, and run a double piece of crimson silk cord

Fig. 51.—Border in Applique.
through them. Put silk tassels of various colors at the bottom of the pouch
and at each of its four corners.
Apppopriate devices for needlebooks, work-baskets, toilet-boxes, etc.,
may be made from these suggestions; and there is no reason why the
small articles in daily use should not be as complete and artistic in their
way as more pretentions undertakings. Many who cannot attempt large
pieces of work will appreciate these small patterns.
Figure 55 gives a quarter of a very handsome lamp-mat in application
and embroidery.
The foundation is a square piece of olive-green cloth, on which is ap-
plied a rim of pale-blue cloth two inches wide. The edge is bordered with a
thread of dark-blue and light-brown zephyr worsted, which is overcast on
the foundation with fawn-colored silk floss.
Having transferred the outlines of the design to the rim and to the olive-
green cloth foundation, as shown in the illustration, work tho buds in the cen-
ter of the foundation with pale pink and light yellow bouretto worsted —
&nd the calyxes with reseda worsted, in two shades, in diagonal button hole stitch; the loops of which meet in the middle of each leaf, forming the 


128
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
shades. The calyxes are defined with satin-stitches of light yellow fill*
ing silk, which are edged with chain-stitches of dark yellow silk.
The nm is embroidered in point-russe with light-brown double zephyr

worked in the manner shown in the illustration. For the trimming
on the outer edge of the mat, overcast a thread of yellow-brown and a thread
of light yellow double zephyr worsted in double rows with dark and light


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
129
yellow silk floss od the foundation in scallops—fill the interval with knotted
stitches of pale pink worsted, and border the scallops alternately with a
short button-hole stitch of old gold-colored filling silk. Trim the pinked

Fig. 54.
edge of the foundation with tassels of worsted in the colors of the em-
broidery.
These pretty borders may also be used as strips for afghans and chair*
covers.


130
ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
For Figure 56, a strip of blue cloth an inch and a quarter wide is placed
on a foundation of ecru linen; and through the middle in run a white braid
with horizontal stitches of green, vertical stitches of yellow-brown, and
cross-stitches of pink worsted. The blue strip is bordered on both sides
with dark-green worsted braid, sewed on with a cross-stitch of light-green
worsted, which is wound with maroon worsted. Diagonal stitches of light

Fig. 55.—Design for Lamp Mats.—Application Emrroider?.
and dark red worsted, crossed with horizontal stitches of dark-blue worsted,
border the braid on the outside.
The border in Figure 57 is made also of ecru linen, on which claret-color-
ed braid three-quarters of an inch wide is basted. On the latter, dark-
green braid a quarter of an ineh wide is fastened with a cross seam of white
split filling silk, caught down with black. The crossed stitches on the
inner edge of the maroon braid are in blue and gold—the point-russe
stitches beyond in scarlet and black.
In the middle of the border, apply round pieces of white cloth with


ARTISTICEMBROIDERY. 131
point-russe stitches of green silk; and connect them with vertical stitches
of maroon, which are fastened on the foundation at the middle with cross
stitches of the same color.
KEY-BAG IN APPLIQUE AND EMBROIDERY.
Both sides of this handsome key-hag are given in Figures 58 and 59. It
is made of gray kid and lined with gray silk.
On one side is embroidered a key formed of poppies, with their leaves
and stems; and at the top of the key is perched an owl. The poppies
are worked with five shades of blue-green silk; the plumage of the owl
with four shades of brown silk—the shades all blending ulnii st impercep-
tibly together. The owl's eyes are worked in scarlet and white silk.
The other side of the bag has applique figures of steel-colored silk in the
form of a Gothic lock. They may be edged either with gold cord or with

Fig. 56.—Application Border. fine gray silk cord. The screens are done in satin-stitch with silver gray silk.
After lining each side, the two parts of the bag are joined with a border
of gray ribbon, continued around the whole as in the illustrations. It is
stitched on with fine gray silk. The bag is fastened with a steel button
and a silk loop.
Figures 60 and 61 are rich border patterns suitable for table-covers, mats
and brackets. The embroidery is in button-hole, point-russe stitches and
knots ; the veining of the leaves in Figure 60 in stalk-stitch and long em-
broidery stitch. The color can arranged to suit the taste of the worker.
SILK APPLIQUE WORK.
This is principally used for flowers and leaves ; and when care is taken
in shading, the effect is almost if not equal to embroidery.
The pansy is one of the easiest flowers to imitate in this way—the two
upper petals being made of purple silk, and the lower ones of violet, or
yellow; with the edges button-holed round, and if few long stitches put in
by way of veining.
Rose petals may be beautifully done by selecting silk of the prevailing


132 • ARTISTIC EMBR0II>ERY.
hue of the petal, and shading with fine embroidery or split filling silk.
Stalks and tendrils and leaf-veinings are worked with embroidery silk.
A cluster of sf pple-blosSoms is very pretty in this kind of work ; and may
be done on a ground of pale-blue, gray, or olive. Satin or velvet would
make & very handsome foundation. So delicate a piece of work should
be done with great care; and besides the edging in button-hole and the
long stitches in embroidery-silk, delicate shading is done with filling silk.
The main stems and tendrils are worked in stalk-stitch with green and
brown embroidery-silk; where the stems join flower or bud, and for other
little finishing touches, satin-stitch is used. The centres of the blos-
soms are of yellow silk in knot- stitch and common embroidery-stitch.
Silk is sometimes applied on face with good effect; and the finest speci-
men known of this work is the beautiful shawl made for the Empress Eu-
genie, and for some time past on exhibition at Stewart's. Seen through its

Fio. 57 Application Border.
glass-case, it is a marvel of coloring and truth to nature; the roses almost
perfume the air, and the graceful droop of the wistaria in the centre is per-
fect. This piece of art-needlework fully deserves its name, and is valued
at $100,000; but it is a question if all that weary labor with those minute
pieces of silk (so joined on the under side that the points of meeting can be
seen only through a magnifying-gUss), to say nothing of the cobweb-lace
foundation (also hand-made), could possibly be remunerated with money.
CRETONNE-WORK.
The subject of applique could not be exhausted without some reference
to this popular branch of it—which, when new, was considered the most
bewitching fancy work ever invented.
The most desirable flowers and figures for cretonne-work are to be found
in the fine, soft, French cretonne ; and the most tiresome part of the work
is that which has to be done first—the careful cutting out of these figures
with a sharp pair of scissors. They are then to be gummed, or fastened
with a few stitches done with fine cotton on the foundation. Much basting
is not d' slrable, as it pulls the material and frays the applied work.
Black satin is a very effective foundation for cretonne-work, as it throws


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY. 133
out all the bright and delicate colors; and farmers 'a-satin answers very nice-
ty Soit gray and blue silesia are often very satisfactory for this purpose'
and a work-basket, made
by the writer, of gray sile-
sia, with pink rosebuds
and leaves in cretonne-
work on each panel, and
lined with blue silesia,
quite exceeded her expec-
tations.
Workers differ about the
best methods of doing cre-
tonne application; some
suggesting for the edge a
loose button-hole of rather
fine silk, on the plea that
this prevents raggedness
and answers the purpose
of making the work sub-
servient to the application.
But the most approved
method is to treat the cre-
tonne merely as a design
and a guide to color-
covering the flowers and
leaves almost entirely with split floss and embroidery
silk. A thick outline in
satin stitch secures the
edges ; and the leaves be-
sides being veined are fre-
quently ornamented with
small French knots, or
short backstitches. Flower
centres are done in French
knots.
Chairs and mantels may
be handsomely ornament-
ed by a rich stripe of cre-
tonne-work in pink or red
roses on a black satin
ground; and table-cover
borderings may be made
in the same way, and at-
tached to the main body.
Sofa - cushions, foot - rests,
portfolios, and many other
tilings, may be decorated
in the same way.
The simpler kinds of ap-
plique - work have been
made very common by the
immense number of aui-
Fiu. 58


134
AUTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
mals, insects and figures, such as were never seen in earth, air, or sea, ex-
posed for sale in all the fancy shops, and offering easy inducements to ama-
teurs to fasten them in al-
most any way upon what-
ever material their fancy
might dictate. The Turk-
ish-towelling fever raged
throughout the length and
breadth of the land; and
although a little of this
work, when well done, is
very effective in a cottage
parlor, it has been carried
to such an excess, and
much of it so bunglingly
done, that there is a very
general pushing of it aside
for something newer.
Dragons and Chinamen,
the most popular figures
for this kind of work, were
never known to infest Tur-
key; and whatever else
we are in fancy-work, it is
desirable to be harmoni-
ous. Rich arabesques in
colored cloth of the true
Oriental hnes, edged with
black to give them greater
brilliancy on the pale brown
groundwork, would be far
more in character; and
the inevitable ruche of
scarlet braid should be
toned down to a more
quiet red, or whatever col-
or is most suitable as the
key-note.
We may be artistic even
with Turkish-towelling and
cloth application; but un-
less we are this, let us not
be ornamental.
CRAPE PICTURE APPLIQUE.
Among the newest ma-
terials for application-work
are those preposterous rep-
resentations on a ground
of crinkly material known
as Chinese pictures. These
are of various sizes, and
are found now in most of


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
135
the fancy stores ; and although they usually defy all the rules of reason
and of color, they are, nevertheless, highly ornamental.
One of these works of art is before us now, divided into four compart-
ments by bands of bright yellow, and tending generally to ornithology on

Border in Applique.
original principles. Two skies are pink, one green, and one yellow; sur-
rounded by the pink sliy, a small bird of the sparrow order, with notorious-
ly short legs and unwebbed feet, is walking at ease on some lead-colored
water, while a small forest of foliage springs apparently from his back ; un-

61.—Border in Applique.
der the yellow sky, a maize-colored bird on an inky bough opens his mouth
evidently at a mulberry a few feet below him. Nemesis is upon him, how-
ever- in the shape of a silkworm that is attempting to climb his back. The
best that can be said of the mulberries is that they are deeply, darkly, un.


136 ARTISTIC EM&kOIDERY.
mist&kably purple; and we know them for mulberries because they arepurple, and because the green leaf cannot be intended for anything else.
The other divisions are perfectly harmonious ; and as an art-study, this
"bit of color" would not be recommended. Skillfully applied, however, and
"touched up" with embroidery, it would be found very ornamental.
Many of these pictures have Chinese or Japanese figures on them; Bud the confused coloring is best brought out by B frame-work of black velvet
ribbon. Tuey make pretty tidies sewn on gray Java canvas, with a bor-
dering of black velvet from two to three inches wide embroidered in feather-
stitch—and beyond that an equal width of the canvas worked in a sort of
mosaic pattern in point-russe with floss-silk— then a fringe of the canvas,
with the different colored silks mixed in, about two inches deep.
Lace is often used as a trimming for these tidies, but it is very unsuita-
ble. Long embroidery stitches of silk, as in cretonne-work, improve these
pictures very much ; and many of them are so brightly colored in themselves,
that they are as decorative as Chinese fans. They may be used for a vari-
ety of purposes; and applied on black velveteen, make handsome hang-
ings for mantels.
LINEN APPLIQUE.
Handsome embroidery is sometimes done by working the design on linen,
and then applying it to richer materials. The embroidery, when finished,
is "backed" by paper before taking it from the frame, to give it firmness;
when quite dry, it is taken out and cut carefully round the figures with the sharp pair of scissors, leaving about a sixteenth of an inch as a margin. It
must then be laid on the material and tucked down, if the latter is loose—
if it is framed, the piece of embroidery should be fastened on it by small
pins thrust perpendicularly through it. It must then be carefully secured
by sewing it over in small stitches.
The linen edge is covered by a gold or silver cord, fastened down with
fine silk matching the cord in color. It is well to paint the back of the em-
broidery with paste, that the ends of silk may be secured.
A great deal of Eastern embroidery has the look of applied work—being
done in the long embroidery-stitch in regular lines from east to west, or
across the shape to be filled, instead of from north to south; no attempt
being made to follow the natural lines of the leaf or flower.
This style has a rich effect in purely conventional forms, but is not suit-
able for floral designs ; a line of black or gold around the figures is nearly
always used. We saw some Cretan work lately, that was several hundred
years old, done in this way with silk and a sort of flat gold thread on coarse
linen; and the effect was very gorgeous.
CHAPTER X.
EMBROIDERY IN CHENILLE.
At one time chenille was all the fashion. It's beautiful, velvety appear-
ance, and the soft brightness of its colors, made it very effective ; but it was
an expensive material, and would only bear the most delicate usage. *
Silk hand-screens were frequently embroidered with chenille; and in
some old-fashioned mansions, such an article of the shape of Figure 62 may
be found even now.
To do a "piece" in chenille was quite a necessary part of a young lady's
education; and these pieces were treated like Miss Linwood's paintings in


ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.
131
crewels. They usually represented landscapes; and handsomely formed,
and protected by a glass, were hung in a place of honor, as a sort of certifi-
cate that the worker was emitted to be pronounced finished.
A performance of this kind that is now cherished as an heirloom, the
work of somebody's great-grandmother, consumed a hundred dollars'
worth of chenille. It is a mourning-piece: a tomb and two weeping figures
in the foreground, the country
church, and graveyard. It is very
smooth, beautiful work, and has
the effect of a painting.
Chenille is still used in a meas-
ure for small, ornamental articles;
and no material represents moss so
well. It is suitable both for flat
and raised embroidery; and it may
be worked on a variety of materials;
but those with smooth surfaces are
best suited to its velvet-like appear-
ance.
A needle with a round eve is the
proper kind for embroidering with
chenille, and this should be large
enough not to fray the thread. As
it is an expensive material, it should
be used economically ; and all waste
at the back should be avoided by
bringing the needle close up to the
last stitch and not crossing it
on the under side. It is easy to
measure or guess the length of the
needleful required for working each particular part, and to cut it as
short as possible, to prevent the using of the same position again, and also
to draw a very small piece through the eye of the needle.
The necessity of making knots may be avoided by working B small
stitch or two in the part intended to be covered.
In shaded embroidery, the stitches should not be matted too eioaely to-
gether, as this destroys the velvety appearance of the chenille. It should
be more closely shaded than silk embroidery; at least six shades should
be used in flowers and leaves.
In flat embroidery, the stitches should be regular, but no closer than to
allow the chenille to lie roundly on the surface. It is always pretty edged
or mixed with gold.

Fio.
62 Hand-Screen in
Chenille.


TBE NVR8ERY. 139
full of it. Perhaps of all nations, the Jews had the strongest belief in it,
going so far as to teach that every illness was a direct punishment for some
sin committed in the past. They had recognized the close relationship be-
tween the physical and the moral, but it is not shown that they made prac-
tical use of their knowledge. Neither was the subject of pre-natal influence*
new to the ancients, as is shown by a study of the Scriptures. For this, as
for many other of our greatest helps to human progress, we are indebted to the ancients; but before their ideas can be made of practical value they
must be embraced and utilized by the added knowledge and the spirit of
progress and inquiry of the present age. A long step in the right direction
has been taken through the earnest study of the subject of heredity, and in
recent years of that of pre-natal influence, which, though closely connected
with the former, is to distinct subject.
One thing is certain: The child cannot inherit what his ancestors do not
possess; but whether by pre-natal influence he can be made superior to
them to any great degree still remains a question. That pre-natal influence
may modify or strengthen hereditary tendencies is no longer doubted, but
as the subject has, as yet, hardly advanced beyond the hypothetical stage,
practical knowledge of it must, of course, be rather limited. It is no longer
ignored by those who have a thoughtful interest in the welfare of coming
generations, and, though many of the ideas now advanced are suppositi-
tious, impracticable, and even ridiculous, yet they are the beginning of the
bridge that is to connect the unknown with the known, and give to man-
kind the most important key to human progress. If the bridge were not
begun it would surely never be finished; so let us be charitable towards
ideas that we feel sure are false ; study carefully those which wo are doubt-
ful of; observe thoughtfully, that we may learn ; and heed that which has
been proven true, remembering that each may add his mite. That it is a
necessary work none can doubt; it is surprising that it was not long ago
begun.
The training of mothers has, for some time, been a subject for earnest
thought, but it has been like beginning the building of the bridge too near
the water's edge, and much of the work was in vain. In the earliest stages
of infancy evils are discovered that the most sensible and well-trained
mothers are powerless to suppress. Many persons are obliged to suffer
through life from causes that science only guesses at, and which no amount
of intelligence seems competent to avoid, yet the time is coming when it
will be plain.
It is known that the girl who marries the man with bad habits is, in a
measure, responsible for the evil tendencies which those habits have cre-
ated in the children; and young people are constantly warned of the dan-
ger in marrying when they know that they come from families troubled
with chronic diseases or insanity. To be sure the warnings have had little
effect thus far in preventing such marriages, and it is doubtful whether
they will, unless the prophecy of an extremist writing for one of our peri-
odicals comes to pass—that the time is not far distant when such marriages
will be a crime punishable by law. That there is a tendency in the right
direction must be admitted, and is, perhaps, most clearly shown in some
of the articles on prison reform. Many of them strongly urge the necessity
of preventive work as the truest economy, and some go so far as to say that
if the present human knowledge of the laws of heredity were acted upon
for a generation, reformatory measures would be rendered almost unneces-
sary.


140 THE NURSERY.
The mother who has ruined her health by late hours, highly-spiced food
and general eareleasness in regard to hygienic laws, and the father who is
the slave of questionable habits, will be very sure to have children either
mentally or morally inferior to what they might otherwise have had a right
to expect. But the pre-natal influences may be such that evils arising from
such sources may be modified to a great degree.
I believe that pre-natal influence may do as much in the formation of
character as all the education that can come after, and that mothers may,
in a measure, " will" what that influence shall be, and that, as knowledge
on the subject increases, it will be more and more under their control. In
that, as in everything else, things that would be possible with one mother
would not he with another, and measures that would be successful with
one would produce opposite results from the other.
While discussing pre-natal influence, it will not be out of place to men-
tion a few instances, by way of illustration, taken from the note-book of
one who has given much thought to the subject.
The mother of a young man, who was hung not long ago, was heard to
say, " I tried to get rid of him before he was born, and oh, how I wish, now,
that I had succeeded!" She added that it was the only time she had at-
tempted anything of the sort, but because of home troubles she became
desperate, and resolved that her burdens should not be made greater.
Does it not seem probable that ihe murderous intent, even though of short
duration, was communicated to the mind of the child, and resulted in the
crime for which he was hung?
Another motner was noted for brilliancy of conversation during preg-
nancy. She was fond of telling anecdotes, and they were always worth
listening to, though not on account of accuracy. Even when repeating
stories that others knew of, truth was often sacrificed in order that the etory
might sound well. 'She is such good company" her friends snid, and the
difference in her talk was usually the first indication they had of her condi-
tion.
She has not one child who c:in tell the truth, and any story repeated as
having come from that family, is immediately received with doubt. One
child, a daughter, became painfully aware of her infirmity, and when she
reached the years of womanhood and found herself likely to become a
mother, her first thought was for her child, and she silently resolved that
she would try to live so <hat it might, not inherit her fault. Years after-
ward, she told a friend of her experience of those few months. It was when
talking of her boy, who was of a moody, unhappy disposition, unable to find
much pleasure with companions, and critical of the faults of others to a sur-
prising degree in one so young. The mother was keenly alive to his faults,
though proud of the fact that he had a strict regard for the truth.
"I feel that it is my fault," she said, "that Bertie is so peculiar, but I
erred through ignorance. I was so afraid of speaking an untruth that I re-
frained from saying anything at all unless it was absolutely necessary, and
so kept by myself as much as possible. When I had exaggerated in relating
an incident, I would become hopeless and despondent, and would some-
times cry for hours about it, and so kept myself in a state of constant appre-
hension and nervous excitement. I think I should not make such a mis-
take again."
That mother certainly added one more proof of the power of pre-natal
influence; and the world is full of such proofs. What we lack is the knowl-
edge that will enable us to make good use of them.


THE NURSERY. HI
I know another mother who was morbidly conscious of a fault, and
equally strong in the desire that hor unborn child might be free from it.
She kept the thought before her constantly and nearly became insane on the
subject, and now, though the child is less than three years of age, she shows
that she possesses that same fault in au exaggerated degree.
To me, these instances teach that the mother should not give so much
thought to the object in view that she can think of little else ; for either her
purpose will be defeated, or the object gained will be very likely to be coun-
terbalanced by some fault quite as grave.
A woman was teaching a very uuruly school during the first months of
pregnancy. It was a number of years ago, when corporal punishment was
considered more of a necessity than it is now, and teachers were often hired
because of their ability to administer it. She was not a harsh-tempered wo-
man, but she had exaggerated notions on the subject of discipline, and the
rod was used unsparingly. In a very early period of his existence her baby
showed indications of an ungovernable temper, which, when aroused, al-
ways prompti d him to strike. As he grew to manhood he was often in
trouble on account of it, and suffered the keenest sorrow when not angry f jr
the things he would do and say when he was. Before the age of thirty,
while in a rage, he struck a friend who died from the effects of the blow.
These instances could doubtless be multiplied by thousands, could faots
be obtained, more especially from mothers of criminals.
In the case just mentioned, the mother gave no thought to the influence
she might have expected. In those days pre-natal influence was seldom
considered except in reference to physical deformities, and then more in a
superstitious light than a philosophical one, and fright or unsatisfied long-
ing were the agents to be warned against. This mother's secoud child, also
a boy, was born three years later. She has since said that the three years
following the birth of her first child were the happiest years of her life.
She had few cares, and no more work than she could do easily; her sur-
roundings were pleasant, her acquaintances congenial, and her husband
was doing well in his business. Her second boy holds an honored position
in the State where he lives and is well worthy of the love and esteem which
he receives.
A woman rode side by side with her soldier husband, and witnessed the
drilling of troops for battle. The scene inspired her with a deep longing to
see a battle and share in the excitements of the conquerors. This was but a
few months before her boy was born, and his name was Napoleon.
I am aware that there are many persons who would consider such illus-
trations valueless, because there are great generals whose mothers did not
pass through any such experience; but one might answer that, had more
women drilled as Napoleon's mother did, we would have more great gen-
erals, and that argument would be quite as conclusive as theirs.
It is said that Dante's mother saw a vision of wonderful grandeur and
beauty which she could not look upon with calmness, but in the midst of it,
as if perfectly at home in all the magnificenee, stood a man whom she knew
to be her son. The vision in itself amounts to little, as many women know,
who, when pregnant, are subject to stranue fancies and hallucinations.
The lesson is here: It served to impress upon her the idea of the great-
ness of her unborn son, and so forcibly that, until he was born, she had the
thought constantly in mind. It caused her no uneasiness. She was so sure
of it that she was calm and happy, and without herself realizing it, every-
thing was looked at as nearly as possible in the light that she Imagined her


142 THE NURSERY.
gifted son would see it. Who can doubt that that was one of the greatest
factors in giving to the world a poet and scholar known throughout the
world? It in only one more of the many strong proofs that the magnetic power of the mother's mind controls, in a measure, the development of the
unborn child.
A work called " Heads and Faces" gives an illustration of the effect ol
the mother's mind on the unborn child, that is exceedingly interesting. In
speaking of Zerah Colburu, who was born at Cabot, W., in 1804 and died in
1840, and who, at the age of six years, manifested such powers of computa-
tion as to astonish the learned world, it says: "Questions in multiplication
of five places of figures, reduction, rule of three, compound fractions, and
obtaining factors of large numbers, were answered with accuracy and with
marvellous quickness. A few months before his birth, his mother, who
had never been taught arithmetic , had on her mind, for a day and the night,
a puzzling question as to how many yards of cloth a given amount of yarn
which she had would make. To a person understanding arithmetic this
would be a simple problem, but she had to do it by a mental process, with-
out rule, and this extraordinary effort on her part was organized in her
child and made him a genius in mental arithmetic, but not in mathematics.
An attempt was made to educate him in other branches of study, but he
never distinguished himself nor even came up to the common average."
These instances are not mentioned with the thought of trying to arouse
in the mother's mind a desire to try similar experiments ; but that she may
be brought to consider the subject of pre-natal influence seriously, and not
read the injunctions given concerning her habits while pregnant, as some-
thing which has very little practical value. At least they should be given the benefit of a doubt.
One mother, who was usually very irritable during the months of preg-
nancy, was told that her babies would not be so cross if she would compel
herself to be cheerful, and to look on the bright side of life. It was a new
idea to her. "I believe it is all nonsense," she said, "but it will do no
harm to try to control myself." She did try, and now assigns it as a reason
for the happy nature of her little girl.
Let these instances help to teach that the mind of the prospective mother
should dwell on subjects of a pleasant and elevating character; that she
must not only avoid going where she will be pained or shocked by loath-
some or pitiful sights, but should cultivate a tranquil and happy spirit, and
spend as little lime as possible worrying about the trial in store for her. It
cannot help but affect the child in a way not desirable when the mother
keeps herself in a state of continual fear and agitation. To think calmly of
the pains of childbirth is not easy, especially when the mother has had
one experience ; and there are so many who would be much happier if they
knew how greatly the suffering might be mitigated, that a few words on the
care that expectant mothers should take of themselves will not be amiss in
a chapter on pre-natal influence.
Many authorities agree in teaching that the child is nourished by the
food eaten by the mother, and that the pains of childbirth are much less-
ened if but little bone-making food has been eaten during pregnancy. A
child may be very fleshy, but if its bones are small, the mother suffers less
at its birth than is the case with babies having large frames. Therefore,
there are many kinds of food containing a great quantity of bone-making
material, which, though very wholesome under ordinary circumstances,
are not the best foods for the expectant mother to partake of. First among


THE XUUSERY. US
these we will mention the different preparations of corn-meal. Analysis
shows that about one-seventieth of it is bone-making food, while rice con-
tains only about a thousandth part, and all kinds of fruit still less. The
flesh of young animals is preferable to that of older ones in that respect;
but salt should be eaten sparingly, as it is nearly as bad as Indian corn;
and, as meat is not palatable without considerable salt, much of it should
not be eaten. All vegetables except potatoes, corn, and beans, may be
eaten freely. Some physicians recommend oatmeal and graham bread at
least once a day, that the bowels may be kept regular, but as both contain
B large per cent- of bone-making food, it is wiser to use fruit instead, which
answers the same purpose in most cases, and is, in every way, the best food
for the pregnant mother. Some may object to the advice given above on
the ground that such a course would be hurtful to the child. Of course
this dieting should not be carried to an extreme, nor is it likely to be in the
majority of cases, for appetite is too strong. There is little danger that
there will not be a sufficiency of calcareous matter contained in other kinds
of food, and especially in cereals, not mentioned above as being objection-
able on account of containing too much of it.
But dieting is not all-sufficient. Hygienic laws should be observed,
and the health should be carefully guarded, for healthy women suffer less
at childbirth than they who are sickly. It is very desirable that the mother
should have some useful occupation. They are really fortunate who have
domestic duties to attend to, though household tasks should not be allowed
to absorb too much of the time or attention. A part of every day should
be devoted to suitable out-of-door recreation. The clothing should be
loose, of uniform thickness, and suspended from the shoulders. It is bet-
ter to keep early hours, thus avoiding artificial light; and no wise woman
will be seen, at such a time, in crowded, over-heated rooms, or in places
where she will be likely to become excited. Regularity in eating, drinking
and bathing ought to be practiced, not only for the benefit it will be to the
mother, but also for the good effect it will be likely to have on the child.
Above all, cheerfulness, mental composure and self-control in all things
must be aimed at, and the mother should keep constantly before her mind
the thought that she cannot now consult her own inclinations in everything,
but must do what seems best for the helpless little one site is to bring into
the world. Such directions as are given above are not hard to follow;
after a few days one gets quite in the habit of obeying them, when they be-
come no trouble at all, while the gain is surely worth striving for.
CHAPTER H.
rary's waedrore.
When fashioning the garments for the little stranger, the mother must
remember that they ought not to be a hindrance to his activity and devel-
opment. His comfort and protection must also be taken into considera-
tion, and finally his adornment. With too many mothers the adornment is
the first and all-important thought, and the helpless little victim is doomed
to complain for months, in a language not easily understood, about the
constant annoyance to which he must submit without knowing why. Such
a condition of things would ruin the temper of the most philosophical
adult. It is wonderful how much misery many babies are made to bear by
really tender-hearted mothers! It is only a few years since the little


144 THE NURSERY.
dresses were out low in the neck and with short sleeves; even yet we ma;
occasionally see a little martyr dressed in that way. Its dress will be likely
to measure fully a yard and a half from neck to hem, and to he so weighted
down with tucks and ruffles and heavy embroideries that it is a wonder
that the baby's ankles are not deformed from the constant pressure on its
toes, and a still greater wonder that it retains any of its natural activity,
which was made manilest months before its birth.
I have seen mothers who, noting their baby's struggle for exercise,
would uncovor the liitle feet for a time that it might kick and stretch, but
who would not receive the slightest impression from the lesson so plainly
taught. Such stupidity is inexcusable. If the mother could only imagine
herself dressed in long, clumsy robes of nearly one-fourth her own weight,
which were so burdensome that it would be difficult to tell whether it was
worse to lie in one position until every muscle ached, or to try to move,
what a blessing it would he to her helpless baby! It makes one tired just
to think of it, and an active woman would be driven wild in a little while if
forced to wear garments so confining. We ask, in the name of the babies,
that the mothers do not impose greater burdens on them than they them-
selves would be willing to bear.
I knew one mother who had very decided opinions on the subject of
corset-wearing, and who was earnest in her efforts to persuade her acquaint-
ances to give up the practice. She told how she had suffered from the
wearing of corsets, and how greatly her health had improved and her com-
fort increased since she laid them aside. One day, when she was waxing
unusually eloquent on the subject, I picked up her baby who was fretting
in its cradle. It was like taking a little round stick of wood into my arms!
I sat her up in my lap, and she was as stiff and unyielding as a new, well-
stuffed doll. I put my watch in her lap, and when she tried to bend for-
ward to get it, she actually gasped for breath.
"Baby is so warm," I said, " that I am going to loosen her clothes for a
moment."
I did so, and this is actually the way that poor little martyr was dressed:
First came a shirt which was gathered into a roll around the body clos6
under the arms. A cotton band reached from t'10 arm-pits nearly to tho
hips. When first put on, it came a little below the hips, but the child could
not remain entirely immovable, and the band had formed into wrinkles
around the waist, and was turned up in a little hem around the bottom.
It was long enough to roach once and a half around the body, and was so
pinned that one end lay along the spinal column where it would serve as
an irritant whenever the child was laid on its back. The thick roll, which
was turned up around the bottom where the band lapped, must have been
particularly comforting! The band was pinned so tightly that it was with
difficulty that one finger was inserted under it, in order to take out the pins,
without scratching the baby. The little body was covered with deep, dark
red lines Dressed into the tender flesh by the firm band, which was made
of a straight piece of strong muslin. Had it been cut bias it would not
have been so cruel.
The mother and her guest laughed when they saw the very evident
satisfaction of the little one when released, and while I was rubbing the
poor, abused litlle back ; but I could not imagine why they should. I felt
more like crying, for it told so plainly of the suffering endured
As if that were not enough torture, there were four diapers pinned on
the child, three of them doubled, so that the little limbs were forced so far


THE NVRSEBY. 1U
apart by tbe many folds of cloth, that it is a wonder that the hips were not
thrown out ol joint. The mother had taken great care that the baby's line
dress and her own should not get wet, but she had arranged matters so
that she could not always know when the inside diapers were wet, and the
baby's body showed that it had often gone too lung without uttention. Next
to the diapers came a pinning blanket made of white flannel, aud gathered
into a band that was fastened around baby's waist in such a way that the
heavy seam where the band and skirt were joined came exactly across the
navel. It, also, was pinned tightly. "It had to be," the mother said when
I remonstrated somewhat indignantly, " to keep it from slipping down.'1
Next came a long flannel skirt, finished with heavy embroidery, and
sewed to a broad band, and over that a white skirt also heavily trimmed aud
sewed to a baud on which were narrow straps that extended over the
shoulders. These straps were trimmed with embroidery, aud when they
were nicely starched and ironed they looked lovely ; but think how the
starched points must have annoyed the baby! Over all, was a beautiful
dress, tucked and ruffled and trimmed with lace. It measured forty inches
from the neck to the hem, and both skirts were equally as long. Now,
think of it! The baby's hips were covered by fourteou thicknesses of cloth,
its feet and limbs by four thicknesses, its stomach and back by eight, its
shoulders, arms, and the upper part of the chest by one, besides a blanket
that was sometimes on and sometimes off, according to the pleasure of tho
person holding the baby, not the little one's comfort. The bands were all
pinned as nearly in the same place as possible, and so many lappings over
the spinal column must have produced a feeling not unlike that which an
adult would experience if trying to sleep on a broomstick!
Fashion for once became merciful when sho decreed that the child's
chest and arms should be covered. Of late she has again ventured a re-
form, and there is a tendency towards less embroidery and fewer tucks.
If she could be persuaded to take another step and favor dresses measuring
not over twenty-seven inches from neck to hi m, how much more convenient
it would be to handle the baby, and what a relief to the tired little feet!
It is quite a task to dress a baby according to tho old-fashioned method
described above, and is usually a severe tax to the child's temper and the
mother's patience; but, after having tried the simple fashion here recom-
mended, a wise woman will never go back to that tedious process.
A sensibly dressed baby will have no shirt on. The best of them do
not stay in place, and it is impossible for a child to be comfortable with one
on.
The most important item of baby's wardrobe is the garment that is to
take the place of the shirt. It is a sleeveless waist cut low in the neck, and
fastened in front with small, flat buttons, and having larger buttons on the
bottom of it at the back and front. To these buttons is to be fastened the
outer diaper until the child is old enough to wear drawers, when more but-
tons are to be added. The waist is to be made of firm, soft flannel, and
worn in summer and winter. There are some skins so sensitive that the
softest all-wool flannel irritates them, and when such is the case the waists
should be lined with the best pieces of partly worn gauze underwear, or
made of silk and wool flannel, which cannot possibly irritate the tenderest
skin. It is quite expensive, but that is a consideration which should not be
taken into account when the baby's comfort is concerned. To do so is a
penny-wise and pound-foolish system of planning which never fails to bring
its own punishment.


146 THE NUliSEBY.
Finish the little waists around neck and sleeves with a button hole edge
in wash silk. An edge can be crochetted to look very much like the button
hole stitch, and is much more quickly done. The waist should come down
well over the hips, and tit easily. Very little fitting is required for the first
waists, but as baby grows his clothes must be made to fit. A belt of silesia,
stitched ou the outside at the waist line, holds the buttons firmly without
tearing the flannel, and, as the diaper or drawers are buttoned over the
lower part of the waist, there is no pulling apart of the two garments, leav-
ing part of the baby uncovered.
The outer diaper is a trinmph of my own invention. It is to be made
three-cornered with a button hole in the middle of the back, and auother in
the corner that comes between the legs. It is to be put on with the corners
that come around the waist under the other one, and tucked smoothly be-
tween the limbs to absorb moisture, and prevent the untidy, flapping look
that is often seen. The safety-pin is put in below the button hole, and then
the diaper is buttoned to the waist at the front and back. Thus the waist is
kept down, and the diaper is held in place, and the baby is made perfectly
comfortable. The diapers should be made of canton fi innel, with some of
soft old linen for use during the first weeks of baby's life, and a number
made from worn shects that are almost as soft as the linen, and more easily
procured. They are nice for inside diapers, and are not hard to wash.
Only two should be put on the child at a time—the inner one being folded.
Uutil the baby is three months old, pinning blaukets will be needed, or
foot blankets as they are also called. They should be made of a light gray
fl tunel that will stand being washed often. The most satisfactory one I
ever saw was, like the outer diaper, made after a pattern not yet patented,
and which has never "had its picture taken," so it cannot be easily de-
scribed. To get an idea of it, take a piece of paper that is about twice as
long as it is wide, and put your lead-pencil through the center of it, measur-
ing from side to side, but considerably nearer one end than the other. If
it were out down the front, or shorter end, and a round piece cut out to fit
the pencil, it could be put on without trouble. When made of flannel in-
stead of paper, and fitted to a baby instead of a pencil, it will be seen that
its advantages over the old-fashioned pinning blanket are many. To begin
with, it requires no band, and so there is no ugly seam around the child's
abdomen, and no unnecessary band around its waist. Then it can be easily
and quickly folded bick so as to form a protection for the dress, and so
smooth that the folds will not be annoying. There is no extra fullness at
the sides to tuck in where it is not wauted, and the back is enough longer
than the front to bring over and pin, as a protection to the feet. If wide
flannel is used, no seams will be necessary. It can be plainly finished with
a binding, and is to be fastened in front with one siifety-pin.
Pinning blankets may be made in another way that will not cut into the
flannel so badly, which is quite an item to some mothers, in view of the fact
that the garment is worn for so short a time. A perfectly straight piece of
flannel is laid in a deep box-pleat at one end, the pleats being stitched down
for two or three inches to form a sort of band. The box-pleat must be large
enough to reach clear across the baby's back, or it will be uncomfortable.
Tapes are fastened an inch or two from the edge, that the garment may
meet in front when tied; a plain hem across the bottom completes it. It is
'very easily and simply made, and is preferable in every way to those which
are gathered into the belt ; but is not so good as the one before mentioned.
Next comes the flannel skirt. This should be a modified princess garment,


THE NURSERY. 14T
cut high in the neck and with long sleeves. It is sometimes made in a
"Mother Hubbard" style, but they are clumsy in flannel and are too loose
for warmth. Many mothers object to having any of the baby clothes but-
toned in front, principally because they do not look so "cunning." If they
are sensible, however, they will make at least two of the skirts in that way,
for baby's first wear, and, when they come to dress the limp little thing
they will see the wisdom of it. It is also a good plan to cut the skirt from
the waist part, just below the waist line, bind the edges of both pieces, fur-
nish the waist with small flat buttons and the skirt with button holes, and
button them together. Then, when the skirt becomes soiled it can be re-
moved and replaced by another, without completely undressing the child.
It is better, however, not to cut the skirt until the child is too old to wear
pinning blankets, as it will not be necessary until then, and the extra seams
add to the little one's discomfort.
If embroidery is used on the skirts the simplest patterns should be
chosen. To me, however, trimmed clothing on a young baby looks ridicu-
lous. A cotton skirt is unnecessary, except on dress occasions, and there
should be none of those until the baby is three months old at least.
The little slip comes next. This may be made in either a princess or
Mother Hubbard style. If the latter is selected, the yoke should never
come beneath the arms, as it is apt to fit too closely, and is not very com-
fortable however loose it may be.
For the first three months the child should wear no dress at all. Instead,
provide loo3e wrappers of cambric made plainly and buttoned in front. Be
sure that they are quite wide across the back, so that the arms can be easily
put into the sleeves.
Dress the baby every morning, putting on a fresh wrapper, allowing
him to sleep in it at night, thus avoiding a change of dress when he is tired
with a long day's handling.
A woman having a very small amount of ingenuity can cut all the little
garments, even to a cloak, with but one good princess pattern to serve as a
guide in size, and as to neck and arm holes.
By the time baby is three or four months old, he will have outgrown the
wrappers, and will be strong enough to be undressed at night. Then he
will need flannel nightgowns for night wear, and slips tor the day time.
The flannel nightgowns should be worn summer and winter. Make them very large around the neck and arm holes, and bind the neck and wrists
with soft silk. Be sure that the sleeves are large enough to be perfectly
comfortable. When the child gets large enough to kick off the bed clothing,
fasten his nightgown so that he cannot become completely uncovered or
put him into night drawers and stockings combined.
The seams"of all the flannel garments should be sewed by hand, and
with silk, then opened and caught down with the silk so as to be as flat as
possible, and silk or soft cotton should be used for the neck binding.
A flannel dressing gown is a garment indispensable to baby's comfort.
It is to be slipped on over his nightdress when he is taken up in the morn-
ing before mamma wishes to bathe and dress him, and is best made of
dress flannel that will wash nicely and not soil too easily. For summer wear
the dressing gown may be made of sateen, when the baby wears flannels
nightdresses, and is often made double—the lining contrasting prettily
with the outside. Colors should always be chosen that do no not fade
easily. Baby's nightdress is usually damp in the morning, and the dressing 


148 THE NURSERY.
gown serves the double purpose of preventing him from taking a chill, and
making him less unpleasant to hold.
It is very pretty made in the Mother Hubbard style, long enough to tuck
up around the little feet, and fastened at the yoke with three buttons, and
around the waist with a cord and tassels, loosely tied.
Now, with the bathing blanket, shoulder blankets, and bed comforts or
pads, the layette is complete. Layette signifies baby linen; but the word is
now used by those who advocate dress reform for bat.ies, to designate that
part of the baby's wardrobe which is made before his arrival, and intended
for wear during the first months of his life.
The bathing blanket is simply a large piece of soft flannel in which baby
is to be wrapped as soon as he is taken from the bath, to insure against his
becoming chilled. It should be at least four feet square, and is better to be
iiix feet, for it will be needed until the child is in his third year, and it must
be so large that it will not fall away and leave the little wet body exposed
to the cold air, when a part of it is removed in order to use the drying
towel. If two widths of the material are used, sew the seam "over hand"
And loosely, so as not to leave an ugly ridge to annoy the bare skin.
Regarding the shoulder blankets—it is customary to make them of the very
nice piece of white flannel, or of white cashmere, and to trim them elabor-
ately. I have seem them 10 richly embroidered that only a small square of
lie plain goods was visible in the center. Now I wish I could impress on
mothers' mimls the foolishness of wasting time and strength and money in
such work! It is worse than thrown away. To begin with, the blanket is
QOt necessary except during the first two months, and then it is an article of
use, not of ornament, serving as a means of handling the tiny creature with
greater ease and safety, and to protect the head and back of the neck from
draughts. When baby becomes large enough to rebel against such confine-
ments, and the blanket is off quite as often as it is on him, it does more
harm than good, as he is apt to be covered when the room is too warm for
comfort, and uncovered when some thoughtless person has left the door
open. When such a state of affairs exists the blanket should be laid aside,
and used only when, in carrying the baby from one room to another, he
must go through a hall or room of a temperature very different from that to
which he has been accustomed. A mother who has had experience knows
how very soon a blanket used in that way becomes soiled, and how badly it
looks, especially if it be one of the embroidered affairs over which young
women delight in ruining their eyesight. Certainly, during the first few
R weeks of baby's life, when he should not be seen except by relatives and the
most intimate friends, an elaborate blanket is neither necessary nor desir-
able. As a rule it is laid in the bureau drawer to be shown to admiring
visitors, and the baby is wrapped in any piece of flannel that happens to be
handy, and which can be easily washed—quite an item in its favor, as it is
to often soiled.
Be reasonable ! young mothers, do be reasonable! Use your eyes in
reading some favorite author, or in admiring the beauties of nature,—you
can take a great many morning walks during the time that would be spent
in making that handsome blanket. Provide some plain squares of white
merino if you can get it, or of nice white flannel, and bind them with silk
that will wash. There is a salmon colored silk that washes well, and is
very delicate and pretty. Have three of the blankets, so that they may be
washed often, for a baby wearing a sour-smelling blanket is not nice to
• handle. It will not be an extravagance, for when the blankets are no long


THE NURSERY. 14!
er useful as such, they can be used to good advantage in making other
clothing for baby. Moreover, counting time and everything, the first cost
of the three will be no greater than for the one elaborate blanket, and von
will have the satisfaction of knowing that baby is not made uncomfortable
by the lumpy leaves and flowers and stars of embroidery. Now here is an-
other little item of advice that I do not expect will be followed except by
the most sensible of mothers. If your servant does not thoroughly under-
stand how to wash white flannel without causing it to become stiff, and
shrunken and yellow, and you cannot teach her, then be wise and select
your blankets from softly tinted goods. They are really very pretty, and
have been admired even by the ladies who think that babies should always
be dressed -in white.
In washing baby's flannels never use soap of any kind ; they should nol
be allowed to become so soiled as to make it necessary to do so. Never let them lie around after having been removed ; as they are not to be washed
with other clothes, they need not wait until the regular wash day, and it is
a good plan to wash them at once ; but if that plan cannot be carried out,
be sure to put them where they will be exposed to the air, and will not
gather dirt. Use water just lukewarm, having the washing and rinsing
water of the same temperature. Shake the flannel well before parting it in
water, and have enough dissolved borax in the first water to make it feel
very soft, also putting a little in the rinsing water. Bluing may or may not
be added according to preference. However, if the flannel inclines to the
creamy tint, it is made of a dirty, greenish hue by being dipped in bluing
water. Remember that the more quickly the washing, rinsing and drying
is done, the more satisfactory will be the result.
These last suggestions, while not exactly pertinent to the making or baby clothes, yet may prove helpful to the mother who wishes to dress her
little one all in white.
The best pad is a necessity that is provided in very few layettes. It
should be made ot a square of unbleached muslin, thickly padded with cot-
ton batting, and securely tacked. It is to lay under the baby at night to
protect the bedding, and should be so thick as to absorb all moisture. That
renders unnecessary the putting on of so many diapers, that are as un-
healthful as they must be uncomfortable. Let us now have a little resume
of the subject of the layette in such form that it will be of use to the little
woman who is inexperienced, far from mother, and as afraid to ask the
advice of friends as she is nervous for fear that everything will not be ex-
actly right.
People are becoming more sens ble now in the matter of the layette as
in that of the trousseau, and ridiculous extravagance is no longer aimed
at. All that is desirable is sufficient clothing to keep the baby sweet and
clean without too much work, and by getting along with fewer garments
during the first weeks of his existence, a more complete wardrobe can be
had when he begins to appear in company. This will be found to be a very
economical and satisfactory plan, and we will assume that the little layette
is to be provided with that obj et in view.
There should be three waists; one dozen outside diapers; one dozen
inside diapers of canton flannel, and a dozen each made of soft old table
linen, and of worn sheette; three pinning blankets; four flannel skirts;
seven wrappers; one dressing gown (when soiled it can be washed and
dried during the day); time shoulder blankets; one bathing blanket, and
six bed pads. A number of those will be necessary because they require


150 THE NURSERY.
so long a time in which to become thoroughly dry after having been
washed; and they should never be hung up and dried after using, until
they are washed. Such a practice is not cleanly, to say the least.
There should be provided several soft little comforts of cheese-cloth
padded with a layer of the best cotlon batting, then tied with pink or blue
or scarlet wool, and made pretty with a crochetted edge of the same. These
little comforts are handy to use in many ways, besides being light, inex-
pensive, and easily made. They are needed to throw over baby when he
sleeps, or to protect the dress of a visitor who wishes to hold him, or to
wrap around him when he insists on being taken out of bed before the
room has become sufficiently warm.
A toilet basket is almost as necessary a part of the layette as the baby's
clothes, as it saves many steps, and hastens the process of dressing, which
most babies object to so decidedly. To make it, procure a large, shallow
basket, and cover it with pretty paper muslin. Sew it to the sides of the
basket around the lop. Cut a piece of pasteboard to fit exactly into the
bottom of the basket; cover that also with the paper cambric, and press it
into place. It should fit so closely as to hold the cambric covering the
sides of the basket firmly down without its being sewed to the bottom.
Over all put dotted Swiss muslin in pleats, or shirred, or plain, as pre-
ferred. Turn the outside piece so as to form a hem at the bottom, then
gather it into a ruffle, having just deep enough to touch the table. Put the
muslin on the sides of the basket before putting the bottom piece in place.
Edge the top and bottom of the basket with narrow lace, or if preferred, a
narrow ruche of ribbon to match the paper cambric. In one corner of the
basket put a pocket of oiled silk for the sponge. Around the top of the
pocket sew a piece of bonnet wire to hold it open. In the center of each
side have pockets of Swiss muslin, drawn in and tied with narrow ribbons.
They will be found very useful, and are highly ornamental. In either end
have a small square cushion edged with lace and fastened on with a bow.
The cushions should be stuffed with curled hair, or some equally light sub-
stance, that the basket may not be too heavy. Furnish the basket with
a soft hair-brush, safety pins, a powder puff, and a nice little soap dish
with a tightly-fitting cover—for no one else must be allowed to use the
baby's soap.
Quite pretty toilet baskets are made of the long, narrow baskets that
peaches or grapes come in; they are covered in the same way.
Not until the layette is made and laid away, and the first clothes that
baby is to wear made into a bundle by themselves, and put where they can
be found at a moment's notice, should attention be given to the garments
that will be worn later on. Indeed, it is not necessary that they should be
begun at all until the little stranger has become a recognized member of
the household, nor is it wise unless the mother is in need of some such oc-
cupation to keep her from becoming nervous.
No little dresses or slips were mentioned in enumerating the articles for
the layette, but it is understood that the mother is going to dress her baby
in the nice, plain, neat little wrappers day and night; these must be pro-
vided fur the second quarter of baby's first year, and there will be a great
difference of opinion regarding the fashion of making them. It really
should depend a great deal on the baby, and that is one reason why it is
wiser not to make them until you know what manner of baby he is. There
are some babies so strong and active that they are better off and more


THE NVUSURY. 151
easily cared for if put into short clothes at three mouths of age—that is,
providing the weather is warm, or the house is of even temperature.
As baby grows older imd is handled more by the other members of the
family, and especially when he becomes old enough to be on the floor, he
will require a more frequent change of clothing. It is wise to make the
little garments so large that they will not be outgrown long before they are
worn out. If long slips are to replace the first little wrappers, they should
be so made that they will only need a tuck or two to change them into
short dresses later on. Cambric, nainsook, linen lawn and mull are all
used for slips; the first two for every-day wear, and the linen lawn and
mull for best. They may be finished with tucks, a plain hem, lace, or a
ruffle of fine embroidery, according to fancy. There should be no stiff
ruffles or embroideries around the neck, and heavy trimmings anywhere
on the little garments are no longer considered in good taste, and are used
mostly by the vulgar. It gives me great satisfaction to write that, for it is
such good news for the babies! But mothers must fuss a little over the
cunning wardrobe, as Dame Fawhion decrees that every garment shall be
made by hand; no ugly machine-stitched seams are to be allowed ; in-
stead, the daintiest stitches, set by loving fingers, and as much unneces-
sary needlework besides, in the way of ornamentation, as the mother
wishes to do, but nothing heavy.
A very convenient garment is made of soft flannel, and cut after the
princess pattern. The seams may be piped with some pretty oontrasting
color, and the bottom may be finished with deep scallops, worked with
wash silk to match the pipings, and in each scallop a clover leaf, or other
simple design. This garment is high in the neck and has long sleeves. It
may be worn as a skirt, but is designed expressly for wear on hot summer
days with no other clothing but the waist and diaper. I have described
one such garment that was worn by a happy little baby of my acquaintance.
It was made of a delicate shade of gray, and the pipings and embroidery
were of red. She had another made of pale blue flannel with dark blue
trimmings. She looked very pretty in both, and must have been comfort-
able.
The cloak is most often made of cashmere, and may be tinted or white,
as preferred. Some of them are very elaborate, and are handsome when
new ; but after a little wear they become soiled, and then look quite as
shabby as any other soiled finery, and much more so than plainer cloaks
would. Line the cloak so that it will be comfortable; dispense with ex-
pensive trimming, and spend the money thus saved on goods that will be
worth making over into something else when the cloak is outgrown. I saw
a very handsome cloak recently, made of heavy, all-wool dress goods cost-
ing a dollar and a half a yard. The color was a pearl gray. It was cut
after a sacque pattern, and had a long cape gathered on a yoke and finished
with a plain round collar. The cape and collar were lined with rose-pink
silk, and the cloak wan finished with bows of pink and pearl gray ribbon.
The hood of swan's-down was also trimmed with bows of pink and gray.
Ik is well to make such clothing by hand, not simply because it happens
to be fashionable to do so, but because the seams are more easily ripped
apart when baby wants larger clothes: and, because they soon have to be
made larger, the seams should be taken deep, especially the under-arm
seams.
Stockings will be needed as soon as the pinning blanket is discarded;
before that they are only one more trial for the little martyr to get used to.


152 THE NURSERY.
Babies should wear woolen stockings until they are three years of age.
Those knitted athmne of fine Saxony wool are the prettiest, warmest, and
most economical in the long run. Knitted or crocheted boots should be
worn with them at first, and afterward, moccasins made of chamois are
very comfortable, convenient, and easily procured. A child should not be
compelled to wear leather shoes with stiff soles until he is at least a year
and to half old.
There is not much change in the style of baby's dress until after the
third year. The diaper should be discarded as soon as possible, and draw-
ers substituted. The same style of waist as that described for the first
wardrobe will do nicely until the child is too old to wear waists, but but-
tons must be added to fasten the drawers in front, behind, and at the
sides. The elastics that support the stockings may also be f stoned to the
waist at first, but shoulder-brace stocking-supporters are best for children
over five years of age.
Small, flat buttons should be used wherever possible until the child is
four or five years old, as children are liable to be hurt when falling heavily
on the large pointed or rounded ones.
Make the little one's clothing the study; it is really a fascinating one. A
child can be dressed prettily and'yet sensibly. The clothing ought all to
hang from the shoulders ; it should be loose and fit easily—all parts of the
body being equally well protected, and in accordance with the weather.
These suggestions carefully observed and acted upon will bring gratifying
results in the way of good health, and an even ami serene temper.
CHAPTER III.
rary's arrival.
The time has arrived when the baby is to put in an appearance, and
there is much excitement and nervousness. There is no need to write
directions for the mother's use. at this time; there will be those present
who will see to that. But the little one—how shall it be cared for? If
some of the receptions that have been given to babies, and by nurses who
possess at least an average amount of intelligence, were to be described
here exactly as they were conducted, the writer would be in danger of be-
ing accused of exaggeration—so heartless and devoid of common-sense
would they appear.
A competent nurse should be engaged, so that, in case the doctor does
not arrive in time, the necessary work can be performed by skilled fingers.
Baby should have one friend present in his behalf before the cord is cut
that ushers him into an independent existence. At that time most atten-
tion is apt to be paid to the mother, and the baby suffers in consequence.
Some practitioners advance the theory that many people suffer through life
from a hearMrouble caused by cutting the umbilical cord before it has
ceased pulsating; and their arguments in favor of that theory certainly
sound plausible. Be sure the pulsations have ceased, then cut and tie the
cord immediately. Bi fore it is time to perform that task, however, exami-
nation must be made to see that the child's mouth is not filled with mucous,
which often prevents breathing. No one should be entrusted with the care
of the baby immediately after its birth who cannot perform the service re-
quired intelligently. As soon as the cord is tied, baby should be carefully
lifted in a towel, to prevent its slipping from the nurse's Krasp, and carried
into another room where the temperature is as high as can be comfortably


THE SUliSERY. 153
endured. No adult would enjoy being carried, in an undress condition,
from a room where he had been confined for some time to one at least
twenty degrees colder I Yet that ia what the new-born baby is obliged to
endure. Not only that, but he is usually carried into another degree of
temperature still colder within half an hour, and bathed in water, which
maybe of the same temperature as his body, and may not be, and all the
while lying without the least protection from the air, which striking the
damp skin, produces a sensation that could not be endured by the strong-
est adult. Usually it is not endured very patiently by baby, as his lusty
cries testify; but nurse does not understand the meaning of his protest,
and declares that he cries because he is hungry and must be fed. Some-
times sugar is done up in a rag, moistened with milk, and stuck into his
mouth to keep him quiet until he can be tortured in the bath as long as the
nurse thinks necessary, and he sucks down enough dyspepsia and colic to
last a long time! Sometimes he is fed sweetened milk and water from a
teaspoon, and then begins his first acquaintance with indigestion.
After the tender flesh is washed and wiped until it must feel raw to the
bone, and the little joints have been twisted until they are nearly dislo-
cated, and the wee bit of hair is brushed until the scalp smarts, and when
the stomach is rebelling against the unnatural food poured into it, it seems
as if it ought to occur to some one present that baby must be tired and
ought to have a rest. But no! People are not thinking of the comfort of
the helpless little stranger, but of gratifying a love of the sensation that
comes to many women when a baby is born, and is to be seen for the first
time. They cannot wait to let him rest, but carry him to the proud papa,
who takes him awkwardly, perhaps treats him to his first smell of tobacco,
tosses him a little because he does not know what else to do, then gives
him back to nurse. She carries him to mamma, who hugs him and nearly
smothers him with kisses, and then invites him to dinner. She has not yet
had time to rest from the ordeal through which she has so recently passed;
her pulse is bounding, and her nerves are all unstrung, and the food she
has to offer certainly cannot be in very good condition, yet it is considered
quite good enough for the poor little baby who cannot help himself.
Now, how much more sensible would be some such plan as the follow-
ing: Make the mother comfortable, darken the room, and leave her en-
tirely alone for a little while, that she may rest, and then give her a cupful
of nice gruel to drink before baby is brought to her. While she is resting,
the baby must be cared for in a mom where the mother cannot hear him
should he cry, and which, as has been said, is so warm that it is quite un-
comfortable for the nurse.
Hold him with his feet toward the fire, and so that the light cannot strike
his face. Lubricate him all over with fresh laid that has been boiled in
water, then skimmed off when cool. Some nurses use sweet oil, but the
smell of it is unpleasant to many, and lard serves the same purpose, and,
after being boiled in water, is almost scentless. Use plenty of lard, and be
sure that it is warm, but not hot, before applying it. Put it on as quickly
as possible, and do not move the baby any more than is necessary; then
cover him with the bath blanket, one end of which covers the nurse's lap,
and hold him very still for a little while. The baby will be quite apt to en-
joy that sort of treatment, and he may go to sleep. He certainly will not
cry, unless he is treated so carelessly that he is forced to protest. Please
remember that he is not used to being trotted, or rocked headforemost on
the nurse's knee, and that it is not wise for him to have many new export- I


154 THE NURSERY.ences the first day. It is strange how few women there are who can be
perfectly quiot while holding a little child!
After a time wipe off the lard with a soft cloth, that has been warmed
until it feels comfortable when held to your own cheek; it will be found
that very little of the viscid matter will be left on the body. There is no
use in keeping him uncovered while doing this, unless you have had so
little experience that you are awkward. Now take a piece of soft linen
about six inches square, and dip it into mutton suet that you have melted
in a saucer, and which is just warm. A hole must first have been cut in the
center of the linen, and through this hole draw the cord, folding the ends
of the linen carefully so that the cord is completely covered, yet not com-
pressed. Lay it upwards on the abdomen and place over it a piece of very
thin flannel doubled to form two thicknesses, and large enough to com-
pletely cover the linen. Now put a strip of old flannel loosely around the
body, pinning it at the side. There is no necessity of turning the child
over to do this; it can be slipped under him so carefully as not to disturb
him at all. The flannel should not be hemmed, and is only to be used
until the child can be dressed. Put on one diaper, composed of a single
square of the old linen; wrap him in one of his shoulder blankets ; pin it
securely to keep it in place ; over all put a spread made of the cheese
cloth, and then lay him where he can be warm, and perfectly quiet and
shaded from the light.
I know there are fastidious mothers who will hold up their hands in
horror when they read this, and insist that the baby shall be washed and
made decent the very first thing! This is not written for mothers of that
class, but for those who are willing to learn, who consider the comfort of
the baby as paramount to the gratification of their own vanity, and who try
to realize how the little one must suffer under lie treatment which he is
usually forced to endure.
When he begins to be restless carry him to his mother. She will be
rested and ready to receive him. The food he now takes should be the
first he receives; it acts as a stimulant and a laxative, and is just what
the baby needs.
There are exceptional cases where the child must be given a little water
in order to get the mucous from his throat, and sometimes when he is very
weak, a few drops of whiskey may be given as a stimulant. If the baby is
born during the night, it is far wiser not to bathe him. until next day, and
he should be handled as carefully as possible. If he cries, it is not be-
cause he wants some one to walk the floor with him, or rock him until he
is dizzy, or place him in a different position every three minutes.
In the matter of food most people seem to think that Nature forgot to
provide for little babies, though they can see that the young of all other
species is provided for. The mother has but little milk at first, but instead
of taking that fact as a warning that baby needs but little, and must not be
allowed to eat what he does not need, they immediately start the cry that
baby is starving, and must be fed, and so his stomach is kept distended
with food that it cannot digest.
An old doctor said once, when asked what to do with a child that re-
fused to nurse: "Let him alone until he gets hungry. I'll warrant he
gets enough to keep him from starving. In fact, you would not find it easy
to starve a new-born baby to death. It is much easier to kill them by
over-feeding."
Baby must have his first bath. Select a time for it about half-way be-


THE NURSERY. 155
tween meals, the next morning after his arrival. He is rested then, and
has gained considerable strength, aud, besides, is becoming used to being
handled. Make all preparations lor the bath before disturbing him. Bo
sure that the room is warm enough, that the water is of the right tempera-
ture (you can determine that by plunging your elbow into it), and that
baby's clothes and toilet basket are at hand. Remember that the skirt
and wrapper selected for his wear at first must button in front; iben the
sleeves of the skirt can be put into the sleeves of the wrapper aud both
garments put on at once, aud baby will have to be moved less often. Be
sure that the blanket is warm and well aired. You, of course, washed it
out at once after using it around the dirty l.ttle new-comer, aud hung it by
th - kitchen fire where it would dry, in readiness for the first bath. It will
require but a moment to remove the shoulder blanket pinned around him,
and take off the dressing from the navel. Some nurses do not believe in
doing that so soon, but I think it is wiser, for then you eau be sure whether
all is going well or not.
Whether to put the baby into the bath-tub or bathe him while he
lies in your lap is the question that must be decided in favor of the
way in which you can be most expeditious, and expose him least to the
cold air. If ho is to lie in your lap, ho must bo bathed entirely under one-
half of the bath blanket. It seems so strange that nurses cau see the
necessity of taking that precaution when bathing an invalid, but not when
bathing a little baby!
The easiest way, according to my notion, is to have just enough water
in the bath-tub to cover the baby when he is laid into it. Wet his head
first, then lay him in the tub and keep his head above water by placing
your left hand under Ms neck. Have the bath-tub on a chair facing you,
and spread the bath blanket over the back of the chair. That you may
judge whether these directions are sensible or not, just apply them to your-
self. Do you feel as comfortable when half under water as when the water
reaches to your chin? To be sure you do not, so do not bathe your baby
in a wash-bowl where only part of him cau bo immersed at a time. A very
good-natured baby may submit to the wash-bowl without protest, but it is
not fair to compel him to do so. A tin bath-tub long enough to lay baby
down in does not cost so much that it cannot be afforded by nearly all
mothers. If the water is of the right temperature, baby will enjoy lying in
it; but do not keep him in a moment longer than is necessary to get him
clean. When that is accomplished, throw the blanket over the tub in such
a manner that, as you lilt him from the water, he will be completely cov-
ered, and lay him in your lap. A little practice will make you so dexterous
that you can manage to lay him on one-half of the blanket while iho other
half covers him, an ! the blanket f .Ids over towards you; then you can get
at him with ease. I know one lady who practiced lifting a large and very
limp doll from an imaginary tub in a chair, until she became quite pro-
ficient.
There may be those who, in reading this, will think that too much at-
tention is given to details. But if they have ever been near a screaming
baby who was being tortured by his first bath, and then could see that
same child when he had become nse'l to being properly bathed thev would
recognize the necessity of lessons that will help mothers to do the better
way A baby who has been bathed in the old thotiahrto«« «w will n»( ».*
flrot unbmU in ^m <wv y~%t ^n impro?rtIieni wictiout ms usual vigorons
protest, Deeause he has a vivid remembrance of what he has endured, and


156 THE NURSERY.
is so full of apprehensions that he does not realize that he is being better
treated. There is no reason why a chill should cry when being bathed it
he is handled carefully, bathed in water of the proper temperature, iind not
allowed to become chilled.
The baby under the bath blanket is now being wiped dry, with a soft
hnen cloth, and rubbed a little, gently, with nurse's warm hand to prevent
any possible prickling or crawling sensations. Then the navel is dressed
exactly as it was at first, but instead of the strip of flannel being used to
hold the navel-dressing in place, it is held by the waist which flis just
closely enough to keep it from slipping and to form a gentle support of the
abdomen when baby cries.
Many doctors now claim that no dressing of the sort is at all necessary;
that the navel dries up faster and heals better without it, and they also
claim that the new born baby should be dressed simply in a plain, loose
flannel wrapper and a diaper. But, though they have a great deal of sense
on their side of the question, they are not going to have any followers for
some time. There arc many mother* who object to having their babies
compared to puppies and kittens even in regard to the necessity of wearing
a band tightly pinned about the little bodies. All reforms must movo
slowly, so we will dress the navel as directed, and put on baby's other gar-
ments.
The powder puff is used, but not too liberally. The little creases must
not be filled with enough of the powder to form into a paste when it be-
comes moist. For at least a week none but the soft limn diapers should be
used on baby and but one at a time. In dressing him in this way he need
only be turned on his face once—when the waist is fastened—and his arms
need be moved but twice. It is really a short piece of work to give baby
his bath, and after it he will usually be very good until it is time for him
to have luncheon.
In this little talk an effort has been made to give the lessons so plainly
that the most inexperienced can care for a baby more intelligently than
many poor littlo ones aro cared for at present. Much depends on every-
thing being done right at first.
Do not try to press the head into shape when there is a malformation
caused by a difficult birth. It will come all right if left alone, but, if inter-
fered with, serious trouble may result. This should be impressed on the
mind of the young mother- as there are so many old ladies who will try to
convince her that baby's head will never be shapely unless she makes it so.
Great care must be taken that the navel takes its proper place as it
heals. If it begins to protrude, take a cork and whittle it to a blunt point
—so that it resembles a small aeorn only not quite so pointed ; cover it
with linen and use it to hold the navel in place, fastening it firmly with
strips of court plaster, and with tho waist over all.
CHATiTER TV.
CARE OF BABY.
Otf the first day of baby's life begin to teach him regular habits, and he
sure that yon do not teach him bad ones. Many a child has been punished,
many a mother's days made miserable because of habits that she herself
taught him when she thought him too young to learn anything. Do not
make that mistake ; babies are creatures of habit just as older people are,
and they begin to learn from the hour of their birth. At this time they know


THE NVBSERT. 157
nothing about being rocked, or carried about the room or taken up and
talked to the moment they open their eyes, or being fed at all manner of
hours, nor need they ever think that such treatment is a necessary part of
their existence, unless they are taught to so regard it.
Perfect rest, suitable food, and plenty of warmth are all that a baby
wants during the first weeks of his life, and he will not cry if his wants are
all supplied.
From the first the baby should be fed regularly, and bathed regularly
and put to sleep regularly. He should not be taken up and played with
when he is quietly looking around him, unless you really wish to keep up
the practice through his boyhood. Neither will you walk with him, if you
are wise, for the same reason. Remember that it will not benefit him; at
the start he does not cry to bu walked with, although he very soon gets into
a habit of doing so.
When he begins to cry do not get panic-stricken. You would not if you
knew what a ridiculous figure you cut to the observer who is not alarmed
or made nervous by the crying of a baby. It is not uncommon to see a
whole household thrown into the utmost confusion by a baby's attempt to
express himself, and their ineffectual, because purposeless, efforts to quiet
him are really ludicrous. Let us imagine ourselves in his place, but en-
joying (?) exercises which, compared with his, are in proportion to our size
and strength.
In the first place something has happened to make us uncomfortable,
for which we are not in the least responsible and which we have not sense
enough to bear quietly. We are in pain from the effects of over-eating, or
from having eaten that which does not agree with us. Wis all know the
feeling, and can imagine how we would enjoy the following course of treat-
ment: First: tossed violently in a blanket, which would be about the same
as the trotting process that a baby has to endure. Second: carried in the mad race around the room, subject to a bewildering number of turns, and
a sudden jounce when least expecting it. Third : patted on the back with
a mallet. Fourth: turned suddenly and without warning on the face, and
swung violently back and forth, head foremost. Fifth : rocked until we are
dizzy. Sixth : turned over to a fresh tormentor who goes through the same
course of treatment followed by his we.iry successor. Seventh : compelled
to swallow food until we can hold no more. Eighth: gagged with a mix-
ture of indigestion producing stuff tied up in a rag. I imagine we would
think ourselves very greatly abused.
A baby is really better natured than an adult, for he seldom cries over
imaginary woes. If he is not hungry or tired or cold; if his clothing is
comfortable and his food agrees with him; if he has not been allowed to
eat too much or at irregular intervals; and if he has not been made ner-
vous by over excitement, or lack of sleep, or too much handling by strang-
ers, he is not going to cry. The mother and nurses are at fault if he does
cry, for they have no right to let him be abused in any of the ways sug-
gested. It is their business to protect him, and the penalty they have to pay
in nights of sleeplessness, and days of wearisome baby-tending when they
neglect that duty is none too great, and would seem, to baby's sympa-
thizers, a desirable little bit of justice, were the baby also not obliged to
suffer.
Through some carelessness of nurse or mother, baby has occasion to
complain, and does so as lustily as he is able. Now, don't get excited!
Think, quickly, of the events of the day, to discover a key to the complaint


158 THE NURSERY.
that you may give relief. He is your patient; you are physician, and he
has a right to expect intelligent treatment, and a right to be wealthy if he
does not get it. If you allow yourself to become nervous, you are only
going to make matters worse. It is not so very difficult for one who has the
entire charge of a baby to discover where the trouble lies, and it should
not be difficult for her to find the proper remedy. And here let me say
that it is cruel to give a little child int i the cure of half a dozen people.
He is sure never to be half cared for. I am aware that many children have
lived under such treatment, but no sensible person will pretend to argue
from that fact that it is desirable, or that a different method might not be
adopted which would result in added comfort to baby and all 'concerned,
or that the statistics of infant mortality might not be made less startling.
Men have lived through the hanging process; but we would not use that
fact as an argument in favor of hanging as a sort of gymnastic exercise.
Nor is it any more sensible to say that because such treatment has not
warped the natures and ruined the intellectual powers of the entire human
family, that a more reasonable course might not raise the standard of the
human race to a satisfactory degree. At any rate, it can do harm to as-
sume that it will, or to keep on repeating the lessons taught by those who
are entitled to the name of professor in such matters, until the dulled ears
of mothers shall begin to recognize the truth, and they are induced to try
experiments for themselvos with a reason as the incentive to each experi-
ment.
It is more difficult to proporly train a child when the hereditary tend-
encies and pre-natural influences have been undesirable; yet I do not wish
the mother, whose eyes have just opened to her mistakes, to imagine that
now there is nothing left for her but to bow before the inevitable. On the
contrary, her exertions must be doubled, for she not only must try to
overcome evil tendencies, but to supplant them by those which are good.
The principles taught by Professor Fowler might be found very suggest-
ive in this connection; for, though he is often accused of being an extrem-
ist, and it is a fact that one who should undertake to carry out his idea*
would be in danger of insanity, yet no one who re ids him carefully will
doubt that his theories, in general, are based on truth. We will convert
one of them into a nice, little, every-day lesson to be used as an illustration.
Suppose your boy gives evidence of having been born with an ungovern-
able temper—a well-defined organ of temper we will call it. You must not
add to it by furnishing him with opportunities of displaying his infirmity—
but rather let it become inactive from want of use, and train the organs of
cheerfulness and self-control and good-nature until they dominate the un-
desirable one.
It is easy to be good-natured when there is nothing to provoke ill-
nature; that every one admits. That it is possible to get into a habit of
being good-natured no one will deny; and that habit has great influence
over man is equally undeniable. Then if the evils of ill-temper are firmly
impressed on the mind, and precautions are taken to build resistance against the temptation to be ill-tempered, the person in question will be
quite sure to be fairly good-natured. I believe this to be true of all other
of the human characteristics, and that, by thoughtlessness in training, a
child's mental and moral characteristics may be made undesirable.
"Not one baby in a thousand is properly fed," said a physician one day,
"and it is a good thing for the doctors that they are not. Why," he added,
it is my firm belief that if every child that comes into the world during the 


THE SVliSERY. 159
next twenty years were to be properly fed for the first ten years of his life,
a large proportion of the doctors would have to seek some other occu-
pation."
"And we, lawyers, too," answered his friend, " and more especially if the proper feeding were to be continued for B few years, for nothing so
surely produces bad blood and quarrelsome tendencies as to disordered
stomach."
Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher says that few people have any clear idea of
what infants suffer simply from an insufficient amount of food—that they
cry quite as often from starvation as from colic, and that there are not many
mothers of the present day who are not able to supply nourishment suffi-
cient for the healthy growth of their children, without feeding them in part
from the bottle. She has in mind the city mothers who are robbed of physi-
cal strength by the excitement, dissipation, and nervous exhaustion of city
life, not the women who live on farms.
It is better for the child to be left as nature intended, unassisted by arti-
ficial methods, and the mother should do all she can to fit herself for
nourishing the helpless little being that is be dependent on her. She must
remember that the food she eats is the food that nourishes baby, and so,
for its sake, if not for her own, she should abstain from highly spiced food,
pickles, stimulating drinks, confeciionery, and all else that takes her appe-
tite and repays her with a tit of indigestion. If, before the baby's birth, she
ate but little bone-making food, she must make that loss good now; and
there is no way in which she can do it as safely and so well as hy nursing
him herself. I have very little respect for that mother who, to gratify a
depraved appetite, will deliberately rob her babe of that which no one else
can give him, and what he cannot do without.
Not only in regard to the food she eats must the nursing mother be care-
ful; if she takes cold, or is ill in any way; if she suffers from indigestion,
or loss of sleep, or nervousness, or from over-work, or worry, or too great
excitement, the baby must suffer too, though, perhaps in a way so different
that she might never suspect the cause. Whatever greatly affects the
mother, either physically or mentally, is sure to affect the child in a greater
or less degree. The mother has no more right to ignore that fact, and per-
sist in doing what is most satisfactory to herself, than she would have to
inflict torture on an adult, or to entice him into the paths of sin simply be-
cause it was easier for her to do so than not.
The influence that the nursing mother has over her child is almost as
strong in the woman who nurses a child not her own. This should be thought of by mothers who conclude to hire a wet nurse. A woman should
be chosen who is strong and robust, rather than fat. She must be free from
hereditary tendency to mental or physical disease. It is better that she
should not nurse another child at the same time, and she should be willing
to eat only such food as would agree with the little one given into her care.
Women between twenty-two and thirty-five years of age make the best wet
nurses. The nurse should be of a cheerful disposition, have regular habits,
and should not be allowed to over-work.
A medical journal tells of the mother who attended the funeral of a
friend, taking her baby with her. He became fretful, and she nursed him
to quiet him, all the while crying bitterly. When getting ready for the drive
to the cemetery, she noticed that her baby looked sick and went home with
bim. In less than two hours he was dead.


ICO THE NURSERY.
Numerous instances have been recorded of children who have been
thrown into spasms from being nursed when the mother was angry, or sad,
or otherwise greatly excited, and it seems as if they had become so com-
mon that mothers might be more careful.
I once heard a mother say: "I ought not to have eaten that cabbage
to-day, for baby is always sick when I eat it; but it was so good that I just
couldn't help it!"
That mother often remarked that she loved her baby better than herself,
but certainly her actions did not go to prove any such assertion. What
made her conduct still more unpardonable was the fact that she knew very
well the influence of the nursing mother on the child, and how clearly it
was proven in her case, for she always doctored her baby by taking the
remedies herself that she thought he needed, and, after having eateu the
cabbage, she tried to lessen the little one's pain in the same way.
When it is known that the child can be so greatly affected by the mother
in her undesirable moods, there is no reason to doubt that her pleasant onex
also affect him; therefore, she should endeavor to be calm, and to think
her happiest thoughts when nursing her baby, and for some time before.
Hhe can, at least, refrain from nursing him until she has had time to re-
cover somewhat from her fit of grief or anger; for it is better that he should
go hungry for a time than that he should eat such food as she can offer
him. If the attack of excitement has been severe, the breasts should be
emptied by a breast-pump or otherwise, and the infant not allowed to nurse
until they fill again under more favorable circumstances.
Usually the quantity of the mother's milk is not so deficient as the
quality; and, if the baby frets while nursing, or to nurse oftener than he
should, she should at once take measures to find out if he is being suffi-
ciently nourished.
Dr. Verdi says that the mother's milk, to be good, should be white,
sweet, opaque, and of a very pleasant taste. It contains globules of fat or
butter, casein or cheese, sugar of milk, salts, and a little yellow matter.
A drop of good milk on a plate of glass will not run off easily; it will main-
tain a globular form, and adhere somewhat to the glass. That is not so
with milk deprived of its solids; it will run off quicker than water, on the
slightest inclination of the glass. If it is found that the milk is insufficient for the child, other food must
be given it. Under such circumstances it is wiser and more convenient to
nurse it during the day and give it the bottle at night, as the mother can
get better rest, which is necessary to make her milk good. If possible,
4ndout what necessary properties of food are lacking in the mother's milk,
and supply them in the other food given it; this may be done very suc-
cessfully in the cases which often occur where cows' milk will not agree
with the mother's milk in baby's stomach.
"It is so hard to bring up a bottle-fed baby i" How often we hear the
cry, and it certainly is not easy. Nothing can be easily done in a way op-
posite to that which Nature intended, yet many things might be more easily
done than they are, as well as more successfully, if common sense in the
care of babies could only be taught to girls. Instead, they never give the
subject a thought until they are married and have a baby of their own to
practice on, and the poor little thing must suffer while the mother is learn-
ing from experience how to care for it.
With bottle-fed babies more care must be taken to feed them properly
than is necessary when the mother nurses them; but it should not be with-


THE NURSERY. 161
held, for great care in feeding will result in much lean oare being neoessary
in other respects, and in the happiness of having a healthy, laughing baby,
instead ot a siokly, crying one.
As long as young people persist in marrying without giving any thought
to the welf.ue of the babies»tl:at are very likely to come into their homes,
just so loug will there be mothers who are unfit to or incapable of nursing
their babies, and just so long must there be bottle-fed babies. A womau
of scrofulous constitution, addicted to recurring diseases of the skin, or one
subject lo hereditary diseases, should not nurse her baby—neither is she
fit to be married—for it will stand a better chance of having health if
brought up on the bottle.
To begin with, provide two bottles and tubes for the baby, and use them
alternately, keeping the one not in use in a bowl of cold water until it is
needed again. Scald both bottles and the tubes every night and morning,
for baby's health depends a great deal on the cleanliness of the bottle,
which, when uncared for, so soon collects the tiny, health-destroying
germs.
A vigorous child should be fed every two hours during the first weeks
of its life, then every three hours, and alter the tenth month every four
hours. It should be fed regularly, and should not be allowed to have any
food at all between meals. This rule is for the day time only. At night it
should not be fed so often, and should be taught at as early an age as pos-
sible to sleep all night without food. That, of course, will depend a great
deal on the nature and physical condition of the child. Many babies have
been taught to sleep all night without food before they were nine months of
age, and no baby of that age should be fed more than once between nine
o'clock in the evening and five in the morning.
Never give a child food to stop its crying. If you feed it regularly, and
give it proper food, it need never cry because it is hungry. She is a very
foolish mother who will give her child an opportunity to cry from such a
cause, and must be anxious to tend a peevish baby. If you have fed it
properly and it cries, it is not because it wanls more food, but for some en-
tirely different reason. To be sure more food may serve to stupify it, ren-
dering it less conscious of its trouble, but is that a wise course to pursue?
Usually he cries auain when he recovers from his stupefaction, and either
he must be stupefied again, or means must be adopted that should have
been used in the first place, and which would not have tended to giv« the
child objectionable habits.
Some nurses consider it a good sign when baby throws up his milk, but
it is simply an indication that he has a stomach strong enough to rebel,
when overloaded, and relieve itself. It is no sign at all that it will always
remain strong enough to relieve itself, though it will never cease to rebel
when abused. When a child throws up its food it is an infallible sign that
its mother does not know how to feed it; but somehow that sign receives
very little consideration from our honored grandmothers. Tell them of it
and they say " our babies lived through it "—the old, worn-out argument!
So their babies did, but they were unfit to have babies of their own who
could "live through it," and every year we have more and more nervous,
dyspeptic people whose parents and grand-parents " lived through it," and
the infant mortality proves that there are more babies who oould not "live
through it."
Cows' milk is most generally used for bottle-fed babies, as it is the most
easily prooured, and it is a very good substitute if properly given. It con-


162 THE JfVRSEBY.
tains about four times as much caseine, albumen and albumenoids thas
woman's milk, and less sugar; consequently there is four times as much
coagulable material in the cows' milk. The acid gastric juice in the stom-
ach coagulates the cows' milk into hard maases, difficult to digest, while the
woman's milk is formed into a loose, light mass readily attacked aud
broken down. The result of this difference, as may be readily seen, must
greatly affect the digestion. These properties of the cows' milk must be
altered in order that it may become a good substitute for the natural food.
The quantity of caseine must be decreased, and the sugar and fat increased.
Practically the caseine may be reduced by diluting the milk with water, and
the fats and sugar increased by adding cream and sugar of milk. The
tendency to firm coagulation may be obviated by adding lime water or bar-
ley water. Only sugar of milk should be used in food for babies, as any
other sugar is apt to cause acidity. The milk must be diluted according to
the digestive power of the child's stomach. Some babies require much
less nourishment than others, and would become ill on food that other
babies would thrive on.
Begin by adding an equal quantity of water to the milk, and then add
less water as baby shows that he can take more nourishment without suffer-
ing. There are few babies under six months of age who can take undiluted
milk; and it is said th it there are some who can never take milk at all. I
have always believed that such need not be the case if they were fed it
properly in the first place; but when a baby's stomach once gets out of
order, it is not easily made well again. Such babies are very hard to bring
up, because it is difficult to know just what to feed them. When, however,
you have discovered the food best suited to them, they are often less
trouble than other babies.
I have found few mothers who were very greatly in favor of the baby-
foods so freely advertised, but many having decided objections to them.
They should be used only when prescribed by a doctor who knows the
child's peculiarities, and who has had sufficient experience in caring for
sick babies to make his opinion worth a second thought. It will be noticed
that, as a rule, the old doctors who have had babies of their own are not
the best friends to the manufacturers of the baby-foods, all of which are
warranted to be as good as, if not better than the mother's milk.
One doctor who has been very successful in prescribing for sick babies
recommends food made from lentil-powder as best for babies, next to their
natural nourishment. A dessertspoonful of the leutil-powder is soaked for
half an hour in a gill of water, then half a pint of water is added, and the
food is boiled for two hours, skimming it as it needs it. When done, there
must be a pint and a quarter of the food. A little sugar of milk may be
added.
Next to food prepared from lentil-powder, that prepared from oatmeal
has proven most satisfactory, in his estimation. Two dessertspoonfuls ol
the oatmeal to a pint of w i ter will make it quite strong enough at first, and
may make it too strong. It should be strained through a cloth when it is
sufficiently cooked, that none of the hulls may find their way into the stom-
ach. As baby grows older this broth may be made with milk, and is very
good food for nearly all children. It, too, should be sweetened with sugar
of milk.
On account of sickness I was obliged to wean my baby when she was
seven months old, and in August of an unusually sultry summer. Nothing
»seemed to agree with her, and I was in despair when a midwife told me to


THE NURSERY.163
try whey, saying that by its use she had succeeded in bringing up two
adopted babies, both of whom were sick when they came under her care.
I procured a nicely dried rennet, and twice daily B piece an inch square
was cut into bits and soaked for half an hour in a tablespoonful of warm
water ; then the water was strained into a quart bowl full of new milk warm
from the cow. In a little while the milk would become thick and could be
eat with a knife into squares. When the whey raised to the top it was
dipped off carefully, so as to get but little of the white curd, and that, sweet-
ened a very little, was all baby had to live on. She did uot like the taste
of it at first, and refused to eat; but when she got hungry enough she con-
cluded to try it, and soon made no further resistance. When I began giving it to her, her bowels moved ten times a day on an average. In two
weeks she looked healthy and actually began to gain flesh, and in three
weeks her health had so improved that I thought it would be safe to begin
giving her more nourishing food; so, during the middle of the day, I added
a very little ere am to the whey, an! sweetened it a little more, and in a few
days I give her diluted milk without the rennet. I do not believe I could
have brought her through without the whey. By removing the caseine, no
hard lumps could form in the stomach which was too weak to digest them;
but much of the nutriment was also taken. A child would not thrive on
such a diet long, and it should be resorted to only as a temporary ex-
pedient.
My baby never tasted another food than milk from that time until she
was over a year old, when she was a strong, good-natured baby ; in fact she
had very little food except milk until she had passed her second birthday.
She had her bottle as long as she wanted it, but discarded it of her own ac-
cord before her third birthday.
It is good for a child to take its milk from a bottle, because it drinks it
so much more slowly than from a cup.
There are many other kinds of food given to babies, principally farin-
aceous, but they are seldom suited to the needs of little ones, and are most
valuable later on when a change of tood is desirable. A very good food is crust coffee made from browned crusts of home-made bread. Bakers' bread
should never be given to a child, because it is usually made of inferior flour,
and contains alum. Bice water containing a few teaspooufuls of sweet
cream, and sometimes pure rice water are given. Barley water is highly
recommended by some nurses and physicians, as is tapioca- but none of
these foods contain all the elements demanded by the growing child, and
only serve as substitutes until something can be found that will do better,
or until its stomach becomes strong enough to take food better adapted to
his needs.
From the first day of the little one's life give him cold water to drink, in
small quantities at first, which may be gradually increased, though much
should never be given at a time.
It is almost as important that baby should be kept warm enough as that
he should be properly fed. Many babies cry because they are cold. For
some time after their birth they are not provided with a natural means of
warmth, and a sufficient amount of heat must be kept up artificially, but
not spasmodically. There are many mothers who wrap their babies up
until the perspiration starts from every pore, and then, suddenly discover-
ing that they are too warm, remove the clothing, thus permitting the cold air
to strike them and give them an uncomfortable chill, quite sufficient to
e&ase loud coicplaict.


164 THE NURSERY.
Very young babies should be kept in a room of uniform temperature;
and when they are old enough to be carried out they should be dressed for
the occasion. The amount and kind of clothing provided for them must
always be in accordance with the weather. Use common sense in the
matter, and baby will repay you by allowing you much more, time for rest
and recreation.
I believe that babies cry as often when they are tired, as for any other
reason ; yet many mothers will laugh at the idea. But think how many
things they must learn, how many different objects they must see how
many different voices, they must hear, how many different people hold
them, and how many different ways of being held they must get used to!
No grown person can be in a crowd of strangers all day without feeling ut-
terly worn out at night, but few of them are careful of the baby on that
account, simply because they have the idea, and are determined to stick to
it, that babies do not feel anything, and nothing makes any difference to
them.
Until the baby is two weeks old no one but the nurse, the doctor and
the members of the family should be admitted into the room, and the visits
from the family ought to be few and far between until the baby is nine days
old. When they are permitted to enter the room, the baby should not be
passed around like a mere lifeless curiosity. Such a practice is a species of
refined cruelty, and though very gratifying to the older members of the
family it should be abolished. for the sake of the baby. By refusing admit-
tance to visitors the mother is saved from excitement which, though
pleasant, is very fatiguing and leaves her in a condition less fit to properly
nourish the little one. Even from causes seeming of no greater importance
than that have sprung serious consequences. To the mother who feels
much better than she expected to, and who is anxious to show her new
baby, such requirements will doubtless seem entirely too strict; but they
are not so, and later on the mother will be very glad that she has fulfilled
them—or she would be so if she could only appreciate just how much she
has gained thereby.
Most babies are played with altogether too much. The temptation to do
this is great and is overcome with difficulty even by the most prudent.
Such a course is not only unwise but is very dangerous. The little ones be
come too much like hot-house plants—very forward and brilliant at first,
but unable to compete in any way with plants grown in the garden, when
placed under similar conditions. Many babies die because they are physi-
cally unable to support the calls upon their mental powers ; and thousands of babies are fretful just for the same reason ; they are mentally tired and
physically tired, and do not know what ails them, or what they want. It is
wrong to try to get them into another play, or to further tax their brain
power in any way ; yet it is often done as a means of quieting them, and if
often successful, but onlv for the time being. I have seen people at some
important entertainment so weary that they hardly seemed abletosti.nd
another moment, and looked as if they did not care to see another sight
But something of interest would come along, and in the excitement of the
moment all weariness would be forgotten; but, after all was over, they
were really more worn out than they would have been had they gone home
before this last bit of excitement. So it is with the baby who is played with
when he has already played until he is weary to fretfulness.
When the baby wakes up and is good let him lie quietly as long as he


TEE NVHSERT. 185
will, not disturbing Mm more than is necessary to see that his clothing is
comfortable, and to turn him on the other side to rest him. He may not
begin to laugh and play at quite so early an age, but so much the better for
him! You need not feel badly when your neighbor with the forward and
troublesome child tells you that your baby is backward ; consoln yourself
with the thought that he is accumulating strength of brain and musole that
will be a grand reserve force to serve him in the years when he is learmng,
without trouble, what the young man who was " such a smart baby" can-
not learn at all, on account of a chilled brain and nervous, feeble constitu-
tion.
When your baby cries and you have reason to know that he has been
fed properly, and is as comfortable as he can be made, just consider that
he is tired and nervous from the " overwork" of being handled too much,
or the " over-excitement" caused by the many demands tnat society has
made upon him, and put him to sleep in a quiet room. He may be a little
refractory at first—you yourself are at times, you know. There are many
nights when you aie too tired and nervous to go to sleep, even when you
know that it is best for you to do so. Baby cannot reason about it, and does
not understand that it would be wiser for him to keep still when every
nerve is quivering and the muscles will not rest. Get baby into a quiet
room just as quickly as you can, and pay nl3 attention to the cunning ways
in which he will try and entice you into a romp. You are sensible now, you
know, and are going to do what is best for baby. Undress him, or loosen
every garment that can possibly bind him if he should roll around in his
aleep. Bub the back, feet and limbs with your hand, after dipping it in
warm water, until he begins to be quiet, then using a napkin out of clear
water, just warm enough not to be chilly, fold it, and put over his eyes and
down around his ears. He will be likely to resent such treatment at first,
but in a few moments he will be sleeping soundly, and when he wakes up
the weariness and nervousness and headache will be gone. Do not rock
him to sleep; it is fan for you, but it is not good for him. It gets him into
a bad habit, and he does not sleep so soundly as he would if allowed to go
to sleep on the bed. A child should always sleep on his side. "Beach him
to do so from the first. He is not so apt to become choked by the food
rising in his throat, or to suffer from bad dreams, which often cause chil-
dren to wake up crying, and he will also be in less danger of getting into a
habit of wetting the bed.
Buy sea salt and boil it in soft water until it is well dissolved, then put
it into a bottle where it will be handy. When wanted, pour a litlle of the
salt water into the wash-bowl of clear water; thus your babv may have an
invigorating sea bath every day. It should not be nearly so strong of the
salt as a grown person would require, please remember. From the very
first month baby can be rubbed in this way when he shows signs of weari-
ness, an 1 he will Bleep so soundly after it.
I used to rub my baby every night before putting her to bed, and before
she was a year old she would often sleep all night without once wakening.
When she began to run around, and would get tired and fretful, I have
often undressed her, given her a plunge bath in a tub of warm water,
wrapped her in her bath blanket without taking time to dress her, and put
her to bed. She would sleep sweetly for hours, and awaken quite refreshed
and ready to amuse herself without the assistance of the whole family.
Children require a great deal of sleep, but it should never be induced
by artificial means. The mother who really loves her child will have noth-


166 THE NURSERYV.
lag to do with the soothing syrups so extensively advertised. Let the
baby sleep undisturbed; never awaken him to show him off; neither should
you carry him around when he is asleep for that purpose. It tires him just
as it would an older person. Never awaken a child suddenly, or allow a
stranger to stand over him when he awakes, for he easily becomes startled
at that time, and may be nervous for the rest of the day in consequence.
It is not good for a child to sleep on feathers, or under covering that is
too heavy, or with an adult or a sickly person. It is a good plan to fasten
the bed-clnthing so that it cannot be kicked off, yet so as to allow him to
turn over without discomfort. A child will be as restless when he is too
warm as when he is not warm enough.
On the subject of bathing no directions could be given that would suit
all cases. It is a subject requiring study, and each baby should be treated
according to his peculiarities. Remember that babies are human and not
so very different from grown people. There are babies who require a bath
every day, and would thrive if bathed several times a day; and there are
others who would be puny and fretful if bathed all over oftener than once
a week. Some children delight in cold water and plunge baths, and others
receive such a shock when forced to undergo that treatment that they can
hardly rally from onetime to another, yet a warm sponge bath would leave
them rested and exhilarated. Probably the majority of children do best
with the warm tub bath every day, having the water less than milk warm
rather than more.
Morning is the time usually considered best for bathing baby, as the
circulation is free then, and the reactionary powers stronger. It is very
injurious to baby to bathe him directly after feeding him, and it is well to
let him lie quietly a few minutes after the bath before giving him food. If
his lips and nails have a bluish look for some time, and care has been taken
that he should not get chilled, then he must be given only sponge baths
for a time, and those not very often, and so carefully that no breath of cold
air can reach him. Give him a chance, and he will get strong enough to
bear a bath after a time; but there is no "hardening process," such as
plunging.him into cold water, and other cruelties recommended by idiotic
old nurses that will ever bring about the desired result.
When cleansing baby's ear, great care must be used not to irritate it.
You should never try to penetrate beyond the outer opening, or further than
you can see plainly. Do not use your finger, but wind a soft cloth around
a smooth stick, and baby will not be so likely to object to the performance,
or to grow up with ears as pulled out of shape as to almost deformities.
How few perfect ears there are ! and it is not to be wondered at when we
consider the sort of treatment they had during the time when their shape
could be most easily effected. Be careful when washing the baby's head
that the water does not run into his ears. Try it yourself and see how you
like it! You will not be surprised then if baby objects.
Use as little soap as possible, and that only of the purest, and be sure
that it is all rinsed off. When the surface is thoroughly dried, and not un-
til then, may the powder be used. Be sure that it is harmless and without
lumps, and remember that a very little will prevent chafing as well as a
great deal, and will not be so likely to form into a paste.
The scurf that forms on most babies' heads can be removed by a little
fresh lard rubbed on and allowed to remain a little while, then washed off
with soft water and soap. Powdered borax dissolved in warm water, then
applied with a soft cloth is very good. The solution should be made strong


THE NURSERY. 167
enough to feel quite slippery to the fingers, and the head must be well
rinsed after the application. It renders unnecessary so much combing, to
which few babies will submit with patience.
Do not use a metallic instrument with which to clean baby's linger nails.
It is unnecessary and tends to make the end of the finger and the finger
nail shapeless. Move his hands back and forth in the basin of water with
a moderately quick motion. He will think it is fine fun, and the nails will
be perfectly freed from dirt—th»t is if they have not previously been made
rough I / scraping. In such cases they must be allowed to grow smooth
before they can be easily cleansed.
Do not adore the practice of drying the diapers that have been wet and
using them again before they are washed. It is a nasty habit, and the stiff
diaper will not tend to make baby comfortable. Diapers can be washed out
with very little trouble, and should be washed every day. Care must be
taken to have them well rinsed.
As soon as B child is old enough to go out of doors, it should have a
ride in the fresh air every day. Under no circumstances ought it to be in
a badly ventilated room. Strict attention should be given to the ventila-
tion of the nursery if every other room in the house is neglected. It is a
good plan to wrap the baby up, then open all the doors and windows of the
room in which he is, and leave them open a little while. This practice may
begin when he is very small, and helps him to become accustomed to cold
air, making him less liable to take cold win d carried out for the first
time.
Please do not take the baby visiting. It may not hurt him to be dressed
for company once in a while, but it is hard on the strongest and least sensi-
tive children to be taken away from home, and they are seldom patient
enough under such treatment to make the event a pleasant one for either
the mother or the hostess. As for the mothers who take their babies to
church, or lecture-room, or theater, there is nothing that can be said which
is strong enough to express the feeling of indignation that the friend of babies feels toward them. If they cannot afford to hire competent help
with whom to leave the baby, they should be self-sacrificing enough to stay
at home until the little one is old enough to be safely left without mother.
CHAPTER T.
rary's ailments.
It is proper to state, to begin with, that this chapter will not be filled
with the symptoms of every disease peculiar to infancy, with prescriptions
that are warranted to fit the case, and directions for the home treatment of
it. Any ailment of babies deserving the dignity of the term "disease,"
should receive the immediate attention of B skilled physician. Neither
will time and space be taken in writing recipes for teas, decoctions, oint-
ments, and other " sure cures" so popular among the " old lady " element
of society; for such a system of home treatment is every day adding to the
doctors' lists of patients, and to the semi-invalids that burden the world
and are a burden to themselves.
It is to the preventive treatment that the mothers' skill and energy,
common sense and intelligence should be applied, for nowhere does the old
saw about an ounce of prevention apply so well as in the treatment of
babies.
A young mother once wrote to a doctor asking for some general three- 


168 THE NURSERY.tions that would be useful in case her baby became sick, for she was going
to live where she would bo at a considerable distance from a physician.
This is the reply she received:
"Don't let the baby get sick; it is wholly unnecessary. Guard against
it by proper diet, proper clothing, proper temperature, proper amount of
sleep and freedom from undue excitement. If you do not know the 'proper
amount' in each instance, go to work and find out. It is something every
woman should know before she becomes a mother, and which doctors have
neither time nor inclination to teach."
The old doctor's reply caused the mother to think for herself, and was
far better than it would have been had he written a lot of prescriptions,
which she would have relied on as a child often relies on the rules laid
down in his arithmetic, and which are sure to fail him when he wishes to
apply them. A doctor may practice many years, and yet sometimes be
puzzled in trying to decide what remedies are called for; but the mother
expects to read over a few symptoms, compare them as laid down in the
book with those she imagines the child to have, and administer the proper
remedies at once. This is dangerous economy, and may cost the child's
life.
The period of infancy extends from birth to the age of two and one-half
years; that of childhood from the complete eruption of the milk teeth until
puberty. The necessity of watchfulness on the part of the mother until
the period of infancy has passed cannot be too greatly enlarged upon, as
ailments at that age are prone to such sudden and adverse changes and
complications. Cases are on record where a slight fever in the morning
developed into cerebral complications and violent convulsions before
night; and a simple bronchial catarrh terminated in pulmonary congestion
and death in a very few hours.
This is mentioned, not to cause the mother unnecessary anxiety, but to
emphasize the necessity of watchfulness, and some knowledge of the
symptoms of infantile diseases, and of the peculiarities of her child in
particular.
There are many mothers who do not know that the baby is sick until it
is too late for a doctor to be of any use. Such mothers are found princi-
pally among those who know little of the proper care of a child, and who
think that if it cries, it is because it has the colic, is hungry or simply cross.
There are other mothers who send for a doctor every time the child has a
harder crying spell than usual, or sleeps a little more soundly—thinking
that baby must be sick, and perhaps is going to die.
There are certain important symptoms, appearances, and habits which
are peculiar to ailments in infancy, and which would not be deserving of
special attention in adults, and of but little during childhood. Among the
most important of these may be mentioned extremes of temperature. This
is usually indicated by a clinical thermometer, which every mother should
have. They can be purchased for from one dollar up, and will save their
price many times in the lessened anxiety of the mother. If the baby's
temperature is high, look out for convulsions ; if it is low, there is danger
of congestion and collapse. Without the thermometer the child will often
be thought to have a fever, and perhaps be treated for it, when, in reality,
his temperature is normal. When there is fever, sponge the body persis-
tently and thoroughly with water not quite blood warm, keeping the child
covered. Cool compresses over the chest and abdomen are very b«ne-
floinl.


THE NURSERY. 169
Sudden startings, with the thumbs drawn into the palms, portend
trouble with the brain, and often end in convulsions, which are far more
serious in infants than in children. Convulsions in children often result
from a suppression of urine. If you have occasion to believe that such is
the case, get the patient to sweating as soon as possible. Give it a hot
bath, after which cover it up in bed and put bags of hut salt over the lower
part of the abdomen. Never give sweet spirits of nitre, or remedies of
that sort except by the advice of a physician, for often it is cause of very
serious trouble.
Great dryness of the skin indicates fever or inflammation; excessive
perspiration, debility or prostration. In all cases of extremes seek medi-
cal advice at once. I once heard a mother say, whose child was greatly
troubled with constipation in summer time, that she made no effort to cor-
rect the trouble because she thought that such a condition was much bet-
ter for the child than it would be for him to have the diarrhoea-. That is a
very natural mistake; in reality babies suffer more from constipation than
from diarrhoea.
The majority of infantile diseases arise from some fault in the child's
diet, which may be made unwholesome even for breast-fed children by
some indiscretion on the part of the mother or the wet nurse. Dr. Louis
Starr, of Philadelphia, says : "There can be no doubt, though the state-
ment is a bold one and seemingly contrary to nature, that, taking the
average, infants properly brought up by hand are better developed and en-
joy more perfect health than those completely breast-fed; but the diet
must be adapted to the age and digestive powers of the infant, only such
food being given as can be assimilated."
In connection with that, a table is given that may be of great use to the inexperienced mother, and we will take the liberty of copying it here:
Average
Age. Interval of amount of Total average
feeding- food each meal. in 24 ftours.
lweek 2 hours luz. looz.
ltodweeks 21-2hrs. ll-2to2oz. 12tol6oz.
6 to !2 weeks; possibly to 6 months 3 hours 3 to 4 oz. 18 to 24 oz.
6 mouths 3 hours 6 oz. 36 oz.
10 months 3 hours 8 oz. 40 oz.
He also gives a formula for preparing the food that it may he as nearly
as possible like breast milk. For the child a week old he recommends the mixture of two fluid drachms of cream, three of whey, three of hot water,
and ten grains of sugar of milk. An ordinary tablespoon will hold about
six fluid drachms. From the second to the sixth week, use four drachms of
milk to two of cream, eight of hot water, and fifteen grains of sugar of
milk. From the third to the sixth month, use two and one-half ounces of
milk to half an ounce of cream, one ounce of hot water, and one drachm of
sugar of milk.
The whey he uses is made as follows: "Heat half a pint of fresh milk
until it is as hot as can be borne in the mouth, then add to it a teaspoonful
and a half of wine of pepsin, or one teaspoonful of Fairchild's essence of
pepsin—which can be more readily procured, as it is for sale by nearly all
druggists. Stir it into the milk just enough to mix it, then let it stand in a
warm place until firm coagulation has taken place. Next, heat up the curj
until it is finely divided, then strain it."
This whey is very good to give to babies who have weak stomachs, but


170 THE NURSERY.
it should only be given until the stomach has become strong enough to re-
tain more nutritious food.
At the eleventh month a mixed diet may be begun. Here is the bill of
fare as given by Dr. Starr: "The first meal, at seven a. m., should be of
the prepared food. Tho second meal, at half-past ten, a cupful of warm
milk. Third meal, at two p. m., the yolk of an egg, lightly boiled, with
stale bread crumbs. Fourth meal, at six p. M., same as the first, and the
fifth, at ten p. m., samo as the second."
He advises giving beef tea occasionally instead of the yolk of egg.
It is a good idea to use hot barley water as a dilutant instead of the
clear hot water for an infant over six weeks of age. The bailey water is
recommended by some as a food in itself, but it is not suitable for most
children under six weeks of age, or nourishing enough for those older. It
is prepared as follows: Put two teaspooufuls of washed pearl barley into
a pint of water, let it boil half an hour, then strain it.
Iftheeleven-months-old child docs not seem to be sufficiently nourished
on the diet as recommended by Dr. Starr, I would advue adding a little
prepared gelatine to its milk for the second and fifth meals. Procure the
plate gelatine, for sale by druggists, and drop a piece an inch square into
a tumbler half full of cold water. Let it stand three hours, then turn the
whole into a teacup, place it in a saucepan half full of water and let it boil
until the gelatine is dissolved. When cold it forms into a jelly, and one or
two teaspoonfuls of it may be used at a time.
If the baby shows symptoms of indigestion, do not begin giving it
medicine. It is wiser to decrease the quantity and quality of the food, and
let the little one omit one meal entirely, that his stomach may rest. Avoid
all starchy foods, as the organs of digestion are not sufficiently developed
to receive them.
Do not think that food does a child no harm because it does not happen
to give him the colic, or to throw him into a fever within twenty-four
hours. A child may be thin, sallow, nervous, fretful, simply because it is
given food that does not agree with it, or is lacking in the properties re-
quired sufficiently to nourish it.
Babies are sometimes troubled with constipation during the first month
and not afterwards. Never give them physic in such cases. Instead, use
a soap crayon to induce a movement of the bowels, and then remedy *he
trouble by a change in the diet. If you nurse the baby, take some simple
medicine, and it will affect the baby through the milk. Diarrhoea may also
be helped, sometimes cured, by medicine taken by the mother. Never
give the baby any preparation of opinm. It is often given in such cases,
without the advice of a physician, and it is bad practice. Diarrhoea is
usually, but not always caused by improper food. It may be caused by
heat alone, and in such cases the stomaoh is rendered unfit to digest tho
usual allowance of food, and less should be given for a time. Keep tho
patient as quiet as possible, bathe him frequently, and keep him asleep as
much as yon can. Injections of cold tea are excellent in most cases of
diarrhoea. Use the best uncolored to i for the purpose, make it very
strong, and inject but little at a time. It is an astringent, and should not
be used too freely, as it might c uise inflammation. If this treatment does
not soon have the desired effect, it is wise to call medical assistance before
the trouble grows worse.
Sometimes in cases of diarrhoea boiling the milk makes it more digestible.
In many instances, particularly where there is considerable irritation, the


THE NURSERY. 171
diarrhoea may he controlled and the pain lessened by giving milk in which
mutton suet has been boiled. Add a piece of the suet as large as a walnut
to a pint of milk and boil it down one-half. A teaspoonful of this given
every hour or two is sufficient.
Summer diarrhoea usually begins with indigestion, which weakens the
system, and it becomes sensitive to hot weather. Watch the passages from
the bowels for first symptoms. In health the color will be yellow, but
when the little one is troubled with indigestion the passages are green, or
become of a greenish hue soon after being exposed to the air. Begin at
the first indication to regulate the diet, and you will not have occasion to
doctor your baby.
When there is a retention of the urine at first, causod by torpor or func-
tional inactivity, give a little tea made from parsley root, but if urine is not
passed by the time baby is twelve hours old, it is best to call a doctor's
attention to the fact.
Sometimes the little one's stomach becomes so irritable that very little
food is retained or digested. In such cases considerable nourishment may
be afforded by an application to the epigastrinm of Liebig's Extract of
Beef spread on a cloth in the form of a poultice, or by rubbing the child
with cod-liver oil every night.
Little babies are sometimes troubled with mammary swellings. On the
first appearance use a local application of camphorated vaseline. If sup-
puration takes place, palliate the distress by applying poultices of flax-
seed meal until the pus is near enough the surface to be let out.
Every time the baby is washed make examination to see that he is not
chafing. S imetimes the trouble cannot be prevented by careful attention
to the state of the clothing and the application of powder. In such cases
apply cocoa butter as soon as the trouble is noticed. It comes in cakes,
and is to be found in nearly all drug stores, and is effectual in nearly every
case. Warm it slightly before applying it. Much may be done as pre-
ventive treatment by perfect cleanliness. A very good remedy is a powder
made of equal parts of either corn starch or rice powder and oxide of zinc.
Carbolized vaseline and witch-hazel jelly are both highly recommended
for the purpose, And are easily procured. Remember that what will prove
effective in one case may be utterly worthless in another.
Should baby cry at night and you be unable to discover the cause, do
not be in too great haste to decide that it is because of ill-temper. Babies
often have bad dreams and nightmare caused by indigestion. The crying
may also be caused by cerebral irritation- or tubercular meningitis—being
the first signs of the presence of either. It is also often caused by earache,
the result of carelessness on the part of the mother. I believe that many
little babies cry at night from earache when the mother can form no idea
as to the cause of the fretfulness. Every mother should have an ear-
syringe; they cost little. When earache is suspected inject into the ear a
little warm water. It will do no harm in any case, and if there is trouble
with the ear, affords almost immediate relief. Another good remedy tor
jearache is to fill a clean pipe with cotton, saturate it with chloroform, and
blow the fumes into the sufferer's ear. A few drops of hot laudanum
poured on a bit of cotton and put into the ear nearly always affords quick
relief. But if none of these remedies bring relief in case of actual earache,
a skilled praotitioner must be called, for the pain is probably caused by
some serious trouble. Never probe the ear, or pour oil into it. Cotton
dipped into oil and then sprinkled with black pepper is an old-fashioned


17S, THE NURSERY.
remedy, and can do no harm it there is not enough of the oil used to drop
into the ear. Watch the child carefully, and if you are very sure that the
crying at night is not cans, d by some carelessness on your part, report the
matter to your physician.
For colic, the best and simplest remedy is to give the child a few
spoonfuls of warm water, and put cloths wrung from warm water over the
stomach and abdomen. It is caused from gases produced by the ferment-
ation of food, and peppermint tea and all other preparations of the sort do
much more harm than good.
Sore mouth in little babies is caused by indigestion. To cure it fell a
little absorbent cotton on the end of a stick, dip it into a weak solution of
b rix and wash the mouth with it each time after eating. There are very
few cases of sore mouth when this will not prove all that is necessary.
It is quite customary to say that a child has worms whenever it seems to
be ill. The fact is that comparatively few babies are troubled in that way.
When the child suffers from indigestion, there is an increased secretion of
mucus which affords a harbor for worms ; but the worms themselves do
not produce irritation unless they exist in large numbers. The usual indi-
cation of their presence is paleness about the mouth; great nervousness;
irritability ; capricious appetite, sometimes loathing food, sometimes raven eously hungry; yet all these symptoms may be caused by entirely different
troubles. The most reliable indication, and the only one that many physi-
cians consider at all to be depended upon, is the presence of the worms in
the stools. A little lard injected into the rectum will often bring pin worms
away, and is a safe remedy. Be very cautious about giving the patient
worm medicines that are advertise i so extensively. There is a homeo-
pathic remedy that is very good and which baby will take without pro-
test. It is Cina 3 x, and should be given four times a day for several days,
one or two pellets a dose. Be careful, meanwhile, about the diet, remem-
bering that if there is no indigestion there need be little fear of worms.
When the child has an attack of croup, the mother has need of all the
common sense at her command. To get excited and rush from one thing
to another will do no good, and may endanger the life of the little one.
Croup in its simpler form is not hard to deal with. Get the child to sweat-
ing as soon as possible. Build a hot fire, put cloths wrung from hot water
on his throat, give him hot water to him to drink if he can swallow it; if
not, give something that will cause him to vomit—a spoonful of something
that will not require much of an effort at swallowing; a little melted butter
is very good, or a spoonful of hive syrup. The vomiting serves to clear the
throat and induces perspiration. Another very good remedy is to make
him inhale steam. Cover him, head and all, with a sheet, keeping your
head under the sheet also, in order that you may regulate the heat of the
steam. It should be as hot as can be borne, and may be cooled by lifting
a corner of the sheet; but do not uncover the child until his breathing has
become easier. Do not wait to build a fire and boil water. There is usually
some in the tea-kettle or reservoir that is warm enough to generate a little
steam. Hold a basin full of it close to the child's face, and have your as-
sistant, who has built a fire and put on the kettle, heat a little more water
in a dipper, and bring it to you as soon as it begins to steam. When a
pailful of hot water can be procured, set it under the sheet, and keep it
steaming by putting hot irons or co ila into it. When the child is better
remove the steaming water from under the sheet, but not from the room,
and cool the child off very carefully, rubbing its body thoroughly dry while


THE NVRSERY. 173
under cover. If there is no improvement in a few moments after you have
begun treatment, there is danger of croup in its most serious form, and
medical assistance should be called as soon as possible. Meanwhile, keep
at work until it arrives.
When baby has a sore throat it is never wise to treat it yourself, especi-
ally if it is a young baby; sore throat in children will often yield to home
treatment, and does not become fatal quite so rapidly. When he Was a cold
that makes breathing difficult, lookout for bronchitis or pneumonia. Begin
at once to apply cloths wrung from hot water to the chest and throat, re-
newing them as often as they become cold, and protecting the child from
draughts.
Hiccough is often very troublesome to babies, and is sometimes found
quite difficult to control. When cold water has proven ineffectual, try giv-
ing the little granulated sugar moistened with good vinegar—not the prepara-
tions of acid sold for vinegar by many grocers.
The most reliable symptoms of whooping cough are : eyes red and watery
during an attack of coughing, which is usually very persistent, and the
"whoop ;" but that is not heard for two or three weeks after the disease is
taken. The child will not take the disease unless he gets the breath of a
whooping-cough patient. Dr. Cook claims that whooping cough is caused
by an insect which burrows first in the glands under the tongue, then in
4hose next the tonsils on the way to the bronchia and lungs. Ou its first
appearance she advocates putting one grain of quinine under the tongue at
bed time, requiring the patient to hold it there until it is dissolved before
swallowing. She says this shortens the length and severity of the disease
by killing the insects. Other doctors claim that the disease can be cured
by taking the child for a daily visit to the gas works, and it may be that it
such is the case, it is because this treatment also affects the insects.
Teething is the hardest work a baby has to do. Do not get impatient if
he is cross. Remember that it is the only way he has of telling you how
badly he feels. Keep him out of doors as much as possible. There is not
much that can be done for him, except to keep him comfortably dressed
and well-cared for in every way. When the gums are very much inflamed,
relief may be obtained by putting tiny slivers of ice into his mouth. They
must be also small that they will melt before they pass into his stomach. Do
not dance the gums. It is a practice that very often onuses a child great
pain, as the tooth must often force its way through a sort of membrane
formed by the healing of the lanced place. After the eruption of the teeth
it is a good plan to give baby a crust of bread to bite, as it will stimulate
the salivary glands to action. Do not give quieting medicines ; they do no
real good, even for the time, and are often harmful. If necessary give your
whole time and attention to the care of your baby during the teething
period, but let the care be intelligent. You have no right to let your
thoughtlessness, negligence or ignorance make him suffer more than is
necessary.
Finally, teach your child when old enough to protest against taking
medicine that he must not do so. Never humor him the first time. Insist
on his taking at once what you give him, and such obedience may save his
life at some critical moment. Another important matter is to teach him to
gargle his throat. Some children will learn it very young, and it is con-
venient in cases of sore throat.
There is yet another item of importance that will not be out of place in
this chapter, and that is on the use of the nursery chair. Some mothers do


174 THE NURSERY.
not bring it into use until the child is well on to his second birthday.
That is not sensible. If yon have been regular in your habita of caring for
him, you will notice that his bowels move regularly, and he can be taught
to use the chair by the time ihat he is three months old. If he has trouble
with his bowels this cannot be done, nor is it wise to undertake it. A child
once trained to use the chair at a certain hour each day is much better off,
and less liable to have bowel trouble than children wbo are waited upon
until the mother considers them old enough to understand what she says.
CHAPTER VI.
WHAT TO TEACH BABY.
The editors of periodicals devoted to child-culture, or of those contain-
ing a department for mothers' talks, could tell a surprising story of the num-
ber of letters they receive asking advice about the training of children. It
is, indeed, a question of great importance, and shows as plainly the need of
special training for mothers, as it does that they have followed no such
instructions as have been given in this treatise. Most mothers have a habit
of waiting until a child is about three years of age before beginning to train
him, urging that he is only a baby and cannot understand before that age;
and, totally oblivious of the fact that ever since his birth he has been re-
ceiving a kind of training far from desirable and which must all be undone
before any progress can be made in the right direction, and, because of
their blindness, make many useless, uureasoning efforts to find a foothold.
They are practicing upon the child's mental and moral nature, just as
many physicians practice upon him when he is ill, and it is a wonder that
he comes through it all as well as he does. It is pitiful to watch the
struggle that ensues when a mother considers that the time has arrived
when baby must be trained, and has no clearer idea of the strength of the
habits she has already allowed him to form than ho has of the necessity of
forming new ones.
The training of a child should begin from the day of his birth; indeed,
it should begin many years before, but we will ignore that fact as the mother
did when she married, and do the best we can for the little creature now
that he is here.
We should begin by training him to be regular in his habits. From the
first day ho should eat regularly, sleep regularly and be bathed regularly.
It will not be so hard to teach him to be regular in his habits, as it will to
make yourself and the nurse perform your share of the duties regularly.
It is very easy to find good reasons why this should not be done just yet,
and the other should not be done at all this time, but that is no way to
train the baby into regularity of habits. If mothers could only be made to
see the advantage of proper and careful training during the first years
of a child's life, they would exercise a little more discipline over their own
actions.
Go into the homes where children have to be scolded before they wil!
go to bed, and then leave the room sulky or in tears or angry ; go where
they are allowed to cry between meals tor something to eat and then refuse
what is sef before them at meal-time, because the lunch has deprived them
of appetite; go where the bathing process means an hour of screaming re-
bellion on the child's part, and of impatient words and blows on the
mntViof'a; and then tro into the home wbara the mother compelled herself


THE NURSERY. 175
to teach her child regular habits, and note the difference. Webster defines
habit as an involuntary tendency to perform certain actions, whioh is ac-
quired by their frequent repetition. 'Habit becomes second nature, and is
much more easily acquired than broken off, as any one can tell who has
tried to get rid of an undesirable one.
If the mother is earnest in her efforts, she will soon get into a habit of
atlending to the little one regularly, and when a habit is once formed it is
no longer a task.
Now, see the advantage of it. A child who has always been fed regularly
never cries between meals ; when he has been put to bed at a regular hour,
he is sleepy when bed-time comes and habit urges him to go at once. Ho
will not cry unless you let him remain up until he becomes nervous and
cross, or wide awake with unwonted excitement; and if he has been bathed
regularly he does not rebel because he knows that rebellion is useless ; nor
will he care to if the bath is conducted in a sensible manner.
In the three items here mentioned lie the causes of at least half of the
nursery conflicts, and a great share of the trouble the mother experiences
when she undertakes to train her child into perfect obedience, without giv-
ing due thought to the strength of the undesirable habits which she allowed
him to form. So, for the sake of emphasis, we will repeat: The first duty
of the mother is to teach her child to be regular in his habits. The second
is to teach him to obey her instantly ; and the third is to teach him not to
cry for what he may not have, or to compel her to reverse a decision.
The second duty begins as soon as he is able to stretch out his hands
towards objects that atlract his attention, and, if the mother is firm, the
third duty is performed almost unconsciously. Children cry because they
hope to gain a point, and th y soon stop crying when they become con-
vinced that their efforts have not the slightest effect. When you see a
child cry an hour because an object has been refused him, or a request
has not been granted, you may be very sure that he has gained a point in
that way before.
"Why," said one mother, "I have to give up when Johnny cries like
that, or he would cry himself into spasms."
Johnny is two-and-a-half years old, and possessed of a vast amount of
determination. He does not realize how serious might be the results to
himself from such a severe and prolonged attack of crying; all his
thoughts are on the object that he hopes to gain, and which experience has
taught him may be gained by that means if he only perseveres long
enough. It is not unlikely but that he would cry himself into a spasm now,
but at the age of three or four months there would not have been the
slightest danger of it; babies cry, then, principally because they are physi-
cally uncomfortable, not because they have been denied some pleasure.
When the mother gives the three-months-old boy the pretty thing he
cried for, she puts him in danger of spasms from crying when he is two
years old, ami begins to lift the great burden of care and worry and doubt
and heartache which the mother of an.unmanageable child is forced to
carry, and which often robs her of all happiness and even of life itself.
I have seen a mother holding her baby as near as possible, with safety,
toward the bright light, while he was working with all his might to clutch
it in his awkward fingers. It was any amount of tun for the mother and
the spectators, and completely absorbed the little one's attention; but it
did not teach him why he should not again be helped to get it when he
wanted it. To hs sure mamma might have said, "No, no, the light will


176 THE NURSERY.
burn baby;" but that would have little weight after his first experience,
and with his vague knowledge of the meaning of words. The mother did
wrong in the first place, and very likely she will add to the wrong by hold-
ing him toward the fire again, and as often as he demands it. She finds it
easier to do that way than to resist him, and to do what is easiest for her-
self at the present moment seems to be the motive governing the majority
of mothers in the care of their children.
In the case referred to, for instance, there would have been some excuse
for the mother's conduct had there been no other way to amuse the baby.
But such was not the case, and would never have been had she possessed
common sense. His attention might easily have been attracted toward
something that was bright and pretty, and which he might have as well as
not. It would have been quite as amusing to the mother to see him work
to get it, and no evil consequences could have followed.
Begin, the first time that the child reaches for what he must not
have, by saying, " Baby must not have that," and do not let your actions
contradict your words. Do not think that it is all nonsense because he is
not old enough to understand. He understands at a much earlier period
than you imagine, and it is far wiser to begin a month too early than a.
month too late. The mother who begins in that way with her child of
three months is not likely to find it necessary to slap the hands of the year-
old baby for taking what he had been told he must not have. I have very
little faith in Solomon's method of child-training. I could never have felt
any more respect for him than I do for a man teacher—the great strong fellow
whom I once heard lecture before other teachers on school government:
"Thrash them until they can't stand up, if need be, but make them mind,"
he said.
Much has been written against the practice of corporal punishment, yet
we can find almost as many parents favoring it as opposing it. I have
sometimes wondered whether if those mothers who whip their little ones
could be made to see themselves as I was once made to see myself, it
would make any difference.
My three-year-old had been naughtier than usual one day, and, before
I stopped to think, I had said that I had a great mind to whip her. She
looked at me with eyes full of amazement.
"What is whip, mamma; is it strike ?" she asked. Then she quickly
added, " Bad girls strike!"
That is just what I had told her but a few days before, and I think that
I never in my life felt more thoroughly ashamed of myself than I did wheu
she asked me that question. I endeavored to change the subject, for, in
spite of my half threat, I could no more have whipped her after the glimpse
she had given me of myself than I could have tortured her in any more
cruel way; but her interest was aroused and the subject was not to be
changed so easily. She did not seem to have any fear, only a lively curryosity regarding the threatened punishment.
"If you should strike me, m unma, then I could strike you, couldn't I?"
she asked, and I knew not what to say, for I really did not care to teach
her taat might made right—and children form such direct conclusions! I
might have given all the f lse reasoning by which we mothers convince
ourselves that such a process is perfectly just, but in the baby mind it would
be: "Mamma can strike me because she is big and I am little; but wnen
I get big I can strike, too." It is very natural, you know, for a chilci to
want to do as mother does.


THE NURSSBT. 171
I groped in my mind for some suitable aUswer, but, without waiting for
it, my merciless, little tormentor continued:
"Mamma, if you do strike me, where will you strike? Don't you" love every little bit of me?"
I might have explained that if I struck h«r it would be because I loved
her, but do you suppose she would have really believed that? Are we
always ready to believe that God sends some great punishment for us to
bear simply because he loves us? and babies have not the reasoning
powers that we have. I might have ordered her to go away and not ask
me any more questions. I have heard mothers do that, but I never could
see the wisdom of such a course. Besides, I was ashamed of myself, and
felt that I had shown myself unfit for the high calling of motherhood. How
I got out of the scrape I do not remember. I know that her question
whether I " did not love every little bit of her," helped me, and I said
something very fast and not at all to the point, and hoped that she would
very soon forget that mamma had threaten' d to strike, though I was not at
all anxious that she should forget the conversation I had had with her but
a few days before, when I had earnestly tried to impress the fact on her mind that " it was naughty to strike, and only bad girls did so."
Whipping a child may make him afraid to do the naughty trick again,
and if you think that only by fear can you train him to be good, then whip
him, of course; for it is necessary that he should be taught to obey. But
do not trouble yourself to explain that it hurts you more than it does him,
that it is only for his good and because you love him, and all such non-
sense, for such explanations have but little weight with him, and why
should they? They are really false. Sometimes you whip the child be-
cause you are angry, and it makes you feel better to do so; sometimes be-
cause you threatened to do so before you thought—as I did—and then have
an idea that you must carry out your threat whatever happens ; sometimes
because you are too fond of your own pleasure to take time to think whether
you might not have a better influence over them in some other way; some-
times because you are too lazy to attempt a method of exacting obedience
that would require more time and trouble. It doesn't take long to whip a
child, you know, but, really, is it ever done because you have his real good
at heart?
Let us go back for IT moment to the question of carrying out a threat
made in a moment of thoughtlessness or anger. There are hundreds of
good people who believe that it must be done, or that the child will be ruined, but I am inclined to take exceptions to that theory. It does not
have reason for its foundation. On the same principle one would feel com-
pelled to kill a person because he had threatened to. I believe that there
is no method of child-training that will be successful unless it is based on
sound common sense. It is never wise to make threats, but when you
have done a foolish thing, don't add to the foolishness by doing something
worse, trusting to luck that it may turn out all right. Look the situation
squarely in the face, and get out of the predicament in as good order as
possible. If the child is old enough to understand you, your wisest way is
to say, at once, that you have made a mistake. Explain to him that he was
so very naughty and made you feel so badly that you hardly knew what
you were doing when you threatened to whip him, but that you certainly
did not intend to do anything of the sort. If you go to work right, the con-
versation will leave him thinking much more about how naughty he was
to make mamma feel so badly than about the mistake you made.


178 THE NURSERY.
That your child should, even at a very early age, be thrown among peo-
ple who do or say things that you would not care to have him do or say
cannot be avoided. It is not always best to tell him that you do not want
him to do so because it is wrong, for many times you do not want to give
him an impression that those people do wrong, and again, little people are
apt to cause trouble by inuoceutly repeating what mamma has said.
I found that the best way for me was to encourage my baby to come to
me with everything,—then in correcting such faul s to say, "Baby must
not do or say that until mamma does." Such a course tends to make mam-
ma herself very careful in this respect, as the course recommended in the
case of thoughtlessly-made threats causes her to make very few of them.
There is great need of such care and watchfulness on the part of both par-
ents, and discipline of that sort cannot be too highly commended. Happy
is the mother who can say to her little boy, "You must not smoke nor swear
nor drink nor abuse dumb brutes until papa does !" It is to be hoped that
the time is not far distant when girls will think of that before they marry,
and not choose a husband who has habits that they would not want their
boy to copy.
The wise mother will teach her child to amuse himself. To do this she
must begin the first of week his life. Every time she takes him up to
play with him when he is lying quietly looking around, she is teaching
him a habit that will have to be broken when he is older and she does not
feel that she can give the best part of her time to amusing him. It is won-
derful how independent a little baby may become in that respect if you only
give him an opportunity. Be sure that he is comfortable, and change his
position often enough so that he will not become tired, and then let him
alone. It is the best way in the world to avoid having a nervous baby. He
will not be so precocious as he would if played with, but he will be less
troublesome and much stronger and healthier, md as has been said before,
and should be said often, when his brain power is called into service it will
not fail him.
A well-padded box is a very nice convenience for the baby who is to be
taught to amuse himself, and should be provided for him as soon as he begins to pull himself up on his teet. Have the sides just high enough for
him to hold to as he tries to walk and put extra thicknesses of padding there,
so that, when he falls, he will not hurt his head by striking it against the
sharp edges. Fasten pretty, bright balls at the corners, and put his play-
things inside the box. He will have great fun throwing them out, but it
will take you only a moment to replace them, and baby will amuse himself
for a long time. This contrivance is to be recommended for several reasons:
It keeps him off the floor where he is liable to get hurt, or to pick up things
that, if swallowed, might injure him, or to take cold; he teaches himself to
walk; you can work without worry, for you know he is safe ; and he learns
to depend on himself for amusement.
There is another nursery contrivance that is to be recommended, and
which will be found useful when he begins to walk. It is a pen made of
slats and having castors attached. It is made too high for the child to climb
over, and is so light that it is easily rolled about the floor, and saves the
little one many a fall; indeed, it is a perfect protection for him in many
ways, and is recommended to the mother who is to teach her child this first
lesson in independence—to amuse himself.
The next thing of importance to teach tho baby is thoughtfulness for
others. At the same time teach him to be gentle in his treatment of dumb


THE NURSERY. 179
brutes. Begin as soon as he is old enough to enjoy having the kitten put
into his lap, and never let an act of cruelty go uureproved. The very acts that look so cunning in the baby spring from inaiincis which, if allowed to
grow, will prompt to actions in the man that would cause you to turn from
him in disgust and horror
Restrain Ike little hands when they stroke kitty too energetically, say-
ing "No, no, baby hurts kitty," or something to that effect, being careful
always to use the same words. He will learn, very young, what is meant,
and soon it will not be necessary to hold his bands, as he will know what
it means when you I ell him not to hurt kitty. In the same way he can be
taught to be careful of the feelings of others. "Baby makes mamma sor-
ry"may be used as effectively when he is naughty, as the other speech
when he is rough with his playmates or dumb companions. I have seen
children two years old who were allowed to pull hair, scratch, strike, and
bite. They were not reproved because the mother was be sure that baby
would outgrow such habits, and it would be useless to notice them now.
He may cease to show his temper in just that way, but tire feeling that
prompts him to kick and bite is nut going to be outgrown when it is given
every opportunity for development, and I cannot see how a mother can be
so blind as not to realize that fact.
I have seen mothers laugh when their two-year-old boy whipped hie
rocking-horse with all his strength, but would they have laughed had they
stopped to think seriously about it? Mothers make a great mistake when
they let such opportunities to exert a good influence pass unnoticed, and
because of that they are really to be blamed for the part of the cruelty
shown by men.
It is easy to teach a child to be polite when you begin early, and hard
when you wait until he has formed ideas of his own regarding the neces-
sity of politeness. It is with that, as with other titings ; more can be done
during the first three years of a child's life toward training him in the way
you wish him to go, than can be done in the next ten years, if he has
reached his third year with no more training than that which is usually
accorded to babies.
The necessity of refinement in all dealings with children cannot be too
strongly insisted on. Teach them personal reserve, a characteristic that cannot be too carefully cherished. Never criticise people before a little
child, more particularly those who supply his wants. No one can be truly
courteous unless he has been taught to have a genuine respect for human-
ity. It requires a great deal of tact to tell a child that you do not wish him
to play with another child whose talk or actions you do not approve of;
such information tends to make a child insufferably egotistical.
A mother should never say that she cannot have articles of beauty in
her rooms because the children destroy them. She need have no occasion
for saying anything of the sort, unless she is indolent; for properly-train-
ed children are not allowed to destroy things. When a child is old enough
to creep he should understand what it means to be told that "baby must
not touch that," and should be taught to have a regard for the rights of
others.
I knew a little girl who, when only two y are of age, would clasp her
hands behind her back in order not to be tempted into touching something
that she particularly admired, but knew that she must not have. None of
the neighbors were afraid to have her go alone into their daintily furnish ed rooms- for they knew that their pretty trifles would be undisturbed.


189 THE NURSERY.
She was taught that regard for others without having received a blow or
a harsh word: yet she was no more easily trained than any child may be
—having a strong will and a nervous organization, and being an only child
petted by all who knew her.
Parents should guard against exhibitions of temper in their little ones.
I believe that many children are made naughty by injudicious training.
There are few children who can be easily forced into obedience, while near-
ly all may be led. I have seen children obey a command that they dare
not disobey, but in such a way that it would have been hard to say which
was preferable—such obedience, or bare-faced disobedience.
When you see that your little one is fretful and unhappy, do not provoke
him to wrath. Such conduct on the part of parents is unwise and wrong.
A wise parent will not enter into quarrels with a baby, neither will he dom-
ineer over him because he can.
So much of the happiness and comfort of the family and friends de-
pends upon the deportment of the children that parents cannot give too
careful attention to their training: and though much time, tact and pa-
tience will be required, remember that there is no greater work.


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
BY MRU. A. K. STAUFFEli*
Medallion JLace.—No. 30 thread and the usual novelty braid, with six
loops on each side and a cord between. Fasten in the first loop and chain
3, which is counted as first treble, and make another treble in the same
loop. * Chain 3, skip 1 loop, 2 trebles in next. Chain 3, 2 trebles in next,
without skipping. Chain 3, skip a loop, 2 trebles in last and 2 trebles in
first liop of next medallion. Repeat to the end of the length required.
Then you can either break the thread or make this same pattern on the other
side of the braid.

MEDALLION LACE AND INSERTION.
The second row above has 1 double in each 3 chain with 5 chain be-
tween.
The third row has 3 trebles in each 5 chain with 3 chain between.
The fourth row has 3 trebles in the chain between the trebles with 3
chain between.
For the lower edge- fasten in the first 3 chain. Chain 3 and make one
treble in same. * Chain 3. Make 2 double trebles (that is, thread over
twice) in the middle chain. Repeat twice. Then chain 3, 2 trebles in third
chain and 2 trebles in the first chain of next figure. Repeat.
• From the Ladles7 World. by permission of Massra. s. H. Moore & Co.


1S2 LACE MAKING ANDCROCHET.
The third row has 1 double in the first chain. * Chain 3, 1 double be. tween the double trebles. Chain 3,1 double in next chain. Repeat, and
make a chain of 3 between the 2 scallops. This is a very durable trim-
ming.
A neat insertion with this braid has 4 double trebles in the first, third,
fourth and sixth loops, keeping the top stitches on the needle and working
off with the fourth stitch. Both sides of the braid are similarly worked, and
then a row of chain stitches made on both sides. Fasten where the double
trebles meet between the medallions, and chain about 5 stitches, and make
1 double in the next double trebles and repeat to the end of the row. Then
turn and make 1 treble in every second or third stitch with 2 chain between,
and if a wider insertion is desired, add more rows of these trebles with 2
chain between.
Crocheted Shoulder Cape.—Chain of ninety stitches; two treble
stitches in third and fourth chain stitch from end ; three treble stitches in
next chain stitch ; two treble stitches in next two chain stitches. You now
have one scallop. Skip two chain stitches and make two treble stitches in
two next chain stitches; three treble in next stitch, and keep on doing this
till you have eleven scallops. Chain one and fasten into the third chain
stitch from last treble stitch with a ring stitch. Chain two, turn, make
two treble stitches right over the two treble in first row. Then make five
treble right over the middle of the three in first row; two more treble in
next two stitches. Skip one as you did in first row, and continue this way
till you get to the end. Chain one and fasten with single stitch, so as to
leave a space as you did in first row ; chain two, turn ; in this row put three
treble stitches on each side of scallop and three in the middle, right over
the middle stitch of the five treble stitches in the mi Idle of scallop in sec-
ond row. Next row, three trebles on each side of scallop and five in the
middle. Next row, four on each side of the scallop and three in the
middle. Every time you make five stitches in the center of seallnp it
widens two stitches. Keep doing this till your cape comes to tip of the
shoulder; then continue with three stitches in center of scallop till it is
long enough. If you put fringe on it, it should come to within a finger's
length of the waist; if you scallop it, longer. It takes four small size
skeins of Saxony or three large size, or four skeins of Grmantown to make
it. In the spaces between the scallops run narrow ribbon of same or con-
trasting color of cape.
These directions are perfectly reliable, and the cape a desirable addition
to any one's wardrobe.
BJeck Ruching.—The materials required are novelty braid, like the piece
of narrow linen tape, with holes on either side instead of loops, and a ball
of crochet cotton No. 70, either white ecru or red, as individual fancy dic-
tates. O t tte requisite length for the neck and sleeves and hem the ends
neatly to prevent raveling.
Fasten the thread in a hole. Chain 4 for first stitch, * skip one hole, 1
treble in the next. Chain 1. Repeat from*. When you have done this, do
not cut off the thread. Chain 4. Turn the work and make a row of double
trebles in the space made by the one chain of last row (that is, thread over
twice). Turn again, and beginning at the top, make 12 trebles on the bar
formed by the double trebles going down on one bar and up on the other—
•ntil the double trebles are all covered with the 12 trebles.


LACEMAKING AND CROCHET.
183
Leaf Edging.—Cast on fourteen stitches.
1st Row : Widen, knit one, widen, knit two, narrow twice, knit two,
widen; narrow, widen, narrow, knit one. Every alternate row seam across,
slipping first stitch.
3d Bow: Widen, knit three, widen, knit one, narrow twice, knit one,
widen, narrow, widen, narrow, knit one.
5th Row : Widen, knit five, widen, narrow twice, widen, narrow, widen,
narrow, knit one.
7th Bow: Widen, knit three, narrow, knit two, widen, narrow, widen,
narrow, widen, narrow, knit one.
Vandyke Lace, with Braid—Use No. 8 spool cotton and novelty
braid for the foundation.
1st. Fasten in fifth loop. Chain two. Make one double in the follow-
ing second loop. Chain three. Turn.
2d. Make lour trebles over the chain of two. Chain two. One treble in
second loop. Chain five. Turn.
M. One treble in the first of the four trebles. Chain two. Four trebles

VANDYKE LAOE, WITH BRAID.
after the trebles in the space formed by the three chain. One double in
the third loop of braid. Chain two. One double in the second loop.
Chain three. Turn.
4th. Four trebles in chain. Chain two. Four trebles in hole after the
trebles. Chain two. One treble in third of five chain. Chain five. Turn.
5th. One treble in the first of four trebles. Chain two. One treble in
the last of four trebles. Chain two. One treble in the first treble. Chain
two. Four trebles in the last. One double in the third loop. Chain two.
One double in second loop. Chain three. Turn.
Cth. Four trebles on the chain of two. Chain two. One treble in the
last of four trebles Chain five. Turn. Repeat from the third row.
There are two ways of finishing the lower edge.
For a heavy scallop: Make one double, three trebles and one double in
each hole, adding two more trebles at the point—or make two doubles.
Chain three, one double in each hole, and at the point make * two doubles,
three chain. Repeat twice, ending with one double.
For the upper edge : Fasten to a loon. Chain three for the first stitch.


184
LACE MAKING Ah"U0CHE1.
* Wrap the thread twice on the hook. Catch the next loop and draw the
thread through. This makes four stitches on the needle. Thread over.
Draw through two. Thread over. Catch the next loop. Five stitches on
needle. Thread over. Draw through two. Thread over. Draw through
two. Thread over. Draw through three. Chain two. Repeat from *.
Insertion and Button-hole Point.—No. 40 ecru linen thread.
Chain thirty. Turn.
1st. One treble in seventh stitch. Chain two. One treble in following
third stitch. Chain aix, skip five. Make one double in sixth stitch. Chain

INSERTION AND BUTTON-HOLE POINT.
three. One double in next. Chain three. One double in next. Chain
six, skip five. One treble in sixth stitch. Chain two, one treble in third
stitch. Chain two, skip two, one treble in last. Chain five. Turn.
M. One treble in next treble. Chain two, one treble in next treble.
Chain three. One double in fourth stitch of chain. Seven trebles in first
space formed by three chain of last row. Seven treb'es in next space. One
double in second chain stitch. Chain three. one treble in first treble. Olmin


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET. 185
two, one treble in next treble. Chain two, one treble in third stitch of chain
at the end. Chain five. Turn.
M. One treble in first treble. Chain two, one treble in second treble.
Chain six. One double in the seventh treble of center. Chain three. One
double in the eighth Ireble. Chain three. One double in the ninth treble.
Chain six, one treble in the first treble to form the holes on the sides. Chain
two, one treble in next treble. Chain two, one treble at end. * Chain five.
Make one double at the end of the last row to form a loop for the first scal-
lop in the point. Turn and make eight doubles in this loop to imitate but-
ton-hole stitch, one treble in treble at the end. Chain two.
4th. Like the second.
5th. Like the third to *. Chain five. One double at end for second
scallop. Turn and make four doubles. Chain five. Turn. Make one
double between the third and fourth stitches of the first scallop. Turn
again. Make eight doubles in the chain for second row of scallops, and
make four doubles in the second scallop of first row to finish it, one treble
in treble at end. Chain two.
6th. Like the second.
7th. Like the third to *. After making the last treble, chainfivo. Mike
one double in same place. Turn. Make four doubles. Chain five. Turn.
One double in centl r of the last scallop of first row. Turn. Make four
doubles in loop. Chain five. Turn. Make one double in the center of
scallop in second row. Turn. * Make eight doubles in this chain for third
row and four doubles to finish each of the two half-finished scallops of the
first two rows. One treble at the end. Chain two.
8th. Like the second.
9th. Like the third to *, and like the seventh to *. Make four doubles.
Chain five. Turn. One double in centre of scallop in third row. Turn
Eight doubles, and finish the other three, with four doubles, one treble at
end. Chain two.
10th. Like the second.
11th. Like the third and seventh rows to the stars. Four doubles. Chain
five. Turn. One double in center. Turn. Four doubles. Chain five.
One double in center of fourth row. Turn. Eight doubles and four doubles
in each of the unfinished scallops. One treble at end. Chain two.
12th. Like the second.
13th. Repeat third and seventh rows. Then four doubles. Chain five.
One double in fourth row. Turn. Four doubles. Chain five One double
in fifth row. Turn. Eight doubles for the sixth and last scallop and four
doubles in each of the unfinished scallops. One treble at end. Chain two.
14th. Repeat second and third rows to *. Then chain two and make a
row of trebles round the entire point with two chain between. These will
come in every second stitch or in the center and at the end of a half scal-
lop. There will be twenty-five holes. There must be four trebles at the
point, not including the trebles on either side at beginning and end of the
scallop. At the end of the twenty-fifth hole catch to the insertion with one double. Then chain three. Turn. Make one treble in first hole in the
point. * Chain four. Fasten back with one double in the first chain stitch.
Repeat twice from *. Make the three doubles in same. Chain three, Ono
double in next hole. Chain tbree. One treble in next hole, and repeat
from * until you have thirteen of these leaves around the point, six on each
side and one at the top. End with one double in the treble of the insertion,
and repeat the second and third to the * three times before beginning an-


186
LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
Join by the center loops of first leaf. Make a similar row
other point.
for top.
Punnet Lace.—Make a chain of 22 stitches.
1st Bow: One double crochet in sixth chain. Chain 2, 1 double crochet
in eighth chain. Chain 2, 1 double crochet in tenth chain. Chain 2. 1
double crochet in twelfth chain. Chain 2, 1 double crochet in fourteenth
chain. Chain 2, 1 double crochet in sixteenth chain. Chain 2, 1 double
crochet in eighteenth chain. Chain 2, 1 double crochet in twentieth chain.
Chain 2, 1 double crochet in twenty-second chain.
2d Bow: Chain 5, double crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double
crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double crochet in double crochet.
Chain 2, 3 double crochet in chain 2. Chain 2, double crochet in double

PUNNET LACE.
crochet. Chain 2, double crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double
crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double prophet in end.
3d Row : Chain 5, double crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double
crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, 3 double crochets in chain 2, 1 double
crochet in double crochet, 3 double crochete/in Chain 2. Chlin 2, double
crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double,' crochet in double crochet.
Chain 2, double crochet in end. ..• ,'
4th Row : Chain 5. double crochet in double.crochet. Chain 2, 3 double
crochets in chain 2, 5 double crochets in double crochets, 3 double crochet in chain 2. Chain 2, double crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double
crochet in end i
5th Row: Chain 5, 3 double crochets.in chain 2, 9 double crochets in
double crochets, 3 double crochets in chain 2. Chain 2, double crochet in
end.
6th Row : Chain 5, 7 double crochets in double crochets. Chain 2, skip


LACEMAKING AND CROCHET. 187
1 double crochet and double crochet in remaining 7 double crochets. Chain
2, double crochet in end. Chain 10, fasten in preceding row.
7thRow : Bightdouble crochets. Chain 3, 8 double crochets in chain 10.
Chain 2,15 double crochets in double crochets. Chain 2, double crochet in
end.
8th Row : Chain 5, double crochet in double crochet. Chain 2,11 double
crochets in double crochets. Chain 2, double crochet in double crochet.
Chain 2, double crochet in end, double crochet in every double crochet of
scallop with 2 double crochets. Chain 3, 2 double crochet in chain 3 of
scallop.
9th Row: Double crochet in every double crochet of scallop with 2
double crochets. Chain 3, 2 double crochet in chain 3 of scallop. Chain 2,
double crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double crochet in double
crochet. Chain 2, 7 double crochets in double crochets Chain 2, double
crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double crochet in double crochet. Chain
2, double crochet in end.
10th Row: Chain 5, double crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double
crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double crochet in double crochet.
Chain 2. 3 double crochets in double crochets. Chain 2, double crochet in
double crochet. Chain 2, double crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double
crochet in double crochet. Chain 2, double crochet in end. Chain 2, double
crochet in every other double crochet of scallop w th chain 3 in chain 3.
11th Bow: One single crochet, 2 double crochets. 1 single crochet in
every chain 2 of scallop. * Chain 2, double crochet in double crochet. Re-
peat from * to end of row.
Repeat from second row.
Crochet Underskirt. —A seasonable bit of fancy-work just now, and
one suited especially for an invalid worker, is a crochet petticoat, the direc-
tions for which are as follows. The material needed will be one pound of
Berlin wool, white or colored. The abbreviations in directions are : D. C,
double crochet; S. C, single crochet; Ch., chain. This petticoat will be 31
in. long and 69 3-8 in. wide below, and it will have a band, which is worked
so simply that it may easily be made larger or stniUer. The ciwhet for
this band is begun at the lower edge, and executed in rows of S. C, made
backward and forward. The foundation is of 194 Ch., and this gives a
width of 43 3-8 in. In 21 rows the number of stitches is to be reduced to
130. The 22d row is crocheted of 2 double D. C. and 2 Ch., made alter-
nately (through this row is put a piece c f elastic 25 3-4'in. long and 3-4 in..
wide), while the 23d and last row consists of S. C. A row of 8. C. secures
the back edges of the band, closed with two buttons and button-holes made
in the elastic, and deeper down in the crochet. In crocheting on the skirt
part, the back edges of the band are first put 3-4 in. over each other (here
the stitches are to be caught up two-fold, later on), and then in the founda-
tion closed to a round. The first row is worked as follows : * 1 S. C, 1 half
D. C., always in one stitch ; . 1 D. C. and 1 double D. C., together in one
stitch; 1 double D. C. and 1 single D. c, together in one stitch; 1 half D.
C. and 1 S. C. again, always in one stitch. Repeat from star.
In the second row the wavy Vandyke pattern is begun, this being com-
posed only of S. C. ; for the points two stitches are always passed over in
each hollow, and at the top three crocheted in one stitch. An increase of
stitches will not be required, as the crochet is so elastic. Seventy-two rows i
give the Usgth. which is 2C 2-4 in. oil the skirt proper.


isa
LACE MAKING AND CR0CUE1.
Tunisian Lace—Cast on fifteen stitches, knit across plain. First row
—Knit three, over, narrow, knit three, over, kuit one, over, knit six. Sec-
ond row—Knit six, over, knit three, over, narrow, knit three, over, narrow,
knit one. Third row—Knit three, over, narrow, over, narrow, over, knit
Ave, over, knit six. Fourth row—Bind off five, knit one, over, narrow, knit three, narrow, over, narrow, knit one, over, narrow, knit one. Fifth row—
Knit three, over, narrow, knit one, over, narrow, knit one, narrow, over,
knit three. Sixth row—Knit three, over, knit one, over, slip two, knit one,
bind over the two slipped stitches, over, knit four, over, narrow, knit one.
Wheel l.ace—Chain 12. 1 double in fourth stitch. Chain 5, 1 double
in fourth stitch. Chain 2, 1 double in same. Chain 5,1 double in the last
stitch of the chain of 12. Chain 2,1 double in same. Chain 5. Turn.

WHEEL LACE.
2d. 1 double in the 5 chain. Chain 2, 1 double in same. Chain 5, 1
double in the next 5 chain. Chain 2,1 double in same. Chain 5. Turn.
M. Like the second.
4th. Like the second, but fasten the last chain 5 in the loop at the end of
the first row with 1 double.
5th. * Chain 10 and form into a wheel by fastening with a slip stitch in
the second of the 10 chain. Chain 3 for the first treble. Turn. Make 8
trebles in the circle just formed. Chain 2. Make 1 double on the side of
the second treble to form r. loop on the edge. 3 trebles. Chain 2,1 double
on the side of third treble. 3 trebles. Chain 2,1 double on the side of 3
trebles, and then make 3 trebles again. This makes half of a wheel-
that is, 12 trebles with 3 loops on the edge. Chain 10 again and repeat from


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET. 189
* to form a second half wheel. Chain 10 the third time and make a whole
wheel, consisting of 21 trebles with 6 loops ou the edge, according to the
directions given in this fifth row. You eud the wheel with 3 trebles, and
fasten in the 3 chain at the beginning with a slip stitch, and then make 1
double in the last treble of the unfinished second wheel. Then make 3
trebles with the loop ou the third, and finish this and the last wheel like the
first except that these two wheels contain 24 trebles with 6 loops on edge.
After fastening the top wheel with a slip stitch, chain 5,1 double in the sec-
ond of the 5 chain in the heading. Chain 2, 1 double in same. Repeat
once. Chain 5 and turn.
6th. 1 double in the 5 chain. Chain 2, 1 double in same. Chain 5, 1
double in the next chain. Chain 2, 1 double in same. Then chain 5 and
make a row of loops around the 3 wheels, * fastening with 1 double between
the first and second loops. Chain 5 and fasten between the second and
third loops. Chain 5 and repeat from *, and in the last wheel fasten be-
tween each loop, so that there four loops of 5 chain. Then chain 5 and
make 1 loop on the middle wheel. Chain 5 and make one loop en the top
wheel. Chain 5 and fasten in the end loop of the top border. Turn.
7th. 1 double in the 5 chain. Chain 2, 1 double in same. Make a row
of 5 chain, 1 double. Chain 2, 1 double in same in every loop of last row.
There will be 16, which brings you to the top of the border. Then chain 5.
Turn and make 5 rows like the second. Then begin at the fifth row. After
making another point of three wheels with the first row of loops finished,
you will then have to fasten the two points together. Chain 2 from the top
wheel and make 1 double in the 5 chain of the border. Chain 2. Hold the
first point towards you and make 1 double in the first loop. * Chain 2.
Make 1 double in the opposite loop of the second point in the chain of the
first wheel. Chain 2, 1 double in next loop of the first point, and repeat
from * twice. The points are joined l times and then finished with the
loops and 5 chain like the first.
Single Spider Web Lace, with Edge.—Chain 23. Turn.
1st. One treble in eighth stitch * Chain 2. One treble in third stitch.
Repeat from * until there are five loops or holes. Make three trebles in the
last three stitches. You will then have four trebles together. Chain 11.
Turn.
2d. Skip 8 of the 11 chain, and make 4 trebles—that is, three in the last
three chain stiiches aud one in the first treble of last row. Chain 2, skip 2.
Make one treble in the last treble, two trebles in the two chain stitches and
one treble in the next treble. Chain 2. One treble in next treble, and re-
peat to make four loops, having the last treble in the third stitch of chain
at the end. Chain 5. Turn.
3d. One treble in first treble. Chain 2. One treble in next. Repeat for
3 loops. Then four trebles together. Chain 4. One long stitch in the cen-
ter loop, between the two groups of trebles—that is, thread over three
times and work off like ordinary trebles. Chain 4. Make 4 trebles—one
in the last treble and one in each of the first 3 chain stitches. Chain 11. Turn.
4th. Skip 8. Make 4 trebles as before in the last 3 chain stitches and
first treble. Chain 6. Skip 6 stitches. Make 3 doubles in next three stitches,
so that the center stitch comes in the extra long stitch. Chain 8. Skip 6.
Make 4 trebles in next four stitches. Chain 2. 1 treble in next. Repeat
for 2 loops, the last treble coming as before in the third of the 5 chain at
end. Chain 5. Turn.


190
LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
5th. 1 loop, 4 trebles. Chain 6. Skip 8 stitches. 5 doubles in next five
stitches—that is, one in each of the three doubles ar.d one on either side.
Chain 6, skip 8. Make 1 trebles. Chain 5. Turn. This is to reduce the
point.
6th. 1 treble in last treble, and 1 in each of 3 chain.
in center of the 5 doubles. Chain 6, skip 4. Make 4
stitches. Chain 2. 1 treble in last treble. Chain 2.
chain. Chain 5. Turn.
7th. 3 loops. 4 trebles. Chain 4. 1 long stitob in center of 3 doubles,
Chain 4. Make 4 trebles. Chain 5. Turn.
8th. 4 trebles. Chain 2, skip 3, 4 trebles, 4 loops. Chain 5. Turn.
Chain 6. 8 doubles
trebles in next four
1 treble in third of

SINGLE SPIDER WEB LACE, WITH EDGE.
9th. 5 loops, 4 trebles, in the last treble, 1 in each of the 2 chain and 1
the first treble. Chain 11. Turn.
Begin at the second row.
For the edge:
1st. Make 1 double treble (that is, thread over twice) in. the side of the
treble between two points, or, in other words, at the end of the shortest
row. Chain 3. 1 double in next loop. Chain 3. 1 troble in the corner be-
tween Iwo groups of trebles. Chain 4. 1 double in next loop. Chain 5. 1
doublo in the side of the treble at the point. Chain 5. 1 doublo in loop.
Chain 4. 1 treble in the corner between two groups of trebles. Chain 3. 1
double in loop. Chain 3. Repeat from the 1 double treble at the begin-
ning of this row until you reach the end of the desired length. Turn.
2d. 1 double under the first three chain. Chain 3. 1 double under next
chain. Chain 8. 1 double under next chain. * Chain 5. 1 double in next
chain Reieat twice from *. Then twice make 3 chain under the chains.
Chain 2. Repeat from beginning of second row. Turn.


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
131
3d. 1 double under first 3 chain. Chain 1. 1 treble in next chain. This
begins a scallop with picot edge. * Chain 3. Make 1 double on the side
of the treble. 1 treble in same 3 chain. Bepeat twice from *. Chain 1. 1
double in next chain of five. Chain 2. 1 treble in next chain. You now
begin the second scallop. * Chain 4. 1 double on the side of the treble.
1 treble in same chain Repeat twice from second *. Chain 2. 1 double
in next chain. Chain 1. 1 treble in next chain—and this begins the third
scallop. * Chain 3. 1 double in the side of the treble. 1 treble in mum, chain. Repeat twice from third *. Chain 1. 1 double under next chain.
Skip 2 chain over the double treble and repeat from the beginning of third
row. The pattern is complete without the edge for tidies, and more grace-
ful with the edge for trimming dresses or aprons.
Beaver l.ace—Make a chain of 20 stitches.
1. Double crochet in sixth chain. Chain 2, 3 double crochets in eighth
ohain. Chain 1,1 double crochet in same chain. Chain 2, double crochet

BEAVER LACE.
in tenth chain, Chain 2, 3 double crochets in twelfth ohain. Chain 1, 1
double crochet in same chain. Chain 2, 1 double crochet in fourteenth
chain. Chain 2, 3 double crochets in sixteenth chain. Chain 1, 1 double
crochet in same chain. Chain 2, 1 double crochet in eighteenth chain.
Chain 2, 1 double crochet in twentieth chain. Turn.
2. Chain 5, 1 double crochet in double crochet. * Chain 2, 3 double
crochets in 1 chain. Chain 1, 1 double crochet in same. Chain 2, 1 double
crochet in double crochet. Repeat from * twice. Chain 2,1 double crochet
in end. Chain 7, fasten in last row. Turn.
3. Thirteen single crochets in chain of 7. Chain 2, double crochet in
double crochet. * Chain 2, 3 double crochets in 1 chain. Chain 1,1 double
crochet in same. Chain 2, 1 double crochet in double crochet. Repeat
from * twice. Chain 2, 1 double crochet in end. Turn,
i. Like the second.


193 LACE MAKING AND CEOCHST.
5. Like the third.
6. Like tho second.
7. Like the third.
8. Like the second.
9. Six single crochets in chain of 7. Turn. * Chain 7, fasten in sevenfk
single crochet of next scallop. Repeat from * twice. Turn. Thirteen sin-
gle crochets in chain 7, 13 single crochet in chain 7, 6 single crochet in
chain 7. Turn. Chain 7, fasten in seventh single crochet of next scallop.
Chain 7, fasten in seventh single crochet of next scallop. Turn. Thirteen
single crochets in chain 7, 6 single crochet in chain 7. Turn. Chain 7,
fasten in seventh single crochet of next scallop, Turn. Thirteen single
crochets in chain 7. * Six single crochets in next scallop. Repeat from *
twice. Finish row like third row.
Repeat from second row.
Single Chain and Shell Insertion.—Chain M. 1. One treble in fourth stitch. Chain 2, skip 2. One treble in each of
next 2. chain 2, skip 3. One double in next, skip 2. Five trebles in next
(called shell for brevity in the succeeding rows), skip 2. One double in
next. Chain 5, skip 5. One double in next, skip 2. Five trebles in next,
skip 2. One double in next. Chain 2, skip 2. One treble in each of next
2 Chain 2, skip 2. One treble in each of next 2. Chain 3.
2. One treble in second treble. Chain 2. One treble in each of next 2
trebles. This is always the same at the beginning and end of a row. Chain
5 One double in center of shell—and make a shell in the next double;
then make 1 double in the center of 5 chain. Chain 5,1 double in center of
shell. Chain 5, 2 trebles. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 3.
3 One treble. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2,1 double in center of chain.
Chain 5,1 double in center of chain. Shell in next double One double in
shell. (Always in center of shell or chain.) Chain 5, 1 double in chain, Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 3.
4. One treble. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 5,1 double in chain. Cham 5
1 double in shell. Shell in next double. One double in chain. Chain 5, 2
trebles. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 3. .
5 One treble Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2. One double m chain.
Shel'lmnext double. One double in shell. Chain 5, 1 double in chain.
Shell in next double. One double in chain. Cham 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2,
2 TZ t3£ 'Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 5, 1 double , in shell .Chain 5
1 double in chain. Shell in next double. One double in shell. Cham 5, 2
trebles. Chain 2,2, 2 trebles. Chain 3. . _ . .
7. One treble. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2,1 double in chain. Cham 5
1 double in shell. Shell in next double. One double in chain. Cham 5. 1
double in chain. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2 2 trebles. Chain 3.
8. One treble. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 5,1 double Ill .chain. Shell in
next double. One double in shell. Chain 5,1 double in chain. Chain 5, 2
trebles. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 3.
9. One treble. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2,1 double in chain. Shell in
next double. One double in chain. Chain 5, 1 double in shell. Bhelin
next double. One double in chain. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Cham 2, 2 trebles.
Chain 3.
Repeat from second row-


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET. 193
Pointed Edge to Match Insertion.—Chain S3.
1. One treble in fourth stitch. Chain 2, skip 2. One treble in each ofnext 2 stitches. Chain 2, skip 3. One double in next. Chain 5, skip 5.
One double in next. Skip 2. Five trebles called shell in next. Skip 2.

SINGLE CHAIN AND SHELL LACE AND INSERTION.
One double in next. Chain 5, skip 5. One double in next. Skip 2. Shell
in last. Chain 5.
2. One double in center of shell. Shell in double after first sbell to


194 LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.make a row of shells diagonally. One double in center of chain. Chain 5,
1 double in shell. Chain 5, 1 double in chain. Chain 5, 2 trebles in the
trebles. Chain 2, 2 trebles in the end. Chain 3-
3. One treble in treble. Chain 2, 2 trebles in trebles. This is always
the same at the top. Chain 2, 1 double in chain. * Chain 5. One dou-
ble always in the center of chain or shell, as the pattern requires. Re-
peat once. Shell in double and double in shell. Chain 5, 1 double in
chain. Chain 5.
I. Shell in double to begin pointed edge. Double in chain. Chain 5,
double in shell. Shell in double after shell. This is always the formula,
and a great deal of unnecessary repetition could be avoided if this could be
remembered. One double in chain. Chain 5,1 double in chain. Chain 5,
2 trebles. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 3.
5. One treble. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2,1 double. Chain 6,1 double.
Shell in double and double in shell. Chain 5, 1 double in chain. Shell in
double and double in shell. Shell in the 5 chain after last shell. Chain 5.
6. Shell in first treble of shell. One double in center of same shell.
Chain 5,1 double in next shell. Shell in double, 1 double in chain. Chain
5, 1 double in shell. Shell in double, 1 double in chain. Chain 5,2 trebles.
Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 3.
7. One treble. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2,1 double. Chain 5, 1 double.
Shell in double and double in chain. Chain 5, double in shell and shell in
double. Double in chain. Shell in double. Double in shell. Chain 3.
8. Double in first shell, Shell in double and double in second shell.
Chain 5, double in chain. Shpll in double and double in shell. Chain 5,
double. Chain 5, 2 trebles. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 3.
9. One treble. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2, 1 double. * Chain 5, 1
double. Bepeafonce. Shell in double and double in chain. Chain 5, 1
double in shell. Chain 5.
10. One double in chain. Shell in double and double in shell. * Chain
5,1 double. Repeat twice, ending with the trebles in top. Chain 3.
II. One treble. Chain 2, 2 trebles. Chain 2, 1 double. Chain 5, 1
double. Shell in double and double in chain. Chain 5, double in shell.
Shell in double. Double in chain at the end. Chain 5.
Begin at second row.
This edge, with the insertion sewed to a four-inch band of ecru linen
or momie cloth, is suitable for a bureau scarf. The edges are turned in
and the band doubled. Sew the other side of the insertion to the center,
which should be about one and a half or two yards long.
Tortoise Shell Lace.—Cast on 10 stitches. Knit across plain.
1. Slip 1, knit 1; thread over, narrow; thread over, narrow; thread
over 3 timee, narrow; thread over twice ; purl 2 together.
2. Thread over twice, purl 2 together; knit 2, purl 1 in loop; knit 1,
purl 1; knit 1, purl 1; knit 2.
8. Slip 1, knit 1; thread over, narrow; knit 1; thread over, narrow;
knit i; thread over twice ; purl 2 together.
4. Thread over twice, purl 2 together; Unit 5, purl 1; knit 2, purl 1;
knit 2.
5. Slip 1, knit 1; thread over, narrow ; knit 2; thread over, narrow;
knit 3; thread over; purl 2 together.
6. Thread over twice, purl 2 together; knit i, purl 1; knit 3, purl 1}
tnitS.


LACE MAKING AND 0 iOCHET. 195
7. Slip 1, knit 1, over, narrow ; knit 3, over, narrow; knit 2, over twice;
purl 2 together.
8. Over twice, purl 2 together; knit 3, purl 1; knit 4, purl 1; knit 2.
9. Slip 1, knit 1, over, narrow; knit 4, over, narrow; knit 1, over twice;
purl 2 together.
10. Over twioe, purl 2 together; knit 2, purl 1; knit 5, purl 1; knit 2.

TORTOISE SHELL LACE: KNITTINO.
11. Slip 1, knit 1, over, narrow ; knit 5, over, narrow; over twice; purl
2 together.
12. Cast off 3 stitcheu. Place the remaining stitch on the right-hand
needle on the left-hand needle; then, over 2, purl 2 together ; knit 5, purl
1; kuit 1. Repeat.
Peacock's Tail Pattern Among elaborate and fanciful stitches not
found in every knitting-book is the peacock's tail pattern, which makes up
very prettily in stripes for sofa cushion covers and other purposes. It is
done as follows:
Cast on wooden or ivory needles a number of stitches divisible by nine,
as it takes nine stitches for each pattern and two for each border; the bor-
der, which ia in plain knitting, will not be mentioned after the first row, so
allowance must be made for its plain knitting; that is, the knitter must not
omit the nlain stitches required on either side for the border.
First Row.—Two plain for border; two plain. * make one, one plain, re-
peat this four times from *, make one, two plain ; repeat from the begin-
ning, then two plain for the border.
Second Bow.—Remember border. Two purl, eleven plain, two purl;
repeat.
Third Bow.—Tike two together, eleven plain, take two together; repeat.
Fourth Bow. -Purl two together, purl nine, purl two together; repeat.
Fifth Row.-- Take two together, seven plain, take two together. "Begin
from the first row.
Thirteen stitches are large enough for a stripe for a sofa cover. These
stripes must be sewed together after all are finished.
A pretty cushion cover can be made by knitting these stripes in dark red
or maroon very fine cord and ecru color, sewing them together alternately,
and trimming one corner of the covered cushion with a bow of maroon and
deep eern satin ribbons. A knitted lace border in dark red would also
make a pretty finish about the edge of the cushion.
Afghan, Mosaic Pattern.—This pattern can be made of the odds and
ends of zephyr or Germantown wool. Begin with any color—olive-green,
for example. Chain 5 stitches. Fasten in the first. Chain 2 for first stitch
and make 12 trebles in the same loop. Fasten to first. Cut the zephyr an4


196
LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
fasten yellow, so that the stitch on the needle will be the next color—in
this case, yellow. Chain 2, and make 6 trebles in the same stitch, with 1
chain between the third and fourth treble. Skip 3 trebles, and make 6
more trebles divided by 1 chain, until there are i shells of 6 trebles. Fasten
to first cut and put on brown, having the stitch on the needle browu, 3
trebles, 1 chain stitch, 3 trebles; in each corner shell as before, but in this
row add 3 trebles between the sheels. Fasten and add black; 3 trebles, 1
chain, 3 trebles in the corners as before, with 3 trebles repeated twice be-
tween the shells. Fasten. This makes one block. Make three blocks in
a row for each stripe, with plain stripe in afghan stitch between. Crochet
the blocks together with black, and fiuish with scallop on the outer edge.
Wide Novelty Braid, with Crochet Edge—Measure the length of
the trimming you need for any article. Use novelty braid an inch wide
and No. 3D thread. Tie the thread in the first loop. * Chain two. Make

WIDE NOVELTY BRAID, WITH CROCBET EDGE.
one double in next loop, and repeat from * to the end of the braid. Make
this edge on both sides:
2d Bow (For the lace on the lower edae)—Fasten in the first hole made
by the two chain. Make seven trebles in the next hole. One double in
next. * Chain three. One double in next. Repeat twice from *. Then
alwavs repeat from seven trebles.
3d Bow—Always begin at the right hand side. Chain three. One
double in the third treble. Chain three. One double in the sixth treble.
* Chain three. One double in the chain. Repeat twice from *. Then
begin the fourth row.
4th Row—Like the second. So that the seven trebles come in the
center chain.
5th Row—Like the third.
6th Row—Like the second.
7th Bow—Fasten in the first. Chain three. One double between. the
third and fourth trebles. Chain three. One double between the fifth


ZACE MAKING AJfD UROCUET. 197
»
and sixth trebles. Chain three. One double in the chain. Chain one.
Make six trebles in next chain, with one chain between. Chain one.
One double in next. Repeat.
8th Row —Fasten in first chain. Chain three. One double in the cen-
ter chain over the seven trebles. Chain three. Skip next chain. One
double treble (that is, thread over twice) between the double and first treble
of last row. Chain oue. One double treble between the next two trebles.
Repeat five times, so that there are seven double trebles, placing the
last oue after the last treble. Repeat from the beginning of this row.
9th Row —Fasten in the chain. Make two trebles between the first
and second double trebles. Chain five. Make one double in the first
of the five chain ior loop. Chain one. Make two trebles between the
next two trebles. Repeat until you have five loops in the scallop, and
six groups of two trebles. One double in the center chain over the
seven trebles, covering the double already in that chain. Repeat.
Balhiigs"" Crochet Lace.—Use No.25 Sea Island ecru crochet ball
thread.
1st. Bow—Chain 56. Turn.
2d Bow- 8 chain. * Double crochet into eighth chain of foundation.
* Chain 5. Double crochet back into third stitch of last 5 chain. Chiin
8. Double crochet into seventh chain of foundation. Repeat from * five
times. 8 chain. Double crochet into last stitch of foundation. Turn.
3d. Bow—Chain 9. Double crochet into sixth chain of last eight
chain in second row. Chain 5. Double crochet back into third chain to
form the pieot. Chain 3. Double crochet into last chain next to picot
of last row. Chain 5. Double crochet back into third chain. Chain 2.
Double crochet into last chain before next picot. Chain 5. * Turn work
over. Double crochet back over last picot into first double crochet from
crochet hook. Chain 3 to form first treble; eight more treble in last done
5 chain. Chain 3. Double crochet into first chain over next picot. Chain
5. Double crochet back into third. Chain 3. Double crochet into chain
next to picot. Chain 5. Double crochet back into third. Chain 3. Double
crochet into chain next to picot. Chain 5. Double crochet back into third
stitch. Chain 3. Double crochet into chain next to picot. Chain 5.
Repeat from * once. Chain 5. Double crochet back into third. Chain
3. Double crochet into chain before next picot. Chain 5. Double crochet
back into third chain. Chain 3. Double crochet into fifth chain of last
row. Turn.
4th. Bow—Chain 8. Double crochet into chain next to picot of last
row. Chain 5. Double crochet back into third stitch to form picot. Chain
3. Double crochet into chain next to picot of last row. Chain 3. Do nine
treble over treble of last row with one chain between each. * Chain 3.
Double crochet into chain next to picot of last row. Chain 5. Double
crochet back into third chain. Chain 3. Double crochet into chain next to
picot of last row. Chain 3. Nine treble over treble of last row with one
chain between each. Chain 3. Double crochet into next to picot of last
row. Chain 5. Double crochet back into third chain. Chain 3. Twelve
treble for scallop into last loop of la*t Trow. Turn.
5th Row—Chain 3. For first treble twelve treble into twelve treble of
last row with one chain between each. Chain 3. Double crochet into next
chain before picot. Chain 5. Double crochet back into third chain.
Chain 3. Double crochet between second and third treble of last row.


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET. 199
chain to pioot of last row. Repeat * from * twice more. Chain 3. One
double crochet between second and third treble of last row. Ten more
trebles with one chain between each. Turn.
7th Row— Chain 7. Double crochet back into third stitch. Chain 5.
Double crochet back into same stitch as last. Chain 4. Double crochet
back into same.
This forms first picot of clover edge. One double between second and
third 'treble of last row, always doing one double crochet between each
bunch of clover down between next treble to it. Repeat to end of scallop.
There should be six clovers on first scallop; five on each after connecting
the first with the last clover of every scallop. Double crochet between
next shell. Chain 3. One treble over each treble of last row, with
one chain between each, and repeat from * in fourth row.
Picot tace.—Ecru linen thread No. 40; steel crochet needle.
Chain 30. Turn.
1st Row —* One double in eighth stitch. Chain 3, one double in same
stitch. Chain 7 *. Repeat twice from *. Chain 3, one treble in third stitch, chain 1, one treble in last stitch. Chain 5. Turn.
2l Bow—One treble in first hole. Chain 1. One treble in next hole.
Chain 7. One double in fourth of chain of 7 in previous row. Chain 3, one
double in same. Repeat once. Chain 7, one treble in end loop. Chain 7.
Turn.
3d Bow—* One double in fourth of 7 chain. Chain 3, one double in
same. Chain 7. Repeat twice from *. Chain 3, one treble in first hole.
Chain 1, one treble in second hole. Chain 1, one treble in third of 5 chain
at the end. Chain 5. Turn.
4th Row —Like the 2d, but after the one treble in the end loop chain 5,
and make an extra loop with one treble in treble. Chain 3, * 1 double in
fourth of 7 chain. Chain 3, 1 double in same. Chain 7. Repeat twice from
* ending with chain 3, 1 treble. Chain 1, 1 treble. Chain 1, 1 treble in
third of 5 chain. Chain 5. Turn.
5th Bow—Like the second, and after the one treble in last treble chain
5. Make 9 double trebles in the extra loop of 4th row; that is, thread over
twice, insert the hook in the middle stitch of 5 chain and draw through two
loops three times. Chain 5, 3 doubles in the next end loop of 7 to the left.
Turn. Chain 5, * one double treble in first double treble, Chain 3,
one double on the side of same stitch. Repeat from * 8 times, making the
double trebles in the double trebles of last row. Chain 5, one treble in
treble. This makes one scallop. Chain 3. Begin at 3d row, then the sec-
ond, third, and so on. Always join the scallops in the last row by dropping
the stitch from the needle when making 3 chain. Put the needle in 3 chain
of last scallop and draw through. Make one double on the double treble.
Insertion to Match Picot Lace—Chain 36. Turn.
1st Bow—One treble in sixth ; chain 1, skip 1,1 treble hvnext; chain 3,
skip 3,1 double in next; * chain 3- one double in same ; chain T, one double
in 8th. Repeat from * twice. Chain 3, one treble in 4th ; chain 1, one treble
in 3d; chain 1, one treble in last.
2d Bow—Chain 5, one treble in first hole; chain 1, one treble in next!
chain 7, one double in 4th of 7 chain ; chain 8, one double in same. Be-
peat once, ending with 7 chain, 1 treble; chain 1, 1 treble; chain 1, one treble in 3d of 5 chain; chain 5. Turn.


200
LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
3d Bow One treble in first hole ; chain 1, one treble in next hole; *
chain 3, one double in 4th of 7 chain ; chain 3, one double in same ; chain 7.
Repeat from * twice. Chain 3, 1 treble in first hole; chain i, 1 treble in
next; chain 1, 1 treble in third of 5 chain; chain 5. Turn. Repeat the
second and third rows until you have the length desired, always having
three picots in one row, and two in the next
.
Crochet Design for Tidy, Etc.—Commence in the center of the
rosette, five chain, join round.
1st Bound: Twenty-four trebles under the chain.

CROCHET DESIGNFOR TIDY.
2d Round: Six chain, three of which take the place of a treble, * pass
over two stitches, one treble into the next, three chain, repeat from * six
times more; join with one single to the third of six chain.
3d Bound: Three chain to take the place of a treble, one treble un-
der last round, * five chain, six trebles under last round, (see design),
repeat from * seven times more, four trebles under last round, join to top
of three chain with one single.
4th Round : Work up to the center of first five chain with one single
into each stitch, * seven chain, one double into center of five chain, repeat
from * seven times more.


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET. 201
5th Bound: Five chain, two of these take the place of a half treble, oue-
half treble into third of six chain, * three chain, pass over two stitches,
and repeat from * all round, join to third of five chain with one
single.
6th Bound: Six chain, pass over two stitches, one double into next,
repeat all round.
7th Round : Work up to the centre of chain with one single into each
of three stitches, three chain to take the place of a treble, two trebles into
next stitch, 5 chain, three trebles into next stitch, * three trebles into third
of next six chain, five chain, three trebles into the next stitch, repeat from
* all round.
In working the next rosette, join to the center of five chain when work-
ing the corresponding stitch on the last rosette.
For the small stars, which are worked in the space left by four rosettes,
nine chain, join round, eight chairs, one double into center of five chain on
lower right hand rosette (see design), eight chairs, one double into nine
chain, six chain, one double into center of next five chain, six chairs, one
double into next stitch of nine chain, nine chain, one double into the double
where rosettes join (see design), nine chain, one double into next stitch of
center nine chain, six chain, one double into five chain on next rosette, six
chain, one double into center of nine chain, eight chain, one double into next
five chain, eight chairs, one double into next stitch of nine chain, repeat
from the beginning of the row, working into the next rosettes as described
for the two first.
Baby Blanket.—Cast on 140 stitches.
1st Row —Plain knitting.
2d Bow—Knit 2 together. * 2 plain, thread forward, knit 1, thread for-
ward, knit 3, slip 1, knit 2 together and bind the slip stitch. * Finish
the row by knitting 2 together.
3d Bow—Purl.
4th Bow—Knit plain.
5th Row— Knit 2 together, * 3 plain, thread forward, knit 1, thread for-
ward, knit 2, slip 1, knit 2 together and bind. Finish by knitting 2 to-
gether.
6th Bow—Purl.
7th Row— Knit plain. Begin at second, so that the holes come above
one another. This makes the border for the two ends of the blanket, and
can be made as deep as you wish. For center knit 7 stitches plain, and
purl 7 for seven rows to make a square. Then reverse, having the squares
like a checker-board, until the blanket is long enough. Bind off and sew
the other border on this end. This makes a blanket about a yard and a
half long.
Materials for ends: 4 ounces of Germantown wool, white and pink, or
any color desired; 8 ounces white for center; knit on bone needles. When
the first border is finished, the center is begun without binding off, while
at the other end it must be bound off and sewed to the blanket.
Another pretty blanket is in plain knitting. Cast on 150 stitches on
bone needles. Knit 18 rows of white, 3 blue, 5 white, 8 blue, 5 white, 3
blue on the right side for the ends, 113 rows of white for center; crochet on
edge at each end.
Materials: 6 1-2 ounces white, 2 ounces blue.


202
LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
Lace for Flannel skirls—Material, Saxony wool; medium-sized
bone needles.
Cast on 25 stitches, knit plain across.
1st Row— Knit three, thread over narrow, thread over narrow, thread
over narrow. Knit plain to end of row.
2d Bow—Needle through stitch, throw thread over three times, knit 1;
repeat this 15 times, or until 16 stitches have been used. Knit plain to
end of row.
3d Bow Knit 8, thread over narrow, thread over narrow, thread over

LACE FOR FLANNEL SKIRTS.
narrow; slip 8 of the long stitches, place needle through first 4 stitches
and draw last 4 through them, making stitches cross; place them in this
position back on needle and knit off plain. Slip next 8 long stitches and
proceed as before.
4th Bow—Knit plain.
5th Row— Knit 3, thread over narrow, thread over narrow, thread firor
narrow. Knit plain to end of row.
6th Row— Knit plain.
7th Bow—Same as 5th.
8th Bow—Knit plain. Repeat from 1st row.


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET. 203
Crochet Edge—No. 70 linen thread. Chain 28. Turn.
1st Bow—Skip 3. Two trebles in 4th stitch. Chain 2, 2 trebles in follow-
ing third stitch of chain. Chain 2, 3 trebles in third stitch. * Chain 2,
skip 2, 1 treble in next. * Repeat from * 5 times, making thus 6 holes.
Chain 5. Tarn.
2d Bow—* Treble in treble. Chain 2. * Repeat from * 5 times. On
reaching the 3 trebles in the previous row make 5 trebles by putting 1 extra
treble in the first and last stitches. Chain 2, 2 trebles between 2 trebles, 2
chain, 2 trebles between first and second trebles, 1 treble in last. Chain 3.
Turn.
3d Bow—Two trebles between second and third trebles. Chain 2, 2
trebles between 2 trebles. Chain 2, 2 trebles in first treble, 3 trebles on fol-
lowing 3 trebles, 2 trebles in last treble, making 7 trebles in this row.
* Chain 2,1 treble in treble. * Repeat to the end of row. Chain 5. Turu.
4th Bow—Like second row, but make 9 trebles in solid part, '
5th Row—Like third row, but this time 11 trebles.
6th Row—Like the second row, with 13 trebles, ending the row with 3
chain. Turn.
7th Row—Two trebles betwec n second and third trebles. Chain 2, 2
trebles between trebles. Chain 2, 3 trebles in first treble. * Chain 2, 1
treble in third stitch. * Repeat from * 5 times. This is the beginning of
the second point.
If a deeper heading is required at the top, this can be done by beginning
with 34 chain stitches. Matte 2 trebles in fourth stiteh. Chain 2, 2 trebles
in third. Cuain 2, 2 trebles in third. Chain 2, 2 trebles in third. Chain 2,
3 trebles in third. * Chain 2, skip 2, 1 treble in next. * Repeat 5 times.
This makes 4 rows of holes tor the top—a solid part increasing from 3 to
thirteen trebles, and an open diamond of 6 holes.
Chaotic and Fan Lace.—Chain 28—1. Make a group of 4 trebles,
separated by 3 chain, in the fourth stitch. Skip 3. Make a similar group
in next stitch. Chain 4, skip 5, 2 trebles separated by 3 chain in next for
fan. Chain 4, skip 5. Group in next. Skip 3. Group in next. Skip 3.
One treble in last. Chain 3.
2. Group in center loop of group of previous row. Repeat. Chain 3,
8 trebles in Ian center. Chain 3, 2 groups in next 2 groups. Chain 3.
8. Group in center. Repeat. Chain 2, 7 trebles, with 1 chain between,
between the trebles of fan. Chain 2, make 2 groups, 1 treble in last.
Chain 3.
4. Two groups. Three trebles in each space of fan, 18 altogether. Two
groups. Eight trebles in 3 chain at end for scallop. One double in end
loop. Afterwards in first loop of group. * Two trebles separated by 3
chain, between the trebles in the scallop. Repeat 6 times. Two groups.
Chain 4, 2 trebles, separated by 3 chain in center of fan. Chain 4, 2
groups, 1 treble in last. Chain 3.
Repeat from the second row.
Feather Edge Lace.— Make a narrow braid first of the feather edge,
without thread. Put the hook in a loop, skip five and draw the sixth
through the one on the hook. Turn the feather edge. Catch the stitch op-
posite in the same way. Skip five loops. Draw the sixth through as before.
Turn. Count five loops on the top. Catch the sixth. Proceed in this way
until you have made a yard or two. Then crochet with No. 30 cotton in a


*04 LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
style resembling rio-r.ic. Fasten thread in the middle stitch of the sixth
point in the braid just made.
1st Bow—Chain 4. Fasten in next point with 1 treble. Chain 1. Re-
peat thirteen times from *, having thus caught 15 of the points. Chain 3.
Turn.
2d Bow—1 treble between each of the 15 trebles in last row, with one
chain between, which will make 14 trebles. Chain 3.
3d Bow—1 treble between each treble without chain. Fasten in first,
which draws the circle together. Chain 7. Catch the top loop in the six-
teenth point of braid with opposite loop in braid. Chain 3. Catch next two
points in braid. Chain 5. Fasten to the left, between the third and fourth
piece in braid from where you joined. Chain 2. Fasten to the top loop of

FEATHER EDGE LACE.
the 15th point of braid. Turn the scallop thus formed and make another
to the left. Begin at the first row. Have all the chains by which the scal-
lops are fastened together on the same side. This is a beautiful trimming
for aprons, and can also be used for insertion.
Saw Tooth Edge In Crochet—Chain 23.
1. Make a shell of 3 treble, 3 chain, 3 treble, in the 4th stitch. Chain 4.
skip 4. One double in next. Chain 4, skip 4. Shell in next. * Chain 2,
skip 2. One treble in next. Repeat twice. Chain 5.
2. One treble in the 2d treble and each of the following 6 stitches, so
that the last treble comes in the first treble of shell. Chain 2. Shell. Chain
4. One double in double. Chain 4. Shell. Chain 5.
3. Shell. Chain 9. Shell. The shells are always made in the 3 chain of the other shells. Chain 2. One treble in last treble of shell. chain 2,
skip 2. One treble in each of the trebles of last row. Chain 2. One treble
in 3d stitch of chain at the end. Chain 5.


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.205
4. One treble in the first of 7 trebles. Chain 2. One treble in 4th. Chain
2. One treble in last of 7 trebles, which begins another block 6f 7 trebles
in the next 7 stitches. Chain 2. Shell. Chain 4. One double in 5th of 9
chain. Chain 4. Shell. Chain 5.
5. Shell. Chain 4. One double in double. Chain 4. Shell. Chain 2.
One treble in last treble of shell. Chain 2. Seven trebles. Chain 2. One
treble in treble. Repeat twice. Chain 5.
6. Skip 2. Seven trebles in next 7 stitches. Chain 2. One trenie in cen-
ter cf 7 trebles. Chain 2, skip 2. Seven trebles in next 7 trebles. Chain 2.
Shell. Chain 9. Shell. Chain 5.
7. Shell. Chain 4. One double in center. Chain 4. Shell. Chain 2.
One treble in last. Chain 2, skip 2. Seven trebles. Chain 2. One treble

SAW TOOTH EDGE IN CROCHET. in next. Chain 2, skip 2. Seven trebles. Chain 2. One treble in end.
Chain 5.
8. One treble in first of 7 trebles. Chain 2. One treble in center. Chain
2. [One treble in last and in each of next 6 stitches. Chain 2. One treble in
center. Chain 2, skip 2. Seven trebles. Chain 2. Shell. Chain 4. One
double. Chain 4. Shell. Chain 5.
9. Shell. Chain 9. Shell. Chain 2. One treble in last. Chain 2. Seven
trebles. Chain 2. One treble. Chain 2. Seven trebles. * Chain 2. One
treble. Repeat twice. Chain 5.
10. Seven trebles in the trebles. Chain 2. One treble in center. Chain
2. Seven trebles. Chain 2. One treble in center. Chain 2. Seven trebles.
Chain2. Shell. Chain 4. One double. Chain4. Shell. Chain 5.
11. Shell. Chain 4. One double. Chain 4. Shell. Chain 2. One
treble. Chain 2 skip 2. Seven trebles. Chain 2. One treble. Chain 2.
Seven trebles. Chain 2. One treble. Chain 2. Seven trebles. Chain 2.
One treble in end. Chain 5.


200
LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
12. One treble in first treble. * Chain 2, skip 2. One treble in next.
Bepeat. There must be 14 holes on the edge. Shell. Chain 9. Shell. Chain 5.
13. Shell. Chain 4. One double. Chain 4. Shell. Chain 2. One treble
in end treble. Chain 2, skip 2. One treble in treble. Chain 2. One treble
in treble to make 3 holes. Chain 5.
Begin at the second row. When enough points have been made, chain
4, make one double in each treble. For outside edge: Make 2 chains at
the point and skip from one treble to the other between two points.
Wheel l.ace—1st Bow—Chain 13, turn and fasten in seventh stitch
of chain, with slip stitch. Chain 3. Now work 10 trebles in little loop
formed by the 7 chain stitches. Chain 15, form a loop. Chain 3, work
10 trebles in loop. Chain 15, as before, form a little loop. Chain 3, work
20 trebles in loop. Keep stitch on needle, and pass point of needle through
third stitch from wheel and through top of first of the 20 trebles. Pass

WHEEL LACE.
the thread around the needle, and draw thread through all 3 loops on
needle. This finishes first wheel. Now chain 8, fasten in top of next hall
wheel, work 10 trebles to finish wheel, fasten same as for first wheel.
Chain 8, fasten in top of last half wheel, 10 trebles to finish wheel, fasten.
Chain 3, 1 treble in first stitch of chain.
M Row—Chain 13, fasten in center of first wheel; to fasten to wheel drop
stitch on needle; pass needle through center of wheel, catch dropped
stitch, and draw same stitch through wheel. Chain 14, form loop. Chain
3, work 5 trebles in loop, and fasten in center of the 8 chain stitches of the
first row; 5 more trebles in loop. Chain 4, and f sten in center of wheel in
that row. Chain 14, form loop. Chain 3, 5 trebles in loop, and fasten in
center of 8 chain; 5 more trebles in loop. Chain 4, fasten in center of top
wheel. Chain 8, make a picot. Chain 8 more, fasten at beginning of first
half wheel; 10 trebles to finish wheel, fasten at bottom of wheel the same
way as in first row. Chain 8, fasten to next half wheel, 10 trebles in last
wheel. Chain 8, fasten ir ai»v- stitch of long chain at bottom of work.


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET. 207
Chain 3,1 treble in third stitch for the foundation chain. This finishes sec-
ond row.
3d Bow—Chain 17, form loop, work 5 trebles into loop, fasten in center
of chain of last row; 5 more trebles in loop. Cham 4, fasten in center of
first wheel of last row. Chain 14, form loop, 5 trebles in loop, fasten in
center of chain of last row ; 5 more trebles in same loop. Chain 4, fasten
in center of second wheel of last row. Chain 14, form loop, 5 trebles in
loop, fasten in fifth stitch of chain at top of work; 15 trebles in loop, fasten
and finish the same way first row is finished.
By center of wheel I mean the center of the side or edge of the wheel.
Lace is made with No. 24 spool cotton and fine steel hook. Lace can be
made wider by starting with four or five wheels in place of three.
Shell Lace—Chain 25.
1. One treble in fourth stitch. One treble in each of the next 2 stitches.
Chain 4, skip 6. Four trebles in next separated by 3 chain. Chain4, skip (k 
SHELL LACE.
Shell of 2 treble, 2 chain, 2 treble in next. Chain 6. One double in last.
Chain 3.
2. Twelve trebles in loop. Shell in shell. Chain 3. One double, 3 trebles,
1 double in first and third loop in the center. One double, 4 trebles, 1
double in the middle loop. Chain 3. Four trebles in last 4 trebles. Chain 3.
3. Three trebles. Chain 4. Four trebles in center separated by 3 chain.
Chain 4. Shell. Twelve trebles in the top of trebles. Chain 3.
4. Twelve trebles in the top of last trebles with 1 chain between. Repeat
from shell in second row.
5. Like third row to shell. Ooe treble between shell and treble. * Chain
1. One treble between the trebles. Repeat 13 altogether. Chain 3.
6. Shell of 2 trebles, 2 chain, 2 trebles in first hole. Skip 1 hole. Make
7 of these shells, including the shell in the upper row. Repeat second row
from chain 6.
7. Like third to shell. Then make a shell in each shell of 3 treble, 2
chain, 3 treble— 6 in all.


2IM
LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
8. Four treble, 2 chain, 4trebles in each shell. Repeat second row.
9. Like third row to shell. Shell of 5 irebles, 2 chain, 5 trebles in each
shell.
10. Twelve trebles in each of the 6 shells. Repeat second row.
11. Like third row to shell. Chain 6. One double in fifth treble of shell
in border to begin next seaUop. Chain 3.
The scallops are joined by the first 3 shells—twice in first 2 shells, once
in third shell—with 1 double in the fifth and eighth treble of first shell,
fourth and eighth of the second shell, and in the fifth of third shell. The
scallops are all made like the first.
The insertion and shell border can be used as two separate patterns—
if a narrower edge is desired. The shell border is extremely pretty by
itself.
Bee-hive Lace.—Novelty braid and No. 30 thread. Fasten to loop.
Chain four for first stitch and make a row of trebles in every loop with one
chain between, if necessary.
1. For the bee-hive, make eleven trebles on the other side of braid, one

BEE-HIVE LACE.
in each loop. Chain seven. Turn. Make one double between the second
and third trebles and one double between the next two trebles. Chain two.
Turn.
2. Make ten trebles, one chain, and ten trebles in the chain of seven.
Two trebles in next two loops of braid. Chain two. Turn.
3. One treble in second stitch. Chain two. Repeat to make five holes
on one side of bee-hive. Chain three. Make an extra treble in the one
chain at top, and make five holes on the other side, skip two trebles for
braid, two doubles in next two. Chain two. Turn.
4. One treble in first hole. Chain two. Repeat to make six holes on
each side and extra treble at top, two trebles in two loops of braid. Chain
two. Turn.
5. One treble in first hole. Chain two. Repeat seven holes on each
side, two at the top, skip two trebles on edge, two doubles in next two
stitches.
6. One double, three trebles in each hole for seven scallops on edge and
two at top. Repeat from the beginning. Join in last row when making
first scallop.


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET. 209
Woolen Lace.—The following, knitted in scarlet or in blue worsted,
makes a pretty and durable edging for flannel or knitted wool skirts for
winter use:
1st Row —Cast on 13 stitches : knit 1 row plain, knit 2 threads over needle
twice and purl 2; throw back, knit 1, bring thread forward, knit 2 together.
Do this three times, leaving two stitches on needle, bring thread forward,
knit 1, Unit 1 plain.
2d Bow—Knit 10 stitches plain, bring thread over the needle twice, purl
2 knit 2 plain.
3d Bow—Knit 2, bring thread over the needle twice, purl 2, throw thread
back, knit 2 plain, bring thread forward, knit 2 together. Repeat twice,
leaving 2 stitches on the needle, bring thread forward, knit 1, Unit 1 plain.
4th Row— Knit 11 stitches plain, bring thread over needle twice, purl 2,
knit 2 plain.
5th Row —Knit 2, thread over needle twice, purl 2, throw thread back,
knit 3 plain, bring thread forward, knit 2 together. Repeat twice, bring
thread forward, knit 1, knit 1 plain.
6th Bow —Knit 12 stitches plain, bring thread over needle twice, purl 2,
knit 2 plain.
7th Row— Knit 2, thread over needle twice, put 1 2, thread back, knit 4
plain, bring thread forward, knit 2 together. Repeat twice, bri" - thread
forward, knit 1. knit 1 plain.
8th Row —Knit 13 stitches plain, bring thread over needle twice, f—1 2,
knit 5 plain, thread forward, knit 2 together. Repeat twice, bring thread
forward, knit 1, knit 1 plain.
9th Row— Knit 14 stitches plain, bring thread over needle twice, purl 2,
knit 6 plain, thread forward, knit 2 together. Repeat twice, thread forward,
knit 1, knit 1 plain.
10th Row —Knit 15 stitches plain, bring thread over needle twice, purl 2,
knit 2 plain.
11th Row- Knit 2 plain, bring thread forward, purl 2, knit 7 plain, bring
thread forward, knit 2 together. Repeat twice, thread forward, knit 1, knit
1 plain.
12th Bow—Knit 16 plain, thread over needle twice, purl 2, knit 2 plain.
13th Row —Knit 2, thread forward, thread twice, purl 2, thread back, knit
the rest plain.
When the point is finished, there will be 20 stitches on needle; bind off
7, leaving' 13 stitches to commence the next point.
Skirt Trimming—Novelty Braid. No. 24 thread.
Fasten to a bar between. Chain 4. One double in first loop. Chain 16.
Skip one loop; one double in next. Chain 4. Drop the stitch; put the
hook in the fourth of the sixteenth chain; draw the stitch through. Chain
4. Skip one ; one double in next. Chain4. Fasten back in4th stitch. Chain
4. One double in the second and third loops in next piece of braid. Chain
4. Fasten back. Chain 4. One double in next two loops. Chain 4. Fasten
back. Chain 4. One double in second loop in next piece of braid. Chain
4. Fasten back. Chain 4. Skip one ; one double in next. Chain 4. Fasten
back. Chain 4. Fasten on the fourth in the sixteenth chain. Chain 8. Skip
one; one double in last loop. Chain 4. Repeat from the beginning.
Finish the top with a row of trebles with two chain between, which will
be three on the two long chains ; one in each of the two short chains; one
where the long chains are joined, and one in the double on the ba»


210
LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
between. For lower edge, * Fasten to the third loops where the two scallops
join. Chain 3. One double in last loop. Make six picots thus : Chain 5.
Fasten back in the fourth. Chain 1. Catch the first on the bar. Second, in
the first loop of middle pie braid. Third, in the third and fourth
loops. Fourth, in the last l p. Fifth, on the bar. Sixth, in the first
loop of next piece of braid. Chain 3. Repeat from *.
Pineapple Insertion.—Chain 27.
1. Make a shell of 3 rebles, 2 chain, trebles in the fourth stitch. Skin
2 stitches. Another shell in next. Skip 2. One treble in each of next 12
stitches. Skip 2. Shell in next. Skip 2. Shell in last. Chain 3.

PINEAPPLK INSERTION.
2. Always shell in shell. Make the second shell, skip 1 treble, and put
1 treble in each of the next 4 trebles. Chain 2. Skip 2. One treble in each
of the next 4 trebles. Shells in the next 2 shells. One treble in end.
Chain 3.
3. Two shells. Chain 4. Nine trebles in the 2 chain to begin the pine-
apple in the center. Chain 4, 2 shells, 1 treble. Chain 3.
4. Two shells. Chain 4. Nine doubles in the pineapple, that is, 1 in
each treble. Chain 4, 2 shells, 1 treble. Chain 3.
5. Two shells. Chain 4. Eight doubles in center, putting the hook be-
tween the doubles of last row. Chain 4, 2 shells, 1 treble. Chain 3.
6. Two shells. Chain 4. Seven doubles. Chain 4, 2 shells, 1 treble.
Chain 3.
7. Two shells. Chain 4. Six doubles. Chain 4, 2 shells, 1 trebl*.
Cain 3.


212
LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
double in third loop, which completes the clover leaf. Make one double
and ten trebles for stem on the empty chain to reach the border.
4. Shell. Cbain two. Shell, one treble at end. Chain three. Turn.
5. Shell. Chain two. Shell. Chain three. Turn.
Begin at the second row. The clover leaves occur every fourth row after
the first. There are many different styles of this pattern. The simplest
has one row of shells above, another has two rows ot leaves below, joined
to a fancy braid at the top and the shells omitted. In this case a row of
trebles must be made On the top of the braid, and the additional row of
leaves is begun after finishing the second petal of the first leaf. Four
rows make quite an elaborate design, and the wide braid should be used or
two rows of shells.
Crazy Luce—Chain 15 stitches.
1st Bow—Skip 3 stitches (a), A trebles in same stitch, skip 3, chain, 1

CRAZY LACE.
double in next stitch, 3 chain. Bepeat from (a) to end of row, 4 shells.
Turn.
2d Bow-(o) 6 chain, 1 double in loop formed by 3 chain in last row.
Repeat from (b)to end of row, 4 loops.
3d Eow-(c) 6 chain, 1 double in next loop of 6 chain in last row. Repeat
from (c) to end of row. 4 times.
4th Row -Three chain, 4 trebles in loop formed by 6 chain (d), 1 double
in next loop, 3 chain, 4 trebles in same loop. Repeat from (d) to end of
row. Four shells in this row.
5th Bow—Three chain, 4 trebles in first stitch (e), one double in next
loop of 3 chain in last row. Three chain- four trebles in same loop. Re-
peat from (e) to end of row. Five shells in this row. Begin at second row.
WarrGw Clover Leaf Edge 1. Chain 6. Shell of three trebles, two
chain, three trebles in fourth stitch, one double in end. Chain three.
Turn.


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
2!3
2. Shell in shell, one double in end. Chain three. Turn.
3. Shell, one double in end. Chain three. Turn.
4. Shell, one double in end. Chain twelve, one double in seventh for
loop. Turn. * Chain six, one double in loop. Repeat twice. Fasten in
first. Turn, one double, six trebles in loop. Fasten between first and
second shell, six trebles, one double in same loop, one double, twelve
trebles, one double in next two loops, six doubles on chain for stem, one
double in end of shell. Chain three, shell, one double in end. Chain three.
Turn. Begin at second row. Always join the clover leaves in the center
of second petal.
Strawberry Lace in Crochet.—Chain 12 stitches.
1st Row —2 trebles in 4th stitch; 2 chain; 3 trebles in same stitch; 2 chain;

STRAWBERET LACE IN CROCHET.
skip 3 stitches; one double in next stitch; 2 chain; skip 3 stitches, three
trebles in next stitch; 2 chain; 3 trebles in same stitch: 4 chain; torn.
2d Bow—3 trebles; 2 chain; 3 trebles under 2 chain; 5 chain; 3 trebles;
2 chain; 3 trebles under 2 chain; 6 chain; turn.
3d Bow—3 trebles; 2 chain; 3 trebles under 2 chain; 2 chain; 1 doable
in the center of 5 chain; 2 chain; three trebles; 2 chain; 3 trebles under 3
chain; 1 treble in the 1st of 4 chain; 4 chain; turn.
4th Row —Like the second.
5th Row— Like the third.
6th Row —Like the second.
7th Row— Like the third.


214 LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.
8th Bow—Like the second, ending with 6 chain. This forms the top of
the scallop. Now work on the side.
9th Row —3 trebles; 2 chain; 3 trebles under 8 chain of 6th row; 2 chain;
11 trebles under 6 chain of 4th row; 2 chain; 3 trebles; 2 chain; 3 trebles
under 6 chain of 2d row; 6 chain; 1 double in last stitch of 1st row; turn.
10th Bow—11 doubles under 6 chain; 3 trebles; 2 chain; 3 trebles under
2 chain; 2 chain; 1 double in 1st of 11 trebles; » 3 chain; 1 double in next
stitch. Repeat from * 9 times; then 2 chain; 3 trebles; 2 chain; 3 trebles
under 2 chain; 1 double in last of three trebles; 6 chain; turn.
llth Bow—3 trebles; 2 chain; 3 trebles under 2 chain; 2 chain; 1 double
in the center of 3 chain; * 3 chain; 1 double in the center of 3 chain; *. Be-
peat from * 8 times; then 2 chain; 3 trebles; 2 chain; 3 trebles under 2 chain;
6 chain; 1 double in last of 3 trebles; turn.
12th Bow—11 doubles under 6 chain; 3 trebles; 2 ohnin; ?. trebles under
2 chain; 2 chain: 1 double in the center of 3 chain; * 3 chain; 1 double in
the center of 3 chain; *. Repeat from * 7 times; then 2 chain, etc., like
10th row.
13th Row— Like the 11th, repeating from the * 6 times.
14th B'iw—Like the 12th, repeating from the * 5 times.
15th Row —Like the 11th, repeating from the * .4 times.
16th Bow—Like the 12th, repeating from the * 3 timw
17th Bow—Like the 11th, repeating from the * twice.
18th Bow—Like the 12th, repeating from the * once.
19th Bow—Like the 11th, which ends the point of t'jit fcirawberry with 3
chain.
20th Bow—11 doubles under 6 chain; 1 slip stitch into each of the next 3
trebles and the 1st of the 2 chain. Cat h the next stitch and the correspond-
ing stitch in the other cluster of 3 trebles together with 1 slip stitch, hav-
ing the work flat, and make 1 slip stitch in each of the next 4 stitches; 6
chain; turn, and make 1 double in the 1st of 11 doubles; turn again, and
make 11 doubles under 6 chain; 11 doubles under each of the following 6
chain. This finishes the first scallop.
Repeat the 3d and 2d rows until you haveSuhells again for the top.
Then begin at the 9th row.
The first 3 loops on the edge of each scallop are to be joined in working
to the last 3 loops of the previous scallop, by making 5 doubles under 6
chain; then take out the needle, catch the middle stitch of 11 doubles in
previous scallop. Draw the stitch through, and finish by making 6 doubles.
This makes the 11 doubles under 6 chain and continues 3 trebles; 2 chain,
etc., in the 10th row.
This pattern is very pretty for lamp shades. Bun a ribbon through tha
space in the top, and tie round the lower part of the shade.
Insertion for Strawberry Ijace.—Chain 31 stitches.
Turn: skip 3 stitches; make 28 trebles on the chain; turn.
2d Bow—Chain 3; 1 treble in each of the next 2 stitches ; chain 2; 1
treble in the following 3d stitch ; 7 trebles in the next 7 stitches; chain 2;
1 treble in 3d stitch ; 7 trebles in next 7 stitches ; chain 2; 1 treble in 3d
stitch; 2 trebles in last 2 stitches ; chain 3; turn.
3d Bow—Make a shell of 3 trebles, 2 chain and 3 trebles under 2 chain
of the previous row; chain 2; make 11 trebles under the second 2; chain
2; another shell under the third 2 chain; 1 chain and 1 treble in loststitch;
chain 3; turn.


LACE MAKING AND CROCHET.215
4th Row —1 treble in next stitch; chain 1. Make shell as before in shell;
chain 2. Make 1 double in first of 11 trebles ; * chain 3; 1 double * in each
of 11 trebles in center; chain 2 shell as before in shell, 1 chain ending with
2 trebles. Continue this way, making an extra treble on each side in the 1
chain until you have 11 trebles and 11 shells on each side of the straw-
berry.
14th Bow—Chain 3, 11 trebles, chain 1, shell, chain 3, fasten in point of
the strawberry, chain 3. Make only half of the next shell, then fasten it to

INSERTION FOR STRAWBERRY LACE.
the last shell made. Make the other half of shell, chain 1, and make 12
trebles ; chain 3; turn.
15th Bow—11 trebles; 2 trebles in first two stitches of first shell ; 1
treble between 2 shells ; 2 trebles in last two stitches of next shell; 12
trebles. Begin with 2d row.
Lattice Lace.—Redor whitewool.—Cast on 20 stitches.
First 3 rows knit plain.
4. Begin at the top, knit 2 plain, thread over. Knit 2 together all the way across four holes, bringing the thread forward every time. Knit 4 rows
plain. Begin at the bottom. Takeoff the first stitch. * thread over4 times,


216 LACEMAKING AND CROCHET.
knit 1. Repeat from * until there are 8 stitches on the left needle, which
must be knitted plain. Turn. Take off first. Kuit 3 stitches plain. Drop
the wrapped stitches and pull out the stitch, without knitting. Do this to
the end of the row. Then transfer the long stitches to the other needle.
Bring the thread forward and knit the last 4 stitches on the left needle.
Turn. Take off first stitch. Knit 3 plain. Skip the first 4 long stitches and
knit the fifth, and turn it over the 4 unkuitted ones for the lattice work. Do
this with the next 3 stitches and then knit the first 4. The same process
disposes of the 8 remaining stitches on left needle, and forms a second
lattice. Knit 3 plain rows, and begin at the fourth row at the top.
Another lattice work pattern omits the holes and has 2 rows of herring
bone at the top.
Cast on 23 stitches. Knit across plain.
1. Slip 1, knit 2 plain, thread over, narrow, thread over, narrow, knit 16.
2. Knitl, over 3 times. Repeat until there are 6 stitches on left needle.
These you knit plain.
8. Slip 1, knit 2, over, narrow, over, narrow. Drop the loops and pull out
the knitted stitch until you have 16 long stitches on the right needle. Slip
these on the other needle and turn the needles so that the long stitches are
in your left hand. Knit the fifth long stitch. Slip it over the first 4. Knit
the next three the same way and slip them over. Then begin at the first of
the 4 and knit them plain, and knit the 8 stitches remaining like you did
the first 8.
4. Knit plain and repeat from the first row.
This makes pretty bureau lambrequins in seine twine, sewed to card-
board pieces the site of brackets. Cover with silesia.


DECORATIVE PAINTING.
BY L1DA AND M. J. CLAKKSON.
INTRODUCTION.
It y, within a few years only that amateur art work has been regarded
with any degree of favor. The popular prejudice that no one but a genius could paint, deterred many from even making the attempt, and thus the
Held was left almost entirely to professionals. Of late, however, there has
been a marked change, and Art has become a household word, which peo-
ple are growing more and more to understand and to appreciate. Very
often the clever amateur produces work which might reflect credit upon the
professional, and the homes of our land show the refining influences of
tasteful decoration. The title of this article indicates its purpose, which is
to help those who will help themselves.
There are many who will gladly welcome any method of self improve-
ment, many who cannot afford a regular course of instruction, or so situated
that they are debarred from such privileges. It often happens, too, in
classes, or art schools, that pupils become discouraged because so much
attention is paid to scholars of promise. They lose all hope of success
when a teacher's manner clearly implies, " You have no genius ; why should
I waste time upon you?" And so a diftidont, sensitive nature is sometimes
deterred from following up advantages which might ultimately lead to
success. Now, success in art work is not due to any high-flownideal in-
spiration.
The old adage, "Where there's a will there's a way," holds true of this,
as of other undertakings. There is no "royal road" to it, other than that
of practice and perseverance—the great essentials to all true success.
While these pages are not written with the expectation of turning out artists,
it is yet to be hoped that they will meet the wants of a larj*e class of readers
anxious to become acquainted with the various forms of decorative paint-
ing.
FLOWER PAINTING IN OILS.
This branch of art has grown very steadily in favor with many, as it does
not require the application nor the study necessary to landscape or figure
painting. It is therefore a favorite with beginners, and furnishes many
beautiful subjects readily adapted to all kinds of decorative work such as
velvet, satin, plush, or other fabric painting, which will each be described
in order.
The materials necessary may be briefly summed up as follows: An easel
an assortment of colors and brushes, a palette and palette knife, a bottle of
poppy or linseed oil and one of retouching varnish- a drawing board char-
coal for making sketches, a preparation known as fixatif, and an atomizer
These materials will be more particularly described as occasion arises.
The beginner is advised to provide himself also with some academy board.


218 DECORATIVE I'AJNTINQ.
or canvas. If the latter is used, it is necessary to tack it upon a wooden
frame called a stretcher, which may be purchased of any dealers in artists'
materials. The colors necessary tor flower painting are comparatively few
in number. The best in use come ready prepared in tubes, and, if properly
cared for, will keep fresh and in good order for a long time. It is always
advisable to purchase good material, which proves most economical in the
end.
The necessary colors are about as follows: Silver white, yellow ochre,
burnt sienna, raw umber, Antwerp blue, vermilion, madder lake, light red,
light zinnober green, terre vert, Vandyke brown, ivory black. The yellows
used may be the cheap chromes, light, medinm and orange, or the cad-
minms, which are the best for all permanent uses, as the chromes are fugi-
tive colors, aud will in time become dark, and hence are generally
recommended by artists.
Other colors may be added to the outfit named, but are not really neces-
sary, as almost any desired combination may be had by the use of the
above mentioned colors. A very simple subject should be chosen by the
novice in art. Our gardens aud fields afford many that are well worthy
consideration.
Take, for instance, the common thistle, found by the roadside in any
rural district. This is not only an easy subject, but a very pleasing one,
either for a plaque or panel, and a description of it may be useful to the
young amateur. A pale sky ground is as effective as any that could be
used for this design. It is often thought desirable to paint the background
first, and after it is dry to sketch in the design. Many of the hand-books
upon painting, as also the art journals, a few years ago advised this method
almost entirely. But now B background is almost always laid in with the
subject and proceeds with it, this latter method being adopted at present
in nearly all art schools or studios.
The free handling of a subject seems to require this treatment, and it is
therefore strongly recommended as superior to the older method of pro-
cedure. The sky ground, which is so effective for the thistle design, may
be graduated in tone from light at top to quite dark at the lower portion of
either plaque or panel. The lighter portion of flowers or foliage should
show against the light ground, and the more intense colors against the
deeper or medium tint. Otherwise the picture will not be properly balanced,
and the outlines will be too clear cut against the background—a serious de-
fect, as the beauty of such a subject depends much upon its harmonious
blending and softness. To paint this subject, the outlines are first sketched
with the soft charcoal pencils, and the use of the fixatif is now apparent.
These outlines would be easily rubbed, and the fixatif is needed to make
them permanent. The atomizer is a little instrument used to throw the
fixatif in the form of vapor over the sketch, which secures it from all injury
bv rubbing. If natural flowers are not to be had, a good hand-painted
study will be found very useful. Many find it difficult to paint directly
from the natural object, which requires considerable knowledge of perspec-
tive and drawing. A flat copy is much more easily sketched, as it can be
taken oft upon transparent or tracing paper and transferred to the canvas
in correct outline, a method preferred to the less aspiring student who
does not aim to perfect himself in the art.
To p dnt the thistles, the colors are taken out upon the palette somewhat
in this order: white, a little light chrome or cadmium, Antwerp blue, mad-
der lake and ivory black. The arrangement of colors for use is called


DECOBATIVE PAINTlNiJ. 219
"setting the palette," and should always be done before beginning work.
The exact proportion of each color to be used in the combinations neces-
sary for the subject is a matter of judgment and the result of experience
and practice. An artist may lay down fixed rules as to the exact colors
necessary to produce certain results, but he cannot teach the pupil how
much of each color is required in these combinations. That is something
to be learned, as has been said, by experience and observation. For in-
stance, in painting the sky ground for the panel of thistles, the colors
needed are white, Antwerp blue, a trifle madder lake, light chrome or cad-
minm and a very little ivory black. The crude blue is thus toned or quali-
fied by the admixture of other colors. Care should be taken, however, not
to use too much of the qualifying color. While a little black is needed in
almost every combination, it should be added sparingly, not enough to
dull or muddy the tint. Here it is useful in toning down the blue and
white, while the madder lake is also added to give warmth. The colors are
combined by mixing lightly with the brush upon the palette. They should
not be rubbed down with the palette knife, as this dulls them and entirely
destroys their brilliancy of tone. Taking a good-sized bristle brush, lay
on the color freely. Toward the bottom of the panel, deepen the tone
by adding more black and enough madder lake to produce a slightly
purplish tint. The flowers are now painted in while the ground is still
wet. For this, use Antwerp blue, white, madder lake, qualified by a very
little raw umber and ivory black. In the shadows a trifle burnt sienna should be added. The leaves of the thistle are a peculiar glaucous tint, a
rather dull green, passing into blue, with gray, silvery lights. To paint
these leaves, Antwerp blue, white, light chrome or cadmium, and a trifle
madder lake and ivory black will be needed. Burnt sienna is used very
freely in the shadows. The tone should be kept quite gray, and the stems
made still lighter by adding more white. The correct handling of the
brush is an important point with many, but this, like the proper combina-
tion of color, is something to be learned by experience. Niggling is to be
avoided, and this may be done by the early use of large brushes.
Fine tools, prettiness and over-finish are fortuuatelv eomin" to be re-
garded with disfavor, while the free handling of a subject is considered
artistic. The illustration shown of pond lilies in their native element is
also a fine subject for flower painting in oils. The method is as follows:
The sky is first laid in with Antwerp blue, silver white and light cad-
minm, toned with a very little ivory black in the deeper accents. Toward
the horizon line the tone becomes lighter, and shows more warmth of
color. For this, use white, yellow ochre, a little light red or burnt sienna,
and a trifle ivory black. The light, fleecy clouds are painted with white, yellow ochre, a little Antwerp blue, ivory black and light red. It is best
to lay in the general masses of light and shade throughout the entire pic-
ture at first, leaving all small details for a later painting. For the water,
which is very dark in shadow, use black, Antwerp blue and burnt sienna.
Let this be at first a flat, transparent painting. And just here it is well to
note the use of oil as a medium for thinning the paint. As a rule, very
littlelmedinm ia needed; the paints are applied just as they come from the
tubes, but where a considerable surface is to be covered, refined linseed or
poppy oil may be mixed with the paint to spread it more easilyt or to give
transparency, as in shadows, etc.
If it should dry too slowly, a drop otSiccatifde Courtray may be added


220
DECORATIVE FAINTINO.

DECORATIVE PANEI.—IOND lIllF.S.


DECORATIVE FAINTING. 221
to a small quantity of oil upon the palette. All these requisites can be had
of any dealer in artists' materials.
In the lighter tones of the water it will be necessary to add more white
and a little blue, with yellow ochre and burnt sienna.
After the general masses of the painting are l.iid in, details may be car-
ried on. The lilies are first painted a general tone, using silver white,
black, Antwerp blue and madder lake. Go over each petal with this tone,
which is called the local color. Afterwards the deeper accents of shadow
are put in with Vandyke brown, burnt sienna and black, and the lights, that
is to say, where the light strikes the flower most directly, touched on with
white and a trifle madder lake.
Lights should be painted very heavily, and with a full brush, while
shadows should be thinner and transparent. Take a clean brush for the
lights, which need to be clear and brilliant. Where the centers of the
flowers are seen use cadmium No. 2, with yellow ochre, and shade with
burnt sienna and a touch of bine in the very heart of the flower. The sta-
mens are not as clearly defined in a large panel of this kind as they would
be in a smaller sketch of the flowers alone.
For the lily pads, use Antwerp blue, light cadminm and yellow ochre,
with burnt sienna in the shaciows. The stroke of the brush may be taken
in circular sweeps to give the oval appearance to the leaf, and where the
under side shows, a little vermilion, light red, deep cadminm and yellow
ochre are used with very good effect, especially in the immediate tore-
ground of picture. The grasses are painted lastly with light zinnober
green, terre vert, black and while, shaded with Antwerp blue. Vary the
tone, painting lighter where seen against the pale sky tints.
The feathery grasses at the top of panel are made with white, light cad-
minm, and a trifle ivory black, shaded with madder lake, blue and white.
The lilies show a reflection in the water. This is painted with the local
color of the flower. Drag the brush across the water, and then soften the
lines afterward with a large clean brush by drawing lightly over the can-
vas, in order to give them indistinctness. The reflection of grasses is also
shown, being made with up and down, instead of cross strokes of the brush.
The dragon-flies are painted with orange cadminm, Antwerp blue, and
white, shaded with madder lake. A touch of emerald green may be given
them if it happens to be in the color box.
While these directions are given thus minutely for beginners, more ad-
vanced pupils will do well to reproduce this pretty panel in color, enlarging
it to an attractive size. A study of this kind will do much toward helping
the pupil to understand the principles of harmonious coloring, and a few
good examples of this sort will be of great advantage. Copying studies,
provided they possess real merit, is always a good and helpful method,
and should not be disparaged, as it so often is, by instructors of the young.
The flat copy is not subject to changes, which are a disadvantage to the
student of nature, and as each artist has some particular method of his
own, a varied knowledge of materials and handling may be acquired in this
way. As a preliminary to the study of nature, nothing could be better
than the practice of copying the work of good artists.
That flower painting is an attractive branch of art, any one who has seen
good work of this kind cannot but admit, and it is a relief to meet with it
in our art galleries, after the eye has tired of the endless succession of por-
traits, landscapes and marines. It will be readily seen that the study of
flower painting for decorative purposes alone has done much toward the


222
DECORATIVE PAINTING.
refinement of home, and contributed largely toward its beauty and enjoy-
ment.
The decorated gourd here shown is one suggestion out of many number-
less ways of using the brush for home adornment. The most commonplace
articles can be transformed thus into dainty and charming ornaments.
Those interested in bazaars, or the sale of fancy work, will find the brush
as useful as the needle for decorative purposes.
PEN ETCHINGS IN OIL8, FAMILIARLY KNOWN AS KENSINGTON PAINTING.
Although this branch of painting is generally termed " Kensington," it
is of American origin, and did not take its rise in the English school of that
name. It is doubtless so called because
of its resemblance to the well known
Kensington embroidery, and when well
and artistically executed is handsome
and effective as decoration for scarfs,
portieres, valences, cushions, toilet sets,
and numberless articles of fancy work
and home adornment. It is to bo re-
gretted that this work has been so scan-
dalized by the many who have made of
it a failure, as to bring it somewhat into
disrepute, for when correctly done it is
not to be excelled in appearance by the
most elegant embroidery. On velvet or
plush the effect is perhaps richest. On
silk or satin, it is delicate but less el-
ective. It may be used, however, wher-
ever embroidery could be substituted.
In this way it has been adapted to the
decoration of dresses and articles of
wearing apparel with very beautiful re-
sults. It is also used upon wooden
panels and terra cotta ware, but is not
so appropriate for such purposes. The
work, being in imitation of embroidery,
loses its characteristic features when
applied to any article not within the
scope of decorative needlework. To
execute this work the amateur will pro-
ceed as f illows:
The method is very simple and yet requires considerable skill and a good
share of patience and perseverance in order to its successful accomplish-
ment. The fabric to be painted must be stretched either in an embroidery
frame or upon a drawing board. The design is then sketched or stamped
upon it, giving all the prominent outlines, veining of leaves, etc.
The outfit of the work should contain the tube paints used for plain
painting, with perhaps a few additional colors, a half dozen Colorado gold
lacquered pens, some small bristle brushes with flat points, B fine sable
brush, and a drawing board or frame as stated above. It is also desirable
to have a bottle ot deodorized benzine for removing spots, or rubbing out
errors, which can be done when the paint is fresh.
To begin work, put out on the palette the necessary colors, and after

DECORATED GOURD.


DECORATIVE PAINTING. 223
getting the local tint of the flower, commence by laying the paint thickly
over leaf, or petal, with one of the smaller bristle brushes. The shadows
may next be put in, then the high lights as in ordinary painting, and
several flowers can be gone over in this manner, until the paint begins to
get a little set, or tacky. Now, taking the pen, draw the point from the outer
edge of leaf or petal towards the center, in short strokes, imitating the
stitches in crewel work or Kensington embroidery. There are other ways
of shading which are sometimes more effective, one is letting the fabric show through, or not laying the paint on as heavily in the deeper accents.
This is sometimes very effective where the fabric is velvet or plush in rich,
deep colors. Another method is to scrape away the paint, and still another,
to lay a second coat over the local color, and then etch both in together.
This second coat should be thickly and smoothly laid over the first, and
then when the pen is drawn through it the two tints will be found to blend
charmingly. This is especially suited to conventional or arabesque de-
signs. A variety of tints may be obtained in this way in exact imitation of
embroidery.
The veining of leaves, stems, stamens of flowers, etc., should be some-
what raised above the other work. This is done with a fine pointed sable
brush well filled with paint, and twisted as it is drawn along, dislodging
the color in a continuous roll. Where an exact imitation of embroidery is
desired, these rolls should be drawn around every petal and leaf. Couch-
ing is imitated very perfectly in this way. For the centers of such flowers
as daisies, asters, single roses, etc., the paint is laid on very thickly and
then drawn up with the brush in little points, or the pen may be used in
the same manner in order to get the right effect. Flowers in masses, as
golden rod, sumac, snowball or feathery blossoms are best dotted on heavily
with the stiff brush, the stems done in rolls, and the leaves scattered in with
the pen.
Kensington painting is admirably adapted to work of ecclesiastical de-
sign. Its cheapness and the rapidity with which it may be executed, will
commend it to many. Lettering for church purposes, by careful shading,
can be made to stand out in bold relief. After the worker becomes accus-
tomed to the use of the pen the color may be laid very freely over a con-
siderable portion of the design before it is scratched in with the pen, which
greatly expedites the work.
The cushion shown in illustration is handsomely decorated with a bunch
of pink and white azaleas in pen painting. The ground is a deep bronze
gold. The material velvet and plush combined, the contrasting half being
a rich claret color.
It is advised that the pupil obtain, if possible, an artistic piece of Ken-
sington embroidery, and note carefully the coloring and stitches. In this
way the work may be made to resemble it most closely, while the cost will
be nothing in comparison.
The white azaleas are laid in at first with a general tone of gray, using
silver white, Antwerp blue, a little yellow ochre and ivory black. Burnt
sienna is added for the shadows, and the high lights painted with pure
white. The pink flowers, which are pale in tone, are painted with madder
lake, white and King's yellow. The latter is lb very useful color, in many
cases taking the place of more expensive cadminms, and as this branch of
painting requires the generous use of color, this is an important item to
the economical.
TJge Vandyke brown in the shading of the pink flowers, and white for


m
DECORATIVE PAINTING.
the lights. The green leaves, which are cool in tone, are painted with Ant-
werp blue, chrome yellow, and white, with ivory black and a trifle madder
lake. A little practice and a good copy will soon enable the student to
execute the work with rapidity and success. What is known as conven-
tional design is very effective in this branch of work. That is, a pattern
independent of natural form or coloring. Crescents or disks, intermingled
with flowers, Japanesque design, arabesque or renaissance patterns, may all
be done with the pen in clever imitation of rich embroidery. In using the
oil colors upon light-colored fabrics, a medinm should be mixed with

SOFA PILLOW, IN XENSINOTON.
them to keep the oil from spreading, or the back of material rubbed freely
with magnesia.
OIL PAINTIN9 UPON SILK AND SATIN.
As many dainty articles for Christinas, birthday, or bridal gifte are now
made of silk or satin, it is not to be wondered at that those who handle the
brush skillfully gladly avail themselves of this method of deooration,
which is not only very handsome, but easily executed, and effectively
adapted to various purposes.
The colors most needed are silver white, light red, vermilion, madder
lake, King's yellow, chrome yellow, or cadminm, burnt sienna, terre vert,
ainnober green, Vandyke brown, rose madder, or madder lake, Antwerp
blue, raw umber and ivory black. Mauve is an excellent color for pansies
or purple flowers, and orange chrome or cadminm for deep yellow flowers,
such as nasturtinms, cone flowers, «tc. The firmer and heavier the nap of
the satin used, the betler. Thin and sleazy material, wanting firmness of
texture, is very difficult to decorate and scarcely pays for the labor ex-


DECORATIVE PAINTING.
225
pended upon it. If the worker is able to draw, natural flowers may be
copied, but for those unable or unwilling to do this, there are many pretty
patterns which can be neatly stamped upon the fabric. By mixing decoline
or a medinm with the paint, the stamping can be done with silver white,
using a perforated design.
Daisies, honeysuckle, apple, or peach blossoms, feathery clematis, deli-
cate tea roses, violets, white and purple lilacs, pansies, are all excellent
subjects for silk or satin decoration.
A design of apple blossoms would be painted thus : Squeeze out upon
the palette a good quantity of silver
white and a little rose madder, and
for the green leaves, terre vert, cad-
minm, "burnt sienna and Antwerp
blue. Be^in by putting in the gen-
eral tone of the blossom with sil-
ver white, rose madder and a trifle
black. For the calyx, use terre vert
and cadminm, and in the center of
the flower burnt sienna and cad-
minm, with a touch of zinnober
green. This for the yellow sta-
mens. The high lights are painted
with silver white and a trifle mad-
der lake. The leaves require more
transparency of coloring. For these
use teiTu vert, cadminm, burnt si-
enna and Anlwerp blue. Where the
under side of the leaf shows, use
silver white with the colors, and
a little ivory black. The grayish
branches are painted with Vandyke
brown, silver white and black, with
raw umber and burnt sienna in the
shadows.
The banner here illustrated is a
very pretty subject for oil painting
upon satin. The material is a gold-
en olive shade, finished below with
a band of sapphire blue plush and
ornaments of blue and gold chenille.
The design is a spray of morning
glories with spider web in left-hand
corner.
To paint the morning glories, which are a delicate pink banded with
white, use madder lake, silver white, yellow ochre and a trifle ivory black,
for the local color. The shadows are painted with light red, raw umber
and white. The white stripes or bands, with white, madder lake and a
little ivory black. The lights are painted with same colors. The centers
are pale, almost white. For these use white, light cadminm and madder
lake. The green leaves are painted with Antwerp blue, white, cadminm,
light red and ivory black, shaded wbh burnt sienna and black. The stema
and tendrils, which are yellower in tone, with light zinnober green, white,
light cadminm and a little burnt sienna and black in the shadows. Th«
spider web is prettiest drawn in carefully with silver paint, which comes

DECORATED BANNER.


226 DECORATIVE PAINTING.
read; prepared for decorative purposes, or it may be painted a silvery
gray, nsing black, white and a trifle of yellow ochre.
It should be borne in mind in painting upon silk, or satin, that the work
is purely decorative, and hence elaborate designs are unsuitable. In
selecting a design avoid a subject that is heavy or in masses. Light, airy,
graceful patterns are preferable, and less difficult of execution.
OIL PAINTING UPON PLUSH.
Painting upon plush with oil colors is very similar to the methods
already described, only that a very much larger quantity of paint is
required, as the heavy nap of the fabric absorbs it freely. The designs,
unlike those for satin painting, should be large and bold, iis small, fine
blossoms are not only unsuitable, but it is quite impossible to represent
them upon this fabric. The import mt point to be observed in painting
upon plush is to preserve the nap from matting down. The method of
plastering on the paint so as to leave depressions in the surface of the
material, is extremely ugly in its results. The fabric itself is too beautiful
to mar in this manner. The paint should be worked lightly into the nap
instead of being laid flatly upon its surface. This is accomplished by
patiently repeating the process until the color takes hold, using a stiff
bristle brush. Very charming effects may be had in this way. A mantel
valence ot peacock or sapphire blue, painted with branches of dogwood, or
with large white magnolia, is very rich and effective. Or the ground may
be ruby or deep maroon, with sunflowers, or large yellow lilies.
Table scarfs of plush are very elegant when well painted with subjects in
harmony with the ground chosen.
Small tables, plush covered and hand-painted, are now both attractive
and popular. The same colors advised for plain painting are required.
No medinm is necessary, as the paint will not spread if carefully used, and
all spots can be easily removed with benzine.
PAINTING IN WATER COLORS.
There are two distinct methods of water color painting, but it is pur-
posed to touch only upon the most popular of the two—that is, where the
color is applied in washes instead of the older method of stippling. The
outfit needed is not elaborate:
A drawing board, and china palette for the colors, some paper, brushes
and paints embrace all that is necessary. A good quality of paper is very
desirable. It should not be too rough a grain, nor yet smooth and fine in
texture. Whatman's Imperial is very satisfactory. If very heavy, it need
only be tacked or gummed to the drawing board. If lighter, it must be
mounted in a streteher made for the purpose. The moist colors in tubes,
or half moist in pans, are the best, and work the most readily. The follow-
ing list of colors will suffice for a beginner: Chinese white, yellow ochre,
cadminm, cobalt, sepia, madder brown, rose madder, Vandyke brown,
lamp-black, Boman ochre, burnt sienna, light red, and raw umber. Payne's
gray is a very useful paint, and a few other colors may be needed from
time to time as the pupil advances in his knowledge of their uses.
Camels' hair and brown sable brushes are used, one large size for
washing in the color and some fine points for finishing and details. The
brushes are sometimes called pencils, and are altogether unlike those
used for oil colors. They should be kept entirely free from all oil, which
renders them unfit for water color. The paper being stretched face up-


DECORATIVE PAINTINO. 227
ward, which is easily told by reading upon it the maker's name in water
lines from left to right, the sketch is made, either with a soft pencil or with
the brush loaded with the local tint of the flower to be painted. The color
is now applied, well diluted with water, after first moistening the surface
of the paper. The brush is dipped into the color and the tint spread freely
over the surface of the paper, as rapidly as possible, in order to get one
even tone. Should the color run too much, the board or stretcher may be
inverted, and when drops collect at the edge, they may be taken off with a
piece of blotting paper. It requires some little practice to put these washes
of color on smoothly, and they should not be touched until thoroughly dry. Each time is deepened by repeated washes of color, and details are added
lastly with the tine brushes. In painting a flower, for example, the local
tone is first washed in, and when this is dry the shadows are laid in with
simple washes of color, which may be deepened as much as required by
successive washes. Thin the paint enough to flow smoothly from the brush.
Deeper accents of shadow may be afterwards put in with finer brushes, but
all stippling isto be avoided. The high lights may be left out while the
washes are first laid on, or they may be taken out with blotting paper. The
latter method is perhaps the the most approved. Use the brush at first
wetting the spot to be taken out freely, then with a piece of soft clean
blotting paper take up the superflons color. Chinese white is sometimes
used for very sharp lights, but this is a method not to be recommended, as
the work is better done as far as possible in transparent washes. Some-
times, when the paper becomes rubbed, by erasures, the white may be used
carefully to advantage by mixing with the other colors, but care should be
taken to keep the paper smooth, and to have the design accurately sketched
to avoid, as far as possible, all corrections. A good sketch is, in fact, an all
important point, as faults are not as easily remedied as in oil painting, and
the marks of the lead pencil are difficult to erase.
Delicate shading of white or pale flowers is best imitated with Payne's gray. For rich, deep flowers, vermilion and rose madder will be found
useful; when inclined to purple, cobalt may be added. For the rich tones
used in backgrounds and in foliage, sepia and Vandyke brown are excel-
lent. Brown madder and umber are also useful. Very dark shadows or
tones will require successive washes in order to give them sufficient depth.
As an illustration of the subject, take, for example, the single wild rose,
generally chosen because of its simplicity of form and coloring. The local
color of the rose is a pale tint, best imitated by rose madder, a wash of
which is laid over the flower, and when thoroughly dry the deeper accents
of color are washed in with madder lake. After this wash is dry the shad-
ows are painted, using a very little cobalt and light cadminm mixed with
the lake. The lights are afterward taken out as already described. Care
should be taken not to wet the brushes in the mouth, as many of the pig-
ments are of a very poisonous nature.
WATER COLORS UPONSILK OR SATIN.
In using water colors upon silk^ir satin, Chinese white is mixed with all
the colors to give them body, and the design is first filled in with white as
a foundation for all tints. A little pure gum arabic, the kind used for
medicinal purposes, dissolved in the water with which paints are diluted,
will prevent them from rubbing off or spreading, and cause them to work
smoothly and with greater ease.
The paint brush is thus brought into requisition to beautify articles of


228
DECORATIVE PAINTING.
dress, fans, scarfs, cravat ends, even dresses are now decorated in what is
known as the Rococo style, The amateur may also venture to exercise in-
genuity and skill in the decoration of lamp shades and screens. The illus-
tration given shows a shade of rose pink silk, cut into sections, like the
ordinary paper shade. Each section is painted with a different design, one
being daisies, anorhnr trailing arbutus, B third sweet pea, etc. This can
easily be made up at home much cheaper than it can be bought, an im-
portant consideration with
many, who, with limited
means, yet possess a lik-
ing and taste for pretty
things. The subjects for
this branch of decorative
work are very numerous—
azelias, lilies, roses, pop-
pies, hawthorn blooms, bri-
dal wreaths, daffodils, vio-
lets, jasmine; all of these
afford opportunity for the
display of good taste in ar-
rangement and skill in col-
oring.
Charming sets for the
toilet table or dressing case
are made of satin, deco-
rated with any one of the
above mentioned designs.
PAINTING ON BOLTING
CLOTH OU GAUZE.
Now that Chinese or
Japanesque design is popu-
lar, there is a revival of a
branch of art fashionable
half a century ago—paint-
ing upon thin gauze ma-
terial. Bolting cloth is the
most used. This is a deli-
cate gossamer fabric, well
adapted to many decorative purposes. Amateurs experience some diffi-
culty in their first attempts because of the delicacy of its texture, but this
is soon overcome by practice and perseverance. The sketch should be
very correct, as an alteration is almost always a blemish, and an injury to
the appearance of the painting.
The materials necessary are either the moist water colors or oil paints,
a few brushes suited to either branch of work, a medium to prevent the
color from spreading where oil paints are used, and a drawing board
covered with a thick pad of soft paper. After the design is sketched or
traced in by means of transfer paper, the outlines should be drawn at first
with a fine brush filled with the !r.cal color of the subject. Where water
colors are used, Chinese white should be mixed with the paint and laid
over every leaf and petal in the manner described for silk or satin painting.
If oil colors are used, they may be applied in the same manner as for other

DECOKATED LAMP SHADE&. 


DECORATIVE PAINTING. 229
work, only that the medinm should be used to prevent the color from
spreading beyond the outlines. If a medinm cannot be had, the paints
may be diluted with turpentine, but it is not quite so satisfactory, and must
be used with some care or the color will spread budly. The usual palette
is required, with the same kind of brushes employed in other branches of
decorative painting. Small, rather delicate designs are the most appropri-
ate, such as shown in illustration of decorated fan.
It is generally desirable to line the gauze with some delicate tint, har-
montzing with the subject. The lining of this fan mount is pale blue. In
painting the design of feathery clematis, make the blossoms white and ttie
leaves a rich, warm green. Lay in at first a foundation of Chinese white
over the whole design, as already described. The blossoms are painted
with white, yellow ochre, a little cobalt, and rose madder or carmine.
Paint the local tone at first, which is a pale gray. The high lights are
afterwards added, using white, a trifle yellow ochre, and black. In shading,
a little cobalt and burnt sienna is needed. The green leaves an! painted
with white, Antwerp blue, cadminm, burnt sienna ami a little raw umber
and lamp-black for the shadows. The stems and branch with white, sepia,
a trifle cobalt, cadminm and burnt sienna. If oil paints are preferred, the
same colors may be used, with the following exceptions: In place of rose
madder or carmine use madder lake, ivory black in place of lamp-black.
Instead of sepia use Vandyke brown, and silver white in place of Chinese
white. The handling is the same as in ordinary oil painting, only that
finer brushes may be required for the small details and the drying medinm
is used with all the paints.
There are several medinms for sale, advertised by dealers generally, as
preventatives of the oil spreading in decorative painting. Something of this
kind is necessary, and much more desirable than turpentine, which is some-
times used for the purpose.
Fan painting, to be carried out successfully, must bo done before the
material is mounted. The fan must be carefully defined upon the material,
but should not be cut out until the work is completed. It is then sent to
some one who makes a business of mounting fans. With a little experience
and practice, numerous chaste and beautiful designs can be well and
effectively executed.
D'oyleys of bolting cloth painted, each one with a design of some fruit
blossom, the fruit itself being too heavy in appearance for so thin aground,
are very dainty and attractive.
The panels for lamp shades, mounted upon a wire frame, covered with
some delicate shade of silk or satin as a lining to the gauze, decorated
with some graceful design, suggests a very charming ornament for parlor
or drawing-room. Small banners of gauze, lined in this way and decorated,
tidies, easel scarfs, sash curtains and numerous other articles, can be made
of this beautiful material, and decorated in one or other of the ways de-
scribed. Tapestry colors or Lustra paints can also be used with good effect
upon bolting cloth.
TAPESTRY OR DYE PAINTIN3.
Tapestry painting can scarcely be styled a modern art, as it has been in
vogue for centuries past. The very name brings to mind pictures of olden
time palaces and castle walls draped with rich hangings, the work some-
times of royalty itself, of titled dames or maidens of high degree. It is
said that even Titian, the great artist, did not scorn to use his brush in this


aeu
VEOORATIVE FAIN Tina.


DECORATIVE PAINTING. 231
beautiful work with most exquisite effects. However this may be, it is a
branch of art comparatively new in this country, having been introduced
here only quite recently from France. Tapestry painting has this advant-
age over oils. It is far more cleanly, and for this and other reasons will
commend itself to many to whom the odor of paint and turpentine is par-
ticularly disagreeable, and the use of oil colors an objection. Its being
cleanly, easily and rapidly executed, is much in its favor, and makes it
pleasant work tor the most fastidious of lady amateurs.
Boxes of material, containing the liquid paints specially prepared for th«
purpose, can be obtained at quite a reasonable cost. The names of colors
correspond to those of water color paints, although a little different in their
properties, being more of the nature of a dye thau anything else. Almost
any fabric can be used as a ground for these colors, but the tapestry canvas
will doubtless be fouud the best for amateur practice. This comes in differ-
ent widths and grades, and can be used for wall hangings, screens, panels,
and various other purposes. It should be stretched as for oil painting, and
the preliminary details of work are the same. The outlines are first
sketched or peunced upon the fabric with charcoal, and outlined with the
different colors to be used in the painting. Foliage, for example, in pale
green, flowers or fruit with the local tint. The drawing should be correctly
done, and especial attention paid to perspective in landscape or figure
painting.
It should be remembered, also, that the different colors are liable to dry
lighter, or to appear so when absorbed by the fabric, and hence more or
less allowance should be made for this, and colors sometimes made stronger
in consequence. It is advisible to have several mixtures of the same color
of different degrees of strength for successive paintings. The paints are
transparent washes or dyes, diluted with water, as in ordinary water colors,
and although oil and water color maybe used instead, the regular tapestry
paints are generally uonceded best for the purpose. The color should be
washed in as broadly as possible, leaving all details or minute particulars
for a later painting. Before commencing a wash of any one color, care
should be taken to prepare enough to finish it, that it may not appear un-
even in its effects.
There are from fifteen to thirty colors put up in the boxes. The brushes
are similar to those described for oil painting. A generous supply is needed,
as a brush charged with one color should not be dipped into another tint,
but a separate one kept for each color.
The painting may be carried forward in this manner:
Dilate the colors well with clear, soft water. Let each wash dry, and
then if too dull or faint, strengthen with successive washes. If too strong
in tone it may be softened, but care must be taken not to apply too deep a
color, as it is much more difficult to extract it than it is to lay it on correctly
at the first.
The tone is softened and subdued by pressing a dampened cloth or pad
npon the part of the work too highly colored. Sometimes acids are used to
extract the color, but this is not advisable to the beginner, as their use re-
quires considerable practice. If the directions given for water colors are
carefully observed it will be an advantage in this branch of work, which is
very similar in process. The lights should be left clear, and in blending
one tone into another begin with the darker, blending into the lighter.
The forms, especially of shadows, should be carefully noted, but harsh out-


232 DECORATIVE PAINTING.
lines are to be studiously avoided or the principal charm of the painting is
lost
.
The foregoing directions apply to tapestry painting proper. There are
other methods, as already hinted, in which oil or water color are used. If
oil paints, they should be freely diluted with turpentine and rubbed into
the fabric with stiff bristle brushes, staining or dyeing the nap. The brushes
may be cut off squarely, thus enabling the paint to take hold of the nap
without laying it down, as for velvet or plush. These fabrics are very
handsome grounds for this style of work, especially the lighter shades.
White niolcskin velveteen is especially adapted to this painting. Other
names have been given it, such as chenille, arasene painting, etc., but it is
properly dye or tapestry painting, the method being the same in all re-
spects.
The screen shown in illustration is very effective decorated in this manner
upon velvet or velveteen. This illustration is also introduced as a suggest-
ive design for *
BRONZE PAINTINO
which it is now our purpose to consider briefly, it being a very beautiful
and attractive branch of decorative work.
Under the name of bronze painting may be properly classed all brush
work executed with metallic colors, variously styled Lustra, Iridescent,
Prismatine painting, etc., etc.
This is a form of art especially suited to purely decorative purposes, and
has of late become deservedly popular. The lustrous effects resemble in rich-
ness Oriental embroidery, with its sheen of rainbow hues and gorgeous
brilliancy. Its popularity is not to be wondered at when it is understood
with what rapidity it can be executed, and what telling effects can be had
at a trifling expenditure of time and trouble.
As in tapestry painting, bold effects should be sought rather than fine-
ness of detail, as the work is shown to better advantage at a distance. A
simple design is best suited to the purpose; the colors themselves being
inadequate to the representation of nature. Conventional design is in ex-
cellent taste. Birds of gay plumage or tropical coloring, bright winged in-
sects, and similar subjects, are very desirable. Fruit can also be treated
with richness of effect, while foliage with autumnal tints will admit of
realistic treatment better than any other subject.
The leaf of the maple or Virginia creeper, in variegated shades of crim-
son, scarlet, gold and emerald, with its intense reds and sunny yellows,
afford a charming subject of peculiar interest to the amateur. To begin
the work, let all outlines be clear and decisive. The usual methods of
sketching or stamping can be followed. The richest ground for the paint-
ing is plush or velvet, which sets off the bronze to perfection.
The colors come in powdered form dry, and need to be mixed with a pre-
pared medium. They are thus applied to the fabric with stiff bristle
brushes. A palette with little weils, or hjllows for mixing the col rs, is
very useful. Placing some of the bronze powder in one of these wells, the
medium is added until of the thickness of cream, or syrup. Thk mixture
needs stirring frequently, and kept a uniform consistency throughout the
work, otherwise the painting will be dull in some places, in others bril-
liant. This is an important point. Much of the bronze painting done by
amateurs is dull and sickly in appearance, owing to this defective method
of working. The aim should be an even uniformity throughout.


DECORA TIVE PAINTING.
233
Should the mixture thicken up too much, a drop of turpentine may be added, but turpentine must not be used as a medium. A very little ex-
periment will show how the colors are to be mixed, and it is an excellent
plan for the beginner to practice upon some spare material, until some de-
gree of proficiency is made in this part of the work, as it is an important
consideration.
There are two methods of procedure in order to attain the right effect of
light and shadow. One is to lay in the color over the whole design, shading
over it afterward; the other to let the fabric itself do the shading, by leav

8CREEN, IN TAPESTRY OR BRONZE PAINTING.
ing it untouched in the deeper accents, or at least shading it so lightly that it shows through sufficiently to produce an appearance of shadow.
The latter is perhaps the most artistic method, when rightly understood.
A leaf or petal is painted with one stroke of the brush well loaded with
color, by drawing it firmly over the space outlined in the design. The leaf
may also be edged with color and then filled in, if preferred, working from
the point downwards. Then the portion in shadow outlined in the same
manner, but more lightly. The veining of leaves is best imitated when
the under painting is dry. A fine brush is used for this work, and the
paint applied very thickly.


2Di DECORATIVE PAINTINO.
Sometimes the subject needs strengthening by touches of bright color,
or by laying contrasting shades over the ground color while the work is
still wet. This is especially effective in fruit designs, the bloom of peaches,
high lights of grapes, woodbine, berries, etc. These brilliant touches are
given in a different way from that already described. The brush is moist-
ened with the medium and then dipped into the dry color, which is applied
over the other colors while yet moist. This gives brilliancy difficult to ob-
tain in any other way. A few explicit directions may be of use in general
painting.
For subjects to be colored white, silver is the local tint, steel in the
shadows, and brilliant silver for the high lights.
In yellow, pale gold is used for to general tone, with orange or fire in the
deeper accents. The dull colors mixed with the metallics are very useful
for certain effects, as brown with orange, or dull red with fire or orange,
and sometimes black in very deep tones.
To obtain deep, intense reds, it is necessary to use oil colors in combi-
nation with the metallics, as there are no equivalents for them in Lustra
paints. These may be touched up afterward with the metallic fire or
carmine.
Light blue is often combined with silver for lighter shades, and dark
blue for shadows, while silver is used for the high lights. Pink and silver
may be mixed for delicate tints, as apple blossoms or pale pink flowers.
Carmine is used in the deeper accents, and silver in the lights.
Purple is often combined with blue fur fruit or for flowers, with pale
purple in the lighter accents, and sometimes silver for brilliant touches.
There is no limit to the variety of combinations, and no one need complain
that there is lack of variety. The owl, the peacock, the parrot, are good
subjects this style of painting. The screen shown in illustration gives a
suggestion of novel and quaint design. Screens thus decorated with bril-
liant and well-blended colors have a singularly striking effect, and are rich
and elegant in appearance. The folding screen is very popular now, and
affords pretty opportunities for decorative painting.
HINTS IN CONCLUSION.
It is thought best to give, in conclusion, a few explanatory hints useful
to all branches of decorative painting.
By high lights are meant those planes of a subject which the light strikes
most directly.
The local color is the natural color, uninfluenced by accidents of light or
shade.
By lone is generally intended the quality of color combination, whether
light or dark, rich, deep, warm, cold, etc.
By accent any particular emphasis of light or shadow. A particular ob-
ject is said to be in relief when it seems to set out or project from the back-
ground.
The masses of the picture are its large divisions of light and shadow.
The details, its minute particulars, as distinguished from its masses.
The lay-in of a painting is the flat, transparent coloring of its masses.
By handling is meant the manner of using the brush.
The term palettehas two distinct meanings:
First, the article by that name used to hold the paints while working.
Secondly, an expression signifying the particular combination of colo?
used in painting the different parts of a subject.


HOME AMUSEMENTS.
Acting Charades.
Charadeb may be performed after a variety of different fashions. First
and foremost, we have the highly finished charade, with both speech and
action carefully prepared and duly rehearsed. Secondly, there is the spoken
charade, got up on the spur of the moment, words and action being alike
extempore. We have seen a good deal of fun got out of charades of this
description; but unless the actors are of more than average ability, and
have bad some little dramatic experience, the chances are much against
any very satisfaciory result On the whole, we should strongly recom-
mend that where a charade is got up ex tempore, it should be acted in pan-
tomime only.
It is of course understood that, whatever be the particular mode of per-
formance, a charade always represents a " word " to be guessed, with one
scene to each syllable (or group of consecutive syllables), and a final scene
representing the whole word. The successive scenes are sometimes wholly
independent of each other, but in the more finished class of charades are
made parts of a complete drama. The following are good charade words:
Knighthood,
Penitent,
Looking-glass,
Hornpipe,
Necklace,
Indolent,
Light-house,
Hamlet,
Pantry
Phantom,
Windfall,
Sweepstake,
Sackcloth,
Antidote,
Antimony,
Pearl-powder,
King-fisher,
Card-sharper,
Footfall,
Housekeeping,
Dramatic,
Infancy,
Snow-ball,
Definite,
Bowstring,
Carpet,
Sundav,
Shyloek,
Earwig,
Matrimony,
Cowhiding,
Pigtail,
Welcome,
Friendship,
Horsemanship,
Coltsfoot,
Bridegroom,
Housemaid,
Curl-paper,
Crumpet
.
It will be obviens that in some of these instances—as, for instance,
"Card-sharper," "Housekeeping "—two syllables must be taken together
to supply the motif for a single scene.
We will take the word " Windfall" as affording a ready illustration of
the pantomime charade, and be it remembered that, in charades of this
description, the shorter and simpler the action the better. Thus the first
scene, "Wind," may be represented by a German band, puffing away a*
imaginary ophicleides and trombones, wilh distended cheeks and frantic
energy, though in perfect sile«ce. The next scene, "Fall," may be a party


236 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
of boys on a slide, who " keep the pot a-boiling" for a moment or two, and
then exeunt. Enter an elderly gentleman, with umbrella up; walks un-
suspectingly on to the slide, and falls. The complete word " Windfall"
may be represented by a young man sitting alone, leaning his elbows on his
hands, and having every appearance of being in the last stage of impecuni-
osity. To produce this effect, he may go through the pantomime of examin-
ing his purse and showing it empty, searching his pockets, and turning
them one by one inside out, shaking his head mournfully, and sitting down
again, throwing into his expression as much despair as he conveniently can.
A postman's knock is heard ; a servant enters with a legal-looking letter.
The impecunious hero, tearing it open, produces from it a roll of bank-
notes, and forthwith gives way to demonstrations of the most extravagant
delight, upon which the curtain falls.
A very absurd, but not the less meritorious, charade is represented as
follows: The curtain rises, disclosing a city street. Two gentlemen in out-
door costume, cross the stage from opposite sides, and bow gravely on
passing each other, one of them saying as they do so, " Good morning,
doctor." The curtain falls, and the audience are informed that the charade,
which represents a word of six syllables, is complete in that one scene.
When the spectators have guessed, or been told that the word is " meta- physician," the curtain again rises on precisely the same scene, and the
same performance, action for action, and word for word, is repeated over
again. The audience hazard tho same word "metaphysician" as the an-
swer, but are informed that they are wrong-rthe word now represented
having only three syllables—and they ultimately discover that the word is
"metaphor " (met afore).
In another charade of similar character, when the curtain rises, nothing
is seen but a little wooden horse. The spectators are told that this forms
a word of two syllables, representing an island in the Aegean Sea. If the
spectators are well up in ancient geography, they may possibly guess that
Delos (deal 'oss) is referred to. The curtain falls, and again rises on the
same contemptible object, which is now stated to represent a second island
in the same part of the world. The classical reader will at once see that
Samos (same 'oss) is intended. Again the curtain rises on the representa-
tion of another island. Two little wooden horses now occupy the scene,
Paros (pair 'oss) being the island referred to. Once more the curtain rises,
this time on a group of charming damsels, each reclining in a woe-begone
attitude, surrounded by pill-boxes and physic-bottles, and apparently
suffering from some painful malady. This scene represents a word of three
syllables, and is stated to include all that has gone before. Cyclades (sick
ladies), the name of the group to which Delos, Samos, and Paros belong, is
of course, the answer.
Another very comical pantomime charade is a performance representing
the word "imitation" and known as "The Hutchinson Family." The
spectators are informed that the charade about to be performed can only
be exhibited to one person at a time. One person is accordingly admitted
into the room in which the actors are congregated. The unhappy wight
stares about him with curiosity, not nnmingled with apprehension, fearing
to be made the victim of some practical joke : nor is his comfort increased
by finding that his every look or action is faithfully copied by each person
present. This continues until he has either guessed or given up the word,
when a fresh victim is admitted, and the new initiate becomes in turn one
of the actors. Sometimes, however, the victim manages to turn the laugh


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 237
against his persecutors. We have known of a young lady, seeing through
the joke, quietly take a chair and remain motionless, reducing the matter
to a simple trial of patience between herself and the company. On another occasion, we remember, a saucy schoolboy, finding that the company (a
mixed party of ladies and gentlemen) did him the honor to imitate all his
actions, finally stood on his head in a corner, to the complete discomfiture
of the rest of the party.
We give a single specimen of the more finished kind of Acting Charade:
BULL'S-EYE.
First Syllarle—Bulls,
characters.
Terence O'Connor. A brothof a boy.
Mr. Blarney. A fine ould Irish gentleman.
Norah. His only Daughter.
Costumes.—Terence may wear a shabby tail-coat, knee breeches (or rolled-
up trousers), a high stand-up collar (cut out of paper), and a very battered
hat. Old Blarney should be attired in a similar costume; his hair must
be whitened by Time or the flour-dredger. Norah must dress in a very
simple style.
Enter Terence.
Terence. Och ! it's a sin and a shame to see a man cut off in his prime,
and made miserable for the rest of his life by a pair of elegant black eyes.
Though it's my own tongue that's to blame entirely, for if I'd kept it still I
might have gone on talking to her till the present moment. I was in too
great a hurry to pop the delicate question; for though we had known each
other ever since we were babies in arms, it wasn't decent for me to strike
up a match at our very first meeting. So when I said to her, "Norah, dar-
lint, I mane to talk to Father Maguire to-morrow," she got into such a tow-
ering passion that I was glad to get out of her sight. Since then I've never
clapped eyes on her, though it's many the time I've peeped through the key-
hole, and seen her looking so disconsolate that I've felt terribly inclined to
make it up with her. I know she's sorry she drove me away from her
side, at the very moment I was kneeling at her feet, and offering my heart
and hand, to say nothing of the pig and the field of praties. She must be the most miserable creature in the world; but what's her misery compared
to mine? I can't even sleep a wink at night for dreaming of her; and
though I've banished her from my thoughts entirely, I can think of nothing
else. Bedad! here comes her ould father. I thought the family had gone
to bed.
Enter Blarney.
Blarney. I'm sure I heard somebody. Who can it be at this time o'
night?
lerence. Good evening, Mister Blarney.
Blarney. Sure then and I did hear somebody.
Terence. Your stupid ould ears have deceived you, Mister Blarney.
There hasn't been a soul near the place, barring the pig.
Blarney. That's as fine a bull as I've heard for a long time. Sure,
haven't you yourself been lurking about the premises.
Terence. Bedad ! I clean forgot that. Maybe it was me that disturbed
you?
Blarney. Maybe it was; and if it's not troubling you too much, Mister
O'Connor, might I be so bould as to ask what brings you here so late?


238 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
Terence. Your daughter's to blame entirely. She's refused to marry
me; and as I've made a vow never to speak another word to her, I thought
I'd just come and say " farewell" to her before I started by the train for
Ameriky.
Blarney. Ameriky! Why, the boy's mad! Norah, the darlint, will
break her little heart.
Terence. Never fear that. If she's a heart at all she'd never have been
hard-hearted enough to have broken mine.
Blarney. I'll call her out at once. I wouldn't have her lose your ele-
gant pig and your beautiful crop of parties for the world.
Terence. That's foinly said, Mr. Blarney. But depend upon it, the girl
won't listen to you. Blarney. You're mistaken, entirely. If she was as deaf as a post she'd
listen to her poor old father. (Vailing.) Here, Norah ! Norah machree,
come here this minute.
Terence. Stop a bit. I'll turn my back upon her, and listen to what she
says. It's getting dark, and she won't know who I am.
Blarney. Oh, you're a clever boy.
Enter Norah.
Norah. Was it calling me you were, father dear? If it's supper you're
wanting, it wou't be ready for ten minutes at least.
Blarney. Bother the supper. I've got bad news for you, my jewel.
Norah. Good gracious! Has anything happened to the pig?
Blarney. No; saints be praised, the pig is all right! But poor Terence
O'Connor is going to Ameriky.
Norah. Oh, don't say so, if you love me. (Crying.) What shall I do
without the dear boy ? And it's I that's driven him away. Oh, dear! oh,
dear! (Putsapron toher eyes, walksacross, and runs against Terence.)
Holy Mother! who's that? Why, I declare it's Terence himself. Terence,
darling, you won't be leaving your own Norah?
Terence. It isn't me, machree ; it's a gentleman from Dublin.
[Blarney bursts into a violent Jit of laughter.
Norah. (Aside.) It's Terence himself. There's not another boy in Lim-
erick that could make such a beautiful bull as that. I'll tease him a little. (Aloud to Terence.) It you please, Mister Gentleman from Dublin, was it
you that brought the message from Terence?
Terence. It was, miss.
Norah. And will you be seeing the poor boy again?
Terence. Yes, I intend calling upon him before he takes his departure.
Norah. Then tell him, sir, that the young woman he's running away
from forgives him, although he did steal her poor father's pig.
[Blarney tries to stifle his laughter.
Terence. (Timing round.) That's not true! Mister Blarney, I appeal to
you. Did I ever carry off one of your family?
Blarney. You never did, sir. Saints forbid that I should suspect a gen-
tleman from Dublin! It was the boy Terence that stole the helpless little
animal.
Terence. I can't stand this any longer. Norah! Mister Blarney! Do you
want to drive me out of my senses? Are you playing the fool with me, or
did I really steal a pig unbeknown to myself? It's Terence O'Connor that
asks. (Blarney and Norah laugh.) Oh ! please don't laugh.
Norah. Will you promise, then. never to get angry with your own Norah?
Terence. Yes, darling. 


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 239
Norah. And that you'll never think of leaving Oulil Ireland again?
Terence. I'll promise anything that's reasonable, if you'll ODly promise
to make ould Mister Blarney my mother-in-law.
Blarney. Terence, you're a broth of a boy, and I don't mind giving my
consent to your marriage, providing Norah's agreeable.
Terence. Say the word, honey, and call me back from Ameriky.
Norah. Get away with you, do.
Terence. Where to, darlint?
Norah. To Father Maguire's, if you please. (They embrace.)
Blarney. The boy's bulls will make his fortune yet. Come to supper,
my darlint! lExeunt.
Second Syllarle.—Eye.
charactkbS.
Mr. Testy. An irascible old gentleman.
Mr. Bapid. A fast young gentleman.
Mrs. Testy. A sympathetic old lady.
Dora. A charming young lady.
Costumes.— As the above characters are supposed to be gentlemen and
ladies of the present period, there will be no difficulty in finding suit-
able dresses. Bapid ought to be attired in a smart morning suit.
Should a juvenile performer take the part of Mr. Testy he will require a
very high white cravat and a pair of spectacles, to make himself ap-
pear sufficiently venerable.
Enter Bapid with bandage over rigid eye.
Rapid. (Talking very fast.) Treat, this! Faucy getting a black eye to-
day, just as I am about to make the acquaintance of my beloved gover-
nor's old friend Testy and his niece, the lovely and accomplished Dora.
How very provoking! Never had such a thing before, thuugh I'm
turned two-and-twenty. Let me see—22 by 365 gives something over
8000. I've actually existed for 8000 days and never experienced till this
morning the delights of a black eye. Now, I don't object to black eyes
as a rule, but I do object to having one to-day. It's some consola-
tion that I got it while doing my duty as a defender of the rights of
property. Coming up Bigent street I see a charming young lady look-
ing in bonnet-shop, while a repulsive young man is picking her pocket.
I alarm the first and collar the second. The young lady faints and is
carried into shop by elderly female . The young man shows fight, gives
me a back-hander, which effectively closes my right eye and wakes the
lion within me. I struggle with pugnacious young man, and succeed in
getting from him the purse of sensitive young lady. The disappointed
young man breaks away from me and rushes blindly into the arms of a
vigilant policeman. I enter shop, throw myself at the feet of conval-
escent young lady, and restore to her the purse. Emotional elderly female
weeps, embraces me, and thanks me in the name of her niece, whose looks
express intense gratitude. I rush out of shop, call a hansom, drive to the
nearest butcher, purchase half a pound of beef-steak, and clap it on eye
damaged by dishonest but muscular young man. I then drive home, wash,
dress, and remove beef-steak. I turn out again, jump into another hansom,
and drive here to meet, according to appointment, the lovely and accom-
plished female whom my governor wants me to marry. He and old Testy
have arranged everything; and if Dora likes me, and I like her, there will
be nothing to prevent us enterin™ into the blessed state ol matrimony next
week—nothing but this horrible black eye! I'm half afraid it will upset the


240 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
pretly little scheme which has been concocted by the old gentleman. How
can I hope to make a favorable impression on a simple-minded girl with
this! (Removes bandage and shows black eye.) I wonder how it's getting
on? I wish there was a looking-glass in the room. I must try to keep it
covered, as I don't want to be taken for a prize-fighter.
Enter Mrs. Testy.
Mrs. T. How do you do, Mr. Bapid? I have long looked forward to this
meeting.
Rapid. (Covering his black eye with pocket handkerchief.) My dear
madam, I am delighted to make your acquaintance.
[Places his left hand over eye and gives her his right.
Mrs. T. I saw your papa last week, and learnt from him that you wers
disposed to regard my niece with a favorable eye. (Aside.) I wonder why
he keeps up his handkerchief.
Rapid. Oh, yes! (Aside.) I should be sorry to let her see my unfavor-
able eye.
Mrs. T. (Aside.) I declare he's weeping. His wicked father wishes him
to contract a marriage that is repugnant to him. (Aloud.) Young man, look
me in the face. You love another!
Rapid. You are quite mistaken, madam. My heart has never yet been
wounded by the arrows of Master Cupid. (Aside.) What is the stupid old
woman driving at?
Mrs. T. Do not attempt to deceive me, young man. One blighted being
can feel for another. I, who was driven by a father's threats to accept the
hand of a gentleman that I didn't care two pins for, can understand those
bitler tears that you try in vain to check! (Weeps.)
Rapid. Really, Mrs. Testy, I am at a loss to comprehend your meaning.
My father never threatened me in his life.
Mrs. T. You play your part well, young man. It is noble of you to at-
tempt to screen your bad father ; but, as I said before, you cannot deceive
me. I will leave you to complete your self-sacrifice.
Rapid. You're very kind, I'm sure.
Mrs. T. (Gazing at him vith an expression of pity.) Poor young man!
Allow mo to embrace you. [Rushes into his aims, then bursts into a fit of
crying, and Exit.
Rapid. What a remarkablo old person! She seems to be somewhat mad.
I hope Dora doesn't take after her. I wonder where I can have met her
before ; her face seems quite familiar to me. Oh, for another slice of beef!
How this troublesome eye of mine smarts.
Ente\- Mr. Testy oh Rapid's left.
I wonder whether I could find the cook.
Testy. (In a Imid voice.) Good morning, Master Reginald!
Rapid. (Starting.) Good gracious, how you made me jump!
Testy. My name is Testy! (Offers hand to Bapid, who in taking it ex-
poses his black eye for a moment.)
Rapid. I am proud to meet so old a friend of my father. (Aside.) I hope
he didn't catch sight of the eye.
Testy. You've commenced the battle early.
Rapid. Oh, yes—exactly so. (Aside.) He must have seen it.
Testy. Well, there's nothing like punctuality. Many a match has been
spoiled for want of'it.
Rcvid. (Aside.) He evidently takes me for a prize-fighter.


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 241
Testy. You've not seen Dora yet? Poor girl I her nerves received a
dreadful shook this morning.
Sapid. I'm sorry to hear that. {Aside.) I wonder how they'll bear the
second shock—the appearance of my right optic?
Tesly. I'd advise you to say nothing to her about the ring this morning.
Rapid. The ring! Oh, of course not. I should be sorry ever to allude
lo it in her presence.
Testy. What, sir l Do you mean to tell me that you will never talk to
her about the ring.
Sapid. Kever, sir I I could not degrade myself so.
Tesly. Degrade yourself by marrying my niece I What do you mean,
you scoundrel?
Rapid. Now don't be cross. I never said a word about marriage, so it's
evident we don't clearly understand each other.
Testy. You said you would never speak to her about the ring I
Rapid. You mean the wedding ring! (Laughing.) I declare I thought
you were talking about the prize-ring.
lesly. (HaugMily.) Sir, I have a horror of prize-fighting, and am not in
the habit of talking about that ring with which you seem so familiar.
Rapid. Forgive me, sir. I did not intend to hurt your feelings.
Tesly. Well, then, shake hands. By the way, what's the matter with
your eye?
Rapid. Nothing worth speaking of. Merely a slight discoloration of the
surrounding parts. I think it advisable not to expose it. (Drops hand-
kerchief. Testy seizes him by the shoulders.)
Testy. You call that a slight discoloration! I should very much like to
know, sir, what you consider a black eye. How dare you come here, sir,
with such an eye as that?
Rapid. Allow me to explain. This blackened optic is an honorable dis-
figurement. It was obtained in a good fight.
Testy. I thought as much. You are a disgrace to your family.
Rapid. Sir, I did not come here to be insulted.
Testy. No, sir ; you came here to insult us.
Rapid. Do you take me for a prize-fighter?
Testy. I do- sir; you carry the badge of your calling upon your faoe.
Rapid. I will leave this house at once.
Testy. My servants shall kick you out, sir.
Enter Mrs. Testy and Dora.
Mrs. T. Good gracious! What is all this noise about? (Sees Bapid's
black eye, and screams.) I declare, my wicked husband has actually given
that blighted being a black eye!
Bora. Oh, auntl Why that's the brave young gentleman who restored
my purse to me.
Mrs. T. So it is. How foolish of me to forget him I Young man—dear
Reginald, embrace me again! (Rushes into his arms.)
Testy. What's the meaning of this, I should like to know? Perhaps you
can tell me, Dora?
Dora. Oh, unele dear! That's the gentleman who fought that horrible
man in Regent Street this morning, and got back all my money. (Aside.)
What a dear young man he is! That black eye which he got in defending
me quite becomes him.
Testy. Beginald, my boy, I have wronged you. My niece is yours.
Take her—be happy. ( Weeps.)


242 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
Mrs. T. Ah, me! It's too late now to save the poor young man from
his doom. (Weeps.)
Dora. Oh, Mr. Bapid, forgive my uncle; he is always in such a hurry I
You can't know whether you like me yet!
Testy. Nonsense! Of course he likes you. Don't be self-willed.
Dora. I'm sure I shall faint.
Rapid. Faint, darling, by all means. This arm that was raised in your
defence a few hours ago shall support you now. [Exeunt.
The Whole Word.—Bull's Eye.
characters.
Smith, Brown, Jones, and Robinson, Effective Members of the'Puddle-
dock Volunteer Rifle Corps.
Sergeant Bang, Drill Instructor. Tomkins, a Recruit.
Costumes.—The uniform of the Puddledock Corps may be got ready in a
very short space of time. Any description of coat or jacket may be worn.
The belts and gaiters are to formed of brown paper, and cocked hats of
the same material may be substituted for caps. Tomkins will not wear
the uniform of the corps.
Enter Serokant Bang, Smith, Brown, Jones, and Robinson, marching in single file.
Sang. Halt! To the right face. Stand at ease! (Volunteers go through
the motions indicated by words of command.) Attention! Privates Smith
Brown, Jones, and Robinson, you are to proceed at once to the practice-
ground to shoot off the tie made by you for the Puddledock Challenge Cup.
You will fire one shot each at three hundred yards.
Smith. The marker hasn't come yet, sergeant. I've sent Tomkins to look
for him.
Bang. Oh! then you'd better wait here till he comes. Stand at ease
stand easy the moment. [Exit.
Brown. I say, Smith, if you hadn't made me laugh I should have won
the prize last night.
Smith. My dear boy, I didn't make you laugh ; it was Jones.
Jones. I merely called your attention to little Dobson's elegant position
while firing at the long range from the knee. It was much better that you
should lose the match than miss the chance of seeing Dobson in the regu-
lation position.
Brown. Poor little chap, he looked for all the world like one of those
fat Chinese idols.
Smith. I thought he'd never get up again.
Brown, I shall win to day, I'm confident.
Smith. I'm not at all sure of that; something tells me that I shall come
off the conqueror.
Jones. Now, don't be too fast . I tell you beforehand I shall make %
bull's-eye with my shot.
Robinson. I wish I was as certain of success as you all seem to be.
(Alllaugh.)
Smith. Poor fellow—did he want the Challenge Cup!
Brown. Let me give you a bit of advice, Bobinson. Stint your eyes and
press the trigger at the same time, and you'll perhaps have just such good
luck as you had last night. If you aim at the bull's^e you are sure to


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 243
Robinson. I mean to try my test for the prize, in spite of your chaff.
Jones. Fancy Robinson the champion shot of Puddledock. Wouldn't
he give himself airs!
Rcibinson. Not I ! I shouldn't give myself half so' many airs as some
people I could mention do now.
Enter Tomkins and Sergeant Bang.
Tomkins. The marker's come! And almost everybody belonging to
Puddledock waiting to see the sport. Oh, don't I wish I was an effective!
Bang. Squad: Attention !—Right about face!—March!
[Exeunt Smith, Brown, Jones, and Borinson.
Now, Mr. Tomkins, let me put you through your facings. Attention!
Keep your head up, sir; shoulders square to the front; knees perfecily
straight.
Tomkins. Can't I go and see the shooting?
Bang. No talking, sir. Now, sir, attend to me. On the word "Face"
place the hollow of the right foot smartly against the left heel, keeping the
shoulders square to the front. On the word "Two " raise the toes, and
turn a quarter circle to the right on both heels, which must be placed to-
gether. To the right. (Tomkins draws back fool.) As you were! Wait
till the word " face" is given. To the right face! (Tomkins draws back
left foot.) As you were! The left heel must never quit the ground. Pay
attention, sir! To the right face! (Tomkins executes the order correctly.)
Two! (Tomkins tries to turn round to the left, and tumbles down.) As you
were! Don't you know your right from your left?
Tomkins. Oh, yes! I know, but I forget.
Bang. Must try to remember, sir. Here come the competitors! I won-
der who's the winner?
Enter Smith, Brown, Jones, and Robinson. Tomkins. What news, Brown?
Brown. Bad news. I'll read you the score. (Reads paper.) "Robin-
son, three; Jones, one; Smith, none ; Brown none."
Tomkins. What, is old Robinson first?
Smith. Yes, by accident.
Brown. Jones made me laugh again.
Jones. Serve you right, for nudging my elbow.
Robinson. I don't care for your chaff now. I've got the cup, and mean
to keep it! (Dances about.)
Bang. Private Robinson, you are an honor to the corps; shake hands.
Tomkins. Shake hands with me, too ; there's a good fellow. Though
I'm only a recruit, I can respect the man who makes three points with one
shot.
Bang. Squad, fall in! Attention! Right face! Quick march!
[All march out, Tomkins not in step.
Shadow Pantomimes.
This is a form of dramatic performance which is best suited to rather
young players, but, properly managed, it may not only be made great fun
to the performers, but a fertile source of amusement to the spectators. It
is a further development of the principle of "Shadow Buff," but worked
up to a far higher degree of completeness, being in this instance not a
mere game, but the performance of a regular drama.
The "screen" should be tightly stretched on a wooden frame, and


244 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
should consist i/f the kind of muslin nsed for transparencies, which may be
had very wide without a seam. For lack of this a fine sheet will make a
very fair substitute; but if this latter be used it should be welted, in order
to render it more transparent. In any case care should be taken to secure
a closely woven material, as any rays of light shining between the threads
would have a very bad effect. All lights should be put out on the specta-
tors' side of the screen, and the opposite side should tie lighted by one lamp
ouly. This should be a low, flat lamp, fitted with a duplex burner of toler-
ably large size, and burning the very best kerosene oil. This lamp should
be placed in a box or case purposely made to receive it, and which should
be closed on every side save that looking towards the sheet, and should be
only so high as just to admit the lamp, and to allow of some sort of guard
over the chimney, to prevent the top of the box being scorched by the in-
tense heat. The box should be substantial enough to prevent its being
readily lucked over, and, if practicable, screwed down to the floor. The
inside should be lined with bright tin, or better still, a concave reflector
should be fixed at the back of the box, just behind the light. Gas may be
used, if preferred, but it must be remembered that to render the shadows
sharp and well defined, all the light must proceed from a single burner;
indeed, so essential is it that all the rays should originate in one single
point, that where a flat-flame burner is used, it is iound necessary to turn
it edgeways to the screen. If such a box as above described is not avail-
able, a four-legged wooden stool may be used as a substitute, a tin or iron
plate being fixed beneath to prevent the charring of the wood. Some per-
formers use an unguarded light, with a stool placed behind it, for the per-
formers to step up and down from ; but there is far too much risk about
this plan, as the accidental kicking over of the lamp might readily turn the
pantomime into a very serious tragedy. The plan we have recommended,
though it involves a little more trouble, will be found in every way more
satisfactory.
The position of the hght above described will be referred to ar the
"first," or ordinary position, and in default of special mention to the con-
trary, it will be assumed that the lamp is thus placed. A couple of feet or
so behind the box in question there should be a stool or table about two
feet high, to which the lamp may be transferred at pleasure. This will be
referred to as the "second " position.
To produce clear and sharply defined shadows on the screen, the objects
to be reflected, whether animate or inanimate, should be as close to it as
possible. Living actors should always be seen in profile, and to insure this
will require diligent rehearsal under the guidance of a careful stage manager,
for the actor cannot himself see whether his reflection is as it should be.
If he turns ever so little to try to catch sight of his features, the profile is
a profile no longer. For like reasons, the actors must avoid standing one
in front of another, or their shadows will instantly become confused. If the
action requires that two actors should pass e ch other, they should do bo
as rapidly as possible, and if they are required to turn round, they must
do so with an instantaneous " right about face," bringing the features again
into profile from the opposite side. Furniture, in like manner, will de-
mand special treatment. An ordinary dining-table, when reflected against
the screen, would look something like a carpenter's bench, or an old-
fashioned square piano, the width of the top being transformed, in shadow,
into apparent depth. Where it is not required that a table or chair should,
in stage parlance, be "practicable," i. e., capable of being used as a table


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 245
or chair, its representation may be cut out of pasteboard, and pinned or
otherwise fastened to the screen. But where a table is required to place
articles upon (as for a stage banquet, or the like), the best plan is to make,
or get made by a carpenter, a table ot very light deal. In length it will be
of the actual length of which it is intended to appear; but in width it
should not be more than six or eight inches. Of course the slightest and
roughest workmanship will suffice. Other articles of furniture may be
constructed on the same principle.
Where scenery is required, it may be cut out of stiff white or brown
paper (according to the degree of opacity required), and pinned to the
screen.
The point that most puzzles the uninitiated with reference to a shadow

SHADOW PANTOMIME—FIG.
pantomime is the extraordinary manner in which the characters make their
entrances and exits. Instead of coming on at the side, after the ordinary
fashion (though this is sometimes done, byway of variety), they generally
enter by dropping down, apparently from the ceiling, and exeunt by Hying up
there again in a most weird and uncanny manner (sep Fig. 1). This curious
effect is produced by jumping over the light, and the reader will now see
the object of the substantial box or case we have described. The per-
former can jump on or off the top of a box so arranged with perfect safety,
but where he has to jump over a naked light on to a box behind it, there is
a constant element of danger. A reference to Fig. 2 will show more
clearly how this curious effect of vanishing into space is produced.
The light only throws a shadow on the screen within the limils of ima-
ginary straight lines drawn from the light to the extreme corners of the
screen. So long as any object remains within theso limits it is visible ou


21G
HOME AMUSEMENTS.
the screen, but the moment it passes outside them it is no longer between
the light aad the screen, and therefore no longer throws a shadow.
Necessary articles of furniture, or the like, are introduced or got rid of
over the light in like manner; the stage manager holding them, when
wanted, just within arm's reach, but outside the line of the shadow. The
effect of a chair or table floating gently down from above to the hand of
the performer is most absurd. As outlineis the only consideration, not
only the manufacture of stage properties, but the make-up of the perform-
ers is an extremely easy process. Pasteboard is the universal material.
From swords and axes to beer-jugs and coal-scuttles, a few sheets of paste-
board will furnish all that is required. A hump on the back, or a horse's
head, may be manufactured in like manner. A false nose or chin is equally

SHADOW PANTOMIME—FIG. 2.
within its range. All that you have to do is to cut out the desired feature
(say a nose) in duplicate. Glue together the portions forming the project-
ing part of the nose, and the unglued portions will form a convenient clip
to embrace the natural organ. To secure the pasteboard feature in posi-
tion, you may either use a piece of diachylon plaster, or a thread passing
round the head and tied behind. Fluids, as, for instance, beer poured
from :i jug, are represented by sawdust or sand, a paper-bagful of which,
stuck just inside the waistcoat, will enable a wounded combatant to bleed
in the most copious and affecting manner.
A curious effect may be produced by holding objects cut out in paste-
board first at right angles to the screen, and then gradually shifting them
round till they are parallel with it. In the former position the article
throws merely an upright streak of shadow on the screen, thence gradually
developing to its full form and dimensions.


SOME AMUSEMENTS. 247
By way of illustration we append the Shadow Pautomime of
THE FEEJEE ISLANDEBS AT HOME*
CHARACTERS.
Kamehaha, King of the Cannibal Islands.
OciiEK Pokee, Son of Kamehaha.
An Infant Feejee.
Rev. Mr. Sleek, a Missionary, short, plump, and juicy.
COSTUMES.
Kamehaha. In tights, with short skirt reaching just above the knee.
Woolly head,and three feathers stuck upright on back of head,projectingnose, with ring hanging from it. Woolly beard on chin.
Oohee Pokee. Also in tights and short skirt; nose and ring having a
strong family likeness to those of Kamehaha. No feathers on his head.
Sleek. Long frock-coat and pantaloons. Broad-brimmed hat. Exagge-
rated clerical " bands." Closely-fitting scalp covering his natural hair, and a
long-haired wig offerthe scalp.
Infant Fee-tee. In tig/Us altogether, and tight-fitting scalp.
The preparation of the costumes will involve but little trouble. The
tights may consist of ordinary merino under-shirts, drawers, and stockings.
A horsehair wig, such as is used by negro minstrels, may be worn, if pro-
curable. For lack of this, a wig may be made of cotton-wool sewed on to
a tight-fitting calico skull-cap. If possible, however, a " trick wig " should
be obtained for Kamehaha, which allows of the hair on the top of the head
being pulled upright by means of a string. Sleek's collar and bands may
be made of stout paper.
A rag-figure resembling Sleek should be prepared; the head, arms,
and legs being sewn on in such a manner that they will hold together, but
allow of being easily separated.
Properties:—Umbrella; Book;Bow and Arrow (of cane); Tomahawk;
Butcher's-knife; Egg; Chicken; another Chicken, with an arrow stuck
through it. (These Utter may be of cardboard.)
SCENE.
L. The entrance to a hut. B. A large gipsy kettle hanging between poles in
the usual way.
The hat is made of thin transparent paper, and should only take up just
so much of the width of the curtain as is necessary to show the entrance;
this latter should have a double thickness of the paper, so as to be nearly
or quite opaque, thus giving the effect of shade.
The pot or kettle should be made of pasteboard, with a wire handle,
and suspended by a stout cord from two slips of wood which serve for
poles. These are fastened at top, and secured against the frame of the cur-
tain in such a position that the kettle hangs on the stove with its side
against the frame. The kettle should be about two feet high, and eighteen
inches wide, and beneath it should be imitation flames made of red tissue
paper (see Fig. 3). Immediately over the kettle screw a small eyelet into
the frame which keeps the sheet extended, and fix a similar eyelet in the
frame just over the center of the scene. Pass a piece of fine sewing thread
By permission from Dick's Parlor Exhibitions, containing a large and varied col-
lection of Tableaux Vivants- Living Portraits, Living Statuary, Punch and Judy, Illus.
trated Ballads, Charades, Parlor Pantomimes, Literary Enigmas, Shadow Pantomimes,
etc., etc. Price, in illuminated paper covers, 30 cents. Published and ftr sale by Dick
t Fitzgerald, 18 Ann Street, New York.


248
HOME AMUSEMENTS.
through each; at one end of each thread fasten a hooked pin, and secure
the other enda on separate nails on the side of the frame. On the string ;n
the side, book a chicken, and on that in the middle, the other chicken with
tl» arrow in it; haul the latter up out of sight over the curtain, and let the
former hang down behind the kettle. In front of the fire l;iy;i few sticks
on the ground.
Begin with the light in the " first position."
Enter Kamehaha with bow and arrow and tomahawk, over light.
Kamehaha looks right and left, dips his finger in the pot, tastes it

SHADOW PANTOMIME
■hakes his head ; goes into hut, comes out again, stands at the entrance; ;
points at kettle, then at his open mouth; shakes his head; claps his iia.iua.
(Enter Ochee Pdkee over light.)
Threatens Ochee Pokee, points at kettle, squats down near hut, and
goes to sleep.
Ochee Pokee put his finger to his nose, cuts a caper, and picking up
sticks throws them into the fire. Runs into hut,* retarea with bellows,
blows fire. Kettle boils. (A mouthful of cigar-smolKi p':jfed from the side,
as if issuing from the kettle,produces the appearance of steam.)Cuts another
caper, runs into hut again, and fetches an egg, which he drops into the
kettle, and then squats down in front of his father and nods, as if asleep.
Kamehaha wakes, sees Ochee Pokee asleep, and hits him on the head
with his bow to wake him.
Ochee Pokee wakes up with a start, rubs his eyes and turns to Kame-
haha, who points to kettle. He then goes to kettle to get the egg, looks
into kettle, then starts back in amazemer.t . Beckens his father, who looks
* The effect of running Into the hut Is produced by simply running off at side.


KOMk AMUSEMENTS. 249
over his shoulder in the pot. (The chicken behind the kettle is now hauled
up by jerks.) At each movement of the chicken both start with surprise.
The chicken disappears over the curtain; both point to the place. (.4 strip
of cardboard with bad egg cut out in it may be held for a moment from the
side of the curtain over the kettle. The chicken is now drawn down again by
means of a stick with a hook at the end, the operation being performed so as
to produce no shadow on the curtain.
Kamehaha points to the words bad ego and hits Ochee Pokee on the
bead.
Ochee Pokee falls down, jumps up again, runs into hut and brings out
another egg.
Kamehaha snatches the egg, smells it, shakes it, nods his head in
approval, drops it in the kettle, and turns around to Ochee Pokee, shaking
big fist. (The chicken is meanwhile hauled up near to the top of the curtain,
in fullsight of the spectators, but unobserved by the players.) Kamehaha
turns again and looks into kettle, when the chicken is let down, so as to
appear as if standing on his head.
Ochee Pokee claps his hands and points at chicken.
Kamehaha looks up, and sees the chicken (which is quickly drawn up
out of sight); runs into hut for bow and arrow; appears again at entrance
and shoots up (so that thearrow will fall beyond the curtain. The chicken
in the center is now let down, fluttering, as if wounded.)
Both fall down afraid.
Ochee Pokee makes a grab at it, but it is hauled quickly up again.
Both shake fists at one another and stamp their feet.
Kamehaha kicks Ochee Pokee over light and exit into hut.
Ochee Pokee comes out of hut, pushing infant Feejeo before him up fo
the kettle.
Infant turns round, with hands together, and begs to be spared.
Ochee Pokee boxes his ears, and carefully puts him in the kettle (i.e.,
down behind it), and exit L.
Kamehaha, putting out his head from hut, watches these proceedings
with satisfaction, withdrawing his head when O^hee P 'kee loaves.
(Enter Sleek, r., with umbrella under arm, and book in left hand, as
ifread.ng. See Fig. 3.)
Sleek, making gestures with right hand, as if preaching, advances slowly;
starts, looks around him, dips finger in kettle, withdrawing it quickly, as if
scalded ; blows on his finger, and examines it closely. He again looks in
kettle, and discovers infant Fccjoe ; lays down book and umbrella; holds
up hands in horror ; lifts infant out and places him carefully on the ground.
Infant runs off, k.
Kamehaha puts bis head out of hut and draws it in again.
Ochee Pokee comes out of hut on all-fours, and goes towards Sleek.
Sleek turns suddenly, sees the hut, and steps towards it, but stumbles
over Ochee Pokee ; gets up slowly, rubbing himself; tries to grasp Ochee
Pokee, who jumps over light.
Kamehaha appears at door of hut, with bow and arrow. (Tie must shoot
so as to hit the book, which Sleek holds conveniently for the purpose ) Holds
up hands in amazement at his shot being warded iff; kneels down and
kisses Sieek's feet in token of submission.
Ochee Pokee enters, r., behind Sleek, looks in kettle, finds infant gone,
turns round, sees Sleek- creeps up to him, runs knife round his head and
scUps him (i. tr,lifts his wig off), and throws his scalp to Kamehaha.


250 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
Sleek puts his hands to his head and stamps with pain.
Kamehaha mns into hut, returns with tomahawk, hits Sleek on head,
knocking him down. (General scuffle on top of Sleek, affording opportunity
for Sleek to roll away back undtr light, and the dummy figure to be rolled into
his place; during this the light must be raised up gradually about two feet,
and then transferred to the" second position."
Both get up slowly, one at each end of the figure.
Kamehaha lifts one leg of figure and lets it drop.
Ochee Pokee lifts one of the arms and drops it again ; lifts the figure to a
standing position (holding it by the middle of the back wilh one hand).
Kamehaha examines arm, leg, etc., rubs his stomach, then rubs his
hands with satisfaction and goes into hut.
Ochee Pokee lets the figure slope backward, as if heavy, and pushes it
upright again, staggering. Same business repeated.
Kamehaha comes out of hut with butcher's knife, seizes an arm, and
cuts it off. Takes hold of the figure and hands the arm to Ochee Pokee.
Ochee Pokee takes it to the kettle, drops it in, cuts a caper, and looks in
after it. (The arm stretches up out of Vie kettle, hits Ochee Pokee on the'
head, and falls back in'o the keitle. This is done by the manager, from the
side, using his own arm and fist.) He rubs his head, turns round, and
takes the figure again from Kamehaha.
Kamehaha cuts the other arm off, and holds the figure as before.
Ochee Pokee takes the arm to the kettle, again receiving a blow on the
head, which Knocks him backward, upsetting the figure and Kamehaha;
general fight again, ending by their resuming their former positions.
The same business is repeated with the legs, which are in turn cut off
and transferred to the kettle • last of all the head.
Kamehaha examines the body, and sits down on it.
Both rest a moment, watching the pot, which begins to steam.
Kamehaha gets up, goes to the pot, pulls out a leg, tries it with his
teeth, struggling violently to bite a piece. No go; throws it back in pot.
(The body has meanwhile been withdrawn by means oj a hooked stick.) Goes
back to seat himself again, and tumbles over backward; looks around for
the body; it is gone; takes bold of Ochee Pokee, points to the spot where
the body was lying, and boxes his ears. Points to kettle, shoves Ochee
Pokee towards it.
Ochee Pokee looks into the kettle, lifts an arm half oat, which knocks
him down.
Kamehaha picks him up, kicks him, goes to kettle, and is also knocked
down by a leg; sits up, rubs his eyes ; gets up and looks again in kettle,
put j his hand in, but finds nothing. (The chicken is now let down from the
side on to his head, and the manager crows); looks up quickly, sees chicken
(which is drawn up with a single jerk); rubs his eyes, looks up where the
chicken disappeared ; looks again in kettle, and, finding nothing, gets in a
passion; turns round, stumbling over Ochee Pokee, gets up and faces
Ochee Pokee; points to his arms and then to the kettle, to his legs and
head, and again to the kettle ; makes a motion, as much as to say, " They
are all gone." Points again at kettle.
OcheePokee looks at kettle also. (The head sticks out of the pot with a
Ha! ha! This is, nf course. Sleek himself, at the side.)
Both start, and run into hut, returning cautiously on tiptoe.
Light is replaced in " first position," while both are in hut.


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 251
Sleek, dressed as before, with wig and hat on, enters slowly, B., exactly
as at first.
KametiaTia sees him first, and his hair stands on end with fear.
Trembles excessively and jumps over light.
Ochee Pokee then sees Sleek, and rolls over back into the hut.
Sleek points at him and then at the book, which he holds up aloft as the
triumph of civilization over barbarism. (A low chair or stool is handed him
over the light.Puts the chair in center of curtain, mounts it, and gesticu-
lates as if preaching, moving continually, to hide the effect of the change of
position in the light, which should be very gradually raised perpendicu-
larly from its position to about five feet from the ground. When it reaches
that height, he finally makes a bow, and steps down from the chair straight
back under the light. (To the spectators he will appear to have sunk down
into the ground.)CURTAIN.
Tableaux Vivants.*
GENERAL DIRECTIONS.
As in all projects worthy of exertion for the value of the end to be at-
tained, a little discipline is necessary, so in the getting up of a set of tab-
leaux there should be chosen a commander-in-chief, a manager, who shall
arrange and group the pictures, decide upon all properties and acces-
sories, and, in a word, be the umpire in all contested points, otherwise
chaos ensues, the rehearsals resemble the chattering at Babel, and the
evening's performance is certain to be marred in some unfortunate par-
ticular.
As a tableau is a piclnw, care should be taken to avoid the false lights,
jarring colors, and unnatural positions.
In these days, when scented tableau lights of the most varied tints are
supplied at a nominal rate, there is no excuse for perpetrating red moon-
light or green sunset.
Without the slightest danger or inconvenience of any kind, tableau lights
may now be made use of in red, green, blue violet, white, pink, yellow and
orange; while a magnesium light affords the most effective glare to statu-
ary, imparting the dead black shadows so peculiar to marble.
A small sum purchases the secrets of the stage in the form of a Makeup Box, containing every conceivable complexion, from that of the dusky
Turk, to that of the ethereal angel or fairy.
Care should be taken to raise the tableau as nearly as possible upon a
level with the eye of the observer; let the frame be square or oval ; see
that the light falls from one point naturally; have the colors harmoniously
arranged, and the illusion will be irresistible.
A curtain of delic te gauze stretched between the figures and the audi-
ence is often effective.
The music, which is an important adjunct of each and every tableau,
should precede the rise of the curtain by a few moments, in order to pre-
pare the minds of the audience for the picture which is to be presented.
Subjoined will be found a collection of subjects for tableaux, from which
* By permission from Gilbert's Book of Pantomimes, a large and attractive collec-
tion of Acting Charades, Parlor Theatricals, and Tableaux. Price 25 cents. Published
and for sale by Hurst A Co., I22 Nassau Street, New York.


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 253
and clasped her to his breast; her hands rest upon his neck. The faces
should wear a sad, intense expression.
Red light from right. Soft, martial music.
WINTER.
C IARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Grandmother.— Theordinary black dressof an elderly lady; white muslin
fichu and cap, white hair;spectacles and black milieus.
Grandfather.— Usual old man's dress; white hairand beard; spedacles.
Grandson.—Black velvet boy's dress; while stockings; low-cut shoes; white
ruffle at neck.
THE TABLEAU.
Two great arm-chairs with old-fashioned high backs occupy the middle
of the stage.
In the right-hand chair sits the grandfather, a newspaper lies upon his
knees, and his bands rest clasped upon it. His spectacles are pushed up
upon his forehead, and his eyes are fixed upon distance, as though lost in
deep thought. The grandmother sits in the left-hand chair; she is in the
act of knitting a blue stocking, but her hands are at rest for a moment as
she gazes down upon her grandson at her feet. The boy lies at his full
length upon the floor before the feet of his grandparents, and faces the left.
He lies face downward, and raises his head by supporting his chin upon
both hands; before him a large picture-book lies open.
White light from both sides. Soft, quaint music.
THE REAPER AND THE FLOWERS.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Angel.—Long whilerobe, with flowing sleeves displaying the arms; low neck;
hair falling aboutthe shoulders;white wings, if possible.
Mother.—Black dress and white widow's cap.
Children.—Blonde and brunette, in long while night-dresses.
THE TABLEAU.
The tableau represents the evening prayer. The mother is seated on
left of stage, and at her knees kneel the two children in prayer; their
hands rest upon her lap, and her face is bent forward over them. At the
right, a little back, stands the angel, raised upon a cloud of white tarletan,
with her hands outstretched toward the children.
The second scene discovers the mother kneeling at left with her hands
clasped toward the angel. The children kneel beside the angel, whose left
baud one of them holds, while with the right she points upwards. Children
follow the direction with their eyes.
Strong, white light on the angel. Soft music.
FAITH.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Mother, —In a rich dress of dark silk, with ruffles at neck and jewelry.Father.—Ordinary gentleman's dress.
Doctor. -Ditto.
Child.—Long white night-dress.
the tarleau.
The picture represents the moment when the parents deliver the life of
their child into the hands of the physician.
The center of the stage is occupied by a small bed, upon which rests the
child, very pale; at the right sits the mother, with her eyes bent anxiously


254 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
upon the doctor's face, watching the child. The doctor sits beside the bed,
holds the child's pulse with his left hand, and his watch in his right.
In the second scene the mother holds the child, the doctor stands in
center in the act of dropping something from a phial into a glass. The
father steps forward us if about to touch the doctor in his anxiety.
The foot of the bed is left; the head, right. Some furniture should
dress the stage. Table behind bed, with lamp burning faintly.
Pale yellow light from both sides. Pathetic music.
WITH THE TIDE AND AGAINST THE TIDE.
CHAHACTEBS AND COSTUMES.
Girl.—PraUy blue boating-dress, trimmed with whtie; white straw hat Wilh
blue ribbons; while si'k sunshade.
Man.— While flannel boaling shirt trimmed with red; red silk scarf in sailor's
knot; while straw hat with. red ribbon; white pants.
THE TABLEAU.
The scene represents a boat, which, if one cannot be obtained, may be
easily improvised by shaping a dark shawl over two chairs laid upon their
sides.
In the picture With the Tide, the lovers are seated facing each other in
the middle of the boat. The man rests on his oars, holds the girl's hands,
and looks into her face. She has her eyes cast down, and holds the sun-
shade over them both.
In Aeainst the Tide, the girl is turned about with her back towards her
lover, and has cast her sunshade behind her so that he cannot see her.
The man has drawn his hat over his eyes, and is in the act of pulling vigor-
ously at the oars. The stern of the boat should rest on right of stage, the
bow being left.
Strong white light from left. Boating song.
ZEKLE AND HULDY.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Huldy—Plain dress of brown stuff; tight-fitting sleeves; kerchief over shoul-
iters; ruffle at neck, and rl d bow; white apron; hair coiled up with an old-
fashioned high comb.
ZEKL,«.—Sh.nbby dress-coat, with sleeves too tight and short; short pants and
low-cut shoes; cottnr and coiton cravat; old silk hat, faded umbrella, and
red handkerchief in back pocket.
THE TABLEAU.
This is a country courtship. Huldy sits at right of a plain deal table,
paring apples into a bowl in her lap. On the table are a lighted candle and
several apples. At a window in the back Zekle is discovered, looking in.
By her smile Huldy proves that she knows he is there, but does not notice
him.
Second Scene.—Zekle is discovered standing opposite Huldy, with his
hat on and umbrella in hnnd. Huldy does not raise her eyes.
Third Scene.—Zekle is upon his knees with his arms round Huldy;
she has half risen, turns her face toward the audience, and threatens him
with her knife; the bowl is overturned, and the apples and parings are
scattered about.
Strong red light from left. Comic music.
TWO BL!ND BEGGARS.
CHARACTERS AND C STUMES.
Two Beggars.—Make up like old men. Bogged clothes; old hats and crutches


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 255
at side; card on each of their breasts with the word rlind distinctly marked;
tin cups in their hands.
Lady.—In handsome strett dress, with purse.
THE TABLEAU.
The beggars are seated side by side in center of stage, a little back;
their eyes are closed, their expression is piteous, and they stretch out their
hands with the tin cups toward the lady, who stands on right opening her
purse.
The second scene discovers the beggars sitting opposite each other,
their eyes open, their placards thrown over their backs, and they playing
cards. The trick lies on the stage, and one of them is in the act of picking
it up with a cinning smile on his face. The other man holds his cards and
looUa annoyed.
Strong green light from left. Very sad music.
OLD WOMAN IN THE SHOE.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Old Woman.— Wide-frilled wldle cap; small shawl over shoulders; calico
dies*; spectacles.
Children.—Boys and girls, all of about one age, in every variety of shabby
juvenile costume.
THE TABLEAU.
The scene represents the well-known nursery ditty.
The stage is occupied by a huge shoe, which may easily be constructed
out of dark paper, or by covering a frame in the shape of a shoe with black
cambric.
Old woman sits high in the heel with a boy across her lap; she holds a
switch raised over him. Four or five children are hanging out of the shoe
on all sides. One is climbing up the heel behind the old woman, another
lies upon the outside of ihe toe, while three are grouped seated on the
table under the middle of the shoe.
The toe of shoe rests on left of stage; the heel, right.
Strong white light, left. Comic music.
PAUL AND VIRGINIA.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Virginia.—Girl's white frock; low neck and short sleeves; the feet are bare,
and the hair falls about the shoulders; upon the head rests a choplet of
small flowers.
Paul.— WhUe ruffled shirt with wide collar, open at the neck; loose white pants
rolled up to the knee; bare feet and legs; the hair a little long and curly,
and in disorder.
THE TABLEAU.
The picture represents Paul as a boy of ten years, carrying Virginia
across a brook upon his back.
A few large flat stones should be placed transversely across the stage,
from right to left. Paul is discovered in center of stage, in the act of step-
ping from one stone to another. Virginia's arms are about his neck; her
feet rest in his hands ; his face is thrown back over his right shoulder, so
that he may see her eyes. She looks down upon him with a smile.
In the next scene they are seated among some shrubbery, under the
shade of a great leaf, the stem of which Paul holds in his right hand, being
seated left, and Virginia catches the tip of leaf in her left hand,
Strong green light from left. Romantic music


256 SOME AMUSEMEX7S.
CAIN AND ABEL.
CHARACTERS AND COSTU"<Eb.
Arel.— White cashmere blouse.fulled in abovethe neck, bound at th* waist
with a cord,and desceivliuq almost to tie ku*es; armsbare; legs andfest
iu flesh-tinted tights and leather sandals.
Cain.—In, dark brown blouse; the remainder oj Jie dressthesame as Abel's.
THE TABLEAU.
The scene represent* the sacrifice. A white altar, raised upon two or
three steps, occupies the back center of the 'stage ; on it a fire is burning.
Abel stands to the right with his right !-ind raised in warning to Cain.
Cain is in the act of stooping to pick up with his left hand a knife which
lies upon the step* of the altar; he keeps Lus eyes upon Abel.
The second scene discovers Abel lyir^f face downwards upon the steps
ot the altar; his head rests upon his right arm, while the left hangs lifeless
by his side. Cain, now on the right, ii about to fly, but turns his head toward the audience to look back UV/U his work; his hands are cast out
towards the right as if in terror.
Strong bide light from left, Huiried music.
KOPE.
CHARACTKPS AND COSTUMES.
Woman.—.'Srown dress ofccmmn stuff, tucked up over a blue petticoat;white
apron; *mal l shaw.l tiedovii snoul'Lers; low-cut shoes; handkerchief tied
over the"head.
Children—Common dress forgirl, with handkerchief over the head; littleboy in ttrdinary rough dr.».-.'.
the tarleau.
The scene represents »he anxious moment for the fisherman's family just
before thestorm breaks.
The mother occupies the center of the stage and looks off to left with a
telescope at her eye. The girl stands close to her mother and shades her
eyes TUth her right Land. The little boy plays in front of them with a toy
horse. The second time the curtain is raised the mother is discovered kneeling
in the same place in prayer; the girl kneels with her back to the audience;
the little boy looks up at them in surprise. strong red light from left. Soft music of the boat-song order.
CHARITY.
CHARACTER AND COSTUME.
BasGAR.— Made up to represent an old man; shabby gray coat, with bright-
colored muffler around the neck; old brown pants; old boots and cane; red
night-cap, with tassel, on the head; pouch of old bagging at side.
THE TABLEAU.
Scene represents the beggar in the act of raising the knocker of an out-
size door. The door must be in the center; the beggar faces the left, and
r«.ises the knocker with his right hand ; the forefinger of his left hand is
lsTi beside his nose, and he winks slyly at the audience.
The next scene shows that the door has been opened and shut in his
fem. The beggar, in great rage, has turned to go off, right, but glance*
h—k at the door with his face dark with anger • his mouth has droooed


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 257
open, the eyes scowl, both hands are clenched, and with the right one he
menaces the door.
Strong green light from left. Low music.
MERRY CHRISTMAS.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Girl. Dress of some dark material in rags; hair in disorder; old shoes.
Boy.—Old mij, abio in rags; general untidy appearance.
Fairy. WhUe tarletan dress\ trimmed with silver; silver wand and crown of
stars.
THE TABLEAU.
This table presents the interior of a garret. Au old bed, left; i, broken
table and chair, right; some straw in corner and broom with baskets. A
white sheet is stretched across the middle of the stage.
The boy and girl are seated upon the floor in the center, and the boy
amnses the girl by throwing the shadow of a rabbit from his hands on to
the sheet. A piece of a candle, stuck in a bottle, is he arranged as to cast
the shadow. Boy is on his knees a little to the right; the girl rests upon
her left hand, and faces him; both profiles are exposed.
When the curtain rises the second time the boy and girl have fallen
asleep on the floor and dream. The sheet is drawn aside and discloses the
fairy raised upon a cloud, and bearing in her hands a basket filled with toys,
bon-bons, etc.
Fairy occupies the center, and looks down with a smile upon the chil-
dren.
Pink light from both sides upon the fairy. Soft, pathetic music.
SONG OF THE SHIRT.
CHARACTER AND COSTUME.
Woman.—Old- tattered dress of some dark material, open at neck, showing the
bare throat. An old shawl hangs upon the shoulders; hair caught up with
comb, but allowing the tress on the left to hang beside the face, which should
be pale and very sad.
THE TABLEAU.
The picture presents the midnight hour, with the poverty-stricken woman
still at work. A little to the right of center a plain wood table, upon which
is a candle stuck in a bottle and several common pieces of crockery. To
the left and in the corner a bed, with scanty covering; here and there an
old chair or a trunk. The woman sits to the left of the table, and about
the center of the stage; her work basket, with work in it, lies forgotten in
her lap, and she seems lost in a deep reverie. Her right hand supports her
left arm, and upon her left hand rests her chin. Her face is turned full
towards the audience.
The second picture presents the woman turned slightly toward the table,
her head is bent over her work, and she is in the act of drawing the thread
as she sews.
Soft white light from right side. Low music of some melancholy air.
SUNRISE.
CHARACTER AND COSTUME.
Nymph.—Delicate white gauze robe, low neck, short sleeves and caught up so
as to show one foot in white slipper; silver bell, and silver band catching
back the flowing hair; no other ornwnenf- or decoration.
THE TABLEAU.
The scene should be decorated with evergreen trees so as to form a


158 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
semi-circle, in the center of which is a mound adorned with flowers and
ferns as profusely as possible. Fur suurise the nymph is standing upon the
center of the mound, looking off right ; in her hand rests a cloud of pale
blue gauze powdered with silver to represent mist
.
Strung pink light from right. Low music.
NOON.
The same nymph stands upon the mound facing the audience; the blue
gauze is cast over her head and is folded with her hands upon her breast.
Strong white light from both sides. Music.
SUNSET.
The same nymph is lying upon the mound half raised upon her left
elbow, and faces the left . The blue gauze covers the lower part of her
body.
Yellow light from left. Music.
MIDNIGHT.
The same nymph lies extended upon the mound, her head slightly raised
upon her right hand, while the left rests upon her breast. The blue gauze
is cast over the entire figure.
Blue light from left. Music.
YES OR NO.
CHARACTER AND COSTUME.
Young Lady.— Violet silk dress, fashionably made, with graceful train; white
lace fichu over theshoulders, and caught at the breast with a bunch of vio-
lets; hair crimped and gathered into a full of curls at the back.
THE TABLEAU.
The tableau represents that all-important question as to how a certain
letter shall be answered.
On the right, a little back, a writing desk, with paper, pens, and ink in a
conspicuous position; chair beside it; waste basket on the floor. The
center of the picture is occupied by the figure of the young lady, who stands
looking directly left, thus exposing her full profile to the audience. Her
hands are clasped behind her, and in them is the opened letter, 'which must
be distinctly seen. Her head is thrown back slightly, as though she were
in deep thought. If an open window could be devised opposite the young
lady the effect of the picture would be heightened.
Green light from left . Romantic music.
COME TO DINNER.
CHARACTER AND COSTUME.
Little Boy.— While shirt open at neck, and fastened by a blue cravat tied in
a sailor's knot; brown oorduroy pants; striped hose and shoes; white straw
hat on the back of the head.
THE TABLEAU.
Two green banks should be arranged to cross the stage about midway;
this may be easily accomplished by covering a row of boxes with green
cambric, and laying bows of evergreens upon them. A rustic gate should
be improvised to divide the banks exactly in the center. Evergreen shrub-
bery at the back.
The little boy sits upon top of the gate facing the left, with one leg on
each side of it. His head is thrown back, and with both hands he raises to large conch shell to his lips. His cheeks should be distended as if in the
act of blowing the shell lustily.
Strong green light from loft. Comic music.


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 253
YOU'RE NOT EXPECTED, SIB.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Young Lady. —Pretty summer costume in muslin;straw hat, with bright rib-
bons; small basket of flowers.
Young Man.—Ordinary lightwalking suit, with white straw hat.
THE TABLEAU.
The stage arrangement which serves in the preceding tableau will be all
that is necessary for the present picture.
As the curtain rises the young girl is discovered leaning upon the gate,
shading her eyes with her right hand and looking eagerly off to left; her
hat has fallen beside her upon the ground; in her left hand she holds the
basket of flowers.
The second picture shows the young man creeping up beside the young
lady, but on the opposite side of the gate, and leaning over to try to take
the basket from her hand; she still shades her eyes with her hand as
though unaware that he is there.
In the third picture the young lady has turned away to the eight, and
droops her head with a smile ; the young man holds her right hand in both
of his, and leans over the gate to catch a glimpse of her face.
The basket of flowers is overturned upon the ground in front of them.
Strong green light from left. Romantic music.
LEAR AND CORDELIA.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Leak.—Purple velvet robe trimmed with ermine, descending to the ankles,
and bound at the waist with a jeweled bell; wig of long white hair, and
beard.
Coedelia.—Pink satin robe, richly jeweled; long wing sleeves; jeweled belt,
and light crown, from which the hair falls about the shoulders; light hair.
Doctor.—Brown velvet doublettrimmed with black fur; black lights and vel-
vet shoes; long black hair.
THE TABLEAU.
King Lear is seated upon a huge easy chair, which stands in the center
of the stage ; his head is thrown back, and his eyes are closed. The doctor,
standing on the right of the chair, holds the King's right hand to feel the
pulse, and bends slightly as if listening to his breathing. Cordelia kneels
upon her left knee on the left of the King, and holds his left hand in both
of hers, resting it upon his knee; her eyes are bent upon the doctor's face,
while her expression is one of intense anxiety.
Red light from left. Soft, sad music.
BETSY AND I ARE OUT.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Little Girl.—Flowered brocade frock, with long train; black lace mantilla;
old-fashioned waist, with ruffles; antique bonnet, with gay ribbons; while
hat puffed at the side of the face; long white gloves; lace handkerchief and
Chinese fan.
Little Boy.—OM-fashionel embroidered silk dress-coat; light silk vest; ruffled
shirt; cocked hat, 'mth irhite feathers; silk hose; satin breeches; buckled
shoes, and large snuff-box; powdered wig.
the tableau. The figures should face the audience, though turned a little toward the
left.
Th« little boy, giving his right arm to the little girl, holds an old-fash-


260 ROME AMUSEMENTS.
ioned sunehade over her head. In his left hand he holds the open snuff-
box which he is in the act of offering to her. The girl's right hand is raised
as though about to take the pinch, and from her left hand, which rests upon
the boy's arm, depend the lace handkerchief and fan.
White light from left. Quaint music.
RETURN OF THE RUNAWAY.
CHARACTERS AND Ci STUMES.
Sailor.— Usual sailor's costume; while flannel shirt; wide collar; loose pants;
sailor's cap, and parcel tied up in a red handkerchief.
Mother.—Plain dark dresx; white cap; while apron; spectacles, and gray
hair.
Father.—Ordinary farmer's suit; spectacles, arid gray hair.
Little Boy.—Short while child's dress.
the tarleau.
The scene represents the interior of a farmer's cottage.
Left, a table laid with white cloth and tea-service, cups, saucers, plates,
kettle, etc. Behind table sits the aged mother in her high-backed chair,
and faces right. At the right of table sits the father with his legs crossed,
a newspaper upou his lap, and his spectacles pushed up upon his forehead.
In front of the table, center, sits the child upon the floor, playing with a toy
horse; he faces left. Lighted lamp on the table. A little to the right of
center stands the sailor, gazing upon the group before him; his cap is on
his head, and in his left hand he carries the red parcel. The father, who
is turned a little toward the table, looks over his left shoulder at the sailor
as though be were a stranger. The mother, with her right hand upon the
table, is just about to rise to her feet as if she recognized her boy. The
sailor stands firm.
The second picture discovers the sailor with right arm round his
mother's waist; she has cast both her arms about his neck, while the father
holds the son's left hand in both of his. The child upon the floor has
turned his head about, and looks at the group in surprise.
Red light from both sides. Pathetic music.
COURTSHIP.
characters and costumes.
Young Lady.—Fashionable dress of lite most approved style; laces, flowers,
and ornaments.
Young Man.—Fashionable walking-suit; flowers in coat; silk hat, and cane.
the tarleau.
The scene presents a garden arranged with a rustic seat drawn a little
toward the center of the stage.
Upon the seat sits the young lady, with her hands resting beside a
bouquet that lies in her lap, while her face is bent downward as if blush-
ing; she should face the left.
Behind, and leaning upon the seat, stands the young man, his hat hang-
ing OTer the back of the seat in both his hands, and his eyes trying to seek
those of his lady-love.
In the second scene the lover holds the young girl's hands in his and
their eyes have met; his position is the same, Thile the young lady has
risen to her feet.
Green light from left. Soft, gay music.


BOltE AMUSEMENTS. 261
MATRIMONY.
The same characters as in the preceding.
THE TABLEAU.
The young man sits upon the lounge with his feet up reading a news-
paper.
Behind the seat stands the young lady, looking at him and extending a
bill toward him.
In the second scene the young man has cast down his paper, has risen
to his feet and is in the act of tearing his hair.
The young lady has turned her back upon him in a sort of resolute des-
peration.
Bed light from left. Loud, stormy music.
BEST IN THE DESERT.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
. Arar.—Loose mantle of various colors in stripes, over a brown under-govm
that descends to the ankles; Oriental slippers; white Arabian turban; long
pipe, with red bowl.
Woman.—Pale green under-robe; faint red mantle; while turban, with gold
ornaments.
Child.—Loose white robe; low neck, and short sleeves.
THE TABLEAU.
The center of the stage is occupied by a heap of packages and bales,
such as are carried by camels. A Turkish rug is spread in front of these,
and half raised upon them lies the woman, facing left, with her head rest-
ing upon her right arm. The child lies with his head upon her lap.
To the right of the pile stands the Arab, erect, and looking off right.
He rests his right arm upon the pile, the right foot is thrown over the left,
and the left hand holds the pipe which he has just taken from his lips.
Strong red light from right. Bomantic music.
FORBIDDEN FRUIT.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Gikl.—Ordinary servant's dress of light calico; skirt tucked up about the
waist; sleeves rolled up as far as possible; small while cap on the head.
Han.—Policeman's dress as nearly as possible.
THE TABLEAU.
In this picture the girl stands on the left of the stage, and is busily en-
gaged oending over a wash-tub, into which her arms are plunged.
At a window in the back stands the policeman, leaning in as far as he
dares to catch a glimpse of his lady-love.
In the second picture the girl stands on tiptoe at the window, with her
back to the audience, and has her arms thrown round the man's neck, while
he, with his hat thrown back, is in the act of stealing the forbidden fruit in
the shape of a kiss.
A third picture may be made very amusing by introducing the mistress
of the house. She should stand on the right, the maid should be plunged
deeper than ever in the washing-tub, and the policeman outside the win-
dow should display his full back to the audience.
White light from left. Comic music.
LOVE LOOKS NOT WITH THE EYES.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Girl While muslin short dress; pink hose; while slippers; pink sash and
ribbons.


262 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
Boy.— White flannel suit; blue cravat, and handkercluef tied over the eyes.
Children.— Three or fourgirls, and as many boys, %n prettydresses, with
fansjor the girls.
THE TABLEAU.
The picture represents a game of blind man's buff.
The boy, who is blind-folded, has caught the girl in white muslin, and
thrown his araia about her to try to steal a kiss. He is a little shorter than
she, and is therefore obliged to stand upon tiptoe. The two occupy the
center of the stage, the boy right and the girl left, though she turns be»
head left and tries to escape.
The other girls laughing conceal their faces behind their fans, and th\
hoys peep through their fingers. Their positions should be as confused *,
possible.
Red light from both sides. Gay music.
THE SOLDIER'S DREAM.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Soldier.—German uniform; dark blue coal trimmed with red; blue panU
piped with red; regulation h- hurt and rifle: short sword.
GIRL —Gray ilresn trimmed trith blackvelvet; square corsage; the inhale
made after thefashior. , Marguerite's dress; light hair, braided.
IiOVER.—Fashionable hunting-snit; felthat, with feather; gun, and game
bag.
THE TABLEAU.
The stage should be decorated with evergreen trees.
On the right, to profile, lies the soldier upon his back, with a dark man-
tle thrown over his legs, while his head rests upon his knapsack j his gun
lies beside him, clasped by his left hand, and the right rest* upon his
breast.
On the left of stage a camp-fire throws up fitful gleams Pale blue light on the soldier. Soft music.
The dream appears by a veil being drawn aside at the back, between
the trees, and disclosing an oval frame, through which the girl is seen
standing erect and looking toward right, with her right hand resting on the
spinning-wheel.
The second time the dream appears the girl is seated, and by her side
kneels upon one knee the lover, holding her hand in both of his and look-
ing up into her face.
Strong white light from right. Low music.
THE ARTIST'S DREAM.
CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES.
Artist.—Picturesque suit of black velvet; velvet sKutt cap, and tonghair; long
black hose, and buckled shoes.
Vision.— Young girl, with long yellowhair, dressed in a robe of faint pearl-colored gauze; no ornaments; short sleeves and low neck; hair floating
about shoulders.
THE TABLEAU.
The same arrangement for the vision will answer which was used in the
preceding table, though the stage must be altered from the field to the
studio. The easel, with unfinished picture, stands a little to the right of.
the center.
In a chair in front of it sits the artist, with his left hand, in which are
the palette and brushes, resting upon it; his head has sunk forward upon


SOME AMUSEMENTS. 263
his left arm, and his right hand, with a brush in it, hangs listlessly beside
him.
The artist faces the right; the vision appears just back of and above
him.
The veil should be slowly drawn and disclose the vision with her bare
arms thrown up gracefully above her head and her eyes cast upward, as if
in the act of rising.
Strong pink light en the vision; red light from right on the artist. Soft
music.
Parlor Games.
The Minister's Cat—Draw your chairs in a sort of circle and let each
person name an adjective beginning with the letter A, in this way: "Tim
minister's cat is ambitious," says one. Amphibious, esthetic, ancient, active, athletic, antarctic, say others, until everything beginning with that
letter is thought of. Then the letter B is used. "The minister's cat is
bumptious." Others say belligerent, bankrupt, benignant, beseeching, beautiful, etc. When you come to C the cat is cautious, courteous, con-
testing, confiding, cataleptic, contradicting, cruel, etc.
Bird, Beast, and Fish.—A person stands in the middle of the circle
and points his fingers at one of tho party, saying, "Bird," and then counts
"one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, etc." If the one pointed at cannot
name lb bird before ten is reached, or names a fish or beast instead of a
bird, he stands up and the first one takes his seat. No one must give what
has been before given.
Throw the Handkerchief—A handkerchief is thrown by the person
standing in the center, and trying at the same time to touch the person who
had it. Whoever has it throws it quickly to some one else, and all are on
the alert to keep it flying. When a person is touched he takes the place of
the one who stands in the center.
Stage-Coach—One person is appointed to the position of Chief Nar-
rator, and he names the different persons after parts of the stage-coach.
One man is the "wheel," another the "hub," the "whip," and thus the
reins, horn, horses, steps, straps, old-lady-passenger, her band-box, etc.,
are given out. Then the Chief Narrator begins his tale, and whenever he
names a wheel, hub, whip, etc., the one named after that part stands up
and turns around and sits down again. When the word stage-coach ie said
all jump up and change seats, and the one left without any seat is obliged
to go on with the story.
Fox and Geese—stand in two open circles one behind the other;
leave one inside to play the " goose." Another outside to play the " fox."
The "goose " may place herself in front of two others; the "fox " sees this
and catches the outside one of the three. To prevent this that outside one
becomes tho "goose" and runs inside in front of another pair attain making
three ; the outside one here must shift in front of another pair. The "fox"
can only run outside of the circle, and the changing places is done inside
the ring.
Pantomime—One of the company must leave room while the others
select a word which she is to guess on her return. When «he re-enters the
room the others do not speak, but represent in pantomime some word


264 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
which shall rhyme with the one selected: as for instance, should the word
chosen be heal, the first person goes through with the motion to eat, the
second carefully examines his feel, the third takes a stick and makes
believe beat, while the third and fourth advance to meet, and so each one
exercises his own ingenuity in finding and acting to rhyme with tke'ehosen
word, until it has been guessed, when the last actor must go out.
French Blind-man—In this game, instead ot blindfolding one of the
players, his hands are tied behind him, and in that difficult way he must
endeavor to catch oue of his companions, who must, when caught, submit
to the same restraint.
The Puzzle Word. -One goes out of the room and the others agree
upon B word, which is to be found out by asking questions, such as "Does
the thing you have named fly?" "Does it walk?" "Does it sing?" "Does
it speak?" "Does it grow?" etc. If the questioned cannot find out from
the answers given, a forfeit must be paid.
My Lady's Toilet—Each person represents some necessary of the
toilet—brush, comb, soap, scents, brooch, jewel-case, etc., and the lady's
maid stands in the middle of the circle, and calls for any article her lady is
supposed to want. The personator of that article must then jump up, or
be fined a forfeit for negligence. Every now and then the abigail announces
that her lady wants her whole toilet, when the whole circle of players must
rise and change places. The lady's maid herself makes a bolt for a chair,
and the player who is left chairless in the scuffle becomes lady's maid.
Shadow Hair—This game is quite amusing. A sheet must be smoothly
suspended at one end of the room, and in front of it must sit "Buffy,"
with his face toward the sheet and back to the company. Behind him a
light must be placed so as to throw the shadow of any person passing
between it and Buffy against the sheet. The other players must then pass, one at a time between Buffy and the light, and he must guess, from the
shadow, who it is. Each oue, as the shadow is thrown on the sheet, may
limp, jump, and make such grimaces as he or she pleases in order to mis-
lead Buffy. The one who correctly guesses must be Buffy in his or her turn.
Pigeon Files—This is B catch-game; The person who initiates it
places his forefinger on the table, and calls out "Pigeon flies," at the same
time raising his finger in the air. He goes on with several other birds, as
"Sparrow flies-" "Bluefinch flies," "Crow flies," raising his finger each
time, in which he is to be imitated by the rest. But here comes the cruelty
of the thing: for when the whole company is in full swing of imitating him,
ke calls out "Crocodile flies," or " Elephant flies," and does not raise his
finger in illustration of an assertion so manifestly contrary to the laws of
nature. The other players, however, being unprepared, probably do as
they have done before, and the consequence is that each one has to pay a
forfeit. The game must be carried on with some rapidity, so as not to
allow time for reflection.
Tableanx—A very delightful evening entertainment can be gotten up,
by having some interesting story read or poem recited, and illustrating its
most picturesque portions by a tableaux, the reader pausing while the cur-
tain draws back revealing the grouped figure, then continuing the story
until there is another opportunity for an illustration. Of course, the man-
agement of the tableaux requires taste and skill, but with a little practice
can be rendered very effective. The arrangement for stage and curtain is


BOME AMUSEMENTS. 265
simply done by laying on the floor blocks of wood the required beigUt,
placing over them planks in such a way as they will not tip, and then cov-
ering the whole with carpet or rugs. In front of this platform extend a
heavy wire fastened to small hooks screwed in the wall; the curtain, made
of any dark material, is attached to the wire by rings.
Magical Music— This is a very popular game where there is a piano
or other musical instrument. One of the players leaves the room, and
something is then hidden or altered in the room, or the players decide (hat
the absent one must do something on entering the room, such as make a
courtesy, dance, sing a song, etc. The absent player is then called int«
the room and told whether it is something to find, something to alter, t*
something to do. Then the music begins. When he or she is near doingv
finding, or altering the thing decided on, the music must be loud. When^
on the contrary, he or she moves away from the thing hidden or altered, of
does something unlike* the thing decided upon, the music must be soft and
low.
One of the chief entertainments of this game is afforded by the many
funny things the absent player will do before doing the thing agreed upon.
Acrostics—One.member of the party leaves the room, while the others
think of some celebrated character, whether real or fictitious; each player
then in turn represents a well known character whose name begins with
one of the letters of the word chosen ; for instance, if Grant should be the
word selected, the first person thinks of some one whose name begins with
G as Garfield, and the next with B as Buskin, the third with A as Agassiz, the
fourth N as Napoleon, the fifth T as Tennyson ; when those have been
decided upon the one who is to guess returns, and turning to the first char-
acter to discover whom she represent* asks, "Are you living?" "Are you
a poet 1" "Were you famous in war?" etc., and when it is found out the
word begins with G, by repeating the questions to the next one they can
each be guessed in turn, unless the word becomes known before question-
ing all the participants.
The Mock Newspaper—This game, when there is a large family party
assembled in one house for the Christmas holidays, affords a rich fund of
amusement. An editor is appointed, who receives and copies on to a large
folio sheet of paper all sorts of contributions; his publication—which is
produced and road aloud once a week to a laughing audience—being entit-
led: The Saturday's Delight, or any other namo that is appropriate; and
containing mock advertisements, d.iilynews, verses, leading articles, sport-
ing intelligence, etc., etc., all of which may relate to the home doings of
the contributors, and be playfully sprinkled by their proper name, dis-
guised, good-natured jests upon their employments, etc., s.nd giving lively
accounts, under different headings, of the particular amusements, occupa-
tions, events, etc., which have distinguished each week. As it is generally
considered pleasanter by the contributors to remain unknown, it would be
best to place a box in some convenient part of the house, where all may
deposit their contributions, but tHe articles must not be taken from it ex-
cept by the editor.
Qualifications.—In this game, the player possessing the most inven-
tive genins writes a story, leaving blank spaces before each noun and
proper name which occur in it, and then appeal in turn to each of the com-
pany for an adjective, until the whole of the spaces are filled up. The tale


266 home amusements.
is then read aloud, and much amusement will probably be derived from
the quaint and utterly inapplicable way in which the adjectives come in.
For instance, the narrator writes: "The (metalliferous) Mr. Barkins, walk-
ing one (rectangular) day in company with the (calcareous) Bishop of Penn-
sylvania, met me (straw-colored) Mrs. Barkins driving in an (empty-headed)
barouche, with the (iron-plated) baby, the (kilted) nurse, and the (hypothe-
cated) Queen of Honolulu, whereupon he naturally went to the (desiccated)
canal, and precipitated his (multifarious) body into the (incongruous) water,
which resulted in a most (felicitous) suicide, and a (vicarious) verdict of
felo de se." The more far-fetched the adjectives the better, since they add
the more to the startling nature of the history told.
The Magic Answer.—This trick must be known to only two of the
company. It is this: One person goes out of the room while the others fix
on a word, which she is to guess on her return. There is an agreement
between the two that the right word shall be named after anything with four
legs—as a table, a chair, a dog, an elephant, etc., etc. For example: A
lady goes out of the room; the company fix on the word " watch." She re-
turns. Her accomplice in the trick says:
Query. Did we name to book t
Ans. No.
q. Of a ship?
A. No.
Q. Did we name a rose?
A. No.
Q. Of a bird?
A. No.
Q. Of a sheep? (Four legs.)
A. No.
Q. Of a watch?
A. Yes.
The Lawyer,—The company must form in two rows opposite to, and
facing each other, leaving room for the Lawyer to pass up and down be-
tween them. When all are seated, the one who personates the Lawyer will
ask a question or address a remark to one of the persons present, either
standing before the person addressed or calling his name. The one spoken
to is not to answer, but the one sitting opposite to him must reply to the
question. The object of the Lawyer is to make either the one he speaks
to answer him, or the one that should answer, to keep silent, therefore, he
should be quick in hurrying from one to another with his questions, taking
them by surprise, and noticing those who are the most inattentive. No one
must be allowed to remind another of their turn to speak. When the Law-
yer has succeeded in either making one speak that should not, or finding any
that did not answer when they should, they must exchange places with
each other, and the one caught becomes Lawyer. This game will be found
quite amusing if conducted with spirit.
The Emperor of Morocco—This is one of those games in which the
art consists in preserving an immutable gravity, under every provoca-
tion to laugh. In " the Emperor of Morocco " two of the players, generally
one of each sex, advance with measured steps into the middle of the room,
and ceremoniously salute each other, add the following dialogue takes
place, the speakers being compelled to look one another full in the face:


HOMfi AMUSEMENTS. 267
First Player—The Emperor of Morocco is dead. Second Player—I'm
very sorry for it. First Player—He died of the gout in his left great toe.
Second Player—I'm very sorry for it. First Player— And all the court are
to go into mourning, and wear black rings through their noses. Second
Player—I'm very sorry for it. They then bow again and retire to their
places, while another pair comes forward to go through the same im-
pressive dialogue ; alia so on, till the game has gone all round the circle,
a forfeit being the penalty for the slightest approach to a giggle.
The Dickens Party.—This is a gathering in masks and costumes. A
book of Dickens is to be selected to furnish characters for the party. Each
person is expected to appear on the appointed evening in the character as-
signed him, masked, costumed, and all the conversation is to be in exact
accordance with the characters assumed. The players are to guess each
other's assumed names and characters.
Suppose, for example, the book selected is "Bleak House." "Jo" will
appear as a forlorn sireet-boy with broom, and will sustain that character
in the evening's conversation.
"My Lady Dedlock" will be superb aud dignified. "Mrs. Jell by" will
talk to all of her African Mission, and solicit aid for Borrioboola Gha. "Mr.
Turveydrop " will be very stiff and formal, and have much to say about
"deportment." So with a dozen or more characters.
A Shakespeare party is arranged in the same way, a play being selected
for the characters, and each character is to appear in appropriate costume,
and masked, and is to assume the ancient form of conversation.
Out we Go, in we Go.—This most laughable affair is thus conducted:
Suppose twelve persons are to play. Place eleven chairs in a row, one
chair facing one way, and the next the other way ; so that six of the chairs
will face one side of the room, and five chairs the other side. If there is a
piano or other musical instrument in the room, let some one play a tune on
it; and the company, keeping step to the music, must march, in single file,
around and around the chairs. The player must not finish the tune, but
must suddenly stop at some unexpected place, when the company must im-
mediately sit down. As there are twelve p ersous and only eleven chairs,
of course one person finds himself, to his astonishment, without a seat, and
retires from the play. Now take one chair away, and repeat the marching
and sitting down, when another person will be left out. Continue the pro-
cess until only one chair is left, when the march of the two remaining
persons around it is quite amusing to see. The one who finally secures the
chair is the victor of the game. If there is no musical instrument, some one may sing a song, or read, or recite a piece or poem, stopping sud-
denly.
The Blind Postman.—This is a new variation of an old game ca led
"Marching around Jerusalem." It is, however, more dramatic than the
old-time favorite. The host will usually offer his services as postmaster-
general, or will assign the position to some prominent guest. The post-
master-general appoints a postman, who is blindfolded, after which the
company seat themselves around the sides of the room so as to leave a large open space.
Cards must be prepared in anticipation of the play, on each of which is
printed the name of the cards having a different name, as " Boston," "New
York," " Paris," " Berlin." " London," " Rome," etc. These are distributed
among the company, each receiving the name of a oity.


268 HOME AMUESMEtfTS.
The postmaster-general takes a position where he can speak to the entire
company, and the postman takes his place in the middle of the room. Ha
now calls the names of two cities:
"Boston to New York!"
The players bearing these names must instantly rise and endeavor
to change seats with euch other, and the blind postmaster must try and
capture one of them before they can make the change. Should he succeed,
he can exact a forfeit of the person caught, who in turn becomes the blind
postman; and so the game proceeds.
Home-Truths—A diplomatic game, showing how the same fact is
capable, if properly manipulated, of being drawn to any inferences, however
opposite they may be. Oue of the company—supposing it to be a lady-
informs her neighbor that she wishes she were some animal or object
supremely disagreeable, and asks if he knows why. The person addressed
is bound to give a pa&sable reason, and at the same time to avoid paying
a compliment in giving it. The lady then asks the person on her right the
same question, and in this case must be answered with a compliment. For
instance, the lady may say, "I should like to be a coal-scuttle ; can you
tell me why?" The first person addressed may answer, "Because you are
less fair than useful, and your heart is only fit to be burnt." The second
person, of whom the same question ia asked, replies, " Because you furnish
the charm of home, and when appealed to never fail to produce a flame."
Or a gentleman may say, "I should like to be a centipede ; can you tell me
why?" The first person appealed to, replies, "Because you would be the
better able to run away from your creditors." The second answers, "In
order that whenever one of your friends had not a leg to stand upon, you
might lend him one of your own." Each one of the company takes a turn
at the choice, and by the time the end is reached a pretty crop of dispar-
agement, and an equally plentiful supply of compliments, will have been
obtained, between which the truth as to any particular player may be dis-
covered.
Proverbs—One of the company having left the room, the rest select
some proverb in his absence. On his readmittance, he must ask random
questions of all the party in turn, who, in their replies, must bring in the
words of the proverb in succession. The first person that is addressed
will introduce the first word of the proverb in the answer; the second per-
son, the second word, and so on until the proverb is exhausted. For
instance, " Honesty is the best policy," is the one selected, and suppose
the first question to be:
"Have you been out to-day?" the party questioned might say:
"Yes, I have, and very nearly lost my purse; but it was picked up bv
a boy who ran after me with it, and whose 'honesty' I was very glad tit
reward."
He then passes on to the next and says: "Were you in the country last
summer?"
"Yes, in a most lovely place, where it' is ' very mountainous."
To the next one he asks: "Are you fond of reading?"
"Oh, yes! it is one of' tho ' sweetest pleasures."
To another, "Which do you prefer, summer or winter?"
"Both are so delightful, that I do not know which I like ' best.'"
To the last, "Can you tell me if there are any more words in this Drov.
erb?" r


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 269
*' I will give you the last word, but I would show gre iter 'policy' if I
refused to answer you."
The person must then guess it or forfeit, and the one whose answer first
gave him the idea must take his turn of being the guesser. If any are
unable to bring in their word, they must likewise pay a forfeit. ' It is an
extremely amusing game, from the laughable way in which some of the
words are necessarily introduced.
The Stick.—This game consists in forming'a double circle, the players
placing themselves two by two, so that each boy, by holding a girl in front
of him, makes what is called a stick. It is necessary that the players
should be of an even number. The circles being formed, two persons are
chosen, the one to catch the other. When the person who is pursued does
not wish to be overtaken (which would oblige him to take the place of the
pursuer), and at the same time desires to rest, he places himself in front
of any of the sticks he chooses, but within the circle, so that this stick is
then composed of three persons, which is contrary to the rule. Then the
third one, who is on the outeide of the circle, must at once rnn, to avoid
being caught. If he is caught, he takes the place of the pursuer, who, in
his turn, starts off, or, if he prefers it, enters into the circle, and places
himself before one of the sticks, thus obliging a new player to run like the
former one; this one himself can at once oblige another player to run, by
placing himself, in his turn, before a stick, and it is this which gives life to
the game, provided the players have a fair share of spirit and agility.
The Farrago—One ot the company is selected to tell a tale, and the
rest each choose a trade, such as bootmaker, baker, ironmonger, green-
grocer, sailor, silversmith, cheesemonger, etc. The narrator, whenever he
requires a noun, appeals to one of the tradesmen, who is bound, under pain
of paying forfeit, to furnish one out of the stock-in-trade of his own calling,
and those, of course, come in most incongruously. Thus the narrator begins:
"Sir Bonald the Fearless, finding time hang heavy on his banns, resolved
to go out shooting ; and as in those times human life was not held so
valuable as it is in these degenerate days, he cared little whether he shot
(appeals to greengrocer) cabbages or (appeals to bootmaker) top-boots. In
the first place, then, he called his trusty (appeals to sailor) captain's gig,
and, the castle being moated, lowered it into the (appeals to butcher) loin
of pork, and steered for the (appeals to baker) quartern loaf opposite. He
then carefully looked at his (appeals to butcher) ribs, to see that the (ap-
peals to bootmaker) spurs were quite dry, and as the very next moment he
chanced to see a (appeals to sailor) forty-gun frigate flying past him at tho
rate of fifty (appeals to baker) penny rolls an hour, he raised the aforesaid
(appeals to butcher) liver and lights, fired at it, hit it, brought it down, and
then discovered it to be (appeals to sailor) half a ration of grog, though
some said it was (appeals to cheesemonger) Cheshire cheese, while the
majority maintained that it was a (appeals to silversmith) dozen forks."
The appeals are made by simply nodding to the person addressed, so as
not to interrupt the thread of the story, and the result—as will be seen
from the example—is more entertaining than comprehensible.
Characters.—In this game two players are sent out of the room, and
the rest decide on two characters in history or everyday life which have in
some way, however remote, a connection with each other, such as Napoleon
and Wellington, the Siamese twins, David Copperfield and Nicholas Nickleby


270 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
and Grant and Sherman, etc., etc. When the two absent players return,
they are privileged to ask any question they like of any of the rest, and by
this means try to gain some information as to the peculiarities, appearance,
elc, of the characters chosen, and so guess who they are. The skill in this
game is the adroit way in which the questions are put and parried. If in-
stead of choosing characters in history or fiction, two friends or two of the
party are chosen, a great deal of fun may be occasioned by the inappro-
priateness of the questions And answers given.
Why! When J and Where J—Something is selected—a book, a word
with various meanings, sometimes a person even—and the questioner has to
ascertain what that something or somebody is, by the simple questions,
Why do you like it? When do you like it? and Where do you like it? In
the hands of clever players—apt at repartee—the merriment occasioned
by this game, when the subject is well chosen, is almost endless. Prom
our recent experiences, however, we are inclined to think it requires a
somewhat intimate acquaintance with a variety of slang terms, many words
having a slang meaning being elicited in the answers.
The Cat and the Mouse.—Let all the company join hand in hand in a
circle, except one who is placed inside, called the Mouse, and another out-
side, called the Cat. They begin by running around, raising the arms ; the
Cat springs in at one side and the Mouse jumps out at the other; they then
suddenly lower the arms so that the Cat c innot escape. The Cat goes
round mewing, trying to get out; and as the circle must keep dancing
round all the time, she must try and find a weak place to bieak through.
As soon as she gets out, she chases the Mouse, who tries to save herself by
getting within the circle again. For this purpose they raise their arms. If
she gets in without being followed by the Cat, the Cat must pay a forfeit
and try again ; but if the Mouse is caught, she must pay a forfeit. Then
they name who shall succeed them; they fall into the circle, and the game
goes on as before.
Run for Your Lives—This game is a very pretty variation of that of
"The House of the Little Man," " The Key of the King's Garden," and
others of the s ime kind. It differs from them, however, in this, that some
sort of a story must be invented, and this story must have a particular
ending, which will lead to the penalty of forfeits; the mistakes also com-
mitted in tho repetition of the phrases of which the story is composed, lead
likewise to the paying of forfeits.
Example.— The leader of the game says to his right hand neighbor:
"Here is an engraving" The right hand neighbor repeats these words
to his right hand neighbor, and so on to the last player. When the last
player has repeated the words to the leader of the game, the latter contin-
ues: "Here is an engraving which represents a young lady " (repeated
throughout the circle as before). "Here is an engraving," etc., "stop-
ped by three robbers " (as before) "Here is," etc., "the first seizes
her" fas before). "Here is," etc., the second puts a poniard to her
heart" (as before). "Here is," etc., '' The third now perceiving the
police officers coming up, cries out: 'Run for your lives !'" At this cry
all the company start up and run away, except those who, unacquainted
with the game, remain in their seats during this alarm, and are therefore
obliged to pay a forfeit for their ill-timed sense of security.


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 271
Cupid's Box—This game, invented to compel forfeits, is placed in the
following manner: The one who commences offers a box to his right hand
neighbor, and says: '• I sell you my Cupid's Box, which contains three
phrases—To Love, To Kiss and To Dismiss." The neighbor answers:
"Whom do you love? whom do you kiss? whom do you dismiss?" At
each of these questions, which are put separately, the person who has given
the box names some individual present whom he Loves, Kisses or Dis-
misses. The person whom he kisses must in reality kiss him, and the one
that he dismisses pays a forfeit. A player may love, kiss or dismiss sev-
eral, or even all those present; but this is permitted only once during the
game—a regulation which brings it to a termination.
The Bouquet.—Each player in his turn supposes himself to be a bou-
quet, composed of three different flowers. Each one must name aloud to
the leader of the game, the three flowers of which he considers himself
composed. The leader of the game writes down the names of the three
towers, and adds to what he has written, without informing the other, the
names of any three persons of the company he may choose. He then asks
the player to what use he intends to put the three flowers he has chosen.
The player tells him to what u: e he means to put them, and the leader of
the game applies it to the three persons that he has written down.
Example. — The Leader of theGame. Miss Julia, choose your three
flowers. Julia. The Marigold, the Bachelor's Button and the Bose. The
Leader. I have written them down. Now what will you do with your Mar.
ig Id? Julia. I will throw it o'er my shoulder. The l^eadtr. And the
Bichelor's Button? Julia. I will put it at my window. The Leader. And
the Rose? Julia. I will put it on the mantel-piece. The Lender. Very well,
you have thrown Adolphus over your shoulder, you have put Miss Maria
at your window, and adorned your mantel-piece with Charles. And now,
Mr. Adolphus, it is your turn to speak. Choose your three flowers.
The Order of the Whistle.—The candidate for admission to this
Order must not have seen the game before. Blindfold him and go through
with such mock initiation as your ingenuity may suggest, the most impor-
tant part of which will be to put upon him B cloak from the back of which,
must hang a short string with a small whistle at the end. Then tell him
that only one thing remains to be done to make him the member, he must ascertain who has the whistle, and after sounding it once, unbind him and
let the fun begin. Some one at his back uses the whistle; he turns to seize
it and of course carries it to some one else to sound; and so the sport
goes on.
A Guessing Game.—One player leaves the room, and during his ab sei,ce the rest choose some well-known character, dead or living. Then
the guesser being called back each of the other players hints at some fact
in the history of the person fixed upon, and the one at whose remarks hs
guesses aright takes his place as guesser. The fun of the game depends
on the remarks being not too plain, but only suggestive.
Adjectives.—One player writes a letter, which of course he does not
show, leaving blanks for adjectives. He then asks each player for an ad-
jective, filling up the spaces in order as he receives them. The letter is
likely to cause a laugh when completed.
Have You Read the New Book ?—One player says, "Have you
read the new book?" He is asked by the next player, "What is it about?"


272 HOME AMUESMENTS.
and answers by naming some subject beginning with a word having A for
its initial. Then the next player asks the same question and meets with
the same response. "What is it about?" but uses in his reply the initial
B, and so the game progresses .through all the letters of the alphabet.
Failing to give correct replies subjects the careless one to forfeit.
Destiny—An intelligent person of ready wit is selected for the Oracle,
and sent out of the room for a few minutes. The rest ot the company,
seated in a semi-circle, whisper each to each a person's name (preferable
of one present), to the left hand neighbor, and a sentiment to the right
baud neighbor—ladies giving gentlemen's names and the gentlemen ladies' names. The Oracle is then called in and takes his seat, and begins Kit imaginative narrative suited to the circumstances and to the assembly be-
fore him—the more brilliant his part the more interesting the proceedings.
Suppose, for instance, he knows a pleasantry about any two persons present, and he remarks, beginning with the first person seatedon his left,
whom we will call Miss A: "What did you, Miss A, say was the name of
the gentleman you heard so passionately pleading with a fair"damsel for a.
token of affection, the other evening, at, such and such a place?" (She then
gives you name previously whispered to her.) It may not be the person
about whom it would be true; but the hit will be nearly as good and not a
few present may appreciate its full force. What is more, promiscuous
blushes may reveal unsuspected developments in other directions. The
Oracle then continues and asks Miss A, again: "And what was the tender
and expressive sentiment that he swore to be his watchword and guiding
talismau?" (Site here repeats the sentiment previously whispered to her.)
It may or may not suit and the awkward or appropriate association will
generally cause innocent cunfusion or merriment. The Oracle then pro-
ceeds to player B. In this way, by bringing in matter from society, politics,
art, literature and whatever other fields suggest appropriate material, a
very superior diversion can be enjoyed.
Dumb Scrambo.—The company divides into two about equal in num-
ber and equally matched parties; one side goes out, the other side chooses
quietly a word—let us say for a somewhat hard one— sheen; they then
inform the side out that they have chosen a word that rhymes with lean.
Tho side out must now act without speaking the different words they think
of that rhyme with lean until they hit the proper word. If the side that is
in and forms the audience cannot guess any word that is properly acted, or
if the side out act the right word, then the side in must go out and try to
find whatever word the other side chooses.
An Animated Game.—Place in a do ible line one more chair than
players; then march around them in a circle, keeping step to the music of
a performer on an instrument or the voice of some one singing. Whenever
the operator or singer stops you must all sit down as rapidly as you can,
and whoever fails to find a chair drops out. The number of chairs is dim-
inished by one, and so you keep on until only one person remains, who
wins the game. Buleness should be carefully avoided in this and eeery
other sport, especially towards the ladies.
Bine Jack.—For those who play cards we have been told an excellent
round game is to take from the pack enough small cards to make them
divide evenly among the numbers of players, then follow exactly the laws
of whist, except that each player generally plays for himself, and every


HOME AMUSEMENTS. 273
trick he takes counts one point, if four play, and two points if more than
four play; but whoever takes the trick with the jack of clubs in it has ten
taken off his score, or charged against what he may get. If, therefore, you
get the jack of clubs dealt to you try to work it off on someone else by
throwing away when you cannot follow suit, or in some other way. Taking
the trick with the jack in it makes one feel blue, hence the name of the
game.
Questions and Answers—Have four packs, with two different kinds
of backs, say red and blue. Deal one blue pack to the gentlemen and one
red pack to the ladies. Then the dealer places before her two packs-
one red backs, one blue backs. To start the game she then begins to ask
a question such as: "Who has been flirting this evening?" And she then
draws the first blue card before her—say the knave of hearts—and which-
ever gentleman has the knave of hearts is the guilty person. He then asks
a question, say: "What sweet charmer has been the cause of my transgres-
sion?" The leader draws now a red back—say the queen of hearts—and
the lady with the queen is the accomplice; she, in turn, asks a question,
and so the game proceeds until all the cards are drawn. This is lb very
interesting game when properly played.
Bean Bags.—Divide the company in two equal parties, arranged about
a yard apart in two parallel rows facing each other. Have, say, two dozen
stoutly-sewn bags, about eight inches long by four wide, and filled com-
fortably full of beans. The bags must be so that they can be easily and
quickly grasped by the hand. Choose two judges, and place one at each
end of your lines, each with a table in front. Have the bean bags in two
piles of twelve each, each before one judge, who is to give the signal to
start, when the bags must be passed singly along each line, passing sepa-
rately through each hand of each player down to the table at the other
end, there stacked up and returned as rapidly as possible. The contest is
to see which side can get the bags down and back first. In case a bag is
dropped by any one, it must always be picked up by the hand of that per-
son farthest from the table toward which it is going, and when dropped
from a table must always be put back on table before passing. Whichever
side gets the bags down and back first a certain number of times is declared
the winner. This is a game in which those who keep cool and pay close
attention are almost sure to win, and it is interesting when properly played.
It is particularly desirable to have stood persons at each end of the lines.
The Feather Game. —The players are seated in a circle, with their
chairs close together. The loader takes a piece of goose or swan's-down,
and blows it upwards towards the center of the circle. The company are
now expected to keep it afloat with their breath, its tailing to the ground
involving a forfeit from the person on whom, or nearest to whom, it falls.
Cupid's Coming—A letter must be taken, and the termination "ing."
Say, for instance, that P is chosen. The first player says to the second,
"Cupid's coming." "How is he coming?" says the second. "Playing,"
rejoins the first. The second then says to the third, "Cupid's coming."
"How?" "Prancing ;" and so the question and reply go around, through
all the words beginning with P and ending with ing—piping, pulling, pin-
ing, praising, preaching, eta. Those who cannot answer the question on
the spur of the moment pay a forfeit.


274 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
How d'ye Mite Your Neighbor I—The company must be seated In
a circle around the room, with a clear space in the middle. The chairs are
placed close together, and the number of chairs is one less than that of the
players, twelve chairs. The chairless pirson stands in the middle of the
room, and addressing one of the company, says, "Master Jones, how do
you like your neighbor?" Jones may either answer " Very well, indeed,"
or, singling out two of the company, he may say, " I prefer Master A to Miss
IS," or " Miss A. to Mr. !t." If, being of a contented disposition, he likes
both his neighbors " very much, indeed," all the players must change
places; if, on the contrary, he prefers Master A. to Miss B., the two whom
he names must change, the others sitting still; in either case it is the object
of the person in the middle to get into one of the vacant chairs while the
changing is going on; and if he can succeed in doing this, the person thus
left seatless must sland in the middle, and ask the players how they like
their neighbors; if not, the first player has to take up his position is the
center again, and the game goes on.
Forfeits.—1. To put one Hand where the other cannot touch it.—This is
performed by grasping the right elbow with the left hand.
2. To laugh in one Corner, cry in another, dance in another, and sing in
another.
3. To kiss the Candlestick.—This is performed by getting a young lady
to ho'il the candle, and kissing her.
i. To act the Knight of the rueful countenance. —The victim takes a candle
in hia hand, and having selected some other player to be his Squire, they
perambulate the room together, the Squire kissing the hand (or, if permit-
ted, the cheek) of each lady in succession, and after each salute carefully
wiping the Knight's mouth with a handkerchief, the Knight looking as
cheerful as he can under the circumstances.
5. The Journey to Rome.—The victim in this case is supposed to be
dispatched on a journey to Bome, but, before his departure, he is required
to go to each person in the room in succession, and ask if he has auything
to send to His Holiness the Pope. Each entrusts him with something, the
more cumbrous the better. When lully loaded, he completes his penance
by carrying every article out of the room.
6. To Spell Constantinople. —This is a mere trap to catch the unwary.
The offender is required to spell Constanlinop'e. He begins, and is allowed
to get safely as far as Conslanti, when there is a general cry of "no,"
meaning the next syllable. If the victim knows the trick, he spells calmly
on and is free, but if he is not in the secret, he naturally believes that he
has made some mistake, and begins again, only to be greeted by the shout
of "no" once more at the same point.
7. The Three Salutes.—The victim is required to kneel to the prettiest,
bow to the wittiest, and kiss the one he loves the best. This may either be
fulfilled literally, according to the gentleman's own notion of the compara-
tive merits of the ladies present, or evaded, after the manner indicated in
the next forfeit.
8. To kiss the lady you love best without any one knowing it.—This is per-
formed by kissing each lady in turn, the favorite being thus effectually
concealed.
9. To kiss your own Shadow.—The uninitiated understand this in a lit-
eral sense, but the better informed victim places himself between a lady
and the light, and tenderly salutes her.


SOME AMUSEMENTS. 279
10. To sit upon the Fire.—This somewhat unpleasant panettyTsTisually
evaded by writing " the fire " on a small piece of paper, and silting on it.
11. To leave tke Room with two Legs, and come in with fix.—This is per-
formed by leaving the room, and, on your return, bringing in a chair with
you.
12 To perform the Egotist.—The victim is required to propose his own
health in a flowery speech, and to sing the musical honors as a solo.
13. To place three Chairs in a row, take off your Shoes, and jump over
them.—It is not always perceived that it is the shoes, and not the chairs,
that the victim is required to jump over.
14.—To bite an inch off a Poker.—This is a penalty of a similar charac-
ter, being performed by holding the end of the poker about au inch from
the face, and making a bite at it.
15 To blow a Candle out blindfobL—TUi» is an admirable penance. The
victim, having been shown the position of the candle, is securely blind-
folded, and after having been turned round once or twice, is requested to
go and blow it out. The cautious manner in which the victim will go and
endeavor to blow out the clock on the mantelpiece, or an old gentleman's
bald head, while the candle is burning serenely a few feet behind him,
must be seen to be appreciated.
16.—To ask a question that cannot be answered in the negative.—The for-
feit, if the secret is not known. will give the victim some trouble. The
mystic question is, " What does y—e—s spell?"
17. The Three Questions.—The victim is required to leave the room.
Three questions are agreed on in his absence, and he is required to say
"Yes" or "No" to each, without'knowing what the questions are; the
result being, frequently, that he finds he has made some ignominous ad-
mission, has declined something that he would be very glad to have, or
accepted something that he would much rather be without.
18 To kiss a Book inside and ou'side without opening it.—This apparent
impossibility is solved by kissing the book first in the room, and then tak-
ing it outside the door and kissing it again.
19. To take a person up-stairs, and bring him down upon a Feather.—The
heaviest person in the room is generally selected as the person to be taken
up-stairs, in order to heighten the apparent difficulty; which, however, is
solved by bringing the person a soft feather, which being covered with
down, you may be truthfully said to have brought him " down upon a
feather."
20. To place a straw (or other small article J on the Ground in such man*
ntr that no one present can jump ovtr it.—This is done by placing it close
against the wall.
21 To ad Living Statues The victim stands on a chair, and is posed
by the members of the company in succession, according to their various
(and sometimes very original) conceptions of Grecian Statues.
22. To shake a Penny off the Forehead.—This may be made productive
of much amusement. The leader, having previously wetted a penny,
presses it firmly for several seconds against the forehead of the victim.
Then he withdraws his thumb; he Becrotly brings away the coin, but the
victim invariably believes that he can feel it still sticking to his forehead,
and his head-shakings and facial contortions, in order to get rid of his
imaginary burden, are frequently very ludicrous. It is, of course, under-
stood that he is not allowed to touch his forehead with his hands.
iS.—The German Sand.—This is a joint forfeit for three or four players,


276 HOME AMUSEMENTS.
each of whom is assigned some imaginary instrument, and required to
personate a performer in a German band, imitating not only the actions of
the player, but the sound of the instrument, after the manner described on
another page.
One Old Ox Opening Oysters—This is a c ipital round game, and
will tax the memory and the gravity of the youngsters. The company
being seated, the fugleman says, "One old ox opening oysters," which each
must repeat in turn with perfect gravity. Any one who indulges in the
slightest giggle is mulcted of a forfeit forthwith. When the first round is
finished the fugleman begins again: "Two toads, totally tired, trying to
trot to Troy j" and the others repeat in turn, each separately, "One old ox
opening oysters ; two toads, totally tired," etc. The third round is, "Three tawny tigers tickling trout," and the round recommences: "One old ox,
etc.; two toads, totally, etc.; three tawny tigers, etc." The fourth round,
and up to the twelfth and last, given out by the fugleman successively, and
repeated by the other players, are as follows: "Four fat friars fanning a
fainting fly; five fair flirts flying to France for fashion; six Scotch salmon
selling six sacks of eour-krout; seven small soldiers successfully shooting
suipe; eight elegant elephants embarking for Europe; nine nimble noble-
men nibbling nonpareils; ten tipsy tailors teasing a titmouse; eleven early
earwigs eagerly eating eggs; and twelve twittering tomtits on the top of a
tall, tottering tree." Any mistake in repeating this legend, or any depar-
ture from the gravity suitable to the occasion, is to be punished by the in-
fliction of a forfeit ; and the game has been seldom known to fail in produc-
ing a rich harvest of those little pledges". Of course, a good deal depends
on the serio-comic gravity of the fugleman.
He Can Do Little Who Can't Do This This is another " sell " of
almost childish simplicity, but we have seen people desperately puzzled
over it, and even "give it up " in despair. The leader takes a stick (or
poker) in his left hand, thence transfers it to his right, and thumps three
times on the floor, saying, "He can do little who can't do this." He then
hands the stick to another person, who, as he supposes, goes through ex-
actly the same performance, but, if he does not know the game, is gen-
erally told, to his disgust, that he has incurred a forfeit, his imitation not
having been exact. The secret lies in the fact that the stick, when passed
on, is first received in the lefthand, and thence transferred to the right
before going through the thumping ceremony. An uninitiated person
almost instinctively takes the stick in the right hand at once.
Jack's Alive.—The principle of this game is delightfully simple. An
ordinary stick of fire-wood is held in the fire till it is well alight, when the
flame is blown out, leaving the end still smouldering. In this condition,
the players being seated in a circle, it is passed from hand to hand, each
player saying, as he passes it on, "Jack's Alive!" As soon as the last
spark is out, Jack is no longer alive, and the player in whose hands he dies
is bound to pay a forfeit. The wood is again lighted, and passes from hand
to hand as before.


THE HOUSEHOLD.
COOKING RECIPES.
Breakfast Dishes.
T» Make Good Coffee.—French cooks are famous for the excellence of
their coffee, which they make so strong that one part of the liquor requires
the addition of two parts to reduce it to the proper strength. This addition
is made with hot milk. The large proportion of hot milk, in the place of so
much warm water, gives the coffee a richness like that made by the addition
of cream in the ordinary way. By this means any housekeeper desirous of
making good coffee, can have it without cream.
Hominy Muffins.- -Take two cups of very fine hominy, boiled and cold;
beat it smooth and stir in three cups of sour milk, half a cup of melted
butter, two tablespoonfuls of salt and two tablespoonfuls of white sugar;
then add three eggs well beaten, one tablespoonful of soda dissolved in hot
water, and one large cup of flour; bake quickly.
Corn Muffins.—One pint of corn meal, one pint of sour milk, two tablespoonfuls of soda, two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, three tablespoon-
fuls of melted butter, a little salt. Stir soda into the milk and mix with the
meal; add the eggs, melted butter, sugar and salt. Beat briskly, and bake
in cups in a hot oven. Very nice breakfast cakes.
Breakfast Muffins.—Set a rising as for bread overnight. In the morn-
ing, early, warm a pint of milk and beat into the dough sufficient to make it
as for ordinary muffin batter; beat well for five or ten minutes and set to
rise for breakfast. Bake in rings on a very hot griddle, and turn frequently
to prevent burning. Buttermilk Muffins.—One quart of sour milk, two eggs, one teaspoon-
ful of soda dissolved in warm water, a teaspoonful of salt, and flour suffi-
cient to make a good batter. Beat the eggs well, stir them into the milk,
then add the flour and salt, and lastly the soda. Bake in a quick oven.
Bread Griddle Cakes.—To a pint of bread crumbs add one pint of
boiling milk; cover closely and let it stand over night. In the morning mash
to a smooth paste and beat in the yelks of two eggs; then slowly add one-
half pint of cold milk, beating all the time; and one-half pint of flour with
which a measure of baking powder has been sifted; lastly add the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth; fry like griddle cakes.
Buckwheat Cakes.—The best buckwheat cakes are made with va.
addition of corn meal flour and oat meal flour to the buckwheat, in this Pro- 


MtflTE ITOUSEnbLD.
portion: Six cups of buckwheat, three cups of oatmeal flour, or if this
cannot be obtained, substitute graham flour in its place, and one cup of
corn meal flour; to this add a dessertspoon evenly filled with salt, two
tablespoonfuls of molasses, and lukewarm water sufficient to form a batter;
stir through the flour well four teaspoonfuls of baking powder before wetting;
but these cakes are much better raised over night with yeast.
French Pancakes.—To make French pancakes, take two eggs, two
ounces of butter, two ounces of sifted sugar, two ounces of flour, half a pint
of new milk. Beat the eggs thoroughly and put them into a basin with the
butter, which should be beaten to a cream; stir in the sugar and flour, and
when these ingredients are well mixed, stir in the milk, keep stirring and
beating the mixture for a few minutes. Serve with a cut lemon and sugar,
and pile the pancakes on a dish, with a layer of preserves or marmalade
between each.
Egg Pancakes.—Beat six eggs light, add some salt, and one pint of
flour, and stir in gradually enough milk to make a thin, smooth batter.
Take a hot griddle or skillet, butter the bottom, and put in enough batter to
run over it as thin as a dollar piece. When brown turn it. When done take
it out on B dish; put a little butter, sugar and cinnamon over it. Fry another
and treat likewise, and so on until a plate is piled. Send hot to table for
dessert or breakfast or tea.
Cream Pancakes.—Take half a pint of thick cream, two ounces of
sugar, and a teaspoonful of finely-powdered spice; beat the yolks of three
eggs, add them to the cream; mix well together; simply rub your pan with
a bit of failure,make it hot, put in a small quantity of the batter, so as to
have the pancakes as thin as possible. Serve them sprinkled over with grated
lemon peel and pounded loaf sugar.
Corn Griddle Cakes.—Two cups of coarse corn meal, two cups sour
milk, or buttermilk, one egg, one tablespoonful graham flour, one teaspoon-
ful soda dissolved in boiling water; make to batter of the meal, milk, eggs,
and flour: if it is too thick add a little milk; then stir in the dissolved soda,
beat well, and bake immediately on a hot griddle; do not scorch the cakes.
Wheat Griddle Cakes.—One quart of sour milk, two even teaspoonfula
of soda and one even teaspoonful of salt, flour enough to make a good batter;
stir until the lumps are broken; fry at once.
To Make Batter Pancakes.—Well beat three eggs with a pound of
flour, put to it a pint of milk and a little salt, fry them in lard or butter,
grate sugar over them, cut them in quarters, and serve them up.
Breakfast Corn Cakes. —Two eggs, one cup sweet milk, two table-
spoonfuls sweet cream, one-half cup sugar, three-fourths cup flour, two cups
Indian meal, three teaspoonfuls baking powder.
Lemon Flapjacks.—One pint of milk, four eggs, juice of one lemon, a
pinch of soda, and flour enough to make a light batter. Fry in hot lard.
Serve with sugar and nutmeg.
Delicious Waffles—One and one-half pint sweet milk; one teacup
butter and lard, or one cup of either melted and put in the milk, then stir in
the flour; next beat the yolks of four eggs, and add with two tablespoonful*


COOKING RECIPES. 279
of yeast and best very hard. Beat the whites last, and stir them in gently.
The consistency of the batter should be about like griddle cakes, or so it will
run easily in the irons.
Hominy Fritters—Cook the hominy well; let it boil down pretty thick
before using; add to one quart of boiled hominy about half a cup of sweet
milk, one egg, a little salt, and flour enough to fry and turn without running;
only enough lard required in frying to prevent burning; too much milk and
flour toughens them.
Omelet.—Comparatively few of our housekeepers dare attempt an
omelet, but there is nothing difficult about it. The chief cause of failure
lies in not having the spider hot enough, or in making an omelet too large
for the pan. For a spider eight inches in diameter, not more than four eggs
should be used. For an omelet of this size, use four eggs, one teaspoonful
of salt, and two tablespoonfuls of cream, or in place of that, use milk. Beat
the yolks alone to a smooth batter, add the milk, salt and pepper, and lastly,
the well-beaten whites. Have the frying-pan very hot. Put in a tablespoon fol of butter, which should instantly hiss. Follow it quickly with the well-
beaten mixture, and do not stir this after it goes in. Cook over a hot fire,
and as the egg sets, loosen it from the pan without breaking, to prevent
burning. It should cook in about ten minutes. When the middle is set, it
is a good plan to place the pan on the high grate in the oven to brown the
top. This is not needed if you turn half of the omelet over upon itself
before turning the whole from the pan upon a hot dish. Eat while hot.
Scrambled Eggs.—Many use only eggs with butter and salt for this
dish—for four eggs, one tablespoonful of butter. Melt the butter and turn
in the beaten eggs, and stir quickly one or two minutes over a hot fire. A
common practice is to increase the quantity without impairing the quality
by adding milk—a small cup to six eggs, and a tablespoonful of butter
with salt and pepper as preferred. Stir these ingredients over a hot fire,
putting in the butter first, until the whole thickens. It should be soft and
creamy when done. It is very fine served on toast.
Eggs a la Creme—Hard boil twelve eggs, and slice them in thfti rings.
In the bottom of a deep baking dish spread bits of butter, then the layer of
bread crumbs, and then a layer of boiled eggs. Cover with bits of butter,
and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Continue thus to blend these ingredients
until the dish is full or nearly so. Crumbs over which bits of butter are
spread, must cover all of these bits of eggs, and over the whole mixture a
pint of sweet cream or sweet milk must be poured, before it is baked in a
moderately heated oven.
Eggs Newport Style.—Take one pint of bread crumbs and soak in one
pint of milk. Beat eight eggs very light, and stir with the soaked crumbs,
beating five minutes. Have ready a saucepan in which are two tablespoon-
fuls of butter, thoroughly hot, but not scorching; pour in the mixture, season
with pepper and salt, as the mass is opened and stirred with the "scram-
bling," which should be done quickly with the point of the knife, for three
minutes, or until thoroughly hot. Serve on a hot platter, with squares of
buttered toast.
>.ufled Eggs.—Six hard boiled eggs cut in two, take out the yelks and
mash fine; then add two teaspoonfuls of butter, one of cream, two or three


280 TBS B0U8EB0LD.
drops of onion juice, salt and pepper to taste. Mix all thoroughly, and fill
the eggs with the mixture; put them together. Then there will be a little of
the filling left, to which add one well-beaten egg. Cover the eggs with this
mixture, and then roll in cracker crumbs. Fry a light brown in boiling fat.
Cupped Eggs.—Put a spoonful of high-seasoned brown gravy into each
eup; set the cups in a saucepan of boiling water, and, when the gravy heats,
drop a fresh egg into each cup; take off the saucepan, and cover it close till
the eggs are nicely and tenderly cooked; dredge them with nutmeg and salt.
Serve them in a plate covered with a napkin.
Eggs a la Mode.—Remove the skin from a dozen tomatoes, medinm
size, cut them up in a saucepan, add a little butter, pepper and salt; when
sufficiently boiled beat up five or six eggs, and just before you serve, turn
them into the saucepan with the tomato, and stir one way for two minutes,
allowing them time to be well done.
A Nice Dish for Breakfast.—Take some slices of bread cutting, off the
crust; make a batter of three eggs and a pint of milk; soak the bread in it;
put some butter in the frying pan; fry the slices of bread till brown.
A Good Way to Cook Eggs.—Heat and grease the muffin irons; take
a dozen eggs, break an egg in each muffin ring; put pepper, salt and a lump
of butter on each; then put in the oven; as soon as it is slightly browned
remove with a fork; dish and send to the table hot.
Breakfast Dish—A nice dish for breakfast is made by taking bits of
ham that have been left from previous meals, cutting in small pieces, and
heating them with two or three eggs stirred in. Pieces of beef may also be
used, and enjoyed if properly cooked. Chop them fine, season with butter,
pepper and salt, and serve hot. The excellence of these dishes depends
upon the way in which you cook and season them. Anything which is
warmed over, in order to be palatable, must be nicely prepared.
Potato Cakes for Breakfast.—Save from dinner a soup-plate of mashed
potatoes, add to it half a saltspoonful of pepper, the same of nutmeg, a
little salt and the yelk of an egg; form into small cakes, put in a buttered
baking-pan, brush the top with the white of an egg, and brown in a quick
oven.
A Cheap Breakfast Dish.—Stale bread may be made into a palatable
dish for breakfast by dipping it in butter and then frying in lard or batter.
Make the batter with eggs—a teaspoonful of corn starch mixed in a table-
spoonful of milk to each egg. A little salt should be added.
Soups.
Asparagus Soup.—Three pounds of knuckle of veal will make a good
strong stock. Put the veal to boil with one and a half bunches of asparagus,
a gallon of water, and let it boil rapidly for three hours. Strain and return
to the pot, adding another bunch of asparagus, chopped fine, and boil
twenty minutes. Take a cup of milk, add a tablespoonful of flour; let it all
just come to a boil and serve. Season well with pepper and salt.
Potato Sotip_Mash to a smooth paste one pound of good mealy pota-
toes, which have been steamed or boiled very dry; mix them by degrees U


COOKING KECIPES. 281
two quarto of bofflng water, in which two ounces of the extract of meat have
been previously dissolved, pass the soup through a strainer, set it again
on the fire, add pepper and salt; let it boil for five minutes, and be served
with fried or toasted bread. Where the flavor is approved, two ounces of
onions, minced and fried a light brown, may be added to the soup, and
stewed in it for ten minutes before it is sent to table.
Green Pea Soup—Put two quarts green peas into four quarts of water,
boil for two hours, keeping the steam waste supplied by fresh boiling water
—then strain them from the liquor, return that to the pot, rub the peas
through a sieve, chop an onion fine, and a small sprig of mint, let it boil ten
minutes, then stir a tablespoonful of flour into two of butter, and pepper and
salt to taste; stir it smoothly into the boiling soup. Serve with well-buttered
sippets of toasted bread.
Cream-of-Rice.Soup—Two quarts of chicken stock (the water in which
the fowl has been boiled will answer), one teacup of rice, a quart of cream
or milk, a small onion, a stalk of celery, and salt and pepper to taste. Wash
the rice carefully, and add to the chicken stock, onion and celery. Cook
slowly two hours (it should hardly bubble). Put through a sieve; add sea-
soning and the milk or cream, which has been allowed to come just to a boil.
If milk, use also a tablespoonful of butter.
Chicken Cream Soup—Boil an old fowl with an onion in four quarts of
cold water until there remains but two quarts. Take it out and let it get
cold. Cut off the whole of the breast and chop very flue. Mix with the
pounded yelks of two hard boiled eggs, and rub through a colander. Cool,
skim, and strain the soup into a soup pot. Season; add the chicken and egg
mixture, simmer ten minutes and pour into the tureen. Then add a small
cup of boiling milk.
Saturday Soup.—Collect all the bones which you have on hand, beef,
veal, mutton or fowl, and boil together one day. The next morning remove
the fat and put the soup on to heat. If you have a little cold hash or a few
croquettes, put them in, and add a saucer full of canned corn, salt and
pepper to taste, a few slices of onion, half a teaspoonful of celery sait. one
cup of stewed tomato. Boil all together, and just before serving put in a few
drops of caramel to make it a good brown.
Cauliflower Soup.—Cauliflower and butter. Peel the cauliflowers, and
put them in boiling water. When they are perfectly soft, strain the water off,
and put them in the saucepan again with some butter. Moisten them with
water or beef broth, and finish cooking them. Put somo slices of fried Head
in the soup, and let the whole boil gently until it is thick; then serve it.
Minute Soup.—Excellent for supper where something warm is desired,
or for the little folks when they return from school "almost starved to
death." Light bread or crackers crumbed in a bowl or deep dish, add a
lump of butter, half a cup of sweet cream, plenty of pepper and salt; if fond
of onions, cut a few slices thin and lay over the top and pour over plenty of
boiling water, and you will be surprised to see how good it is. If not fond
of onions, add an egg well beaten, after the water is poured over, and stir
well.
Veal Cream Soup—Boil the remnants of a roast of veal until the meat
folk from the bones; strain and cool. The next day put on to boil, with a


282 TBB B0U8EH0LD.
slice of onion and one-third of B cup of raw rice. Let it simmer rioirly for
an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving add one cup of
rich milk, or cream if you have it, heated first in a separate dish. Serve
with grated Parmesan cheese.
Macaroni Soup.—Put into a stewpan of boiling water four ounces of
macaroni, one ounce of butter, and an onion stuck with five cloves. When
the macaroni has become quite tender, drain it very dry, and pour on it two
quarts of clear gravy soup. Let it simmer for ten minutes, taking care that
the macaroni does not burst or become a pulp; it will then be ready to serve up. It should then be sent to the table with grated Parmesan cheese.
Beef Soup—Three pounds beef, three onions, three quarts water, one-
half pint pearl barley. Boil beef slowly about an hour and a half, then add
onions, sliced, and pearl barley (previously well washed and soaked half an
hour); then boil about an hour longer. More water may be added, suffi-
cient to have two quarts of soup when done. Season to taste with pepper.
One Day Soup.—Half a can of tomatoes, five or six cold boiled or baked
potatoes, half an onion, one stalk of celery or a few celery tops. Boil all to-
gether until the vegetables are very soft. Put through a colander, add pep-
per and salt, and a pinch of sugar. Just before serving pour in one cup of
hot milk with a pinch of soda dissolved in it. Sift over the top a few very
dry bread crumbs.
Mutton Soup.—Take the water that remains in the Bteamer after the
mutton is cooked; there should be about three quarts; add one-half cup
English split peas, nicely washed, one small onion, and cook gently three
hours, adding a little more'water if it cooks away much. Before taking from
the fire add salt and pepper to taste.
Poultry Soup.—Take the carcass and bones of any poultry, turkey par-
ticularly, and put in a kettle with plenty of water, and boil all the forenoon,
filling up with hot water if necessary, and at dinner time you will find to
your surprise a most savory soup; season with salt and pepper.
Bean Soup.—Put one quart of beans to soak over night in lukewarm
water. Put over the fire next morning with one gallon cold water and about
two pounds salt pork. Boil slowly about three hours, add to little pepper.
It is better to shred into it a head of celery. Strain through a colander and
serve with slices of lemon to each guest.
Julienne Soup.—Put a piece of butter the size of an egg into a soup
kettle; stir it until melted; fry three onions and then put in three quarts of
good stock, salt, pepper, mace and celery seed, two chopped carrots, two
chopped turnips, a pint of dried peas that have been soaked in water over
night. Boil two hours.
Codfish Soup.—Boil a teacup of codfish in three pints of water for twenty
minutes; add three tablespoonfuls of flour and a little hot water; boil up
once; add two pints of milk, let it boil; add three eggs. When served in a
tureen, add one poached egg for each person.
Vegetable Soup. —Take one turnip, one potato and one onion; let them
be sliced, and boiled in one quart of water for an hour, add as much salt
and parsley as is agreeable, and pour the whole on a slice of toasted bread.


COOKINGRECIPES. 2M
Tomato Soup.—Pour B quart of boiling water over a pint of canned to-
matoes. Let them boil for an hour, or until they become soft. Strain and
return to the fire. Stir in a teaspoonful of soda; this will make it effervesce,
and while it is still foaming add a pint of boiling milk, a large piece of but-
ter, pepper and salt. Thicken slightly with cracker-dust and serve immedi-
ately.
Summer Soup—Eight potatoes boiled soft, piece of butter size of two
eggs; boil one quart of milk and one quart of water together, and pour boil-
ing hot on the soft potatoes; strain, and then boil half an hour in the milk
and water.
Plain Soup—Boil fresh beef or mutton bones three hours, salt; to one
gallon liquid add one teacup washed rice, two or three cloves, boil one-half
hour, and it is done.
Ok™ goop —To five quarts of water and a shin of beef add four dozen
okras, sliced thin, and a few tomatoes; boil from six to seven hours, and add
salt and red pepper to taste.
Meats and Poultry.
Potted Beef—Choose lean beef; rub it over with saltpetre, and let it lie
twelve hours; salt it well with a mixture of bay salt and common salt. Put
it into a jar of the requisite size, immerse it in water, and let it remain four
or five days. Then take it out, wipe it dry, and rub it with ground black
pepper; lay it in a pan, cover it with a crust, and bake seven hours. Take
it out when done and let it cool; then pick out the skins and strings, and
beat it in the strong mortar, adding seasoning of mace, cloves, and nutmeg, in
powder, and a little melted butter and flour. Press it closely into pots, and
pour over it clarified butter.
French Beefsteak. Cut the steak two-thirds ' f an inch thick from a
fillet of beef; dip into melted fresh butter, lay them on a heated gridiron and
broil over hot coals. When nearly done sprinkle pepper and salt. Have
ready some parsley, chopped fine and mixed with softened butter. Beat
them together to a cream, and pour into the middle of the dish. Dip each
steak into the butter, turning them over, and lay them round on the platter.
If you desire, squeeze a few drops of lemon over, and serve very hot.
An Excellent DUh.—A. dish equal to the best steak and cheap enough
for any man, is prepared from a shank of beef with some meat ou it. Have
the bone well broken; wash carefully to remove bits of bone; cover with
cold water; watch when the boiling begins and take off the scum that rises.
Stew five or six hours till the muscles are dissolved; break the meat small
with a fork—far better than chopping—put it in a bread pan, boil down the gravy till in cooling it will turn to a stiff jelly. Where this is done, gelatine
is quite superfluous. Add salt, and, if liked, other seasoning, and pour it
hot upon the meat; stir together and set aside over night, when it will cut
into handsome mottled slices for breakfast or supper.
Chicken Viennese Style—Procure two very young spring chickens,
pluck and draw them carefully, without injuring the skin. Take a very
sharp knife and cut each exactly in two; sprinkle with a little pepper and
salt, rub a little fresh salad-oil over each piece, and thoroughly egg and


984 TBS HOUSEHOLD.
breadcrumb them. Rub a little suet on a clean gridiron, place it over a
Very clear fire, with the four pieces of chicken, broil them very carefully
until of a nice brown color; then having ready a hot dish, with four pieces of
toasted bread on it, lay half a chicken on each piece of toast, and pour over
all a good white sauce, which must be made with a little raw cream.
Chicken Patties—Chicken patties are made by picking the meat from
a cold chicken and cutting it in small pieces. Put it in a saucepan with a
little water or milk, butter, pepper and salt. Thicken with a little flour and
with the yelk of one egg. Line some patty-pans with crust, not rich and yet
not tough, rub them over with the white of the egg, and bake. When done,
1ll with the chicken, and send to the table hot. Cut out round cakes of the
crust for the tops of the little pies, and bake on a common baking tin. It is
very little trouble to do this, and the pleasure afforded each child by having
a little chicken pie of his own amply pays the right-minded cook.
Smothered Chickens.—Cut the chickens in the back, lay them flat in a
dripping-pan, with one cup of water; let them stew in the oven until they
begin to get tender; take them out and season with salt and pepper; rub
together one and one-half tablespoonfuls of flour, one tablespoonful butter;
spread all over the chickens; put back in the oven, baste well, and when
tender and nicely browned take out of the dripping-pan; mix with the gravy
in the pan one cup of thickened milk with a little flour; put on the stove and
let it scald up well and pour over the chickens; parsley, chopped fine, is a
nice addition to the gravy.
Virginia Fried Chlcken—Dice and fry ene half pound of salt pork
until it is well rendered. Cut up a young chicken, soak for half an hour in
salt and water, wipe dry, season with pepper, roll in flour, and try in hot
fat until each piece is of a rich brown color. Take up and set aside in a
warming closet. Pour into the gravy one cup of milk—half cream is better;
thicken with a spoonful of flour, and add a spoonful of butter and chopped
paraley; boil up and pour over the hot chicken, or, if preferred, serve with-
out the cream gravy, with bunches of fried parsley. Plain boiled rice should
accompany this.
Beef Rolls—The remains of cold roast or boiled beef, seasoning to taste
of salt, pepper, and minced herbs; puff paste. Mince the beef tolerably
fine, with a small amount of its own fat; add a seasoning of pepper and salt,
and chopped herbs; put the whole into a roll of puff paste and bake for half
»n hour, or rather longer, should the roll be very large. Beef patties may
be made of cold meat by mincing and seasoning beef as directed above, and
baking in a rich puff paste in patty tins.
Veal Cutlets.—The cutlets should be cut as handsomely as possible,
and about three-quarters of an inch in thickness; they should, before cook-
ing, be well beaten with the blade of a chopper, if a proper beater be not at
hand; they should then be fried a light brown and sent up to table, gar-
nished with parsley, and rolls of thin-sliced, nicely-fried bacon; they are
with advantage coated previously to cooking with the yelk of an egg, and
dredged with bread crumbs.
A la Mode Chicken—Pick and draw a fine young chicken, wash and
wipe dry and season with salt and pepper. Slake a mce pastry, roll out an
inch thick; wrap the chicken in it, tie in a cloth, and boil an hour or two, M-


COOKING RECIPE8. 285
cording to the tenderness of the fowl. Make a dressing of one tablespoonful
of flour, one of butter, and sufficient boiling water to make a smooth paste.
Place the chicken on a dish, and pour the dressing over it, garnish with
parsley or celery leaves and a hard-boiled egg cut in slices.
Curry.— TaKe cold chicken, turkey, or cold lamb, cut it in small pieces,
and put in a frying-pan with about a pint or more boiling water; let it stew
a few moments, then take the meat out, thicken the gravy with a little flour,
add a teaspoonful of curry powder, pepper and salt to taste, and let it boil
up once; have some rice boiled whole and dry; put it around the outside of
the platter, and in the center put the meat; throw the gravy over the meat,
mot the rice, and serve.
Tripe a la Lyonaise with Tomatoes.—This economical dish, which
is in the reach of every family, is very fine. Take two pounds of dressed
and boiled tripe, cut into small strips two inches long and put into a sauce-
pan. Parboil and drain off the first water; chop a small onion fine and let
all stew twenty minutes; add half a teacup of thickening and then stir in
half a can of tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. This dish has become
very popular in all the hotels throughout the country.
Boiled Corn Beef.—This is much improved if cooked in plenty of water,
and when thoroughly done, left until cold in the same water that it was
boiled in. Lift the pot off the fire, and let pot, water, and meat grow cold
together. This will make it much more moist and juicy, besides tender and
sweet, than if taken out hot and all the moisture in it dried out by standing
and steaming until it grows cold. Hams, tongues, etc., should be cooked in
the same way.
To Cook a Rabbit—When nicely dressed lay it in a pan and cover with
cold water, and add half a teacup salt and soak over night; in the morning
drain off water and cover the rabbit inside and out with dry corn meal, and
let stand till time to cook for dinner; then rinse, cut up and parboil in slightly
salted water until tender; take out, roll in corn meal and fry a nice brown;
an onion sliced and laid over it while parboiling is an improvement for
those who like the flavor.
Baked Ham—Make a thick paste of flour (not boiled) and cover the
ham with it, bone and all; put in a pan on a spider or two muffin rings, or
anything that will keep it an inch from the bottom, and bake in a hot oven.
If a small ham, fifteen minutes for each pound; if large, twenty minutes.
The oven should be hot when put in. The paste forms a hard crust around
the ham and the skin comes off with it. Try this, and you will never cook
a ham in any other way.
Sauce Piquante—Put a bit of butter, with two sliced onions, into a
stewpan, with a carrot, a parsnip, a little thyme, laurel, basil, two cloves,
two shallots, a clove of garlic, and some parsley; turn the whole over the
fire until it be well colored; then shake in some flour, and moisten it with
some broth and a spoonful of vinegar. Let it boil over a slow fire; skim, and
strain it through a sieve. Season it with salt and'pepper, and serve it with
any dish required to be heightened.
Minced Veal and Eggs—Take some remnants of roast or braised veal,
trim off all browned parts, and mince it very finely; fry a shallot, or onion,


iSS THE HOUSEHOLD.
chopped small, in plenty of butter; when it is a light straw-color add a large
pinch of flour and a little stock, then the minced meat, with chopped parsley,
pepper, salt, and nutmeg to taste; mix well, add more stock if necessary,
and let the mince gradually get hot by the side of the fire; lastly, add a few
drops of lemon-juice. Serve with sippets of bread fried in butter round, and
the poached eggs on top.
Boned Chicken—This is nice for picnics. First take out the breast-
bone; then remove the back with a sharp knife, and next the leg bones; keep
the skin unbroken, and push within it the meat of the legs. Fill the body
with alternate layers of parboiled tongue, veal force-meat, the liver of the
fowl, thin slices of bacon, or aught else of good flavor which will give a
marbled appearance to the fowl when moved; then sew up and truss as
usual.
Pigeon Pie.—Border a dish with fine puff paste, lay a veal cutlet (or
tender rump steak) cut in thin slices at the bottom of the dish; season with
salt, cayenne, nutmeg, or pounded mace. Put as many young pigeons aa
the dish will contain, with seasoning as above, and in the interstices tho
yelks of some hard-boiled eggs; put some butter over them, fill up with
good gravy, cover with paste, glaze with the yelk of an egg, and bake.
Mutton Cutlets in the Portuguese Way.—Out the chops, and half
fry them with sliced shallot or onion, chopped parsley, and two bay leaves;
season with pepper and salt; then lay a force-meat on a piece of white paper,
put the chops on it, and twist the paper up, leaving a hole for the end of the
bones to go through. Broil on a gentle fire. Serve with sauce Robert; or,
as tho seasoning makes the cutlets high, a little gravy.
A Brown Sauce.—For one quart. Stir gently in a stewpan over a slow
fire, till of a light golden color, two ounces of butter and two ounces of flour,
then add two pints of stock; stir till perfectly smooth; add four teaspoonfuls
(one and one-third ounce) of the extract of meat and a sprig of marjoram,
one of thyme, and two of parsley; boil a quarter of an hour slowly; strain,
season, and it is fit for use.
Fried Meat Cakes—Chop lean raw meat, as you would for sausage,
season with salt, pepper, and onion; shape into flat cakes, dip the cakes in
egg and breadcrumbs, and fry in dripping. Any meat may be used for this
dish, but it is particularly nice of beef, and the finest portions need not be
put to this use. Drain on a strainer; have ready a dish of nicely mashed
potatoes, on which put your beef-cakes, and serve.
Veal Scollop—Put a layer of cold chopped veal in a buttered dish; sea-
son with salt, pepper and butter; then strew over it a layer of finely pow-
dered cracker, and pour over a little milk to moisten it; add another layer
of veal and so on. When the dish is full wet well with gravy and warm
water, cover with a tin plate and bake. Remove the cover ten minutes be-
fore it is done to let it brown.
Thick Gravy—Melt in a stewpan a piece of butter the size of a walnut;
add two tablespoonfuls of flour; mix well; then add one pint of hot water,
half a teaspoonful of the extract, and sauce to taste. This will be found
suitable for poultry, or wherever thick gravy is required. The above may
bo made richer by using a larger proportion of extract,


COOKING RECIPES. Vt
Hashed Fowl.—Take the meat from a cold fowl and cut it in sroan
pieces. Put half a pint of well-flavored stock into a stewpan, add a little
salt, pepper and nutmeg, and thicken with some flour and butter; let it boil,
then put in the pieces of fowl to warm; after stewing sufficiently, serve with
some poached eggs laid on the hash, with a sprig of parsley in the center,
and garnish round the plate with pieces of fried bread.
Chicken Fried.—Cut some cold chicken into pieces and rub each with
yolks of eggs; mix together some bread crumbs, pepper, salt, nutmeg, grated
lemon-peel and parsley; cover the pieces of chicken with this and fry them.
Thicken some good gravy by adding flour, and put into it cayenne pepper,
mushroom powder or ketchup, and a little lemon juice, and serve this with
the chicken as sauce.
To Remove Fishy Taste from Game.—Pare a fresh lemon very care-
fully without breaking the thin white inside skin, put inside a wild duck and
keep it there forty-eight hours, and all the fishy taste so disagreeable in
wild fowl will be removed. Every twelve hours, remove the lemon and re-
place with a fresh one. A lemon thus prepared will absorb unpleasant
flavors from all meats and game.
Chicken Fritters.—Cut into neat pieces some tender cold chicken and
let them stand awhile in a mixture of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Make it batter of milk, egg, flour and salt, stir the chicken into it, and then fry in
boiling lard, putting one bit of chicken in each spoonful of batter. Serve
very hot, taking care to drain the fat off well. Garnish with parsley.
Chicken Croquette.—Two sweet breads boiled; one teacup of boiled
chicken, hashed; one boiled onion, one teacup of boiled bread and milk,
quarter pound butter, salt and pepper. Chop chicken and sweet breads
very fine, mix in well the other ingredients, shape into rolls, then dip in the
yelk of an egg, then in cracker dust; drop into boiling lard and fry brown.
New Way of Cooking Chickens.—A new way of cooking chickens is to parboil them and then drop them into hot lard, a la doughnuts, and fry a
few minutes. This will serve to make variety in the bill of fare, but will not
wholly take the place of the favorite method of browning in butter. Nice
gravy may be ma«" e by adding milk and flour to the butter in which chickens
have been fried.
French Chielen Pie.—A tender chicken cut in joints, half pound salt
pork cut in small pieces, boil the two together till nearly tender in a little
water; line a deep dish with pie-paste, put in the meat, season with salt,
pepper and chopped parsley, put in a little water and cover over with the
pie-paste, which should be rich; bake forty minutes.
Pickled Tongue.—The remains of pickled tongues are very nice inter-
mixed and placed in a pan and pressed. when they will turn out resembling
collared meat. A little thick jelly may be poured into the pan with them.
Slices of cold tongue may be warmed into any kind of savory sauce and laid
in a pile in the center of a dish, the sauce being poured over them.
A Delicious Beefsteak.—Have your frying pan very hot, wipe the steak
dry, place in it and cover tightly; turn frequently and keep covered. When
done, add to the gravy one tablespoonful hot coffee, a good size lump of
butter; salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the steak and serve hoi


388 THE HOUSEHOLD.
A Veal Omelet—A veal omelet is prepared by chopping a little cold
real and adding to it the beaten egg. Cold boiled ham may be chopped and
added in the same way; also veal and ham together, which is very nice.
Three or four tablespoonfuls of meat are enough. A little chopped parsley
is sometimes added, but herbs are not now so much used in cooking as
formerly, though they are an addition to the flavor.
How to Pickle Tongues—A good-sized tongue requires to boil at
least three hours. It is a good plan to soak it over night in cold water. To
took it, put it on in cold water and let it come slowly to the boil. Some
cooks change the water when- it is half done; if this course is taken, be sure
that the fresh water is boiling before the tongue is placed in it.
Roast Partridge.—Lard them well with fat pork; tie the legs down to
the rump, leaving tho feet on; while cooking, has to them well with but-
ter. They require twenty-five or thirty minutes to cook. To make a gravy,
put the drippings into a saucepan with a piece of butter about the size of an
egg, and a little flour and hot water. Let it boil up once.
To Dress Cold Fowl.—Take tho remains of a cold fowl, remove the skin,
then the bones, leaving the flesh in as large pieces as possible; dredge with
flour, and fry a light brown in butter; toss it up in a good gravy well sea-
soned and thickened with butter rolled in flour; serve hot with bits of toasted
bread.
Bread Sauce for Partridges—Cut up an onion, and boil it in milk
until it is quite soft; then strain the milk into a cup of stale breadcrumbs,
and let it stand one hour. Then put it into a saucepan, with about two
ounces of butter, a little pepper, salt, mace, and the boiled onion. Boil it all
up together, and serve it in a sauce-tureen.
Stewed Liver.—Cut up into slices half a pound of calf's liver and the
same quantity of fat bacon; put first, a layer of bacon at the bottom of a pie-
dish, then one of liver; sprinkle with pepper and salt, add one medium- sized onion and one apple, both cut up; cover down and let it stew gently in
the oven for about one hour and a quarter. No water is required.
How to Make Meat Tender.—Cut the steaks the day before into slices
about two inches thick, rub them over with a small quantity of soda; wash
off next morning, cut into suitable thickness, and cook as you choose. The
same process will answer for fowls, legs of mutton, etc. Try, all who love
delicious, tender dishes of meat.
A Nice Supper Dish— Crate or mince lean ham very fine; mix with it
the yelk of an egg and some cream; season with a very little nutmeg. Have
ready some small slices of bread half an inch thick; toast them a delicate
brown; then, while hot, spread the meat over it; break the yelk of an egg
over the top and brown slightly in the oven, and send to table hot.
Spiced Veal.—One pound of veal, chopped very fine; season with two
well-beaten eggs, a tablespoonful of butter, teaspoonful of salt and sage
each. Put it into a oake-pan, and bake about an hour. Slice when cold.
Mint Sauce for Lamb—Two full tablespoons of very finely-chopped
young mint, one of pounded and sifted loaf-sugar, and six of the best vine gar. Stir all these ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved.


COOKING RECIPES. 28»
Delicious Flavor to Lamb.—To give a delicious flavor to lamb which
is to be eaten cold, put in the water in which it is boiled whole cloves and
long sticks of cinnamon. To one leg of lamb allow one small handful of
cloves, two or three sticks of cinnamon. If the lamb is to be roasted, boil
the cloves and cinnamon in water, and baste the lamb with it.
Fill et of Veal Boiled—Bind it round with tape, put it in a floured
cloth, and in cold water; boil very gently two hours and a half, or if sim-
mered, which is, perhaps, the better way, four hours will be taken; it may
be sent to table in bechamel or with oyster-sauce. Care should be taken to
keep it as white as possible.
Cold Tongue on Toast.—Take cold smoked tongue or ham; mince or
grate fine, mix it with the beaten yelks of eggs and cream or milk, with a
dash of cayenne pepper; prepare thin, small, square pieces of buttered
toast; place on a heated platter, putting a spoonful of the meat on each
piece; cover with dish cover, and send to table hot; for breakfast or lunch.
Veal Sausages—Take fat bacon and lean veal in equal quantities, with
a handful of sage, a little salt, pepper, and, if at hand, an anchovy. Let all
be chopped and beaten well together, floured, rolled, and fried. Veal sau-
sages are better suited for persons whose digestion is not very strong than
those made of pork.
Excellent Tea Dish.—A delicious dish for tea or lunch is made thus:
On a very fine wire gridiron (or one made of wire net used for screens),
place some slices of salt pork, cut as thin as possible; on each slice lay a
good sized oyster, or two small ones; broil and serve hot. This, with coffee,
crisp toast, with ohopped cabbage, makes an almost ideal lunch.
A Good Breakfast Dish.—A good dish for breakfast is made by chop-
ping pieces of cold boiled or fried ha a just as fine as it is possible to chop
them; mix them with cold mashed potatoes, an egg or two, a little butter or
cream, or both, form into balls, flour them, melt the little butter in a frying
pan, and brown the balls. Serve hot.
Mutton Pie.—Take the mutton chops from the forequarter, season high-
ly with pepper and salt and put into a baking dish with alternate layers of
apples, pared and sliced, and a little sprinkling of chopped onion. Put a
crust of not very rich pastry over the top, and bake for twenty or thirty min-
utes in a hot oven.
To Cook a Duck.—To cook a duck satisfactorily, boil it first until ten-
der; this can be determined by trying the wing, as that is always a tough
part of a fowl. When tender, take it in:-, rinse it in clean water, stuff and
put in the oven for about three-quarters of an hour, basting it often.
Pressed Chicken.—Boil two chickens tender, take out the bones and
chop the meat fine, add a small handful of bread crumbs, season to taste,
with butter, pepper, salt, and a little sage; pour in enough of the liquor to
make it moist; mold in any shape you choose, and, when cold, cut in slices.
Scrambled Mutton—Three cups of cold boiled mutton chopped fine,
three tablespoonfuls of hot water, one-fourth of a cup of butter; put on the stove, and when hot break in four eggs and stir constantly until thick. Sea-
son with pepper and salt.


190 THE HOUSEHOLD.
The Right Way to Cook 9teak.—Broil steak without salting. Bait
draw* the juice in cooking. It is desirable to keep this in if possible. Cook
over a hot fire, turning frequently, searing on both aides. Place on a platter.
Bait and pepper to taste.
Boiled Tongue—If the tongue is not hard, soak it not more than three
hours. Put it into a stewpan with plenty of cold water and a bunch of herbs;
let it come to a boil, skim and simmer gently until tender, peel off the skin
and garnish it with parsley and lemon.
Frizzled Beef.—Chip the beef as thin as paper with a very sharp knife.
Melt in a frying-pan butter the size of an egg, stir the beef about in it for
two or three minutes, dust in a little flour, add half a teacup of rich cream,
boil and serve in a covered dish.
Roasted Tongue.—Soak for two hours; sprinkle salt over it, and drain
in a colander; this should be done with fresh tongues before using; boil it
slowly for two hours; take off the skin, roast, and baste with butter. Serve
with brown gravy and currant jelly sauce.
Spiced Beef.—Five pounds of the shank, boiled five hours, with celery
seed. Drain off the gelatine, and then chop the meat very fine, add pepper
and salt to taste, and put it into a cloth on a platter. Cover with the cloth
and press it.
Broiled Ham,—Cut into thin slices, pour boiling water over them, let-
ting it remain ten minutes. Wipe the ham a little and place it on the grid-
iron; this takes out the salt. Ham that has been boiled broils nicer than the
uncooked meat.
tiver Fried as Cutlets.—One egg to one pound of liver; have the liver
cut thin; scald; wipe dry with a towel; beat up the egg; dip the liver in the
egg; then into powdered cracker; fry brown. This is very nice; serve with
tomatoes, if preferred.
A Good Way to Cook Mver—A good way to cook liver is to fry it in
butter, with an onion cut in small pieces scattered over it. Cook slowly;
when done, add a lump of butter and a little flour; stir well, and turn over
the liver. Serve with Saratoga potatoes.
Fish.
Oyster Omelet—Twelve oysters, if large, double the number if small;
six eggs, one cup of milk, one tablespoonful of butter, chopped parsley, salt
and pepper; chop the oysters very fine; beat the yelks and whites of the
eggs separately, as for nice cake, the whites until they stand in a heap. Put
three tablespoonfuls of butter in a frying-pan, and heat while you are mix-
ing the omelet. Stir the milk in a deep dish, with the yelks and seasoning.
Next add the chopped oysters, heating them well as you add gradually.
When thoroughly mixed pour in melted butter, and finally whip in the
whites as lightly as possible. Have the butter in the pan very hot, and pour
in the mixture. Do not stir it, but when it begins to stiffen, slip a broad-
bladed knife around the sides and cautiously under the omelet, that the
butter may reaoh every part. As soon as the center is fairly set, and the
bottom brown, turn out into a hot dish, lay the dish bottom upward ever


COOKING RECIPES. Ml
Hhe frying-pan, which must be turned upside down dexterously. This
brings the brown side of the omelet uppermost. This is a delicious break-
fast or supper omeiet.
Fish Chowder.—Take a cod or haddock weighing about four pounds;
skin it, cut in small pieces and wash in cold water; take one-fourth pound
(scant) of salt pork, cut in pieces and fry brown in the kettle in which the
chowder is to be made: pare and slice five mediniu-sized potatoes and one
small onion; place a layer of potato and onion in the kettle^ then a layer of
fish, dredge in salt, pepper and flour; put in alternate layers until all io
used; add hot water enough to cover, and boil gently thirty minutes; add
one pint of milk, six crackers split and dipped in cold water; then cook ten
minutes longer.
Spiced Oysters.—For 200 oysters, take one pint vinegar, one grated nut-
meg, eight blades of whole mace, three dozen whole cloves, one teaspoonful
salt, two teaspoonfuls whole allspice, and as much red pepper as will lie on
the point of a knife; put the oysters, with their liquor, into a large earthen
vessel; add vinegar and all other ingredients; stir well together and set
over a slow Are; keep covered; stir them several times to the bottom; as
soon as they are well scalded they are done; put into jars; if a larger quan-
tity is made it can be kept for a long time; of course these are eaten cold.
Fried Oysters.—Use for frying the largest and best oysters you can get.
Take them from the liquor, lay them in rows upon a clean cloth and press
another lightly upon them to absorb tho moisture; have ready some beaten
eggs and some cracker dust. Heat enough butter in the pan to cover the
oysters. Dip each one in the egg first, then into the cracker, rolling it over,
that it may be completely covered. Drop them into the frying-pan and fry
quickly to a light brown. Do not let them remain in the pan an instant after
they are done. Serve dry, on a hot dish.
Broiled Oysters.—Choose large, fat oysters', wipe them very dry;
sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and broil upon one of the gridirons
with close bars, sold for the purpose; you can dredge the oysters with flour
if you wish to have them brown, and many persons fancy the juices are bet-
ter preserved in that way; butter the gridiron well, and let your fire be hot
and clear; broil quickly and dish hot, putting a bit of butter upon each
oyster as it is taken from the gridiron. <
Codfish with Cream.—Pick out carefully in flakes all the flesh from
the remnants of some boiled codfish; melt a piece of butter in a saucepan,
and add to it a large pinch of flour and a gill of milk or cream, with pepper,
salt, and grated nstmeg to taste, also the least bit of cayenne; stir well; put
in the fish, and gently shake it in this sauce until quite warm. If the com-
position be too dry, add a little milk or cream; then add, off the fire, the
yelks of two eggs, beaten up with a little milk, and serve.
Broiled Salmon—The middle slice of salmon is the best. Sew up
neatly in a mosquito-net bag, and boil a quarter of an hour to the pound in
hot, salted water. When done, unwrap with care, and lay upon a hot dish,
taking care not to break it. Have ready a large cup of drawn butter, very
rich, in wb*ch has been stirred a tablespoonful of minced parsley and the
juice of a lemon. Pour half upon the salmon, and serve the rest in a boat.
Garnish with parsley and sliced eggs.


J92 THE HOUSEHOLD.
Oyster Patty.—Scald the oysters in their own liquor, beard them, drain
them perfectly dry, and flour and fry them lightly in butter. Take each
oyster separately with a fork and put them into a stewpan, strain the liquor
in which you have scalded the oysters into the butter and flour that remains
in the frying pan, stir well together, and season with a little pepper, salt and
the little juice of lemon; pour the whole on the oysters, and let them stew.
When nearly done thicken with a small quantity of butter rolled in flour,
and fill your patties.
Salmon Croquettes.—Mix the fish thoroughly with an equal quantity of
boiled rice, adding a little melted butter, and salt and pepper to taste.
Mold into small sausage-shaped forms, and roll them first in finely-pow-
dered crackers, then in beaten egg yelk, and again in the cracker crumbs.
Fry in hot fat like doughnuts. A palatable, nutritious food, easily prepared,
and as the egg prevents the entrance of much fat they are readily digestible.
Clams with Cream.—Chop fifty small clams, not too fine, and season
with pepper and salt. Put into a stewpan butter the size of an egg, and
when it bubbles sprinkle in a teaspoonful of flour, which cook a few minutes;
stir gradually into it the clam liquor, then the clams, which stew about two
or three minutes; then add a cup of boiling cream, and serve immediately.
Baked Bluefish.—Chop up an onion and fry it in butter; then add half
the pound of soft, fine bread crumbs, a tablespoonful of fresh butter, a little
chopped parsley, pepper, salt, and a few drops of lemon. After cooking »,
very little, take it up and add a well-beaten egg. Stuff your bluefish with
this. Serve the fish with a drawn butter sauce having a little finely-chopped
pickled asparagus in it.
Deviled Crabs.—Boil your hard crabs, and takeout the meat and mince
it. Grate two ounces of bread crumbs and mix with them two hard-boiled
eggs chopped fine, some cayenne, salt, and lemon juice. Add all this to six
ounces of the crab meat, make moist and rich with cream, clean the shells,
fill them with the mixture, and put some bread crumbs over the top, and
brow n in a hot oven.
Crab Sauce —Mix about two or three ounces of butter with B little flour,
and melt it in about a pint of milk. Stir it over the fire for a few minutes.
Pick the meat from a fine boiled crab, chop it into small pieces, season it
with the little cayenne, powdered mace and salt, and stir it into tho melted butter and milk. Then warm it gradually and simmer for a minute or two,
but do not let it boil.
Canned Clams—Allow one patty-pan with nearly upright sides to each
person. Cut stale bread in rounds to fit the bottom of each pan, butter it,
and wet with clam liquor. Fill each pan nearly full of clams, pepper and
salt them, and lay a bit of butter on each. Put them in a dripping-pan,
cover with another, and bake till the edges curl—about ten minutes. Serve
in the pans.
Codfish Balls—Boil and pick the codfish. Boil potatoes, mash well,
mix with them a piece of butter, season with pepper and salt, and add cream
enough to moisten them. Mix codfish and potatoes together in like propor-
tion, and add three or four chopped hard-boiled eggs, and ft little finely- minced onion. Make into cakes and fry in boiling lard.


coo kin a nncTPER. 298
Oyster Toast—Toast white bread nicely, then place oysters with their
juice on the fire; as soon as boiling remove, take out the oysters, set the juice
back again and stir in a large tablespoonful of butter rubbed with a little
flour, let this boil five minutes, remove, then add the yolks of two eggs,
pepper, salt, a little chopped parsley, and the oysters, which have been
pounded fine; use the mixture to spread over toast; set in the oven to heat
thoroughly.
How to Cook Clams.—Take one dozen clams—open, saving juice and
meat—chop the meat fine. Take six eggs, mixing the whites and the yolks; then mix the clams (juice and meat) with the eggs, and cook over a slowfire,stirring constantly till the mixture has the consistency of stiff cream.
Take off and serve—a dish fit for a king.
Fish Croquettes.—Take one pint of any cold white fish, flake it very fine, remove all bones and pieces of skin; season it highly with salt, pepper,
cayenne and onion juice. Let the taste decide, but remember that fish needs
more than meat. Moisten the fish with one cup thick cream sauce.
( In in Cake*.—Make a batter of one egg, beaten light, with one cup of
milk, two and one-half cups of flour, and a little salt; beat well together and
then stir in lightly three dozen clams that have been washed and drained,
and drop in hot fat with a tablespoonful of batter, and one or two clams in
each spoonful, fry brown and drain in a colander. Serve immediately.
Cornish Fish Pie.—In Cornwall almost every kind of fish is put into the pie, well floured over, with a little chopped parsley and onions, a little pep-
per and salt, some broth or water, and a nice short crust over it; there is the hole left in the crust at the top, and through this hole some cream is poured
in just before serving.
Pickled Oysters.—Open the oysters, and take each one away from its
liquor; boil some vinegar, equal quantities, with the liquor of the oysters;
put in some whole mace; drop the oysters into the boiling liquor, and lift
them speedily from the fire; then bottle them. This method keeps the oys-
ters from shriveling.
To Broil Smoknl Halibut—Select halibut of a dark-brown color, the
thinnest and hardest; soak twenty-four hours in cold water, with the flesh
side down; only cover with water; broil over hot coals; Serve with a little
butter, or poach eggs and dish them with the halibut as if for ham.
1 lam Soup.—Twenty-five clams, opened raw and chopped fine; add
three quarts of water; boil them one-half hour, then add a pint of milk, one
onion chopped fine, thicken with butter and flour, beat three eggs in the
tureen, and pour your broth over them boiling hot.
Broiled Mackerel.—Split down the back and clean; be careful to scrape
all the thin black skin from the inside. Wipe dry and lay on a greased grid-
iron; broil on one side, brown, and then on the other side. The side that has
the skin on should be turned to the fire last.
Oyster Macaroni—Boil macaroni in a cloth, to keep it straight. Put a
layer in a dish seasoned with butter, salt, and pepper, then a layer of oys-
ters, alternate, until the dish is full. Mix some grated bread with a beaten
egg. Spread over the top and bake.


29* tlTX HOUSEHOLD.
Ojrstm Loaf.—Cut a round piece fire inches across from the top of a
nicely-baked round loaf of bread; remove the crumbs, leaving the crust
half an inch thick; make a rich oyster stew and put it in the loaf in layers,
sprinkled with bread crumbs; place the cover over the top, cover the loaf
with the beaten yelk of an egg and put it in the oven to glaze; serve very hot.
Sauce Plqnante ior Fish.—Make a brown sauce by frying a chopped
'onion in a little butter, adding a large teaspoonful of flour and a tumbler of
stock. Simmer a little, strain, and put in a teaspoonful of vinegar, one of
chopped cucumber pickle, and one of capers.
Fish Sauce.. Take half a pint of milk and cream together, two eggs,
well beaten, salt, a little pepper, and the juice of half a lemon; put it over
the fire, and stir it constantly until it begins to thicken.
Vegetables.
Boiling Potatoes.—To boil a potato well requires more attention than
is usually given. They should be well washed and left standing in cold
water an hour or two, to remove, the black liquor with which they are im-
pregnated, and a brackish taste they would otherwise have. They should
not be pared before boiling; they lose much of the starch by so doing, and
are made insipid. Put them into a kettle of clear cold water, with a little
salt, cover closely, and boil rapidly, using no more water than will just cover
them, as they produce a considerable quantity of fluid themselves while
boiling, and too much water will make them heavy. As soon as just done
instantly pour off the water, set them back on the range, and leave the cover
off the saucepan till the steam has evaporated. They will then, if a good
kind, be dry and mealy. This is au Irish receipt, and a good one.
Snap Beans and Potatoes.—Snap some beans and parboil them; then
pour into a colander and let the water drain off. Take several potatoes,
peel, and cut into small pieces; put into a saucepan a spoonful of lard and
an onion cut up small, the potatoes, and last, the snap beans. If you have
any beef broth, pour just enough into the skillet to cover the beans; if not,
use boiling water; season with salt and pepper; let it boil till the potatoes
are done. Should there be any broth, pour it off; add a piece of butter the
size of a walnut and dredge a little flour over the beans; mix thoroughly by
stirring, and let it simmer a few minutes longer, then remove from the fire.
To Cook Asparagus.—Scrape the stalks till they are olean; throw them
into a pan of cold water, tie them up in bundles of about a quarter of a
hundred each; cut off the stalks at the bottom all of a length, leaving enough
to serve as a handle for the green part; put them into a stew pan of boiling
water, with a handful of salt in it. Let it boil and skim it. When they are
tender at the stalk, which will be in from twenty to thirty minutes, they are
dane enough. Watch the exact time of their becoming tender; take them
up that instant. While the asparagus is boiling, toast a slice of.bread about
half an inch thick; brown it delicately on both sides; dip it lightly in the
liquor the asparagus was boiled in, and lay it in the middle of a dish; melt
some butter, but do not put it over them. Serve with butter.
.Asparagus with Bggs—This dainty luncheon-dish is made of what-
*ver asparagus may be left over from the previous day. Supf Ming there


COOKING RECIPES. 296
»re a dozen heads of asparagus, cut the green part into pieces the size of
peas, melt an ounce of butter in a saucepan, add a tablespoonful of cream
or milk, a tablespoonful of gravy, a little pepper and salt, and three well-
beaten eggs. Throw in the asparagus, stir the eggs quickly over the fire for
half a minute till they are set, and pour the mixture neatly upon slices of
bread which have been dipped in boiling water and buttered.
Stewed Cuenmbers.-Cnt the cucumbers fully half an inch thick right
through; put them in a saucepan, just covering them with hot water, and let
them boil slowly for a quarter of an hour, or until tender, but not so as to
break them, then drain them; you want now a pint of good cream, and put
your cream with a teaspoonful of butter, in a saucepan, and when it is warm
pop in the cucumbers, season with a little salt and white pepper, cook five
minutes, shaking the saucepan all the time, and serve hot. It is just as
delicate as asparagus, and a very nice dish, indeed.
Staffed Turnips.—Peel and boil in boiling water well salted a quart of
medinm-sized turnips; as soon as they are tender drain them, cut a slice
from the top of each, scoop out half the middle with a teaspoon, mash the
part taken out, with a little salt, pepper, butter and the yelk of an egg, and
fill the turnips with the mixture; put on each one the slice cut from the top,
brush them over with the beaten white of an egg, set them in a baking dish
and brown them in a hot oven. Serve them hot.
Macaroni.—People who like macaroni will And pleasure in eating it
'when prepared in this way: Boil it until it is tender, taking care to preserve
the shape so far as possible. When it is done drain off all the water and
pour over it a little sweet milk, with a lump of butter and plenty of pepper
and salt. While the macaroni is boiling, cook in a separate saucepan enough
tomatoes to make a pint when stewed. When the macaroni is ready for the
table, pour the tomatoes over it; serve hot.
Stuffed Egg Plant.—Cut them in half lengthwise, and parboil them in
salted water; scoop out most of the inside and pound this to a paste in tha
mortar with a little fat bacon and some mushrooms previously chopped up,
a little onion also chopped, pepper and salt to taste, and a little crumb of
bread soaked in stock. Fill each half with this mixture, lay them in a well
buttered tin and bake for about a quarter of an hour.
Stuffed Squash—-Pare a small squash and cut off a slice from the top;
extract the seeds and lay one hour in salt water; then fill with a good
stuffing of crumbs, chopped salt pork, parsley, etc., wet with gravy; put on
the top slice; set the squash in a pudding dish; put in a few spoonfuls ol
melted butter and twice as much hot water in the bottom; cover the dish
very closely and set in the oven two hours, or until tender; lay within a
deep dish and pour the gravy over it.
Saratoga Potatoes.—Cut raw potatoes in slices as thin as wafers with
a thin sharp knife; lay them in cold water over night, a bit of alum will
make them more crisp; next morning rinse in cold water and dry with a
towel. Have ready a kettle of lard, hotter than for fried cakes, and drop in the
potatoes a few at a time. They will brown quickly, skim out in a colander
and sprinkle with salt, or lay them on a double brown paper in the oven till
dry. If any are left over from the meal, they can be warmed in the oven,
. and will be just as goad for anoiher time.


296 THE KOUREHOLD,
Baked Onioiu_Peel ten large onions without breaking the layers; boil
them for half an hour in well-salted boiling water, and drain them; when
cool enough to handle cut a half-inch slice from the top of each, and take out
a teaspoonful of the middle part; chop these pieces fine, mix them with half
a cup of stale bread crumbs, a saltspoonful of salt, quarter of that quantity
of pepper and the yelk of a raw egg; use this force meat to stuff the onions,
lay them on a baking dish, brush them with the white of the egg beaten a
little, dust them with fine bread crumbs and bake them slowly for forty
minutes. Serve them hot.
Potato Dumplings—Peel some potatoes and grate them into a basin of
water; let the pulp remain in the water for a couple of hours, drain it off,
and mix with it half its weight of flour; season with pepper, salt and chopped
onions. If not moist enough add a little water. Boll into dumplings the
size of a large apple, sprinkle them well with flour, and throw them into
boiling water. When you observe them rising to the top of the saucepan,
they will be boiled enough.
An Appetizing Entree.—Take cold boiled cabbage, chop it fine; for a
medinm-sized pudding dish full add two well-beaten eggs, a tablespoonful
of butter, three tablespoonfuls of cream, with pepper and salt ad libitum.
Butter the pudding dish, put the cabbage in and bake and brown. This
may be eaten cold, but it is much better if served hot. It is especially good
with roast pork or pork chops.
Fried Cauliflower.—Pick out all the green [leaves from a cauliflower
and cut off the stalk close. Put it, head downward, into a saucepan full of
boiling, salted water. Do not over boil it. Drain it on a sieve, pick it out
into small sprigs, and place them in a deep dish with plenty of vinegar,
pepper and salt. When they have laid about an Hour in this, drain them,
dip them in batter, and fry in hot lard to a golden color.
Irish Stew.—This is the stew that is mostly made in Ireland. Put some
slices of boiled corned beef (never fresh) into a stewpan with a good deal of
water, or thin stock, two large onions sliced, and some cold boiled potatoes
(whole) and a little pepper. Stew gently until the potatoes are quite soft
and have taken up nearly all the gravy; some will break; but they should
be as whole as possible. Turn all out on a flat dish and serve.
To Cook Spinach.—Boil spinach in the ordinary way; drain it and get
off all the water; chop it just as finely as possible—it cannot be divided too
much. Take a small onion, slice it very fine and brown it in butter; ch;p
this fine and mix it with the spinach; have a teacup of milk, a tablespoonful
of flour, a dessertspoonful of butter, some salt and pepper; stir in the
spinach and cook about ten minutes.
Tomato Pie.—Peel and slice enough green tomatoes to fill one pie; to
this allow four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, one of butter, and three and a half of sugar, flavor with nutmeg, bake with two crusts very slowly. If you
choose you may stew the tomatoes first, and then there is no danger of the
pie being too juicy.
Excellent Way to Cook Tomatoes.—A delicious dish (especially suit-
able with cutlets, steaks, broiled ham, or anything served without gravy)
may be made by cutting tomatoes into thin slices, and grilling them over a


COOKING RECIPES. 297
sharp fire for ten minutes, or thereabouts; they should then be coated with
a mixture of bread crumbs, fresh butter, mustard, salt, pepper and sugar
(proportions according to taste), and returned to the gridiron, or put into a
hot oven to crisp.
Baked Beets.—One of the most satisfactory ways to cook beets is to
bake them; when boiled, even if their jackets are left on, a great deal of the
best part of the beet is dissolved and so lost. It will, of course, take a little
longer to bake than to boil them, but this is no objection; allow from fifteen
to twenty minutes more for baking; slice them and eat as you would if they
were boiled. One nice way to serve them is to chop them fine. After they
are cooked season with pepper, salt and butter.
Mile Cabbage.—Wash a large cabbage, cut it in inch pieces, rejecting
the stalk, and drain it in a colander. Meantime peel and chop an onion, fry
it for one minute in two tablespoonfuls of drippings of butter, add the cab-
bage, with B teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter of a saltspOonful each of pep-
per and grated nutmeg, cover it, and simmer it for twenty minutes, stirring
it frequently to prevent burning. Serve it hot.
Vegetable Hash—Chop, not very fine, the vegetables left from a
boiled dinner, and season them with salt and pepper. To each quart of the
chopped vegetables add half a cup of stock and one tablespoonful of butter.
Heat slowly in the frying-pan. Turn into a hot dish when done, and serve immediately. If vinegar is liked, two or more tablespooufuls of it can be
stirred into the hash while it is heating.
Baked Cabbage.—Boil a firm head for fifteen minutes, then change the
water for more boiling water; boil till tender, drain and set aside to cool.
Mince some boiled ham; mix with bread crumbs; add pepper, one table-
spoonful of butter, and two eggs well beaten, and three tablespoonfuls of
milk; chop cabbage very fine; mix all together, and bake in a pudding-dish
till brown. Serve hot.
Succotash.—Cut the corn from eight or ten cobs; mix this with one-third
the quantity of Lima beans, and cook one hour in just enough water to cover
them. Drain off most of the water; add a cup of milk, with a pinch of soda
stirred in. When this boils, stir in a great spoonful of butter rolled in flour,
season with pepper and salt, and simmer ten minutes longer.
Potatoes a la Dnchesse—Take some cold, boiled potatoes, cut them
into rounds, cutting with a cake cutter wet with cold water. Grease the
bottom of a baking-pan and set the rounds in it in rows, but not touching
one another, and bake quickly, first brushing them all over—except, of
course, on the bottom—with beaten egg. When they commence to brown,
lay a napkin, folded, upon a hot dish and range them regularly upon it.
Macaroni Cheese—Boil two ounces of macaroni, then drain it well.
Put into a saucepan one ounce of butter; mix it well with one tablespoonful
of flour; moisten with four tablespoonfuls of veal stock and a gill of cream;
add two ounces of grated cheese, some mustard, salt and cayenne to taste,
put in the macaroni and serve as soon as it is well mixed with the sauce and
quite hot.
Stewed Mushrooms.—Slice the mushrooms into halves. Stew ten min-
utes in a little butter seasoned with pepper and salt and the very little water.


298 THE B6USi!H0L$,
Drain, put the mushrooms into a pie dish; break enough eggs to cover them
over the top; pepper, salt and scatter bits of butter over them; stew with
bread crumbs and bake until the eggs are set. Serve in the dish.
Stewed Carrots. —Boil the carrots until they are half done, then scrape
and cut into thick slices; put them into a stewpan with as much milk as will
hardly cover them; a very little salt and pepper, and a small quantity of
chopped parsley; simmer them until they are perfectly tender, but not
broken. When nearly done add a piece of butter rolled in flour. Serve
hot.
Potato Croquettes—Take she boiled potatoes, pass them through a
sieve; add to them three tablespoonfuls of ham, grated or minced finely, a
little grated nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste, and some chopped parsley;
work into this mixture the yelks of three or four eggs, then fashion it into
the shape of balls, roll them in bread crumbs, and fry in hot lard, and serve
with fried parsley.
Imitation Duck.—Boil two onions until nearly soft; then chop them
fine, and mix with pieces of stale bread crusts that have been soaked awhile
in cold water or milk. Add a little powdered sage, some pepper and some
salt. Grease a baking tin, put the mixture in, and strew over the top some
grated bread and bits of butter. Bake it for half an hour and serve for
breakfast, or a side dish at dinner.
Potatoes Fried Whole—When nearly boiled enough, put small po-
tatoes into a stewpan with butter, or beef dripping; shake them about to
prevent burning, till they are brown and crisp; drain them from the fat. It
will be an improvement if they are floured and dipped in the yelk of an egg,
and then rolled in finely-sifted bread crumbs. This is the ordinary French
method.
Scalloped Squash.—Boil and mash the squash in the customary way
and let it cool; beat the yelks of two eggs, and when the squash is nearly
cold, whip these into it, with three tablespoonfuls of milk, one of butter
rolled in flour and melted into the milk; pepper and salt to taste; pour into
a buttered bake-dish, cover with fine crumbs, and bake to a light brown in a
quick oven. To be eaten hot.
Potato Pie.—Peel and grate one large white potato into a dish, add the
juice and rind of one lemon, the beaten white of one egg, one teacup of white
sugar, one cup cold water; pour this into a nice under crust and bake; when
done have ready the beaten whites of three eggs, half cup powdered sugar,
flavor wiL. lemon, spread on the pie and return to the oven to harden.
A Delicious Dish.—Take a large fresh cabbage and cut out the heart.
Pill the place with stuffing, or veal chopped very fine, and highly seasoned,
rolled into balls with yelk of egg. Then tie the cabbage firmly together and
boil in a kettle for two hours. It makes a very delicious dish, and it is often
useful for using small pieces of meat.
Haricot Beans—Soak half a pint of the small white beans over night in
just enough cold water to cover them; the next day boil two hours, strain
and put in the pie-dish with one-half ounce of butter, a teaspoonful of finely-
chopped parsley, previously fried; cover with slices of raw bacon, and bake
a quarter of an hour.


oooKina &BCIPXS 299
Pott toes Fried with Butter. —Nicely Wash and pare some floury po-
tatoes; out each into any form you fancy, such as a large lozenge, etc.; then
thinly slice them, so that the pieces may be of a uniform shape; dip them
into either a sweet or savory batter, fry them in plenty of butter, and serve them quite hot, with either salt or pounded loaf-sugar strewn upon them.
Scalloped Tomatoes—Pare and slice; scatter fine crumbs in the bot-
tom of a bake-dish; cover with slices of tomatoes, seasoned with sugar, pep, per, salt and butter; cover with crumbs and then with tomatoes; fill the
dish in this order, covering all with crumbs, with bits of butter sprinkled
upon them. Bake, covered, half an hour, and brown.
Celery Sauce—Pink and wash two heads of celery, cut them into pieces
an inch long, and a tew them in to pint of water and a teaspoonful of salt until
the celery is tender. Rub a large tablespoonful of butter and a spoonful of flour well together; stir this into a pint of cream, put in the celery, and let it
boil up once. Serve hot with boiled poultry.
Fried Potatoes—The French method of cooking potatoes affords a
most agreeable dish. The potatoes are peeled, wiped, and cut into thin
slices, and thrown into a frying-pan containing an abundance of hot lard.
As soon as they become brown and crispy, they are thrown in a colander to
drain them; then sprinkle with salt, and serve hot.
'Onions and Tomatoes—A side dish, which will be new to many cooks,
is made by slicing very thin some onions and green tomatoes, in about equal
proportions, and frying them together just as you fry onions alone. Bali them well, and, if there is any danger of their being greasy, drain before
serving.
Sauce Robert—Put two medinm-sized onions, chopped very fine, with
a large lump of butter, in a stew-pan; let them brown well, constantly stir,
ring; add a teaspoonful of flour mixed with half a pint of good stock; 'salt and pepper; cook about five minutes; add a teaspoonful of mixed mustard) and one of vinegar.
Tomato and Onion Omelet—Take equal parts of sliced onions and
tomatoes, peeled and freed from pipe, chop them both coarsely. Fry th&
onions in butter. When cooked, without being colored, add the tomatoes,
with pepper and salt, and stir the mixture on the fire. Make a plain omelet in the usual way, and insert this in the fold on dishing it.
Scalloped Onions.—Boil, till tender, six large onions. Take them up,
drain and separate them; put a layer of bread or biscuit-crumbs in a pad, ding-dish, then a layer of onions alternately, until the dish is full. Season
with pepper and salt, add a little butter, moisten with milk, and brown hall
an hour in the oven.
Baked Cauliflower.—Put cauliflower to soak in salted water for an
hour or more; look over carefully; remove the hard stalks and leaves:
scald for five minutes; cut into pieces and put into a pie-dish; add a little milk, and season with pepper, salt and butter; cover the whole with dry
grated cheese and bake.
Green Corn-Cakes—Cut the corn from the cob and stir it into a graham batter made with sweet milk; fry, and serve hot with melted butter.


COOKING HECIPES. 301
Potato Balls.—Mash boiled potatoes; add butter, size of an egg, two
spoonfuls of milk, a little salt; stir it well; roll with your hands into
balls; roll them in egg and crumbs; fry them in hot fat, or brown in the
oven.
To Prepare Potatoes for Breakfast.—A nice way to prepare potatoes
ibr breakfast is to cut cold boiled ones in square pieces, and dip them in
beaten egg, and put them on a buttered pie-pla-te in the oven; when they are
hot and brown send them to the table.
Green Corn Pudding.—Take twelve ears of sweet corn, grated, one
and one-half pints of milk, four well-beaten eggs, and one and-half teacups
of sugar. Mix the above. Bake it for two hours in a buttered dish.
Cauliflower Omelet.—Take the white part of a boiled cauliflower; after
it is cold chop it very small and mix with it a sufficient quantity of well-
beaten egg to make a very thick batter.
Tomato Toast.—Prepare the tomatoes as for sauce, and while they are
cooking toast some slices of bread very brown, but not burned; butter them
on both sides, and pour the tomato sauce over them.
Tomatoes Fried—Do not pare them, cut in slices; dip in pounded
crackers sifted. Fry in butter.
Salads and Relishes.
Fine Cucumber Pickles.—Make a brine that will bear an egg, and
drop in the cucumbers; cover them with grape leaves; weight them down,
and let them stand ten or more days. Then take them out, drain well, and
soak a day or two in plenty of clear water, frequently changed. Afterward
put them in a kettle with grape and cabbage leaves and a lump of alum.
Cover with weak vinegar, and let them stand until they turn green. Then
take out, drain, and put into stone jars. For each three gallons of pickles
use one gallon of cider vinegar, and place into it one ounce each of mace and
celery seed, two ounces of ginger, three ounces each of cloves and stick cin-
namon, four ounces each of mustard seed (black and white mixed), choice
black pepper and allspice, two tablespoonfuls of ground mustard, a handful
of chopped horseradish, two pods of red pepper, four onions, and two pounds
of sugar. Boil, and pour it hot over the pickles. More sugar can be added
to suit the taste. Cover the jar very closely, and expose to the sun every
day during hot weather.
Egg Pickle—Obtain a moderate-sized, wide-mouthed earthen jar,
sufficient to hold one dozen eggs; let the latter be boiled quite hard; when
fuily done, place the same, after taking them up, into a pan of cold water.
Remove the shells from them, and deposit them carefully in the jar. Have
on the fire a quart (or more, if necessary) of good white wine vinegar, into
which introduce one ounce of raw ginger, two or three blades of sweet mace,
one ounce of allspice, half an ounce of whole black pepper and salt, and half
an ounce of mustard seed, with four cloves of garlic. When it has simmered
for half an hour, take it up and pour the contents into the jar, taking care to
observe that the eggs are wholly covered. When quite oold, stopper it down
for use. It will be ready after a month. When cut into quarters they serve
as a garnish, and afford a, nice relish to cold meat of any kind.


809 THE HOUSEHOLD.
Delicious Beet Salad.—Boil some Bermuda beets and set them on lies to get thoroughly cold. If they are large they will take many hours of boil-
ing, and must be cooked neither too long nor too quickly—in either case they will be tough and hard. Cut them up in small, not too thick, slices,
add some nicely-sliced cold potatoes, and a shred or two of onion—just
enough to flavor the salad. Now dress it with plain French dressing of
much oil, a little vinegar, salt and pepper. Arrange it in your salad dish,
and having chopped finely a hard-boiled egg, arrange it over the salad,
leaving a rim of almost an inch and a half uncovered. On this rim arrange
sprigs of the small watercress. With the deep red of the beets showing
through the delicate green of the cress and the white and yellow of the egg,
the salad looks beautifully, and it tastes so deliciously that it can never go
begging. Tho Bermuda beets must be used, as they are the sweetest and
richest. Some people add a little raw sliced apple—the fruit must be tart
and soft.
Celery Salad—Take three bunches of celery, chop fine in a chopping
bowl, sprinkle over it salt and a little pepper, then beat up one egg in a
saucepan, add half teacup of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and four
tablespoonfuls of salad dressing; stir it altogether and when it comes to a
boil put in the celeryand let it all boil for about five minutes, stirring con-
stantly, then put it into a dish and have an egg boiled hard, which cut in
slices and lay over the top; garnish around the edge with the tops of the
celery. It is best when cold. I make chicken salad the same way, by taking
as much chicken as celery, and a little more vinegar and salad.
Potato Salad.—To one pint mashed potatoes (those left over from din-
ner are just right), add the smoothly-rubbed yolks of three hard-boiled eggs,
reserving the whites cut in transverse slices to garnish the dish; slice one
cuoumber pickle, one teaspoonful ground mustard, pepper and salt to taste;
heat one teacup good vinegar, dissolving in it a lump of butter the size of a
walnut; pour the vinegar over the pickle and seasoning, and add the mashed
potatoes by degrees, rubbing and incorporating thoroughly. We think you
will find it an agreeable addition to the table.
Chicken Salad.—Cut the meat from two chickens, or one if you want a
small dish. Add an equal quantity of shred lettuce, after you have cut the
chickens into narrow shreds two inches long. Mix in a bowl. Prepare a
dressing thus: Beat tha yelks of two eggs, salt lightly and beat in, a few
drops at a time, four tablespoonfuls of oil; then, as gradually, three tea-
spoonfuls of hot vinegar and half a teaspoonful of best celery essence. The
mixture should be thick as cream; pour over the chicken, mix well and
lightly, put into a salad dish and lay sections of two hard-boiled eggs on
top, with a chain of sliced whites around the edge.
Pickled Cauliflower—Take half a dozen small heads of cauliflower
and break them into sprigs; then boil them in enough salt and water to
cover them; let them scald until a sprig from the broom can be run through
them, or a fork will pierce them easily; then skim out into jars and make the pickle of one gallon of vinegar, half a pound of brown sugar, cup ounce of
unground pepper, half an ounce of cloves, one ounce of white mustard seed,
one ounce of celery seed and one ounce of turmeric; boil all together for
twenty minutes, and pour while very hot over the cauliflower; cover closely
and it will keep all winter. 


COOKING RECIPES. UOg
Tomato Catsup.—Cut one peck of ripe tomatoes 'n halves. boil them in
a lined saucepan until the pulp is all dissolved, then strain them well
through a hair sieve and set the liquor on to boil, adding one ounce of salt,
one ounce of mace, one tablespoonful of black pepper, one teaspoonful of
red pepper, one tablespoonful of ground cloves, five of ground mustard; let
them all boil together for five or six hours, and stir them most of the time.
Let the mixture stand eight or ten hours in a cool place, and add one pint of
vinegar, and then bottle it; seal the corks and keep in a cool, dark place.
How to Dress Salad.—Take one-half a lemon and rub the inside of the
salad bowl. Rub the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, mashing them with a
wooden spoon smooth; mix with them a tablespoonful of water and two
tablespoonfuls of sweet oil. Add by slow degrees a saltspoonful of salt, a
teaspoonful of mustard and a teaspoonful of powdered sugar. When these
are all blended evenly pour in three tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Have your
lettuce quite fresh and crisp, and picked over nicely; place in the salad
bowl; do not stir it around, as that would cause it to wilt. Decorate the top
of it with boiled red beet, cut in different forms, and the hard boiled whites
of your eggs.
Asparagus Fielded.—Cut and wash the green heads of the largest
asparagus; let them lie two or three hours in cold water; scald them very
carefully in salt and water, then lay them on a cloth to cool; make a pickle
according to the quantity of your asparagus, of white wine vinegar and salt,
and boil it. To a gallon of pickles put two nutmegs, a quarter of an ounce of
mace, the same of whole white pepper, and pour the pickle hot over them;
cover the jar with a thick cloth, and let it stand to week, then boil the pickle;
when it has stood another week, boil it a third time, and when cold cover
the jar close.
Lobster Salad.—Eight eggs, one pint vinegar, four tablespoonfuls
melted butter or sweet oil, one tablespoonful mixed mustard, one table-
spoonful salt, one teaspoonful black pepper; mix altogether, put it over the
fire to cook. Do not let it boil, it will thicken when done; stir constantly.
Chop the lobster not fine, and lettuce the same, mix, but not till about time
for eating. Add as much of the dressing as seems necessary to make the
salad creamy, and then spread a little over the whole. The dressing will
keep bottled a long time. It is nice with any meats.
Cauliflower Salad—Boil a cauliflower in salted water till tender, but
not overdone; when cool, cut it up neatlyin small sprigs. Beat up together
three tablespoonfuls of oil, and one tablespoonful of Tarragon vinegar, with
pepper and salt to taste; rub the dish very slightly with garlic, arrange the
pieces of cauliflower in it, strew over them some capers, a little Tarragon,
chervil, and parsley all finely minced, and the least bit of dried thyme and
marjoram powdered. Pour the oil and vinegar over, and serve.
Tomato Salad.—Tomato salad is an agreeable entree, and goes well
with almost any dinner, but particularly well with fried or roast meats. To
half a dozen medinm-sized tomatoes, with the skins removed and the toma-
toes sliced, add the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, also one raw egg, well
beaten and mixed with a tablespoonful of melted butter, a teaspoonful of
sugar, with cayenne pepper and salt to suit the taste. When all these sue*
mixed thoroughly, add half a small cup of vinegar.


101 1-MJt HOUSEHOLD.
Herring Salad.—Soak two herrings over night; hoil two quarts of po-
tatoes with the skins on; when cold, peel and cut in dice; bone and skin the
herrings and cut in dice; chop a largo onion fine; mix all together with pep-
per and vinegar, enough to moisten. To be eaten with cream poured over.
Serve on a large, flat dish, and garnish with hard-boiled eggs and beets cut
in slices. (This is the Swodish way.)
Cabbage Salad—Ouo pint of good vinegar, four well-beaten eggs, half
a cup of butter; put them on the fire, and stir constantly until the mixture
begins to thicken; then add a tablespoonful of made mustard, two of salt,
and one of black pepper; chop one head of cabbage very fine, with one buncb
of celery, and soak in salt and water for two hours; drain and pour the
dressing over it, and mix it. It will keep all winter m a cool place, if kept
well covered. By mixing lobster or chicken with it, you 'wilt have a nies
salad.
Something Nire.—Take the seeds out of green tomatoes, and cut the
tomatoes in fine strips with scissors until you have six pounds of them.
Add four or five good-sized bell peppers, green, after taking out the seeds
and cutting fine. Add also two and a half pounds of white sugar and one
quart of cider vinegar, a half ounce of cloves, and a small quantity of mace.
Cook all about an hour, and you will have nice spiced tomatoes.
Sweet Cucumber Plckleg.—Take ripe cucumbers, cut out the inside,
pare, and slice in squares an inch or two long and sne wide, as you fancy.
Take seven pounds of this, boil in salt water until tender, then drain. In
a porcelain kettle put one quart of vinegar, three pounds of sugar, one
ounce cassia buds, one of cloves, one-half allspice. Boil together, thon add
the cucumber, and simmer all two hours.
German Salad.—Take six medinm-sized cold potatoes, and slioe thin,
three good-sized sweet apples, also cut in small slices, four silver skinned
onions chopped fine, and a little parsley cut in bits; dress these with two
tablespoonfuls of oil, salt, pepper, sugar, and a little mustard and vinegar
to blend tho whole; beat it very light, and stir through the salad; garnish
with hard-boiled eggs cut in rings.
Carrot Salad.—Wash and scrape tender, rich-colored carrots; throw
them into fast-boiling water, and boil until soft; cut them into very thin
slices; put them into a glass bowl, and sprinkle with sifted loaf sugar; add
tho juice of a large lemon, and a wineglassful of olive oil; garnish the dish
ivith very thin slices of lemon, and any kind of groon salad leaves.
Plckletl Onions—Peel small silver butter onions and throw them into
\ stew pan of boiling water; as soon as they look clear take them out with a
strainer-ladle, place them on a folded cloth covered with another, and when
quite dry put them into a j ar and cover them with hot spiced vinegar. When
quite cold pack them down and cover with a tight cover.
Winter Salad.—Chop very fine some nice cabbage with a little onion
and celery; salt and popper to taste; take the yelk of an egg and stir with a
fork, and drop one drop at a time into some salad oil until the egg is quite
thick; add four tablespoonfuls strong vinegar, one tablespoonful mustard.
You must stir the egg very quickly while putting the oil and vinegar ilk
This is v»ry nice when made right.


UOOKIFG umvIPSB. 805
Ham Salad.—Take your fragment of cold boiled ham left after slicing,
remove all dark and dry portions, also all the fat; mince evenly and fine;
take enough rich, sweet cream to set the mince, a saitspooni'ul of strong,
ground mustard, the same of fine sugar, and a good pinch of cayenne pep-
per; mix thoroughly with the ham; garnish <rixh sprigs of parsley, and you
have a nice dish for tea.
French Mustard.—Slice up an onion In ft bowl; cover with good vine-
gar; leave two or three days; pour oft vinegar into a basin; put into it one
teaspoonful pepper, one of sait, one tablespoonful brown sugar, and mus-
tard enough to thicken; smooth the mustard for vinegar as you would flour
for gravy; mix all together; set on the stove and stir until it boils, when re-
move, and use it cold.
Spiced Apples.—Eight pounds of apples, pared and quartered; four
pounds of sugar; one quart of vinegar, one ounce of thick cinnamon, one-
half ounce cloves; boil the vinegar, sugar, and spice together; put in the
apples while boiling, and let them remain until tender (about twenty min-
utes); then put the appies in a jar; boil down the syrup until thick, and
pour over them.
To Pickle Red Canbages.—Slice them into a sieve, and sprinkle each
layer with salt. Let the whole drain three days; then add some sliced beet-
root, and place the whole in a jar, over which pour boiling vinegar. The
purple-red cabbage is the finest. Mace, bruised ginger, whole pepper, and
cloves may be boiled with the vinegar, and will make a great improve-
ment.
Cucumber Catsup.—Orate three dozen large cucumbers and twelve
white onions; put three handfuls of salt over them. They must be prepared
the day beforehand, and in the morning lay them to drain; soak a cup and a
half of mustard seed, drain it and add to the cucumbers, with two spoonfuls
of whole pepper; put them in a jar, cover with vinegar, and cork tight; keep
in a dry place.
Salad Dessert.—Boil and mash a white potato, add the yelks of two
hard-boiled eggs. While the potato is warm, beat all smoothly together,
add melted butter or oil-prepared mustard, salt and vinegar to taste. The
potato increases the quantity of dressing, and cannot be distinguished from
eggs.
Pickled Oysters.—Select the largest oysters, drain off their liquor, and
wash them in clear water; put them in a stew-pan with water proportioned
to the number of oysters, some salt, bladfes of mace, and whole black pep-
per. Stew them a few minutes, then put them in a pot, and when cold, add
as much pale vinegar as will give the liquor an agreeable aeid.
Clover Vinegar—Put a large bowl of molasses in a crock and pour
over it nine bowls of boiling rainwater; let it stand until milk warm, put in
two quarts of clover blossoms, and two cups of bakers' yeast; let it stand
two weeks, and strain through a towel. Nothing will mold in it.
Salad Dressing—Six tablespoonfuls of melted butter, six tablespoon-
fuls of cream, one teaspoonful of salt, half teaspconful of pepper, one tea-
spoonful of ground mustard, one cup of vinegar; then add three eggs beaten
to a foam, remove from the fire and stir.


S0« THE HOUSEHOLD.
Fruit Salad—A new dish with which epicures tempt fate and give an
impetus to stomaoh anodynes ib composed of sliced oranges, sliced pine-
apples, sliced bananas, sliced hard-boiled eggs, sliced cucumbers, vinegar
and sugar. It is called a fruit salad.
Sweet Pickles.—Take eight pounds of green tomatoes and chop fine;
add four pounds of brown sugar, and boil down three hours; add one quart
of -iinegar, B teaspoonful each of mace, cinnamon, and cloves, and boil about
fifteen minutes. Let it cool, and put into jars or other vessel.
Chill Sauce.—Twelve ripe tomatoes, pared, two large peppers chopped
fine, one large onion chopped fine, two teacups of vinegar, one tablespoon-
ful salt, one cup brown sugar, one teaspoonful each of allspice, nutmeg,
cloves, and ginger. Boil all together.
Currant Catsup.—To five pints of strained currants add three pounds
of sugar, one pint of vinegar, and B tablespoonful of cinnamon, one of pep-
per, one of cloves, one of allspice, one-half of salt; scald them well three-
quarters of an hour; then put it in bottles and cork tight.
Grape Catsup.—Five pounds of grapes; boil and press through colan
der; two and a half pounds of sugar, one pint of vinegar, one tablespoonful
each of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and cayenne pepper, and half a table-
spoonful of salt. Boil until the catsup is rather thick.
Preserved Tomatoes.—A pound of sugar to a pound of tomatoes.
Take six pounds of each, the peel and juice of four lemons, and a quarter of the pound of ginger tied up in a bag. Boil very slowly for three hours.
Spiced Currants—Three pounds of sugar to eeven pounds of currants,
one teaspoonful of cinnamon, one of cloves, one of allspice, pepper if desired.
Boil half an hour, stirring enough to prevent burning. Spiced currants are especially good with meat.
Tomato Butter.—Sixteen pounds nice tomatoes, one quart vinegar,
eight pounds sugar. Boil all together until thick. When half done add two
large spoonfuls of cinnamon, one of ground mace, and a teaspoonful of
cloves or allspice.
Hot Slaw—Shave the cabbage fine; put it on with just water enough to
cook it; when it is done put a little milk in, salt and pepper; then rub a
little flour in some butter and stir in. An egg may be stirred in in place of
the flour.
Cucumber Salad—Peel and slice cucumbers, mix them with salt, and
let them stand half an hour; mix two tablespoonfuls salad oil and the same
quantity of vinegar, and a tablespoonful of sugar and one of pepper for the
dressing.
Bread and Rolls.
Eight Points in Bread-making.—1. Good wheat flour. Some va-
rieties of wheat, such as are deficient in gluten, will not make good flour.
2. A good miller to grind the wheat. The bread-maker should be sur«
to find the good miller.
3. The wheat should not be ground when very dry. Choose & "wef
spell" for tho grinding.


COOKING ttKCIPSB. 309
French toast—Beat four eggs very light, and stir with them one pint
of milk; slice some nice white bread, dip the pieces into the egg and milk,
then lay them into a pan of hot butter and fry brown. Sprinkle a little pow-
dered sugar and cinnamon or nutmeg on ©kch piece, and serve hot.
German Cream Biscuits—Take four ounces of butter, six ounces of
powdered loaf sugar, seven ounces of flour, one tablespoonful of fresh cream,
and one egg. Make the above into a dough, beating it well; then roll it out
very thin, cutting it into square pieces two inches long and one broad. Bake
in a quick oven, and when done they should be a light yellow brown.
Graham Biscuits.—Three cups graham flour, one cup white do., three
cups of milk, two tablespoonfuls of lard or butter, one heaping large spoou-
ful of white sugar, one saltspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of soda, two tea-
spoonfuls cream of tartar; mix and bake as ordinary soda biscuit. They are
good cold.
Oatmeal Gems—One beaten egg, one cup of sweet milk, one cup of
cold oatmeal pudding, beat all together, add half a teaspoonful of soda, and
one and one-half cups of flour. This quantity will fill the gem pan. Does
not hurt some dyspeptics.
Breakfast Rolls Without Soda.—Two eggs, one and a half cups of
milk, a teaspoonful of salt, and flour enough to make a thick batter. These
must be baked in an iron gem pan, or they will be a complete failure. A
quick oven is desirable.
Dyspepsia Bread—One pint bowl of graham flour; dissolve one-half a
teaspoonful of soda in two-thirds of a cup of yeast and add to the mixture
one teacup of molasses; pour in sufficient warm water to make it somewhat
thinner than flour bread.
Oatmeal Wafers—Oatmeal wafers are relished by babies and older
children, loo. Take a pint of oatmeal and a pint of water, with almost a
teaspoonful of salt; mix and spread on buttered pans; make it just as thin
as it is possible and yet have the bottom of the pan covered; bake slowly.
Oatmeal Biscuit.—Take half a pound medinm oatmeal, quarter of a
pound flour, one dessertspoonful of baking powder; mix with two ounces
butter and half a gill of milk, made hot in a saucepan. Boll out quickly,
and bake in very thin cakes.
Light Bolls—Boil four potatoes; mash them and put into a pint of
boiled milk, two tablespoonfuls of butter melted in the milk; flour enough
to make a stiff batter; half a pint of yeast, one teaspoonful of salt.
Graham Wafers.—Put a pinch of sait into one-half pound of graham
flour; wet it with one-half pint of sweet cream; mix quickly and thoroughly;
roll out as thin as possible, and cut in strips; prick and bake in a quick oven.
Good Drawn Bread.—Four cups of cornmeal, three of rye, one of
molasses, one large teaspoonful of soda dissolved in warm water. Mix very
thin, steam three hours, and bake half an hour. Try it.
Railroad Yeast.—One tablespoonful of ginger, one teaspoonful of soda,
one pint of boiling water: thicken with coarse flour or middlings; let it rise,
and set in a cool place. Use a teaspoonful to a baking of salt-rising bread.


310 THE HOUSEHOLD.
Rice Biscuits.—Take half a pound of sugar, half a pound of the beat
ground rice, half a pound of butter, and half a pound of flour, and mix th»
whole into a paste with eggs (two are sufficient for this quantity).
Indian Meal Puffs.—In one quart of boiling milk stir eight tablespoon-
fuls of meal, four spoonfuls of sugar; boil five minutes, stirring all the time;
when cool add six beaten eggs; pour in buttered cups; bake half an hour.
Steamed Brown Bread.—One quart of Indian meal, one pint of rye
flour; stir these together and add one quart of sweet milk, one cup of mo-
lasses, two teaspoonfuls of soda, and a little salt. Steam for four hours.
Tea 1'iifc.—Two aud one-quarter cups flour, three cups milk, three eggs
—whites and yelks beaten separately; three teaspoonfuls of melted butter,
a little salt. Bake in muffin tins in a hot oven.
Block Biscuits.—Half a pound of butter beaten up to a cream, half a
pound cf ground rice, three-quarters of a pound of flour, half a pound of
loaf sugar, four eggs, and a little sal volatile.
Old Maid Bread.—One quart of flour, two eggs, two tablespoonl'uls of
lard, one teaspoonful of salt, one teacup of yeast, one cup of milk; make up
in a soft dough; reserve one-third of the flour for second rising.
Rice Biscuits.—Sift seven ounces of sugar; then add to it half a pound
of the best ground rice, seven ounces of butter, seven ounces of flour, and
mix it into a paste with eggs—two aro sufficient for this quantity.
Ginger Biscuits—One pound of flour, half a pound of fresh butter, half
a pound of powdered lump sugar, three-quarters of au ounce of ground
ginger, two eggs. Bake five minutes in a quick oven.
Indian Bread.—Two cups of Indian meal, one-half cup each of ryo
meal and wheat flour, two thirds of a cup of molasses, one pint of sour or
buttermilk, one teaspoonful of saleratus or cooking-soda, one teaspoonful
of salt.
Egg Sandwiches—Boil fresh eggs five minutes; put them in cold
water, and when quite cold peel them; then, after taking a little white off
each end of the eggs, cut the remainder in four slices. Lay them between
bread and butter.
Corn Gems.—Two cups cornmeal, two cups flour, two cups sweet milk,
two eggs, three heaping teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, one-half cup butter,
one-half cup sugar; bake in gem pans.
Improving Bread.—If, when bread is taken from the oven, the loaves
are turned topside down in the hot tins, and are allowed to stand a few min-
utes the crust will be tender aud will cut easily.
Tea Rusks.—Three cups of flour, one cup of milk, three-fourths of a
cup of sugar, two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter, melted, two eggs, three
teaspoonfuls of baking-powder.
Johnny Cake—Take one pint of milk, one pint of meal, three table-
spoonfuls of flour, two tablespoonfuls sugar, one tablespoonful butter and
one egg.


00 OKINO RECIPES. Sll
Tea Biscuits.—Two pounds of flour, two ounces of butter, one cup of
milk, one or two eggs, half a cup of sugar, one cup of jeast; set at night,
bake in the morning.
Cottage Bread.—One quart of flour, one large spoonful of sugar, one ot
butter, one egg, one teacup of yeast; put to rise, and bake as biscuits.
Jellies and Preserves.
To Preserve Pine-Apples in Slices—This can be made with the 'Weet
Indian pines. Choose ripe but sound ones, and cut them into slices about
one inch thick, and cut off the rind. Weigh the slices, and to every two
pounds of fruit put one pound and three-quarters of white sifted sugar.
Boil them togetherin a preserving pan for half an hour, and, if the slices are
then tender, take them out carefully with a wooden spoon and place them
upon a deep dish, boil the syrup for a short time longer, and then pour it
over the slices of pine-apple. This process must be repeated for three suc-
cessive days, after which the preserves may be put into jars and covered.
Russian Jelly for Invalids.—Instead of throwing away the peel and
core of apples from making a pie or pudding, put them in a jar and pour
over them a pint of hot water; put the jar by the lire or m the oven until the
water tastes strongly of the apples; strain the apple-water off, and throw
away the peel; then add to the apple-water one tablespoonful of large sago;
set it to the fire until the sago has absorbed all the water; then put it in a
mold, and it will be ready for use; to bo eaten either hot or cold. A little
lemon juice added improves the flavor. The proportion of peel and water
must be according to the quality of the apples, as some are so much sharper
than others. No decay should be allowed to be in the peel. Rhubarb may
be used in the same way. The jelly should taste strongly of fruit. This
jelly is most refreshing in sickness.
Grape Preserves.—Grapes partly ripe are delicious preserved in the
following manner: Pick out those that are knotty or wormy; take the rest, a
few at a time, in a coarse sieve, working them around with the hand until
the seeds are loosened, when they will drop through, leaving the skins and
pulp in the sieve. Drain the juice off the seeds, and to every pound of pulp,
skin, and juice, allow half a pound of white sugar. Put all into the preserv-
ing kettle and cook slowly about three-quarters of an hour. Put hot into
jars, a brandy paper on top, and seal up.
Frosted Currants—Currants, white of egg, cold water, pulverized
sugar. Pick fine, even bunches, and dip them one at a time into a mixture
of frothed white of egg and a very little cold water; drain them until nearly
dry, and dip them in pulverized sugar; repeat the dip in sugar once or
twice, and lay them upon white paper to dry. They will make a beautiful
garnish for jellies and charlottes, and look well heaped in a dish by them-
salves or with other fruit. Plums and grapes are very nice frosted in the
same manner. Currants mixed with a sufficient quantity or raspberries,
put in a glass bowl and eaten with powdered sugar and plain cream, make
a very nice dish.
Chicken Jelly— Cut half of an uncooked chicken into small pieces and
break the bones; pour over it a quart of cold water, and boil slowly until it


818 TBE BOUSEHOLD.
is reduced to less than half; season with salt and a little pepper, if the latter
is allowed the invalid. Strain through to colander, then through a jelly-bag
into a mold or bowl. It the chicken is quite tender, boil carefully the breast
of the other half of it; cut it into dice and put it into the mold or bowl, and
cover it with the liquid. When the jelly has hardened, scrape off the layer
of fat at the top of the mold before turning the jelly on a platter.
Mock Champagne Jelly—Take one quart of fine cider, mix this
with one pound of loaf sugar or sugar to taste, the juice of four lemons, the
grated rind of one, and some pieces of stick cinnamon, the whites of two eggs
well beaten, one box of gelatine; soak the gelatine in a pint of cold water one
hour, then add a pint of boiling water, the cider and other ingredients; stir
the mixture until the gelatine is well dissolved; then put it on the fire and
boil five minutes, strain through a jelly-bag into molds, set in a cool place or
on ice to harden.
Preserved Cherrles_To ten pounds of cherries allow five pounds of
sugar; stone the fruit and put in a porcelain kettle in layers with the sugar;
let it heat slowly until the juice is drawn out, or it may stand in a cool place,
even over night; when stewed until tender, take the cherries from the syrup
in a little strainer, and put them in cans placed on a board in boiling water.
Boil the syrup until thick, then fill the cans and fasten the covers.
Hints About Making Preserves.—It is not generally known that boil-
ing fruit a long time, and skimming it well, without the sugar and without a
cover to the preserving pan, is a very economical and excellent way—eco-
nomical, because the bulk of the scum rises from the fruit, and not from the
sugar, if the latter U good; and boiling it without a cover allows the evapo-
ration of all the watery particles therefrom; the preserves keep firm and are
well flavored. The proportions are, three-quarters of .. pound of sugar to it pound of fruit. Jam made in this way, of currants, strawberries, raspber-
ries, or gooseberries, is excellent.
Lemon syrup —Take a dozen lemons; slice them thin; take ten pounds
best white sugar; place a layer of sugar and one of lemons in an earthen
jar; let them remain over night, then pour as much water over them as will
make the syrup; place the jar in a kettle of water, and let them simmer but
ntt boil; strain and bottle, and you will have a delicious flavoring when
lemons are expensive. Lemonade can be made from it by using a few
spoonfuls in water. The lemons can be placed on a plate after they are
strained from the syrup and used in preserves for flavoring.
Apple Jelly.—Make a syrup of a pound of sugar, putting in sufficient
water to dissolve it; when boiled enough, lay it in the peeled and cored
halves of some large sour apples, let them simmer till tender, then lay them
carefully in a dish so that they will remain unbroken and in good shape;
add another pound of sugar to the syrup, let it boil, skim it, and when partly
cool pour it over the apples; when the dish gets cold each dainty piece of
apple will be surrounded by a delicious jelly; eat them with cream.
Orange Jelly.—One-half box of gelatine soaked in one-half pint of cold
water for half an hour; then add the juice of five oranges and two lemons
and one and one-half cups white sugar; turn on one pint of boiling water
and set the pail containing the ingredients in a kettle of boiling water to
heat, but do not let it quite boil; then strain into an earthen vessel to cool.


COOKINGRECIPES. 318
lUfcnte bringing to the table out in squares and place in B glass sauoe dish.
This is much liked, and is very nice for the sick.
Citron or Watermelon Preserves.—Peel and cut eight pounds of
rinds, soak twenty-four hours in salt water (three tablespoonfuls in water
enough to cover), soak again in alum water, three tablespoonfuls of alum as
above; then soak in fresh water twenty-four hours. Take one ounce white
ginger root to one and a half gallons water, boil till tender enough to pierce
with a straw; then to eight pounds of fruit make a syrup of seven pounds of
sugar, boil till transparent and season with cinnamon; delicious.
Orange Marmalade.—Take equal weights of sour oranges and sugar.
Grate the yellow rind from a fourth of the oranges. Cut all the fruit in
halves at what might be called the " equator." Pick out the pulp, and free
it of seeds. Drain off as much juice as you conveniently can, and put it oq
to boil with the sugar. Let it come to a boil. Skim and simmer for about
fifteen minutes, then put in the pulp and grated rind, and boil fifteen
minutes longer.
Unbooked Currant .Tell y.—To one pint of currant juice add one pound
of granulated sugar, stir the juice very slowly into the sugar until the sugar
is dissolved, then let it stand twenty-four hours and it will be stiff jelly. Tie
it with paper dipped in brandy, and set it in the sun. Half a bushel of cur-
rants makes twenty-two one-half pint glasses of jelly. Calf's Foot Jelly.—Take two calves' feet; add to them one gallon ot
water; boil them down to one quart; strain, and when cold remove all fat;
then add the whites of sis or eight eggs (well beaten), half a pound of sugar
and the juice of four lemons; mix well. Boil for a minute, constantly stir-
ring; then strain through a flannel bag.
Raspberry Jam—To every quart of ripe raspberries, allow a pound of the best loaf sugar. Put sugar and berries into a pan, and let them stand
two or three hours. Then boil them in a porcelain kettle, taking off the scum carefully. When no more scum rises, mash them and boil them to
smooth marmalade. When cold, put them in glass tumblers.
Peach Butter.—Pare ripe peaches and put them in a preserving kettle,
with sufficient water to boil them soft; then sift through a colander, re-
moving the stones. To each quart of peach put one and one-half pounds
sugar, and boil very slowly one hour. Stir often, and do not let them burn.
Put in stone or glass jars and keep in the cool place.
Coffee Jelly.—Take one package of Cox's gelatine and dissolve it in a.
pint of cold water. Let it stand until well dissolved, and then put two tea, cups of strong hot coffee in a quart cup, fill the measure up with boiling
water and stir gelatine, coffee and water together with a pint of sugar; after
stirring let it settle, and pour the mixture through a strainer into molds. To
be eaten cold with cream and sugar.
White Currant Jam—Boil together quickly for seven minutes equal
quantities of fine white currants carefully picked from their stalks, and of
the best pounded white sugar passed through a sieve. Stir the preserve
gently the whole time, and be careful to skim it thoroughly. Just before it
is taken from the fire, throw in the strained juice of one good lemon to four
pounds of the fruit.


414 TBE EOTTSSBOLD.
Preserved Citron.—Cut the citron in thin shoes, pare off the outside
rind and take out all the seeds, put in the preserve kettle with water enough
to cover it; boil till it can be pierced easily with a fork, skim it out and
strain the water, placing it back in the kettle; allow three-quarters of a
pound of sugar to a pound of citron; dissolve the sugar in the liquor; cut
three or four lemons into it and let it boil till it is as thick as required, then
put in the citron and boil; when it is transparent, then it is done; if boiled
too long the citron will be tough.
Plum Marmalade—Bub the plums, after draining, through a sieve or
colander to take out the stones and skins. Add half a pound of sugar for
each pint of pulp, boil slowly, stirring well to prevent burning, until it is a
smooth thick paste. Excellent marmalade is made by mixing the sifted
pulp of wild plums and crab apples.
Gooseberry Jelly.—Boil six pounds of green uuripe gooseberries in six
pints of water (they must be well boiled, but not burst too much); pour
them into a basin and let them stand covered with a cloth twenty-four hours;
then strain through a jelly bag, and to every pint of juice add one pound of
sugar; boil for an hour, then skim it and boil for one-half hour longer.
Spiced Peaches.—Pare, stone, and halve the fruit; allow nine pounds
of peaches to four of sugar, and nearly one pint of vinegar; boil the fruit in
water until tender; then pour off, and add the sugar and vinegar, with a few
whole cloves, cinnamon and a little mace. Boil half an hour.
Quince Marmalade.—Pare, core and quarter the quinces; boil them
gently, uncovered,.in water until they begin to soften; then strain them
through a hair sieve, and beat in a mortar or wooden bowl to a pulp; add
to each pound of fruit three-quarters of a pound of sugar; boil it till it be-
comes stiff, and pour into small molds.
Blackberry JeUy—This preparation of the blackberry is more agree-
able than the jam, as the seeds, though very wholesome, are not agreeable
to all. It is made in the same way as currant jelly; but the fruit is so sweet
that it only requires half the weight of the juice in sugar.
Jelllea Without Fruit.—To one pint of water put one-fourth of an
ounce of alum; boil a minute or two; then add four pounds of white sugar;
continue the boiling a little; strain while hot; and, when cold, put in half a
twenty-five cent bottle of extract of vanilla, strawberry, lemon, or any other
flavor you desire for jelly.
Crab Apple Jelly—Cut out the eyes and stalks of the apples; halve
them and put in a preserving kettle with enough water to prevent burning.
Cook until soft; then strain through a sieve, and afterward through a muslin
bag; to every pound of juice allow one and one-quarter pounds of sugar.
Boil gently for twenty minutes.
Lemon Jelly—Isinglass, two ounces; water, one quart, boil; add
sugar, one pound, clarify, and, when nearly cold, add the juice of five
lemons, and the grated yellow rinds of two oranges and two lemons; mix
well, strain off the peel, and put it into glasses or bottles.
Blackberry Jam—To each pound of fruit add three-fourths of a pound
of sugar; then put together and boil from one-half to three-fourths of an hour.


COOZING RECIPES. 316
Currant. Jelly—Fill a jar with currants and place it in a kettle of boil-
ing water. Boil till the fruit is well softened, stirring frequently, then strain
through a cloth, and to every pint add a pound of white sugar. Boil ten
minutes, skimming until quite clear. Black currant or grape jelly can be
made in the same way.
Apple Jam—Core and pare the apples; chop them well; allow equal
quantity in weight of apples and sugar; make a syrup of the sugar by adding
a little water, boiling and skimming well, then throw in a little grated lemon
peel and a little white ginger. Boil until the fruit looks clear.
Plum. Preserves—Weigh your plums, scald them, put on a dish or
waiter; be sure to strain; weigh as much sugar as fruit, and to every pound
add a gill of water; let sugar boil, skim, add scalded fruit, cook two hours
and a half; put in air-tight jars.
Pickled Peaches and Plums.—To seven pounds fruit, three pounds
sugar, one quart vinegar, one ounce cloves, one ounce cinnamon. Scald
vinegar and sugar three mornings in succession, and pour on the fruit. The
third morning scald altogether.
Tapioca Jelly Wash eight punces of tapioca well; then soak in one
gallon fresh water, Ave or six hours; add the peels of eight lemons, and set
all on to heat; simmer till clear; add the juice of the eight lemons with wine
and sugar to taste; then bottle.
Isinglass Jelly Put four ounces isinglass and two ounces cloves into
one gallon water, boil it down to half a gallon; strain it upon four pounds of
loaf sugar; add, while cooling, a little wine; then bottle.
Gooseberry Jelly Sugar, four pounds; water, two pounds; boil to-
gether; it will be nearly solid when cold; to this syrup, add an equal weight
of gooseberry juice; give it a short boil, cool, then pot it.
Cranberry Jelly—Make a very strong isinglass jelly. When cold, mix
it with a double quantity of cranberry juice. Sweeten and boil it up; then
strain it into a shape. The sugar must be good loaf, or the jelly will not be
clear.
Peach Marmalade—Peaches too ripe for preserving answer for mar-
malade. Pare and quarter them, allowing three-quarters of a pound of
sugar to each pound of fruit, and half a pint of water to each pound ol sugar.
Boil one hour and a half, stirring constantly.
Gooseberry Jam—Take what quantity you please of red, rough, ripe
gooseberries, take half the quantity of lump sugar, break them well and boil
them together for half an hour or more, if necessary. Put into pots and
cover with paper.
Pickled Apples Apple pickles are delicious. Pare and halve the
apples, removing the cores carefully, to keep them in good shape. Steam
till soft. Put spiced vinegar over them.
Puddings, Pies, Etc.
Apple Fritters—First pare the apples, and then with an apple-corer
But out the core from the oenter of each; then cut them across in slices


MdtBS BOVSBROLD.
about one-third of an inch thick, having a round opening in the center.
Next make a fritter batter by the following recipe: Beat three eggs well;
add a part of one pint of milk and a little salt; then the remainder of the
pint of milk and one pint of flour alternately, beating it all quickly. The
slice* of apples must now be immediately dipped in this batter and fried in
boiling lard; sprinkle over with sugar and serve in a circle, one overlapping
the other, with or without sweet sauce in the center.
Amber Padding.—Four eggs, their weight in sugar, butter and flour,
peel of one lemon, and grated rinds of two; beat the butter with your hand
to a cream, then add the flour, sugar and beaten eggs by degrees, then the
peel and juice of the lemons; butter a mold, and when all is well mixed fill
it quite full; put the buttered white paper over the top and tie well over with
a cloth, put in a pan of boiling water and boil for about four hours.
Apple Charlotte.—Take a loaf of stale bread, and butter the slices;
pare and slice a dozen apples; take a lemon, grate the skin, and save the
juice; place at the bottom of a stoneware baking dish a layer of apples; scat-
ter brown sugar on it, some of the lemon gratings, and a little juice; then
put in a layer of the buttered bread; keep on until your dish is full, having
the crust on top; bake in a moderately hot oven. Do not make it too sweet.
Apple Pudding—Peel and quarter enough apples to cover the bottom
of the deep tin plate; then make a batter of sour milk, soda and flour, with a
tablespoonful of lard to enough flour to make a batter that will cover the
apples. This should not be thicker than for pancakes. Pour it over the
apples and bake till brown. Then, when done, turn it on to large plate with
the crust down. Over the apples scatter sugar and cinnamon.
Apple Souffle—One pint of steamed apples, one tablespoonful of melted
butter, half a cup of sugar, the white of six eggs and the yelks of three, and
a slight grating of nutmeg. Stir into the hot apples, the butter, sugar, and
nutmeg, and the yolks of the eggs well beaten. When this is cold, beat the
whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and stir into the mixture. Butter a three-
pint dish, and turn the souffle into it. Bake thirty minutes in a hot oven.
Serve immediately with any kind of sauce.
All the Year Round Pudding—Line a pie-dish with paste, spread on
three ounces of any kind of jam (raspberry is the best); then beat well in a
basin the following: Three ounces of bread crumbs, the same of sugar and
butter, the rind and juice of half a large lemon; add this to the pastry and
jam, and bake half an hour.
An Excellent Pudding—One-half pound suet, shred fine; one half
pound grated bread crumbs; one-quarter pound of loaf sugar, the yolks of
four eggs and whites of two well beaten; two tablespoonfuls of orange mar-
malade or sliced citron, if preferred. To be put into a butter mold and
boiled for two hours. To be served with wine poured over it, or sauce.
Pudding a l'Elegante—Cut thin slices of light white bread, and line a
pudding-shape with them, putting in alternate layers of the bread and
orange marmalade, or any other preserve, till the mold is nearly full. Pour
over all a pint of warm milk, in which four well-beaten eggs have been
mixed, Cover the mold with a cloth, and boil for an hour and a half. Serv t
wi*''u»e sauce.


COOKING RECIPES. 817
Dellelons Apple Sauce.—Pare and slice thin as many apples as you
irish. Put them into a tin basin or pudding dish, with enough sugar to
make them sweet and a little water. Bake slowly until soft. They will
turn a rich red, and have B flavor far exceeding stewed apples.
Apple Dumplings.—Make them the usual way, place them in a deep
pudding dish; make a liquor of water, sugar, butter, and the little nutmeg;
the liquor should very nearly cover the dumplings; bake on one side, turn
them on the other; bake about three-fourths of an hour.
Albany main. —Beat the yelks of six eggs until they are very light; stir
in a pint of sweet milk, a large pinch of salt, the whites of the eggs beaten to
a froth, and flour enough to make a batter about as thick as boiled custard.
Bake in gem pans in a quick oven.
Apple Custard— Take the half cup of melted butter, two cups sugar,
three cups stewed apples, four eggs, whites and yelks separately beaten.
Bake in pie plates in bottom cicst.
Brown Betty—Take one cup bread crumbs, two cups chopped sour
apples, one half cup sugar, one teaspoonful cinnamon, two tablespoonfuls
butter cut into small bits. Butter a deep dish and put a layer of chopped
apple at the bottom, sprinkle with sugar, a few bits of butter and cinnamon,
cover with bread crumbs, then more apple. Proceed in this way until the
dish is full, having a layer of crumbs on top. Cover closely and steam three
quarters of an hour in a moderate oven, then uncover and brown quickly.
Eat warm with sugar and cream, or sweet sauce. This is a cheap but good
pudding, better than many a richer one.
Bread Pudding.—Soak two or three French rolls cut into slices in a
pint of cream or good milk; add the yelks of six eggs, beaten, some sugar,
orange-flower water, three pounded macaroons, and a glass of white wine;
tie it up in a basin, or buttered cloth; put the pudding in boiling water, and
let it boil for half an hour. Serve with wine sauce.
Baked Lemon Pudding—Mix the following ingredients together in
the order in which they are placed: Moist sugar, one-quarter pound; bread
crumbs, six ounces; eggs, well beaten, three; lemon peel grated and juice,
two; bake one and a half hours in a moderate oven.
Bird's Nest Pudding—Pare and core as many apples as will stand in a
dish, and fill the holes with sugar. Make a custard of a quart of milk,
eight eggs, and a quarter of a pound of sugar. Pour it over the apples, grate
a nutmeg over the top, and bake one hour.
Fried Bananas.—Peel and slice the bananas, sprinkle with salt, dip in
thin batter, and fry in butter. Serve immediately.
Cap Plum Pudding—Take one cup each of raisins, currants, flour,
bread crumbs, suet, and sugar; stone and cut the raisins, wash and dry thfr
currants, chop the suet, and mix all the above ingredients well together, then add two ounces of candied peel and citron, a little mixed spice, salt,
and ginger, say half a teaspoonful of each; stir in four well-beaten eggs and
milk enough to make the mixture so that the spoon will stand upright in it;
tie it loosely in to cloth, or put it in a mold; plunge it then into boiling wat«i
and boil for three and a half hours.


81S THE H0V8EH0LD.
Cranberry Sauce—Wash and pick over the cranberries; put on to cook
in a tin or porcelain vessel, allowing a teacup of water to each quart. Stew
slowly, stirring often until they are thick as marmalade. Take from the fire
in little over an hour, if they have cooked steadily; sweeten plentifully with
white sugar and strain through a coarse net into a mold wet with cold water.
Do this the day before using, and at dinner time turn from the mold into a
glass dish.
Chocolate Pudding —One quart of milk, fourteen even tablespoonfuls
of grated bread crumbs, twelve tablespoonfuls of grated chocolate, six eggs,
one tablespoonful vanilla; sugar to make very sweet. Separate the jelka
and whites of four eggs; beat up the four yelks and two whole eggs together
very light with the sugar. Put the milk on the range, and when it comes to
a perfect boil pour it over the bread and chocolate; add the beaten eggs and
sugar, and vanilla; be sure it is sweet enough; pour into a buttered dish;
bake one hour in a moderate oven. When cold, and just before it is served,
have the four whites beaten with a little powdered sugar, and flavor with
vanilla, and use as a meringue.
Chocolate Cream Custardg—Set to boil a quart of milk; mix with half a cup of cold milk two ounces of grated sweet chocolate, pour some of the
boiling milk into it, and then pour all back into the pan of boiling milk, stir, ring it all the time; when quite heated and about coming to the boiling point,
add the yelks of six eggs which have been beaten with a cup of powdered
sugar; when these are nicely blended add three whites, beaten with a little
vanilla, keeping the three other whites for frosting; put in cups, and a table-
spoonful of the frosting on the top of each cup.
Cranberry Pudding.—Cranberry pudding is made by pouring boiling
water on a pint of dried bread crumbs: melt a tablespoonful of butter and
stir in. When the bread is softened add two eggs, and beat thoroughly with
the bread. Then put in a pint of the stewed fruit and sweeten to your taste.
Bake in a hot oven for half an hour. Fresh fruit may be used in place of the
cranberries. Slices of peaches put in layers make a delicious variation.
Coffee Custard.—Mix one egg with a cup of freshly-ground coffee, pour
on it a pint of boiling water; boil five minutes. Pour it off clear into a sauce-
pan, add a pint of cream and boil. Beat from five to eight eggs with one
and one half cups of sugar, and pour the boiling mixture over this, stirring
it well. Set the whole in boiling water, and stir until it thickens.
Cranberry Roll.—Stew a quart of cranberries in just water enough to keep them from burning. Make very sweet, strain and cool. Make a paste,
and when the cranberry is cold spread it on the paste about an inch thick.
Boil it, tie it close in a flannel cloth, boil two hours, and serve with sweet
sauce. Stewed apples or other fruit may be used in the same way.
Delicious Fritters.—Put three tablespoonfuls of flour into a bowl, and
pour over it sufficient hot water to make it into a stiff paste, taking care to
stir it well to prevent its getting lumpy. Leave it a little time to cool, and
then break into it, without beating them first, the yolks of four eggs, the
whites of two, and stir and beat all together. Have your fat or lard hot, and
drop a dessertspoonful of hatter in at a time, and fry a light brown. Serve
on a hot dish with the spoonful of jam or marmalade dropped in between each
Wttcr.


COOKING RECIPES. 319
Crow's West.—Fill a deep pudding tin or dish with apples cut in thin
slices; sugar and cinnamon, or lemon, to sweeten and flavor to taste, and the little water; cover with a thick crust; bake until apples are tender; serve
hot with hard sauce, or with cream and sugar; be sure to cut air holes in
the crust to let the steam escape.
Cream Fritters—Beat three eggs to a froth, add half a pint of cream,
the same of milk, a teaspoonful of salt, cne pint flour, two teaspoonfuls bak-
ing powder; stir to a smooth batter; fry in hot lard the same as doughnuts.
These are good hot or cold. Serve with sweetened cream or maplo
molasses.
Cake Pudding.—Take odd bits of cake (if two or three kinds all the
better), break in small pieces, put them in the pudding dish which has been previously buttered, make a rich custard; pour over the cake; bake or
steam. It is made still nicer by adding cocoanut frosting, and setting in the
oven till of a light brown.
Cocoanut Pudding—One-half pound of butter, one-half pound of
sugar, whites of eight eggs whipped to a froth. The white portion of one
cocoanut grated into minute particles. Grease pan with butter, and bake.
For this pudding desiccated cocoanut answers as well as fresh cocoanut.
Custard Pudding—Take a pint of cream, six eggs well beaten, two
spoonfuls of flour; half a nutmeg grated, and salt and sugar to taste; mix
them together; butter a cloth and pour in the batter; tie it up, put it into the saucepan of boiling water, and boil it an hour and a half. Serve with
melted butter.
Cream Batter Pudding.—Half pint sour cream, half pint sweet milk,
half pint flour, three eggs, half teaspoonful soda, a little salt.. Beat eggs
separately, adding the yelks last. Bake in a slow oven, and you will find
this the queen of puddings.
Egg Pudding.—Take any number of eggs, their weight in flour, brown
sugar and butter, and a few currants or chopped raisins, as preferred. Mix
well together by means of the eggs. Bake in buttered molds; serve hot,
with wine sauce.
Cracker Pudding—Pour one quart boiling water over six soft crackers,
let stand until very soft; add three or four eggs, one cup raisins, one-fourth
spoonful salt, sweeten, flavor or spice, bake. Very nice.
Citron Pudding—Mix one quart of cream with three spoonfuls of
sugar, one-half pound of flour, one-half pound of citron peel, yolks of six
eggs and a little nutmeg. Bake in teacups in a quick oven.
Cottage Pudding.—One cup of sugar, one cup of sweet milk, one pint
of flour, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one teaspoonful of soda, two
teaspoonfuls of cream tartar, one egg.
Cracked Wheat Pudding—Cracked wheat mixed with milk in the
proportion of half a cup to a quart, and flavored with cinnamon and a raisin
or two, makes a very good pudding.
Cream Custard—Eight eggs, beat and put into two quarts of cream;
sweeten to taste; add nutmeg and cinnamon,


40 THE HOUSEHOLD.
Date or Prune Pudding.—Take a quart of milk, beat six eggs, half
the whites in half a pint of milk, and four spoonfuls of flour with a little sait,
and two of beaten ginger; then by degrees mix in all the milk and a pound
of dates, tie it in a cloth, and boil it an hour; melt butter and pour over it
.
Damsons are very nice instead of the dates or prunes.
A Delicious Pudding.—Sift two tablespoonfuls of flour, and mix with
the beaten yelks of six eggs, add gradually one pint of sweet cream, a quar-
ter of a pound of citron cut in very thin slices, and two tablespoonfuls of
sugar; mix thoroughly, pour into a buttered tin, and bake twenty-five min-
utes. Serve with vanilla sauce.
Dandy Pudding.—One and one-half pints of milk, four eggs, sugar tc>
taste. Boil the milk and yelks and one teaspoonful of corn starch. Beat the
whites to a stiff froth, after the cream is cooked, put it in a dish to cool.
Then drop the whites, after sweetening, on the cream. Brown the top a few
minutes.
English Plum Puddlng—One-half pound currants, one pound raisins,
one-half pound of beef suet, butter the size of an egg, three eggs, one nut-
meg, two teaspoonfuls of lemon, three-fourths of a pint of milk, a little salt,
flour sufficient to stiffen, mix well together; put into a bowl and bake four
hours; cover bowl with a cloth. Sauce.—Three tablespoonfuls corn starch,
one-hall'pint milk, one-half cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of butter; boil
(ve minutes.
Economical Family Pudding—Bruise with a wooden spoon, through
i colander, six large or twelve middle-sized potatoes, beat four eggs, mix
with a pint of good milk, stir in the potatoes, six ounces sugar and flavoring,
butter a dish, bake half an hour. This receipt is simple and economical, as
cold potatoes, which may have been kept two or three days, till a sufficient
quantity is collected, will answer quite well.
Egg Sauce.—Boil half a dozen eggs hard, when cold remove the shell,
cut each egg in half crosswise, and each half into four quarters. Put them
into one pint of melted butter.
Floating Island Custard—One-half gallon sweet milk, eight egga
beaten to a froth, yelks and whites beaten separately, add one tablespoonful
of flour and a little milk. Set the milk on the stove in a tin basin or a por-
celain kettle, bring it to a boiling heat, add the mixture of yelks of eggs and
flour, let it boil up thick, stirring constantly. Flavor with lemon unless
some other flavoring is preferred (lemon is best), beat the whites of the
eggs to a stiff froth, sweeten the custard to your taste, place the white of
eggs on top, let it remain over the stove a minute, then take it off and serve.
This makes a very nice dessert if made properly, and is good either hot or
cold. This receipt is enough for eight or ten persons.
Orange Fritters.—One pound of flour, one pint of milk with a tea-
spoonful of salt in it, and one-quarter of a pound of melted butter, and
three eggs beaten very light. Prepare four oranges by removing the yellow
rind and every particle of white pith; divide into small pieces without
breaking the skin. In each spoonful of batter put a piece of orange, and
fry a golden brown; sift powdered sugar over as soon as taken from
the pan.


COOKING RECIPES. 331
Fruit Roll.—Make a crust as usual, which roll out in a long sheet. Cut
% quantity of fruit, peaches, apples, or plums, or small fruit mashed, or jam,
which spread thickly over and sprinkle with sugar; roll up and fold the
•nds over; then wrap in a strong cloth and tie closely, and place in a steamer.
Serve with sauce or sweetened cream.
Pig Padding.—Take a quarter of a pound of figs, pound them in a
mortar, and mix gradually half B pound of bread crumbs, and four ounces
of beef suet, minced very small, add four ounces of pounded sugar, and mix
the whole together, with two eggs beaten up, and a good teacup of new milk.
When all these ingredients are well mixed, fill a mold and boil for four
hours,
Farmers' Padding.—Heat one quart of milk to boiling, then stir in,
•lowly, one teacup of maizena. Mix with this about six good apples, pared
and sliced, and add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one of butter, and a little
allspice and nutmeg. Pour the whole into to deep dish, and bake until done,
which will be in about forty minutes.
Fruit Padding—One egg well beaten, one cup sweet milk, one and
one-half cups of berries, half cup of sugar, one spoonful of butter, one cup
bread crumbs. Bake in a shallow dish.
Ginger Padding—Five eggs, two cups of sugar, two cups of butter,
four cups of flour, one cup of molasses, one cup of sour milk, one teaspoon ful of soda, ginger and allspice to taste. Bake in a pan or steam in a mold
or pan.
Sauce for Ginger Pudding.—One-half pint of molasses, one pint of
sugar, one-half pint of butter, ginger to suit the taste, and a little water.
Boil all together until the sauce becomes somewhat thick.
Golden Padding.—Half a pound of bread crumbs, quarter of a pound
of suet, quarter of a pound of marmalade, quarter of a pound of sugar, four
eggs; mix the suet and bread crumbs in a basin, finely minced, stir all the
ingredients well together, beat the eggs to a froth; when well mixed put into
a mold or buttered basin, tie down with a floured cloth, and boil two hours.
Serve with powdered sugar over it.
Mrahara Padding.—One cup of graham flour, half a cup of sweet
milk, a little salt, a teaspoonful of baking powder. Turn over a pudding-
dish full of sliced apples sweetened with either sugar or molasses. Bake
till thoroughly done. This is a good dish for those who cannot eat rich pie-
crust, and may be varied by using different kinds of fruit.
Hard Times Pudding—Half a pint of molasses, half a pint of water,
two teaspoonfuls of soda, one teaspoonful of salt. Thicken with flour
enough to make a batter about like that for a cup cake. Put this in a pud-
ding-bag; allow room to rise. It would be safe to have the pudding-bag
about half full of the batter. Let this boil steadily for three hours. Sauce
to serve with it is made thus: Mix two teaspoonfuls of either white or brown
sugar with B lump of butter the size of a butternut; a little salt and one
large spoonful of flour should bo mixed with the butter and sugar. When
free from lumps pour boiling water slowly over it, stirring all the time. Let
it boil up once or twice to make it of the desired thickness.


S22 THE HOUSEHOLD.
Hard Sauce for Puddings—Stir to cream one cup of butter with three cups powdered sugar; when light, beat in juice of a lemon, two teaspoon fula nutmeg.
Home Pudding—One pint of milk, yelks of two eggs, three crackers
rolled fine, and bake. Use three-fourths of a cup of sugar, and the whites
of the eggs for frosting; spread over the pudding and return to the oven for a few minutes.
Indian Pudding.—Boil two quarts of milk, and while boiling stir in
cornmeal enough to make it of the consistency of mush; take one cup si
suet, one cup of molasses, one tablespoonful each of cinnamon and ginger
and stir into the pudding; scald all together well, and then set away to get
cool; add three well-beaten eggs, butter, size of egg, one cup each of cur-
rants and raisins, salt and sugar enough to serve without sauce if you wish;
then bake three hours slowly. Brandy sauce makes it equal to English
plum pudding.
Indian Apple Padding.—Pour three pints of scalded milk over one
pint of sifted Indian meal, stir in two large spoonfuls of molasses, two tea spoonfuls of cinnamon or ginger, and one teaspoonful of salt, add a dozen
apples, pared and sliced very thin. Bake in a yellow nappy for three hours.
Serve with a sweet sauce.
Kiss Pudding.—One quart milk, three tablespoonfuls cornstarch, the
yelks of four eggs, one-half cup sugar and a little salt. Place part of it, with
salt and sugar, on the stove and boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the rest of
the milk and stir into the boiling milk; also, add the yolks of the eggs and
flour. Frosting.—The beaten whites of the four eggs, with one-half cup of
sugar flavored with lemon. Cover the pudding and nicely brown. Save a
little frosting to moisten the top, then put grated coconut over top to give
it the appearance of snowflake.
Kent Pudding.—One quart of milk, six ounces of ground rice, three
eggs, currants, sugar, and spice to taste. The milk and rice should be boiled
overnight, and the other ingredients mixed in the next morning. Stir the
mixture well before putting it into the oven.
Lemon Meringue Pudding.—One quart milk, two cups bread crumbs,
four eggs, one-half cup butter, one cup white sugar, one large lemon, juice
and half the rind grated; soak the bread in the milk; add the beaten yolks with the butter and sugar rubbed to a cream, also the lemon. Bake in B buttered dish until firm and slightly brown; draw to the door of the oven
and cover with a meringue of the whites whipped to the froth, with three table-
spoonfuls of powdered sugar and a little lemon juice. Brown very slightly;
sift powdered sugar over it and eat cold. You may make an orange padding in the same way.
Lemon Custard. — One cup of sugar, one of sweet milk, one tablespoon-
ful of butter, three eggs, one lemon—mix lemon juice with yolks and sugar,
add milk next, then the butter and flour. When the custards are cool
spread on the whites, well sweetened, and set back in the stove to brown.
Magic Pastry.—Two tablespoonfuls of pounded sugar, four ounces of
An* flour, two eggs. Mix all together very smoothly, and fry in lard.


SM TBS HOUSEHOLD.
sweet oranges, peeled, starred thin and seeded; sprinkle with sngar, roll up
closely, folding and pinching down the edge to keep in the syrup. Steam an
hour and a hall Serve with cream and sugar or hard sauce.
Pan Pudding.—This is a New England dish, and is nice where appe-
tites are expansive. Take three cups of fine rye meal, three cups of Indian
meal, one egg and three tablespoonfuls of molasses; add a little salt and
allspice, and enough rich sweet milk to make a batter stiff enough to drop
from a spoon. Fry to a good brown in hot lard.
Pineapple Fritters.—One pint of flour, half pint of milk, three eggs,
half teaspoonful soda, three-fourths teaspoonful cream tartar, one table-
spoonful sugar, salt to taste. Peel and slice one juicy pineapple, and cover
with sugar; let it stand over night; stir in the batter when ready to fry. To
be eaten while hot, with sugar.
Pineapple Pudding.—Peel the pineapple, taking care to get all the
specks out, and grate it; take its weight in sugar, and half of its weight in
butter; rub these to a cream and stir them into the apple; then add five
eggs and a cup of cream. It may be baked with or without the paste crust,
as you may prefer.
Peach Potple.—Put a plain pie crust round the edge of a pan; cut up
some peaches, and put a layer of them into your pan, then a layer of sugar
and nutmeg; cover with a crust, and bake slowly for two or three hours.
Plum Pudding.—One pcund raisins, one pound currants, one-halt
pound citron, one-half pound candied fruit, one pound suet, one pound
sugar, one pound mixed flour and bread crumbs, eight eggs, spices to
taste; boil four hours.
Pop-Overs—One pint milk, one pint flour, butter size of a walnut, three
eggs, beaten light, pinch of salt, add eggs last. Bake in cups, filling them
half full.
Pun* Pudding—One and a half cups of flour, one of milk, two eggs,
and a little salt; bake in a hot oven twenty minutes in pattypans. Servo
with sauce.
Queen of Puddings.—One pint of bread crumbs, one quart of sweet
milk, yelks of four eggs, piece of butter size of an egg. Flavor and bake.
Beat the white of an egg to a froth with a cup of pulverized sugar. Spread
over the pudding a layer of jelly, pour the eggs over and brown slightly.
Serve with cold sauce.
Quick Pudding— -Boil some rice; when done soft, break in three eggs,
half a cup of cream or milk, and flavor to suit the taste. Give it one boil,
and send it to the table with bits of butter on the top.
Sweet Potato Pudding.—Beat to a cream one pound of sugar and one
pound of butter, and two pounds of potatoes, mashed fine, five eggs, one
wineglass of wine, and half a pint of milk. Bake in a crust.
Steamed Pudding—One coffeecup of buttermilk, one-third of a cup of
sugar, one egg, a little salt, a heaping teaspoonful of soda, about
three and one-half teaoups of flour, and one small cup of raisins. Steam
two hours.


COOKING JtBOlPSS. 315
Jfew Rice Padding.—Mix four large teaapoonfuls of rice flour with
half a pint of cold milk, and stir it into a quart of boiling milk until it boils
»gain; then remove, stir in butter the size of an egg and add a little salt;
let it cool, and add four eggs, well beaten, two-thirds of a cup of sugar,
grated nutmeg, half wineglassful of brandy or other flavoring; bake in &
buttered dish twenty minutes. To be eaten hot with sauce.
Rice and Apples.—Core as many nice apples as will fill a dish; boil
them in light syrup. Prepare one-quarter of a pound of rice in milk with
sugar and salt, put some of the rice in the dish, and put in the apples; then
fill up the intervals with rice, and bake it in the oven until it is a fine color.
Raspberry Fritters.—Make a batter of a pint of milk, one egg, a little
salt, and enough flour to make a mixture that will drop from a spoon. Add
a cup of fine raspberries, with a tablespoonful of granulated sugar mixed
with them. Fry in hot lard and dash with powdered sugar.
Raisin Pudding.—One quart of sweet milk, six eggs, one-half teacup
of butter, one-half teacup sugar, one teacup raisins with seeds removed,
flour sufficient to make thick batter. Pour into a mold and steam until
cooked. Butter and sugar flavored for sauce.
Rice Fritters.—Take one cup of cold boiled rice, one pint of flour, one
teaspoonful of sait, two eggs beaten lightly, and milk enough to make this a
thick batter; beat all together well and bake on a griddle.
Raspberry Castard—Take three gills of rasberry juice and dissolve in
it a pound of white sugar, mix it with a pint of boiling cream, stir until quite
thick, and serve in custard glasses.
Strawberry Short-Cake.—To make a nice strawberry short-cake, make
a nice, rich biscuit crust, bake in a round tin, and when baked cut in two
parts with a sharp knife; put a thick layer of berries, sweetened to taste, on
one half, then lay on the other half and fix in the same manner. Some
think a cup of sweet cream poured over the top layer a great addition. The
berries should be mashed before placing them on the cake.
Swiss Padding.—Put layers of crumbs of bread and sliced apples with
sugar between, till the dish is quite full; let the crumbs be the uppermost
layer; then pour melted butter over and bake it. Or butter a dish, strew
bread crumbs thickly over it, add apples, raspberries, or any fruit sweet-
ened, alternately with bread crumbs, until the dish is full; then pour melted
butter, or rather small lumps of butter, over the top and bake.
Steamed Apples.—Select nice, sweet apples; wash and place them in a
pan; turn a little water in the pan and stew; one-half cup sugar over as
many apples as will cover the bottom of the pan; then cover with another
pan and cook till done. If preferred, you can stew the juice down and turn
it over the apples. They are much nicer than when baked.
Suit Padding—Chop fine one cup of raisins and one-half cup of suet
(one cup, if wanted very rich), add two cups of sweet milk, one cup ot
sugar, four cups of flour, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, two teaspoon-
fuls of soda, and a little salt. Cover tight and steam or boil two hours.
Leave room to swell. Pork chopped very fine, or a littla less in measure ot
pork fat, may be used. Eat with liquid sauca.


S3* VBX HOUSEHOLD.
Simple Dessert.. Put eight crackers in a deep dish, pour enough warm
water or milk over them to just cover them, and when soaked, which will
not take longer than ten minutes, sprinkle with sugar, cover with cream,
garnish with preserved peaches, pears, or quinces, and serve. Try it.
Snow-Ball Pudding—Take two teacups of rice, wash, and boil until
tender; pare and core twelve large sour apples (leaving the apples whole);
fill the apples with rice, and put it around outside; tie each one in a separate
cloth and drop in boiling water; serve while hot with cream and sugar, or
any sauce desired.
Pudding Sauce.—One cup of sugar, an even tablespoonful of flour, and
the same of butter. Mix to a cream. Put boiling water to them, mix thor-
oughly and put on the stove to boil fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.
Flavor with grated nutmeg.
Pudding Sauce.—Take the superfluous juice from a can of peaches,
and heat it to boiling. Mix flour, butter and sugar in about equal quantities,
add a little vanilla, and cook the mixture in the hot peach juice. This is
delicious for almost any kind of steamed or fruit pudding.
A Fine Pudding Sauce—When the sponge pudding is to be eaten hot an
excellent sauce is made of sugar and butter, whipped to a cream, strawber-
ries or other fruit crushed into it, and a little good wine. If properly made
no better sauce can be used for a sponge pudding.
Stewed Apples—Pare your apples and place them in a steamer, with a
clove in each; then put the steamer over a pot of boiling flrater, until soft;
then take them up in the fruit dish and shake powdered sugar over them.
Sweet Apple Custard.—Pare and core sweet apples; stew them in water
till tender; strain them through a colander, add sugar and spice to taste,
and make them like pumpkin pies.
Sallie I.mi ii.—One quart of flour, four eggs, one pint of milk, one table-
spoonful of lard, same of butter, two spoonfuls of sugar, one gill of yeast.
Tapioca Custard—After soaking a cup of tapioca until perfectly soft,
drain off any surplus water and add a quart of new milk; set the dish in one
of boiling water to prevent sticking or burning; sweeten to suit the taste;
when it begins to grow a little thick, add the yolks of four eggs, beaten, with
one tablespoonful of sugar; remove from the fire as soon as it becomes the
consistency of cream, or it will be too hard when cold; flavor to taste after it
is done, aud spread the whites of eggs over the top; brown a delicate color
in the oven.
Tiptop Pudding—One pint of bread crumbs, one quart of milk, one
cup of sugar, the grated peel of a lemon, yelks of four eggs, a piece of but-
ter size of an egg, then bake. When done spread fresh strawberries over
the top, or if not in season for strawberries, use a cup of preserved rasp-
berries; pour over that a meringue made with the white of the egg, a cup of
sugar, and the juice of the lemon. Return to the oven to color; let it partly cool, and serve with milk or cream.
Taploea Pudding—Soak four tablespoonfula tapioca in a little water
over night; boil one quart of milk and pour over it while hot; when cool add


COOKING REVIPS8. 3K
one-nglf cup s&gar, one egg, and the yolk of one egg, well beaten; bake
slowly one hour, spread with the whites of two eggs, beaten, return to oven,
brown slightly; flavor with orange.
Wine Sauce for Padding Half B pint of sherry or Madeira wine,
and half B gill of water; bcil together, and add four tablespoonfuls of sugar,
the juice of one lemon, and the rind cut into small pieces. To be poured
over the pudding just before the latter is to be eaten.
Waffles—One pint of sour cream, one pint of flour, three eggs, half a
teaspoonful soda, beat up, and bake on hot waffle irons, well buttered, and
butter well as soon as removed from the iron.
Yorkshire Pudding.—Make a batter with five tablespoonfuls of flour,
one egg, and about a pint of milk. Put some of the fat out of the dripping-
pan into the Yorkshire pudding tin, and when it is boiling hot pour in the- batter. Bake it in the oven for half an hour, and set it for a few minutes ia
front of the fire under the meat.
Apple Meringue Pie—Stew and sweeten juicy apples when you have
pared and sliced them; mash smooth, and season with nutmeg, or stew some
lemon peel with them and remove when cold; till your pans and bake tart done; spread over the apples a thick meringue, made by whipping to a stiff froth the whites of three eggs for each pie, sweetening with a tablespoonful of
powdered sugar for each egg; flavor this with rose or vanilla; beat until it
will stand alone and cover the pie three-quarters of an inch thick. Set back
in the oven until the meringue is well set. Should it color too darkly sift
powdered sugar over it when cool; eat cold. Peaches are even more de-
licious when used in the same manner.
Cherry Pie.—Stone the cherries; make a paste as for any pie, put in the
fruit, add sugar, and about three tablespoonfuls water; sprinkle a table-
spoonful flour over fruit) take a piece of butter the size of the walnut, and cut
it in small bits over the top; make a paste of one teaspoonful of flour to two
of cold water, and wet the edges of the crust before putting on the cover; if
properly done it will prevent the juice from running out; or, roll the edges
together; while hot, see if it is sweet enough; if not, raise the cover and put
in more sugar. Eat while slightly warm.
Spring Mince Pies.—A cup and a half of chopped raisins, one cup of
sugar, one cup of molasses, one cup of warm water, half a cup of vinegar or
good boiled cider, two well-beaten eggs, five crackers, pounded fine; stir all
together and season with spices as other mince pies; bake with rich crust.
For the top crust, roll thin, cut in narrow strips, and twist and lay across.
Cream Pie.—One pint milk, two large spoonfuls sugar, one tablespoon-
ful flour, yelks of two eggs and white of one. Beats eggs, sugar, and flour
together, let the milk get boiling hot, pour in the beaten parts and stir until
thick, make the crust and bake it; fill with the custard. Beat the remaining
white of egg till stiff, spread evenly over the top, return to the oven to brown
slightly. Flavor with lemon or vanilla.
Custard Pie—One quart milk, three eggs, one tablespoonful corn starch,
one dessertspoonful extract vanilla, one cupful sugar, a very small pinch salt; beat the sugar and eggs together, mix the corn starch in a little of the 


328 THE HOUSEHOLD.
milk, and stir all well together. This is far superior to the ordinary custard pie made with four eggs. Less sugar may be used if preferred.
Mock Lemon Pie—One cup of sugar, one heaping tablespoonful of flour, the yolks of two eggs (save the whites for the top of the pie), one tea spoonful of extract of lemon, two-thirds of a cup of boiling water, two-thirds
of a cup of stewed pie plant; mix the sugar, flour, eggs and extract together;
then pour on the water, then the pie plant; bake with one crust; when done,
beat the whites to a stiff froth and spread it over the pie, setting it back in
the oven for four minutes.
Pie-Crust Without Lard— Take good, rich buttermilk, soda, and a
little salt, and mix just as soft as can be mixed and hold together; have
plenty of flour on the molding-board and rolling-pin; then make and bake
as other pies, or rather in a slow oven, and when the pie is taken from the
oven do not cover it up. In this way a dyspeptic can indulge in the luxury
of a pie.
Oatmeal Pie Crust—Scald two parts of fine oatmeal with one part of
hot water; mix well and roll thin. As this bakes very quickly fruit which
requires much cooking must be cooked first before making the pies. This
crust is very tender, possessing all the desirable qualities of shortened pie
crusts without their injurious effects.
Beverly Pie.—Pare and grate some sweet mellow apples—about a
dozen; to a pint of the grated pulp put the pint of milk, two eggs, two table-
spoonfuls of melted butter, the grated peel of the lemon, and half a wineglass
of brandy; sweeten to your taste; to be baked in a deep plate, with only
a lower crust.
Corn-Starch Custard Pie—Very nice pies are made with two eggs,
and two large tablespoonfuls of corn starch to a quart of milk; sweeten and
spice to taste; the corn starch should be mixed smooth with milk and eggs
beaten up in it, then thin out with more milk; sweeten, season, pour into
pans lined with paste, and grate B little nutmeg over the top.
Lemon Pie.—The juice and grated rind of one lemon, one cup of water,
one tablespoonful of corn starch, one cup of sugar, one egg, and a piece of
butter the size of a small egg. Boil the water, wet the corn starch with a
little cold water, and stir it in; when it boils up, pour on it the sugar and
butter; after it cools, add the egg and lemon; bake with under and upper
crust.
Lemon Pie.—Four lemons, one cup sugar, one cup molasses, three and
one-half cups water, half cup flour. Grate the rind of two lemons and use
with the inside of the four (but do not use the white skin, as it is bitter),
cook these ingredients a few minutes before putting it between the crust.
Lemon Meringue Pie.—Beat the yolks of four eggs, ten tablespoonfuls
of sugar, three of melted butter, and the juice of one lemon and the half, add
three tablespoonfuls of milk or water; bake in an undercrust, then beat the
whites, pour over the top and put back in the oven to brown.
Apple Custard Pie.—Two well-beaten eggs, one cup grated sweet
apple, one pint sweet milk, two large spoonfuls of sugar, a little salt and
flavor.


COOKING RECIPES. 329
Rhubarb Cream Pie.—One pint stewed rhubarb, four ounces sugar,
•ne pint cream, two ounces powdered cracker, three eggs. Bub the stewed
rhubarb through a sieve, beat the other ingredients well together, and just
as the pie is ready for the oven stir in the rhubarb; pour the whole into a
plate lined with pastry. Cover with strips and bake.
Orange Ple—Take the juice and grated rind cf one orange, one small
cup of sugar, yelks of three eggs, one tablespoonful ot corn starch, makft
smooth with milk, piece of butter as large as a chestnut, and one cup of milk.
Beat the whites of the three eggs with sugar, and place on the top after the
pie is baked—leaving in the oven till browned.
Buttermilk Pie.—Beat together a heaping cup of sugar and four eggs,
add half a cup of butter; beat thoroughly, and add one and a half pints ot
fresh country buttermilk. Line the pie tins with crust; slice an apple thin
and lay in each pie; fill the crust with the mixture, and bake with no upper
erust.
Buttermilk Plea.—One cup sugar, two cups buttermilk, two eggs, two
tablespoonfuls flour, two tablespoonfuls butter; flavor with lemon. This
makes two pies.
Rice Pie.—To a pint of boiled rice add a pint of rich cream, two eggs,
salt, and a little mace. Let these ingredients be well mixed, spread half the
quantity in a deep baking dish, lay pieces of chicken upon it and cover them
with the remainder of the rice, and bake in a hot oven.
Pumpkin Pie.—Stew the pumpkin as dry as possible without burning;
rub it through a colander. To one pint of the pumpkin add three eggs, one
quart of milk, one teacup sugar, half teaspoonful salt, and nutmeg or ginger
to taste. The above quantity will make two large pies.
Marlborough Pie.—Grate six apples, one cup of sugar, three table-
spoonfuls melted butter, four eggs, juice and grated rind of a lemon, two
tablespoonfuls brandy or wine, if you choose; if not, omit it. Bake in an
under, but without top crust.
Washington Pie.—Three eggs, one cup sugar, a scant half cup milk,
half teaspoonful soda, a teaspoonful cream tartar, cup flour, a piece butter
size of a hen's egg, spice to taste; this makes three layers; spread with jelly.
Cocoanut Pie.—Orate one cocoanut, add one pint of milk, three eggs,
one cup of sugar and a little salt; add the cocoanut milk. Enough for two
pies.
Peach Pie.—Line the pie pans with rich pastry, fill with ripe, juicy
peaches, peeled and cut in quarters, sprinkle well witn sugar, cover with a
thin crust, bake half an hour. Serve cold.
Prune Pie.—Stew the prunes as for sauce, stone and sweeten, and with
nice pie crust I think you will oall them good. Be sure and not have them
too dry.
Fancy Dishes.
Pineapple Bavarian Cream.—One pint of fresh or canned pineapple,
one small teacup of sugar, one pint of cream, half a package of gelatine.


830 THE HOUSEHOLD.
half a cup of cold water. Soak gelatine two hours in the water. Chop pine-
apple fine, pnt it on with the sugar to simmer twenty minutes. Add gelatine
and strain immediately through a cloth or sieve into a tin basin. Bub the
pineapple through as much as possible. Beat until it begins to thicken,
then add cream which has been whipped to a froth. When well mixed, pour
into a wet mold, and set away to harden. Serve wiih whipped cream.
Lemon Float.—Boil one quart of sweet milk and three tablespoonfuls
of sugar,-and mix it with one tablespoonful of corn starch, stirred smoothly,
and the grated peel of one lemon. When it has boiled ten minutes, add the
yelks of three eggs, well beaten, and stir constantly for five minutes. Put
the pail it was cooked in directly into a pail of cold water, and stir it some
time, then strain it into a pudding dish. Beat the whites of the eggs to a
very stiff froth, add the juice of the lemon and two tablespoonfuls of sugar.
Put them over the pudding and serve ice cold. Desiccated or fresh cocoa-
nut grated finely can be added to the whites of the eggs, and will improve
the dish very much.
Peaches with Rice.—Take some peaches and cut them in halves; sim-
mer them in a syrup for half an hour, then drain, and when cold arrange
them on a dish round a shape of rice made as follows: Boil three table-
spoonfuls of rice, picked and washed clean, in a pint of milk, with sugar to
taste, and a piece of vanilla; when quite done put it into a basin to get cold.
Make a custard with a gill of milk and the yelks of four eggs; when cold
mix it with the rice. Beat up to a froth a gill of cream, with some sugar and
a pinch of isinglass dissolved in a little water; mix this very lightly with the
rice and custard; fill a mold with the mixture and set it on ice. When mod-
erately iced turn it out on a dish and serve.
Coffee Cream.—This is a delicate and agreeable dish for an evening en-
tertainment. Dissolve one ounce and a quarter of isinglass in half a pint of
water. Boil for two hours a teacup of whole coffee in about half a pint of
water (ground coffee is not so good for the purpose); add a teacupful to the
melted isinglass. Put them into a saucepan with half a pint of milk, and
let the whole boil up; sweeten with loaf sugar, and let it stand ten minutes
to cool, then add a pint of good cream; stir it well up and pour it into a
mold and put it in a cool place to fix; turn it out on a glass dish before
serving up.
Clinrlotte Russe.—Take one-fifth of a package of gelatine and one-half
a cup cold milk; place in a farina boiler and stir gently over the fire until
the gelatine is dissolved, pour into a dish and place in a coo) room; take
one pint of rich cream and whisk it with a tin egg-beater until it is thick;
flavor the cream with either vanilla or wine, and sweeten to ts llAi when the
gelatine is cool strain carefully into the prepared cream; lie ft ^ mold with
lady fingers; then pour the cream in carefully until it is filh i; cover with
lady fingers and ice the top if you desire it.
Snow Eggs.—Snow eggs are formed by putting over the fire a quart of
rich milk, sweetening it and flavoring it with orange flower wi ter. Separate
the whites and yelks of six fresh eggs, and beat up the whites io a stiff froth.
Drop a spoonful at a time into the boiling milk, turning then as quickly ai
possible, and lifting them out Of the milk with a skimmer, p ice them on i.
sieve. Beat up the yelks and stir them into the milk; lei jhem h*y» '**.


COOKING KECIPSS. 331
boil and put in a glass dish. Arrange the whites around the edges ana
serve either hot or cold; the last is preferable.
Airy Nothings—To three eggs put half an egg-shell full of sweet milk,
and butter the size of a walnut; work in flour until you can roll the dough
into as thin a sheet as possible. Cut into cakes with a saucer and stick as
you do biscuits; bake them quickly but not brown; heap them up on a dish
and strew them thickly with powdered sugar. Note.—Allow cue pint
of flour to the other ingredients named above, although every bit may
not be required; always reserve a little for the rolling out of cakes on a
board.
Snow Custard—Boil eight eggs, leaving out the whites of four; add to
them one quart of milk and five ounces of sugar; have a shallow pan of hot
water in the oven; set the dish into it, and bake till the custard is thick;
then set away to cool; beat the remaining whites very light; add half the pound of sugar and a teaspoonful of lemon juice; when the custard is cold
lay the whites over the top in heaps, but do not let them touch.
Cream Pie and Orange Dessert.—Cut the oranges in thin slices and
sprinkle sugar over them; let them stand two or three hours; serve on or-
dinary fruit plates. The pie is made with a bottom-crust only, and that not
thick, but light and flaky. Take one coffeecup of thick, sweet cream,
half a cup of pulverized sugar, a tablespoonful of flour, one egg; flavor with
lemon extract; bake until you are sure the crust is brown and hard, so that
it will not absorb the custard.
Whipped Cream.—Take one pint of very thick cream, sweeten it with very fine sugar and orange flower water; boil it. Beat the whites of ten eggs
with a little cold cream, strain it, and when the cream is upon the boil, pour
in the eggs, stirring it well till it comes to a thick curd; and then take it up
and'strain it again through a hair sieve. Beat it well with a spoon till it is
cold, then place it in a dish in which you wish to serve it.
Watermelon Tea Dish.—Take a fully ripe watermelon, put on ice
until thoroughly cold, slice, remove seeds and cut any shape you prefer,
squares, diamonds, stars, size sufficient for mouthful, put layer into glass
dish, sprinkle with granulated sugar, another layer with sugar, until you
fill your dish, sprinkle sugar over top, return to ice-box until wanted for
tea. Dish and eat the same as any kind of fruit. You will be delighted.
Compote of Oranges.—Put a handful of loaf S'lgar to boil with a gill of
water in a saucepan; when it boils, add the rind of three oranges minced
finely or cut into very narrow strips. Let tho whole boil five minutes, add
a liquor glass of brandy, and pour the syrup (hot) over half a dozen whole
oranges, peeled and cored, or cut up in any form you like. Leave the
oranges in a basin with the syrup till quite cold; then pile them up on a
dish and serve.
Gooseberry Trifle—Scald the fruit, press it through a sieve, and add
sugar to taste. Make a thick layer of this at the bottom of the dish. Mix a
pint of milk, a pint of cream, and the yelks of two eggs; scald it over the
fire, stirring it well; add a small quantity of sugar and let it get cold. Then
Jay it over the gooseberries with a spoon, and put on the whole lb whip made
the day before.


m TBK BOUSEHOLD.
Hen's Nest.—Take four eggs, make a hole with a pin in one end, take
out all the yolk and white, fill this with a liquid blanc mange, stand each
shell in an egg cup and put it away to cool; put some orange marmalade on
a dish; when the blano mange is hardened, break off the shells, and stand
the whole eggs in the center of the orange marmalade. This looks like to nest of eggs, and has a pretty effect for a supper table.
Dessert—Make a batter as if for waffles; to one pint of milk allow two
eggs and enough flour to thicken; one teaspoonful of baking-powder should
be stirred into the flour. Fill a sufficient number of teacups with this and
fruit in layers. Then set the cups in the steamer, and let the water boil
underneath it for a full hour. Serve while hot with sugar and cream. Any
jam is nice for this, or raw apples chopped fine.
Orange Butter.—Pare eight large oranges, cut into thin slices, pour
over them one and one-half cups of powdered sugar; boil one pint of milk;
and, while boiling, add the yelks of three eggs, one tablespoonful of corn
starch made smooth with cold milk; stir constantly, and when thick pour
over the fruit; beat the whites of the eggs to a froth, sweeten, pour over the
custard and brown in the oven. Serve cold.
Cocoanut co-...- One pound powdered sugar, one-half ditto of grated
cocoanut, and the whites of five eggs; whip the eggs as for pricing, adding the
sugar as you go on, until it will stand alone, then beat in the cocoanut; mold
the mixture with your hands into small cones, and set these far enough
apart not to touch each other upon buttered paper in a baking pan; bake in
a very moderate oven.
Dorcas American Cream—Four eggs, half box gelatine, one quart
milk. Put the milk and gelatine on the stove, and when nearly boiling, mix
in the yelks well beaten. Beat the whites very stiff; then add sixteen table-
spoonfuls of sugar. After they are well beaten, add to the other ingredients, just as they come off the stove. Flavor with vanilla or anything you may
fancy.
Velvet Cream.—One ounce isinglass, a teacup of wine, the juice of a
large lemon, one pint of rich cream. Dissolve the isinglass in wine; rub
large lumps of sugar over the lemon to extract the oil; squeeze out the
juice, and sweeten to taste. Boil this mixture and strain it; when quite cool
add the cream, and put it into molds
Spirals—Two eggs, beaten quite light, sufficient flour stirred in to make
the mixture very stiff; add a pinch of salt and stir again; then roll out quite
thin, cut strips about two inches wide and four long, and roll round the
fingers as if curling hair. Fry in butter till of a delicate golden shade, and
sprinkle powdered sugar just before serving.
Ambrosia—One pineapple chopped quite fine, one-half box of straw-
berries, six bananas sliced and the slices quartered, six oranges sliced and
the slices quartered, one lemon cut fine. Sweeten to taste; add one wine-
glassful of sherry or Madeira, and set away until very cold.
Cora Starch Blanc Mange—Dissolve three tablespoonfuls of corn
starch in new milk; heat a pint of new milk nearly boiling hot, pour in the
starch, stir briskly, and boil for three minutes; flavor with lemon or vanilla.


COOKING RECIPEB; SB*
Apple Charlotte--This is a seasonable dish. Take two pounds of
apples, pare and core them, slice them into a pan, and add one pound of
loaf sugar, the juice of three lemons, and the grated rind of one. Let these
boil until they become a thick mass, which will take about two hours. Turn
it into the mold, and serve it cold with either thick custard or cream.
Snowflake.—Dissolve in one quart of boiling water a box of gelatine;
when thoroughly dissolved add four cups of white sugar and the juice of
two lemons; when nearly cold strain; beat to a stiff froth the whites of six
eggs; mix the whole together, pour into molds and set on ice, or in a very
cool place. This served with a boiled custard makes a very pretty dish.
Lemon Conserve.—One pound powdered white sugar, quarter pound
fresh butter, six eggs, leaving out the whites of two, adding the juice and
grated rind of three fine lemons. Put all into a saucepan, stir the whole
gently over a slow fire until it gets thick as honey. A delicious spread for
bread, biscuits or rolls.
Orange Tart—Grate the yellow of one orange, squeeze out the juice,
being careful to avoid the seeds, the juice and yellow of half a lemon, fourth
of a pound of sugar, two ounces butter, carefully melted, two eggs, leaving
out the white of one, beat well, stir all together, line a tart tin, or pattypans
with thin paste, fill and bake fifteen or twenty minutes.
Snow Balls.—Two cups of sugar, one cup of butter, one cup of sweet
milk, three cups of flour, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, whites of five
eggs. Bake in deep square tins. The day following, cut in two-incb
squares, taking the oustide off so as to leave it all white; take each piece on
a fork and frost upon all sides, and roll in freshly grated cocoanut.
Spanish Puffs.—Put into a saucepan a teacup of water, a tablespoonfu)
of powdered sugar, half a teaspoonful of salt, and two ounces of butter;
while it is boiling add sufficient flour for it to leave the saucepan, stir in,
one by one, the yolks of four eggs, drop a teaspoonful at a time into boiling
lard, fry them a light brown; pour white wine and melted butter over them.
Peach Butter.—Pare ripe peaches and put them in a preserving kettle,
with sufficient water to boil them soft; then sift through a colander, remov-
ing the stones. To each quart of peach put one and one-half pound sugar,
and boil very slowly one hour. Stir often, and do not let them burn. Put
in stone or glass jars and keep in a cool place.
German Trtfle—Put one quart of strawberries, or any other fresh
fruit, in the bottom of a glass dish} sugar the fruit, cover it with a layer of
macaroons, pour over it a custard made with one quart of milk and the
yelks of seven eggs, well beaten; sweeten to your taste; when cold, place on
the top of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, with a little sugar.
Havana Butter.—One and a half cups white sugar, whites of three
eggs, yelk of one, grated rind and juice of a lemon and a half, or two small
ones. Cook over a slow fire twenty minutes, stirring all the while. Very
nice for tarts or to be eaten as preserves.
Blanc Mange.—One ounce isinglass to one quart of milk, add sugar,
cinnamon and mace to your taste; put it by the fire until the isinglass ia
dissolved; strain it, and put it in molds to cool.


9»4 THE B0U8EB0LD.
Banana Me._One who retains the " sweet tooth " of his childhood will
find this to his liking: Make a banana pie with a lower crust only; bake the
crust first, then fill it with sliced bananas and powdered sugar; the fruit will
soften sufficiently in a few moments. Cover the top with whipped cream
and eat at once.
Orange Salad—Peel one dozen oranges, and cut in slices; put in layers,
in a glass dish, sprinkling each layer plentifully with sugar. Squeeze over
this the juice of six oranges, and pour over all a glass of wine or brandy.
Sweet oranges are best for this dish with very little sugar, but Measinas are
very good, well sweetened.
Apple Snow—Put twelve apples in cold water and set them over a
slow fire; when soft, drain them, take off the peelings, core them, and put
them in a deep dish; beat the whites of twelve eggs to a stiff froth, put half
a pound of sugar in the apples, beat them light, then beat in the whites.
Elegant.
Apple Cream—Peel and core five large apples; boil them in a little
water till soft enough to press through a sieve, sweeten, and beat with them
the whites of five eggs. Serve with cream poured around them.
Chocolate Cream—Put over the fire one quart of milk; when it comes
to a boil add three tablespoonrals of chocolate. Thicken with corn starch
and sweeten to taste. Flavor with vanilla. Serve cold with cream.
Caledonian Cream—Two teaspoonfuls of white sugar, one teaspoonful
of raspberry jam, two whites of eggs, juice of one lemon. Beat for half an
hour. Serve up sprinkled with fancy biscuits.
«lu ince Snow—One-third pound of quince marmalade to whites of two
eggs and quarter pound of sugar; pile in a pyramid in a dish and bake a pals
yellow.
Cakes.
Weights and Measures—Two cups flour weigh one pound; one pint
flour, one pound; one pint white sugar, one pound; two tablespoonfuls
liquid, one ounce; eight teaspoonfuls liquid, one ounce; one gill liquid, four
ounces.
Bon-ton Wedding Cake—Beat to a cream six cups butter and four of
white sugar, add sixteen eggs beaten, then roll six cups currants washed
and dried, thre» cups seeded raisins, two cups minced citron, two cups
almonds blanched and cut fine, half cup lemon peel minced fine, and one
tablespoonful cinnamon, nutmeg, doves and allspice, in three pints sifted
flour, till they are well dredged with the flour, then add them all at once to
the butter, sugar and eggs, add half pint brandy; mix very thoroughly and
smooth, put in a large cake pan well buttered and lined with paper, and
bake in a very even oven for eight hours, watch it carefully, and your caks
will be elegant; ice it the next day with "transparent icing."
Snow Jelly Cake—Beat two eggs in a teacup and fill with rich, sour
cream; one teacup of white sugar, one cup of flour, a little soda; not quite
half a teaspoonful unless the cream is very sour. Bake in four round tins
and brown as little as possible. Have a jelly prepared by soaking four


OOOKIXG RECIPES. 388
tablespoonfals of tapioca in warm water until transparent, then add more
water and place your dish in boiling water on the stove and cook until a
transparent jelly; flavor strong with lemon, almond, or wintergreen. Gela-
tine is just as nice as tapioca. This cake is not expensive and is very nice,
and can he eaten by dyspeptics.
Rich Coffee Cake—Two cups of butter, three of sugar, one of molasses,
one of very strong coffee, one of cream or rich milk, the yelks of eight eggs,
one pound each of raisins and currants, one-half pound of citron, the same
of figs, and five cups of brown flour after it is stirred. Put the flour in the
oven until a rich brown, being careful not to burn it. When cold sift with it
three teaspoonfuls of good baking powder and a little salt. Out the figs in
long strips, dredge all the fruit with flour, beat the cake well up, and bake
in moderate oven from four to five hours.
Marble Cake.—Light Part.—Whites of three eggs, one-half cup of but-
ter, one-half cup of sugar, one-half cap of milk, two cups of flour, one-half
teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar.
Dark Part.—Yelks of three eggs, one cup of molasses, one-half cup of
butter, two cups of flour, one teaspoonful soda, one-third cup of milk, and
flavor with mixed spices, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg. Butter the tin and
put in the pan alternate layers of light and dark parts, having the light part
on top.
Lemon Cake.—One cup of sugar, four eggs, three tablespoonfals of
sweet milk, three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, three teaspoonfuls of
baking powder and one cup of flour.
Sauce.—One lemon (juice and grated rind), one cup of cold water, one
cup of sugar, one egg, and tablespoonful of cornstarch. Beat lemon rind
and egg together; stir in sugar and lemon juice; dissolve cornstarch in oold
water. Cook in a tin over hot water till it jellies.
Good Plain Cookies—Two cups of white sugar, two eggs, one cup of
butter (melted), one teaspoonful of soda, six tablespoonfuls of cold water;
roll thin. You may scatter cocoanut over the top before baking. Another
good recipe for cookies: Two cups of molasses, one cup of sugar, one oup of
butter, one cup boiling water, two teaspoonfuls of soda, two tablespoonfuls
of ginger, one tablespoonful of cinnamon; roll as soft as possible. If you
like the flavor of coffee, you can use half cold coffee and half water.
Sand Hearts.—Two pounds of flour, two pounds of sugar, one pound of
butter, three eggs. Make up into a dough, and work till the ingredients
are well incorporated. After rolling out and cutting into heart-shape, place
the cakes en a pan and beat up one egg, spread some of it over them with a
feather, and then sprinkle with granulated sugar. If a little coarse-grained
all the better, mixing with it a little finely-powdered cinnamon.
Watermelon Cake—White part, two cups of white sugar, two-thirds
oup of butter, two-thirds cup of milk, three cups of flour, whites of five
eggs, one teaspoonful of soda, and two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar. Bed
part, one cup of red sugar, one half cup of butter, one-half cup of milk, two
tups of flour, one cup of raisins, whites of five eggs, one teaspoonful of
soda, and two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar. Stone and roll the raisins
In powdered sugar, stir into the cake, and turn into the middle of the pa*,
and pour the white part over and around it.


896 THE HOUBEBOLD.
Frosting fhr Cake.—Allow sixteen tablespoonfuls pulverized sugar for etch egg. Take part of the sugar at first and sprinkle over the egg; beat
them for half an hour, gradually stirring in the rest of the sugar; then
flavor. A little lemon juice whitens icing. Strawberry juice or cranberry
syrup gives the pretty pink shade. It may be colored yellow by using some
of the yelk of the egg or by putting the grated peel of a lemon or orange in
a thin muslin bag and squeezing it hard into the egg and sugar.
Currant Cookleg—One pound flour, one-half pound of butter, three-
quarters of a pound of sugar, four eggs, one half pound of currants well
washed and dredged, one half teaspoonful of soda dissolved in hot water,
one-half lemon, grated rind and juice, one teaspoonful of cinnamon. Drop
from a spoon upon a baking tin lined with well-buttered paper and bake
quickly.
Cocoanut Cake.—Three eggs (the whites of two of them to be used for
frosting), two-thirds of a cup of sugar, two-thirds of a cup of sweet milk,
one and two-thirds cups of flour, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and the half teaspoonful of soda. Bake in thin round tins; make a frosting of the
whites of the two eggs, well beaten, with four dessertspoonfuls of white
sugar; spread on the top of ths cakes and sprinkle the grated cocoanut with
the frosting.
Apple Cake.—A pleasant variation on the jelly and cre<iri filling used
for double cakes may be made of apples. Beat one egg light in a bowl, and
into it a cup of sugar. Add to this the strained juice and grated rind of a
lemon. Peel and grate three firm pippins or other ripe, tart apples directly
into this mixture, stirring each well in before adding another. When all are
in, put into a farina kettle and stir over the fire until the apple custard is
boiling hot and quite thick. Cool and spread between the cakes.
Angel Cake—Sift together four times, one and one-half cups of sugar,
one cup flour, one teaspoonful cream of tartar; star in this very lightly
whites of eleven eggs thoroughly beaten. Flavor with one-half teaspoonful
of rose extract. Bake fifty minutes in a slow oven, not opening the oven for
thirty minutes. Turn pan over on a rack and lot cake remain in pan one
hour. This is the simplest rule for angel cake that we have ever seen, and
is excellent.
A Useful Cake—One-third cup of butter, two cups light brown sugar,
two eggs, beat all together. One cup of new sweet milk, three cups of sifted
flour, three teaspoonfuls baking powder. Stir all together, and bake is
seven layers. For jelly cake take jelly, for orange cake juice and grated
rind of one orange, whites of two eggs, make stiff with sugar. For lemon
cake white of one egg, juice of one lemon, and teaspoonful extract of lemon.
For cocoanut, whites of two eggs, thickened with sugar and grated cocoanut
.
Dolly Varden Cake—Two cups of sugar, two-thirds of a cup of butter,
one cup of sweet milk, three cups of flour, three eggs, one-half teaspoonful
of soda, one teaspoonful of cream tartar. Flavor with lemon. Bake one-
half of this in two pans. To the remainder add one tablespoonful of
molasses, one cup of chopped raisins, one-half cup of currants, piece of
citron chopped fine, one teaspoonful of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. B»ke
in two pans and put in sheets alternately with a little jelly or white of am
egg beaten to a froth.


COOKING RECIPES. 337
Almond Cake.—The following recipe for almond cake is a good one. It
makes a very nice cake for the basket. Take one cup of butter, one cup and
a half of sugar, three eggs, half of a cup of milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking
powder, about two cups of flour; flavor with a little almond extract; blanch
one pound of almonds; lay aside enough to cover the top of the cake when
they are cut in halves; chop the rest and put into the cake. After the cake
is in the tin, lay the split ones over the top of the cake; they will rise and
brown as the cake bakes. This is delicious; try it.
'Raised Raisin Cake.—Dissolve half the square of compressed yeast in
one large cup of milk and stir in one pound of flour, let rise; when light beat
together eight ounces each of butter and sugar, yolks of four eggs, cup of
stoned raisins, some fine cut citron, and grated peel of a lemon; stir now into
the dough, beating it very light (it is best to use the hand), let it rise again
in a round cake pan and bake in an even but moderate oven.
Strawberry or Red Cake—Whites of five eggs; butter, one cup; sugar,
one cup; red sugar sand, one cup; or if wanted very dark, two cups of red
sugar, leaving out the white; sweet milk, one cup; corn starch, one cup;
flour, two cups; baking powder, three teaspoonfuls; then make a white cake
and bake same as marble cake, or, if desired, bake in layers and put to-
gether with frosting.
Farmer's Fruit Cake.—Soak three cups of dried apples over night in
warm water. Chop slightly in the morning, and simmer two hours in two
cups of molasses. Add two well-beaten eggs, one cup of sugar, one cup of
butter, one dessertspoonful of soda, flour enough to make rather a stiff bat 'Sr. Flavor with nutmeg and cinnamon to the taste. Bake in a quick oven.
Ice Cream Cake.—Take the whites of five eggs, one and a half cups of
sugar, one-half cup of butter, one cup of milk, one-half teaspoonful of soda,
one teaspoonful cream tartar, three cups of flour. Separate this mixture
and color half with strawberry coloring. Flavor this with vanilla, the white
with lemon. Put in the white, then the pink. Bake slowly.
Rice Cake.—Take half a pound of clarified butter, eight eggs well
beaten, leaving out the whites of two, three-quarters of a pound of pounded
•ugar, and the grated peel of a lemon; mix these well together; then add
grounded rice and dried flour, half a pound of each; currants and candied
peel may be added, when approved.
Pineapple Cake.—Three cups sugar, one cup butter, five eggs, three
and one-half cups of flour, one-half cup cold water, two teaspoonfuls baking
powder. Bake in layers; spread each layer with a thick icing, then cover
with grated pineapple. Place on next layer and treat as before.
Gelatine Frosting—One tablespoonful gelatine, two tablespoonfuls of
cold water; when the gelatine is soft, one tablespoonful of hot water. When
entirely dissolved add one cup of powdered sugar, and beat while it is yet
warm until white and light; lemon to taste. Give good measure to all the
ingredients. This frosts one sheet of cake
Molasses Cookies—Two cups and one-half hot molasses, one cup of
shortening (half butter and half lard), one teaspoonful of ginger and one of
cinnamon; dissolve two teaspoonfuls of saleratus in a cup of lukewarm


888 THE HOUSEHOLD.
water and throw in as quickly as possible; add some flour and stir a few
minutes as you would soft cake, then add more flour; mix as soft as you can
conveniently and roll out.
Banana Cake. One cup of butter, two cups sugar, one cup of water
or of sweet milk, three eggs, four cups of flour, three small teaspoonfuls of
baking powder; mix lightly and bake in layers. Make an icing of the whites
of two eggs, and one cup and a half of powdered sugar. Spread this on the
layers, and then cover thickly and entirely with bananas, sliced thin. This
cake may be flavored with vanilla. The top should be simply frosted.
Buttermilk Cakes.—We advise those ladies who live in the country,
where buttermilk can be easily procured, to try the following receipt, which
makes a very good light cake: Into two pounds of flour rub one pound of
butter, add three-quarters of a pound of currants, two ounces of candied
peel, one pint of buttermilk, and one ounce of carbonate of soda. Mix and
beat them well together, and bake in to tin.
Bachelors' Buttons.—These delicious little cakes are prepared by rub-
bing two ounces of butter into five ounces of flour; add five ounces of white
sugar, beat an egg with half the sugar and put it to the other ingredients.
Add almond flavoring according to taste, roll them in the hand about the
size of a large nut, sprinkle them with lump sugar, and place them on tins,
with buttered paper. They should be lightly baked.
Bread Cake.—Two cups of very light bread sponge, take one cup butter
and lard mixed, one cup sugar, one cup molasses, one tablespoonful cinna-
mon, half teaspoonful cloves, one teaspoonful soda, one tablespoonful rich
milk, two eggs; mix these ingredients well and add to the risen sponge, with
flour to make as stiff as cup cake, and one cup of raisins; let rise until light
and bake slowly.
Coffee Cakes.—Three cups of bread sponge, one-half cup of butter, two
tablespoonfuls of sugar, two eggs. Roll thin, cut out as for biscuit; sprinkle
with sugar, cinnamon, and bits of butter. Bake slowly.
Black Cake.—One and three-quarter pounds of flour, one and one-
quarter pounds of brown sugar, one pound of butter, one and one-half
pounds of raisins, one and one-half pounds of currants, one-half pound of
lard, four eggs, one pint of milk, one nutmeg, and mace, one teaspoonful of
baking powder. Wine and brandy.
Filling for Layer Cake—A delicious filling for a layer cake is made
of one cup of stoned raisins and one lemon peeled, chopped together; mix
with this half a cup of cold water and one cup of sugar. Beat this well
together; if the cake is well baked, so that there is a crust on the top, put
the filling in while the cake is still warm. Be sure to remove the seeds from
the lemons.
Old-Fashioned «Muster Gingerbread."—One cup molasses, two
large spoonfuls butter, one teaspoonful soda dissolved in three tablespoon-
fuls boiling water, one teaspoonful ginger; knead well but not hard; roll
into sheets, mark with a fork and bake quickly; this will make three com-
mon sized sheets; after it is baked and while hot, mix one teaspoonful sweet
milk and one of molasses and wet the top.


COOKING REOIPES. 836
Chocolate Jumbles.—One and a half teacups of white sugar, one-half
a teacup of sweet cream, one-half a teacup of butter, one teacup of choco-
late, half a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in oream, one teaapoonful cream of
tartar, one egg Work very stiff with flour, miy the chocolate and cream of
tartar in the flour, roll thin, cut with a cutter.
Honey Cakes—Three and one-half pounds of flour, one and one-half
pounds of honey, one-half pound of butter, one-half pound of sugar, half a
nutmeg, one tablespoonful of ginger, one teaspoonful of soda; roll thin and
cut in small cakes; bake in a quick oven, cover tight and let stand till moist.
They will keep a long time. This recipe has been used in one family for
twenty-five years.
Huckleberry Cake. —One cup butter, two cups sugar, three cups flour,
five eggs, one cup sweet milk, one teaspoonful soda dissolved in hot water,
one teaspoonful each of nutmeg and cinnamon. One quart of ripe berries
dredged well with flour. Stir them in carefully so as. not to burn them.
Bake in loaf or card.
Boston Cake—One uound of flour, one pound of sugar, half a pound of
buiter, cup of sour cream, five eggs, teaspoonful of soda, spice. Beat but-
ter and sugar to a cream, then yelks of eggs beaten very light, dissolve soda
in cream, and add then flour alternately with whites of eggs beaten to a
froth; spice to taste; fruit can be added; bake in a moderately hot oven,
especially if fruit is added.
Uneen's Cake—One pound flour, one pound of sugar, half pound of
butor, five eggs, flavoring essence to taste, cup of milk, one pour 1. of cur-
rants, spice and citron. Beat butter and sugar to a cream, add eggs well
beaten, then milk, flour, spice and fruit. Chopped raisins can be used in
place of currants, if preferred. Bake two hours in a pretty hot oven.
Cream Cake—One-half cup of butter, two cups sugar, three eggs
beaten in one cup of milk, three cups of flour, two teaspoonfuls of cream of
tartar, one teaspoonful of soda. Cream for middle, one pint of milk, let it
come to a boil, one-half cup of flour, one cup of sugar, two eggs, flavor with
vanilla and a lump of butter. This is worth trying.
Cream Tea Cakes—Two pounds of flour, a teacup of butter, half pint
of sour cream, half a teaspoonful of saleratus, and a little salt. Mix well.
If necessary, add more cream. Make into small round cakes, and bake
fifteen or twenty minutes. When done, open one side, and insert a piece of
butter, or serve otherwise, hot.
Mrs. Crabtree's Cake.—One cup sugar, one-half cup butter, three
eggs, leaving out whites of two for frosting; one-half cup of sweet milk, one-
half teaspoonful soda, one teaspoonful cream of tartar, two cups, not quite
full, flour. Frosting.—Whites of two eggs, beat to a froth, one and half cups
sugar; one cup raisins chopped fine, one cup English walnuts, chopped
fine.
Lady Fingers.—Take two eggs, one cup of sugar, half a cup of butter,
half a cup of sweet milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder; add enough
flour to form a soft dough. Take a small piece of dough, flour it and roll
with your hands as large as your finger; cut off in four-inch lengths and put
closely in buttered pans. Bake quickly.


840 THE HOUSEHOLD.
Loaf Seed Cake.—Take one loaf of dough, oue cup of brown sugar, half
cup of butter or drippings, half ounce of caraway seeds, or a quarter pound
of currants, a little spice, two eggs; mix thoroughly with the hands, and set
to rise. Do not bake until real light; bake in a deep tin.
Kisses.—Beat the whites of three fresh eggs to a stiff froth; mix with five
spoonfuls powder*d sugar and flavor with lemon. Butter a pan and lay in
it white paper. Drop the mixture upon it in teaspoonful cakes, at least an
inch apart. Sift sugar over; bake half an hour in a slow oven.
Adelaide Cake.—One pound of flour, oue pound of sugar, one-half
pound of butter, six eggs, one cup of milk; rub the butter and sugar to-
gether, then add the yelks of the eggs, then the milk, with soda and cream
tartar in it; flavor with lemon; mix the flour and whites of eggs in
alternately.
Fruit Cream Cake—One cup of brown sugar, one egg, butter the size
of an egg, one cup of cream, one teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of
cinnamon, one small nutmeg, two cups of flour, one cup and a half of seeded
raisins. Tins will make one good-sized loaf.
Hickorynut Macaroons—Make frosting as for cake; stir in enough
pounded hickerynut-m'eats, with mixed ground spice to taste, to make con-
venient to handle. Flour the hands and form the mixture into little balls.
Place on buttered tins, allowing room to spread, and bake in a quick oven.
Tea Cake. —Beat two eggs in a teacup, fill the cup with sweet milk, add
one cup sugar, ten even teaspoonfuls uibited butter, one and three-fourths
cupsflour, two teaspoonfuls baking powder. This is the most reliable, easily
made, and accommodating of cakes. Delicious baked in layers, and spread
with jelly, chocolate icing, or cream. May be baked in a loaf or small patty
pans, and served warm with tea.
Boston Tea Cakes—One well beaten egg, two tablespoonfuls sugar,
one cup of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of soda dissolved in the milk, two
teaspoonfuls of cream ot tartar sifted into the dry flour, two heaping cups
of sifted flour, one tablespooniul of butter, melted. Bake in small tins.
Soft Cookies.—One heaping cup of butter, one and a half of sugar, two
eggs, three tablespoonfuls of sour milk, a small teaspoonful of soda, and as
little flour as will roll them out. Do not roll them thin. Sprinkle over
before cutting out, and press it in slightly with the rolling pin.
Ginger Snaps—One cup molasses, one cup brown sugar, half cup lard
and butter melted together, three tablespoonfuls ginger, one teaspoonful
cinnamon, half teaspoonful cloves, one teaspoonful soda dissolved in halt' a
cup of boiling water; thicken with flour; roll and bake.
Christmas Cake—Butter, blanched almonds, sugar, grocers' cur-
rants, and candied peel, half a pound of each; half a pint of cream, a meas-
ured half pint of eggs out of their shells, and enough French brandy and
Madeira wine in equal parts to make the whole sufficiently moist; the eggs
are to be whisked, the cream whipped, and the butter beaten as for a pound
cake; bake it for two hours in a hoop or tin.
Molasses Sponge Cake.—One cup molasses, one and a half of flour,
three eggs, one teaspoonful soda; bake in a quick oven.


VOOKINQ RECIPES. 3tt
Corn Cake. Three eggs whipped light, yelks and whites separately,
two cups sour- or buttermilk, three tablespoonfuls melted butter, one tea spoonful soda dissolved in boiling water, one tablespoonful white sugar,
one small teaspoonful salt. Corn meal enough to make a rather thin batter.
Bake in a shallow pan, or in small tins, thirty minutes in a hot oven.
Fruit Cake—Three pounds of flour, three pounds of sugar, three
pounds of butter, thirty eggs, one ounce of cinnamon, four or five nutmegs,
cloves to your judgment, half a pint of wine and brandy each, six pounds of currants, five pounds of stoned raisins, one citron and a half.
Jelly Cake—to Roll—Three eggs beaten well with one cup of sugar;
when light add one cup of flour, teaspoonful of cream of tartar, one-hali
teaspoonful of soda dissolved in water. Baking powder can be used instead
of cream of tartar and soda.
Sponge Drop j—Beat to a froth three eggs and add one teacup of sugar:
beat five minutes: stir into this one and a half cups of flour, in which one
teaspoonful of cream of tartar and one half teaspoonful of soda are thor-
oughly mixed; flavor with lemon; butter tin sheets, and drop in spoonfuls
about three inches apart.
Mother's Ten Cake—Break an egg in a teacup, filled with sugar, beat
thoroughly together, add one cup thick, sour cream, one teaspoonful soda,
a little salt, half a nutmeg, and flour to make a stiff batter; bake twenty
minutes in a moderate oven.
Choice Fig Cake—A large cup of butter, two and a half cups of sugar,
one of sweet milk, three pints of flour with three teaspoonfuls of baking
powder, the whites ot sixteen eggs, a pound and a quarter of figs (the
choicest), well floured and cut in strips like citron; no flavoring.
Fried Cakes Without Eggs.—Take one and one-half cups of sugar,
one cup of thick cream, two cups of buttermilk, one teaspoonful of cinna-
mon, about two and one-half teaspoonfuls of soda, and flour to mix. Boll,
cut into rings, and fry in very hot lard.
toffee Snaps—Half cup molasses, half cup sugar, half cup lard and but-
ter, mixed, a little salt, half teaspoonful soda, dissolved in quarter cup of
strong coffee. Beat well; add flour enough to roll. Bake in a quick oven.
Currant Cake—One-half cup of butter, one cup of sugar, two eggs,
•ine-half cup of milk, one and one-half cups of flour, two teaspoonfuls of
baking powder, one cup of washed currants dredged with flour.
Layer Cake.—The layer cake, so popular now, made of two layers of
white cake with one of fruit cake in the middle, may be varied deliciously
by making the middle layer of walnut cake. For this, if the cake is a large
one, take two-thirds of a cup of sugar, one-third of a cup of butter, one cup
flour, one egg, one teaspoonful baking powder, and nearly one cup of hickory- nut meats.
Hickory-nut Cake.—One cup broken hickery meats, one and one-half
cups sugar, one-half cup butter, two cups flour, three-fourths cup sweet
milk, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, and the whites of four eggs, well
beaten. Add the meats last
.


J42 THE HOUSEHOLD.
Chocolate Icing.—Put into a saucepan half a poundof powdered loaf-
sugar, two ounces of grated chocolate, and about Bgill of water; stir on the
fire until the mixture assumes the consistence of a thick, smooth cream.
Hickory nut Cookies—Take two cups of sugar, two eggs, half a cup of
melted butter, six tablespoonfuls of milk or a little more than a third of a
cup, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, half a teaspoonful of soda, and one
cup of chopped kernels stirred into the dough.
Cookies.—Two eggs, half a cup of butter, or half lard with the butter,
one cup of white sugar, flavor with lemon extract and nutmeg, three tea-
spoonfuls of baking powder sifted with flour enough to make the consistency
to roll.
Molasses Cake—Two cups of New Orleans molasses, four cups of flour,
one cup of water, one cup of butter, one egg, two teaspoonfuls of soda, one
orange; grate the peel, put that in, and also the juice and pulp.
Sponge Cake.—Beat four eggs, two cups sugar, two cups of flour with
two heaping teaspoonfuls baking powder sifted in, all together thoroughly;
then add a little lemon and two-thirds cup of boiling water. Beat well and
bake, and you will have as fine a cake as was ever eaten.
Clove Cake.—Two cups flour, half cup molasses, one-half cup butter,
one-half cup milk, two eggs, two cups raisins, one teaspoonful of soda, halfteaspoonful each of cloves, cinnamon, and allspice, half Bnutmeg.
Macaroons—The whites of,three eggs, beaten to a stiff froth; half a
pound of cocoanut, half a pound of rolled and sifted crackers, and an even
tablespoonful of extract of bitter almond. Drop them upon a greased paper,
in a dripping-pan, and bake a light brown.
Feather Cake.—One cup of milk, one cup of flour, one egg, half a cup
of sweetened milk, one tablespoonful of melted butter, one teaspoonful of
baking powder, one teaspoonful of lemon juice. Bake to a dark brown.
Ginger Cookies—One cup of sugar, one of butter, one of molasses, one
tablespoonful of ginger, one of cinnamon, and two teaspoonfuls of saleratuk,
dissolved in three tablespoonfuls of hot water. Bake quickly.
Snowden Cake—Beat to a cream half a pound of butter, three-quarters
of a pound of granulated sugar, the whites of six eggs, half a teacup of
cream, and one ponijd-of Bermuda arrow-root. .Add the beaten yolksof two
of the eggs, and a little salt. Bake in tomold one hour.
New Way to Prepare Chocolate Cake.—Lovers of chocolate cake will
rejoice at a new way of preparing it. Use the usual recipe for the cake,
omitting one-third of a cup of flour. Grate the chocolate as for layer cake,
add to the dough, mix thoroughly, and bake in a loaf.
Fruit Cake.—One cup of butter, one cup of sugar, one cup of molasses,
three cups of flour, one half cup of milk, one cup of chopped raisins, one
teaspoonful of cloves, cinnamonand allspice, two eggs, and two teaspoonfuls
of baking powder or one teaspoonful of soda.
Doughnuts—One egg, one cup sugar, one teaspoonful of butter, one
cupof sweet milk, one teaspoonful of soda, two teaspoonfuls of cream, tartm


COOKING RECIPES. 8i»
Cocoanut Cookies.—Two cups of white sugar, one cup of butter, two
cups of grated cocoanut, two eggs, one teaspoonful of baking powder, and
mix with enough flour to roll easy. Roll very thin, bake in a quick oven,
but not brown.
To Flavor Cake.—An economical and really delicious way to flavor
cake which is to have icing over the top, is to grate part of the peel of an
orange or lemon over the cake before putting the icing on.
White Mountain Cake.—One tablespoonful of butter, four tablespoon-
fuls of milk, one cup of flour, one cup of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of yeast-
powder, and two eggs; cream, whites of two eggs, six ounces of pulverized
sugar.
Railroad Sponge Cake.—One and a half cups of sugar, two even cups
of flour, four eggs, one teaspoonful of baking powder. Mix and add one-
third of a cup of hot water.
Plum Cake.—One pound flour, one pound sugar, one pound butter,
five pounds currants, ten ounces citron, three-quarters of an ounce of cloves,
three-quarters of an ounce nutmegs, ten eggs, one wineglass brandy.
Crullers.—Two coffee cups sugar, one coffee cup milk, four eggs, six
spoonfuls lard, two teaspoonfuls cream tartar, one teaspoonful soda, flour
to make stiff enough to roll; fry in boiling lard; spice to suit the taste.
Virginia Snow Cake—The whites of nine eggs, two cups sugar, four
cups flour, one cup sweet milk, one cup butter, two teaspoonfuls baking
powder.
Water Pound Cake.—One cup of butter, three cups of sugar, one cup
of water or milk, four cups of flour, six eggs, one teaspoonful of soda, two
teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar.
No Egg Cake. —Two and a half cups of flour, half a cup each of butter
and milk, one and a half cups of brown sugar, and one teaspoonful of soda.
Flavor with nutmeg.
Cup Cake.—Two cups of sugar, one cup of milk, one-half cup of butter,
two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, four eggs, two and one-half cups of
flour.
Gold Cake.—Yelks of five eggs, one and three-fourths cups butter, one-
half cup milk, one and one-quarter cups flour, one cup sugar, two spoonfuls
baking powder.
Ice Cream and Summer Drinks.
French Vanilla Ice Cream—One quart rich sweet cream, half a
pound of granulated sugar, and the yelks of six eggs. Place the cream and
sugar in a porcelain kettle on the fire, and allow them to come to a boil;
strain through a hair sieve, and having the eggs well beaten add slowly to
the cream and sugar while hot, at the same time stirring rapidly. Place on
the fire again, and stir for a few minutes; then pour into the freezer, and
flavor with one tablespoonful of vanilla.
Crushed Strawberry Ice Cream.—Three pints best cream, twelve
ounces pulverized white sugar, two whole eggs, and two tablespoonfnls of


8U TBE BOUSEBOLD.
•-xtract of vanilla. Mix in a porcelain basin, place over the fire, and stir
constantly until it reaches a boiling point. Strain through a hair sieve into
the freezer, select, hull and crush to a pulp one quart ripe strawberries,
with six ounces pulverized sugar. Add this pulp to the frozen cream, mix
well, and give the freezer a few additional turns to harden.
Coffee Ice Cream—One quart best cream, half a pint strong coffee,
fourteen ounces white pulverized sugar, yelks of eight eggs. Mix in a por-
celain-lined basin, place on the fire to thicken, and strain through a hair
sieve. Put into a freezer and freeze.
Lemon Ice Cream.—One quart best cream, eight ounces of pulverized
sugar, three whole eggs, and a tablespoonful of extract of lemon. Place on
the fire, stirring continually until it reaches the boiling point, then remove
and strain into the freezer.
Italian Orange Ice Cream.—One pint of best cream, twelve ounces
of pulverized sugar, the juice of six oranges, two teaspoonfuls of orange
extract, the yelks of eight eggs, and a pinch of salt.
Biscuit Glaze.—One pint and a half of cream, the yelks of eight eggs,
and one tablespoonful of vanilla; take six ounces of crisp macaroons and
pound to a dust; then stir into it another tablespoonful of vanilla; mix the
cream, sugar and vanilla; place on the fire and stir until it begins to thicken;
strain into freezer, and when nearly frozen add the macaroon dust and
finish. Eggs can be left out of all ice cream recipes if desirable.
Orange Ice—Squeeze the juice from six large oranges and two lemons;
pour about five gills of boiling water over the broken peel and pulp and let
it stand until cool; then strain and add the water to the orange and lemon
juice. Sweeten to taste with loaf sugar, and freeze.
Lemon Water Ice—Bub on sugar the clear rinds of lemons; squeeze
the juice of twelve lemons, strain them, boil the sugar into a strong, thick
syrup; add to the juice half a pint of water, or good barley water, sweeten it
with your syrup, and add the white of an egg and jelly.
Oranges Cold.—Frozen oranges, for dessert at any season of the year,
are delicious. Remove the peel and slice the oranges; to each pound of
oranges add three-quarters of a pound of sugar and one-half pint of water,
and freeze.
Red Currant Fruit Ic».—Put three pints of ripe currants, one pint of
red raspberries, half a pint of water in a basin. Place on the fire and sim-
mer for a few minutes, then strain. Add twelve ounces of sugar and half a
pint of water.
Raspberry Water Ice—Press sufficient raspberries through a hair
sieve to give three pints of juice, and add one pound of pulverized sugar and
the juice of one lemon.
Egg-Nogg.—To make a quart take three eggs, nearly a pint of good
fresh milk, sugar and spice to suit the taste. Put these in a pitcher; add hot
water to make a quart; then stir, or change from one vessel to another until
completely mixed; then add a wineglass or more of the best whiskey. Wine
may be used instead of whiskey. The eggs and sugar must be thoroughly
beaten before being put with the hot water.


COO KINO RECIPES. Stf
Ginger Beer.—White sugar, twenty pounds; lemon juice, eighteen
ounces; honey, one pound; bruised ginger, seventeen ounces; water, eigh-
teen gallons; boil the ginger in three gallons of the water for half an hour;
then add the sugar, the juice and the honey, with the remainder of the
water, and strain through a cloth; when cold, add the white of an egg and
half an ounce of the essence of lemon; after standing four days, bottle. This
beverage will keep for many months.
White Spruce Beer—Mix together three pounds of loaf sugar, five
gallons of water, a cup of good yeast, adding a small piece of lemon peel,
and enough of the essence of spruce to give it flavor. When fermented, pre-
serve in close bottles. Molasses or common brown sugar can be used, U
necessary, instead of loaf, and the lemon peel left out. Sometimes, when
unable to obtain the essence of spruce, we have boiled down the twigs. This
will be found a delightful home drink.
Sham Champagne.— A good temperance drink is made as follows:
Tartaric acid, one ounce; one good-sized lemon; ginger root, half ounce;
white sugar, one and a half pounds; water, two and a half gallons; brewer's
yeast, four ounces. Shoe the lemon, bruise the ginger, and mix all except
the yeast. Boil the water and pour it upon them; let it stand until cooled
down to blood heat, then add the yeast and let it stand in the sun all day,
and at night bottle. In two days it will be fit for use.
Berry Sherbet.—Crush one pound of berries, add them to one quart of
water, one lemon sliced, and one teaspoonful of orange flavor, if you have
it. Let these ingredients stand in an earthen bowl for three hours; then
strain, squeezing all the juice out of the fruit. Dissolve one pound of pow-
dered sugar in it, strain again, and put on the ice until ready to serve.
Cherry Effervescing Drink—Take a pint of the juice of bruised
cherries, filter until clear, and make into a syrup with half a pound of sugar;
then add one ounce of tartaric acid, bottle and cork well. To a tumbler
three parts full of water, add two tablespoonfuls of the syrup and a scruple
of carbonate of soda; stir well, and drink while effervescing.
Orangeade or Lemonade.—Squeeze the juice, pour boiling water on a
little of the peel, and cover close; boil water and sugar to a thin syrup and
skim it. When all are eold, mix the juice, the infusion, and the syrup with
as much more water as will make a rich sherbet; then strain. Or, squeeze
the juice and strain it, then add to it water and capillaire.
Ginger Leniannile.- -Take half cup of vinegar, one cup of sugar, two
teaspoonfuls of ginger, stir well together; put ill a quart pitcher and fill with
ice water. If one wants it sweeter or sourer than these quantities make it,
more of the needed ingredients may be put in. It ia a cooling drink, and
almost as good as lemonade, some preferring it.
Iceland Moss Chocolate.—Dissolve one ounce of Iceland moss in one
pint of boiling milk; boil one ounce of chocolate for five minutes in one pint
of boiling water; thoroughly mix the two, and give it to the invalid night and
morning. This is a highly nutritive drink for invalids.
Staffordshire Syllabub.—Put a pint of cider and a glass of brandy
sugar and nutmeg, into a bowl, and pour milk on the top of it; or pour warn
milk from a laree teapot some height into it


Ml TBS HOUSEBOLD.
Effervescing Ltmonade.—Boil two pounds of white sugar with one
pint of lemon juice; bottle and cork. Put a tablespoonful of the syrup into
a tumbler about three parts full of cold water, add twenty grains of car-
bonate of soda, and drink quickly.
Cool Summer Drink.—Take one pound finely powdered loaf sugar,
one ounce of tartaric or citric acid, and twenty drops of essence of lemon.
Mix immediately, and keep very dry. Two or three spoonfuls of this,
stirred briskly in a tumbler of water, will make a very pleasant glass of
lemonade.
Table Beer.—A cheap and agreeable table beer is made as follows:
Take fifteen gallons of water, and boil one-hall', putting the other into a bar-
rel; add the boiling water to the cold, with one gallon of molasses and a
little yeast. Keep the bung hole open till the fermentation is completed.
Root Beer.—To make Ottawa root beer, take one ounce each of sassafras,
allspice, yellow dock, and wintergreen, half an ounce each of wild cherry bark and coriander, a quarter of an ounce of hops, and three quarts of
molasses. Pour boiling water on the ingredients, and let them stand twenty-
four hours. Filter the liquor, and add half a pint of yeast, and it will be
ready for use in twenty-four hours.
M i 1 k Lemonade.—Dissolve three-quarters of a pound of loaf sugar in
one pint of boiling water, and mix with them one gill of lemon juice and one
gill of sherry; then add three gills of cold milk. Stir the whole well
together and strain it.
Nice Lemon Beer—Slice two good-sized lemons, put with them one
pound of sugar; over these pour one gallon of boiling water, and when
about milk warm add one-third cup of yeast. Let it stand over night, and
it is ready for use.
Confectionery.
To Make Tomato Figs—Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, in
order to remove the skin; then weigh them and place them in a stone jar;
with as much sugar as you have tomatoes, and let them stand two days;
then pour off the syrup, and boil and skim until no scum rises. Then pour
it over the tomatoes, and let them stand two days, as before; then boil and
skim again. After the third time they are fit to dry, if the weather is good;
if not, let them stand in the syrup until drying weather; then place on large
earthen plates or dishes, and put them in the sun to dry, which will take
them about a week; after which, pack them down in small wooden boxes,
with fine white sugar between every layer.
Walnut Creams.—One cup granulated sugar, one-half cup hot water;
boil like mad two or three minutes or until it jellies in water; cool it
(almost), beat it very fast until it creams; spread on a platter, halve and
put on walnuts. This cream is same as chocolate cream. Chocolate for
cream as follows: One ounce or ODe square Baker's chocolate in a bowl over
the teakettle and melt; add one teaspoonful pulverized sugar, a piece of
butter size of a walnut with the salt washed out; dip the balls of cream into
this and dry on sheets of paper. The above directions make forty drops, or
cream for one pound walnuts.


COOKING RECIPES. 347
Peppermint Drops—-The best peppermint drops are made by sifting
finely powdered loaf sugar in lemon juice, sufficient to make it of a proper
consistence; then, gently drying it over the fire a few minutes, and stirring
in about fifteen drops of oil of peppermint for each ounce of sugar, dropping
them from the point of a knife. Some persons, instead of using lemon juice,
merely mix up the sugar and oil of peppermint with the whites of eggs;
beating the whole well together, dropping it on white paper, and drying the
drops gradually before the fire, at to distance.
Popcorn Balls—Take a three-gallon pan and fill it nearly level full
of popped corn, and then take B cup of molasses and the little piece of butter
and boil until it will set, or try it in cold water; just a drop will do in water,
and if it sets, then pour the molasses all around on the corn. Then take a
large iron spoon and stir well; when well mixed, butter your hands well
and take corn in both hands, as much as you can press well together, and
you will have a large and splendid ball. You can use sugar in the place of
molasses if you wish it.
To Sugar or Crystallize Pop Corn.—Put into an iron kettle one table-
spoonful of water, and one teacup of white sugar; boil until ready to candy,
then throw in three quarts of corn nicely popped; stir briskly until the
candy is evenly distributed over the corn; set the kettle from the fire, and
stir until it is cooled a little and you have each grain separate and crys-
tallized with the sugar; care should be taken not to have too hot a fire lest
you scorch the corn when crystallizing. Nuts of any kind prepared this way
are delicious.
Walnut Candy—The meats of hickory nuts, English walnuts, or black
walnuts may be used according to preference in that regard. After removal
from the shells in as large pieces as practicable, they are to be placed on
bottom of tins, previously greased, to the depth of about a half inch. Next
boil two pounds of brown sugar, a half pint of water and one gill of good
molasses until a portion of the mass hardens when cooled. Pour the hot
candy on the meats and allow it to remain until hard.
Almond Candy.—Take one pound of sugar and about half a pint of water; put in part of the white of an egg to clarify the sugar; let this boil a
few minutes, and remove any scum that rises. When the sugar begins to
candy drop in the dry almonds; first, however, you should blanch the nuts
by pouring hot water over them, and letting them stand in it a few minutes;
then the skin will slip off readily. Spread the candy on buttered plates to
cool.
Sugar Taffy—One pound sugar put in a pan with half tumbler cold
water, add one teaspoonful cream tartar, lump of butter size of hickory nut,
one teaspoonful vinegar (do not stir at all), boil slowly twenty-five minutes,
and drop a little into cold water, and if crispy it is done; turn on to plates
and pour on flavoring—lemon and vanilla, half each—pull till very white.
Butter Scotch.—Take two cups of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of water,
piece of butter the size of an egg. Boil without stirring until it hardens on
a spoon. Pour out on buttered plates to cool.
Chocolate Candy'—One cup brown sugar, one cup white, one cup
molasses, one cup milk, one cup chocolate, butter the size of the walnut.


S4A TBE HOUSEHOLD.
Lemon Drop*—Squeeze the juice of six lemons into.a basin; pound
some lump sugar, and sift it through a fine sieve, mix it with the lemon
Juice, and make it so thick that you can hardly stir it. Put it into a stew
pan, and stir it over the fire for five minutes, then drop out of a teaspoon on
writing paper, and let it stand till cold.
Candied Lemon Peel—Peel some fine lemons, with all the inner pulp,
in halves or quarters; have ready a very strong syrup of white sugar and
water; put the peels into it, and keep them boiling till the syrup is nearly
reduced. Take them out and set them to dry with the outer peel down-
ward. ,
Cocoannt Candy—Grate the meat of a cocoanut, and, having ready
jTVO pounds of finely sifted sugar (white) and the beaten whites of two eggs,
also the milk of the nut, that together and make into little cakes. In a short
time the candy will be dry enough to eat.
Candied Orange Peel.—Make a very strong syrup of white sugar and
water; take off the peels from several oranges in halves or quarters, and
boil them in the syrup till it is nearly reduced. After this take them out
and set them to dry with the outer skin downward.
Vanilla Candy.—Three teacups of white or coffee sugar, one and a half
teacups unskimmed sweet milk to dissolve it; boil till done, and flavor with
vanilla; after it cools a little, stir until hard and eat when you please.


LADIES' FANCY WORK.
'Work Table Cover.—This cover if of fawn-colored cloth, ornamented
elaborately on the ends in application embroidery. The design figures,
which look dark in the illustration, are applied in broken cloth; on the mid-
dle of each leaf
ofthe large mid-
dle application
figure apply a
piece of dark-
brown velvet.
Edge all the ap-
plied figures
with fawn-col-
ored soutache,
and ornament
the pieces of vel-
vet besides in
point Eusse em«
broidery with
fawn colored
saddlers' silk.
For the lines of
the design sew
on brown sou-
tache in two
shades. The
cover is bor-
dered with light
brown open silk
fringe an inch
a n d a quarter
wide. Brown
percale lining.
Imitation
Coral Hang-
ing Baskets.—
Take old hoops
with the cover-
ing on; bend and tie in any shape desired; tie with wrapping-twine, with
ends of the twine left one-fourth of an inch long; cover the basket when
formed with knots or ties about one inch apart all over the basket. Then
take one half pound of beeswax, melt it in a shallow pan, stir in enough
Japanese vermilion to get the color you wish, then roll the basket in the
melted wax until it is covered completely. We have one made in this way,
that has hung exposed to the weather for two years, and is still as good a* new.

WORK TABLE COVER.


850
THE HOUSEHOLD.

HO. I.— BLACKBERRy.
A PrettyTidy—The requisites are a ball of number fourteen tidy cot-
ton,and a wooden frame about twenty inches square, with an inch sprig
driven half down in the cen-
ter of each corner, and simi-
lar ones along the sides in
line with these, and an inch
apart.
Fasten your cotton to the
second side sprig, and weave
from this sprig to the one di-
rectly opposite, passing
round each sprig three or
four times; then draw the
thread to the next spring and
weave in the same manner.
Continue this until you reach
the second sprig from the side you are working toward. Now cross these
threads in the same way from the other two sides, then cross with the same
number of threads diagonally in both directions. You will then have in
your frame four warps, each in different directions. With a needle and tidy
cotton securely fasten as they are every place where four sets of threads in-
tersect, drawing the cotton
from one to another. Cut
the cotton at every spring, and it is finished, except
trimming the fringe a little.
Made in this way they are
eervicrable, and less work
than 7ou would think.
Embroidery Designs.
—We give a design from
natural forms (Fig. 1) to
which the artist has added
an imaginative edge, al-
though that has the outlines
of some leaf forms. For
fine delicate needlework
in pure white this forms a
most graceful design. But,
where embroidered in the
colors natural to the leaves
and fruits, on a boy's or
girl's jacket, stand cloth or
ottoman cover, on cloth of
scarlet or gray, is pretty
enough for the most fastidi-
ous. Moreover, this leads
you to observe and study
these things, which from your life-long intimacy with them may have failed
to specially interest you.
For an initial letter for the corner of a handkerchief, we give two designs(Figs. 2 and 8), which serve the treble purpose of use, ornament, and mem-

no. 2—INITIAL LETTER.


LADIES'FANCY WORK.
»1
ory of delicious fruits. For a gentleman's handkerchief, nothing can be in
better taste than his initials wrought is such becoming drapery. And so
through the whole alphabet you can weave something synonymous from
nature about each letter. Such work flavors of botany, which is a science
everybody should study. Aside from its being a most delightful study in
itself, it is the key to a marvelous world of infinite and ever-varying delights;
it keeps you from going through life with "our eyes blinded; it tends to
make you gentle, large-hearted and thankful. These forms will, or ought
to, stimulate your pencil for drawing. Drawing cultivates your eye as noth-
ing else will. It educates your hand; it civilizes you generally. Make a
sketch of anything, and it will ever after possess a new interest. You tread
on a thousand forms of vegeta-
tion every day. Can you make
a drawing of one? The fine
drawing we give would be a
nice design for a center of a
pillow sham.
Persian Rugs Made at
Home.—It is easy enough after
you once know how, and, for
that matter, so is everything
you undertake. To make a rug
you will need plenty of perse-
verance, for it is a large con-
tract to make one of ordinary
size; but it is very pretty work,
and can be done with ease by
even those ladies whose failing
eyesight compels them to give
up the various fascinating forms
of fancy work, which are too
apt to prove a tax to the best of
eyes.
Purchase from come carpet
dealer a supply of scraps of
tapestry Brussels carpeting;
pieces that are too small to be
worked up into hassocks are *ig. 3.—initial letter.
quite large enough for the purpose. Cut these into strips of any length
their size allows; but let them be of uniform width, say three inches. Bavel
these all out, rejecting the linen, and collecting in a box the little crimped
worsted threads. Then provide yourself with a pair of the largest-sized
steel knitting-needles, and a ball of the coarsest crochet cotton, either white
or colored. Set on ten stitches, and after knitting a row or two to make lb firm beginning, go on as if you were making a garter, but with every other
stitch lay a thread of the crimped wool across the needles. After knitting the
stitch, take the end of wool which shows upon the wrong side, and turn it
toward the right side, knitting a stitch above to secure it. Then put in
another thread of wool and repeat the process. The back of the strips should
have something the appearance of that of a body Brussels carpet, while the
front should be like a sort of thick, long napped plush. The colors may be
used without selection, making a sort of chene effect; or carpets may be


9tt ?HE HOUSEHOLD.
chosen for raveling which show only shades of scarlet or blue; or brown
carpets may be used for the center obthe rug, and a border of scarlet or blue
sewed on all around. After doing a little of this work, many ideas as to
arrangement of colors will suggest themselves, and a little practice will en-
able the knitter to produce some very pleasing results.
When the strips are all finished they must be sewed together at the back.
It is only for convenience that they are knitted in strips—the rug, as a whole,
would be very cumbersome and unwieldy to handle. Some ladies edge a
Brussels or velvet carpet hearth-rug with a strip of this knitting, thus giving
a very pretty finish. Small mats for placing in front of bureaus are also
very pretty made upon the same plan.
Work Basket—The basket is of fine wicker-work, the sides are lined
with gathered satin, and the bottom with embroidered plush; both are fin-

WORK BASKET.
(shed with silk cord. The outside is ornamented with fringe of crewels st
various colors. Handles of cord.
Crochet Macrame Tidy.—Use seine cord No. 8.
Crochet 57 chain stitches.
1st row.—Put thread over hook and crochet in first loop, and so on until
you have made 9 single shell stitches. Crochet 7 chain, shell 9, chain 7,
shell 9, chain 7, shell 9.
2d row.—Turn, chain 3, shell 9 on top of the last made in the first row,
chain 9, shell 9, chain 9, shell 9, chain 9, shell 9.
3d row.—Turn, chain 3, then same as last row only making 7 chain in-
stead of 9.
4th row Turn, chain 3, shell 9, chain 5, place the hook in the fifth stitch
of the chain in the 2d row; secure the chain of 7 in with it, chain i, shell 9,
and so on to the end of the row.
Begin again at the beginning and crochet the desired length. Finish all
around with scallop, with fringe across the lower edge. Bun satin ribbon through the openings to match your room.


IADIES' FAXCY WORK.
853
A Home-Made Hassocks —Hassocks, or footstools, are convenient for
many purposes. Well, let me tell you how easily you can make one out of
articles that one considers only lumber, and are often at a loss to know what
to do with. Take seven tin fruit cans, put one in the middle, and the other
six around it; draw around this a band of unbleached muslin and fasten it
so as to keep them firmly in place; set them on a piece of paper and cut a
pattern of the bottom, which then cut in heavy pasteboard. Cover this with
gray paper muslin for the bottom, as it slips better than anything else. Cut
out of cretonne a similar-shaped piece for the top, also a band to fit the

PILLOW SHAM.
sides; oord the top piece around the edge, and sew on the band. Stuff the
cans with hay or excelsior, and let it bo good and thick on top of the cans,
also, as it will pack in a little while. Draw your cretonne over it, and sew
firmly to the bottom, and you have your hassock to use on the porch in
summer, or as a footstool before the fire. It is strong as well as very light,
and can be moved easily with the foot.
Pillow Sham.—Made of linen. The edges cut out like design, turned
in and basted, then the lace overhanded on, making sure to have it full
enough on the points; cut a long buttonhole in the end of each point, and
run colored ribbons through. It is easily made and the effect is tut
pretty*


ZAD1ES' FANCY WORK.
S95
email hem-stitched handkerchiefs, joined with lace insertion, finished with a
frill oflace, and lined to match the other appointments of the room. They
need not be made of expensive handkerchiefs; the thinner the better. For-
tunate are those who possess one of those large wicker or rattan chairs, as they
may be decorated so hand-
somely with colored satin
ribbon, ran in and tied in
bows, or the handsome scarf
about twelve inches wide,
and long enough to hang
over the back and go down
the back and seat, and hang
over the seat a little. It may
be made of a strip of plush in
the center, and a strip of
embroidery in crewel work
on felt, satin, momie cloth
or canvas of some contrast-
ing color, or worsted work.
Line and join the seams
with fancy stitches in silk,
and finish the ends with
fringe. Another handsome
decoration of a rocker would
be a cushion covered with
plush or embroidered can-
vas. Put a puff of satin
around the edge, and cover
the seam with small che-
nille cord. A pillow roll for
the head-rest at the back
should be made to match,
and tied on with ribbons.
Double-faced canton flannel
in wine color and olive green
is much used for lambre-
quins, table covers, curtains
for archways and double-
doorways, and also for win-
dows, but it may fade when
brought insuch close contact
with the sun and light. The
trimming is usually a band
of old gold, feather-stitched
on, and the edge is finished
with fringe or a hem.
Hanging Basket.—
The basket is wicker-work,
and the band at the top is
of light blue cloth four inches deep, with a scalloped piece a darker shade
over it. The long stitches on the dark cloth are of the lightest shade of blue
ialk, with a silver thread running with it. Through the wiokers ran safari

HANGING BASKET.


m
THE HOUSEHOLD.
ribbon. Combine the two shades of blue in the tassels, with the silver
wound round the tops of them. Heavy cord and tassels to hang it up by.
The same design of trimming will answer for any shaped basket.
Ornamental Scrap Bag or Basket.—This basket, to hang against the
wall, is composed of cardboard, covered with gray linen, embroidered with
brown wool, and fastened in a cane stand. Cut out first a piece of card,
board for the back and the bottom, and five pieces for the front. Bind them
with a crossway strip of gray linen, cover them with gray linen, and work On the outside with brown wool the design in point russe, the stitches being
taken through the cardboard. Then line the pieces with linen and sew them 
ORNAMENTAL SCKAP BAO.
together. Next prepare five pieces of thin cane, four and one-half inches
long, for the edges of the back, and five four and one-half inches long, five, four inches long, and six five inches long, for the front of the basket. At
one-half inch from the ends cut a little hollow in the canes, and then fit
them to each other and tie them together, first with strong thread and then
with brown ribbon, according to illustration, and secure the basket into the
stand. For the cover, cut a piece of cardboard according to the shape of the
upper part of the back, doubled. Cut it in half through along the oenter,
cover the side on which you made the incision with linen, and work on one-
half of the design seen in illustration to the back of the basket, double
the cover, sew the edge of the linen together, and sew on a cord.


ZAJDIS8' FANCY WORK.
S6?
leaving a loop in the middle. Two brass rings sewn at the back serve
to hang up the _—*«»__
basket.
Toilet Pin-
cushion. The
foundation is a
square of lining
about seven
inches, stuffed
with sawdust; it is
covered with plain
satin; satin rib-
bon of a contrast-
ing color is folded
into points, and
disposed accord-

ing to design; tassels ornament the

TOUJET PINCUSHION.
corners; a square of fine Irish linen, six
inches when hemmed (the hem
one inch deep), is'placed corner-
wise over the cushion; this square
is ornamented with drawn
thrfds and cross-stitch em-
broidery in silk the color of the
satin.
Needle Cushion.—We give the design for a needle cushion, the
frame of which can be made of
rustic work. The feet can be
connected by a chain, as the
needle cushion. sketch indicates. The cushion
can be filled with emery and or-
namented with any kind of needle-work that may suit the fancy. The edge
may be ornamented with fringe,
gimp, o r other convenient and
suitable material.
Pen Wiper—Twelve disks of
cloth of various colors are edged
with crystal beads. The rounds
may be of any size wished, accord-
ing as the pen wiper is required,
large or small. They are then
folded in four, and fastened to-
gether in the center with a few
stitches of strong silk.
Wheat Ear Edging. Cast
on five stitches. 1. Two plain
stitches; thread over, one plain,
thread over twice and purl two
together. 2. Thread over twice,
purl two together, four plain. 3. Knit three plain, thread over one, plain,

PEN WIPER.


338
THE HOUSEHOLD.
thread over twice, purl two together. 4, Over twice, purl two together, fire
plain. 5. Knit four plain, over, one plain, over twice, purl two together.
6. Over twice, purl two together, six plain. 7. Knit six plain, thread over
twice, purl two together. 8. Over twice, purl five together, three plain;
then commence again at first row.
Musi. Portfolio and si si ml.—This stand, as we illustrate it, is madeoi
turned wood, with a portfolio made of pasteboard, covered with a design of needle-work. Music stands of this sort are very couvenient, as every
musical family knows; but such a stand can be made as well, look as appro-

MUSIC PORTFOLIO AND STAND.
priate and perhaps more ornamental, if made of rustic work. The woods, and often even the wood-pile, will afford abundant material for its manufac-
ture, and when made by ingenious and losing hands, renders it, though of homely and inexpensive materials, nearly priceless in value.
Basket for Fruit.—Pretty baskets for serving large fruit for luncheon
are easily made. Take four pieces of cardboard and cover with any material
preferred, and on each piece work or paint the flower of the fruit which the
basket will contain. Fasten the pieces together by a knotted cord. Over
the fruit throw lb square of delicate macrame lace.


LADIES' FANCY WORK.
969
A Lesson in Decorating.—Choose a plain, smooth, red-clay flower-pot.
If it is rather stupid-looking all the better. With your box of watercolor paints, lay broad bands of dull blue around top and bottom. If you prefer,
you can paint the intervening strip black, instead of leaving it red, and the
bands may be divided by a narrow line of yellow. Now you are ready for
the pictures. If you possess some sheets of little scrap-chromos, you will
soon be rid of your task. Select some very odd, grotesque ones, that will
surprise each other as much as possible—a huge butterfly, tiny Madonna,
reptiles, sprays, zebras, and the like. Paste them on in the most disorderly
order you can imagine, and your work is complete. Another method is to
cut from picture papers a quantity of small designs, being careful to trim
them very neatly. Paint these all black, and lay on a dull red or blue
ground. Whichever plan you choose, be careful and not decorate too pro-
fusely, as that would be quite unlike the Japanese, while it would hint most strikingly of a merry, mischievous little girl.
Fancy Card Basket, is lined with quilted satin.
embroidered with silk.
-The foundation of this basket is of wire, and it
The drapes are of cloth pinked at the edges and

FANCY CARD BASKET.
Antique Lace—Cast on fifteen stitches.
1. Knit three, over, narrow, knit three, over, knit one, over, knit six.
2. Knit six, over, knit three, over, narrow, knit three, over, narrow, knit
one.
3. Knit three, over, narrow, narrow again, over, knit five, over, knit six.
4. Cast off four, knit one, over, narrow, knit three, narrow, over, narrow,
knit one, over, narrow, knit one.
5. Knit throe, over, narrow, knit one, over, narrow, knit one, narrow,
over, knit three.
6. Knit three, over, knit one, over, slip two, knit one, pass the slipped
stitches over the knitted one, over, knit four, over, narrow, knit one, begin
again from the first row.
How to Make a Screen.—The accompanying illustration is that of a
beautiful but expensive screen, which, however, may serve as a guide in the
making of a much cheaper one. The frame-work of this is of carved wood,
the screen itself of embroidered silk, covered with sheer white muslin, with


380 THE HOUSEHOLD.

a plaited edge, which is put over the silk for protection. The height and
width of a screen may vary, of course, according to the size of the heater or
grate, and may consist of one piece
as in the illustration, or of two,
three, or half a dozen, joined by
by hinges and resembling the con-
struction of cloth bars. Black
walnut is a handsome wood of
which to make the frame, which
may be fashioned plainly or orna-
mented to one's taste; but if that
be to expensive, a cheaper wood
may be employed, and stained to
imitate something better. Cherry
is again growing into great favor,
and nothing could be prettier than
a frame made of that.
For the shade or screen proper
a great variety of materials may
be used. For convenience, make
a light frame (like those over
which mosquito netting is drawn
for windows), which will neatly
fit inside the other; over this
. stretch smoothly and nail a piece
of strong muslin or canvas, as the ground work for the ornamentation; in
lien of this tin might be used; wood is too much warped by the action of the
heat. The canvas may be covered with gay-colored chintz, at twelve and a
half cents per yard, or handsome cretonne
at sixty cents, or brocaded silk, painted satin,
or a large fine print or engraving or embroid-
ered cardboard or canvas—almost anything
one's fancy may devise.
A very showy screen recently seen on
exhibition had a black background on which
was pasted all sorts, sizes, colors, and kinds
of cheap prints, carefully cut out and applied
without any regularity of design, and then
the whole heavily varnished. The effect was
very gay and sparkling. Pressed ferns and
autumn leaves, artistically arranged on a
white or light background, or even black
look finely; the back of the leaves should be
well touched with mucilage, so as to adhere
firmly. For a black background, velveteen,
or plain black paper, to be had where wall
paper is sold, are good.
Slipper Case.—Cut two pieces of card- supper case.
board the size desired; cover them with
momie cloth. Then cut of cardboard a smaller piece for the pocket; cover
it on one side with the cloth, and fasten it in the center of one of the large
pieces; then finish where it is joined with a worsted cord. Overhand the


LADIES' FANCY WORK.
361
two large pieces together, and sew the cord all around the edge. To hang
it, sew on two large brass rings at the back of the two top-side scallops.
A Handsome Lace Spread—With forethought and some money one
can easily make a beautiful set of pillow shams and spreads without any
great expense. From time to time buy, as you see those which please you and are cheap, squares of antique lace; they come in all kinds of pretty de-
signs. Choose those of uniform size and of the same quality. When you
have enough set them together with a stripe of satin. Remnants of satin can
be purchased sometimes at very low figures. For a border, catch the
squares together diagonally and fit it in half squares of the satin. Put the
edge of the lace squares over the satin, having first taken the precaution to
overoast very delicately the edges of the satin. The spread may be lined or
not, as you please. The pillow covers
should be made to match. With proper
care a set of this kind will last a long
time, and when one considers the com-
fort of always having a handsome cover-
ing for the bed at hand to dress it up for
great occasions, the outlay of time and
money does not appear to have been
wasted.
Hanging Card-Receiver and
Watch Case.—Take two pieces of card,
lien inches long and three and one-half
inches wide, and cut the ends pointed as
e design shows. Cover both pieces
with velvet or silk, and embroider a vine
of flowers on one end, or if preferred
paint in water colors. Overhand the two
pieees together and finish the edge with
gilt cord. Make a ring of twisted cord at
the top. Bend the card up at three inches
to form the rack, and fasten at the sides
with cord and tassels. Twist the large hook
with gilt wire and sew an inch below
the ring at the top, for the watch.
To Prepare Skeleton Leaves.—A
ready method of preparing skeleton
leaves is the following: Make a solution of concentrated lye in hot water, in
the proportion of about two ounces of lye to a quart of water; or, if this is
not convenient, prepare the lyo by dissolving four ounces of common wash-
ing soda in a quart of water, adding about two ounces of fresh quick lime,
boiling for about a quarter of an hour, and when cool decanting the liquid
from the sediment. Place the leaves in this solution, and allow it to boil for
about an hour, or until by trial the pulpy part of one of the leaves allows
itself to be readily removed. When this is the case, the leaves are carefully
removed, one by one, floated on a sheet of glass, and the pulp is removed
by gently tapping or beating with a painter's stiff brush, or the like, taking
care not to apply a rubbing motion, which would destroy the fibres as well.
From time to time the disintegrated pulp should be washed away by allow-
ing the stream of water to flow on the glass. When this operation has been

CARD-RECEIVER AND WATCH CASE.


m
TBS nousEB&ts.

TOILET BOTTLE CASE.
properly performed, nothing of the leaf remMns behind but the network at
fibres, or the skeleton.
The next step is to
bleach the skeleton
leaves, which is easily
done by placing them
in a shallow dish of
water, to which a small
quantity of chloride of
lime has been added
(say about a teaspoon-
full to a quart). In a
day or two, at most, the fibres will be found
bleached to a pure
white, when they should
be removed to a vessel
> of fresh water for final
'cleansing, in which they
should remain for an-
other day. From this
they should be re-
moved, placed between
the folds of a soft linen cloth, and allowed to dry; they are then ready to be
pressed, curled, or arranged into ornamental designs,
according to fancy.
Another method of disintegrating the pulp of the
leaves, which is sometimes followed, is to place them in
a dish of water, keeping them beneath the water by the
use of a sheet of glass, and exposing them to the sun-
light. The disintegration takes place slowly, requiring
two weeks or thereabouts to complete it. The subse-
quent operations are the same as those above described.
Toilet Bottle Case.—The case is made on a circular
foundation of cardboard, four inches wide, lined with
black silk and covered with black cloth Vandykes round
the edge. The latter is embroidered in satin overcast
and feather stitch (see Fig. 2). The flowers are worked
alternately in white and blue, the rosebuds with pink,
and the wheat ears with maize silk. The branches and
sprays are worked with several shades of olive and fawn-
colored silk. On this foundation is sewn a cylindrical
case of cardboard, two and a half inches high, and lined
within and without with black satin. Two box-plaited
ruchings of satin are arranged round it, and above these
is a Vandyke strip of black cloth embroidered in the
same designs and colors as above described.

TOILET BOTTLE
CASE.—FIG. 2.
Parlor Ornament.—Purchase a plain Indian straw
basket, one of neat manufacture and pretty shape; paint
it black; this gives an effective background for the fruit designs painted on
the sides and ends; line the basket with brightly tinted velvet, cover the 


LAtilES' FANCY WORK.
30S
handle with silver or gold cord; the same should run along ths edges of the
opening. This dainty piece of home art forms a lovely card basket. A
common straw hat, a size to tit a boy of six years, can be made into an
artistic novelty. Face the brim with satin nicely pleated; fill the crown
with artificial flowers; secure them from tumbling out by long loops of
threads; suspend the hat from the top of a cabinet or music stand; the effect
is very bright and pleasing. Industrious fingers willing to devote time to the
manipulation of home decoration may shape out many lovely things from
hits of silk, satin, velvet, and scraps of all wool goods. The top of a table
covered with work of this kind is very handsome, and a like decoration for
a carved bracket is
remarkably showy.
Catch-All The
frame-work of this
article is made of
pieces of cardboard
sewed together The
materials required
for the outside are
drab Holland cre-
tonne, flowers, fancy
braid, and worsteds
to match flowers in
color. A cord i s
drawn through eye-
let holes at the top
of the bag, and a
large tassel of wor-
sted finishes the bot-
tom.
A Rosette. —
Eosettes are often
useful in tidies, bor-
ders and the like.
To make the above,
begin with a chain
of four stitches, and
unite in B ring. In
this loop work twenty
trebles.
Second round.— catch all.
Work one chain and
one treble over each treble of the last round. Third round.—* On the treble
and next chain make a leaf thus: The cotton twice round the needle, take up
the stitch, work through two, cotton on the needle, draw through two; cot-
ton on the needle, take up the stitch again, work through two, cotton on the
needle, work through two; cotton on the needle, take up the next stitch, and
work all off the needle, two loops at a time; then four chain. Repeat from *.
Fourth round.—One DC on the middle of the four chain, * five clxiin,
one DC on the middle of the next four chain; repeat from *. Fasten off
neatly at the end of the round


Mt rms HOUSEHOLD.

OTTOMAN.
Ottoman,— Materials:Wine and canary-colored cloth, heavy cord and
tinr'i Make a cushion of ticking a foot square, fill it tightly with curled
hair, then make the case of
the wine-colored cloth,
and in the seam around the edge of the ease mil
in one edge of the piece
to form the puff, then turn
it up, and turn in the
upper edge and box-plait
it, and sew firmly on the
top of the case, leaving a
space in the center nine
| inches square. Cut of the
light cloth a piece for the
center like the design,
and braid it with gilt,
red, blue, and blaok
braids, having the edge of the star pinked. Easten it to the cushion in each point with a large bead,
and finish each corner with a tassel. Draw the cord round the ottoman
firmly, and tie in the knot, leaving a loop in the center to lift it by.
Toilet or Work Bu«lcet Use black, polished, round wooden or banibaa
rods, an inch in circumference,
two thin plates of wood four
inches long and two and three-
fifths inches wide, white satin,
green velours, shaded green,
pink, purple, aud brown twist
silk, fino gold cord, green silk
ribbon one-fifth of an inch wide,
four white Venetian beads, four
bronze rings, stout cardboard,
small steel tacks, white sewing
silk.
The frame of our model is
constructed of four pillar-like
rods, each eight inches long, and
holding between them two
boxes, each consisting of eight
wooden or bamboo rods, and a
thin wood bottom four inches
long, and two and three-fifths
inches wide. The lower box,
which is one and four-fifths
inches high, requires four rode
five and three-fifths inches long,
and four rods four and one-fifth
inches long. The upper box, which is two and one-fifth inches high, is of
exactly the same size at the bottom, while for the top, which curves out-
ward, the two long rods must be each six inches long, while the cross rods
require a length of five and one-fifth inches. Small steel tacks connect tbs

TOILET OR WOKK BASKET.


LADIES' FAFCY WORK.
MO
various parts, those which are arranged into squares being notched wherethey intersect. Each of these squares encloses a pasteboard box covered
with green velours on the inside, and on the outside with white satin, deco-
rated by an embroidery of colored silks. The box is fastened at the top to
rods by means of overhand stitches of gold cord, making the rod appear as
if twisted with the gold cord. The bows decorating the upper corners of the
boxes are made of green ribbon, ten inches long, sewed to the rods in the
middle and then tied. The handle, which is fastened to the upper box by
means of steel tacks, and is decorated with two ribbon bows, measures fif-
teen inches in length, and is to be wound about with gold cord. The four
pillars are decorated at their tips by Yenetian beads resting on bronze rings.
Sofa. Pillow.—knitting or crochet. An exceedingly comfortable pillow
to hang on a chair-back or to use when traveling is well illustrated in the
cut herewith presented. Knit or crocheted in squares of different colors,

CROCHET SOFA PILLOW OR BOLSTER.
almost any stitch may be used, according to the fancy of the workers, and
when stuffed and finished, with cord and tassels for the ends, and hung ON the back of the " old rocking chair," it forms no mean addition to the com-
fort and ornamentation of a room. The predominant colors of the room will
suggest the appropriate ones to be used, but should there be no decided
color prevailing, lb pillow made of alternate dark red and olive squares
will be found both handsome and durable, as far as showing dust or soil
from the head.
Plash Mosaic—The designs for this new and beautiful work can be pur-
chased all ready prepared for use; but as many would like to try it who
may find it difficult to procure them, they can, by following the given direc-
tions, cut and arrange their own. One best suited to it is a border of autumn
leaves, as the rich, variegated colors can be very effectively rendered in
gold, crimson, brown and green. Maple leaves are prettiest, both in form
ana color, and the size should be varied, some large, others small, arrang-
ing them as a border. If possible, select several of the natural leaves, and
cut the exact pattern in paper. The plush may be purchased in small quan-


SCO
THE HOUSEHOLD.
tides, an eighth of a yard of each color sufficing for a number of leaves. Lay
the paper patterns on the plush and cut with a pair'of sharp scissors leaves
from the different colors. The groundwork is of plush; for instance, a scarf
for the top of an upright piano may be of olive plush with a lining of cardinal
satin, and a border of autumn leaves. These should be prettily arranged
across the ends of the scarf, and each leaf basted to keep it in place. The
edges are fastened down with tinsel or gold thread, and as it sinks into the
soft plush, buows only a slight, glistening outline. The stems should be
worked with silk matching the different shades of the leaves. The veining
of the leaves is also worked with the same color of silk, and as it makes only
a slight depression or crease in the plush, gives a very pretty natural effect.
The leaves can be shaded by using different shades of plush. For instance,
one-half of a leaf may be light crimson, the other a shade or two darker; or
the point of a leaf may be turned over, showing light green against dark.
Arranging them in this way gives variety, also less, stiffness of design.

EAOTKEECHIEF BOX.
These same plush designs may be used on sateen or cloth, although in this case the term "mosaic" would not be applied. The design described would,
however, be very pretty arranged on a ground-work of either of these ma-
terials. This work is very beautiful for table covers, lambrequins, portieres
or any large article that may require a decorative border.
Handkerchief Box.—Take a fancy letter-paper box that is square, and
opens in the center; make a tufted cushion of satin on the top, and put an
insertion of white lace around it with the same color underneath. If careful,
with a very little glue, the sides can be covered with satin, finishing the
edges with a silver or gilt cord. Complete the box by placing a little per-
fume sachet inside. This makes a pretty present and is not expensive, as
often small pieces of silk will answer the purpose of covering.
Knitted Insertions—No. 1, Twist pattern—Cast on six stitches for each pattern. First six rows: Plain. Seventh row: Slip three loops on a spare
needle, leave them and knit the next three; then knit those on the spare
needle. Repeat these seven rows. No. 2, Feather Pattern Cast on twenty-


LADIES' FANCYWORK.
307
five stitches for each pattern. First row: Knit two together four times; then
over and one plain eight times; then knit two together four times, and purl
the last stitch. Second, third, and foil rth rows: Plain. Repeat from first row.
Wall Pocket—We give herewith an illustration of a wall-pocket, which
is ornamental and useful. It may be used for visiting cards, letters, papers,
»»wing-materials, slippers, and various odds and ends. Almost any kind ofmm

material may be used, but something bright has more attraotivenese. The one the drawing was made from was of silk, of blue silk, lined with corn color, with cord of blue and gold, and with raised embroidery in silk. The
framework is cut from stiff paper. When designed with especial reference
to slippers, the pocket is cut quite in the shape of a slipper, with a loop at
the heel, from which it is hung. For Christmas gifts they form pretty ob-
jects for devoted fingers to manufacture.
Floral Transparency—The pretty transparency represented on next
page is made by arranging pressed ferns. grasses, and autumn leaves on a


MS THE HOUSEHOLD.
pane of window-glass, which should be obscured, laying another transparent
pane of the same size over it, and binding the edges with ribbon, leaving the
group imprisoned between (use gum tragaeanth in putting on the binding).
It is well to secure a narrow strip of paper under the ribbon. The binding
should be gummed all around the edge of the first panel, and dried before
the leaves, ferns, etc., are arranged; then it can be neatly folded over the
second pane without difficulty. To form the loop for hanging the trans-
parency, paste a binding of galloon t !ong the upper edge, leaving a two-inch
loop free in the center, afterward to be pulled through a little slit in the final
binding. These transparencies may either be hung before a window, or,
a if preferred, secured
'. against a pane in the
I sash. In country halls
the beautiful effect is pro-
duced by placing them
against the side-lights of
the hall door. Where
the side-lights are each
of only a single pane, it
is well worth while to
place a single trans-
parency against each,
filling up the entire
space, thus affording
ample scope for a free
arrangement of ferns, grasses, and leaves,
while the effect of the light is very fine. Leaves
so arranged will pre-
serve their beautiful ap-
pearance throughout the
entire winter.
Flower Patterns
fo r Embroidery.—
Great taste can be dis-
played in selecting ap-
propriate flower patterns
for an embroidered do-
sign. The double and
single hyacinths, com-
bined with a tulip, give a lovely effect. The fine dark blue of the former
and the scarletrmargined yellow of the latter show to splendid advantage on
black velvet or deep brown satin. White and purple lilacs mixed with the
gold and yellow crocus give a striking design for floss and bead needlework,
on a dark brown of some rich goods. The light blue crocus, with its pretty
tippings of snow white, combines richly with the double red anemone, a de-
sign well suited for a centerpiece on a table or a piano cover. The border
would look handsome worked in some sort of creeping plant, with the cor-
ners finished off in star anemones clustered with autumn leaves. The Belle
Laura tulip is of a lovely violet hue enhanced in beauty by the mixture of
white; this flower is very effective in large pieces of embroidery with a touch

FLORAI, TRAKSPARENCT.


870
THE HOUSEHOLD.

GLOVE BOX AND COVEE.
stars embroidered in yellow silk is quite showy. A darker or lighter shads
of the same color as the lin-
ing used for the stars makes
a tasteful combination.
Glove Box and Cover.
—A glove box of the kind we
illustrate may be cut and
made from a large paper
box. After the edges are
neatly sewed, paste neatly
over the outside a cover of
white muslin, to make the
box strong. Line and cover
both box and cover with
silk, finishing the edges with
large silk cord or chenille.
The outside may be ornamented in a variety of ways. Additional ornamen-
tation may be secured by cutting curves in the sides of the cover. Both
admit of much ingenuity and display of taste in arrangement and trimming.
Attached covers are convenient for
careless users, and much more easily
trimmed- being simply fastened at the
back, and lifted and closed like a trunk
cover. Instead of using silk as a cover-
ing, perforated paper (never get that in
white, as it soon soils) lain against a
smooth paper or cloth of a different
color, and the silver and gold paper,
perforated with large, square meshes,
with initials or other ornament wrought
in chenille, silk, or worsted, may be
used to advantage.
Sachet—The sachet is of old-gold
plush, embroidered with rosebuds and
leaves, and trimmed with lace and bows
of ribbon.
Handkerchief Cases—If for a gen-
tleman, the size of the case would ba
eleven inches by eighteen inches, doub-
ling down the center; for a lady, four-
teen inches square; it should be lined
with silk, and lightly wadded, the wad-
ding being scented. Cut a piece of
satin, twenty-six inches long, and eleven
inches broad, and line it with fine flan-
nel, and a piece of satin quilted before sachet.
hand over it. Turn in the edges all
round, and sew over neatly; fold the two ends in toward each other, until
they meet to within about an inch. Sew over the double edges at the sides,
Hid fold up the case. The handkerchiefs slip in on either side, into the two


LADIES' FANCY WORK.
371
pockets thus formed, the plain ones being arranged on one side and the
fancy ones on the other. These cases are convenient if they are scented,
which is done by sprinkling sachet on to the flannel before the satin lining
is added, and with a thin layer of cotton wool above. We may add that the
satin should be quilted on to a thin piece of lining. We have given the dimen-
,
sions to allow for turning in. There is another shape made like a large em
velope. The size and shape must be similar to the other, only the upper
part which forms the flap to the envelope is brought to a point in the center,
with each side turned in. A silk cord is sometimes added all round the,
sachet, and finished off at the pointwith a loop, which forms the button-hole.
while the button is placed on
the lower side of the case.
Ladies' Fancy Bag Purse.
—The lower part of the purse
bag is formed of black silk, in
spiderweb lace, lined with
crimson silk, as also the upper
part of the bag. Cords of crim-
son silk draw the purse together
near the top, and tassels are
placed at each division and one
at the bottom.
Crocheted Shawl.—Material: Six ounces of Shetland
wool.
Make a chain the length of
the longest edge of the shawl,
which is three-cornered. The
chain should be a multiple of
six. After making the chain *
throw the thread over the needle
and catch into the third stitch
from the needle, draw the
thread through, thread over,
draw through two, thread over,
through two. This is the treble
crochet stitch. Make eight more
of these stitches in the same
chain stitch. Put the needle through the third stitch from the shell and
draw the thread through this stitch and the one on the needle. This ta
single crochet stitch. Repeat from * to the end of the chain and break the thread.
2. Catch the thread in the middle stitch of the first shell of the preceding
row. * Make three chain stitches, thread over the needle, put the needle through the next stitch to the one in which the thread is fastened, draw
thread through, thread over, through two; keeping this loop and the former
one on the needle, put thread over and make the same kind of stitch in the
next stitch of the shell. Continue in this manner until there are ten stitches
on the needle, then throw the thread over and draw through all the stitches,
four chain and single crochet into the middle stitch of the next shell. Repeat
from*

LADIES' FANCY BAG VXTOSB.


S72
TBS HOUSEHOLD.
8. Catch the thread in the same stitch as the preceding row and * make
nine trebles in the middle of the first shell of the second row, single crochet
into the single crochet at the end of the first shell in second row. Repeat
from*.
4. Like second row.
5. Like third row.
Scissor Case and Needle Cushion.—This is a neat little case intended
to hang upon the wall near the sewing machine or work table. Our pattern
is made up of brown silk, and finished with three rows of cords. The cords
are also stitched on as finish for the pockets, which are sewn on the case
itself. Cut from the
illustration a pattern
in pasteboard and a
similar one in silk,
allowing a margin to
turn in. To make it
more substantial line
the silk with thin
muslin. The back can
be covered with cam-
bric to match the color
of the silk. The needle
cushion measures
three inches across,
lined with muslin,
and drawn in at the
edge with the small
cord to give it the
proper curve; fill with
emery, fine sand, or
wool, if preferred.
Table Slats
Make a chain of
twenty-five stitches.
DC. all around to
the beginning and
turn the work. There
is one stitch upon the
hook; put the hook
back through the last loop through which the cotton was drawn, put the
cotton over the hook and draw it through that loop alone; then put the cot-
ton over the hook and draw through the two loops upon the hook—DC. the
row of loops on the back side of the mat to the end.
Crochet twice in each of the three adjoining loops at the end—DC. to the other end. Crochet twice in each of the two adjoining loops at that end,
bringing the ends of the first row around the mat together.
Bring the cotton in front of the hook which has upon it one loop, put the hook through a loop at the end of this row where it commenced, and draw
the cotton through the two loops upon the hook joining the row.
Turn the work over, put the hook back through the last loop that the wtton wa» drawn through, put the cotton over the hook, draw through that

S0TbSOK CASE AND NEEDLE CUSHION.


LADIES' FANCY WORK. 878
loop alone, put the cotton over the hook and draw through the two loops.
Crochet twice in the first loop of each of the two loops that had two
stitches put in them.
Proceed down the side to the other end—crochet twice in the first of each
of the three loops that had two stitches put in them, then go on to the begin-
ntng of the row, join and turn over the mat as before.
Continue until the mat is of sufficient size.
For the border pass one loop and make in the second five TC. stitches.
Pass one loop and fasten down by DC. in the next and so on around the
mat.
The length of the chain in the middle of course determines the size of
the mat. For coffee and tea pots make a chain of six, and fasten toget her. Crochet twice in every stitch
to start the six points for
widening.
The cotton suitable in Dex-
ter's No. 6 four threads. A
hook small enough to make it
very compact should be used.
The stitches to be crocheted
all the time are upon the back
of the mat.
The mat is worked in
ribbed (DC.) crochet, the
hook being placed in the out-
side half of each loop, and
the work turned at the end of
each round. The increasings
are, of course, to turn the
corners, and the rounds are
completed by an SC. before
turning back.
Hanging Portfolio.—
This is made of pasteboard,
covered with gilt or white
satin paper. It can be of any
size you wish. It may be left
plain or a picture pasted on
in front. Lace the sides together with a cord or ribbon. Hang with a cord
and tassel. This is ornamental and useful for holding small articles.
Plash Thermometer Frame.—Remove from the tin frame an ordinary
thermometer, and cut a piece of stiff pasteboard to fit it like a picture frame.
It should be about two inches wide. Cut a piece of light blue plush to fit
the frame exactly, and gum it on the back. Draw this smoothly over the
frame and turn the raw edges of the plush over to the under side of the
frame. Paint on the plush a pretty design of golden-rod. Cut a piece of
pasteboard, exactly the size of the frame, and cover with light-blue silk or
paper muslin. Overhand the edges of this and the plush together with blue
sewing silk. Sew across the back a loop by which to hang it, or if it is pre-
ferred standing, fasten securely at the back a long wire, shaped like) a hair-
pin. This makes a very good stand.

HANGING PORTFOLIO.


S74
THE HOUSEHOLD.
Visiting Card Stand.—The frame is made of black Tarnished rattan,
but may bo made of wood in the form of rustic work. There are two flat
plates which may be ornamented to suit by painting. The edges of these
are hung by bead ornaments. Take a small strip of oil-cloth which fits
around the edges of the respective plates, measure equal distances, sew
black jet buttons on and string bronze beads, thus constructing the first row.
Then take gold or amber-colored beads and make a second row; the third
row of white beads. Stick theso around the jet buttons to the oil-cloth.
The four double twisted rows may be made of different colored beads.
The ends of these can be sewed on to the oil-cloth, and, after they are se-
ourely fastened, cut the oil-cloth ,which shows from under the ornaments
and then fasten it to the edges of the plates.
Bag for Knitting-
Work.—In these days ot
knitting and crocheting, a
small pocket or bag is con-
venient to hold the balls of
wool, silk or cotton, and the
needles or crochet hooks.
This knitting-work pocket is
worn attached to the belt, and
is made of ecru linen and
lined with red satin, or any
other material that one may
fancy. Cut from each of these
materials, five pieces of tho
following dimensions: Two
inches wide at the top, not al-
lowing for seams, one-half
inch wide at the bottom and
six inches long. These pieces
are cut so as to bulge out at
the sides, and are each four
inches in width at the widest
part. Embroider the linen in
any design that you may
fancy, but it seems desirable
that this should be in outline stitch, and done with red silk. Join the linen
pieces so that the seams are on the right side; notch them so that they will
lie flat, and cover them with red silk braid, cross-stitched with some con-
trasting tone or color. Join the lining and place inside this, and bind the
top with the same braid and fasten down in the same manner. Work a red
silk eyelet hole in one of the side pieces to allow the end of the wool you
are working with to come through. Close the bottom of the bag with a
bunch of loops of red satin ribbon, and sew an end of the same ribbon at the top of each of the seams, joining them together with a bow of the ribbon,
in which is sewed quite a large shield pin to fasten it to the dress
belt.
Pin-Cnshion—A pretty little pin-cushion in the shape of the bellows can
be made as follows; Rrst cut four pieces of cardboard (visiting or invitattoik

VISITING CARD STAND.


LADIES' FANCY WORK.
875

FIG. 1 WORK BASKET (OPEN).
tarda are the best), to the size required, and the shape of a small bellows;
cover these four pieces singly with pretty silk or satin, by turning over the
edges and lacing them from side to side with a needle and thread to make
them fit. Then join two pieces together, and sew over the edges neatly;
sew a little piece of fine
flannel or merino filled
with needles to one
joined side piece at the
point; then put the two
sides together and sew
them well together at
the point, leaving space
enough for a gilt bod-
kin to pass through
and make the real
point. Put pins in all
around the edge, add a
narrow ribbon band
fastened by a pin at
the handle end, to keep
the sides together.
The inside of the bel-
lows looks best with
satin or plain silk, and the outside with brocade. If a small design
is embroidered or painted on the outside, it has a very beautiful effect.
A common length of the bellows is three inches from the handle to the point.
Work Basket... An octagon-shaped box or basket is used for the founda-
tion; it is lined
with quilted blue
satin, ornamented
with a small silk
button at the cor-
ner of each dia-
mond. The out-
side of the basket
is covered with
old-gold satin, put
on in four large
puffs; each puff is
divided by a band
of blue velvet em-
broidered with a
cross-stitch de-
sign; it is edged
with laee and a
fine gold cord.
The lid is covered
with velvet, also
ornamented with lace, and a handle of wire covered with gold cord. In
Fig. 1 the basket is shown open, and in Fig. 2 closed. Fig. 2 shows plain
velvet bands, and in this figured silk is used instead of the old-gold
satin.

no. 2.—WOBK BASKET (CLOSED).


876 TBS BOUSEBOLB]
Knitted Dressing Slipper—Materials required: Four ounce blue and
four ounce white
Berlin wool; four
pins No. 12 (Walk-
er's gauge), and a
pair of cork soles.
Commence the
slipper at the toe
with blue wool,
cast on ten stitches,
increase by putting
the wool over the
pin at beginning of

FIO. 1.—KNITTED DRESSING SLIPPEK.
each row to make a stitch. Fig. 2 shows the outside of work, and Fig. 3 the
inside with loops of white wool. When knitting
with the white wool take it from two balls so as
to have two lengths.
1st Row: Knit plain.
2d Bow: Make one, knit one, * take the dou-
ble white wool, turn it twice over the pin to form
a loop of about three-quarters of an inch (see
design), with the left-hand pin pass the last
knitted loop over the four loops of white, knit
two, repeat from * to the end of the row.
3d Bow: Make one at the beginning of the
row, slip the loops of white wool, knit the blue; 2 _
vr knitting the blue stitch pass the blue wool
jttiix whioh you are knitting round the double white wool; in knitting the 
-DETAIL OF FIO. 1.

no. 3.—DETAIL OF FIG. 1.
next stitch this will draw up the white wool close to the work, and
Bo carry it to the other side to be ready for working the next row of loops.
4th Row: Make one, knit the blue stitches plain, knit the four white loom at the back as one stitch.


878
THE HOUSEHOLD.
A Table Scarf.—A useful table scarf, and one that is particularly
pleasing to the eye, because it does not suggest almost endless labor, is
made by taking a strip of all wool Java canvas of the proper length for the
table on which it is to be used. Line it with some stiff cloth and then with
silesia. At about three inches from the outer edge, sew on two strips of
black velvet ribbon two inches wide. Through the center work a handsome
scroll pattern, using bright yellow silk; the velvet stripes may be put on
perfectly plain, or may be worked in old-fashioned cross-stitch, or in some
modification of feather stitch. Finish the bottom of the scarf with yellow
silk balls. This is suitable for the common sitting-room; it is so bright that
the dust can be shaken from it with ease.
Baby Baskets—Procure a large brown basket and a small camp-stool.

BABY BASKET.
Measure the size round the top of the basket; get that quantity of material;
measure the depth of the basket, and allow for the scallops to fall over the
edge. Bind the scallops; fasten it to the edge of the basket; draw it down
lightly to the bottom in plaits. Cut a round piece of material the shape of
the bottom of the basket; fasten it round the edge, and finish with a box-
plaiting of ribbons. Make the cushions and pockets to please the fancy.
A box-plaiting round the top of basket; also round the scallops. Between
each scallop put a bow or cord and tassels of worsted; fasten this on the
camp-stool, around which put a ruffle of the same material the basket is
lined with.
Neat Mats can be made by cutting a stiff piece of woolen goods into the
shapedesired, and crocheting an edge or border of faucy-colored yarn


MO
THE nOVSEROLD.
side of the work take up a loop of each piece of the braid, draw the thread
through these loops, leave the stitch on the needle, and so continue until all
have been taken up, as far as the loop above the eight taken up stitches, on
the opposite side of the braid, then draw the thread through two stitches at
a time until only one stitch remains on the needle, then commence the second
scallop same as before. Crochet
across the top of the completed
edging, to sew on by. And I think
it washes and wears better to cro-
chet a chain of three between each
loop on the lower edge, except
those close between the scallops,
simply drawing the thread through
these. The needle must be fine
and straight.
Ladies' Work-Stand. The
skeleton of the work-stand we have
illustrated is made of rattan. The
squares between the rods should
be covered with green, plaited silk,
which is drawn together and either
fastened with a button or a small
rosette and a fiat tassel. The bag,
for the reception of embroidery or
other fancy work, is made of green
silk, drawn together by a green
ft eord, at the end of which is a tassel
w of the same color. To hide the
joints of the rods, a scarf of green
ribbon is put at each juncture. In
the lower part of the stand is a pin-
cushion, which is made in the same style as the filling-in of the squares
above, and also drawn and held together with a button.
Mosaic Embroidery—Mosaic embroidery is very effective for mantel
drapes, piano covers, and screens, and is quite easily made. Take whatever
material is chosen for the ground work and sew on to it with some fanc»
Mitch odd patterns cut from various colored plushes

WORK-STAND.


FLORICULTURE.
Ivy for Picture Frames.—Ivy its one of the best plants to have in the
house, as it bears a large amount of neglect and abuse, and gratefully repays
good treatment. It is not rare to see a pot of ivy placed where it can be
trained around picture frames
or mirrors, and thus border
them with living green. A
good plan is to dispense with
the pot, or rather, have a sub-
stitute for it, which is kept ou t
of sight. Our illustration
shows a picture frame wreathed
with ivy after this method.
Only a good-sized picture or
mirror can be treated in this
way, and as such are usually
hung so that the top of the
frame leans forward, the space
between the frame and the
wall is available for the re-1

ceptacle for the plant. A pot
or pan of zinc, of a wedge $M
shape, and size to suit the
space between the frame and
the wall, can be readily made
by any tinsmith. This is to be
hung against the wall so as to
be quite concealed by the pic-
ture, and the ivy tastefully
trained over the frame. A rus-
tic frame is better suited to
this purpose, as it not only
affords better facilities for at-
taching the stems to the frame,
but its style seems better
adapted to this kind of decora-
tion than more pretentious
ones. Still, a gilt frame may be made beautiful in the same way. There is
only one precaution to be used, viz.: not to hang such a frame over the fire-
place, for the combined heat and dust would soon destroy the plant. Let it
hang so that it may face a north or east window. Don't forget the water;
the pan holding the plant is out of sight, and, therefore, should be kept in
mind.
Diseases or Room Plants.—The leaves of plants when in a normally
healthy state are generally of a deep green color, but when diseased the/
IVY FOR PICTURE FRAMES. 


388 THE HOUSEHOLD.
become yellowish or white. In the majority of cases such a diseased appear-
ance is produced by an excess of light or a lack of it, too much or too little
water, unsuitable, override, or impoverished soil, or lack of drainage. When
the discolors tion first shows itself—and this is generally on the younger shoots
—the condition of the roots should be ascertained by turning the plant out
of the pot. If the roots are healthy and fill the ball, or appear overcrowded,
the discoloration indicates lack of nutriment, or too little or too much light.
In the first case it can be remedied by shifting the plant into a larger pot, or
watering the plant with liquid manure. If excess or lack of light is the
cause, reference must be had to the character of the plant. Fens,
selaginellas, and plants of similar character that naturally grow in shady
places, become pale or yellowish when grown in bright light, while those
whose habitat is in open, exposed situations, become discolored when not
having a sufficiency of light. In either case, when grown in pots, plants are more liable to become diseased through this cause than when grown in the
open air. The remedy, of course, is only to shift the position of the plant
and place it where the light will better suit its nature.
If the ball is not filled with roots, and they do not appear to be fresh and
healthy, the discoloration, in all probability, proceeds from excess of moist-
ure or unsuitable soil. To remedy the first, see that the drainage outlet ie
kept free and unchoked; if after a week or two this does not affect a change,
then it is probable that the diseased appearance arises from unsuitable soil.
Some plants, such as azaleas, camelias, and rhododendrons, in such case
will not throw out a single rootlet from the old ball into the new soil, but
gradually die back or make but weakly, spindling shoots. If the discolora-
tion has been produced by bad drainage, excessive watering, or unsuitable
soil, and is of such long standing as to cause the roots to decay, or the soil
has become sour, the proper remedy is to shake off all the earth from them
and wash them by shaking them thoroughly in clean water, cutting off the decayed parts with a sharp knife, and replanting into light fresh earth, and
seeing that the drainage is kept free. Rich soil or large pots should not be
used, the latter should be but little larger than the diameter of the roots.
When the roots are well developed the plant may be shifted into a larger pot
and richer soil. The leaves of plants from warm countries—oranges, for in-
stance—will sometimes become yellow when exposed to a low temperature,
especially when accompanied with much moisture; the remedy in this case
'nther to raise the temperature or decrease the amount of water given.
Sometimes the discoloration is caused by insufficiency of water, which
causes the roots to shrivel up. It may also proceed from giving too much
water at one time, and then letting the ball become dry, or by only giving
enough of water to moisten the surface of the soil for an inch or two, while
below it may be as dry as powder. Carefulness and watchfulness are the only modes of preventing injury to the plants from such causes. When the
leaves of deciduous plants fall off as their season of rest approaches, they
should bo placed in a lower temperature, and not have as liberal the supply of
water as when growing. If evergreen plants, such as we generally grow in
greenhouses, shed their leaves profusely and suddenly, it indicates that
they have not light enough, or that the temperature of the room is too high,
or the atmosphere is too dry; the proper mode of treatment in such cases is
self-apparent.
Occasionally plants will die off suddenly near the surface of the soil,
although the roots, leaves and shoots look quite healthy. This is often
caused by the oollar of the plant—tho part where the roots are joined to tea


FLORICULTUBE. S8»
stem—being set too deep into the soil. Watering with very cold water when
the soil in the pots has been exposed to the sun will also cause them to die
off suddenly. Plants in pots should never have the pots exposed to the full
blaze of sunshine, especially in the middle of the day. The crowns of her-
baceous plants that have been kept dry, or comparatively so, during their
season of rest, will rot away if the balls of roots are too liberally supplied
with water. They should be kept in the shade, and but sparingly supplied
with water, and that rather tepid, until they develop a leaf or two.
Some plants, especially roses, when kept in rooms, are very apt to become
mildewed, to the certain destruction of the loaves and flower buds. As soon
as it shows itself the leaves should bo washed with soap and water, rinsed
off and flowers of sulphur dusted on with a dredging-box or a pepper-box,
washing it off after it has been on for two or three days.
The whole art of keeping plants in rooms is to provide an equable, moist
temperature, light according to the nature of the plants, regular moderate
watering, good drainage, suitable soil, cleanliness, and an avoidance of all
sudden checks or shocks to the plant either in temperature or humidity.
These are always injurious, as they produce disease and render the plant
liable to the attacks of insects and fungoid growths.
Cheap and Pretty Hanging Baskets.—The sweet potato, which is
basket and contents in one, has, when successful, a very ornamental effect.
Truth compels us to state that it is not always successful, and a yellow,
scraggy appearance of foliage will sometimes reward the bost-intentioned en-
deavors; but given ordinarily favorable surroundings, which include heat and
sunshine, this curious hanging basket thrives and covers a large space with
bright-hued verdure. A large, sound root should be selected, and the top for
some distance down is then removed. Next comes the disagreeable process
of removing the inside—leaving a wall all around, and a thicker one at the
bottom. Three holes are then bored at equal distances, about half an inch
from the top; and into these the suspending cords, which unite at the upper
ends, are fastened. When filled with water up to the holes, the sweet potato
basket is completed; and if placed in a sunny window, it should be covered
with shoots and leaves in a few weeks' time. Some of the sprays can be
trained upward, and others allowed to droop. The red-skinned sweet potato
has a pretty streak of silver in the foliage, and the two varieties on either
side of a window make an agreeable contrast. If preferred, the hollow root
can be filled with earth or sand instead of water—if with the latter, there
should be two or three small pieces of charcoal at the bottom. A carrot
treated in the same way sends forth a mass of feathery foliage whose vivid
green brings a sort of sunshine into the dreariest day; and even a large
sponge suspended by cords, thoroughly moistened and planted with flax,
rapeseed, or any low growing verdure, is not to be despised. A very pretty
basket can be manufactured by taking an ordinary one of wire and fastening
to it raisin-stems, or bits of thin wire properly bent, and then dipping the
whole into melted sealing-wax of a vermilion color until it is thoroughly
coated. Brushing it over with the mixture would take less material. The
effect of theses coralized sprays, glowing through delicate green vines, is
really beautiful. Every one cannot succeed with a basket of growing plants,
but almost any one can succeed with ivy; and a very ornamental hanging
basket that requires little care can be made in the following way: Almost
any kind of basket will answer, and there should be a good collection of
autumn leaves varnished and prepared in sprays. Six or eight two ounces 


aw
TEX EOESXEOLB.
bottles should W ailed with water, and have one or two well-grown sprays
of ivy in each, placed in wads of cotton to keep them upright, the leaves ar«
ranged in bet r/ccn and around the edge of the basket. The ivy will grow,
and oan be trained to run up the cords, as well as to hang over the sides;
the only care required is to fill up the bottles as the water evaporates, and
to keep tho leaves free from dust.
Window Gardening—What adds more to the cheerfulness of the
'toitie d*ring the lonely, dreary days of winter, than flowers 1 All can have

FIG. 1,—DOUBLE WINDOW WITH PLANT SHHJT.
them, the poor as well as the rich, if a little care and forethought is «m4
in growing and arranging them.
The preparatory work consists in transplanting and fairly starting in
small pots, in August or September, the Madeira vine, creeping Charlie,
cypress vine, balloon vine, the common English, the German, or the Kenil-
worth ivy, or morning glory, flowering bean, or sweet-scented pear, or, if you are disposed to be more aristocratic, smilax, lopbiospermum, or, if the wiu-
4ew is large and the foliage is not deemed too rank, the clematis or the


FLORICULTURE.
385
passion vine. Nearly all of these, if thus started, will grow finely and festoon
your windows in the few weeks; some of them have she blossoms, which will
add to the beauty of their foliage. Next, for the plants to make a display in
your windows. What these shall be, and how they shall be arranged, de-
pends very much upon the size, shape and character of your windows. If
you have a bay or oriel window, either large or small, you can make it the
most attractive feature of your room at a very small expense. First place
your pots with climb-vines at the sides on low brackets, and the vines to
make a beautiful frame for your windows. If the window is a deep bay,
other and more delicate vines may be placed between the side windows and
the main one—such as saiilax, the Kenilvvorth ivy, or the cypress vine—and
trained over the ceiling of the bay. At the base of the windows have a
shelf six or eight inches wide (eight is best), supported by the ordinary

FIO. 2.—PRETTY ARRANGEMENT FOR SITTING-ROOM WINDOWS.
metal brackets, and in front tack the expanding framework (such as is shown
in Kg. 1), which is now to be found for sale by the yard very cheap at all
the flower stores—the black walnut is the prettiest, though the holly wood
is very neat; stretch it to its full extent before tacking it on. Then selecting
your hardiest and most freely-blooming plants-geraninms, pelargoninms,
rose geraniums, all from slips potted in July or August, periwinkles,
fuchsias, heliotropes, bouvardias, cuphias, and newly-potted slips of ver-
bena, with such other beautiful small plants as you may find desirable-
place each pot in one about three sizes larger, which is partially filled with
fine earth, and the space between loosely packed with moss. Set these on
your shelf, arranging them with reference to complementary colors; put in
the center where the main partition between the two divisions of the central
window is, to good and shapely ardisia, which, if it has been plunged during


SM THE HOTTSEHOLD.
the summer, will, by this time, be loaded with its beautiful berries, which
are in November just beginning to turn to a beautiful scarlet. These ber-
ries will hang on till June; and, while the plant is of very moderate price, it
has no superior as an ornamental shrub. In the corners put callas, which
should have been heeled or turned over to rest, as early as July or August
1st . Their position should be partially shaded, and where they will not have
too much heat; when they begin to bud, they should have a plenty of warm,
almost hot, water furnished them daily. They, too, should be placed in the 
FI8. 3.—BAY WINDOW WITH PLANT PLATFORM.
pot surrounded by a large pot, and the interstices filled in with moss. Across
the center of the windows place other shelves with pots of smaller flowers,
and, among the rest, creeping plants, such as verbenas, sweet alyssum,
nemaphila lobelia, mesembryanthemum, etc., etc. On a table in the center,
if you can have a neat box, zinc-lined, you can set in pots, hyacinths,
amaryllis, cyclamens, iris, and the finest sorts of crocus, and, packing moss
around them, keep them moist. From the ceiling of the bay may be suspended
hanging baskets, taking the precaution to keep them moist. The outlay for
all this is very little, and if yo» are ingenious you can do it all yourself 


TLORIOULTUltE.
387
But everybody has not bay windows, or even double windows. For these
Unfortunates, among whom we are sorry to be obliged to reckon ourselves,
the simpler arrangement indicated in Fig. 2 is almost as effective. A shelf
at the foot of each window supported on brackets, and, if preferred, protected
by the expanding framework, will give room for four or six pots at each window, while the vines can be trained around tho windows, as in the other
case. A swinging bracket largo enough for two pots can be attached to the
outer side of the framework of each window, midway of us height, and a
rustic basket attached to a hook projecting from the top of the window
frame, if desired. On a table or slab between the windows a small jardiniere,
containing an ardisia, or Tahiti orange, can be placed. In the selection of
climbers for trimming the windows, avoid the climbing fern, which is offered
so abundantly at all the flower stores. It cannot be made to live in parlors,

7IO. 4.—DEEP BAY WINDOW WITH BRACKETS.
and in spite of all the care which may be taken with it will soon become dry
and unsightly. The ivies, Madeira vine and cypress vine are the best,
though several other climbers are pretty. The blossoms of the Madeira
vine, which will come out if it is well cared for in February or March, are
very fragrant, and will fill the parlors with their delicate perfume.
The wall pockets so plenty in these days of scroll sawing, can be very
easily adapted to the purpose of plant cultivation, and add greatly to the beauty of these simple decorations.
How to Kill Insects on Plants.—Slugs are occasionally seen eating
large holes or notches in the leaves of all succulents and begonias. They
usually feed at night. Cut potatoes, turnips, or some other fleshy vegetable
in halves, and place conveniently near the plants. The sluge will Bathe*


fLORIOULTURB.
K»
Ornamental Wardlan Case.—The sides of the box are of mahogany,
11-4 inoh in thickness, and the bottom of deal, 11-2 inch thick, well framed
and dovetailed together, and strengthened with brass bands, and with two
cross-bars beneath. The upper edge of the box is furnished with a groove
for the reception of the glass roof, and this groove is lined with brass, tu

ORNAMENTAL WARDIAN CASH.
prevent the wood from rotting. The roof is composed of brass, and glazed
with the very best flattened crown glass. The brass astragals are grooved
for the reception of the glass, and not rebated, as in ordinary glazing. Eyed
studs are cast on the inner side of the ridge astragal, about half an inch in
length, for the purpose of suspending small orchids or ferns from the roof.
The inside of the box is lined with zinc, and at one of the corners an aperture
is formed Into which a copper tube, two inches long, is inserted, and for-


SM TBS BOUSBBOLD.
nished with a cock for withdrawing any superfluous water that may at any
time accumulate within the box. One of the panes is made to take out—this provision is necessary for the occasional arrangement and airing of the
plants, but the general arrangement is made by Jilting the top off entirely.
Rose Culture.—Situation.—A place apart from other flowers should be
assigned to them, if possible, sheltered from high winds, but open and not
surrounded by trees, as closeness is very apt to generate mildew; where
they cannot have a place to themselves, any part of the garden best fulfilling
these conditions will answer.
SoU.—k most important item in their successful culture. That in which
they especially delight is a rich, unctuous loam, that feels greasy when
pressed between the fingers. Where this is not to be had the soil must be
improved; if light, by the addition of loam, or even clay, well worked in;
where heavy, good drainage and the addition of coal ashes in small quanti-
ties will help it, but in such places draining is more important.
Planting.—Mix some loam and well-rotted manure together, open a good
sized holo, and fill it with fresh soil; plant firmly. Shorten any very long
shoots, and, if exposed to winds, secure the plant by short stakes.
Manuring.—Roses are strong feeders, and will take almost any amount of
manure; pig manure is the best, except in hot soils, when cow manure is
preferable; stable manure is generally available and good. Exhibitors gen-
erally apply a top-dressing in spring, but it does not improve the appearance
of the beds; a good top-dressing may be laid on the beds in autumn, and be
dug in in the spring.
Watering.—When coming into bloom, if the weather be dry, give a good
drenching twice or three times a week; continue after blooming to prevent
mildew. If greater size be required, liquid manure may be used. Syringe
daily for green fly.
Pruning.— This may be done any time after the beginning of March, ac-
cording to the season. Cut out all wood over two years old and all weakly
shoots. Weak-growing kinds should be pruned hard—that is, down to three
or four eyes; stronger growing kinds may be left longer. Cut to an eye that
points outward, so as to keep the inside of the plant open. Teas and
noisettes require less cutting back; the tops should be shortened and the
weak shoots cut out, and they should not be pruned until May. Use a sharp
knife.
Rustic Hanging Basket.—The accompanying drawing represents a
rustic hanging basket that any person can make with the common house
tools, axe, saw, knife, hammer and a few brads. First, procure from the
woods two or three sticks of iron wood, or such as may suit the fancy. They
should be selected, small trees, about three inches in diameter. After
selecting the tree, cut it up into pieces fourteen or fifteen inches in length;
then, taking one of these round sticks, split off the four sides; this, if it splits
well, will give eight pieces from two sticks, the number required to make
the basket. The sticks, or pieces, should be narrower and thinner at one
end than the other, as shown in the cut, and rounded at each end. Thek
procure a block or piece of inch board, and cut out a circular piece about
three inches in diameter, slanting it a little so that the pieces will have the
taper towards the bottom when tacked to the block. This gives the basket
* little flare. They should fit close together at the point where the block is,
and may be a little open, nearer the top, in order to fill between with mou,


FLORICULTURE.
391
Now, the pieces being nailed to the block with brads, begin to ornament it
with grape-vines and roots. Boots are tacked to the under side of the block,
to fill it all up, and at the lower points of the pieces where they match, al-
ways keeping in view one thing—to preserve the tapering form and matching
the roots in every way that will bring them all towards the center with uni-
formity. Next put vines on the
sides, as per engraving, bring-
ing two together over the places
where the sticks match; also,
weave in around the top two
vines, in and out alternately,
and, fastening with brads, tacks roots on the pieces between the
ornamental work.
Next put on a handle of
grape-vine, giving it a single
knot; tie at the top to form a
loop, interweaving it with a
smaller vine; then give the
basket a coat of varnish and put
in suitable plants. Keep the
basket partially in the shade,
and occasionally dip it in a bar-
rel of rain water.

To Prepare Plants for Winter.—It is a great mistake
to delay the work of prepara-
tion for winter until it is sug-
gested by cool nights or a warn-
ing given by blighting frosts.
When a plant has been taken
from a pot and planted in open
ground it usually outgrows its
former place, and is too large
for any vessel of convenient
size. The root should be cut
away to a considerable extent
and likewise the top or foliage
must be correspondingly re-
duced. Novices often fail at
this point, for they dislike to
part with any of the new growth,
and set the plant in a pot un-
pruned, and expect what is not
possible, that it will flourish.
Cut back root system and branch system equally is the rule. Plants when
thus transplanted need to be favored by being kept in the shade and shel-
tered from the drying winds until they have made a good start in the pote.
Many of the house plants are kept in their pots during the summer and will
need repotting, or the pot washed and the surface soil replaced by fresh,
rich earth. A larger pot is needed by those plants whose roots have formed
» mat along the inner surface. The ball of earth can be examined quickly
RUSTIC HANGING BASKET.


8M TEE BOUBEHOLD.
by spreading the left hand on the vessel—the stem passing between the
fingers, and with the other hand on the bottom invert the pot and give the
edge a downward tap against some object. If this does not succeed, pour
some water around the edge, and after a short time repeat the operation.
All old pots should be clean, and if the new ones are used, soak them in
water until the pores are filled. A piece of broken vessel is placed over the
bottom hole before filling in the potting earth. All the necessary pots, soil,
etc., should be abandoned now, that they may be at hand when needed at
any time during the winter.
Selection of House Plants.—Select fresh, healthy plants for winter cul-
ture, for they will repay all the labor you bestow upon them by bright flow-
ers. The old geraniums, heliotropes, fuchsias, etc., which have flowered all
siminict, will be of no value for window gardening, while young plants will
soon be covered with buds and flowers. Small plants in small pots are far
more desirable for house culture than large plants in such cumbrous pots
that it requires a man's strength to move them.
There are several winter-flowering fuchsias which will continue to bloom
from October until May, in beautiful luxuriance, if you will only give them
a spoonful of " Soluble Pacific Guano " once in two or three weeks, or give
it in lb liquid form by dissolving a tablespoonful of it in three quarts of hot
water. It will also destroy the white worms which are so apt to infest the
soil of plants that have not been repotted frequently. At least it proved an
antidote with me last season. But if it does not exterminate them, take a
piece of unslacked lime as large as a man's fist, and stack it in hot water in
an old pail, and when the lime has sunk to the bottom, water the plants with
it, and it will make their foliage luxuriant and destroy worms of all kinds,
The lime can be used over several times.
Tea roses, if well treated, make lovely plants for winter. Purchase well-
rooted plants of Bon Silene, Safratio, Bella, and other varieties, and put them
close to the glass and stimulate weekly with weak liquid fertilizers; or a
Jacqueminot rose which bloomed in the summer may be taken up and potted
in an eight-inch pot, with the richest compost made friable with sand or
sharp grits, cut back all the old wood and pull off every leaf and place it in
a frost-proof window, but where the sun shines in well, and you can force as
handsome rose-buds as the florists.
For a small amount of money a collection of winter-flowering plants can
be procured; and though they will neither feed nor clothe the body, yet
they will minister to the needs of the soul, which sometimes hungers, thirsts,
and shivers, while the body is luxuriously fed, and clothed in fine raiment.
Soil *or Plants—Knowing that nearly every lady in the city finds it
hard to get manure of the right quality for her plants, I thought this sug-
gestion might be of some use to them. Gather up the fallen leaves and
put them in an old box, or in some obscure corner where they will not have
to be removed. After getting all you want, pile them in as close quarters as
possible, then throw on them all of your dish-water, wash-water, or any
water that will help to make them rot. Every week or two take a stick and
turn the leaves over, and keep on doing this until they are all rotten, which
they will be in a short time, and you will have as good a manure as any
flovist could want. If you could get the droppings from a cow and put them
in an old dish and pour water on them; let it stand for a day or two; then
take the liquid and pour it around the roots of the plant; it will give it a


m
TBS HOUSEHOLD.
The Mud System of Slipping Plants—The following interesting
article we find in the Babyhood Magazine: A child of five years can cut off a slip from a geraninm, verbena, heliotrope, carnation, fuchsia, or even a
rosebush, taking care that the
slip is made from the young
or green shoot; and in a plate
or saucer filled with wet sand
it will root just as quickly and
as well as if put in by the
hands of a gardener—provided
care is taken that the sand in
the saucer is kept wet by add-
ing a little water to it each day
until the slips show the small
roots. The slip should be cut
in the way shown in the draw-
ing, taking it off either between
or below the joints. The sau-
cer holding the slips should be
placed in some sunny window
where it is warm enough for a little child. Nearly
all kinds of slips can be rooted at any time of the
year; but some, such as the colons, salvias, and
various plants called " warm-blooded," had bet-
ter not be slipped until the warm weather comes
in May.
The slips will begin to show the little roots in
from two to three weeks after being put in the
saucers. They should then be potted in little
pots about two inches deep, which the gardeners
call thumb-pots. The slips should be potted in
rich, soft mold, which can be procured from any
florist. Good garden earth will also do, only it
must not be wet and sticky. If it can only be got in a very wet condition,
dry stove-ashes may be mixed with it.
When the slips are to be potted, first fill the little flower-pot full of earth,
then with the fore-finger make a hole in the center big enough to put the
roots in. Gently press the earth
all around the roots, making it
level and smooth on the top;
then with a watering-pot sprinkle
slightly the slips, now plants.
Every other day they will require
watering until they begin to put
little white roots to the edge of
the pot, which can be seen by
giving the pot a tap on the table,
and turning the contents out just
like jelly from a glass. After
the soil in the little pots gets filled with roots, which will be in four or five
weeks from the time the slips were placed in them, it will be well to trans-
plant into pots three or four inches deep. By May the slips that were put
inthe saucers to root in February or March will have made plants large





FLORICULTURE.
395
•"lough to get out in the open garden, and by midsummer will be fine
bushes covered with blossoms.
Fuchsias.—Fuchsias, after being exhausted with blooming, should have
the terminal shoots all chpped off, and be repotted in a soil composed of leaf
mold. In a few weeks new shoots, full of flower buds will start all over,
growing rapidly.
Rustic Flower Stand.—A very simple and graceful arrangement for
flowers requiring no more space than the tiny violet or crocus, or some

EUSTIC FLOWER STAND.
bright blossoming dwarf plant. A box frame, with four "posts " to sup-
port the roof, is all the foundation required. The rest is made of neatly
out pieces of straw, braided with three rows of red-stained willow or
cane. The pretty flower pavilion is ornamented with wheat sheafs and
grasses. Bright colored autumn leaves, pressed and varnished, would look
charming mingled with grasses. They can be fastened about the frame with wire
The Verbena.—The verbena is one of our most popular bedding plants,
and is also used by many persons as a window plant, though for this pur-
po»» it is not generally recommended, as it does not do well in an atmotn


8W 'I'llE HOVUKUOLV.
phere warmer than 60 degrees or 53 degrees, and must have plenty of sun-
light, two requisites which but few persons can command. In the conserva-
tory they should be given B top shelf, kept moderately dry and never
watered in the morning, or when the sun would be likely to shine upon
them before the foliage is dry, as it causes mildew; give fresh air whenever
it is practicable to do, so, and keep the plants stout and bushy by pinching
back stray branches. A soil composed of two parts loam, two parts well-
rotted manure and one part sand suits them best. Keep the surface soil
loose and porous, to allow air to reach the roots, and provide good drainage.
If green fly appears fumigate with tobacco. To perpetuate the verbena use
small cuttings taken from fresh growth instead of layers or old roots. The
best way is to start the plants from seeds in the spring. By this means the
plants do not bloom quite be early, but they are more hardy and vigorous,
and flower more profusely than those grown from cuttings. Seedling plants
are always the most satisfactory for bedding, and the only fault that can be
found with them is, that the colors do not always come true from seeds.
Preserving Autumn Leaves—Autumn leaves are used in various
methods, the most popular being, perhaps, to dry them flatly and carefully,
and take great care to preserve their stalks. When thoroughly dry they are
varnished, which gives them a pretty gloss and also acts as a preservative to
them from all insects and moths. After this thoy are carefully laid aside
for the decoration of the winter dinner table, and may be most safely pre-
served in a tin box with a well fitting cover. Grasses added to them are
very effective, and when dry they may be dyed. They may be also frosted
when dry, by dipping each stalk into a solution of alum and leaving them to
dry upright. With the grasses and leaves may be used the dried everlast-
ing flowers and the prepared moss, but I must warn my readers that no little
taste is needed in their arrangement to avoid the least heaviness of effect. I
have found that glass vases and stands are the most effective for their ar-
rangement, as the transparency of these increases, the wished-for likeness
and grace. Another way of using the dried leaves is for the ornamentation
of tables, blotting books, or boxes. Old cigar boxes, when painted black,
are very favorite articles for decoration, but now we know the value of var-
nished unpainted wood, I fancy that many people will prefer the effect of the
cigar boxes unpainted, with the unvarnished leaves gummed on, and the box
and leaves varnished afterward. If, however, a black ground be especially
desired, use " Brunswick black" to stain the wood, or "Brunswick black"
and turpentine mixed to make a rich looking brown grounding. Then gum
on the leaves in a central group, being careful to cut away all the under
parts of the leaves, which will be hidden by others above, as too many
thicknesses of leaf will make an uneven surface, and give an ugly appear-
ance to the work when finished.
The Tuberose.—Because many farmers' wives cherish the belief that
some wonderful skill attends the cultivation of this plant, they deny them-
selves the pleasure of its possession. The bulbs must be lifted before there
is any danger from frost, and spread in a warm, sunny place to thoroughly
dry. If they become chilled in any way, either before being lifted or during
the winter, their value is destroyed. But if kept in a warm closet, they will
repay for all the trouble by their spikes of beautifully pure and fragrant
blossoms.
Tuberoses are reproduced very rapidly. Therefore, after a start ha*


TlOSJCUZTVnE.
897
once been made with a collection of bulbs of one, two and three years'
growth, the owner can continue to set the same, and there will be no trouble
in having all that are desired.
There is no difficulty about the planting and cultivation. They will do
well on any soil that will produce a good crop of corn. The soil should be
made mellow, so as to be easily worked, and the bulbs set at such distance
apart as the extent of surface will allow, and covered with the soil. All
the cultivation that is necessary is to keep the soil mellow and free from
weeds.
If desired for early blooming the bulbs may be set in boxes the latter
part of the winter, and kept
watered, and in a warm
room. They will then come
to flowering earlier than if
not set in the ground until
all danger from frost is past.
Let every farmer's wife
and daughter cultivate a
few of these plants that so
beautify and adorn the
home.
A Miniature Green
House—This is a conveni-
ent and ornamental ap-
paratus for growing flower-
ing house plants, or for
starting cuttings or seeds
early in the season that are
afterwards to be transplant-
ed to open ground. B B is
lblarge earthen vessel or
pot, in the center of which,
at the bottom, the small pot,
A, is inverted. The space
G G around this is filled
with drainage material. On
the top of this pot a smaller
one, C, of porous earthen,
and having straight sides, is
set, and the space around
this, D D and E E, is filled
with mold and sand in which two circles of plants may be set. The pot, C,
is filled with water, which percolates through the porous sides and keeps
the mold moist enough for purposes of vegetation. Over all the bell glass,
F, is placed. If the bell glass and large pot cannot be obtained conveniently,
the same principles can be nearly carried out by constructing the square box
of wood and framing panes of glass for the cover.
Novel Method ofEnriching Plani t. —A French writer recommends a novel mode of enriching and promoting [ the growth, especially of gera-
ninms. Namely: Watering the plants with thesolution of 150 grains of glus
in about two gallons of water.

K MINIATURE GREEN HOUSE. 


398 THE HOUSEHOLD.
A Beautiful Basket Plan«_The finest Iianging baskets we have evet
seen, have been of single plants of the ivy-leaved geranium. The richness
and elegance of the foliage, and the drooping or trailing habit of this plant
are qualifications it possesses, rendering it eminently serviceable for baskets
and vases. One plant is enough for a basket, but except in rare cases, it
will require more time than is afforded the first season to show in its best
condition. The plant is easily kept over winter, and the second season, if
attention is given by the use of manure-water to sustain it, the growth will
be exuberant. There are now so many varieties of this plant, that one has
the opportunity to indulge his taste in selection. There are golden yellow-
leaved ones, bronze, green with white margin, and one, I/Elegante, that has
its green leaves margined with white that is tinged and streaked with pink.
The colors of tho flowers are different with each variety; there are scarlet,
and crimson, and rose, and pink and white; again, there are single and
double flowers. One of the best varieties for a hanging basket, on account
of its fine foliage and free growth, is the double-flowered sort, Kcenig Albert,
having mauve or purplish lilac-colored flowers. The double flowers last
much longer than the single ones, and this adds much to the value of the
plant. For large baskets, where the best effect is desired in a short time,
several of these plants of different kinds could be used for the margin, with
other plants in the center
Growing House Plants in Mass. —In one of the Swiss villages nearly
all the inhabitants are engaged in watch making. They work in large rooms,
which, being abundantly lighted and well warmed, allow the workmen to
cultivate plants that, on account of the uncertainty and rigor of the climate,
cannot be grown in the open air. The president of one of the local horti-
cultural societies in Switzerland gives an account of tie great success with
which plants are cultivated in moss in these watch factories. One great ad-
vantage in the use of moss is the readiness with which plants may be
grouped in large vases and boxes. In France a " fertilized moss " is sold,
but ordinary moss, with occasional application of liquid fertilizers, will
answer as well. Ordinary sphagnum, or peat moss, such as is used by
florists in packing, may be employed, but the writer prefers the moss which
grows in sheets upon rocks, and around the trunks of trees at their base.
Wire baskets lined with this moss are used, as are jardinieres of metal, glazed
pottery, etc., taking care to provide sufficient drainage. The liquid fer-
tilizer used on these house plants should be without unpleasant odor; weak
guano water, solutions of nitrate of soda, or sulphate of ammonia may be
employed, and very fine flour of bone may be mixed with the moss.
Dutch Honeysuckle in the House.—An English writer gives the fol-
lowing, which suggests a way in which hardy wood-climbers might be made available for window decoration in winter or early spring:
"Some years ago, as I was passing through a room used only occa-
sionally, I perceived an odor of fresh flowers that surprised me, as none
were ever kept there. On raising the curtain of the east window, I saw that
the branch of Dutch honeysuckle had found its way between the two sashes at
one corner, while growing in the summer, and had extended itself quite
across the window; and on the branch inside there were three or four clus-
ters of well-developed flowers, with the usual accompaniment of leaves,
while on the main bush outside there was not a leaf to be seen. The flowers
inside were just as beautiful and fragrant as if they had waited until the 


FLOniCVLTTTRE.

MEGARRHIZA CALIFORNICA.—FIG. 1.
natural time of blooming. Since then I have tried the experiment purposely,
and always with the same good result." A heavy covering of the ground
over the roots of the plants
with leaves, and sufficient
protection of the system outside,
would allow this method to
be practiced in quite severe
climates.
Some Yew Plants Of-
fered by German Florists.
—Among the new plants of-
fered by German florists, we
take occasion to note the fol-
lowing:
Megarrhiza Californica,
Fig. 1, is a new and very rapid
growing member of tho Cu-
curbitaceie family, of the
same elegant habit and hand-
some appearance as Pilogyne
suaris, but of much larger di-
mensions, the stems often at-
taining a length of twenty to
thirty feet in one season.
The beautiful, glossy, silvery leaves, about three to six inches in diameter,
bear short scattered hairs, the small white sterile flowers appearing in
slender racemes, while the
fertile ones grow singly, and
are somewhat larger; the ob-
long shaped fruits, about two
inches long, are densely cov-
ered with stout, pungent
spines, similar to those of the
Cucurbitacese introduced up
to the present time, being of
about the same size and form
as a broad bean, and ger-
minating as easily and safely as pumpkin seeds. The plant
becomes fully developed when
grown as an annual, but it can
also be cultivated as a peren-
nial, as it produces long and
large tuberous roots.
Bromus Patulus Nanus,
Fig. 2, is quite a new form of
this very valuable ornamental
grass, differing from the
original species, not only in its
lower growth, but far more in its much more graceful, thinner and shorter
panicles. By comparing a panicle of Bromus patulus with the one shown in
natural size in the figure, the superiority of the above-named sort may

BBOMUS PATCLTJS NANUS.—FIO. 2.


floriculture.
Ml
An Ivy Screen—The old Celtic word for cord is Hedra, hence the gen-
eric name of the true ivies, in allusion to their cord-like stems. The most
common species is the Hedra helix, native of various parts of Britain, and
from which many varieties have been produced. Old ruins of castles and
churches, as well as the sacred temples of a later day, are often half con-
cealed with the deep green leaves of ivy. In our climate these plants do
not succeed as well in the open air as in some portions of Europe; still, when
planted in a half shady position on the north side of the wall, the hardy spe-
cies will thrive most luxuriantly, as may be seen by examining some of the
old specimens in our Eastern cities.
The ivies are especially valuable for covering rock work, either natural
or artificial, particularly when it is located in a cool, shady place, where few
other plants will thrive. Within the past few years our florists have paid
far more attention to the cultivation of ivy than formerly, and great numbers
of plants are sold every year for hanging baskets and similar ornaments.
Among the many fine climbers grown as house plants, there are few that
succeed as well as the
hardy ivies, for they re-
quire very little care, not
being very sensitive to cold,
and thrive better in shade
than when exposed to the
direct rays of the sun.
The ivies are also very
readily propagated by cut-
tings made from almost
any portion of the stem,
whether old or young, and
they will strike root in al-
most any kind of soil, clay,
loam, peat, or sand, al-
though a mixture of the
last two is preferable to the
former. It must not, how-
ever, be supposed that be-
cause ivy will grow in a
poor soil, that it does not prefer one that is rich; and if a strong growth is
desired, generous treatment must be given.
Many beautiful ornaments may be made with these plants, and one of the most unique as well as useful, is the ivy as shown in the illustration.
Such a screen cannot be made in the few days, but requires time, care and pa-
tience. Provide a strong box of the length required for the screen, and fill
it with silver-sand, peat, or leaf mold, adding a small quantity of soil scraped
up in the barnyard. Some old pieces of bricks broken up finely may be
placed in the bottom before the soil is put in; then fill up to within an inch
of the top. Plant either well-rooted slips or cuttings, and then give water
whenever required, but do not keep the soil constantly soaked. When the
plants begin to grow, carefully tie them to slender stakes until they are
three feet high, and then put up the frame for the screen, which should be
of wire, painted green, and of any design to suit the fancy or purse of the
owner. As the plants grow, the small shoots may be drawn through the
meshes of wire and interlaced, until both si les of the screen become a solid
»all of "Ivy green."

AB JVS SCfcEEN.


<oa
THE HOUSEHOLD.
We know that our lady readers will readily appreciate this hint, and
know Just where to place such a screen to produce the most desirable effect
in a room, as well as how to keep the leaves free from dust, so that they
will show to the best advantage. If a solid wall of green is considered too
dark and gloomy, some of the variegated sorts may be intermingled with the
plain leaved, but unless carefully tended and watched they will often ap-
pear sickly and wither away.
A Living Vase.—This process of ornamenting vases is by no means new;
but, as the thing is still far from being common, and as it may give some
one a new idea by which to help beautify the home, we have deemed it worth
while to give a representation of it be as to show the result, and to indicate
the means employed to obtain it, which are most simple. Though any kind
of vases can be used indiscrim-
inately, those in unglazed terra-
cotta are preferable, being por-
ous. In such vessels the water
with which the vase is filled
percolates constantly through
the sides and moistens the
plants which are fixed on its
surface. This kind of case is,
however, not indispensable, for
we can ornament all kinds,
whether in glass or metal. In
the latter case it is necessary to
prepare the surface so as to
convert it into a sort of soil,
which it really represents—an
operation which is easily man-
aged by the aid of a piece of
cloth or flannel which is fixed
by means of a little packthread
or thin iron or brass wire. This,
being understood, the means
employed to grow the seed
must next be described.
If a porous vase be used it
is filled with water or, better still, left in a pail of water to soak. After a
lapse of 24 hours, when the water has thoroughly saturated the vase, it is
laid on its side, and the seed sprinkled slightly over the surface, taking care
to turn the vase in different directions, in order that the whole surface may
be well covered with seed. This operation terminated, the vase is placed in
a dark closet for some time, and, if possible, under a glass frame, so as to
preserve humidity and facilitate germination. When the plants are developed,
and in case they get detached from the vase, they are secured by passing
round, in different directions, a little packthread or fine wire, which soon
disappears under the vegetation.
If a non-porous vase, after having well soaked the cloth which covers it,
the seed is sown upon it and the same care is given it as has already been
Indicated. When a porous vase is used it should bo kept constantly full,
as it is the water filtering slowly through it that feeds the plants which
cover the sides. If that be insufficient to insure vigorous growth, the vasa

A LIVING VASE.


*04
THE HOUSEHOLD.
Wardian Cases.—An illustration of a Wardian case is herewith given.
A bed or box of well-drained soil, with a (cheap or costly) glass case over
it, comprise a Wardian case. The sides should bo of glass, else the pianta
will '' spinder up." Take a common table frame, with the top of the table
off; nail on boards on the bottom of the frame, line the whole with zinc, fill
with earth (or set the plants in the case in pots i, and over it put a case made
of glass—common window glass will answer. Any glazier can make one at
little cost. It may be made of any shape and height desirable. There
should be a door or sliding pane in it, so as to gain ready access to the
plants. In the center of the bed should be a hole for drainage, over which
a plant saucer should be inverted. Fill the bottom or tho bed for ua inch or
two with broken charcoal.
The case may be filled with plants in spring or autumn. If ir ipring, the
turns may be gathered from the woods, and will grow all summer. It is a
better time to make selec-
tions than late in the fall.
Plants in a Wardian case are
not so likely to freeze with
the same degree of cold in a
room as unprotected house
plants; but the room should
be kept warm, nevertheless.
Tho plants in a Wardian case
require less care than plants
in a room. Drench the soil
well when the planting is
done, and they will require
watering but once cr twice a
month. They will need ven-
tilation by removing the slid-
ing pane or opening the door
of the case occasionally, when
the moisture on the glass
seems in excess, so as to ob-
scure the glass.
Not only ferns and
mosses, but wintergreens,
princess pine, partridge
berry, the trailing arbutus, and scores of other pretty wood -plants, can bo
grown and arranged with rock and shell work, to suit the fancy and please
the eye. We are astonished that these cases are not more common in tho
homes of the people.
Fresh-Blown Flowers in Winter. Choose some of the most perfect
buds of the flowers you wish to preserve, such as aro latest in blooming
and are ready to open; cut them off with a pair of scissors, leaving to each,
if possible, a piece of stem about three inches long; cover the end of the
stem immediately with sealing wax, and when the buds are a little shrunk
and wrinkled wrap each of them up separately in a piece of paper, perfectly
clean and dry; then lock them up in a dry box or drawer, and they will keep
without corrupting. In winter, or at any time, when you would have the
flowers blow, take the buds at night and cut off the end of the stem sealed
with wax, and put the buds into water wherein a little nitre of salt has bean

A WARDIAN CASE.


TLOBIOTTLTURE. 401
diffused; the next day you will have the pleasure of seeing the buds open
and expand themselves, and the flowers display their most lovely colors and
breathe their agreeable odors.
Parlor Ornament.—We saw, in the parlor of a friend, a very beautiful
conceit. It is, of course, the fancy of a lady, and consists of the burr of a
pine tree placed in a wine glass half full or water, and from between the
different layers of the burr are shooting forth green blades—bright, beauti-
ful, refreshing. For a little thing, we have seen nothing that so pleased us
by its beauty and novelty. And the secret is this: The burr was found dried
and open; the different circles were sprinkled with grass-seed, and it was
placed in a wine glass with water in as above. In a few days the moisture
and nourishment gave the burr life and health, the different circles closed
and buried within themselves the grass-seed, and a few days more gave to
the seed also life, sprout and growth, and now a pyramid of living green,
beautifully relieved by the somber hue of the burr, is the result—as pretty
and novel a parlor ornament as we have for a long whilo seen. We do not
know whether the idea was original with the lady, but we do know that its
success is beautiful.
Arranging Bouquets—The art of arranging bouquets is very simple.
Having collected the flowers to be used on a tray, all the superfluous leaves
should be stripped from the stems, and by placing the flowers side by side,
you can easily see the order in which they can be most advantageously dis-
played. A very pretty hand bouquet can be made by taking a small, straight
stick, not over a quarter of an inch in diameter, tie a string to the top of it,
and begin by fastening on a few delicate flowers, cr one large, handsome
one, for the center-piece, winding the string about each stem as you add the
flowers and leaves to the bouquet. Always place tho flowers with the
shortest stems at tho top, preserving all those with long stems for the base,
and finish off the bouquet with a fringe of finely cut foliage. Then cut all
the stems evenly, wrap damp cotton around them, and cover the stems with
a paper cut in pretty lace designs. In making bouquets from garden flowers,
such as are most easy to procure, the flowers can be arranged flatly, and the background made from sprays of evergreen.
A Cheap Plant Stand—We made a very effective plant stand for our
front yard last summer in the following manner: A cedar stake, two or three
inches in diameter, was driven into the ground so as to stand firmly, and of
the required height, a small piece of board nailed across the top, and another
piece, a little larger, nailed over this, so as to make a substantial base, and
a cheese box nailed to this. Then we filled the box half full by putting in a
couple of inches of sand and sphagnum over it. The whole was then covered
with pendent lichen, and the box filled with plants in pots, tall ones in the
center and smaller one around them, with trailing plants to hang over the
sides. It was shaded by trees daring the hotter portions of the day, and
such plants as gleechoma, alyssum, ivy, etc., succeeded finely by merely
pressing a handful of sphagnum around the base of cuttings and pressing them into the spaces between the pots.
A Fern Paradise at Home.—It is not only the poor who have to live
in gardenless dwellings and look out from sunless windowa The mansions
of the rich, and thousands of houses of the well-to-do and of the middle classes are necessarily in great cities placed where the sun cannot exert hi*


toe
THE HOUSEHOLD.
charming life-giving influence. Many a window of a grand house looks out
upon nothing but brick walls, which tower up high, and blot out the sun's
rays. The occupants of these houses are often bound by the exigencies at
business to make their homes for weary months in these shadowy dwelling
places. Why then do they not bring the beautiful ferns into requisition?
What exquisite grace would be shed over every room in a house it every
available space were occupied by the feathery fronds of those beautiful
plants! On tables and side
boards, on mantel pieces and
on window sills; hanging
from window rods, on the
landing of the stairs, in the
hall, in the bedroom—every-
where in fact.
We give an illustration of
a cane stand lined with zinc
and filled with ferns and be-
gonias, which might be
bought for a dollar or two,
and which would not be out
i of place in the most elegant
apartment.
House Plants.—Contrive
some cover over them at
sweeping time. This may be,
for plants on shelves, a cur-
tain of some light material; it on a table, an upright post or
stick set in a hole in the mid-
dle of the table, to hold up
the center of a spread of some
kind; o r contrive some
method of using old news-
papers. Let this covering
remain until the dust has
completely settled. All
smooth-leaved plants, espe-
cially ivy, camelias, cape
jessamine, and the like,
should have their leaves
washed with a soft sponge—
a rag will answer—on both
sides, with tepid water, at
least once a week. It will
be found much less trouble
than one would suppose, and the increased beauty of the foliage will lead to
its repetition. Bough-leaved plants, such as geraniums, and many others,
cannot be washed to advantage. Set these in a bath tub, or in a sink, an I
give their leaves a good drenching by using a garden syringe or a watering-
pot with fine holes, holding it up high so that the water will fall with force
upon the leaves. Be sure that the water in not too cold, as it would tend to
check the growth.

STAND FOK FERNS.


FZOBIOTTLTVRE. 407
"To Preserve Scarlet Geraniums through the Winter—Take them
•atofthe borders in autumn, before they have received any injury from
frost, and let this be done on a dry day. Shake off all the earth from their
roots, and suspend them, with their heads downward, in a cellar or dark
room, where they will be free from frost. The leaves and shoots will be-
come yellow and sickly; but when potted about the end of May, and exposed
to a gentle heat, they will recover and vegetate luxuriantly. The old plants,
stripped of their leaves, may also be packed closely in sand; and in this way
if kept free from frost, they will shoot out from the roots, and may be re-
potted in the spring.
Manure for Bulbs—An ounce of nitrate of soda dissolved in four gal-
lons of water is a quick and good stimulant for bulbs, to be applied twice a
week after the pots are filled with roots, and the flower spikes are fairly visi-
ble. A large handful of soot, or about a pint, tied up in a piece of old can-
vas, and immersed in the
same quantity of water for .
a day or two, will fur-
nish a safe and excellent •
stimulant; also good and safe'
is a quarter of a pound of cow
manure mixed in a large gar-
den pot of water, and used as
required. Any of these stim-
ulants will do good, or the
whole of them applied alter-
nately will benefit bulbs that
need more sustenance than
the soil affords.
Trellis for JPlants^.1
With a little slightly-galva-
nized wire any one can make
the little iron trellis shown in
... - Al... TRELLIS FOR PLANTS.
our illustration on this page,
in a very neat manner—and it will look much neater and prove handier and
more graceful than the painted stick trellises which are so common.
How to Grow the Pansy—The pansy delights in a cool, rich loam;
the richer, the larger will be the flowers, in a partially shaded situation. It
never flourishes as well during the hot days of July and August as later in
the season. Young plants, from seeds sown early in the spring, if the bed
be very rich, will come into handsome bloom during the latter part of June.
All the first blossoms should be picked off that the plant may first become
robust. Even with the old plants, the great secret of keeping them in con-
stant bloom is to pick off the blossoms early and constantly, since it weakens
the plant more to ripen one seed-pod than to yield a dozen flowers.
Autumn Sowing of Flower Seeds.—Persons say that the finest flow-
ers they ever had of certain annuals were from "volunteer" plants from
self-grom seeds. The real reason for their superiority is not due to the
manner, but to the time of sowing. Seeds are " self-grown" soon after they
are ripe, and the superiority of the plants- from these suggests autumn sow.


«08 THJB HOUSEHOLD.
ing. The annual flowers classed as " hardy " should as to general thing, A
practicable, be sown in autumn. Larkspurs and pansies are incomparably
finer when thus sown. Clarkia, whitlavia, gilia, and nearly all the rest of the
California annual, to give the best results, should be sown in autumn.
To Repot Plants—Shake the old earth from the plants after they com-
mence to grow in spring, then pot them into smaller pots than those just oc-
cupied; as the plants make fresh growth and fill these pots with roots, repot
into those ot a size larger, and so on until the plants are in their flowering
pots. By adopting this plan the plants are supplied with fresh soil from
time to time, and not kept growing on from year to year in the same soil,
which soon becomes exhausted. The above remarks apply more particularly
to such plants as fuchsias, pelargoninms, etc
Treatment or English Ivy.—The use of the English ivy cannot be too
strongly recommended as a decoration in our rooms during the winter sea-
son. A lady noted for the beauty and freshness of her ivies was asked the
secret ot her success, which was simply putting a small piece of beefsteak at
the roots of the plants every spring and fall. It is also said that to lightly
rub each leaf on both sides with sweet oil will preserve a fresh, vigorous
appearance of ivies, in spite of furnace heat and gas, usually so injurious to
all house plants. These simple measures are well worth trying.
How to Make Moss Baskets.—Very beautiful baskets for holding flow-
ers can be made of the longer and more feathery kind of mosses. A light
frame, of any shape you like, should be made with wire and covered with
common pasteboard or calico, and the moss, which should first be well
picked over and cleansed from any bits of dirt or dead leaves which may be
hanging about it, gathered into little tufts, and sewed with a coarse needle
and thread to the covering so as to clothe it thickly with a close and com-
pact coating, taking care that the points of the moss are all outward. A
long handle, made in the' same manner, should be attached to the basket,
and a tin or other vessel, filled with either wet sand or water, placed within
to hold the flowers. By dipping the whole structure into water once in three
or four days, its verdure and elasticity will be fully preserved, and a block
of wood about an inch thick, and stained black or green, if placed under the
basket, will prevent all risk of damage to the table from moisture.
Carnations from Cuttings—Carnations are easily rooted from slips.
Take off the small side shoots when about two inches long. If your planta
are in pots, plant them around the edge, pressing the soil very firmly about
the portion inserted. Do not water them only when the parent plant re-
quires it. If they are cultivated in the ground, plant them in the same bed,
taking the same precautions to make the earth compact about the slips, so
they will not dry up instead of rooting. If the ground is slightly moist, it is
enough for them, but if very dry sprinkle occasionally.
Gypsy Fern Case.—This fern case consists of three bars crossed at the
top and fastened into a triangular base. A basket is suspended from the
center of the case, and the base is decorated with shells, acorns or corals.
The best method of making this case is to have the base first made of wood,
then lined with zinc. The sides should hold glass neatly filled into the bars,
thus inclosing the plants from the outer air. The height should be about
three feet, and width of base two feet on each side. Any florist can supply
ferns for such a structure. Choose only the smaller growing sorts, and avoid


410 THE HOUSEHOLD.
Crystallizing Grassei.—A lady asks for directions for crystallizing
grasses. The following is a good recipe: Dissolve in a quart of hot water all
the alum you can by heating and stirring—it may be a pound, it may be
twenty ounces. Hare the grasses divided into small bunches, tied. When
the solution begins to cool, dip in the grasses, holding them there five min-
utes, three minutes, two or one minute, according to the size of crystals you
wish. The cooler the solution the quicker the crystals form. A glass jar is
convenient for heating the alum, as one can see through the glass when the
crystals are forming, and know when to take them out. Do not let the grass
touch the side of the jar. Hao» an old plate under the bottom to prevent
the glass breaking.
A Home-Made Flower Stand,—A very pretty flower stand can be
made out of a table, a bucket, and a half a dozen old tin cans. Place the
bucket in the center of the table. Punch several holes in the bottom of each
can, and screw them firmly to the table by screws in the holes.
Arches of stout wire may be made across the top of the cans. For ferns
planted in the cans, which require a great deal of water, cover the top of
the table with a shallow pan to catch the drip. Other plants should only
have the soil kept damp. Geraninms are fine for winter blooming, as are
also colens, fuchsias, and petunias. Some kind of a vine should be planted
in each of the corner cans. Trailing plants produce a good effect.
The Acorn—If an acorn be suspended by a piece of thread within half
an inch of the surface of some water contained in a hyacinth glass, and so
permitted to remain without being disturbed, it will, in a few months, burst,
and throw a root into the water, and shoot upward its straight and tapering
stem, with beautiful little green leaves. A young oak tree growing in this
way on the mantel-shelf of a room is a very elegant and interesting object.
I have seen several oak trees, and also a chestnut tree, thus growing, but
all of them, however, have died after a few months, probably owing to the
water not being changed sufficiently often to afford them the necessary quan-
tity of nourishment from the matter contained in it.
Moving Plants—In the fall those plants that are to be taken to the
house to serve as window plants for the winter, should be looked after before
the season arrives for their removal. If, with a sharp spade, each plant is
cut around, so as to leave a ball of earth the right size for the pot, and then
allowed to remain two or three weeks, young fibrous roots will form; when
the plant, with the ball of earth attached is lifted, it will scarcely experience
any check.
To Keep a Bouquet Fresh.—To keep a bouquet fresh for a number of
days, sprinkle lightly with fresh water, then put it into a vessel containing
soapsuds, which nutrify the roots and keep the flowers as bright as new.
Take the bouquet out of the suds every morning and lay it sideways, the
stalk entering first into the water. Keep it there a moment, then take it
out and sprinkle the flowers lightly by the hand'with water. Beplace it in
the soapsuds, and it will bloom as fresh as when first gathered. The soap-
suds need changing every other day.
Watering Plants.—The following directions for watering house plants
during the winter will «ssi«* those having care of them in keeping them
in a healthy condition: •/aim carbonate of ammonia four parts; nitrate o!


THE HOME PHYSICIAN".
Preventives of Malaria—Scarcely a section of our beantiAJ country
is free from malarial disease in some of its forms. Many localities formerly
free from malaria have recently been visited by this insidious foe of
humanity. Two reasons are given for this result: First, the ponds
and swamps have been dried up, and the lower forms of organic matter
have been exposed to the air, and second, wells and springs have become so
low that the water is very impure, and no doubt its use produces an un-
healthy state of the human body.
If the use of impure water alone were the cause of malarial difficulties
the remedy would be simple, namely, to substitute pure water instead, if it
could be had, or by filtration and other means, purify what was at hand.
The malarial influence arising from swamps or marshes can be only
counteracted by ^rating the soil and thus getting rid of the lower organisms
resident there. By means of drainage the sour soil water is carried off, the
air enters and decay is completed—the poison is destroyed and a more
healthful condition ensues.
But there are vast stretches of country where these means cannot be em-
ployed, and other methods must be provided. It is now pretty well proven
by actual plantings in California of the blue gum tree, or Eucalyptus of
Australia, that by its use over a sufficient area the malarial tendencies can
be counteracted. Unfortunately, by actual test, we find that the EucalyptuM
Qlobosa will not endure the cold of this section of the Union.
What then can we employ? Professor Maury, before our late internecine
war, proved at the Washington Observatory that extensive plantations of the common sunflower will, during its growing season, counteract malaria.
These can be grown all over our States, and should be extensively tried.
The common willow, being a coarse feeder and rapid grower, revelling in
wet and swampy land, has also been commended as one of the very best
agents for the destruction of malarial germs. Its roots spread widely
through the soil, while its leafage is simply enormous in proportion to its
woody development. The three sorts of willow grow with great rapidity,
but more immediate effects may be produced by planting sprouts of tho
osier or basket willow thickly all over tho whole of a wet or swampy surface
soil.
This would be a remunerative product aside from its destruction of
malaria. The plan is worthy of trial.
Pneumonia. -m will be remembered that in old age the lungs are much
shriveled, lesS elasijc, and can not be fully inflated; the air cells are dilated
to about twice their size, many of the capillaries are obliterated, the breath-
ing is more feeble and shallow, and the power to get rid Oi iarbonic acid is
greatly diminished.
Hence pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) is not only one of the most
aonunon diseases of old age, but the most fatal—over three-fourths (soma


THE HOME PHYSICIAIT. 418
»ay nine-tenths) of the aged dying with it. The main work of the lungs is
done by the air-cells, the tiny laboratories in which the smaller branches of
the air-tubes terminate, as the branches of a tree terminate in the leaves.
Now it is these that are the seat of pneumonia.
In the first stage of the disease they become—in some part of the lungs
—filled with a sticky fluid, exuded frcm the blood vessels; in the second
stage this fluid becomes solid; in the third it changes to pus. If the pus is
absorbed—which is seldom the case in the old—the person may recover, but
only after months of convalesence. If it result in gangrene (mortification),
the gangrene may form numerous small abscesses through an entire lung.
In the aged the disease seldom commences with well-defined symptoms.
In abort one-half the cases there is simply a chill or B pain in the side. In
most of the other cases the main symptom is a feeling of exhaustion. If
there is already chronic bronchitis or asthma, the person may merely feel a
little tired, and suddenly die.
Though most persons cough, there is for a time no expectoration. When it appears it is at first scanty, gray and frothy; then yellow, and at length
reddish and sticky. Patients seldom complain of pain or difficulty of
breathing.
The more common exciting cause is cold, especially dry, sharp. Nine-
tenths of all cases occur between November and May. During this period
the aged cannot be too carefully protected from exposure. They should
constantly wear flannel.
About all that can be done for the patient is to stimulate him with drinks,
nourish him with concentrated fluid food, and secure him absolute rest.
Antidotes for Poisons—(l) The most dangerous of the vegetable
poisons are the hemlocks (including the hemlock dropwort, water hemlock,
and the common hemlock), fool's parsley, monkshood, foxglove, black helle-
bore, or Christmas rose, buck-bran, henbane, thorn apple, and deadly night-
shade. In lb case of vegetable poisoning, says Knowledge, "emetics (the
sulphate of zinc, if procurable) should be used at once, the back of the
throat tickled with a feather, and copious draughts of tepid water taken to
excite and promote vomiting. Where these measures fail, the stomach-pump
must be used. Neither ipecacuanha nor tartar emetic should be used to
cause vomiting, as during the nausea they produce before vomiting is excited
the poison is more readily absorbed. Vinegar must not be given until the
poisonous matter has been removed; but afterward it may be given in doses
of a wineglassful, one part vinegar to two parts water, once every two hours
in mild cases, but oftener—to half hourly doses—in cases of greater severity.
Where there is stupor, the patient should be kept walking about, and if the
stupor is great cold water may be dashed over the head and chest. Strong
coffee may be used where the narcotic effect of the poisoning is very marked.
It is all-important that in cases of vegetable poisoning to medical man should
be sent for at once."
(2) If a pereon swallow any poison whatever, or has fallen into convul-
sions from having overloaded the stomach, an instantaneous remedy, more
efficient and applicable in a larger number of cases than any half a dozen
medicines we can think of, is a heaping teaspoonful of common salt and as
much ground mustard, stirred rapidly in a teacup of water, warm or cold,
and swallowed instantly. It is scarcely down before it begins to come up,
bringing with it the remaining contents of the stomach; and lest there be
any remnant of poison, however small, let the white of an egg, or a teacup


OH THE HOUSEHOLD.
of strong coffee be swallowed as soon as the stomach is quiet. These very
common articles nullify a larger number of virulent poisons than any
medicines in the shops.
(3) Great quantities of Paris green are used during some seasons of the
year, and as accidents may happen, it is well to know the antidote for the
poison. Paris green owes its deadly properties to arsenic, as does London
purple. Should either of these be taken into the stomach, let the person
drink copious draughts of milk, or raw eggs beaten up, and as soon as pos-
sible give an emetic, mustard is as good as anything, and keep up the action
of vomiting by giving milk between the paroxysms of vomiting. When the
stomach no longer rejects what is swallowed, give a good dose of castor oil.
(4) It cannot be too generally known that the ordinary calcined magnesia,
mixed with water, is considered a certain antidote to numerous poisons,
especially those of metallic origin, such as arsenic, corrosive sublimate, sul-
phate of zinc, etc. In cases of this deplorable kind, two or three teaspoon fuls of magnesia, mixed with water, should bo at once administered, which,
in all probability, will save the patient until the doctor comes.
(5) Hundreds of lives have been saved by a knowledge of this simple
receipt. A large teaspoonful of made mustard mixed in a tumbler of warm
water, and swallowed as soon as possible; it acts as an instant emetic, suf-
ficiently powerful to remove all that is lodged in the stomach.
(6) A standing antidote for poison by dew, poison-oak, ivy, etc., is to take
a handful of quicklime, dissolve in water, let it stand half an hour, then
paint the poisoned parts with it. Three or four applications will never fail
to cure the most aggravated cases.
(7) The only safe and immediate remedy within the reach of a non-pro-
fessional, in case of poisoning with prussic acid, is to pour a stream of cold
water, from an elevation, upon the head and spine of the patient.
(8) If the person has taken an over-dose of laudanum, very strong coffee is
a specific antidote. Keep the patient on his feet and keep him walking.
Sleep is fatal under such circumstances.
Dangers of Childhood.—Childhood is the period during which the
foundations of the physical structure are laid. It ends, at the age of about
fourteen, with the completion of the permanent teeth. It is characterized
by almost absolute dependence on the parents, and therefore the responsi-
bility rests upon them whether the foundations of the superstructure shall
be good or bad, and, indeed, whether there shall be any superstructure!
The fact that one-half of all who are born die within this period, while mul-
titudes of adults find, when it is too late, fatal defects in the very ground-
wsrk of their constitutions, is a fearful witness against the competency of
most parents for the care of children. What farmer would employ a hand
that let one-half of all his calves, colts and lambs die? In the matter of food,
if milk fails the mother, how few mothers know what to give the child! How
few know that many of the compounds sold as "Infants' food" contain
no food whatever! and that cow's milk, harmful when taken alone, is gen-
erally safe with a certain proportion of lime water! How few mothers know
that too protracted nursing will result in "rickets?" That overfeeding all
through childhood is a prolific source of disease? and that, in case of most
bowel complaints, a spare diet for a few days is better than all medicines 1
In our climate, where the mercury rar.ges through 140 degrees and often
varies between the extremes suddenly and violently, how little do mothers
realize the importance of aiding nature: e, with clothing and food, so that the


416 THE B0U8EH0ZD.
acid drinks, and flax seed or slippery elm tea. Warm herb teas, and fre-
quent sponge baths with tepid water, serve to allay the fever; care should
be taken not to let the patient take cold. If the fever is very high, and pre-
vents the rash coming out, a slight dose of salts; or a nauseating dose of
ipecac, lobelia, or hive syrup should be given, and followed by teaspoonful
doses of compound tincture of Virginia snake-root until the fever is allayed.
If the patient from any derangement takes on a low typhoid type of fever,
and the rash does not come out until the seventh day, and is then of a dark
and livid color, tonics and stimulants must be given, and the expectoration
promoted by some suitable remedy. The room should be kept dark to pro-
tect the inflamed eyes. As long as the fever remains the patient should be
kept in bed. Exposure may cause pneumonia, which, in other words, is
acute inflammation of the lungs. Keep in the room as long as the cough
lasts. There is always danger of the lungs being left in an inflamed state
after the measles, unless the greatest car» ia taken not to suffer the patient
to take cold.
Should there be much pain, and a sev»"<» cough, this must be treated as
a separate disease, with other remedies.
Rheumatism.—(l) Dr. Ebrards, of Nimes, states that he has for many
years treated all his cases of sciatica and neuralgic pains with an improvised
apparatus consisting merely of a flat-iron and vinegar, two things that will
be found in every house. The iron is heated until sufficiently hot to vaporize the vinegar, and is then covered with some woolen fabric, which is moist-
ened with vinegar, and the apparatus is applied at once to the painful spot.
The application may be repeated two or three times a day. Dr. Ebrard
states that, as a rule, the pain disappears in twenty-four hours, and recovery
ensues at once.
(2) Take cucumbers, when full grown, and put them into a pot with B lit-
tle salt; then put the pot over a slow fire, where it should remain for about
an hour; then take the cucumbers and press them, the juice from which
must be put into bottles, corked up tight, and placed in the cellar, where
they should renv.in for about a week; then wet a flannel rag with the liquid,
and apply it to the parts affected.
(B) Half ounce of strongest camphorated spirit, one ounce spirits of turpen-
tine, one raw egg, half pint best vinegar. Well mix the whole, and keep it
closely corked. To be rubbed in three or four times the day. For rhenma-
tism in the head, or face-ache, rub all over the back of the head and neck,
as well as the part which is the immediate seat of pain.
(4) Dr. Bennett, of Graulbet, France, recommends and prescribes for
chronic rhenmatism the use of the essential oil of turpentine by friction. Ha
used it himself with perfect success, having almost instantaneously got rid
of rheumatic pains in both knees and in the left shoulder.
(6) A very simple remedy for rheumatism of the extremities, and on«
that very often gives great relief is, to take lb large piece of thick flannel,
sprinkle it well with finely pulverized sulphur, and then bind snugly about
the limb, with the sulphur next the skin.
(5) For sciatic rhenmatism the following is recommended: Two drachms
iodide potassinm, four ounces cinnamon water. Mix. Take a teaspoonful three times a day before eating. It is also excellent for dyspepsia.
(7) Tincture of gum Guaicum. ten to fifteen drops, three time* a day. I
have never known it to fail in making a cure, except in cases of long stand*
Jac. when it will afford great relist


418 THE BOUSBHOLB
(4) It is not generally known that the leaves of geraninm are an excellent
application for cuts, where the skin is rubbed off, and other wounds of that
kind. One or two leaves must be bruised and applied to the part, and the
Wound will be cicatrized in a short time.
(5) There is nothing better for a cut than powdered resin. Get a few
Bents' worth, pound it until it is quite fine, put it in a cast-off spice box, with
perforated top, then you can easily sift it on the cut. Put a soft cloth around
the injured member, and wet it with water once in a while; it will prevent
inflammation or soreness.
(6) When a nail or pin has been run into the foot, instantly bind on arind
of salt pork, and keep quiet till the wound is well. The lockjaw is often
caused by such wounds, if neglected.
(7) It is a wise plan to keep a cup of alum water always convenient, so
that sudden cuts or bruises can be bound up in a cloth wet in it. If treated
thus they will heal quickly.
Sprains and Braises.—(1) The best treatment of sprains and bruises is
the application of water, of such temperature as is most agreeable. The de-
gree of temperature varias with the temperature of the weather and the
vigor of the circulation. in a hot day use cool or cold water. If the circu-
lation is low use warm water. The bruised or sprained parts may be im-
mersed in a pail of water, a^id gently pressed or manipulated with the hand
or soft cloth for ten or fifteen minutes, or even longer in severe cases, after
which wrap up the parts in cloths wet in cold water, and keep quiet. This
treatment keeps down the inflammation, and in nine cases out of ten proves
a speedy cure. The liniments and filthy ointments so much used for sprains
do not compare with this simple treatment in efficacy.
(2) Take one part blue clay and two parts vinegar, and maie into a paste,
and bind on at night with a wet towel. One application is generally suffi-
cient.
(3) Make pounded resin into a paste with fresh butter, lay it on the
sprained part and bind it up.
Weak and Inflamed Byes—(1) Borax, half drachm; camphor water,
three ounces. The above simple prescription is in common use by the high-
est medical authorities. It makes a wash unexcelled for the treatment of
inflammation of the eyes. In using it lean the head back and drop three
drops in tho corner of each, and then open the eyes and let it work in. Use
it as often as tho eyes feel badly.
(2) When tho eyes become inflamed from any cause, do not rub them at
all—such irritation is dangerous—but bathe them in tepid milk and water,
keep the bowels open by some gentle medicine and eat little meat. The
eyes are very sensitive to the state of tho stomach. Avoid the glare of
strong light.
(3) Bathe your eyes night and morning in a tolerably strong solution of
salt and water. Wo have known some remarkable cures effected by this
simple remedy. After bathing tho eyes daily for about a week, intermit a
day ortwo, and then resume the daily bathing, and so on till your eyes get
atrong again.
(4) Take rose leaves, the more tho better, and put them into a little water;
then boil; after this strain it into a bottlo and cork it tight. You will find
this liquid very beneficial in removing redness and weakness from the
»ye».


THE HOME PHYSICIAN. 419
(b) Cat a slice of stale bread as thin as possible; toast both sides wall,
but don't burn; when cold, lay in cold spring or ice water; put between a
piece of old linen and apply, changing when it gets warm.
(6) Take half an ounce of Golden Seal (you will find it at the drug stores),
pour one-half pint boiling water upon it and let it cool. Bathe the eyes with
a linen rag dipped in this, each night on going to bed, and you will soon
effect a cure.
(7) Three or five grains of alum dissolved in half a pint of water, and ap-
plied to the eyes whenever they are weak or inflamed.
(8) Scrape a raw potato; use as a poultice; or slippery elm. Bathe with
warm water or rose water.
Dust in the Eye.—(1) If a cinder or bit of dust gets into the eye, do not
rub the eyeball; that only irritates it. If the intruder is beneath the upper
eyelid, lift the upper lid with the thumb and finger of the right hand, and
with the forefinger of the left hand raise upward the under eyelid while you pull down over it the upper lid. This will seldom fail to remove the binder, the soft skin and eyelashes taking it off without injuring the eyeball.
(2) A small camel's-hair brush, dipped in water and passed over the ball
of the eye on raising the lid. The operation requires no skill, takes but a
moment, and instantly removes any cinder or particle of dust or dirt, with-
out inflaming the eye.
(3) To remove specks of dirt from the eye, immerse it in cold water, then
roll and wink it rapidly, still keeping it in tho water, till the desired result
is accomplished. In cases of slight inflammation or dryness of the eye, this
bath has a good effect. Use tepid, slightly salted water, instead of the
cold.
(4) A celebrated oculist in Utrecht recommends, in all cases where dirt,
lime, or specks get into the eyes, that the sufferer have pure olive oil poured
in until everything of a hurtful nature is removed. The remedy is quite
painless, and never fails to remove all foreign substances.
Sore Throat.—(1) An exchange thinks that salt and water, a large table-
spoonful of salt to half a tumbler of water, used as a gargle for sore throat
just before meal time, is an excellent remedy for such complaint. A little
red pepper should be added if the salt water does not prove successful.
Bed pepper, honey or sugar, and sharp vinegar, simmered together, and
then tempered with water so as not to be too strong, is a good remedy easily
obtained.
(2) Sometimes a sore throat can be cured by the following simple recipe:
Soak in water a small piece of bread and mix with it a pinch of cayenne
pepper; roll it up in the form of a pill and swallow it. Usually in three
hours, the patient will be relieved of all pain. In aggravated cases a second
dose may be requisite.
(3) If you have a sore throat, slight or serious, a piece of camphor-gum
as large as a pea, kept in the mouth until dissolved, will give relief and
ofttimes cure. It is said on good authority, if the gum is used in season,
you will never have diphtheria—it is a good preventive.
(4) A gargle of salt and vinegar, with a little cayenne pepper, will do
more to disperse soreness of the throat than any other remedy of which we
have heard. It stimulates tne giands, promotes free secretion, and will
sometimes cure in a few hours.
(5) One ounce of best Peruvian bark, two wineglassfuls of honey, burst


«ao THE BOUSEHOlb.
alum the eizo of two walnuts, borax the size of a ahellbark. Mix these i*.
gradients in a quart of water, and then stew them until reduced to a pip t.
Bhake the mixture previous to using it.
(6) An excellent remedy for sore throat is brewers' yeast and honey—
four tablespoonfuls of the lirst and one teaspoonful of the latter. Mix in a
eup, and gargle the throat two or three times an hour.
(7) Chlorate of potash dissolved in water is a standard remedy for sore
throat, particularly when the throat feels raw.
(8) Use a gargle of a goblet half full of water, with a teaspoonful of com-
mon baking soda dissolved in it.
Dieting for Health—This has sent many a one to the grave, and will
send many more, because it is done injudiciously or ignorantly. One man
omits his dinner by a herculean effort, and thinking he has accomplished
wonders, expects wonderful results; but by the time supper is ready, he feels
as hungry as a dog, and eats like one—fast, furious and long. Next day he
is worse, and " don't believo in dieting" for the remainder of life.
Others set out to starve themselves into health, until the system is
reduced so low that it has no power of resuscitation, and the man dies.
To diet wisely, does not imply a total abstinence from all food, but the
taking of just enough, or of a quality adapted to the nature of the case.
Loose bowels weaken very rapidly—total abstinence from all food increases
the debility. In this case, food should be taken which, while it tends to
arrest the disease, imparts nutriment and strength to the system. In this
case, rest on a bed, and eating boiled rice, after it has been parched like
coffee, will cure three eases out of four of common diarrhoea in a day or two.
Others think that, in order to diet effectually, it is all important to do
without meat, but allow themselves the widest liberty in all else. But in
many cases, dyspeptic conditions of the system particularly, the course
ought to be reversed, because meat is converted into nutriment, with the
expenditure of less stomach power than vegetables, while a given amount of
work does three times as much good, gives three times as much nutriment
and strength as vegetable food would.
Scald Head.—This appearance is the result of a bad state of the system
—bad blood—the humors affecting the head often in consequence of neglect
of cleanliness, or too rough combing or brushing of the head. There are
cases in which wet cloths applied to the head, wet in arnica and water (four
parts of water to one of arnica), may soon remove the difficulty if there is
*ot too much of impurity in the system seeking an escape in this way.
Such a child should be much in the open air, be regular in taking food,
tat the simplest kinds—the less the bottor of grease, salt, and the sweets
generally. The parts may be bathed in arnica, glycerine or sweet oil, to
protect them from the irritation of the air, etc.
In specially stubborn cases, it is well to produce an irritation in another
part of the body, by the mustard or blister plaster, diverting it from the head,
since the head is more likely to be attacked than most parts of the body. Its
appearance is not a miefortune, but the location is not the best.
By no means use any sugar of lead or anything like it—an active poison—
and do not attempt to " dry it up," or suddenly cure it, since there is always
danger of driving it to some internal organ, some unsafe place; it is safer to
do nothing, allowing nature to care for it, than to do wrong. It is not best to
"dabble " with unknown remedies—poisons—or to listen to all told you by


¥BE ROME PHYSICIAN. 431
four neighbors, who may know nothing of the matter, though they may have
had many children, which fact never gives intelligence.
Medical Qualities of Lemons—A good deal has been said about the
healthfulness of lemons. The latest advice is how to use them so that they
will do the most good, as follows: Most people know the benefit of lemonade
before breakfast, but few know that it is more than doubled by taking
another at night also. The way to get the better of the bilious system with-
out blue pills or quinine is to take the juice of one, two or three lemons as
appetite craves, in as much ice water as makes it pleasant to drink without
sugar before going to bed. In the morning, on rising, at least half an hour
before breakfast, take the juice of one lemon in a goblet of water. This will
clear the system of humor and bile with efficiency, without any of the weak-
ening effects of calomel or congress water. People should not irritate the
stomach by eating lemons clear; the powerful acid of the juice, which is
always most corrosive, invariably produces inflammation after a while, but
properly diluted, so that it does not burn or draw the throat, it does its
medical work without harm, and, when the stomach is clear of food, has
abundant opportunity to work over the system thoroughly, says a medical
authority.
Whooping Cough.—(1) Dr. Grath, of Vienna, proposes a singular treat-
ment for this distressing ailment, which will doubtless receive careful con-
sideration from the medical profession. He states that by placing twenty
drops of the oil of turpentine on a handkerchief, holding it before the face,
and taking about forty deep inspirations, to be repeated thrice daily, marked
relief, succeeded in cases of laryngeal catarrh by speedy cure, is the result.
Being called in to attend an infant of fifteen months in the convulsive stage,
he instructed the child's mother to hold a cloth moistened, as already de-
scribed, before it when awake, and to drop the oil upon its pillow when
asleep. In this instance the remedy in its effect was most beneficial. The
frequency and severity of the attacks sensibly decreased in the course of
twenty-four hours, and by proper support by the help of stimulants, im-
provement was rapid.
(2) Dissolve a scruple of salt of tartar in a gill of water; add to it ten
grains of cochineal; sweeten it with sugar. Give to an infant the fourth
part of a tablespoonful four times a day; two years old, half a tablespoonful;
from four years, a tablespoonful. This has been a very successful
mixture.
(3) The following is regarded as an excellent remedy: Pure carbonate of
potassa, one scruple; cochineal, one grain. Dissolve in six ounces of water
sweetened with sugar. Dose for a child four or five years old, one teaspoon ful three times a day, to bo taken before meals.
(4) The inhalation of air charged with ammonia vapors, as a remedy for
whooping cough, has been tried in France with success. One of the methods
of application employed is boiling strong ammonia in the room where the
patient is.
(5) Pound best black resin very fine, and give as much as will lie on a
cent in a little moist sugar three times s lay, commencing before breakfast
in the morning. I have known it to cure the most obstinate cases of whoop-
ing cough in three weeks.
(6) An excellent cure for whooping cough, and one that I have seen tried
in several instances with entire success, is simply this: Steep a handful of


122 THE HOUSEHOLD.
chestnut leaves in to pint of boiling water; sweeten, cool, and give as a con*
mem drink five or six times a day.
Neuralgia. — (1) A very simple relief for nenralgia is to boil a small
handful of lobelia in half the pint of water till the strength is out of the herb,
then strain it off and add a teaspoonful of fine salt. Wring cloths out of the
liquid as hot as possible, and spread over the part affected. It acts like a
•harm. Change the cloths as soon as cold till the pain is all gone; then
cover the place with a soft dry covering till perspiration is over, to prevent
taking cold. Rhenmatism can often be relieved by application to the painful
parts, of cloths wet in B weak solution of sal soda water. If there is inflam-
mation in the joints, the cure is very quick. The wash should be lukewarm.
(2) Procure a half-ounce of the oil of peppermint, and, with a camels'
hair brush, paint the parts of tho face where the pain is felt. We have
found it an excellent application in all forms of pain in the face. A drop
applied to the cavity of an aching tooth, and confined there with a pellet of
cotton, will arrest the pain.
(3) A noted cure for neuralgia is hot vinegar vaporized. Heat a flatiron
sufficiently hot to vaporize the vinegar, cover this with some woolen material,
which is moistened with vinegar, and the apparatus is then applied at once
to the painful spot . The application may be repeated until the pain dis-
appears.
(4) Have a flannel cap made to fasten under the chin; wear three nights;
let three nights pass, then put on again if necessary. For neuralgia in eye-
brows, bind a strip of flannel around the head; rub the teeth with equal
parts of salt and alum, pulverized, on a soft, wet bit of linen.
(5) Squeeze tho juice of a good-sized lemon into a tumbler of water, and
every half hour take two or three mouthfuls of this liquid. If relief is not
experienced within twenty-four hours, continue the remedy. In slight cases
the above has often proved an effectual cure.
(6) Many cases of neuralgia have been cured by the common field thistle.
The leaves are macerated and used on the parts affected as a poultice, while
a small quantity of the leaves are made a tea of, and a small wine of the
decoction is taken as a drink before each meal.
(7) A simple remedy for neuralgia is horseradish. Grate and mix it in
vinegar, the same as for table purposes, and apply to the temple when the
face or the head is affected, or the wrist when the pain is in the arm or
shoulder.
(8) Half a drachm of sal-ammoniac in one ounce of camphor water, to be
taken a teaspoonful at a dose, and the dose repeated several times, at
intervals of five minutes, if the pain be not relieved at once.
(9) Persons troubled with nenralgia will find this a cure, if they try it.
Two drops of laudanum in half teaspoonful of warm water and dropped into
the ears; it will give immediate relief.
(10) It is said that the fumes of sugar snuffed up the nose will care ordinary cases of nenralgia. Put the small quantity of sugar on a hot shovel
and try it as directed.
Earache—(1) As soon as any soreness is felt in the ear—which feeling
always precedes the regular ache—let three or four drops of tincture of
arnica be poured in, and then the orifice filled with a little cotton to exclude
the air, and in a short time the uneasiness is forgotten. If the arnica is not
resorted to until there is actual pain, the cure may not be so speedy, but if 


THE HOME PHYSICIAN. 42$
1» fust as certain. If one application of the arnica does not effect a cure, it
will be necessary to repeat it, it may be, several times.
(2) Persons will find relief for earache by putting in a spoon two or three
drops of sweet oil, or, better still, almond oil, the same of molasses and
laudanum, warming it altogether. Absorb some of the mixture in cotton
wool; put it in the ear, with a piece of wool outside to keep out the cold air,
repeating the thing if necessary. A roast onion heart dipped in this and
surrounded with the cotton is also often very efficacious.
(3) The most effectual remedy has been a small clove of garlic, steeped
for a few minutes in warm salad oil, and put into the car rolled up in muslin
or thin linen. In some time the garlic is reduced to a pulp, and having ac-
complished its object should be replaced with cotton to prevent the patient
getting cold.
(4) To cure earache take a bit of cotton batting, put upon it a pinch of
black pepper, gather it lip and tie it, dip in sweet oil and insert into the ear.
Put a flannel bandage over the head and keep it warm. It will give imme-
. diate relief.
(5) Dissolve assafoetida in water; warm a few drops and drop in the ear,
then cork the ear with cotton.
Worms.—Some members of the profession still cling with bull-dog ten-
acity to the opinion that worms do not affect the health of children, and that
they are natural to them. The latter may or may not be true, but when
they accumulate in the intestines, they produce the same disturbance that
any foreign, indigestiblo substance would do. We find the picking of the
nose, swollen lower eye-lids, restlessness in sleep, groaning, gritting teeth,
starting, and lastly, spasms.
Worms Mil more children than teething; and when you find the above
symptoms with a strawberry tongue and a fever, which will attack several
times daily, going off as frequently in cold sweats, you can swear that you
have a case of worms, and had as well prepare and attack them.
Now as to the best means of getting rid of them. I use the fluid extract
of senna and spigelia in teaspoonful doses for patients of eight or ten years
of age, and less in proportion, night and morning, for three nights and days,
following this up each morning with a good dose of castor oil, provided the
senna and spigelia does not act. Then wait three days, and again institute
the same proceedings, and for the same length of time.
This treatment is for the lumbric oid. For the oxyuris, or "thread
worm," I use any bitter infusion by enema, sulph. quinine, followed by an
enema of common salt and milk—warm water half an hour afterward, which will destroy and expel them.
The symptoms of the presence of the worm are the same as the former,
with the exception that in the latter you will find the sufferer scratching the
anus. If every practitioner will use these he will be gratified by the restora-
tion to immediate health of many a little sufferer, who would otherwise
linger in sickness for many months and perhaps eventually die.
Warts.—(1) A much safer remedy for warts than nitrate of silver is sal-
ammoniac. Get a piece about the size of a walnut; moisten the warts, and
rub the sal-ammoniac well on them every night and morning, and in about
a fortnight they will probably disappear. If not, do not despair, but con-
tinue the process till they are gone.
(3) The best treatment of warts is to pare the dry and hard skin from


THE BO ME PBYSICIAIT. 42*
(6) For burns sweet oil and cotton are the standard remedies. If they
are not at hand sprinkle the burned part with flour and wrap loosely with a
soft cloth. Don't remove the dressing until the inflammation subsides, as it
will break the new skin that is forming.
(7) One ounce of pulverized borax, one quart of boiling water, half ounce
of pulverized alum. Shake up well and bottle. Wrap the burn up in soft
linen, and keep constantly wet with the solution. Do not remove the linen
until the burn is cured.
(8J Soak a piece of linen rag in linseed oil, suspend it from the tongs
over a saucer, and ignite the lower end; the oil which drops from it, while
consuming, should be applied, when cold, with a feather, to the burn or
scald.
(9) Smear the scorched surface with glycerine, by means of a feather,
then apply cotton wadding; lastly, cover with oil-silk. This treatment has
been very successful in cases of recent occurrence.
(10) The true physiological way of treating burns and scalds is at once to
sxclude the air, with cotton batting, flour, scraped potato or anything that is
handiest.
Headache—(1) All ships sailing in hot climates carry a supply of limes,
whose acid juice is a remedy for biliousness. Dr. Haire says he has cured
many victims of sick headache with the following simple prescription: When
the first symptoms of a headache appear, take a teaspoonful of lemon juice,
clear, fifteen minutes before each meal, aud the same dose at bedtime. Fol-
low this up until all symptoms are past, taking no other medicines, and you
will soon be freed from your periodical nuisance. Sick headache is the sig-
nal of distress which the stomach puts up to inform us that there is an over
alkaline condition of ite fluids—that it needs a natural acid to restore the
battery to its normal working condition. Lemonade without sugar, plain
lemon juice and water, is a grateful and medicinal beverage for a person of
bilious habit, allaying feverishness and promoting sleep and appetite. Some
who cannot afford to be sick may be willing to make a conscientious trial of
the above remedy, which is neither patented nor costly. To make it a sov-
ereign remedy it will in most cases need the help of a reform in diet, or a
let-up from work and care—one or both. In other words, the same causes
will be apt to reproduce the effect—as the pinching boot will recreate corns
where they have been removed.
(2) A new remedy for headache has been found by Dr. Haley, an Aus-
tralian physician, who says that for some years past he has found minimum
doses of iodide of potassinm of great service in frontal headache; that is,
a heavy, dull headache, situated over the brow, and accompanied by lan-
gour, chilliness and a feeling of general discomfort, with distaste for food,
which sometimes approaches to nausea, can be completely removed by a
two grain dose dissolved in half a wineglaSsful of water, and this quieily
sipped, the whole quantity being taken in about ten minutes. In many
cases, he adds, the effect of these small doses has been simply wonderful,
as, for instance, a person, who a quarter of an hour ago was feeling most
miserable, and refused all food, wishing only for quietness, would now take
a good meal and resume his wonted cheerfulness. If this cure of Dr.
Haley's is in reality a practical one, he will merit, for the discovery, the
gratitude of suffering millions.
ji fir. Lauder Brunton says: "The administration of a brisk purgative,
or small doses of Epsom salts, thrice a day, is a most effectual remedy for


426 TSE BOTTSEHOLl).
frontal headache when combined with constipation; but if the bowels be regular, the morbid processes on which it depends seem to be checked,
and the headache removed even more effectually by nitro-hydrochloric acid,
or by alkalies, given before meals. If the headache is immediately above
tho eyebrows, the acid is best; but if it be a little higher up, just where the
hair begins, the alkalies appear to me to be the more effectual. At the same
time that the headache is removed, the feelings of sleepiness and weariness,
which frequently lead the patients to complain that they rise up more tired
than they lie down, generally disappear."
(4) Dr. Hall states that sick headache is the result of eating too nruoh
and exercising too little. Nine times in ten the cause is in the fact that the
stomach was not able to digest the food last introduced into it, either from
its having been unsuitable, or excessive in quantity. A diet of bread and
butter with ripe fruits or berries, with moderate, continuous exercise in the
open air, sufficient to keep up a gentle perspiration, would cure almost every
case in a short time. Two teaspoonluls of powdered charcoal in a half glass
of water, and drank, generally gives instant relief.
(5) Put a handful of salt into a quart of water, add one ounce of spirits of
hartshorn, and half an ounce of camphorated spirits of wine. Put them
quickly into a bottle, and cork tightly to prevent the escape of the spirits.
Soak a piece of rag with the mixture, and apply it to the head; wet the rag
afresh as soon as it gets heated.
(6) A mixture of ice and salt, in proportion of one to one-half, applied to
the head, frequently gives instant relief from acute headache. It should be
tied up in a small linen cloth, like a pad, and held as near as possible to the
Beat of the pain.
(7) For sick headache, induced by bilious derangement, steep five cents'
worth of senna and camomile flowers in a little water, to make strong
decoction, and take. It has been tried successfully in various cases.
(8) Coarse brown paper soaked in vinegar and placed on the forehead is
good for a sick headache. If the eyelids are gently bathed in cool water the
pain in the head is generally allayed.
(9) Nervous headache is said to be instantly relieved by shampooing the
head with a quart of cold water in which a dessertspoonful of soda has been
dissolved.
Offensive Breath.—(1) From six to ten drops of the concentrated solu-
tion of chloride of soda, in a wineglassful of pure spring water, taken imme-
diately after the ablutions of the morning are completed, will sweeten the
breath, by disinfecting the stomach, which far from boing injured will be
benefitted by the medicine. If necessary, this may be repeated in the mid-
dle of the day. In some cases the odor arising from carious teeth is com-
bined with that of the stomach. If the mouth is well rinsed with a teaspoon-
ful of the solution of the chloride in a tumbler of water, the bad odor of the
teeth will be removed.
(2) To correct the odor of decayed tooth, two or three drops of a solution
of permanganate of potassa may be used in a glass of water as a wash, or a
few drops of tho solution may be put into fho cavity of the tooth on a small
piece of cotton. A good remedy for a bad breath, arising from a foul
stomach, is charcoal powder in teaspoonful doses—a dose every other morn-
ing before breakfast for two or three weeks, if necessary.
(8) Bad breath from catarrh, foul stomach, or bad teeth, may be tem-
porarily relieved by diluting a little bromo chloralum with eight or ten parts


«ft TBE HOXTSEBOLD.
circulation of the blood to and from the head. To equalize the circulation
and prevent inflammations the head should be kept cool and the extremities
warm. Cooling lotions of arnica or witch hazel and water or simply water
should be applied to the head on thin cloths, well wrung out so as not to wet
the pillows and bed-clothes. Not more than two or four thicknesses of lines should be used, because thick cloths prevent evaporation, and what was
intended to cool the head acts as a poultice and makes the head hotter. Ice
and cold water should not be used unless the head be very hot, as it is
believed children have been killed by the application of pounded ice to the
head.
Bottles of hot water or hot irons are all that is necessary, besides the bed-
clothing, to heat the extremities. All applications of mustard and other
irritants possess no advantage over these, and have the disadvantage of dis-
turbing the sufferer. Should the patient's face be very pale, and signs of
fainting appear, camphor or ammonia should be applied to the nostrils, and
a little brandy or wine be given.
Then the room should be made as quiet as possible and every means
used to invite " Nature's sweet restorer," sleep. We know the popular idea
is that patients suffering from any injury to the head should be kept awake
by all means; and it is mainly to combat this erroneous notion that we are
prompted to write out these directions.
No injury—or degree of injury—of the head contraindicates the sufferer's
sleeping. In fact positive harm may be done in trying to prevent sleep.
Best is what the brain and blood vessels want more than any other thing;
and, if not allowed, what would have passed off in a few hours or days may
be prolonged into inflammatiou, with all its dangerous consequences.
Of course the air of the room should be kept pure—windows and doors
open if the weather permit—and the presence of persons not absolutely
necessary forbidden.
Cancer—(1) The following is said to be a sure cure for cancer: A piece
of sticking plaster is put over the cancer, with a circular piece cut out of the
center, a little larger than the cancer, so that the cancer and a small circular
rim of healthy skin next to it is exposed. Then a plaster, made of chloride
of zinc, blood root and wheat flour, is spread on a piece of muslin, the size
of this circular opening, and applied to the cancer for twenty-four hours.
On removing it, the cancer will be found burned into, and appear of the
color and hardness of an old shoe sole, and the circular rim outside of it
will appear white and parboiled, as if scalded by hot steam. The wound is
now dressed, and the outside rim soon separates, and the cancer comes out
in a hard lump, and the place heals up. The plaster kills the cancer, so
that it sloughs like dead flesh, and never grows again. The remedy was
discovered by Dr. King, of London, and has been used by him for several
years with unfailing success, and not a case has been known of the
reappearance of the cancer when this remedy has been applied.
(2) An old Indian cancer doctor in Oregon pronounces this a sure cure:
Take common wood sorrel, bruise it on brass, spread it in the form of a
poultice, and apply as long as the patient can bear; then apply bread and
milk poultice until the patient can bear the wood sorrel again. Continue
this until the cancer is drawn out by the roots.
(8) Take the blossoms of red clover and make tea of them, and
drink freely. It will cure cancer in the stomach as well as on the surface.


«9H Td£ KOTJSEHOLO
from timo to timo When a cure is effected, the varnish Is easily removed
by rubbing into it a little lard and washing with soap and water. Dr. A. B.
Isham details, in Medical News, a number of cases of its application with
uniform success, where formations of pus had not previously occurred. In
two cases there were apparently a combination of the " run-around" with
a felon, and in all of them there was swelling, redness, heat, and great pain.
He suggests the use of copal varnish for felons, run arounds, boils, and any
local acute inflammations of external parts.
(2) Take the root of the plant known as dragon root, Jack-in-the-pulpit
.
or Indian turnip, either green or dry; grate about one-half a teaspoonful
into four tablespoonfuls of sweet milk; simmer gently a few minutes, then
thicken with bread crumbs, and apply as hot as possible. This can be heated
again two or three times, adding a little milk each time. If the felon is just
starting, this will drive it back; if somewhat advanced will draw it out
quickly and gently. It ifl well to put a little tallow on the poultice, especially
after opening, to prevent sticking. This same poultice is good for a car-
buncle or anything rising.
(3) Many persons are liable to extreme suffering from felons on the fin-
ger. The following prescription is recommended as a cure for the distress-
ing ailment: Take common rock salt, such as is used for salting down pork
or beef, dry it in an oven, then pound it fine and mix with spirits of turpen-
tine in equal parts. Put it on a rag and wrap it around the part affected,
and as it gets dry put on more, and in twenty-four hours you are cured—
the felon is dead.
(4) The following directions carefully observed, will prevent those cir-
cular and osseous abominations, known as felons. As soon as the disease is
felt, put directly over the spot, a fly blister, about the size of your thumb
nail, and let it remain for six hours, at the expiration of which time, directly
under the surface of the blister, may be seen the felon, which can instantly
be taken out with the point of a needle or lancet.
(5) At first great relief is obtained by soaking the part in half a gill ol
strong vinegar, in which has been dissolved one tablespoonful of saleratus.
Use it as hot as it can be borne, and repeat as often as the pain returns. A
thimbleful of unslacked lime and soft soap has cured some cases in a few
hours. If matter forms, it had hotter be poulticed and lanced, or it will be
painful from two to six weeks.
(6) As soon as it makes its appearance apply a poultice, of equal parts
of saltpeter and brimstone, mix with sufficient lard to make a paste, and
renew as soon as it gets dry. A few applications will effect a cure.
Dyspepsia—(l) We have seen dyspeptics who suffered untold torments
with almost every kind of food; no liquid could be taken without suffering;
bread became a burning acid; meat and milk were solid liquid fires; and we
Uave seen their torments pass away, and their hunger relieved by living on
the white of eggs which have been boiled in bubbling water for thirty min-
utes. At the end of a week we have given the half yelk of the egg with the
white, and upon this diet alone, without food of any kind, we have seen
them begin to gain flesh and strength, and quiet, refreshing sleep. After
weeks of this treatment they have been able, with care, to begin upon other
food. And all this without taking medicine. Hard-boiled eggs are not hall
so bad as half-boiled ones, and ten times as easy to digest as raw eggs, even
in egg-nog.
(2) Milk and lime water is said to prove beneficial in dyspepsia and


THE no ME PHYSICIAN. 481
weakness of the stomach. The way to make the lime water is simply to
procure a few lumps of unslaked lime, put the lime in a fruit can, add water
until it is slaked and of the consistency of thin cream; the lime settles, and
leaves the pure and clear lime water at the top. A goblet of cow's milk may
have six or eight teaspoonfuls of lime water added with good effect. Great
care should be taken not to get the lime water too strong; pour off without
disturbing the precipitated lime. Sickness of the stomach is promptly re-
lieved by a teacupful of warm water with a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in it. If it brings the offending matter up, all the better.
(3) Dr. Nichols, who has made a series of dietetic experiments on him-
self, has arrived at the conclusion that, if the stomach is allowed to rest, any
case of dyspepsia may be cured; that the diet question was at the root of all
diseases; that pure blood can only be made from pure food, and that, if the
drink of a nation were pure and free from stimulating qualities, and the food
was also pure, the result would be pure health.
(4) In mild cases take one teaspoonful sweet oil, after eating, three times
a day. In severe forms take a dessertspoonful. This followed up has cured
cases where doctors have given them up. Ye who suffer from this dread
disease, don't fail to try it; surely it can't hurt you.
(5) Burn alum until the moisture in it is evaporated, then take as much
as you can put on a dime, about half an hour before eating. Three or four
days probably will answer; but take it until cured.
Dysentery—(1) Dysentery, or inflammation of the great intestino, pro-
vails in the autumnal season more particularly, and in low-lying and marshy
districts. It occasionally occurs also as an epidemic in overcrowded insti-
tutions and unhealthy localities. Treatment: Dysentery attacks those soon-
est whose blood is impoverished and whose vital powers are generally de-
pressed from some cause—a fact which suggests a building-up plan of treat-
ment. Although dysentery commences in the great intestine, the liver soon
becomes secondarily affected, and it, therefore, behooves the patient to be
very cautious as to the amount of stimulation he subjects himself to; malt
liquors and spirits are not permissable. His food, too, must be of the light-
est kind. The following medicines will be found most useful: Castor-oil
mixture: Take of castor-oil, six drachms; compound powder of tragacanth,
one ounce; cinnamon water, six ounces. Take a sixth part three times the day. The nitric acid mixture: Take of dilute nitric acid, two drachms;
spirit of chloroform, two drachms; tincture of opium, half a drachm; pepper-
mint water, six ounces. Take two tablespoonfuls every four hours. With
either of the above mixtures a powder containing threo grains of ipecacuanha
and six grains of sugar may be taken every night and morning. Ipecacuanha
becomes an invaluable medicine in dysentery, by virtue of the specific power
it exerts on all mucous membranes in causing increased action of their mu-
cous follicles; and thus it is that it gives so much relief to the dysenteric
patient, in whom the dry and, perhaps, ulcerated surface of the intestine is
soothed and lubricated by an increased flow of mucus.
(2) The egg is considered one of the best of remedies for dysentery.
Beaten up slightly, with or without sugar, and swallowed at a gulp, it tends,
by its emollient qualities, to lessen the inflammation of the stomach and in-
testine, and, by forming a transient coating on these organs, to enable nature
to resume her healthful sway over a diseased body. Two, or at most threo
»ggs per day, would be all that is required in ordinary cases, and since egg
is not merely medicine but food as well, the lighter tho diet otherwise


432 THE HOUSEHOLD.
and the quieter the patient is kept the more certain and rapid in the
recovery.
(3) Take one pint of best wine vinegar, and add half the pound of best loaf
sugar. Simmer them together in a pewter vessel, with a pewter top. Let
the patient drink this during the day—a small quantity at a time— either clear, or diluted with water.
Diphtheria.—(1) Dr. Chenery, of Boston. has lately discovered that
hyposulphite of soda is the specific remedy against diphtheria, that so much
dreaded ailment, which of late years has carried off many valuable lives.
He reports a very large number of cases saved by the use of this remedy.
The dose of the hyposulphite is from five to fifteen grains or more in syrup,
every two to four hours, according to age and circumstances. It can do no .
harm, but if too much is given it will purge; as much as the patient can
bear without purging is a good rule in the severer cases. The solution or
mixture can be used in doses of five drops to half a drachm in milk. The
amount for thorough stimulation is greater than can be taken in water. The
doctor usually gives it in such doses as can be easily taken in milk, using
milk besides as a food for small children. One fact, however, needs to be
borne in mind, namely, the hyposulphite prevents tho digestion of milk, and
it should not be given in less than an hour after taking the medicine. They
may be used alternately, however, without interference, in sufficiently fre-
quent doses.
(2) The treatment consists in thoroughly swabbing the back of the
mouth and throat with a wash made thus: Table salt, two drachms; black
pepper, golden seal, nitrate of potash, alum, one drachm each. Mix and
pulverize, put into a teacup half full of water, stir well, and then fill up with
good vinegar. Use every half hour, one, two, and four hours, as recovery
progresses. The patient may swallow a little each time. Apply one ounce each of spirits of turpentine, sweet oil, and aqua ammonia, mixed, every
hour, to the whole of the throat, and to the breast bone every four hours,
keeping flannel to the part.
(3) A correspondent writes that he has used tho following remedy for
diphtheria in a great many hard cases, and in not one has it failed to effect
a cure. It is as follows: Procure some pitch tar—not gas tar—put a little
on a hot iron, invert funnel over the smoke, and let the patient inhale as
much as ho can for a few minutes five or six times a day. During the
intervals let the patient have small pieces of ice to keep as near the root of
the tongue as possible.
(4) In Franco lemon juice is in high repute as a remedy for diphtheria.
As a local application it is preferred to chlorate of potash, nitrate of silver,
perchloride of iron, alum or lime water. It is used by dipping a little plug
of cotton wool twisted around a wire in the juice, and pressing it against the diseased surface four or five times daily.
(5) A gargle of sulphur and water has been used with much success in
cases of diphtheria. Let the patient swallow a little of the mixture. Or,
when you discover that your throat is a little sore, bind a strip of flannel
around the throat, wet in camphor, and gargle salt and vinegar occa-
sionally.
(6) Take a common tobacco pipe, place a live coal within the bowl, drop
a little tar upon the coal, and let the patient draw smoke into the mouth,
and discharge it through the nostrils. The remedy is safe and simple, and
should be tried whenever occasion may require 


THE HOME PBYSlGIAir. 433
Croup—There are various remedies for this enemy in the nursery. As
in other diseases, prevention is better than cure. Children liable to croup
should not play out of doors after three o'clock in the afternoon. If a woolen
shawl is closely pinned around the neck of the patient when the first symp-
toms of croup appear the attack may be diminished in power. The child
struggling for breath naturally throws its arms out of bed to breathe through
its pores, and thus takes more cold and increases its trouble. Bi-chromate
of potassa in minute doses—as much as will rest on the point of a penknife—
given every half hour till relief is obtained, is the best remedy we have ever
tried. Mustard plasters on the ankles, wrist and chest will draw the blood
from the throat and relieve it cloths wrung from hot water and placed about
the chest and throat and wrapped with flannel, give relief. A teaspoonful of
alum pulverized and mixed with twice its quantity of sugar, to make it
palatable, will give almost instant help. Another remedy is the following:
Take equal parts of soda or saleratus and syrup or molasses; mix and give
a teaspoonful for a child two years, larger doses for older children, smaller
for nursing babies. Repeat the doses at short intervals until the phlegm is
all thrown up, and upon each recurrence of the symptoms. Or, grate a raw
onion, strain out the juice, and to two parts of the juice put one part of castor
oil; keep it well corked in a bottle, shake well, give one teaspoonful once in
two or three hours. Or, take two parts sweet lard and six parts pulverized
sugar, mix thoroughly, and give a teaspoonful every fifteen minutes until
relief is obtained. Among the many remedies given we hope that one or
more may be available to every mother who needs aid in this matter.
Diarrhoea.—(1) It is said the small plant commonly known by the name
rupturewort, made into tea, and drank frequently, is a sure cure for diar-
rhoea. Rupturewort grows in nearly every open lot, and along the roads.
It is a small plant, throwing out a number of shoots in a horizontal direction,
and lying close to the ground, something similar to the manner of the pus-
leyweed, and bears a small, dark green leaf, with an oblong, purple spot in
the center. When the stem is broken, a white milky substance will ooze
from the wound. It is very palatable, and infants take it as readily as any
drink. This is an old Indian curse, and may be relied on. The botanical
name of this plant is Euphrobia. Macidala.
(2) Blackberry cordial is said to be almost a specific for summer com-
plaint or diarrhoea. From a teaspoonful to a wineglass is to be taken, ac-
cording to the age of the patient, until relieved. Following is a recipe for
making blackberry cordial: To two quarts of juice add one pound of white
sugar; half ounce nutmeg, half ounce cinnamon, pulverized; half ounce
cloves, pulverized. Boil all together for a short time, and when cold add a
pint of brandy.
(3) Take Indian corn, roasted and ground in the manner of coffee, or
coarse meal browned, and boil in a sufficient quantity of water to produce a
strong liquid, like coffee, and drink a teacupful warm, two or three times today. One day's practice, it is said, will ordinarily effect a cure.
(4) The ingredients are: Sulphate of morphia, one grain; Glauber salts,
quarter of an ounce; water, two ounces. Dose: A teaspoonful twice a day.
If attended with much pain and looseness, administer this medicine every
two hours.
(5) A strong solution of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) taken fre-
quently is a reliable remedy for diarrhoea troubles, particularly those aris-
ing from acidity of the stomach.


49* THE HOUSEHOLD.
Corns.—(1) For soft corns soak the feet well in hot water before go-
ing to bed, then pare down the corn, and, after having just moistened it, rub
a little lunar caustic on the corn and just around the edge, till it turns light
gray. By the next morning it will be black, and when the burnt skin peels
off it will leave no vestige of the corn underneath. Of course, the corn is
liable to return, but not for some length of time. Or, scrape a bit of com-
mon chalk, and put a pinch of the powder on the corn at night, binding a
piece of linen round. Repeat this for a few days, when the corn will come
off in little scales.
(2) Take quarter cup of strong vinegar, crumb finely into it some bread.
Let stand half an hour, or until it softens into a good poultice. Then apply,
on retiring at night. In the morning the soreness will be gone and the com
can be picked out. If the corn is a very obstinate one, it may require two
or more applications to effect a cure.
(3) To cure corns, take a lemon, cut a piece of it off, then nick it so as to
let in the toe with the corn. Tie this on at night so that it cannot move,
and you will find the next morning that, with a blunt knife, the corn will
come away to a great extent. Two or three applications will effect a thor-
ough cure.
(4) For soft corns dip a piece of linen cloth in turpentine and wrap
it around the toe on which the corn is situated, night and morning.
The relief will be immediate, and, after a few days, the corn will die-
appear.
(5) Soft corns can be cured by this corn salve: Boil tobacco down to an
extract, then mix with it a quantity of white pitch pine, and apply it to the
corn, renewing it once a week until the corn disappears.
(6) Boil a potato in its skin, and after it is boiled take the skin and put
the inside of it to the corn, and leave it on for about twelve hours; at the end
of that period the corn will be nearly cured.
(7) Macerate the tender leaves of ivy in strong vinegar for eight or ten
days, then apply to the corns by means of cloths or lint saturated with the
liquor. In a few days the corns will drop off.
Liquor Appetite—(l) Dr. Unger insists that the following remedy will
cure the cravings of the worst drunkard in the land: Take one pound of
best, fresh, quill red Peruvian bark, powder it, and soak it in one pint of
diluted alcohol. Afterward strain and evaporate it down to half a pint.
Directions for its use: Dose—a teaspoonful every three hours the first and
second day, and occasionally moisten the tongue between the doses. It aota
like quinine, and the patient can tell by a headache if he is getting too much.
The third day take as previous, but reduce the dose to one-half teaspoonful.
Afterward reduce the dose to fifteen drops, and then down to ten, then down
to five drops. To make a cure it takes from five to fifteen days, and in ex-
treme cases thirty days. Seven days are about the average in which a cure
can be effected.
(2) At a festival of one of our reformatory institutions, a gentleman is re-
ported to have said: "I overcame the appetite for liquor by a recipe given
to me by old Dr. Hatfield, one of those good old physicians who do not have
a percentage from a neighboring druggist. The prescription is simply an
orange every morning half an hour beforo breakfast. 'Take that,' said the
doctor, 'and you will want neither liquor nor medicine.' I have done so
regularly, and find that liquor has becomo repulsive. The taste of the
orange is in the saliva of my tongue: and it would be as well to mix water


4M THE HOUSEHOLD.
fill the room. Inhaling the smoke heals the inflammation, and sleep is often
produced when one could not sleep before for much coughing. Presevere
until a cure is effected. A change for the better should be felt within a
week.
(8) For colds, coughs, croup, or lung fever, take lard or sweet oil, two
parts; coal oil, two parts; spirits of camphor, one part; spirits of turpentine,
one part; saturate flannel and apply to the throat and chest warm.
Cold in the Head. —(1) This may sometimes be cured by inhaling
through the nose the emanations of ammonia contained in a smelling bottle.
If the sense of the smell is completely obliterated, the bottle should be kept
under the nose until the pungency of the volatile alkali is felt. The bottle
is then removed, but only to be reapplied after a minute; the second appli-
cation, however, should not be long, that the patient may bear it. This easy
operation being repeated seven or eight times in the course of five minutes,
but always very rapidly, except the first time, the nostrils become free, the
sense of smell is restored, and the secretion of the irritating mucous
is stopped. This remedy is said to be peculiarly advantageous to
singers.
(2) A cold in the head can be cured at once, if taken care of at the very
beginning. Dissolve a tablespoonful of borax in the pint of hot water; let it
stand until it becomes tepid; snuff some up the nostrils, two or three times
during the day, or use the dry, powdered borax like snuff, taking a pinch as
often as required. At night have a handkerchief saturated with spirits of
camphor, place it near the nostrils so as to inhale the fumes while
sleeping.
(3) A hot lemonade is one of the best remedies in the world for a cold.
It acts promptly and effectually, and has no unpleasant after effects. One
lemon properly squeezed, cut in slices, put with sugar, and covered with half
a pint of boiling water. Drink just before going to bed, and do not expose
yourself on the following day. This remedy will ward off an attack of chills
and fever if used properly.
(4) When one has a bad cold and the nose is closed up so thathe cannot
breathe through it, relief may be found instantly by putting a little camphor
and water in the center of the hand and snuffing it up the nose. It is a great
relief.
Catarrh.— (1) Ordinary cases of catarrh can be cured by snuffing up the
nose a little table salt, three or four times a day; but many cases of this
troublesome complaint are caused by inability of the liver to perform its
function properly. In such cases there is often a too alkaline condition of
the blood. If persons thus afflicted will squeeze the juice of a good-sized
lemon into a half-tumbler of water, and drink it without sugar just before
dinner, they will, if they live abstemiously, be surprised to see how soon
the catarrhal difficulty will diminish. When it fails to do so, it may be con-
sidered as due to other causes.
(2) The catarrh, writes a correspondent, can be cured by a daily use of
raw onions as an article of food; at the same time use a snuff made of white
sugar, laundry starch, and burned alum, pulverized and mixed in equal
quantities—to be used the same as other snuff.
(3) A most unfailing remedy for catarrh is to smoke crushed cubeb ber-
ries in lb clay pipe and swallow the smoke. They can be procured at any
drug store, at a moderate cost. Try it.
S


THE ROME PHYSICIAN: 487
(4) Put one tablespoonful of iode-bromido of calcium comp. into a tea-
cupful of warm water. Snuff it up the nose night and morning. It is very
cleansing and healing.
(5) Burn a piece of alum on the stove until it becomes a white powder,
and use it as a snuff, and it will cure catarrh and is a good remedy for cold
in the head.
(8) Take one pint of whiskey, and add two ounces of sulphur; shake it
up and take a tablespoonful three mornings, then miss three; so proceed
until taken up.
Scarlet Fever—(l) Mr. Robert Christie, a San Francisco journalist,
suggests a remedy for the scarlet fever which he avers has invariably proved
successful. It is very simple, and lies within the reach of those whose
limited means preclude them from employing the services of a physician. It
is this: Take an onion, and cut it in halves; cut out a portion of the center,
and into the cavity put a spoonful of saffron; put the pieces together, then
wrap in cloth and bake in an oven until the onion is cooked so that the juice
will run freely, then squeeze out all the juice, and give the patient a tea-
spoonful, at the same time rubbing the chest and throat with goose grease or
rancid bacon, if there is any cough or soreness in the throat. In a short
time the fever will break out in an eruption all over the body. All that is
then necessary is to keep the patient warm, and protected from draught, and
recovery is certain. Mr. Christie says he has been employing this remedy
for many years, and never knew it to fail, when proper care was taken of the
patient after its application. One family, in which there were five children
down with the disease at one time, recently, used this simple remedy upon
his telling them of it, and every one of the little ones recovered in a short
time.
(2) An eminent physician says he cures ninety-nine out of every hundred
cases of scarlet fever, by giving the patient warm lemonade with gum arabic
dissolved in it. A cloth wrung out in hot water and laid upon the stomach,
should be removed as rapidly as it becomes cool.
Ivy Poisoning. - (1) Dr. Benjamin Edson, of Brooklyn, has had much
experience with cases of poisoning by poison ivy, Hhus Toxicodendron. He
is familiar with alkali and other washes usually employed in their treat-
ment and considers them of little, if any, value. He has treated some severe
cases, he states in the Medical Record,with fluid extract of gelseminm with
uniformly the best results. As most of our readers know, gelseminm is the
yellow jessamine of the South. The extract was employed in a wash made
by mixing together a half drachm of carbolic acid, two drachms of the fluid
extract of gelseminm, one-half ounce of glycerine and four ounces of water.
With this cloths were kept moistened and applied to the parts affected. Two
drops of the fluid extract of gelseminm was also given internally every
three hours. Some cases were also treated with the same mixture with
the carbolic acid omitted, and these yielded no less promptly than the
others.
(2) Bathe the parts affected with sweet spirits of niter. If the blisters are
broken so that the niter be allowed to penetrate the cuticle, more than a
single application is rarely necessary, and even where it is only applied to
the surface of the skin three or four times a day, there is rarely a trace of
the poison left next morning.
(3) A wash made from the spotted alder is recommended for ivy poison-


43b THE HOUSEHOLD.
ing. Also the shop water of a blacksmith's trough as a sure cure for poison ivy, and dogwood and strong salt and water as an antidote for the poisoning
of sumach.
Nose Bleed.—(1) Snuffing up powdered alum will generally control
troublesome bleeding from the nose. It will also almost always step
excessive hemorrhage from a cavity caused by the extraction of B tooth, by
being placed in it.
I (2) The best remedy for bleeding at the nose, as given by Dr. Gleason in
one of his lectures, is in the vigorous motion of the jaws, as if in the act of
mastication. In the case of a child, a wad of paper should be placed in its
mouth, and the child should be instructed to chew it hard. It is the motion
of the jaws that stops the flow of blood. This remedy is so very simple that
many will feel inclined to laugh at it, but it has never been known to fail in
a single instance, even in very severe cases.
(3) Lint, dipped in the nettle juice and put up the nostril, has been known to stay the bleeding of the nose when all other remedies have failed;
fourteen or fifteen of the seeds, ground into powder and taken daily, will
cure the swelling of the neck, known by the name of goitre, without in any
way injuring the general health.
(4) Bleeding from the nose may be stopped by pressing the nostrils to-
gether for some minutes. Ice applied to the bridge of the nose or nape of
the neck; snuffing up into the nostrils ice-water, vinegar, or gum-arabic
powder, are all of them available means to check the effusion.
Baldness.—(1) A gentleman who had lost nearly all his hair after a very
severe attack of fever, consulted lb French physician of great reputed suc-
cess as a hair restorer. The prescription given him was the drachm of homeo-
pathic tincture of phosphorus to one ounce of castor oil; the bare spot he
rubbed two times weekly, for half an hour each time, after the skin of the
head had been thoroughly cleansed with warm water without soap. The
treatment was faithfully carried out about six months; the hair soon began
to grow, and, in B year from the time of following the doctor's advice, his
head was as thoroughly covered as ever, the new hair being about two
shades darker than the old.
(2) In two ounces of spirits of wine steep two drachms of cantharidea
(pulverized) for a fortnight or three weeks, shaking it repeatedly during
that time. Then filter it, and rub up one-tenth of the tincture so procured,
with nine-tenths of cold hog's lard. Scent it with a few drops of any kind of
perfume, and rub it well into tho head every morning and evening.
(3) Hair, removed by fevers and other sickness, is made to grow by
washing the scalp with a strong decoction of sage leaves once or twice a day.
Small Pox—(l) Tho following remedy for this loathsome disease is very
simple, and on tho authority of the surgeon of tho British army of China, it is
said to be a thorough cure, even in extremo c_ses: When the preceding
fever is at its height, and just before the eruption appears, the chest is
rubbed with croton oil and tartaric ointment. This causes the whole erup-
tion to appear on that part of the body, to the relief of the rest. It also se-
cures a full and complete eruption, and thus prevents the disease from
attacking the internal organs.
(2) Tho following will cure not only small pox, but also scarlet fever. It
is harmless when taken by a person in health: Sulphate of zinc, one grain;
foxglove (digitalis), one grain; half a teaspoonful of sugar; mix with two


THE 110MM PHYSICIAN. 489
tablespoonfn la of water When thoroughly mixed add four ounces of water.
Take a spoonful every hour. Either disease will disappear in twelve
hours. For a child, smaller doses, according to the age. If countries
would compel their physicians to use this there would to no need of a pest
house.
(3) "I am willing to risk my reputation as a public man," wrote Edward
Hine to the Liverpool Mercury, "if the worst case of small pox cannot bo
cured in three days, simply by the use of cream of tartar. One ounce of
cream of tartar, dissolved in a pint of water, drank at intervals when cold,
is a certain never-failing remedy. It has cured thousands, never leaves a
mark, never causes blindness, and avoids tedious lingering."
Sleeplessness.—(1) Nervous persons, who are troubled with wakeful ness and excitability, usually have a strong tendency of blood to the brain,
with cold extremities. The pressure of the blood on the brain keeps it in the Stimulated, or wakeful state, and the pulsations in the head are often pain-
ful. Let such rise and chafe the body and extremities, with a brush or
towel, or rub smartly with the hands, to promote circulation, and withdraw
the excessive amount of blood from the brain, and they will fall asleep in a
few moments. A cold bath, or a sponge bath and rubbing, or a good run, or
rapid walk in the open air, or going up or down stairs a few times just before
retiring, will aid in equalizing circulation and promoting sleep. These rules
are simple and easy of application, in castle or cabin.
(2) A little English work, " Sleep and How to obtain it," says that in-
somnia io not so dangerous as is commonly supposed, for the author knows
an eminent man of letters who has suffered from it for many years without
injury. When a man begins to dream of his work he may know that he is
under too great a mental strain. The author's plan of inducing sleep is to
reckon up friends and acquaintances whose name begins with a certain
letter.
(3) If troubled with wakefulness on retiring to bed, eat three or four
small onions; they will act as a gentle and soothing narcotic. Onions are
also excellent to eat when one is much exposed to cold.
Ringworm—l Oil of paper made by burning a sheet of ordinary
writing paper upon a plate, will cure a ringworm, which is caused by con-
tagion or some impurity in the blood; the oil will be seen after the paper is
burned in the form of a yellow spot; this applied with the finger twice to day
will in a very short time cure the worst of ringworms.
(2) Tincture of iodine, painted over a ringworm, for three or four days in
succession, will entirely cure it in a few days. It stains the skin considerably
whenever it is applied, and this is the only objection to it. Those who
object to this need not use it; they may keep the ringworm. The stain goes
off in a few days.
(3) Heat a shovel to a bright red, cover it with grains of Indian corn,
press them with a cold flat iron. They will burn to a coal and exude an oil
on the surface of the flat iron, with which rub the ring, and after one or two
applications it will gradually disappear.
(4) Make a curd by mixing alum and the white of an egg over a ure until
it is the consistency of pomatum; spread over the ringworm. One or two
applications should effect a cure.
(5) Simple cerate, one pound; diluted sulphuric acid, one-quarter at a
pound. Mix and apply.


M TBS HOtrSEBOLD
(6) To one part of sulphuric acid add sixteen parts of water. <?s* »
brush or feather, and apply it to the parts night and morning. If the solu-
tion prove too strong, add a little more water. If the irritation is excessive,
apply a little glycerine. Avoid the use of soap
Chilblains.—(1) Slice raw potatoes, with the skins on, and sprinkle
over them a little salt, and as soon as the liquid therefrom settles in tho
bottom of the dish, wash with it the chilblains; one application is all that is
necessary.
(2) An unfailing remedy for chilblains: A solution of thirty grains of per-
manganate of potassa in an ounce of pure water, to be applied thoroughly
with brush or swab, or in the form of a poultice.
(3) Bub the part atfected with brandy and salt, which hardens the feet
at the same time that it removes the inflammation. Sometimes a third ap-
plication cures the most obstinate chilblains.
(4) To relieve the intense itching of frosted feet, dissolve a lump of alum
in a little water, and bathe the part with it, warming it before the Are. One
or two applications is sure to give relief.
(5) Put the hands and feet once a week into hot water, in which two or
three handfuls of common salt have been thrown. This is a certain pre-
ventive as well as a cure.
(6) In the evening, before retiring, take salt and vinegar made as hot as
can be borne on the parts affected; bathe with a small cloth, and do so until
cured.
(7) Mix together one ounce of turpentine and three-eighths of an ounce
of oil of sassafras. Apply the solution morning and evening.
Costiveness.—(1) Bread and milk, though excellent for children in gen-
eral, is not as good food for a costive child as bread made of corn-meal or
graham flour. Wheat bread is not good for a very costive child. When
medicine becomes necessary, a teaspoonful of magnesia dissolved in sweet-
ened milk or water, and given morning and night, until the bowels become
regular, is usually sufficient. Purgatives should be carefully avoided, ex-
cept for a disordered stomach, and then they become necessary. Well-ven-
tilated sleeping-rooms, and frequent bathing, go further than most people
suppose, toward keeping the body in a healthy condition. To mothers who
nurse their infants, we say, if tho mother is regular, the child will be, and
the reverse. Therefore, instead of dosing a child with medicine, let her diet
for the evil, and save her little one much suffering. A lady correspondent
some time since wrote us: "I have used, with much benefit, the herb known
as thoroughwort, prepared by putting the dried herb in water and letting it
stand until it becomes bitter. A portion drank before each meal, has proved
the best remedy for costiveness I ever used."
(2) Common charcoal is highly recommended for costiveness. It may
be taken either in tea or tablespoonful, or even larger doses, according to
the exigencies of the case, mixed with molasses, repeating it as often as
necessary. Bathe the bowels with pepper and vinegar. Or take two ounces
of rhubarb, add one ounce of rust of iron, infuse in one quart of wine. Hall
a wineglassful every morning. Or take pulverized blood-root, one drachm;
pulverized rhubarb, one drachm; Castile soap, two scruples. Mix and roll
into thirty-two pills. Take one morning and night. By following these di-
rections it may perhaps save you from a severe attack of piles, or some other
kindred disease.


tU THE HOUSEHOLD.
until this is discovered and removed, the patient will always be subject is
these fits. Whea a person is seized with a fit the dress should be loosened,
fresh air admitted, cold water dashed in the face, and salts or singed
feathers applied to the nostrils. It consciousness does not then return, a
draught of sal-volatile and water should be given, and if the patient be still
insensible, the temples and the nape of the neck should bo rubbed with
brandy. When hysterics can be traced to impaired natural action, equal por-
tions of pennyroyal and wormwood should be steeped in boiling water, and
suffered to simmer by the fire until the virtue of the herbs is extracted. It
should then be allowed to cool, and half a pmt be taken twice or thrice a
day, succeeded on each occasion by a compound asafcetida pill, until the
desired relief is afforded.
Colic.—(l) For the violent internal agony termed colic, take a teaspoon-
ful of salt in a pint of water; drink and go to bed. It is one of the speediest
remedies known. It will revive a person who seems almost dead from a
heavy fall.
(2) Pharos's method of treating colic consists in inversion—simply in turn-
ing the patient upside down. Colic of several days' duration has been
relieved by this means in a few minutes.
(3) Dr. Tepliashin has recommended a thin stream of cold water from a
teapot lifted from one to one and a hall" feet from the abdomen, in cases of
colic. He has seen it relieve pain when opinm and morphia had failed.
(4) A loaf of bread, hot from the oven, broken in two, and half of it
placed upon the bowels, and the other half opposite it upon the back, will
relieve colic from whatever cause almost immediately.
The Earliest Sign of Consumption...-A. quick pulse and a short
breath, continuing for weeks together, is the great alarm bell of forming
consumption; if these symptoms are attended with a gradual falling off in
flesh, in the course of menths, there is no rational ground for denbt,
although the hack of a cough may never have been heard. Under such cir-
cumstances, there ought not to be an hour's delay in taking competent
medical advice.
The vast mass of consumptives die, not far from the ages of twenty-five;
and this, in connection with another fact, that consumption is several years
in running its course, suggests one of the most important practical conclu-
sions yet announced, to wit:
In the large majority of cases, the seeds of consumption are sown between
the ages of sixteen and twenty-one years, when the steadily excited pulse
and the easily accelerated breathing, may readily be detected by an intelli-
gent and observant parent, and should be regarded as the knell of death, if
not arrested, and yet it is easily, and uniformly done, for the spirometer will
demonstrate the early danger, and the educated physician will be at no loss
to mark out the remedy.
The quick pulse and short breath go together; rather " easily put out of
breath," is the more common and appropriate expression.
Sciatica—An English efficer, who served with distinction in the war
with Napoleon, was ouce laid up in a small village in France, with a severe
attack of sciatica. It so happened that at that time, a tinman was being
employed at the hotel where he lodged, and that this tinman, having been
himoelf a soldier, took an interest in the officer's case, and gave him the
cure which in this instance succeeded immediately and forever, and which


THE HOME PHYSICIAN. 445
I am about to set down. It is at any rate so simple as to be worth a trial:
Take a moderate size potato, rather large than small, and boil it in one
quart of water. Foment the part affected with the water in which the potato
has been boiled as hot as it can be borne at night before going to bed; then
crush the potato and put it on the affected part as a poultice. Wear this all
Bight and in the morning heat the water, which should have been preserved,
ever again, and again foment the part with it as hot as can be borne. This
treatment must be persevered with for several days. It occasionally re-
quires to be continued for as much as two or three weeks, but in the shorter
or longer time it has never yet failed to be successful.
Biliousness.—If the victims of this diseased condition will exercise due
eare, they need not ransack creation for "anti-bilious pills." The bile does
not belong in the stomach, but reaches there in consequence of improper
food, too much of the oily, as butter, pork, lard, etc. The bile is nature's
grand cathartic medicine, passing from the liver in a direction to indicate
that it is to pass on into the bowels, there to perform its important mission.
When the liver is overtaxed by too much labor, or by the presence of too
much greasy food, digestion is impaired and the whole system becomes out
of order.
If one would avoid biliousness, let him fast, passing over one or more
meals. As soon as the '' mouth tastes bad," the tongue is coated, the appe-
tite flags- the best possible evidence that too much food has been taken—
thus allowing nature to rally, the accumulated food to pass off, and the sys-
tem be relieved. In nine cases out of ten, this fasting will remove the diffi-
culty, save a fit of sickness, and cheat the doctor. Any quack nostrum that
will do as much as fasting, would yield a fortune to the inventor. Many
of them, however, if not most, increase disease, rather than improve
health.
Hints About Glasses.—Persons finding their eyes becoming dry and
itching on reading, as well as those who find it necessary to place an object
nearer than fourteen inches from their faces to read, need spectacles. Per-
sons under forty years of age should not wear glasses until the accommo-
dating power of the eyes has been suspended and the exact state of refrac-
tion determined by a competent ophthalmic surgeon. The spectacle glasses
sold by peddlers and by jewelers generally are hurtful to the eyes of those
who read much, as tho lenses are made of inferior sheet glass and not sym-
metrically ground. No matter how perfectly the lenses may be made, un-
less they are mounted in a suitable frame and properly placed before the
eye, discomfort will arise from their prolonged use.
Persons holding objects too near the face endanger the safety of their
eyes, and incur tho risk of becoming near sighted.
The near sighted eye is an unsound eye, and should be fully corrected
with a glass, notwithstanding the fact it may need no aid for reading. The
proper time to begin wearing glasses is just as soon as the eyes tire on being
subjected to prolonged use.
Nettle Rash—This disease takes its name from its being attended by
an eruption similar to what is produced by the stinging of nettles. The
causes of this complaint are by no means obvious; but it seems to proceed
either from the perspiration being checked, or from some irritating matter
in the stomach. In all cases there prevails considerable itching and some
heat in tne parts affected; and in some constitutions a slight degree of fever


<46 THE HOUSEHOLD.
either precedes or attend* the eruption. Its duration seldom exceeds three
or four days.
In some cases nettle rash is accompanied with large wheals or bumps,
which appear of a solid nature, without any cavity or head, containing either
water or other fluid.
Haifa teaspoonful of magnesia, and the same quantity of cream of tartar
mixed in half a teacupful of milk, an hour before breakfast, and repeated as
required, will be found very efficacious.
Coffee and Typhoid Fever—Dr. Guillasso, of the French navy, in a
recent paper on typhoid fever, speaks of the great benefit which has been
derived from the use of coffee. He has found that no sooner have the pa-
tients taken a few tablespoonfuls of it than their features become relaxed
and they come to their senses; next day the improvement is such as to
leave no doubt that the article is just the specific needed. Under its in-
fluence the stupor is dispelled and the patient rouses from the state of som-
nolency in which he has been since the invasion of the disease; soon, all the.
functions take their natural course, and he outers upon convalescence. Dr.
Guillasse gives to an adult two or three tablespoonfuls of strong black coffee
every two or three hours, alternated with one or two teaspoonfuls of claret
or Burgundy wine—a little lemonade or citrate of magnesia to be taken
daily; after a while quirtae.
Ingrowing Toe Nails. —As this is a very painful malady, it may be
worth a great deal to some of our readers to know that the trouble
is not with the nail, but with the flesh, which gets pushed upon it, thereby
becoming inflamed, and the inflammation and swelling are kept up by the
presence of the nail, which then acts as a foreign body. To cure it, take the
neighboring toe—which, by the way, is really the offender—and with it press
the swollen flesh down an\ away from the nail, then bind the two firmly to-
gether with adhesive strips, which may be had at any drug store . If the
strips get loose, and the flesh slips up on the nail again, readjust the toes
and put on fresh plaster until the flesh rchabitua tea itself to its former place.
Abscess.—In some particulars an abscess resembles a large boil. There
is an inflammatory condition, with heat, pain, and swelling. The result ot
this inflammation is the discharge of degenerated matter or pus. They may
be opened as soon as pulsation is detected, the same as boils, or the opera-
tion may be delayed until by using hot water compresses, flax seed poultice,
bread and hot milk poultice, they come to a point or head. The matter or
pus should be completely discharged by gentle pressure, and the cavity
freely washed out by injecting a mixture of one part carbolic acid and twenty
of warm water, and pressure exerted by a bandage, when healing will rap-
idly take place.
Blistered Hands or Feet—When the hands are blistered from rowing
or the feet from walking or other causes, be careful not to allow the blisters
to break, if possible. Some persons are in the habit, by means of the needle
and piece of worsted, of placing a seton into blisters to draw off the water:
but in our opinion this is a great mistake and retards the healing. Bathe
the bhsters frequently in warm water, or if they are very severe, make a
salve of tallow, dropped from a lighted candle into a little gin and worked
up to a proper consistence, and on going to bed cover the blisters with this
salvo and place a piece of clean soft rag over them.


THE TTOME PHYSICIAN. 447
Stammering.—No stammering poraon ever found any difficulty in sing-
ing. The reason of this is, that by observing the measure of the music —by
keeping time—the organs of speech are kept in such position that enuncia-
tion is easy. Apply the same rule to reading or speech, and the same result
will follow. Let the stammerer take a sentence, say this one—" Leander
swam the Hellespont," and pronounce it by syllables, scan it, keeping time
with his finger if necessary, letting each syllable occupy the same time,
thus, Le-an-der-swam-the-Hel-lcs-pont, and he will not stammer. Pro-
nounce slowly at first, then faster, but still keeping time; keeping time with
words instead of syllables. Practice this in reading and conversation until
the habit is broken up. Perseverance and attention is all that is necessary
to perform a perfect cure.
Hemorrhage.—(1) Hemorrhage of the lungs can be instantly cured by
throwing into the mouth of the patieut, from a vial, one or two teaspoonfuls
of chloroform, according to the severeness of the attack. It will give instant
relief to the greatest suffering, and stop the most severe case of bleeding of
the lungs.
(2) To stop hemorrhage of the lungs, cord the thighs, and arm?
above the elbow, with small, strong cords tightly drawn and tied. It will
stop the flow of blood almost instantly, as it has done for the writer many
times. It was recommended by a physician of experience.
(3) Spitting or vomiting of blood may be stopped by sage juice mixed
with the little honey. Take three teaspoonfuls, and repeat, if necessary, in
about fifteen minutes.
(4) Hemorrhages of the lungs or stomach are promptly checked by small
doses of salt. The patient should be kept as quiet as possible.
Asthma.—(1) The asthma, writes a correspondent, may be relieved, if
not cured, by the following treatment: "Buy of the druggist five cents' worth of saltpeter, and get also a sheet or two of grayish paper, which drug-
gists have, thick like the common brown paper. Dissolve the saltpeter in
half the pint of rain water, and saturate strips of the paper in the water, and
dry it in pans or on plates. Now roll them up like lamp lighters. When a
paroxysm comes on, light one and inhale tho fumes. If necessary throw a
cloth or shawl over the head. If the saltpeter is very strong it may fuse a
little. Ifthe paper described cannot be got, brown paper may be used in-
stead, but the smoke of the former is purer."
(2) The following mixture is recommended as a relief for the asthmatic:
Two ounces of the best honey, and one ounce of castor oil mixed. A tea-
spoonful to be taken night and morning. I have tried the foregoing with
the best effect.
Hydrophobia—(1) Elecampane is a plant well known to most persons,
and is to be found in many of our gardens. Immediately after being bitten,
take one ounce of the root of the plant, the green root is perhaps preferable
but the dried will answer, and may be found in our drug stores, slice or
bruise, put in a pint of fresh milk, boil do wn to half the pint, strain, and when
oold drink it. fasting at least six hours afterward. The next morning repeat
the dose prepared as the last, and this will be sufficient. It is recommended
that after each dose nothing be eaten for at least six hours.
(2) The following is said to be a cure for hydrophobia: Take two tables mpoonfuls of fresh chloride of lime, mix it with one-half pint of water, and
with thi» mush keep the wound constantly bathed and frequently renewed.


4C* THE HOUSEHOLD.
moved by using pumice stone reduced to powder, rubbing it on the teeth
with a bit of soft wood made into a brush. Where the gums are sensitive,
there is nothing better than the chalk and myrrh dentifrice. Where the top
of a tooth is very sensitive, wet a bit of chalk and lay it on under the lip.
Where the breath is offensive the mouth should be rinsed with water in which
an atom of pcrmauganato of potash has been dissolved; just enough should
be used to make the water pink. Take care not to swallow any, as it is the poison. Crooked teeth in children can often be straightened, without ap-
plying to a dentist, if the parents watch the teeth when coming through, and
several times a day press the crooked one into position. Of course where
the arch of the mouth is defective, the upper teeth protruding over the under
lip, or the under jaw projects, the services of a skillful dentist will be re-
quired. It is only after the permanent teeth arrive that such operations are performed.
Toilet Powder.—Oust think of it, one of the most deadly poisons known
— used because of its cheapness, to add weight to an article applied solely to
the delicate skins of women and children. Fearful and incurable skin dis-
eases upon children to whom it has been applied to prevent chafing, led to
the discovery. It is safe to discard all French, toilet powder. Safe prepara-
tions are put up in this country, but each mother can make her own, be-
cause the best are only perfumed starch. Starch, made perfectly dry, and
sifted through the finest sieve, may be used, or a few drops of any desired
perfume may be mixed with it. Those who have lavender or other aromatic
flowers can fold them in thin paper, and place these with layers of starch, in
a box, renewing the flowers every few days, until the starch has absorbed
sufficient perfume. The starch will take up a little moisture from the flow-
ers, and it is best to let it be exposed to the sun, until quite dry, and then if
at all lumpy, be sifted again.
Rose Bandoline for the Hair—Of gum tragacanth, six ounces, or one
and one-half ounces; of rose water, one gallon, or two pints; of attar of roses,
one-half ounce, or one drachm; steep the gum in the water for a day or so;
as it swells or forms a gelatinous mass, it must from time to time be well
agitated. After about forty-eight hours' maceration, it is then to be squeezed
through a coarse, clean linen cloth, and again left to stand for a few days;
then pass it through the cloth a second time- to insure uniformity of consis-
tency; when this is the case, the attar of roses is to be thoroughly incor-
porated. Almond bandoline is made precisely as the above, scenting with
a quarter of an ounce of attar of almonds in place of the roses.
Ertrptions on the Face.—Dissolve an ounce of borax in a quart of
water, and apply this with a fine sponge every evening before going to bed.
This will smooth the skin when the eruptions do not proceed from an insect
working under the cuticle. Many persons' faces are disfigured by red erup-
tions caused by a small creature working under the skin. A very excellent
remedy is to take the flour of sulphur and rub it on the face dry, after wash-
ing it in the morning. Rub it well with the fingers, and then wipe it off
with a dry towel. There are many who are not a little ashamed of their
faces, who can be cured if they follow these directions.
Chapped Hands—(1) To cure chapped hands, take common starch and
rub it into a fine, smooth powder, put it ic a clean tin box, and every time
the hands are removed from dish water or hot suds, rinse them carefully in


THETOILET. 467
clean water, and while they are damp, rub a pinch of starch over them,
covering the whole surface.
(2) Melt spermaceti, one drachm, with almond oil, one ounce; and add
powdered camphor, one drachm. It will be improved by adding a couple
of drachms of glycerine, using as much less of the almond oil.
(3) One-half ounce of glycerine with same amount of alcohol. Mix, and
add four ounces of rose water. Bottle, and shake well. An excellent
remedy for rough or chapped hands.
To Sweeten the Breath.—From six to ten drops of the concentrated
solution of chloride of soda in a wineglassful of spring water, taken imme-
diately after the ablutions of the morning are completed, will sweeten the
breath by disinfecting the stomach, which, far from being injured, will be
benefitted by the medicine. If necessary, this may be repeated in the mid-
dle of the day. In some cases the odor from carious teeth is combined
with that of the stomach. If the mouth is well rinsed with a teaspoonful of
the chloride in a tumbler of water, the bad odor of the teeth will be
removed.
Bay Rum—Saturate one-quarter pound of carbonate of magnesia with
oil of bay; pulverize the magnesia, place it in a filter, and pour water
through it until the desired quantity is obtained, then add alcohol. The
quantity of water and alcohol employed depends on the desired strength
and quantity of the bay rum. Another: Oil of bay, ten fluid drachms; oil of
pimento, one fluid drachm; acetic ether, two fluid drachms; alcohol, three
gallons; water, two and a half gallons. Mix, and after two weeks' repose,
filter.
Otto of Roses—Fill a largo glazed earthen jar with rose leaves, care-
fully separated from the cups; pour upon them spring water, just sufficient
to cover them, and set the jar with its contents in the sun for two or three
days, taking it under cover at night. At the end of the third or fourth day,
small particles of yellow oil will be seen floating on the surface of the water,
and which, in the course of a week, will have increased to a thin scum. The
scum is the otto of roses; take it up with a little cotton tied to the end of a
stick, and squeeze it into a phial.
Essence from Flowers—Procure a quantity of tho petals of any flow-
ers which have an agreeable fragrance; card thin layers of cotton, which
dip into the finest Florence or Lucca oil; sprinklo a small quantity of fine salt on the flowers alternately until an earthen vessel or wide-mouthed glass
bottle is full. Tie the top close with a bladder, then lay the vessel in a
south aspect to the heat of the sun, and in fifteen days, when uncovered, a
fragrant oil may be squeezed away, leaving a whole mass quite equal to the
high-priced essences.
To Curl the Hair—There is no preparation which will make naturally
straight hair assume a permanent curl. The following will keep the hair in
curl for a short time: Take borax, two ounces; gum arabic, one drachm; and
hot water, not boiling, one quart; stir, and, as soon as the ingredients are dissolved, add three tablespoonfuls of strong spirits of camphor. On retir-
ing to rest, wet the hair with the above liquid, and roll in twists of paper as
usual. Do not disturb the hair until morning, when untwist and form into
ringlets*.


468 THE HOUSEHOLD.
Black Spn<« on the Face—The black spots on the face are not always
what are called flesh worms. What are mistaken for them are produced in
this way: The skin may be coarse, and the ducts, being large, collect the
perspiration, which hardens and blackens, and hence tho common supposi-
tion of there being grubs or maggots in the skin. The remedy is simple.
Clean the part affected by squeezing out the substance that is lodged, and
then use a lotion of diluted spirits of wine several times a day, until the blotches have disappeared. If they are really flesh worms take something
to purify your blood—sulphur or sarsaparilla
Moth Patches.—(1) It is said that the drinking of hard cider—two or
three glasses per day—will remove moth spots. At least, so writes a cor-
respondent who has tried it with success. While drinking the wider let tea
Hid coffee alone.
(2) Moth patches may be removed from tho face by the following remedy:
Into a pint bottle of rum put a tablespoonful of flour of sulphur. Apply
this to the patches once a day, and they will disappear in two or three
weeks.
(3) Bathe the face two or three times a day in borax water; a teaspoou-
ful of powdered borax in a basin of warm water.
Cold Cream.—This is a simple and cooling ointment, exceedingly ser-
viceable for rough or chapped hands, or for keeping the skin soft. It is very
easily made. Take half an ounce of white wax, aud put it into a small basin,
with two ounces of almond oil. When quite melted add two ounces of rose
water. This must be d'ine very slowly, little by little, and, as you pour it in,
beat the mixture smartly with a fork to make the water incorporate. When
all is incorporated, the cold cream is complete, and you may pour it into jars for future use.
Scent Powder.—A good receipt for scent powder to be used for ward, robes, boxes, etc., far finer than any mixture sold at the shops, is the follow-
ing: Coriander, orris root, rose leaves, and aromatic calamus, each one ounce; lavender flowers, ten ounces; rhodium, one-fourth of a drachm;
musk, five grains. These are to be mixed and reduced to a coarse powder.
This scents clothes as if fragrant flowers had been pressed in their folds.
Walnut Hair Dye—The simplest form is the expressed juice of the.
bark or shell of green walnuts. To preserve this juice, a little rectified
spirits may be added to it, with a few bruised cloves, and the whole digested
together, with occasional agitation for a week or fortnight, when the clear
portion is decanted, aud, if necessary, filtered. Sometimes, only a little common salt is added to preserve the juice. It should be kept in a cool
place.
Lavender Water—Best English lavender, four drachms; oil of cloves, half a draehm; musk, five grains; best spirits of wine, six ounces; water,
one ounce. Mix the oil of lavender with B little spirit first, then add the other ingredients, and let it stand, being kept well corked for at least two
months before it is used, shaking it frequently.
We Increase the Growth of Hair—Take of mutton suet, one pound;
best white wax, four ounces; essences of bergamot and lemon, of each, three
drachms; oils of lavender and thyme, of each, one drachnv Mix the suet
and wax over a gentle fire, and then add the perfumes.


THE TOILET. 468
To Thicken the Hair.—One quart of white wine, one handful of rose-
mary flowers, one-half pound of honey, one-quarter pint of oil of sweet
almonds. Mix the rosemary and honey with the wine, distill them together,
then add the oil of sweet almonds and shake well. When using it, pour a
littlo into a cup, warm it, and rub it into the roots of the hair.
Crimping Hair—To make the hair stay in crimp, take five cents' worth
of gum arabic and add to it just enough boiling water to dissolve it. When
dissolved, add enough alcohol to make it rather thin. Let this stand all
night and then bottle it to prevent the alcohol from evaporating. This put
on the hair at night, after it is done up in papers or pins. will make it stay in
crimp the hottest day, and is perfectly harmless.
The Nails.—Great attention should be paid to keeping the nails in good
order. They should be brushed at least twice a day, and the skin round the
lower part should be kept down by rubbing with a soft towel. The sides of
the nails need clipping about once in a week. If they become stained, wash
them well with soap, and after rinsing off the soap well, brush them with
lemon juice.
Toilet Soap— Cake two pounds of pure beef tallow, two pounds of sal
soda, one pound of salt, one ounce of gum camphor, one ounce of oil of ber-
gamot, one ounce of borax; boil slowly an hour; stir often, let it stand till
cold, then warm it over, so it will run easily, and turn into cups or molds,
dipped in cold water. This is very nice for all toilet purposes, and is greatly
improved by age.
Almond Paste.—Take of bleached almonds four ounces, and the white
of one egg; beat the almonds to a smooth paste in a mortar, then add the
white of egg, and enough rose water, mixed with one-half its weight of
spirits of wine, to give the proper consistence. This paste is used as a
cosmetic, to beautify the complexion, and is also to remedyfor chapped
hands, etc.
Hair Wash—Take one ounce of borax, half an ounce of camphor pow-
der—these ingredients fine—and dissolve them in one quart of boiling water.
When cool, the solution will be ready for use. Damp the hair frequently.
This wash is said not only to cleanse and beautify, but to strengthen the
hair, preserve the color and prevent baldness.
To Make Ean 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 noroli, 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.
Care of the Hair—To keep the hair healthy, keop the head clean.
Brush the scalp well with a stiff bru.s5t while dry. Then wash with castila
soap, and rub into the roots, bay rum, brandy, or camphor water. This done
twice a month will prove beneficial. Brush the scalp thoroughly twice a
week. Dampen the hair with »oft water at the toilet, and do not use oil.
Pearl Water for th* Complexion—Take castile soap, one pound;
water, one gallon. Dissolve; then add alcohol, one quart; oil of rosemary
»rid oil of lavender, of each two drachms. Mix well.


470 THE HOUSEHOLD.'
French Milk of Roses.—Two and one-half pints of rose water, one-half
pint of rosemary water, two ounces of tincture of storan, two ounces of
tincture of benzoin, one-half ounce of esprit de rose. First mix the rose
water and rosemary water, and then add the other ingredients. This is a
useful wash for the complexion.
Violet Powder—Wheat starch, six parts by weight; orris root powder,
two. Having reduced the starch to an impalpable powder, mix thoroughly
with the orris root, and then perfume with otto of lemon, otto of bergamot,
and otto of cloves, using twice as much of the lemon as either of the other
bottom Perfume for Handkerchiefs.—Oil of lavender, three fluid drachms;
oil of bergamot, three fluid drachms; extract of ambergris, six minims;
camphor, one grain; spirits of wine, one pint . To be well shaken every day
for a fortnight, and then filtered.
Bouquet de la Reine —Take one ounce of essence of bergamot, three
drachms of English oil of lavender, half a drachm of oil of cloves, half a
drachm of aromatic vinegar, six grains of musk, and one pint and a half of
rectified spirits of wine. Distill.
Oil of Rouen for the Hair—Olive oil, one quart; otto of roses, one
drachm; oil of rosemary, one drachm; mix. It may be colored by steeping
a little alkanet root in the oil (with Leat) before scenting it. It strengthens
and beautifies the hair.
Shampooing Liquid—An excellent shampoo is made of salts of tartar,
white castile soap, bay rum and lukewarm water. The salts will remove all
dandruff, the soap will soften the hair and clean it thoroughly, and the bay
rum will prevent taking cold.
Hair Restorative—A good hair restorative may be made of boxwood
leaves, of which take a handful and put into one pint of boiling water; digest
for an hour, simmer ten minutes, and then strain. In applying it to the hail
rub it well into the roots.
Lip Salve—Melt a lump of sugar in one and B half tablespoonfuls of rose water; mix it with two tablespoonfuls of sweet oil, a piece of spermaceti
half as large as an English walnut; simmer the whole, and turn it into
boxes.
Wash for the Hair—The best wash we know for cleansing and soften-
ing the hair is an egg beaten up, and rubbed well into the hair, and after-
ward washed out with several washes of warm water.
Cure for Chapped Lips—Dissolve a lump of beeswax in a small quan-
tity of sweet oil—over a candle—let it cool, and it will bo ready for use
Rubbing it warm on the lips two or three times will effect a cure, 


THE LAUNDRY.
A -fVajhing Machine.—The opinion is now becoming general that the
proper way to wash clothes is to alternately fill them with water and press
it out, avoiding friction as much as possible. We herewith present a de-
scription of a machine for this purpose. Tho figure is a sectional view. A
is a cylinder two feet in diameter, made of any suitable material. In the
middle of the cylinder will be seen a stationary cylinder head, B, which is
perforated with holes. C G are two movable pistons, working watertight in
the cylinder—both of them fastened rigidly to the rod D. On the top part
of the rod is a rack, which gears into the pinion E, worked by the crank F.
The operation is as follows: The upper piston is raised above the top of the
cylinder, and the clothes to be washed are placed
therein, with a sufficient quantity of soap and water.
On depressing the piston by means of the crank,
the upper piston presses all the water out of the
clothes, passing through tho cylinder head B, thence (
following the lower piston to the bottom of the cylin-
der. Thus all the water is squeezed out of the
clothes. On reversing the direction of the crank
the pistons rise, and the lower one forces the water
through the stationary head again into the clothes.
It is thus depressed and raised alternately, soaking
and squeezing the water out of tho clothes. A
stop-cock should be placed in the side of the cylin-
der to let off the water when not required.
Washing Lace Curtains.—There are many
ways of doing this work; those which are bleached
by the use of many of the bleaching powders make
the lace beautifully clear and white, but usually in-
jure the fabric; and when possible it is much safer
to have them done up at home. The prevailing
impression has been that there was some peculiar mystery in bleaching lace
of any kind; that the process was tedious and very intricate, and if not done
by a professional cleaner the lace was in imminent danger of destruction.
It is not so at all. Once understood, the work is as simple as any wash-
ing. Shake all the dust out of the lace curtains when taken down, but be
gentle about it to avoid tearing. The shaking will remove the greater part
of the loose dirt. Then spread them across two lines near together in the
clothes yard, and brush them softly with a clean feather duster. When all
has been brushed off, put them, one at a time, into a tub half full of milk-
warm water and add two tablespoonfnls of liquid ammonia. Let it remain
ten or fifteen minutes, turnirg it over carefully every minute or two, and
squeezing with the hands. This through the ammonia will loosen all the
dirt, after which squeeze out gently but as dry as can be done without
breaking the meshes. Have ready another tub of tepid water with some


m THE BOUSEEOLV.
more ammonia, and put the curtain into that immediately. Let it soak
while the next curtain is taken through the same process as the first, and so
on until all the curtains have been taken through at least three waters, or
till the water looks clear, squeezing and washing the curtains with the hands, as the work goes on. Ammonia in the two first waters is sufficient, and if
not very gray and smoky, it will only be needed in the first.
After taking the curtains through the three waters many starch and blue
them, and, without any soap or scalding, prepare to stretch them and pin in
shape. But we prefer to put them into a bag, or coarse pillow-case, and
scald in clean soapsuds (not very strong) for a few minutes. The suda
should be made of very pure soap, and the water, when they are first put in
only tepid; then just bring to a boiling heat. While the curtains are scald-
ing prepare two tubs of clean water—one to rinse the curtains when they are
taken from the boiler, and the other for the last rinsing. This should be
blued; and the starch requires to be blued quite deeply, as, when hung up
against the light, lace does not appear blue. The blued water and starch
should be strained, that no mote of bluing may escape to settle on the
curtains.
Take the curtains from the boiler when slightly scalded, rinse thoroughly,
but with a gentle hand, till all the suds are out, then wring or squeeze out,
and put through the bluing-water, wring out from that, and prepare to
stretch, and pin out smoothly to the original length and width. This must
be done when just taken from the water, as lace cannot be stretched when
dry. The whole process of washing, scalding, rinsing and stretching should
be done as expeditiously as consistent with thorough work, for no other cot-
ton material shrinks so easily.
Many pin a clean sheet on to a carpet, in an unoccupied airy room, and
pin the curtains on to the sheet. Every point and scallop should be pulled
out and pinned on to the sheet evenly. But that is a very hard way for any
one who finds stooping and bending over painful; and we don't think the
face looks as clear, because when pinned on to a carpet there can be no free
circulation of air from underneath.
It is easier, and in every way better, to keep on hand four strips of thin
boards, about three inches wide, made very similar to quilting-frames, with
holes at suitable distances, to increase or diminish the length and breadth to
suit the size of the curtains, and strong wooden pins put through the holes
to fasten the frames strongly together. Tack, closely, strips of cloth, sel-
vedge edge out, or wide tape, the whole length of the bars. Then place them on chairs so that they will stand firm and steady—out-doors, on a
still, bright, sunny day—and pin or baste the curtains to the tape, pulling
out and fastening every point in the lace.
Before wetting the curtains do not forget to measure them in length and
breath, and mark the measure on the frame they are to be dried on. When
washed they must be fastened at both ends first, and then stretched to
match this measure. It takes but a little time to dry curtains thus stretched
in the sun, and if well rinsed, free from soap, several curtains may be
stretched out at the same time. This is a great saving of time; but we
always fear the lace will not look as clear as if dried separately. But we
have never tried that way. We, however, hear it approved by those who
have.
Instead of nailing tape or strips of cloth to the "frame," small-sized gal-
vanized tenter hooks are often driven into the frame on all four sides, and
the lace or muslin curtains are caught on to these hooks and thus stretched


THE LAUNDRY.
4"?
out to dry. We do not like this so well as basting the curtains to the tape.
We fancy the lace will be more injured on the books than it could be if sewed
on. Lace should never be ironed. It costs but very little to make these
bars, and they will last a life-time if carefully put away when not in use;
and the curtains can be made to look quite as well as if done up in a French
laundry, and will last much longer. It costs every year twice the expense
of this frame to hire curtains done up.
Convenient Clothes Iliirs.—The bars are two inches wide by one inch
thick. Four bars are three feet eleven inches long, and four are one foot
eleven inches. The rods are dressed out one inch square, and of the follow-
ing lengths: Four rods four feet long; two rods four feet two inches long; two
rods three feet ten inches long; one rod four feet three inches long for the
center, to project three inches at one end; another rod for the top four feet
four inches long and to project two inches in order to receive the piece shown
in the engraving to regulate the height. It can be shut so as to not occupy
more than a foot in
width, or spread so as
to hang a washing on.
A three-fourth inch
auger should be used
in making. Any one
who can use a plane or
auger can make them.

CONVENIENT CLOTHES BARS.
To Wash Blank-
ets.--Take half a cake
of soap, cut it into
small pieces and dis-
solve it thoroughly in
hot water. Pour this
into enough cold water
to cover the blankets;
add two ounces of bo-
rax (pulverized dis-
solves most readily), and put your blankets to soak all night. In the morn-
ing take them out and squeeze most of the water out of them and rinse thor-
oughly in cold water, in which a little borax has been dissolved; put them
through a second rinsing water aud then through the bluing water. Do
not wring or squeeze them this time, but hang them up to drain and dry.
The easiest way is to take them, while in the last water, out under the
clothes line, as it is not convenient to carry them when full of water. It is
best not to double them over the line, but hang by one end or side. Of
course you want a sunny day for drying them nicely, and if you put in to
soak at night and the next day is stormy, it will not hurt them to soak longer.
If the wool is very greasy, use more soap and borax. Fine flanuels and
baby's crocheted skirts and sacques are nice when washed in this way, and
if you use cold water they will not shrink. Vary the proportions of soap and
borax to suit the quantity of water. I would not advise you to wash colored
goods in this way, as they might fade.
Washing Fluid—(i) Take odp pound of sal soda and half a pound of unslacked lime, and put them in a gallon of water; boil twenty minutes, Us II stand till cool, then drain off and put in a small jug or jar; soak your dirty 


'THE LAUNDRY: 475
cool enough to put the hands in without discomfort. While washing keep a
good quantity of water at boiling heat on the range for rinsing purposes, and
to keep the suds as hot as it can be used. Before one piece is washed and
ready to be wrung out fill a small tub half full of clear, hot water. Into this
stir a little more " bluing" than would be used for cotton or linen. Shake
out each piece as soon as washed, quickly, and throw at once into the hot
rinsing water.
Rub the flannel as little as possible, but draw it repeatedly through the
hands, squeezing rather than rubbing. Harsh rubbing thickens and injures
the fabric. Never wring with a wringer, as the pressure mats the nap down
bo closely as to destroy all the soft, fleecy look of good flannel. Wring with
the hands as dry as possible, then rinse and wring out again; and when as
dry as it can be made by hand, snap out, stretch and pull out into the
true shape; dry in the open air, if possible. Bring in when not quite dry,
roll up a short time, and iron while still a little damp, so that each part can
be more readily brought into shape. Pressing, when ironing, is better for
the flannel than rubbing. It does not make the fabric feel so hard and
wiry.
Scarlet flannel is poisonous to aome skins if used before washing, and as
one is not always sure how one may be affected by ice,it is safer to give it a
scald in hot water with a little soap—not enough to make a strong suds.
Let it stand and soak a few minutes, then
wring out and treat like other flannels.
Clothes Sprinkler—Sprinkling clothes
previous to ironing by dipping our hand in
a vessel of water and flirting it over the out-
spread garment is, to say the least, per-
formed in a very inefficient manner, for the clothes speinklek.
clothes are unequally dampened. Conse-
quently, in ironing, some portions of the cloth are quite dry, while other
parts are quite too damp. A sprinkler made of tin in the form shown, with
its lower part perforated with minute holes, is, when desired for use, placed
in a vessel of water; by its own gravity it fills with water; after the springling of each garment it is placed in the vessel to again fill. Old dipper
handles properly perforated serve an excellent purpose. This arrangement
can also be used in watering delicate plants, sprinkling the carpet, etc.
To Wash Lace.—Washing valuable lace should be a labor of love; time
and patience are important requisites to do it well, and it comes especially
within the province of the gentlewoman who possesses it. A long wooden
board, say two yards by one, will be necessary for deep flounces. For
smaller pieces, one yard by half a yard will do, but the larger size is prefer-
able, as several pieces can be done on it at the same time. The board must
be covered with thick flannel, and slightly stuffed to form a thick cushion.
A good supply of fine, long lace pins, with small round heads, will be re-
quired, as well as an ivory punch or an ivory knitting-needle, with a round
point, a lobster's claw or a dog's tooth. Before washing, the yellow stains
sometimes observable in old lace should be removed by placing the discol-
ored portion on a hot iron, covered with linen moistened with a solution of oxalic acid; the lace should afterward be steeped in luke-warm water. Tepid
water expels tho starch or stiffening, hot water shrinks the thread, while
sold water sets the dirt. Having well soaked the lace, wash it in a lather of


478 TBE HOUSEHOLD.
purest white soap and luke-warm water. This must be done with great
dehcacy of touch, and rubbing must not be attempted; it must be merely
dabbed or patted, and pressed between the hands gently to and fro in the
water. When the dirt is well out rinse it several times in lukewarm water,
and if any stiffness ia required pass it through water just sweetened with the
finest white sugar candy. In drying, the moisture must be expelled by gen-
tle pressure; hand wringing must never be resorted to for any of the finer
kinds of lace.
Doing up Men's Linen—Many a husband easy to please in all other
respects, has had his weekly grumble over "the way this collar sets," or
"how this bosom bulges out!" And many a housewife has tried again and
again to remedy these faults. A lady explains the difficulty in the following
language:
Some time ago my husband used to complain that his linen collars did
not set nicely in front. There was always a fullness, which in the case of
standing collars was particularly trying to a man who felt a good deal of
pride in the dressing of his neck, as it spoiled tho effect of his cravat, and
often left a gap for the display of either the collar band of the shirt or a half
inch of bare skin. While talking with a practical shirtmaker one day, he
mentioned his annoyance, and inquired if there was any means of reliev-
ing it.
"Yes," answered the man, "tho fault lies" with your laundress. While
doing up your collars she stretches them the wrong way. Damp linen ia
very pliable, and a good pull will alter a fourteen-inch collar in the twink-
ling of an eye. She ought to stretch them crosswise, and not lengthwise.
Then, in straightening out your shirt bosom, she makes another mistake of
the same sort. They also ought to be polished crosswise instead of length-
wise, particularly in the neighborhood of the neck. A lengthwise pull draws
the front of the neckband up somewhere directly under your chin, where it
was never meant to go, and of course that spoils the set of your collars.
With tho front of your neckband an inch too high, and your collar an inch
too long, you have a most undesirable combination."
The speaker was right. As soon as my husband ordered the necessary
changes to be made in the methods of our laundry, a wonderful difference
manifested itself in the appearance of that most important part of his clud
anatomy, the neck. Let me commend tho shirtmaker's hint to other dis-
tressed women.
How to Gloss Linen—Inquiry is frequently made respecting the mode
of putting a gloss on linen collars and shirt fronts, like that of now linen.
This gloss, or enamel, as it is sometimes called, is produced mainly by fric-
tion with a warm iron, and may be put on linen by almost any person. Tho
linen to be glazod receives as much strong starch as it is possible to charge
it with, then it is dried. To each pound of starch a piece of sperm or white
wax, about the size of a walnut, is usually added. When ready to be ironed,
the linen is laid upon the table and moistened very lightly on the surface
with a clean wet cloth. It is then ironed in the usual way with a flat-iron,
and is ready for the glossing operation. For this purpose a peculiar heavy
flat-iron, rounded at the bottom, as bright as a mirror, is used. It is pressed
firmly upon the linen and rubbed with much force, and this frictional action
puts on the gloss. "Elbow grease " is the principal secret connected with
the art of glossing linen.


THE LAUNDRY. 471
Washing Blade Easy—To save your linen and your labor pour on
half a pound of soda, two quarts of boiling water, in an earthenware pan;
take half a pound of soap, shred fine, put it into a saucepan with two quarts
of cold water, stand it on a fire till it boils, and when perfectly dissolved
add it to the former. Mix it well, and then let it stand till cold, when it has
the appearance of a strong jelly. Let your linen be soaked in water, the
seams and any other dirty part rubbed in the usual way, and remain till the following morning. Get your wash boiler ready, and add to the water about a pint basin full. When lukewarm put in your linen and allow it to boil
twenty minutes. Rinse it in the usual way, and that is all which is necessary
to get it clean and keep it in good color. The above recipe is invaluable ta
housekeepers. Give it a trial.
Washing Clothes Without Fading.—Wash and peel Irish potatoes,
and then grate them into cold water. Saturate the articles to be washed in
this potato water, and they can then be washed with soap without any run-
ning of the color, I have taken oil out of carpets saturated with this potato
water, when simple cold water would make the color run ruinously; have
set the color in figured black muslins, in colored merinos, in ribbons and
other silk goods. Often the potato water cleanses sufficiently without the
use of soap, but the latter is necessary where there is any grease. In such
cases (without soap) I take the grated potato itself and rub the goods with
a flannel rag. In woolen goods it is necessary to strain the water, else the
particles will adhere, but this is not necessary on goods from which they can
be well shaken.
A French Way of Washing Clothes—A system of washing clothes
has been introduced in some French towns which is worthy of special men-
tion. Its economy is so great as to greatly reduce the cost. This is the
process: Two pounds of soap are reduced with a little water to a pulp, which
having been slightly heated, is cooled in ten gallons of water, to which is
added one spoonful of turpentine oil and two of ammonia; then the mixture
is agitated. The water is kept at a temperature which may be borne by the
hand. In this solution the white clothes are put and left there for two hours
before washing them with soap, taking care, in the meantime, to cover the
tub. The solution may be warmed again and used once more, but it will
be necessary to add a half a spoonful of turpentine oil and another spoonful
of ammonia. Once washed with soap, the clothes are put in hot water, and
the blue is applied.
This process, it is obvious, saves much labor, much time and fuel, while
it gives the clothes a whiteness much superior to that obtained by any other
process, and the destructive use of the wash-board is not necessary to clean
the clothes from impurities.
Blaing—Bluing made from the following recipe has been in constant
use in many families for several years. It does not injure even the finest
clothes, and the cost is trifling compared with any other bluing. The quan-
tity here noted has been known to last the family of six persons a year: Get
one ounce of oxalic acid, one ounce of Chinese or Prussian blue (either will
do), one quart of soft water. Put in a bottle and shake it well for two or
three days after mixing it; after this do not shake it at all. If any of it set-
tles to the bottom you can fill the bottle after using the first water. If when
you buy it, it is not powdered, ask the druggist to powder it in a mortar for
you. Unless the Chinese or Prussian blue is pure it will not be a success;


478 THE HOUSEHOLD.
it will precipitate and make the clothes spotted. Ask the druggfst to war rant it, for if it is all right it is unequaled by any bluing in the market, and
it is a matter of great economy to use it; the quantity mentioned costing
only about twenty cents.
To Wash Shetland Shawls—Make a thin lather of boiled soap and
water; plunge the shawl in this, and gently strip it through the hand. It
must never be rubbed or wrung. When clean, rinse through water without
any soap, hang it up for about a minute, shake it gently by each side alter-
nately, pin it out on a sheet exactly square, and if the shawl bo of a fine
texture it should be lightly sewed down to the sheet by the top of the fringe
to prevent it running up; then go over tho whole fringe, drawing each thread
separately, and laying it straight out. If these directions are carefully at-
tended to the shawls may be washed many times, and each time appear as
well as when new. They should never be put into the hands of any but
those who are accustomed to wash face. Washing Hosiery— Stockings that are stained or troublesome to clean
are improved by being stretched out on a board and scrubbed with a hand-
brush. Colored stockings ought to be rinsed quickly and well, and opened
by pulling them on the hands ou each side, and holding them thus until the
toe is reached, then letting them fall, and pinning them by the top and side
to the line. Woolen stockings are kept from shrinking if dried on a wooden
shape of the right size. These are easily made from shingles of thin-boards.
To Wash Colored Cottons.—Boil two quarts of bran in water for half
an hour, let it cool, then strain it, and mix the liquor with the water in which
the things are to be washed. They will only require rinsing, as the bran
will stiffen them sufficiently. For colored muslins, rice-water is very good,
as it helps to preserve the color; but, although it makes white muslins clear,
it sometimes gives them a yellow tinge. When used it should previously be
boiled in the proportion of one pound of rice to one gallon of water. No
soap is required.
New Mixture Used in Washing Clothes.—In Berlin, Prussia, the
washerwomen use a mixture of two ounces of spirits of turpentine and one
quarter ounce of spirits of sal-ammoniac, well mixed together. This mix-
ture is put into a bucket of warm water, in which half a pound of soap has
dissolved. Into this mixture the clothes are immersed during the night and
the next day washed. The most dirty cloth is perfectly freed from all dirt,
and after two rinsings in pure water, the cloth has not the least smell of the
turpentine. The cloth does not require so much rubbing, and fine linen is
much longer preserved by it.
Whitening Yellow Flannels—Flannel that has become yellow from
being badly washed can be whitened by soaking it for two or three hours in
a lather made of one quarter of a pound of curd soap, two tablespoonfuls
powdered borax and two tablespoonfuls of carbonate of ammonia, dissolved
in five or six gallons of water. Boil the soap in small shavings in water till
dissolved, then add to it the other ingredients. Let the flannel lie in it until
it looks whiter, then squeeze and press it, and rinse in bluing water, and
hang in the hot sun to dry. Iron while it is still damp.
Hints for the Laundry—If you wish your white clothes to look clear
»nd pure white, always have ready a kettle of boiling water and scald them


THE LAUNDRY. 479
thoroughly before putting them in tho last rinse-water. Clothes washed
ever so clean will look dingy if soapy water is allowed to dry into them.
Scalding removes the suds. Prints should be washed out a piece at a time
in warm water, rinsed, and hung to dry immediately. But very few colors
will bear soaking in hot soapsuds. If you want your flannels to full, wash
them in hotwater, rub well upon a board, using plenty of soap, and rinse in
cold water. This rule never fails.
To Take Mildew from Clothes —Mix 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 lay on the grass, day and night, till the stain comes out. Iron molds
may be removed by the salt of lemons. Many stains may be removed by
dipping the linen in sour buttermilk, and then drying it in a hot sun; wash
it in cold water; repeat this three or four 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 gone.
Gam Arabic Starch.—Take two ounces fine white gum arabic and
pound it to a powder; next put it into a pitcher and pour on it a pint or more, or boiling water, according to the degree ot strength you require, and then
having covered it, let it stand all night. In the morning pour it carefully
from the dregs into a clean bottle; cork and keep it for use. A tablespoon-
ful 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.
For Washing Black or Navy Blue Linens, Percales, Etc.—Take
two potatoes grated into tepid soft water (first having peeled and washed
them), into which put a teaspoonful of ammonia. Wash the goods in this
and rinse in cold blue water. Starch will not be needed, and if at all prac-
ticable, they should be dried and ironed on the wrong side. It is said that
an infusion of hay will preserve the colors of buff linens; an infusion of bran
will do the same for brown linens and prints.
To Bleach Linen.—Mix common bleaching powder in the proportion of
one pound to a gallon of water; stir it occasionally for three days, let it
settle, and pour it off clear. Then make a lye of one pound of soda to one gallon of boiling soft water, in which soak the linen for twelve hours, and
boil it half an hour; next soak in the bleaching liquor, made as above; and
lastly, wash it in the usual manner. Discolored linen or muslin may be restored by putting a portion of bleaching liquor into the tub wherein the
articles are soaking.
To Wash Lawns—Boil two quarts of wheat bran in six quarts or more
of water half an hour. Strain through a coarse towel, and mix in the water
in which the muslin is to be washed. Use no soap, if you can help it, and
no starch. Binse lightly in clean water. This preparation both cleanses
and stiffens the lawn. If you can, conveniently, take out all the gathers.
The skirt should always be ripped from the waist. According to Marion
Harland these are best directions.
Hints to Ironers—Garments to be ironed in cold starch should be im-
mediately dipped in boiling water, and ironed as soon as starched. You will,
in this way, have no trouble with flats sticking to the cloth. Another good
way is to wet the starch with weak cold suds made from white soap.


ISO THE HOUSEHOLD.
Washing Woolens—If you do not wish to have white woolens shrink
when washed, make a good suds of hard soap, and wash the flannels in it.
Do not rub woolens like cotton cloth, but simply squeeze them between the
hands, or slightly pound them with a clothes pounder. The suds used
should be strong, and the woolens should be rinsed in warm water. By
rubbing flannels on a board, and rinsing them in cold water, they soon
become very thick.
Scorched Linen.—Peel and slice two onions; extract the juiee by pound-
ing and squeezing; add to the juice half an ounce oi cut fine white soap, two
ounces of fuller's earth, and half a pint of vinegar; boil all together. When
cool, spread it over the scorched linen and let it dry on; then wash and boil
out tho linen, and the spots will disappear, unless burned so badly as to
break the thread.
To Whiten Linen.—Stains occasioned Dy fruit, iron rust, and other
similar causes, may be removed by applying to the parts injured a weak
solution of the chloride of lime—the cloth having been well washed—or of
soda, oxalic acid, or salts of lemon, in warm water. The parts subjected to
this operation should be subsequently well rinsed in soft clear warm water,
without soap, and be immediately dried in the sun.
To Prevent Streaking.—Do not let your laundress or washerwoman
put clothes into the bluing w ater until they have been well shaken; if tossed
in while folded, as they come through the wringer they are almost certain to
be streaked with bluing, and although after repeated washings these streaks
will come out, every one knows how aggravating it is to use napkins or
handkerchiefs that show traces of careless washing.
Washing Merinos and Silk.—Tho following directions for washing
merinos, lambswool and silk under-clothing may be useful: Use one pound
of dissolved soap in four gallons of warm water, in which well rinse the
articles to be washed, drawing them repeatedly through the hand, wring
them as dry as possible to remove the soap; rinse them again briskly in
clean, lukewarm water; wring and stretch them to their proper shape, and
dry in open air if possible.
To Wash a Muslin Dress.—Make a good lather, and wash the muslin
in cold water, never putting it into warm water, even to rinse it. If the
muslin is green, add a wineglassful of vinegar to the water in which it is
rinsed; if lilac, the same quantity of ammonia. For black and white muslins,
use a small quantity of sugar of lead.
To Remove Rust from Lineir.—Dissolve an ounce of oxalic acid in a
pint of water, apply liberally to the spots of iron rust, then expose them to
the sun's rays for half a day. The same will remove ink stains, but in
either case it must have the first chance— that is, before soap suds or any
other application. Label the bottle poison!
To Wash a Cambric Handkerchief.—To wash a fine cambric hand-
kerchief, embroidered in colored silks, so that the colors do not run, the
secret is to wash in a soap lather very quickly, wring thoroughly and then iron, so that it dries at once. There should be no soaking, and the em-
broidered corner should be kept out of the water as much as possible. A
little alum in the water will make the process more sure.


THE TOILET. 46J>
ing the complexion. Mix before applying it. A conv<.nient way of using
these articles is to pour a little of the glycerine into the palm of the hand,
then squeeze out a few drops of lemon, rub together, and apply to the
face.
(5) Take half a cup of water, and add to it a tables poonful of glycerine.
Add to this a tablespoonful of alcohol and a teaspoonful of colonge. Apply
with a sponge or a soft cotton cloth.
(6) An infusion of horseradish and milk, as a correspondent informs us,
will make a most excellent, harmless, and effective cosmetic. It is certainly
very easily tried.
(7) Melt one pound of soft soap over a slow fire, with half a pint of sweet
oil, and add a teacupful of fine sand. Stir the mixture together until cold.
(8) Use a teaspoonful of powdered borax every morning in the basin of water, when washing the face or hands; also use it when taking a bath.
Sunburn.—(1) Take two drachms of borax, one drachm of Roman alum,
one drachm of camphor, half an ounce of sugar-candy, one pound of ox-gall;
mix and stir well for ten minutes or so, and repeat this stirring three or four
times a day for a fortnight, till it appears clear and transparent. Strain
through blotting paper, and bottle up for use. It is said that strawberries
rubbed over the face at night will remove freckles and sunburn.
(2) Wash the face at night with either sour milk or buttermilk, and in
the morning with weak bran tea and a little eau-de cologne. This will soften
the skin and remove the redness, and will also make it less liable to burn
again with exposure to the sun. Bathing the face several times in the day
with elder flower water and a few drops of eau-de-cologne is very efficacious.
(8) Put two spoonfuls of sweet cream into half a pint of new milk; squeeze
into it the juice of a lemon, add half a glass of genuine French brandy, a
little alum and loaf sugar; boil the whole, skim it well, and, when cold, it
is fit for use.
Pomade for the Hair.—(1) Ingrediert*: one quarter pound of lard;
two pennyworth of castor oil; scent. Mode: Let the lard be unsalted; beat
it up well; then add the castor oil, and mix thoroughly together with a knife,
adding a few drops of any scent that may be preferred. Put the pomatum
into pots, which keep well covered to prevent it turning rancid.
(2) A flask of salad oil, one and a half ounces of spermaceti, half ounce
of white wax; scent as desired. Cut up the white wax and spermaceti into
small pieces, and put them into the oven to melt with a small quantity of
the oil. When the lumps have disappeared, and all the ingredients are
thoroughly amalgamated, pour in the remainder of the oil and the scent, and
stir with a spoon until cold.
(3) Three ounces of olive oil, three quarters of a drachm of oil of al-
r^monds, two drachms of palm oil, half an ounce of white wax, a quarter of a
pound of lard, and three quarters of a drachm of essence of bergamot. This
pomade is excellent for strengthening the hair, promoting the growth of
whiskers and moustaches, and preventing baldness.
(4) Take one ounce of spermaceti, one ounce of castor oil, four ounces of
olive oil, and two pennyworth of bergamot, and melt them together in a pot
placed in boiling water, stirring the mixture all the while; when thoroughly
mixed, pour the mixture into pots while hot.
The Teeth.—The teeth need brushing at least before going to bed every
night, and are better for being cleansed after each meal. Tartar can be re-


TBE TOILET. 467
clean water, and while they are damp, rub a pinch of starch over them,
covering the whole surface.
(2) Melt spermaceti, one drachm, with almond oil, one ounce; and add
powdered camphor, one drachm. It will be improved by adding a couple
of drachms of glycerine, using as much less of the almond oil.
(3) One-half ounce of glycerine with same amount of alcohol. Mix, and
add four ounces of rose water. Bottle, and shake well. An excellent
remedy for rough or chapped hands.
To Sweeten the Breath.—From six to ten drops of the concentrated
solution of chloride of soda in a wineglasaful of spring water, taken imme-
diately after the ablutions of the morning are completed, will sweeten the breath by disinfecting the stomach, which, far from being injured, will be
benefitted by the medicine. If necessary, this may be repeated in the mid-
dle of the day. In some cases the odor from carious teeth is combined
with that of the stomach. If the mouth is well rinsed with a teaspoonful of
the chloride in a tumbler of water, the bad odor of the teeth will be
removed.
Bay Rum—Saturate one-quarter pound of carbonate of magnesia with
oil of bay; pulverize the magnesia, place it in a filter, and pour water
through it until the desired quantity is obtained, then add alcohol. The
quantity of water and alcohol employed depends on the desired strength
and quantity of the bay rum. Another: Oil of bay, ten fluid drachms; oil of
pimento, one fluid drachm; acetic ether, two fluid drachms; alcohol, three
gallons; water, two and a half gallons. Mix, and after two weeks' repose,
filter.
Otto of Roses—Fill a largo glazed earthen jar with rose leaves, care-
fully separated from the cups; pour upon them spring water, just sufficient
to cover them, and set the jar with its contents in the sun for two or three
days, taking it under cover at night. At the end of the third or fourth day,
small particles of yellow oil will be seen floating on the surface of the water,
and which, in the course of a week, will have increased to a thin scum. The
scum is the otto of roses; take it up with a little cotton tied to tho end of the stick, and squeeze it into a phial.
Essence from Flowers—Procuro a quantity of the petals of any flow-
ers which have an agreeable fragrance; card thin layers of cotton, which
dip into the finest Florence or Lucca oil; sprinklo a small quantity of fine
salt on the flowers alternately until an earthen vessel or wide-mouthed glass bottle is full. Tie the top closo with a bladder, then lay the vessel in a
south aspect to the heat of the sun, and in fifteen days, when uncovered, a
fragrant oil may be squeezed away, leaving a whole mass quite equal to the
high-priced essences.
To Curl the Hair—There is no preparation which will make naturally
straight hair assume a permanent curl. The following will keep the hair in
curl for a short time: Take borax, two ounces; gum arabic, one drachm; and
hot water, not boiling, one quart; stir, and, as soon as tho ingredients are dissolved, add three tablespoonfuls of strong spirits of camphor. On retir-
ing to rest, wet the hair with the above liquid, and roll in twists of paper as
usual. Do not disturb the hair until morning, when untwist and form into
ringlet*.


«8 THE HOUSEHOLD.
Black Spots on the Face—The black spots on the face are not always
what are called flesh worms. What are mistaken for them are produced in
this way: The skin may be coarse, and the ducts, being large, collect the
perspiration, which hardens and blackens, and hence the common supposi-
tion of there being grubs or maggots in the skin. The remedy is simple.
Clean the part affected by squeezing out the substance that is lodged, and
then use a lotion of diluted spirits of wine several times a day, until the
blotches have disappeared. If they are really flesh worms take something
to purify your blood—sulphur or sarsaparilla
Moth Patches.—(1) It is said that the drinking of hard cider—two or
three glasses per day—will remove moth spots. At least, so writes a cor-
respondent who has tried it with success. While drinking the cider let tea
(ml coffee alone.
(2) Moth patches maybe removed from the face by the following remedy:
/nto a pint bottle of rum put a tablespoonful of flour of sulphur. Apply
this to the patches once a day, and they will disappear in two or three
weeks.
(3) Bathe the face two or three times a day in borax water; a teaspoon ful of powdered borax in a basin of warm water.
Cold Cream.—This is a simple and cooling ointment, exceedingly ser-
viceable for rough or chapped hands, or for keeping the skin soft. It is very
easily made. Take half an ounce of white wax, and put it into a small basin,
with two ounces of almond oil. When quite melted add two ounces of rose water. This must be done very slowly, little by little, and, as you pour it in,
beat tho mixture smartly with a fork to make the water incorporate. When
all is incorporated, the cold cream is complete, and you may pour it inta
jars for future use.
Scent Powder—A good receipt for scent powder to be used for ward, robes, boxes, etc., far finer than any mixture sold at the shops, is the follow,
ing: Coriander, orris root, rose leaves, and aromatic calamus, each one
ounce; lavender flowers, ten ounces; rhodium, one-fourth of a drachm;
musk, five grains. These are to be mixed and reduced to a coarse powder.
This scents clothes as if fragrant flowers had been pressed in their folds.
Walnut Hair Dye—The simplest form is the expressed juice of tho
bark or shell of green walnuts. To preserve this juice, a littie rectified
spirits may be added to it, with a few bruised cloves, and the whole digested
together, with occasional agitation for a week or fortnight, when the clear
portion is decanted, and, if necessary, filtered. Sometimes, only a little common salt is added to preserve the juice. It should bo kept in lb cool
place.
Lavender Water.—Best English lavender, four drachms; oil of cloves, half a drachm; musk, five grains; best spirits of wine, six ounces; water,
one ounce. Mix the oil of lavender with a little spirit first, then add the
other ingredients, and let it stand, being kept well corked for at least two
months before it is used, shaking it frequently.
To Increase the Growth of Hair.—Take of mutton suet, one pound; best white wax, four ounces; essences of bergamot and lemon, of each, three
drachms; oils of lavender and thyme, of each, one drachnv Mix the suet
and wax over a gentle fire and then add the perfumes.


THE TOILET. 468
To Thicken the Hair.—One quart of white wine, one handful of rose-
mary flowers, one-Lalf pound of honey, one-quarter pint of oil of sweet
almonds. Mix the rosemary and honey with the wine, distill them together,
then add the oil of sweet almonds and shake well. When using it, pour a
little into a cup, warm it, and rub it into the roots of the hair.
Crimping Hair—To make the hair stay in crimp, take five cents' worth
of gum arabic and add to it just enough boiling water to dissolve it. When
dissolved, add enough alcohol to make it rather thin. Let this stand all
night and then bottle it to prevent the alcohol from evaporating. This put
on the hair at night, after it is done up in papers or pins, will make it stay in
crimp the hottest day, and is perfectly harmless.
The Nails.—Great attention should be paid to keeping the nails in good
order. They should be brushed at least twice a day, and the skin round the
lower part should be kept down by rubbing with a soft towel. The sides of
the nails need clipping about once in a week. If they become stained, wash
them well with soap, and after rinsing off the soap well, brush them with
lemon juice.
Toilet Soap.. -Tako two pounds of pure beef tallow, two pounds of sal
Boda, one pound of salt, one ounce of gum camphor, one ounce of oil of ber-
gamot, one ounce of borax; boil slowly an hour; stir often, let it stand till
cold, then warm it over, so it will run easily, and turn into cups or molds,
dipped in cold water. This is very nice for all toilet purposes, and is greatly
improved by age.
Almond Paste.—Take of bleached almonds four ounces, and the white
of one egg; beat the almonds to a smooth paste in a mortar, then add the
white of egg, and enough rose water, mixed with one-half its weight of
epirits of wine, to give the proper consistence. This paste is used as a
cosmetic, to beautify the complexion, and is also a remedy for chapped
hands, etc.
Hair 'Wash—Take one ounce of borax, half an ounce of camphor pow-
der—these ingrodients fine—and dissolve them in one quart of boiling water.
When cooi, the solution will be ready for use. Damp the hair' frequently.
This wash is said not only to cleanse and beautify, but to strengthen the
hair, preserve the color and prevent baldness.
To Itlake 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. Ifthfse
proportions aro too large, smaller ones may be used.
Care of the Hair—To keep the hair healthy, keop the head clean.
Brush the scalp well with a stiff onia). while dry. Then wash with castila
soap, and rub into the roots, bay rum, brandy, or camphor water. This done
twice a month will prove beneficial. Brush (he scalp thoroughly twice a
week. Dampen the hair with a.oft water at the toilet, and do not use oil.
Pearl Water for tbi Complexion.—Take castile sosp, one pound;
water, one gallon. Dissolve; then add alcohol, one quart; oil of rosemary
%nd oil of lavender, of each two drachms. Mix well.


ill TITS HOUSEHOLD.
more ammonia, and put the curtain into that immediately. Let it soak
while the next curtain ia taken through the same process as the first, and so
on until all the curtains have been taken through at least three waters, or
till the water looks clear, squeezing and washing the curtains with the hands
as the work goes on. Ammonia in the two first waters is sufficient, and if
not very gray and smoky, it will only be needed in the first.
After taking the curtains through the three waters many starch and blue
them, and, without any soap or scalding, prepare to stretch them and pin in
shape. But we prefer to put them into a bag, or coarse pillow-case, and
scald in clean soapsuds (not very strong) for a few minutes. The seeds should be made of very pure soap, and the water, when they are first put in
only tepid; then just bring to a boiling heat. While the curtains are scald-
ing prepare two tubs of clean water—one to rinse the curtains when they are
taken trom the boiler, and the other for the last rinsing. This should be
blued; and the starch requires to be blued quite deeply, as, when hung up
against the light, lace does not appear blue. The blued water and starch
should be strained, that no mote of bluing may escape to settle on the
curtains.
Take the curtains from the boiler when slightly scalded, rinse thoroughly,
but with a gentle hand, till all the suds are out, then wring or squeeze out,
and put through the bluing-water, wring out from that, and prepare to
stretch, and pin out smoothly to the original length and width. This must
be done when just taken from the water, as lace cannot be stretched when
dry. The whole process of washing, scalding, rinsing and stretching should
be done as expeditiously as consistent with thorough work, for no other cot-
ton material shrinks so easily.
Many pin a clean sheet on to a carpet, in an unoccupied airy room, and
pin the curtains on to the sheet. Every point and scallop should be pulled
out and pinned on to the sheet evenly. But that is a very hard way for any
one who finds stooping and bending over painful; and we don't think the
face looks as clear, because when pinned on to a carpet there can be no free
circulation of air from underneath.
It is easier, and in every way better, to keep on hand four strips of thin
boards, about three inches wide, made very similar to quilting-frames, with
holes at suitable distances, to increase or diminish the length and breadth to
suit the size of the curtains, and strong wooden pins put through the holes
to fasten the frames strongly together. Tack, closely, strips of cloth, sel-
vedge edge out, or wide tape, the whole length of the bars. Then place them on chairs so that they will stand firm and steady—out-doors, on a
still, bright, sunny day—and pin or baste the curtains to the tape, pulling
out and fastening every point in the lace.
Before wetting tho curtains do not forget to measure them in length and
breath, and mark the measure on the frame they are to be dried on. When
washed they must be fastened at both ends first, and then stretched to
match this measure. It takes but a little time to dry curtains thus stretched
in the sun, and if well rinsed, free from soap, several curtains may be
stretched out at the same time. This is a great saving of time; but we
always fear the face will not look as clear as if dried separately. But we
have never tried that way. We, however, hear it approved by those who
have.
Instead of nailing tape or strips of cloth to the "frame," small-sized gal-
vanized tenter hooks are often driven into the frame on all four sides, and
the lace or muslin curtains are caught on to th«so hooks and thus stretched


the laundry.
4T?
out to dry. We do not like this so well as basting the curtains to the tape.
We fancy the lace will be more injured on the books than it could be if sewed
on. Lace should never be ironed. It costs but very little to make these
bars, and they will last a life-time if carefully put away when not in use;
and the curtains can be made to look quite as well as if done up in a French laundry, and will last much longer. It costs every year twice the expense
of this frame to hire curtains done up.
Convenient Clothes Bars —The bars are two inches wide by one inch
thick. Four bars are three feet eleven inches long, and four are one foot
eleven inches. The rods are dressed out one inch square, and of the follow-
ing lengths: Four rods four feet long; two rods four feet two inches long; two
rods three feet ten inches long; one rod four feet three inches long for the
center, to project three inches at one end; another rod for the top four feet
four inches long and to project two inches in order to receive the piece shown
in the engraving to regulate the height. It can be shut so as to not occupy
more than a foot in
width, or spread so as
to hang a washing on.
A three-fourth inch
auger should be used
in making. Any one
who can use a plane or
auger can make them.
To Wash Blank-
ets— Take half a cake
of soap, cut it into
small pieces and dis-
solve it thoroughly in
hot water. Pour this
into enough cold water
to cover the blankets;
add two ounces of bo-
rax (pulverized dis-
solves most readily), and put your blankets to soak all night. In the morn-
ing take them out and squeeze most of the water out of them and rinse thor-
oughly in cold water, in which a little borax has been dissolved; put them
through a second rinsing water and then through the bluing water. Do
not wring or squeeze them this time, but hang them up to drain and dry.
The easiest way is to take them, while in the last water, out under the
clothes line, as it is not convenient to carry them when full of water. It is
best not to double them over the line, but hang by one end or side. Of
course you want a sunny day for drying them nicely, and if you put in to
soak at night and the next day is stormy, it will not hurt them to soak longer.
If the wool is very greasy, use more soap and borax. Fine flannels and
baby's crocheted skirts and sacques are nice when washed in this way, and
if you use cold water they will not shrink. Vary the proportions of soap and
borax to suit the quantity of water. I would not advise you to wash colored
goods in this way, as they might fade.
Washing Flirt —(1) Take one pound of sal soda and half a pound of
unslacked lime, and put them in a gallon of water; boil twenty minutes, itr»
it stand till cool, then drain off and put in a small jug or jar; soak your dirty 
CONVENIENT CLOTHES BAKS.


iU THE HOUSEHOLD.
clothes over night, or until they are wet through, then wring them and rub
on plenty of soap, and in one boiler of clothes well covered with water, add
the teaoupful of the washing fluid; boil half an hour briskly, then wash them
thoroughly with suds; rinse, and your clothes will look better than by the
old way of washing twice before boiling. This is an invaluable receipt, and
it should be tried by every woman who would save time and labor.
(2) For washing alpaca, camel's hair, and other woolen goods, and for
removing marks made on furniture, carpets, rugs, etc.: Four ounces am-
monia, four ounces white castile soap, two ounces alcohol, two ounces
glycerine, two ounces ether. Cut the soap fine, dissolve in one quart of
water over the fire; add four quarts of water. When nearly cold, add the
other ingredients. This will make nearly eight quarts. It must be put in a
bottle and stoppered tight. It will keep good any length of time.
(3) An excellent washing fluid and one that will not injure the finest fab-
ric is made of one bar of Russian soap cut up fine, one tablespoonful of kero-
sene oil, a half cupful of washing soda and one gallon of water. The night
before washday, put your clothes to soak in warm water. In the morning
boil the fluid twenty minutes, add whatever cold water is required, for
washing the clothes, put in the clothes and boil one-half hour; they are then
ready to rinse and starch.
(4) Any one who will take a tablespoonful of kerosene to a gallon of
water, along with a. small quantity of common yellow soap, brought to a
boiling heat, will find a chemical compound which makes clothes as white
as snow with very little labor. They are first soaked in warm water as long
as convenient, and then boiled in the mixture half an hour, when the dirt
wrings out readily. No odor of the oil remains, and the clothes are perfectly
clean.
(5) Add one pound of unslacked lime to three gallons of soft, boiling
water. Let it settle and pour off. Then add three pcunds of washing-soda,
and mix with the lime-water. When dissolved, use a large wineglassful to
each pailful of water. Add one gill of soft-soap to a pailful of water.
(6) To make washing fluid, take half a pound of sal soda, quarter of a
pound of borax, dissolved in one gallon of hot water; let it settle; pour off in
bottles. One gill of this mixture with a pint of soft soap, or half a bar of soap dissolved in hot water, is enough for a washing.
(7) Put one pound of saltpeter into a gallon of water, and keep it in the corked jug; two tablespoonfuls for a pint of soap. Soak, wash, and boil as
usual. This bleaches the clothes beautifully without injuring the fabric.
To Wash Flannel.—Cut up what soap may be needed and dissolve in
a skillet of boiling water. Let it stand on the stove and simmer till every
particle is dissolved. Never rub soap on the flannel, or allow a bit to settle
on them. Nothing " fulls " flannel so badly as rubbing soap on it, or letting
bits of it settle on the cloth. A place on which a bit of soap has lodged or
been rubbed will have a different shade from the rest when dried, making
the whole garment look spotted.
Take a small tub not quite half full of scalding hot or boiling water. Into
this pour enough of the dissolved soap to make B rich suds, also some am-
monia, a teaspoonful and a half to ten or twelve quarts of suds is a fair pro-
portion. Stir this and the soap into the hot water till it is all thoroughly in-
corporated. Then put in the flannels. Two or three articles are enough to
soak at one time. Press them well under the water, but turn them over in
the suds occasionally while soaking. Let them remain in the water till it in


THE LATJNDRT: 475
cool enough to put the bauds in without discomfort. 'While washing keep a
good quantity of water at boiling heat on the range for rinsing purposes, and
to keep the suds as hot as it can be used. Before one piece is washed and
ready to be wrung out fill a small tub half full of clear hot water. Into this
stir a little more " bluing" than would be used for cotton or linen. Shake
out each piece as soon as washed, quickly, and throw at once into the hot
rinsing water.
Bub the flannel as little as possible, but draw it repeatedly through the
hands, squeezing rather than rubbing. Harsh rubbing thickens and injures
the fabric. Never wring with a wringer, as the pressure mats the nap down
so closely as to destroy all the soft, fleecy look of good flannel. Wring with
the hands as dry as possible, then rinse and wring out again; and when as
dry as it can be made by hand, snap out, stretch and pull out into the
true shape; dry in the open air, if possible. Bring in when not quite dry,
roll up a short time, and iron W'hile still a little damp, so that each part can
be more readily brought into shape. Pressing, when ironing, is better for
the flannel than rubbing. It does not make the fabric feel so hard and
wiry.
Scarlet flannel is poisonous to some skins if used before washing, and aa
one is not always sure how one may be affected by i', it is safer to give it a
scald in hot water with a little soap—not enough to make a strong suds.
X,et it stand and soak a few minutes, then
wring out and treat like other flannels.
Clothes Sprinkler—Sprinkling clothes
previous to ironing by dipping our hand in
a vessel of water and flirting it over the out-
spread garment is, to say the least, per-
formed in a very inefficient manner, for the clothes spkinklek.
clothes are unequally dampened. Conse-
quently, in ironing, some portions of the cloth are quite dry, while other
parts are quite too damp. A sprinkler made of tin in the form shown, with
its lower part perforated with minute holes, is, when desired for use, placed
in a vessel of water; by its own gravity it fills with water; after the sprink-
ling of each garment it is placed in the vessel to again fill. Old dipper
handles properly perforated serve an excellent purpose. This arrangement
can also be used in watering delicate plants, sprinkling the carpet, etc.
To Wash Lace.—Washing valuable lace should be a labor of love; time
and patience are important requisites to do it well, and it comes especially
within the province of the gentlewoman who possesses it. A long wooden
board, say two yards by one, will be necessary tor deep flounces. For
smaller pieces, one yard by half a yard will do, but the larger size is prefer-
able, as several pieces can be done on it at the same time. The board must
be covered with thick flannel, and slightly stuffed to form a thick cushion.
A good supply of fine, long lace pins, with small round heads, will be re-
quired, as well as an ivory punch or an ivc^fy knitting-needle, with a round
point, a lobster's claw or a dog's tooth. Before washing,»the yellow stains
sometimes observable in old lace should bo removed by placing the discol-
ored portion on a hot iron, covered with linen moistened with a solution d
oxalic acid; the lace should afterward be steeped in hike-warm water. Tepid
water expels the starch or stiffening, hot water shrinks the thread, while
•old water sets the dirt. Having well soaked the lace, wash it in a lather of


47< THE HOUSEHOLD.
purest white soap and luke-warm water. This must be done with gresR
dehcacy of touch, and rubbing must not be attempted; it must be merely
dabbed or patted, and pressed between the hands gently to and fro in the
water. When the dirt is well out rinse it several times in lukewarm water,
and if any stiffness is required pass it through water just sweetened with the
finest white sugar candy. In drying, the moisture must be expelled by gen-
tle pressure; hand wringing must never be resorted to for any of the finer
kinds of lace.
Doing np Men's Linen— Many a husband easy to please in all other
respects, has had his weekly grumble over "the way this collar sets," or
"how this bosom bulges out!" And many a housewife has tried again and
again to remedy these faults. A lady explains the difficulty in the following
language:
Some time ago my husband used to complain that his linen collars did
not set nicely in front. There was always a fullness, which in the case of
standing collars was particularly trying to a man who felt a good deal of
pride in the dressing of his neck, as it spoiled the effect of his cravat, and
often left a gap for the display of either the collar band of the shirt or a half
inch of bare skin. While talking with a practical shirtmaker one day, he mentioned his annoyance, and inquired if there was any means of reliev-
ing it.
"Yes," answered the man, " the fault lies with your laundress. Whilo
doing up your collars she stretches them the wrong way. Damp linen is
very pliable, and a good pull will alter a fourteen-inch collar in the twink-
ling of an eye. She ought to stretch them crosswise, and not lengthwise.
Then, in straightening out your shirt bosom, she makes another mistake of
the same sort. They also ought to be polished crosswise instead of length-
wise, particularly in the neighborhood of the neck. A lengthwise pull draws
the front of the neckband up somewhere directly under your chin, where it
was never meant to go, and of course that spoils the set of your collars.
With the front of your neckband au inch too high, and your collar an inch
too long, you have a most undesirable combination."
The speaker was right. As soon as my husband ordered the necessary
changes to be made in the methods of our laundry, a wonderful difference
manifested itself in the appearance of that most important part of his clad
anatomy, the neck. Let me commend the shirtmaker's hint to other dis-
tressed women.
How to Gloss Linen—Inquiry is frequently made respecting the mode
of putting a gloss on linen collars and shirt fronts, like that of new linen.
This gloss, or enamel, as it is sometimes called, is produced mainly by fric-
tion with a warm iron, and may be put on linen by almost any person. The linen to be glazed receives as much strong starch as it is possible to charge
it with, then it is dried. To each pound of starch a piece of sperm or white
wax, about the size of a walnut, is usually added. When ready to be ironed,
the linen is laid upon the table #nd moistened very lightly on the surface
with a clean wet cloth. It is then ironed in the usual way with a flat-iron,
and is ready for the glossing operation. For this purpose a peculiar heavy
flat-iron, rounded at the bottom, as bright as a mirror, is used. It is pressed
firmly upon the linen and rubbed with much force, and this frictional action
puts on the gloss. "Elbow grease " is the principal secret connected with
the art of glossing linen.


THE LAUNDRY. 471
Washing Made Easy.—To save your linen and your labor pour on
half a pound of soda two quarts of boiling water, in an earthenware pan;
take half a pound of soap, shred fine, put it into a saucepan with two quarts
of cold water, stand it on a fire till it boils, and when perfectly dissolved
add it to the former. Mix it well, and then let it stand till cold, when it has
the appearance of a strong jelly. Let your linen bo soaked in water, the
seams and any other dirty part rubbed in the usual way, and remain till the
following morning. Get your wash boiler ready, and add to the water about
a pint basin full. When lukewarm put in your linen and allow it to boil
twenty minutes. Rinse it in the usual way, aud that is all which is necessary
to get it clean and keep it in good color. The above recipe is invaluable to
housekeepers. Give it a trial.
Washing Clothej Without Fading.—Wash and peel Irish potatoes,
and then grate them into cold water. Saturate the articles to be washed in
this potato water, and they can then be washed with soap without any run-
ning of the color, I have taken oil out of carpets saturated with this potato
water, when simple cold water would make the color run ruinously; have
set the color in figured black muslins, in colored merinos, in ribbons and
other silk goods. Often the potato water cleanses sufficiently without the
use of soap, but the latter is necessary where there is any grease. In such
cases (without soap) I take the grated potato itself and rub the goods with
a flannel rag. In woolen goods it is necessary to strain the water, else the
particles will adhere, but this is not necessary on goods from which they can
be well shaken.
A French Way of Washing Clothes.—A system of washing clothes
has been introduced in some French towns which is worthy of special men-
tion. Its economy is so great as to greatly reduce the cost. This is the
process: Two pounds of soap are reduced with a little water to a pulp, which, having been slightly heated, is cooled in ten gallons of water, to which is
added one spoonful of turpentine oil and two of ammonia; then the mixture
is agitated. The water is kept at a temperature which may be borne by the
hand. In this solution the white clothes are put and left there for two hours
before washing them with soap, taking care, in tho meantime, to cover the
tub. The solution may be warmed again and used once more, but it will
be necessary to add a half fl spoonful of turpentine oil and another spoonful
of ammonia. Once washed with soap, the clothes are put in hot water, and
the blue is applied.
This process, it is obvious, saves much labor, much time and fuel, while
it gives the clothes a whiteness much superior to that obtained by any other
process, and the destructive use of the wash-board is not necessary to clean
the clothes from impurities.
Bluing.—Bluing made from the following recipe has been in constant
use in many families for several years. It does not injure even the finest
clothes, and the cost is trifling compared with any other bluing. The quan-
tity here noted has been known to last a family of six persons a year: Get
one ounce of oxalic acid, one ounce of Chinese or Prussian blue (either will
do), one quart of soft water. Put in a bottle and shake it well for two or
three days after mixing it; after this do not shake it at all. If any of it set-
tles to the bottom you can fill the bottle after using the first water. If when
you buy it, it is not powdered, ask the druggist to powder it in a mortar for
you. Unless the Chinese or Prussian blue is pure, it will not be a success; 


INTHE HOUSEHOLD.
it will precipitate and make the clothes spotted. Ask the drnggfst to walk
rant it, for if it is all right it is unequaled by any bluing in the market, and
it is a matter of great economy to use it; the quantity mentioned costing
only about twenty cents.
To Wash Shetland Shawls—Make B thin lather of boiled soap and
water; plunge the shawl in this, and gently strip it through the hand. It
must never be rubbed or wrung. When clean, rinse through water without
any soap, hang it up for about a minute, shake it gently by each side alter-
nately, pin it out on a sheet exactly square, and if the shawl be of a fine
texture it should be lightly sewed down to the sheet by the top of the fringe
to prevent it running up; then go over the whole fringe, drawing each thread
separately, and laying it straight out. If these directions are carefully at-
tended to the shawls may be washed many times, and each time appear as
well as when new. They should never be put into the hands of any but
those who are accustomed to wash face. Washing Hosiery— Stockings that are stained or troublesome to clean
are improved by being stretched out on a board and scrubbed with a hand-
brush. Colored stockings ought to be rinsed quickly and well, and opened
by pulling them on the hands on each side, and holding them thus until the
toe is reached, then letting them fall, and pinning them by the top and side
to the line. Woolen stockings are kept from shrinking if dried on a wooden
shape of the right size. Those are easily made from shingles of thin boards.
To Wash Colored Cottons—Boil two quarts of bran in water for half
an hour, let it cool, then strain it, and mix the liquor with the water in which
the things are to be washed. They will only require rinsing, as the bran
will stiffen them sufficiently. For colored muslins, rice-water is very good,
as it helps to preserve the color: but, although it makes white muslins clear,
it sometimes gives them a yellow tinge. When used it should previously be
boiled in the proportion of one pound of rice to one gallon of water. No
soap is required.
New Mixture Used in Washing Clothes.—In Berlin, Prussia, the
washerwomen use a mixture of two ounces of spirits of turpentine and one
quarter ounce of spirits of sal-ammoniac, well mixed together. This mix-
ture is put into a bucket of warm water, in which half a pound of soap has
dissolved. Into this mixture the clothes are immersed during the night and
the next day washed. The most dirty cloth is perfectly freed from all dirt,
and after, two rinsings in pure water, the cloth has not the least smell of the
turpentine. The cloth does not require so much rubbing, and fine linen is
much longer preserved by it.
Whitening Yellow Flannels.—Flannel that has become yellow from
being badly washed can bo whitened by soaking it for two or three hours in
a lather made of one quarter of a pound of curd soap, two tablespoonfuls
powdered borax and two tablespoonfuls of carbonate of ammonia, dissolved
in five or six gallons of water. Boil the soap in small shavings in water till
dissolved, then add to it the other ingredients. Let the flannel lie in it until
it looks whiter, then squeeze and press it, and rinse in bluing water, and
hang in the hot sun to dry. Iron while it is still Samp.
Hints for the Laundry—If you wish your white clothes to look clear
and pure white, always have ready a kettle of boiling water and scald them


THE LAUNDRY. 479
thoroughly before putting them in the last rinse-water. Clothes washed
ever so clean will look dingy if soapy water is allowed to dry into them.
Scalding removes the suds. Prints should be washed out a piece at a time
in warm water, rinsed, and hung to dry immediately. But very few colors
will bear soaking in hot soapsuds. If you want your flannels to hill, wash
them in hoi water, rub well upon a board, using plenty of soap, and rinse in
ceW water. This rule nover fails.
To Take Mildew from Clothes.—Mix 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 lay on the grass, day and night, till the stain comes out. Iron molds
may be removed by the salt of lemons. Many stains may be removed by
dipping the linen in sour buttermilk, and then drying it in a hot sun; wash
it in cold water; repeat this three or four 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 gone.
Gum Arabic Starch.—Take two ounces fine white gum arabio and
pound it to a powder; next put it into a pitcher and pour on it a pint or more
oi boiling water, according to the degree ot strength you require, and then
having covered it, let it stand all night. In the morning pour it carefully
from tho dregs into a clean bottle; cork and keep it for use. A tablespoon-
ful of gam 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.
. For Washing Black or Navy Blue Linens, Percales, Etc.—Take
two potatoes grated into tepid soft water (first having peeled and washed
them), into which put a teaspoonful of ammonia. Wash the goods in this
and rinse in cold blue water. Starch will not be needed, and if at all prac-
ticable, they should be dried and ironed on the wrong side. It is said that
an infusion of hay will preserve the colors of buff linens; an infusion of bran
will do the same for brown linens and prints.
To Bleach Linen.—Mix common bleaching powder in the proportion of
one pound to a gallon of water; stir it occasionally for three days, let it
settle, and pour it off clear. Then make a lye of one pound of soda to one
gallon of boiling soft water, in which soak the linen for twelve hours, and
boil it half an hour; next soak in the bleaching liquor, made as above; and
lastly, wash it in the usual manner. Discolored linen or muslin may be
restored by putting a portion of bleaching liquor into the tub wherein the
articles are soaking.
To Wash Lawns.—Boil two quart? of wheat bran in six quarts or more
of water half an hour. Strain through a coarse towel, and mix in the water
in which the muslin is to be washed. Use no soap, if you can help it, and
no starch. Rinse lightly in clean water. This preparation both cleanses
and stiffens the lawn. If you can, conveniently, take out all the gathers.
The skirt should always be ripped from the waist. According to Marion
Harland these are best directions.
Hints to iiimoi*—Garments to be ironed in cold starch should be im-
mediately dipped in boiling water, and ironed as soon as starched. You will,
m this way, have no trouble with flats sticking to the cloth. Another good
way is to wet the starch with weak cold suds made from white soac.


«W THE HOUSEHOLD.
Washing Woolens.—lf you do not wish to have white woolens shrink
when washed, make a good suds of hard soap, and wash the flannels in it.
Do not rub woolens like cotton cloth, but simply squeeze them between the
hands, or slightly pound them with a clothes pounder. The suds used
should bo strong, and the woolens should be rinsed in warm water. By
rubbing flannels on a board, and rinsing them in cold water, they soon
become very thick.
Scorched Linen.—Peel and slice two onions; extract the juice by pound-
ing and squeezing; add to the juice half an ounce oi cut fine white soap, two
ounces of fuller's earth, and half a pint of vinegar; boil all together. When
cool, spread it over the scorched linen and let it dry on; then wash and boil
out the linen, and the spots will disappear, unless burned so badly as to
break the thread.
To Whiten Linen—Stains occasioned by fruit, iron rust, and other
similar causes, may bo removed by applying to the parts injured a weak
solution of the chloride of lime—the cloth having been well washed—or of
soda, oxalic acid, or salts of lemon, in warm water. The parts subjected to
this operation should bo subsequently well rinsed in soft clear warm water,
without soap, and be immediately dried in the sun.
To Prevent Streaking.—Do not let your laundress or washerwoman
put clothes into the bluing water until they have been well shaken; if tossed
in whilo folded, as they come through the wringer they are almost certain to
be streaked with bluing, and although after repeated washings these streaks
will come out, every one knows how aggravating it is to use napkins or
handkerchiefs that show traces of careless washing.
Washing Merinos sinA Silk.—Tho following directions for washing
merinos, lambswool and silk under-clothing may be useful: Use one pound
of dissolved soap in four gallons of warm water, in which well rinse tho
articles to be washed, drawing them repeatedly through the hand, wring
them as dry as possible to remove the soap; rinse them again briskly in
ciean, lukewarm water; wring and stretch them to their proper shape, and
dry in open air if possible.
To Wash a Muslin Dress—Make a good lather, and wash the muslin
in cold water, never putting it into warm water, even to rinse it. If the
muslin is green, add a wineglassful of vinegar to the water in which it is
rinsed; if lilac, the same quantity of ammonia. For black and white muslins,
use a small quantity of sugar oi lead.
To Remove Rust from Linen.—Dissolve an ounce of oxalic acid in a
pint of water, apply liberally to the spots of iron rust, then expose them to-
the »un's rays for half a day. The same will remove ink stains, but in
•ithtr case it must have the first chance—that is, before soap suds or any
other application. Label the bottle poison!
To Wash a Cambric Handkerchief.—To wash a fine cambric hand-
kerchief, embroidered in colored silks, so that the colors do not run, the
secret is to wash in a soap lather very quickly, wring thoroughly and them
iron, so that it dries at once. There should be no soaking, and the em-
broidered corner should ba kept out of the water as much as possible. A
little alum in the water will make tho process more sore.


HINTS AND HELPS.
For the Removal of Stains and Spots.—The following methods of re-
moving spots and stains from clothing are given on the authority of high
chemical and textile authorities. They are believed to be trustworthy:
Matter Adhering Mechanically.—Beating, brushing and currents of water,
either on the upper or under side.
Gum, Sugar, Jelly, etc.—Simply washing with water at a hand heat.
Grease.—White goods, wash with soap or alkaline lyes. Colored cottons,
wash with lukewarm soap lyes. Colored woolens, the same or ammonia.
Silks, absorb the grease with French chalk or fuller's earth, and dissolve
away with benzine or ether.
Oil Colors, Varnish, and Resins.—On white or colored linens, cottons or
woolens, use rectified oil of turpentine, alcohol, lye and soap. On silks, use
benzine, ether and mild soap, very cautiously.
Stearine.—In all cases, use strong, pure alcohol.
Vegetable Colors, Fruit, RedWine and RedInk.—On white goods, sulphur
fumes or chlorine water. Colored cottons and woolens, wash with lukewarm
Boap-lye or ammonia. Silk, the same, but more cautiously.
Alizarine Inks.—White goods, tartaric acid, tho more concentrated the
older the spots are. On colored cottons and woolens, and on silks, dilute
tartaric acid should be applied cautiously.
Blood and Albuminoid Matters Steaping in lukewarm water. If pepsin
or the juice of Carioa papaya can be procured, the spots are first softened
with lukewarm water, and then either of these substances is applied.
Iron Spots and Black Ink.—White goods, hot oxalic acid, dilute muriatic
acid, with little fragments of tin. On fast dyed cottons and woolens, citric acid cautiously and repeatedly applied. Silks, impossible.
Lime and Alkalies.—White goods, simple washing. Colored cottons,
woolens and silks are moistened, and very dilute citrio acid is applied with
the finger end.
Acids, Vinegar, Sour Wine, Must, Sour Fruits.—White goods, simple
washing, followed up by chlorine water if a fruit color accompanies the acid.
Colored cottons, woolens and silks are very carefully moistened with dilute
ammonia, with the finger end. (In case of delicate colors, it will be found
preferable to make some prepared chalk into a thin paste with water, and
apply it to the spots.)
'Jttnninfrom Chestnuts, Green Walnuts, etc., or Leather.—White goods, hot
chlorine water and concentrated tartaric acid. Colored cottons, woolens,
and silks, apply dilute chlorine water cautiously to the spot, washing it
away, and reapplying it several times.
Tar, Cart-wheel Grease, Mixtures of Fat, Resin,Carbon and Acetic Acid.
.-On white goods, soap and oil turpentine, alternating with streams of water.
Colored cottons and woolens, rub in with lard, let lie, soap, let lie again, and
treat alternating with oil of turpentine and water. Silks the same, more
carefully, using benzine instead of oil of turpentine.


Oi THK BOUSBEOLD.
Scorching.—White goods, rub well with linen rags, dipped in chlorina
water. Colored cottons, re-dye if possible; in woolen, raise a fresh surface.
Silks, no remedy.
Coloring Recipes.—In using the following recipes remember that the
goods should always be wet in hot soapsuds before they are put into the
dye. Be very careful to have the materials thoroughly dissolved and keep
the dye hot, constantly stirring the goods, lifting them up to the air and
turning them over.
Brown.—For five pounds of goods allow one pound of catechu and two
ounces of alum, dissolved in sufficient hot water to wet the goods. Put this
in a brass kettle or tin boiler on the stove, and when it is boiling hot put in
the goods and remove it from the stove. Have ready four ounces of bi-
chromate of potash dissolved in hot water in a wooden pail. Drain the
goods from the catechu and dip them into the bi-chromate of potash, then
back into the catechu again. Proceed in this way, dipping into each alter-
nately until the required shade is produced. This colors a nice brown on
cotton, woolen, or silk.
Blue (on cotlon).—Dissolve four ounces of cqpperas in three or four gal-
lons of water. Soak the goods thoroughly in this, and then drain and trans-
fer to a solution of two ounces of prussiate of potash in the same quantity of
water. Lift the goods from this and put them to drain, then, add to the
prussiate of potash solution one-half ounce of oil of vitriol, being careful to
pour in a few drops only at a time; stir thoroughly, return the goods, and
as soon as of the desired shade rinse them in clear water and dry. This
will color five pounds.
Yellow (on cotlon) For five pounds of goods, dissolve one pound o*
sugar of lead in enough water to thoroughly saturate the goods, and one-
half pound of bi-chromate of potash in the same quantity of water in a sepa"-
Fate vessel. Dip the goods well, and drain in each alternately until the de-
sired shade is secured, then rinse and dry. If an orange is desired, dip the
yellow rags into strong, hot lime water before rinsing.
Green (on cotlon).—First color blue, and then proceed as in yellow.
Turkey Red (on cotton).—For four pounds of cloth, take one pound of
sumac in enough soft water to cover the cloth in a tub, soak over night,
wring out aud rinse in soft water. Take two ounces of muriate of tin in clear
soft water, put in the cloth and let it remain fifteen minutes. Put three
pounds of bur wood in cold soft water, in a boiler on a stove, and nearly
boil, then partly cool, then put in the cloth and boil one hour. Take out
the cloth and add to the water in the boiler one ounce of oil of vitriol, put
in the cloth and boil fifteen minutes. Rinse in cold water.
Bark Brown For dark brown, four ounces of blue vitriol, two pounds
of cuteh, and six ounces of bi-chromate of potash. This is for ten pounds of
cloth. Put the cutch in an iron kettle, in cold water enough to cover the
cloth, heat until dissolved, dissolve the vitriol, and add it to the dye, put in
the cloth and scald it an hour or more. Wring it from the dye, dissolve the
bi-chromate of potash in boiling water in brasS, and put in the cloth for
fifteen minutes.
Canary (on cotton) Take one-half pound of sugar of land, and dissolvo
it in hot water. Dissolve one-fourth pound of bi-chromate of potash in cold
water in a wooden vessel. Dip the goods first in the lead water, then in the
potash, so continuing until the color suits. This quantity will color five
pounds of rags.


BINTS AND BEL PS. 485
Several Ways to Clean and Polish Brass or Copper.—1. First re-
move all the stains, by rubbing the brass with a flannel dipped in vinegar;
then polish with a leather and dry rotten-stone.
2. Rub the surface of the metal with rotten-stone and sweet oil, then rub
off with a piece of cotton flannel, and polish with a piece of soft leather. A
solution of oxalic acid rubbed over brass soon removes the tarnish, render-
ing the metal bright. The acid must be washed off with water, and the
brass rubbed with whiting and soft leather. A mixture of muriatic acid and
alum dissolved in water imparts a golden color to brass articles that are
steeped in it for a few seconds.
3. Brass ornaments should be first washed with a strong lye made of
rock alum, in the proportion of one ounce of alum to a pint of water. When
dry, rub with leather and fine tripoli. This will give to brass the brilliancy
of gold.
4. Copper utensils or brass articles may be as thoroughly cleaned and
look as bright by washing them with a solution of salt and vinegar as by
using oxalic acid, and the advantage of running no risk of poisoning either
children or careless persons. Use as much salt as the vinegar will dissolve,
and apply with a woolen rag, rubbing vigorously, then polish with pulver-
ized chalk, and the article will look like new, with little labor, as the acid of
the vinegar is very efficient in removing all stains from either copper or
brass.
5. The quickest and easiest way to brighten copper or brass, is to wet a
cloth in a strong solution of oxalic acid, and rub till it is clear, then dip a
dry flannel into tripoli or prepared chalk, and rub it well.
6. A good paste for cleaning brass may be made by mixing one part ox-
alic acid and six parts rotten stone, with equal parts of train oil aud spirits
of turpentine, making a thick paste of the whole.
7. Clean brass with a solution made by dissolving one tablespoonful ox-
alic acid and two tablespoonfuls tripoli in a half pint of soft water. Apply
with a woolen rag, and after a few minutes wipe dry and polish.
8. Wash with warm water to remove grease, then rub with a mixture of
rotten-stone, soft soap, and oil of turpentine, mixed to the consistence of
stiff, putty. The stone should be powdered very fine andsiited; and a quan-
tity of the mixture may be made sufficient to last for a long time. A little of
the above mixture should be mixed with water, rubbed over the metal, then
rubbed briskly with a dry, clean rag or leather, and a beautiful polish will
be obtained.
Protection Against Moths.-—In May the clothes-moth begins to fly
about our rooms. It is a small, light, buff-colored "miller," dainty and
beautiful on close inspection. Its highest mission seems to bo to teach us
to set our affections only upon incorruptible treasures which "moth and
rust cannot destroy." But it is necessary to keep a sharp lookeut for the
safety of our furs and flannels, and we must wage war upon it. In the first
place we must carefully put away everything we can, upon which it will lay
its eggs. If we pack away our furs and flannels early in May, before the
moth has begun to lay its eggs, and leave them in boxes and bags so tight
that the flying moth cannot sqneeze in, no further precaution is necessary.
Clean paper bags are recommended for this purpose—those used for flour
and meal bags. They should be without holes or opening anywhere. These
bags, when filled and closed firmly, may be put away on closet shelves or in
loose boxes, without danger to their contents, so far as moths are concerned.


4M TITS HOTTSEUOLT).
without need of camphor or other strong odors to drive moths away. Furs
are usually sold in boxes in which they may be kept. Beat them well when you finally put them away for the season. If you delay putting them away
until June, examine the furs well, and shake and beat them very thoroughly,
in order that any moth eggs that may possibly have been laid in them may
be thoroughly removed or killed. Furs sealed up early in May need no
camphor or tobacco or other preventive. Muff and tippet boxes should be
tied up securely in bags, or made safe by mending holes and pasting a strip
of paper around the juncture of the cover with the box below, so as to close
all openings. Woolen garments must not hang in closets through the sum-
mer, in parts of the country where moths abound. They should be packed
away in tight trunks or boxes, or sealed up in bags. Woolen blankets must
be well shaken and carefully put away, unless they are in daily use. Early
in June the larvae of the moth begin their ravages, and then, unless you
dwell in places where moths are not found, look sharp, or you will find
some precious thing that you have forgotten—some good coat unused for a
few weeks, or the woolen cover of a neglected piano, already more or less
riddled by the voracious moths. It is their nature to eat until they have
grown strong enough to retire from the eating business, and go into the
chrysalis condition.
Some things cannot be well packed away in tight boxes and bags, and
among these it is well to scatter small lumps of camphor or clippings of
Russia leather. Some use tobacco, though I think camphor is usually pre-
ferred. It is said that powdered black pepper, scattered under the edge of
carpets, will preserve them from attacks.
Several Ways to Destroy Ants.—Put red pepper in the places the
ants frequent the most, and scrub the shelves or drawers with strong
carbolic soap.
A small bag of sulphur kept in a drawer or cupboard, or saucers of olive
tar set where they are, will drive them away.
A string wet in kerosene oil and tied around sugar barrels, lard cans,
preserves, etc., is said to keep away ants. The string should be wet with
the oil every few days.
Ants may be driven away by putting Scotch snuff wherever they are in
the habit of going for food,
A small spray of wormwood if placed on buttery shelves, will, it is said,
destroy or drive away ante.
Persons who are troubled with ante in their houses may get rid of them
by rubbing the shelves with gum camphor. Two applications will be
sufficient, with a week intervening.
A strong solution of carbolic acid and water, poured into holes, kills all
the ants it touches, and the survivors immediately take themselves off.
Ante that frequent houses or gardens may be destroyed by taking flour
of brimstone half a pound, and potash four ounces; and set them in an iron
or earthen pan over the fire until dissolved and united; afterward beat them
to a powder, and infuse a little of this powder in water—and wherever you
sprinkle it the ants will die or leave the place.
Bed ante may be banished from a pantry or store-room by strewing the shelves with a small quantity of cloves, either whole or ground. We use the former, as not being so likely to get in the food placed upon the shelves.
The cloves should be renewed occasionally, as after a time they lose their
strength and decay. 


HINTSAND HELPS. 481
To Hake am JEollan Harp.—This instrument, vfudTi placed in a win-
dow in a draft of air, produces the most pleasing music. We here give directions whereby any one may construct one for himself: Length, thirty-
two inches by six inches; depth, one and three-quarter inches. The strings
are attached to the small hooks at the end, corresponding to the pegs. The
strings must be about the thickness of the first string of the violin. These
strings answer well, but if too expensive the small gut used by whip manu-
facturers may be used. The bottom plank of the harp should be oak, three-
quarters of an inch thick, length three feet, breadth ten inches. The bridges
may be any sonorous wood (but steel will give the best sound), half an inch
in height, cut angular to a blunt point . They must not be flattened down,
but must be made to fit very fiat to the bottom board, or it will jar and never
play well. This is the great defect in all harps made by amateurs. The
ends of the harps should be oak, one inch thick, and must be fixed very
firmly to the bottom board, but not with metal screws or glue; and in these
the pins are fixed for tightening the strings. Use fiddle pins, half at each
end. The top should be half an inch thick, and sycamore wood is the best,
and may be polished; it should be very slightly fastened on, for it has to be
removed every time to time. Common catgut does nearly as well as Ger-
man. Get as thick a string as you can for one side, and a thin one for the
other; then graduate them from the thick to the thin, so as net to have two
alike. They are in general tuned to treble 0, but it is preferable to tune to
low C, and then each string an octave higher. This is easily altered, if
desirable. The instrument must be very strong in all respects, for the
strings exert almost incredible strength. The position for placing
the harp at the window to be with the upper surface inclined towards
the draft of air.
Staining Woods.—Rosewood—Boil eight ounces of logwood in three
pints of water until reduced to half; apply it boiling hot two or three times,
letting it dry each time. Put in the streaks with a camel's hair brush dipped
in a solution of copperas and verdigris in a decoction of logwood.
Light Malwgany.—Brush over the surface with diluted nitrous acid, and
when dry apply with a soft brush the following: Four ounces of dragon's
blood, one ounce of carbonate of soda, three pino of alcohol. Let it stand
in a warm place, shake it frequently and then strain.
To Slain Musical lnslrum erits.—Boil one pound of ground" Brazil wood
In three quarts of water for , me hour; strain it, then add half an ounce of
cochineal; boil a half hour loi iger. This makes a crimson stain.
Ebony.—Wash the wood several times with a solution of sulphate of iron;
let it dry, then apply a hot dec iction of iogwood and nutgalls. When dry
wipe it with a wet sponge; and when dry again polish it with linseed oil.
BlackWalnut.—Pine may be stained to represent black walnut in the
following manner: Put pulverized aaphaltum into a bowl with about twice its
bulk of turpentine and set where it is warm, shaking from time to time until
dissolved; then strain and apply with either a cloth or a stiff brush. Try to little first, and if the stain be too dark, thin it with turpentine. If desirable
to bring out the grain still more, give a coat of boiled oil and turpentine.
When the wood is thoroughly dry, polish with a mixture of two parts shellac
varnish and one part boiled oil. Apply by putting a few drops at a time on
the cloth and rubbing briskly over the wood.
Oak.—A very fair oak stain may be produced by equal parts of potash
and. peatluik, x*g two ounces of each to about a quart of water. Keep it


HINTSAND HELPS. 498
oughly in white flour. It should then be hung out of doors for about thirty
minutes. Repeat the process several times, and the fur will be equal to
new.
An Home-made Refrigerator.—Nearly all housekeepers who are not
able to obtain a refrigerator, keep their ice wrapped up in bits of old car-
peting or some non-conducting material, which wastes the ice, and affords
no help in preserving food. To them these directions may offer attractions:
Take two large wooden boxes—dry goods boxes for instance—select the sec-
ond one about a couple of inches smaller on all sides, and bore a one-inch
hole in both, correspondingly to give drainage and ventilation. Perhaps a
couple of holes would do better. Fill up the space under the boxes with
powdered charcoal or coal ashes. Put the inner box in place and fill up all
the spaces with the same. Sawdust might do if nothing better is procurable,
yet it is apt to become musty. Fix on the lids to both boxes to fit tightly,
with iron hinges (leather ones can be substituted), and fasten with straps
of leather, or a lock and key. Put shelves on each side of the inner box by
means of cleats. Leave a place in the center ft r the ice. This is a rough
refrigerator, to be sure, but far better than none. A zinc lining, or one of
felting, would improve the inner box. A rack made of lathing can be laid
at the bottom for the ice to rest upon. Legs can be added to the outer box
by putting pieces of wood at each corner, and the drainage and ventilation
will be improved; and an ingenious man can make an excellent ice box in
this way.
Cleaning Carpets—In all our own experiments we have found nothing
so safe and serviceable as bran slightly moistened—only very slightly—just
sufficient to hold the particles together. In this case it is not necessary to
stop and clean the broom every few minutes. Sweeping the carpet after
the bran has been sprinkled over it not only cleans the carpet and gathers
all the dirt into the bran, but keeps the broom clean at the same time. If
too much dampened, aside from injuring the carpet it makes the work
harder, because the bran becomes very heavy if very damp. The bran
should be sifted evenly over the floor, and then the room swept as usual.
The bran scours and cleanses the whole fabric, very little dust is made while
sweeping with it, and scarcely any settles on furniture, pictures, etc., after
the work is accomplished, because every particle of dirt, thread, bits of
paper or lint is gathered up into the mass of bran that is being moved over
the floor, and so thoroughly incorporated with it that it will not be easily
separated. Carpets swept in this way retain very little dust, as will be
plainly demonstrated whenever they are taken up to be shaken.
Hints on Cake Baking—When cakes are made without yeast or eggs,
soda and powder being the substitutes, they require quick baking in a
moderately hot oven, and should be drawn directly when they are done, or
they get dry and tasteless. For a plain cake, made with one pound of flour,
etc., the time to be allowed in baking would be from forty to fifty minutes,
at the outside not more than an hour. Yeast cakes take longer—say from
ten to fifteen minutes—and will bear to be left in the oven rather over the
time without much injury. Very rich cakes, in which butter and eggs pre-
dominate, take, of course, a much longer time to cook; pound cake taking
from an hour and a half to two hours, and bride cake three and a half. On
no account should the oven be too hot when the cakes are put in—that is,
not hot enough to brown at once; if so, in five minutes the whole outside 


HINTSANDHELPS. *97
a solution of chloride of lime. Four ounces of the chloride of lime is to be
put into a quart of water, in a bottle, and after thorough shaking allow the
dregs to settle. The clear liquid will remove the stains as readily as Javelle
water, but, in using this, one precaution must be observed. Be careful to
thoroughly rinse the article to which this solution has been applied, in clear
water, before bringing it in contact with soap. When Javelle water is used,
this precaution is not necessary; but with the chloride of lime liquid it is, or
the articles will be harsh and stiff.
How to Clean JJJarfole-top Furniture.—It may be of some value to
housekeepers who have marble-top furniture to know that the common
solution of gum arabic is an excellent absorbent, and will remove dirt, etc.,
from the marble. The method of applying is as follows: Brush the dust
off the piece to be cleaned, then apply with a brush a good coat of gum
arabic, about the consistency of thick office mucilage, expose it to the sun
or dry wind, or both. In a short time it will crack and peel off. If all the
gum should not peel off, wash it with clean water and a clean cloth. Of
course if the first application does not have the desired effect, it should be
applied again. Another method of cleaning marble is to make a paste with
soft soap and whiting, wash the marble with it, and then leave a coat of
paste upon it for two or three days. Afterward wash off with warm (not
hot) water and soap.
How to Dress a Fowl Properly.—In a large majority of households,
poultry is thought to be sufficiently cleansed when thoroughly washed, and
rinsed, in cold water, often after the fowl is cut up ready for cooking, thus
seriously injuring the flavor of the meat. The proper method is to scald,
pick, and singe the fowl as usual, and then to soap the fowl thoroughly, with the hand or the cloth, rubbing it well. You will be surprised to find so much
impurity in the soapsuds, in which the fowl has been washed. Use two or
three rinsing waters and immerse in pure cold water for a few moments.
Drain and wipe dry. The skin of the fowl is now delicately clean, and if
placed beside a fowl, dressed in the ordinary way, a vast difference is ob-
served in favor of the clean fowl; be very particular to remove the entrails,
crop, and gall, without disturbing their contents, and one slight rinsing is
sufficient, and the delicate flavor preserved.
Discolorations from Matches.—What neat housekeeper is not annoyed
when she sees on the spotless woodwork of her door or windows those long
dark scratches which reveal that some one has tried to light a match by
drawing it across the paint? Now this is sometimes our experience, for ser-
vants will be forgetful or careless, and the tell-tale scratches greet our eyes
in most unlooked-for quarters. But we have found a remedy for the marks,
which, as every one knows, cuite defy soap and water. Cut a sour orange
or lemon in half, apply the cut half to the marks, rubbing for a moment
quite hard; then wash off with a clean rag, dipped first in water to moisten
it, and then in whiting. Rub well with this rag, dry thoroughly, and nine
times out of ten the ugly mark will vanish. Of course, sometimes they are
burned in so deeply that they cannot be quite eradicated. All finger-marks
on painted walls, etc., should be rubbed off with a little damp whiting in
the same way, and never washed with soapsuds, which destroys the paint.
Preserving Glassware—Almost every drawing-room nowadays has a
lamp of some rich design upon the center-table, and to careful housekeepers


IN THE HOUSEHOLD,
it is a Texed problem how to keep lamp chimneys from cracking. The
J)iamoit is a Leipeic journal devoted to glass matters, and from that we
clip the following bit of useful information: "Place your tumblers, chimneys
or vessels which you desire to keep from cracking, in a pot filled with cold
water and a little cooking salt; allow the mixture to boil well over a fire,
and then cool slowly. Glass treated in this way is said not to crack, even if
exposed to very sudden changes of temperature. Chimneys become very
durable by this process, which may also be extended to crockery, stone-
ware, porcelain, etc. The process is simply one of annealing, and the
slower the process, especially the cooling portion of it, the more effective
will be the work."
A G imil Cement. —A good cement for mending almost anything may be made by mixing together litharge and glycerine to the consistency of thick
cream or fresh putty. This cement is useful for mending stone jars or any
coarse earthenware, stopping leaks in seams of tin pans, wash-boilers, cracks
and holes in iron kettles, etc. Holes an inch in diameter in kettles can be
filled and used the same for years in boiling water and feed. It also may
be used to fasten on lamp-tops, to tighten loose nuts, to secure bolts whose
nuts are lost, to tighten loose joints of wood or iron, loose boxes in wagon
hubs, and in a great many other ways. In all cases the articles mended
should not be used until the cement is hardened, which will require from
one day to a week, according to the quantity used. This cement will resist
the action of water, hot or cold, acids, and almost any degree of heat.
The Bent Known Receipt for Corning Beef.—Cut the beef in small
pieces, leaving out the largo bones, pack solid in a six-gallon crock with the weight on top. Pour over the beef boiling-hot brine made as follows: Two
gallons of water, three pounds of salt, one ounce of saltpetre, a pound of
sugar and two large spoonfuls of baking soda. After two weeks, heat and
skim the brine, aad repeat the process whenever you think necessary, but
never put the brine on hot after the first time. If the weather is hot you
can add a handful of salt and soda at any time, and like all pickling be sure
the brine covers the beef. If packed in a barrel, a large cloth should be
securely tied over it in summer, to secure its contents from flies. The
nicest vessel to put it into is a half barrel earthen jar.
Ttae Use of a Broom.—As simple as the advice may seem, but very few
people handle the broom properly, although they are accustomed to sweep
more or less every day of their lives. There is science in handling a broom,
as well as in many other kinds of labor. Always draw your broom, by lean-
ing the handle forward, because the position of the broom will take the dirt
along more gently; it will sweep cleaner; it will not wear out the carpet to
fast. Your broom will be kept in proper shape and not half so much dust
will be raised to be afterward wiped from your furniture. Most careless
sweepers thrust their broom forward of them in a sort of a digging way,
with the handle inclining towards them. This way you will find breaks your
broom, flirts up more dust, and makes the sweeping much more laborious.
To Render Leather Waterproof—(l) This simple and effectual rem-
edy is nothing more than a little beeswax and mutton suet, warmed in a
pipkin until in a liquid state. Then rub some of it lightly over the edges of
the sole where the stitches are, which will repel the wet, and not in the least
prevent toe blacking from having the usual effect,


MO THE HOUSEHOLD.
one and two quarts, and hare never bro>"i" one in filling. I can't explain
why, but Dimply know that it is the fact.
To Cleanse Woodwork. -Save the tea leaves for a few days, then
steep them in a tin pail or pan for half an hour, strain through a sieve and
use the tea to wash all varnished paint. It requires very little "elbow
polish," as the tea acts as a strong detergent, cleansing the paint from all
impurities, and making the varnish equal to new. It cleans window sashes
and oil cloths; indeed, any varnished surface is improved by its application.
It washes window panes and mirrors much better than water, and is excel-
lent for cleaning black walnut picture and looking-glass frames. It will not
do to wash unvarnished paint with it. Take a small quantity on a damp
flannel, rub lightly over the surface, and you will be surprised at its effects.
To Clean Silver Plate.—Hartshorn is one of the best possible ingre-
dients for plate-powder in daily use. It leaves on the silver a deep, dark
polish, and is less hurtful than any other article. To wash plate carefully
is first to remove all th» grease from it, and this can be done with the use of
warm water and soap. The water should be as nearly hot as the hand can
bear it. Then mix as much hartshorn powder as will be required into a
thick paste with cold water. Smear this lightly over the plate with a piece
of soft rag, and leave it for some little time to dry. When perfectly dry,
brush it off quite clean with a soft plate-brush, and polish the plate with a.
dry leather. If the plate be very dirty or much tarnished, spirits of wine
will be found to answer better than water for mixing the paste.
To Clean Velvet—Velvet requires very careful manipulation, as it
loses its fine appearance if wrung or pressed when it is wet. To remove
dust, strew very fine dry sand upon the velvet, and brush in the direction of
the lines until all the sand is removed. The brush must be a new one. To
remove dirt, dissolve ox gall in nearly boiling water, and add some spirits
of wine; dip a soft brush in this solution and brush the dirt out of the
velvet. It may require repeated brushing. After this, hang the velvet up
carefully to dry. For finishing, apply a weak solution of gum, by means of
a sponge, to the reverse side of the velvet.
Canning Sweet Corn—The "Oneida Community" preserves sweet
corn by cutting the corn raw into tin cans; then fill with cold water even
with the top of the corn; solder up the can, pricking a small hole in the
cover; solder that also. Boil the cans and contentsinboiling water two and
a half hours; then with a hot iron open the small hole and let the gas blow
out, after which solder up and boil again two and a half hours and set away
for use, Peas, string beans, and lima beans can be put up in this same
manner, and they certainly pay for the trouble of putting up. Every family
should have a soldering apparatus, as it would pay for itself in a very short
time, and save many trips to the tinner's.
To Remove Grease from Carpets.—The following mixture is recom-
mended for taking grease ont of carpets: Aqua ammonia, two ounces; soft
water, one quart; saltpetre, one teaspoonful; shaving soap, one ounce,
finely scraped. Mix well, shake and let it stand a few hours or days, before
using, to dissolve the soap. When used pour on enough to cover any grease
or oil that has beeii spilled, sponging and rubbing well and applying again
if necessary; then wash off with clear cold water. It is a good mixture to


RTfrTS A1TD HE LPS.' 503
Gilding Withont a Battery—Clean the silver or other article to be
gilded with a brush and a little ammonia water, until it is evenly bright and
shows no tarnish. Take a small piece of gold and dissolve it in about four
times its volume of metallic mercury, which will be accomplished in a few
minutes, forming an amalgam. Put a little of the amalgam on a piece of
dry cloth, rub it on the article to be gilded. Then place on a stone in a
furnace, and heat to the beginning of redness. After cooling, it must bo
cleaned with a brush and a little cream of tartar, and a beautiful and per-
manent gilding will be found.
Fluid for Soldering and Tinning.—The following compounds are
useful for soldering or tinning: Tin—one part muriatic acid, with as much
zinc as it will dissolve; add two parts of water and some sal ammoniac.
Brass and copper—one pound muriatic acid, four ounces zinc, five ounces
sal ammoniac. Zinc—one pound muriatic acid, and two ounces sal ammo-
niac, with all the zinc it will dissolve, and three pints of water; Iron—one
pound of muriatic acid, six ounces sperm tallow, four ounces sal ammoniac.
Gold and silver—one pound muriatic acid, eight ounces sperm tallow, and
eight ounces sal ammoniac.
To Keep Cheese from Mold. -Dissolve a spoonful of bruised pepper,
two teaspoonfuls of salt, and the same quantity of boracic acid in a quarter
of a pint of brandy for a few days; then filter the fluid through a cloth and
dilute with an equal quantity of water. Some of the preparation is intro-
duced into the cracks of the cheese by means of a feather, or better with a
small glass syringe. If places which have been nibbled by mice are rubbed
with the liquid no mold will form. It will put "jumpers " to flight.
Grease on Kitchen Floors—With the greatest care the housewife will
occasionally spill a little grease on the kitchen floor. When possible, the best
thing is immediately to pour over it cold water, and prevent it penetrating
the wood. Scrape off all that is possible, rub thickly with soap, and wash off
with boiling water. When dry, fold thicknesses of brown wrapping paper,
lay over the spot, and place on it a hot smoothing iron; this will draw much
of the grease into the paper; then wash again with soap and hot water. TLii
will take out so much of the spot that it will hardly be noticed if daily wa shod
off as it draws out of the wood, for every particle has to come out at the top
of the boards, and the more persistently one works at it, the sooner it will
disappear.
To Clean Gloves.—The following is recommended as the best mode of
cleaning gloves: Mix one-fourth ounce carbonate of ammonia, one-fourth
ounce fluid chloroform, one-fourth ounce sulphuric ether, one quart distilled
benzine. Pour out a small quantity in a saucer, put on the gloves, and
wash as if washing the hands, changing solution until gloves are clean; take
off, squeeze them, replace on hands, and with a clean cloth rub fingers, etc.,
until they are dry and perfectly fitted to the hand. This cleaner is also an
excellent clothes, ribbon and silk cleaner; is perfectly harmless to the most
delicate tints. Apply with a soft sponge, rubbing gently until spots disap-
pear; care must be taken rot to use it near fire, as the benzine is very in-
flammable.
To Cure Meats—For curing beef, pork, mutton, and hams, the follow-
ing recipe is good: To one gallon of water take one and a half pounds of 


6M the BoxrasnozD.
salt, one-i.,. pound of sugar, one-half ounce each of saltpetre and potash.
In this ratio the pickle can he increased to any quantity desired. Let these
be boiled together until all the dirt from the sugar rises to the top and
is skimmed off. Then throw it into a tub to cool, and when cold, pour it
over your beef or pork. The meat must be well covered with pickle, and
should not be put down for at least two days after killing, during which time
it should be sprinkled with powdered saltpetre, which removes all the sur-
face blood, etc., leaving the meat fresh and clean.
Cement for Fastening Instruments in Handles.—A material for
fastening knives or forks into their handles, when they have become loosened
by use, is a much needed article. The best cement for this purpose consists
of one pound of colophony (purchasable at the druggist's), and eight ounces
of sulphur, which are to be melted together and either kept in bars or re-
duced to powder. One part of the powder is to be mixed with half a part of
iron filings', fine sand, or brickdust, and the cavity of the handle is then to
be filled with this mixture. The stem of the knife or fork is then to be
heated and inserted into the cavity; and when cold it will be found fixed in
its place with great tenacity.
Glue which frill Unite even Polished Steel.—A Turkish receipt for
a cement used to fasten diamonds and other precious stones to metallic sur-
faces, and which is said to strongly unite even surfaces of polished steal,
although exposed to moisture, is as follows: Dissolve five or six bits of gum
mastio, each of the size of a large pea, in as much spirits of wine as will
suffice to render it liquid. In another vessel dissolve in brandy as much
isinglass, previously softened in water, as will make a two-ounce phial of
strong glue, adding two bits of gum ammoniac, which must be rubbed until
dissolved. Then mix the whole with heat. Keep in a phial closely stopped.
'When it is to be used set the phial in boiling water.
Glycerine Leather Polish.—Mix intimately together three or four
pounds of lamp-black and a half pound of burned bones with five pounds of
glycerine and five pounds of syrup. Then gently warm two and three-
quarter ounces of gutta-percha in an iron or copper kettle until it flows
easily, add ten ounces of olive oil, and when completely dissolved, one
ounce of stearine. This solution, while still warm, is poured into the former
and well mixed. Then add five ounces of gum Senegal dissolved in one and
a half pounds of water, and a half ounce of lavender or other oils to flavor
it. For use it is diluted with three or four parts of water. It gives a fine.
polish, i3 free from acid, and the glycerine keeps the leather soft and pliable.
French Polish Dressing for Leather—Mix two pints best vinegar
with one pint soft water; stir into it a quarter pound of glue, broken up,
half a pound logwood chips, one quarter ounce finely-powdered indigo, one-
quarter ounce of the best soft soap, one-quarter ounce of isinglass; put the
mixture over the fire and let it boi l ten minutes »r more; then strain, bottld
and cork. When cold, it is fit for use. Apply with a sponge.
To Clean Black Lace—Ladies who have rolls of old lace put by may
want to make it fresh again by a simple process. Make some green tea,
and, while it is boiling hot, hold the lace over it so that it is completely
steamed, pulling it well out with the hand during the process, and at ono*
iron it between paper.


HINTS AND HELPS. 507
scatter a little of this powder in such places. Nothing but persistent care,
and absolute and unvarying neatness about closets, cupboards, aud cellar
stairs will prevent insects of various kinds from finding agreeable homes.
To Bleach a. Straw Bonnet.—First scrub the bonnet well with yellow
soap and a brush dipped in clean water; alter this, put into a box a saucer
containing burning sulphur; it must remain there a short time, and as soon
as it is removed, the bonnet must be placed in the box and well covered up,
so that the sulphuric atmosphere may whiten it; next dissolve a little oxalic
acid in boiling water. Wash all over the bonnet with a small paint brush;
put it into a pail of cold water, and let it remain half an hour; then hang it
out to dry; it must afterward be stiffened with gelatine, dried again, and
then pressed into shape.
The Care of Towels—Never put a new towel in the wash until you
have overcast the fringed edge. The use of this is obvious the moment one
is told of it, though a dozen towels might be worn out before one would dis-
cover it. If, when towels are washed, the fringe is shaken well before they
are hung up to dry, the fresh appearance will be preserved for a long time.
If vigorously shaken, that is all that is necessary; otherwise it is best to
have the laundress whip the fringe over the clean back of a kitchen chair.
This is much better than any combing process. Besides, it does not wear
the fringe so much.
To Exterminate Rats and Mice—Mix powdered nux vomica with
oatmeal, and lay it in their haunts, observing proper precaution to prevent
accidents. Another method is to mix oatmeal with a little powdered phos-
phorus. In respect to rats, another way is to mix arsenic and lard together,
and spread it on bread, and push a piece into every rat hole; or some small
pieces of sponge may be fried in dripping or honey, and strewed about for
them to eat. Or half a pint of plaster of Paris, mixed with one pint of oat-
meal, with prove equally fatal to them.
Sharpening a Razor.—It has long been known that the simplest
method of sharpening the razor is to put it for half an hour in water to which
one-twentieth of its weight of muriatic or sulphuric acid has been added,
then lightly wipe it off, and after a few hours set it on a hone. The acid hero
supplies the place of a whetstone by corroding the whole surface uniformly,
be that nothing further than a smooth polish is necessary. The process
never injures good blades, while badly hardened ones are frequently im-
proved by it, although the cause of this improvement remains unexplained.
Frosting Olass.—The frosty appearance of glass, which we often see
where it is desired to keep out the sun, or " man's observing eye," is done
by using a paint composed as follows: Sugar of lead, well ground in oil,
applied as other paint; then pounded, while fresh, with a wad of batting
held between the thumb and finger; after which, it is allowed to partially
dry; then, with a straight-edge laid upon the sash, you run along by the
Bide of it a stick sharpened to the width of line you wish to appear in the
diamonds, figures, or squares, into which you choose to lay it off.
Mucilage.—A very superior quality of mucilage is made by dissolving
clear glue in equal volumes of water and strong vinegar, and adding one-
fourth of an equal quantity of alcohol, and a small quantity of a solution of


BIO TEE ROUSE&OLD.
bit of paper, put it into the can, slipped the rubber ring over, and put the
glass cover on. The burning paper exhausted the air, and behold the cover
was with difficulty removed.
Cleaning Lamp Chimneys—Most people, in cleaning lamp chimneys,
use either a brush made oi bristles twisted into a wire, or a rag on the point
of scissors. Both of these are bad; for without great care the wire or scis-
sors will scratch the glass as a diamond does, which under the expansive
power of heat soon breaks, as all scratched glass will. If you want a neat
little thing that costs nothing, and will save half your glass, tie a piece oi
sponge the size of your chimney to a pine stick.
Filling for Cracks in Floors.—A very complete filling for open cracks
in floors may be made by thoroughly soaking newspapers in a paste made
of one pound of flour, three quarts of water and a tablespoonful of alum,
thoroughly boiled and mixed; make the final mixture about as thick as
putty, a kind of paper putty, and it will harden like papier mache.
Painting and Kalsomlnlng Walls.—Before paint or kalsomine is
applied to walls every crevice should be filled with plaster or cement. For
the kalsomine put a quarter of a pound of white glue in cold water over
night, and heat gradually in the morning until dissolved. Mix eight pounds
of whiting with hot water, add the dissolved glue and stir together, adding
warm water until about the consistency of thick cream. Use a kalsomine
brush, and finish as you go along. If skim milk is used instead of water,
the glue may be omitted.
Marine Glue.—This glue resists the action of water, both hot and cold,
and most of the acids and alkalies. It is made in the following manner:
Take of gum shellac three parts, and of caoutchouc, or India rubber, one
part by weight. Dissolve the shellac and rubber in separate vessels, in
ether, free from alcohol, applying a gentle heat. When thoroughly dissolved,
mix the two solutions, and keep in a bottle tightly corked. Pieces of wood,
leather, or other substances, joined together by it, will part at any other
point than the joint thus made. If the glue be thinned by the admixture ot
ether, and applied as a varnish to leather, along the seams where it is sewed
together, it renders the joint or seam water tight, and almost impossible to
separate.
Artificial Honey.—Take ten pounds of Havana sugar, and three pounds
of water, and forty grains of cream tartar, and ten drops of essence of pep-
permint, and three pounds of honey. First dissolve the sugar in the water
over a slow fire, and take off the scum arising therefrom; then dissolve the
cream tartar in a little warm water, and add with some stirring; then add
'he honey heated to a boiling pitch; then add the essence of peppermint,
stir a few moments, and let stand until cold, when it will be ready for use.
Cement to Mend China.—Take a very thick solution of gum arabic,
and stir into it plaster of Paris, until the mixture is of proper consistency.
Apply it with a brush to the fractional edges of the chinaware, and stick
them together. In a few days it will be impossible to break the article in
the same place. The whiteness of the cement renders it doubly valuable.
How to Cat eiass—It is not generally known that glass may be out,
under water, with a strong pair of scissors. If a round or oval be required,


HI NT8 AND BXLP8. SH
take a piece of common window-glass, draw the shape upon it in a black
line; sink it with your left hand under water as deep as you can without in-
terfering with the view of the line, and with your right use the scissors to
cut away what is not required.
Polish for Boots and Shoes—Mix together two pints of the best vine-
gar, and one pint of water; stir into a quarter of a pound of glue, broken up,
half the pound of logwood chips and a quarter of an ounce of isinglass. Put
the mixture over the fire and let it boil ten or fifteen minutes. Then strain
the liquid, and bottle and cork it. When cold it is fit for use. The polish
should be applied with a clean sponge.
'Yo :X'ei> Furs in Summer.—Furs or woolens may be kept safely from
moths during the summer by brushing thoroughly, so as to eradicate all the
moth eggs; &en wrap them up in newspaper so that every part is covered
entirely. This is unfailing if the clothes or furs be well brushed beforehand.
Some think gum camphor put with them is desirable, but I have used only
the newspaper, and never had any trouble unless the moths were there
when wrapped up in it.
To Make Tough Beef Tender.—Those who have worn down their teeth
in masticating old, tough beef, will find that carbonate of soda will remedy
the evil. Cut the steaks, the day before using, into slices about two inches
thick, rub over them a small quantity of soda—wash off next morning—cut
it into suitable thicknesses, and cook. The same process will answer for
fowls, legs of mutton, etc. Try it, all who love delicious, tender dishes of
meat.
To Clean Ostrich Feathers.—White or light tinted ones can be laid on
the plate and scrubbed gently with a toothbrush, in warm soap suds, then
well shaken out and well dried either by the hot sun or a good fire. At
first the feather will have a most discouraging appearance, and a novice is
apt to think it perfectly spoiled. But after it is perfectly dry it should be
carefully curled with the penknife or scissors' blades, and it will recover all its
former plumy softness.
How to Clean Oil Cloths To ruin them, clean them with hot water or
soap suds, and leave them half wiped, and they will look very bright while
wet, but very dingy and dirty when dry, and will soon crack and peel off.
But if you wish to preserve them, and have them look new and nice, wash
them with soft flannel and hike-warm water, and wipe perfectly dry. If you
want them to look extra nice, after they are dry, drop a few spoonfuls of
milk over them, and rub with a dry cloth.
Cement for Kerosene Oil Lamps.—The cement commonly used for
fastening the tops on kerosene lamps is plaster of Paris, which is porous
and quickly penetrated by the kerosene. Another cement which has not
this defect is made with three parts of rosin, one of caustic soda, and five of
water. This composition is mixed with half its weight of plaster of Paris.
It sets firmly in about three quarters of an hour, and is said to have great
adhesive power, not permeable to kerosene, a low conductor of heat, and
but superficially attacked by water.
A Labor-saving Invention.—A labor saving invention is to have one
long cake tin divided in the middle. When making cake put half the qnao-


JTTXTT8 A17D BE LP 8. Ml
Standing Glass—For mending valuable glass objects whioh would be
disfigured by common cement, chrome cement may be used. This is t
mixture of five parts gelatine to one of a solution of acid chromate of lime.
The broken edges are covered with this, pressed together and exposed to
sunlight, the effect of the latter being to render the compound insoluble
even in boiling water.
To Improve Pine Work.—Pine work brushed two or three times with
a strong boiling decoction of logwood chips, and varnished with a solution of
shellac in alcohol, appears almost like mahogany, both in color and hard-
ness. After washing with decoction of logwood and drying thoroughly, it
should receive two coats of varnish. Then carefully sandpaper and polish,
and give a final coat of shellac varnish.
Ink from Carpets—.To remove freshly-spilt ink from carpets, first
take up as much as possible of the ink with a teaspoon. Then pour cold
sweet milk upon the spot and take up as before, pouring on milk until at
last it becomes only slightly tinged with black; then wash with cold water,
and absorb with a cloth without too much rubbing.
Black Ink—To make jet black ink, that is shiny and glistening when
applied, dissolved in one-half pint of soft water, three-eighths ounce of
potassium bichromate, and add sixty ounces of logwood extract dissolved in
one gallon of water; then dissolved in one gallon of water, by continued boil-
ing, borax six ounces, shellac one and ouo-half ounces. Mix all together
while warm and add ammonia three ounces.
Fastening Fruit Jars.—Very many housekeepers are greatly annoyed
by the opening of their fruit jars after they have been carefully sealed. The
difficulty arises from the fact that the rubber bands furnished with them are
so hard, have so little rubber in them, that they do not yield to compres-
sion, and hence do not become tight. Boiling the bands before using is said
to obviate the difficulty.
To Color Stockings Bine—To color stockings a delicate blue, use
bluing. Put into warm water till the right shade, dip the stocking in and set
with salt and water. Very handsome pink of a delicate shade may be made
by using rose aniline. Make a very httle dye and weaken to the right
shade; it would be better to dissolve the aniline in a bottle and shade by
adding till the right shade is obtained. Those are pretty set with warm
alum water.
Vo Clean Japanned Waiters—Rub on with a sponge a little white
Boap and some warm water, and wash quite clean. Never use hot water, as
it will cause the Japan to peel. Wipe dry, sprinkle a little flour over it; let
it rest awhile, and then rub it with a soft dry cloth, and finish with a soft
piece of old silk.
Moths in Carpets—If the moths have begun to eat your carpet, take
the tacks out, turn it back a half yard all around the room, wash the boards
with B saturated solution of camphor, putting it on with a brush (a paint
brush is gocd), then lay the carpet back in its proper place, and put over it
a towel wrung out of water and camphor, and iron it thoroughly with a real
hot iron so as to steam it through and through, and this will kill the inseot*
and all their larrst.


HINTSAND HELPS. 817
To Clean Marble.—Mix powdered chalk with pumice stone, each one
part with two parts of common soda, into a paste with water, and rub it
thoroughly on the marble; or mix quicklime and strong soap lye to con-
sistency of milk, and lay it on the marble for twenty-four hours; in both
cases ,wash off thoroughly with soap and water.
To Parity Butter.—The French purify their butter by melting it in pots plunged into water heated to nearly boiling point; and sometimes they mix
a pure brine with the melting butter, whereby they flavor the subsidence of
the coagulated caseine and other impurities. The supernatant clear butter
should be drawn or poured off, and rapidly cooled.
To Mount Chromos—Take unbleached muslin and stretch it over a
wooden strainer; next dampen the back of the picture with paste, and lay it
on the canvas; then with two dry rag rub well the back of the canvas to pre-
vent blistering. If you use card or pasteboard, simply dampen the back of
the picture with paste and lay it on the board, taking care that it is
smoothly laid on.
How to Keep Cider Sweet.—The cider after it comes from the press is
allowed to stand until the pomace settles. It is then put into a clean vessel
over a fire, and brought to a boil—in the meantime skimming off the scum
as it rises. It is then put into small kegs or bottles, and tightly corked or
sealed. By this process cider may be kept sweet for years.
Excellent Paste Blacking. —Half a pound of ivory black, half a pound
of molasses, half an ounce of powdered alum, one drachm of turpentine, one
ounce of sulphuric acid, two ounces of raw linseed oil. The ivory black and
molasses must first be mixed together until thoroughly incorporated; then
add the rest of the ingredients. It keeps best in a bladder.
To Color Floors Walnut Tint.—Apply with paint brush or rag raw
linseed oil, mixed with burnt umber. When dry, apply a coat of boiled
linseed oil without color. The quantity of umber depends upon the wood,
some requiring much more color to make a given tint. A small quantity of
the mixture well rubbed in, has the best effect and dries sooner.
To Improve Pens.—When a pen has been used until it appears to be
spoiled, place it over a flame (a gaslight for instance) for, say, a quarter of a
minute, then dip it into water, and it will be again fit for use. A new pen,
which is found too hard to write with, will become softer by being thus
heated.
Vinegar—A cheap and wholesome article of vinegar may be made of
water, molasses and yeast, say twenty-five gallons of water, four of molasses,
and one of yeast. This, when it ferments, will yield very good vinegar. A
fair imitation of white wine vinegar may be made of mashed raisins and
water kept in a warm place for a month.
Sponges—After long use sponges are liable to smell very badly unless
carefully cleaned every day. By rubbing a fresh lemon thoroughly into the
sponge and then rinsing it several times in lukewarm water it will become
as sweet as when new.
To Renovate the Tops ofKid Boots—Defaced kid boots will be
greatly improved by being rubbed well with a mixture of cream and ink.


«J THE HOUSEHOLD.
To Preserve Bright Orates or Fire Irons from Rust.—Make strong
paste of fresh lime and water, and with Bfine brush smear it as thickly as
possible over all the polished surface requiring preservation. By this sim-
ple means, all the grates and fire irons in an empty house may be kept for
months freefrom harm, without further care or attention.
Simple Disinfectant—Cut two or three good-sized onions in halves,
and place them on a plate on the floor; they absorb noxious effluvia, etc., in
the sick room, in an inoredibly short space of time, and are greatly to be
preferred to perfumery for the same purpose. They should be changed
every six hours.
To Whiten Porcelain Saucepans—Have the pans half filled with hot
water; throw in a tablespoonful of pulverized borax, and let it boil. If this
does not remove all the stains, soap a cloth and sprinkle on plenty of pul-
verized borax. Scour them well.
To Take Grease from Paper—Gently warm the part containing the
grease, and apply blotting-paper so as to extract as much as possible. Boil
some clear essential oil of turpentine, and apply it to the warm paper with
a soft, clean brush. A little rectified spirits of wine should be put on after-
ward.
To Set Colors.—Salt or beef's gall in the water helps to set black. A
tablespoonful of spirits of turpentine to a gallon of water sets most blues,and alum is very efficacious in setting green. Black or very dark calicoes
should be stiffened with gum arabic—five cents' worth is enough for a dress.
If, however, starch is used, the garment should be turned wrong side out.
To Clean Ribbons—Take one tablespoonful of brandy, one of soft soap,
and one of molasses. Mix thoroughly together; place the ribbon upon a
smooth board, and apply the mixture with a soft brush; after which rinse
in cold water, and roll up in a cloth until nearly dry. Iron with a flat-iron,
not too hot.
Copying-inii _ j two gallons of rain water and put into it one-quar-
ter pound of gum arabic, one-quarter pound clean copperas, three-quarters
pound nutgalls pulverized. Mix and shake occasionally for ten days, and
strain. If needed sooner, let it steep in an iron kettle until the required
strength is obtained.
To Cleanse Out Frames—Take sufficient flour of sulphur to give a
golden tinge to one and one-half pints of water; boil in this water four or fiveonions, strain, and when cold wash with soft brush any part that requires
restoring; when dry it will come out as good as new.
Paste for Removing Grease from Silk.—Bub together fine French
chalk and lavender to the consistence of a thin paste, and apply thoroughly
to the spots with the fingers; place a sheet of brown or blotting-paper above
and below the silk, and smooth it with a moderately-heated iron. The
French chalk may then be removed by brushing.
To Purify Vessels—All sorts of vessels and utensils may be purified
from long retained smells of every kind in the easiest and most perfect man-
ner, by rinsing them out well with charcoal powder after the grosser impuri-
ties have been scoured offwith sand and water.


XIXT8 X&S BBZM, H»
Glycerine Cement.—A cement, said to be capable of use where resis-
tance to the action of both water and heat is required, is composed by mix-
ing ordinary glycerine with dry litharge, so as to constitute a tough paste.
For uniting the joints of steam-pipes, and other similar applications, thi»
preparation is said to be very satisfactory.
y A Candle to Burn all Night—When, as in a case of sickness, a dulf.
light is wished, or when matches are mislaid, put powdered salt on the can-
dle till it reaches the black part of the wick. In this way a mild and steady
light may be kept throughout the night by a small piece of candle.
To Clean White Kid Shoes.—White kid shoes can be cleaned by dip-
ping a perfectly clean white flannel cloth in a little ammonia, and then rub-
bing the cloth over a cake of white soap; after doing this, rub the kid gently,
and the soiled places will be white again. As the flannel becomes soiled,
change for a clean one.
To Clean White Goods.—The following volatile soap will remove paint,
grease spots, etc., and restore the purity ofcolor of white goods: Four table*
spoonfuls of spirits of hartshorn; four tablespoonfuls of alcohol, and a table-
spoonful of salt. Shake the whole well together in a bottle and apply with
a sponge.
To Restore Kid Gloves.—To restore old kid gloves, make a thick mu-
cilage by boiling a handful of flaxseed; add a little dissolved soap; then
when the mixture cools, with a piece of white flannel wipe the gloves, previ-
ously fitted to the hand. Use only enough of the cleaner to take off the dirt,
without wetting through the glove.
Taking Up a Carpet.—On taking up a carpet, remove it carefully, then
apply wet (not too wet) sawdust plentifully again and again. The floor will
scarcely need washing, and you will be surprised at the absence of smother-
ing dirt, and I am sure will use no other method in future.
To Prevent Rust in Tinware—An easy and effectual plan to keep
tinware from rusting consists in rubbing the new vessel inside and out with
fresh lard or butter; then placing in the oven and keeping hot for several
hours. The heat must not be so great as to melt the solder; still it is essen-
tial that the tin be kept very warm.
To Render Fruit Jars Air Tight—When canning fruit have a cup of
flour paste ready; if your rubbers are old, or the zinc rings or covers are
bent a little, you may still make them air tight with the paste. If you are
at all doubtful about the condition of your can it is a good notion to use the
paste.
To Preserve Green Peas for Winter Use—Gather tho peas when plen-
tiful, shell them; then wash and scald them in hot water. When thoroughly
drained, put them into bottles, and fill up each bottlb with a strong brine;
at the top of the bottle pour a thin layer of salad oil. Cork and seal the bot-
tles, which must be quite full and kept upright.
Liquid Glue.—Liquid glue may be made by dissolving glue in strong,
hot vinegar, and adding one-fourth as much alcohol and a little alum. This
will keep any length of time when placed in a closely stopped bottle, and
will mend horn, wood and mother-of-pearl.


SSO TBE HOUSEHOLD.
To Crystallize Windows.—Windows are crystallized, or made to imi-
tate ground glass, by dissolving epsom salts in hot beer or a weak solution
of gum arabic. You can make any pattern or border you please by cutting
out a design on a sheet of pasteboard, and rubbing the design with a damp
cloth.
To Take Grease ont of Velvet.—Get some turpentine from the oil-
shop, and pour it over the place that is greasy; rub it till quite dry with a
piece of clean flannel. If the grease be not removed, repeat the application,
and when done brush the place well, and hang the garment up in the open
air to take away the smell.
To Freshen Black Lace—Lay it on a clean table, sponge it all over
with a weak solution of borax, about an even teaspoonful, or less, to a pint
of warm water. Use a piece of old black silk, or black kid glove is better,
to sponge with. While damp cover with a piece of black silk or cloth, and
iron.
To Remove Grease from a Stove Hearth—When oil or any other
grease has been dropped on a stove hearth, immediately cover the place
with very hot ashes. After a while clear away the ashes, and if the grease
has not quite disappeared, repeat the process.
Waterproof Coating for Cotton or Linen.—Boiled linseed oil, con-
taining about an ounce of the oxide of manganese, or litharge, to the quart,
will make an excellent waterproof coating for cotton or linen cloth. Put on
several coats with a brush, and allow each to dry perfectly.
Indelible Marking Ink—Nitrate of silver, two drachms; distilled
water three ounces. Dissolve. Moisten the spot to be marked with a con-
centrated solution of carbonate of potassa, to which a little gum water must
be added. When the spot has become dry, write upon it with the solution
of nitrate of silver.
Canaries.—Tho parasites which affect these pretty feathered pets may
be got rid of by merely placing a clean white cloth over the cage at night.
In the morning it will be covered with very minute red spots, almost invisi-
ble without a microscope. These are the vermin so annoying and so fatal
to the birds.
To Improve Stove Polish—Stove luster, when mixed with turpentine,
and applied in the usual maimer, is blacker, more glossy, and more durabla
than when mixed with any other liquid. The turpentine prevents rust, and
when put on an old rusty stove will make it look as well as new.
To Remove Paint from a Wall.—If you intend papering a painted
wall, you must first get off the paint, otherwise the paper will not stick. To
db this, mix in a bucket with warm water a sufficient quantity of pearlash,
or potash, bo as to make a strong solution. Dip a brush into this, and with
it scour off all the paint, finishing with cold water and a flannel.
To Brighten Jewelry—It is possible, if not probable, that you do not
know how to brighten gold or silver jewelry, if tarnished. Very well, then,
brush it with an old tooth brush wet with soap suds, and place in sawdust
to dry. Some ladies keep their jewelry in sawdust, The jewelers use this
method.


BINTS AND HKLP8. 521
To Prevent Rust.—A composition that will effectually prevent iron,
steel, etc., from rusting. Mix with fat oil varnish four-fifths of well rectified
spirits of turpentine. Apply this varnish with a sponge, and the articles will
retain their metallic brilliancy, and not he liable to rust.
To Clean Black Veils.—Pass them through a warm liquor of bullock's
gall and water; rinse in cold water; then take a small piece of glue, pour
boiling water on it, and pasS the veil through it; clap it, and frame to dry.
Instead of framing, it may be fastened with drawing-pins closely fixed upon
a very clean paste, or drawing-board.
To Sharpen Scissors.—Take a coarse sewing needle and hold it firmly
between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand; then take the scissors
in your right hand, and cut them smoothly and quickly from hand to point.
The dullest scissors, unless they are entirely worn out, can soon be
sharpened in this way.
Ink Stains on Furniture—Ink stains on mahogany cr black walnut
furniture may he removed by touching tho stains with a feather wet in a
solution of nitre and water, eight drops to a spoonful of water. Ab soon a*
the spots disappear rub the place at once with a cloth wet in cold water. Ii
the ink stains then remain, repeat, making the solution stronger.
Kerosene Fires.—It ought to be more generally known that wheat
flour is probably tho best possible article to throw over a fire caused by the
spilling and igniting of kerosene. It ought to be known, because flour is
always within convenient reach.
Use of* Lemon Leaves.—Lemon seeds, if planted and treated as house
plants, will make pretty little shrubs. The leaves can then be used for
flavoring. Tie a few in a cloth and drop in apple sauce when boiling and
nearly done. It is a cheap essence.
* Unpleasant Odor from Cabbage.—The reason why cabbage emits
such a disagreeable smell when boiling is because the process dissolves the
essential oil. The water should be changed when the cabbage is half-boiled,
and it will thus acquire a greater sweetness.
Glazed Whitewash—Take two gallons of water, one pound and a
half of rice, and one pound of moist sugar. Let the mixture boil until the
rice is quite dissolved, and then thicken it to the consistence of whitewash
with finely-powdered lime. This whitewash has a pretty satiny look, and
does nicely for the inside of bird cages, as well as for commoner purposes.
Mold on Jelly—If the paper which is put over jelly be dipped in the
white of an egg, it will when dry be tight and firm, and keep the fruit from
molding with much more certainty than if it is dipped in alcohol or brandy.
The paper which is laid next the fruit is moant, not that which is tied or
pasted over the glass.
Positive Cure for Water Bugs—To a kettleful of water add a cupful
of washing soda. Let it come to a boil; after which pour it down the water
pipes, commencing at the top of the house. "Repeat the operation once or
twioe and you will have destroyed 99 per cent. of the bugs, which breed in-
side the pipes during the month of September. The few remaining in toe
room can be reached with insect powder.


HtNTS AND SKIPS. 628
To Remove Marks from Tables—Hot dishes sometime* leave whitish
marks on varnished tables, when set, as they should not be, carelessly upon
them. For removing them, pour some lamp-oil on the spot, and rub it hard
with a soft cloth. Pour on a little spirits, and rub it dry with another cloth,
and the whole mark will disappear, leaving the table as bright as before.
To Soften Water—Hard waters are rendered very soft and pure, rival-
ing distilled water, by merely boiling a two-ounce vial, say, in a kettleful of
water. The carbonate of lime and any impurities will be found adhering to
the vial. The water boils very much quicker at the same time.
To Remove Bruises from Furniture.—Wet the bruised spots with
warm weather. Soak a piece of brown paper of several thicknesses in warm
water, and lay over the place. Then apply a warm flat-iron until the moist-
ure is gone. Repeat the process if needful, and the bruises will disappear.
Celebrated Recipe for Sliver Wash.—One ounce of nitric acid, one
ten cent piece, and one ounce of quicksilver. Put in an open glass vessel.
and let it stand until dissolved; then add one pint of water, and it is ready
for use. Make it into a powder by adding whiting, and it may be used on
brass, copper, German silver, etc.
To Blacken Stoves—Those who are troubled to blacken their kitchen
stoves in winter, on account of keeping a constant fire, try my plan of adding
about a teaspoonful of sugar to a teacupful of mixed blacking. You can use
this when the stove is quite hot, and the sugar causes the blacking to ad-
here to the stove.
Damp Closets.—For a damp closet or cupboard, which is liable to cause
mildew, place in it a saucer full of quicklime, and it will not only absorb all
apparent dampness, but sweeten and disinfect the place. Benew the lime
once a fortnight, or as often as it becomes slaked.
New Kettles.—The best way to prepare a new iron kettle for use is to
fill it with clean potato parings; boil them for an hour or more, then wash
the kettle with hot water, wipe it dry, and rub it with a little lard; repeat
the rubbing for half a dozen times after using. In this way you will pre-
vent rust and all the annoyances liable to occur in the use of a new kettle.
To Clean White Knitted Garments.—Take those not needing wash-
ing, being only slightly soiled, place them in a pillow-case one at a time,
sprinkle flour through it, and shake well, until it looks as bright as new.
Borax is excellent to wash flannels with, dissolved in luke warm water.
To Improve and Preserve Butter. —Take two parts good salt, one
part sugar, one-half part saltpetre; mix well together, and use one ounce for every pound of butter, thoroughly worked into it. It makes the butter
rich, good color, and prevents bitterness. It will keep good for two or three
years. Let it stand a month before it is used, and keep it closely covered.
To Keep Cranberries all Whiter.—Put them in B cool room, where
there is no danger of freezing, and either spread out on a cloth or so as to
give each berry light and air; or, which is a sure way, put them in a barrel
under water.
For Oiling Wainut Furniture... Raw linseed oil rubbed with a flannel
cloth, then polish with dry flannel; be careful not to put toe muoh on.


r26 THE HOUSEHOLD.
ping in newspapers is said to insure safety against moths, as they cannot
cut through the printer's ink without dying; but it is wise to sprinkle the
garment with pepper unless one intends to take it out during the warm
weather.
To Keep Lump Chimneys from Cracking.—The following recipe
for keeping lamp chimneys from cracking is taken from a Leipzig journal
devoted to the glass interest. Place your tumblers, chimneys or vessels
which you desire to keep from cracking, in a pot filled with cold water, add
a little cooking salt, allow the mixture to boil well over the fire, and then cool
slowly. Glass treated in this way is said not to crack even if exposed to
very sudden changes of temperature. Chimneys are said to become very
durable by this process, which may also be extended to crockery, stone-
ware, porcelain, etc. The process is simply one of annealing, and the
slower the process, especially the cooling portion of it, the more effective
will be the work.
Care of Velvet.—How to brush velvet is B thing, easy as it seems, not
known to everybody. The whole secret lies in the management of the
brush. Take a hat brush that is not too soft, but has the bristles elastic,
and that will return at once to their original state after being pressed aside.
Hold this firmly under the palm of the hand, in the direction of the arm,
and with the bristles downward; and pressing them first gently into the
substance of the velvet, then twist around the arm, hand, and brush alto-
gether as on an axis, without moving them forward or backward. The
foreign matters will be drawn up and flirted out of the flock without injury
to the substance cf the velvet; and the brush must be lifted up and placed
in B similar manner over every part required to be brushed. By this means
velvet will be improved instead of deteriorated; and will last for years.
Housekeeper's Weights and Measures.—Two gills make half B pint.
Two pints make one quart. Four quarts make one gallon. Half a gallon is
a quarter of a peck. Two gallons make one peck. Four gallons make half
a bushel. Eight gallons make one bushel. About sixty drops of any thin
liquid will fill a common-sized teaspoon. Four tablespoons, or one-half a
gill, will fill a common-sized wine-glass. Four wine-glasses will fill to half-
pint measure, a common tumbler, or a large coffee-cup. Ten eggs usually
weigh one pound before they are broken. A tablespoonful of salt weighs
one ounce.
Cleaning Matting.—To clean and freshen old matting, rub it with a
cloth wet in salt water, being careful not to allow any drops of water to dry
in the matting, as they will leave spots difficult to remove. Heavy, var-
nished furniture should never rest directly upon the matting, for even good
Tarnish, becoming soft in warm weather, will stain the straw. Matting may
be turned if the loose ends of the cords are threaded in a large needle and
drawn through to the other side.
■"" To Remove Coffee or Milk Stains.—The use of glycerine is recom-
mended for this purpose. The silk, woolen, or other fabric is painted over
with glycerine, then washed with a clean linen rag dipped in lukewarm rain
water, until clean. It is afterwards pressed on the wrong side with a mod-
erately warm iron as long as it seems damp. The moat delicate colors are
unaffected by this treatment.


H1ST8 AND BBLP8. IS
To Clean a Chimney_To clean a chimney, place a piece of zinc on
the live coals in the stove. The vapor produced by the zinc will carry off the soot by chemical decomposition. Those who have tried the process
claim that it will work every time.
To Remove a- Screw Rusted in the Wood.—Hoaf a poker in the fire, red-hot, and put it on the top of B screw for a minute or two; then take the
screw-driver, and you will easily get it out, if you do it whilst it is warm.
To Clean Articles Made of White Zephyr.—Put in flour of magnesia,
changing often, shake off the flour and hang in the open air a short time.
Improvement in Chandeliers.—To renew a dusty and discolored
chandelier, apply a mixture of bronze powder and copal varnish. The
druggist where they are purchased will tell you in what proportion they
should be mixed.
Crust in Kettles—This is formed by every sort of water except rain
water. A simple mode of prevention is to place a large marble in the kettle,
which, by attracting the mineral particles in the water, will keep the inside
free.
Jelly Molds.—Jelly molds should be greased with cold butter. When
you wish to remove the jelly or pudding, plunge the mold into hot water,
remove quickly, and the contents will come out in perfect form and without
any trouble.
To Clean Old Lamp-Bnnien.—Wash them in ashes and water, and
they will come out bright as new. Many times a burner is condemned be-
cause the light is poor, when, having clogged up with sediment, the wick is
at fault.
To Give a Stove a Fine Brilliant Appearance.—A teaspoonful of
pulverized alum mixed with stove polish will give the stove B fine lustre,
which will be quite permanent.
To Improve Beefsteak—A tablespoonful of strong coffee put in the
gravy of melted butter, pepper and salt to be poured over beefsteak, im-
parts a delicious flavor to gravy and meat. It makes the gravy a rich brown.
Care ofa Coffee Pot—A carelessly kept coffee pot will impart a rank
flavor to the strongest infusion of the best Java. Wash the coffee pot thor-
oughly every day, and twice a week boil borax water in it for fifteen
minutes.
To Remove Stains from Tableware.—A little saleratus rubbed ou
with the finger or a bit or linen, will remove stains from cups and other
articles of tableware. It will also remove spots from marbleized oilcloths,
and many stains from tin ware.
To Beat Eggs Quickly.—To beat the whites of engs quickly put in to pinch of salt. The cooler the eggs the quicker they will froth. Salt cools
and also freshens them.
Airing Feather Beds .-Never sun feather beds. Air them thoroughly
on a windy day in a cool place. The sun draws the oil, and gives the feather* a rancid smell.


-30 THE HOLSEHOLD.
To Clean Diamonds.—To clean diamonds nicely, wash in soap-suds,
rinse in alcohol, and dry in fiawdust; then brush with a soft brush, and
polish with fine tissue paper.
Mraw Matting—A thin coat of varnish applied to straw matting win
make it much mora durable and keep the matting looking fresh and new.
Whit© varnish should be used on white matting.
To Stop Mouse-Holes.—Stop monse-hoies with plugs of common hard
soap, and you will do it effectually. Kats, roaches and ants will not disre-
gard it.
To Take Rust Oat of Steel.—CoTer the steel with sweet oil, weh
rubbed in. In forty-eight hou-s rub with finely powdered, unslaked lime
until the rust disappears.
To Restore the Color of Black Kid Boots.—Take a small quantity ov
good black ink, mix it with the white of an egg, and apply it to the boob
with a soft sponge.
Finger Marks on Mirrors—For washing finger marks from looking-
glasses or windows, put a few drops ef spirits of ammonia on a moist rag.
and make quick work of removing them.
To Keep Seeds Prom the Depredations of Mice—Mix some pieces of
camphor with them. Camphor placed in trunks or drawers will prevent
mice from doing them injury.
To Clean Zinc.—A good way to clean zinc is to rub it with a pieoe of
cotton cloth dipped in kerosene; afterward rub it with a dry cotton cloth,
and it will be as bright as when new.
To Imitate Ground Glass,—A ready way of imitating ground glass is
by dissolving Epsom salts in ale (don't use this as a beverage) and applying
with a brush; as it dries it crystallizes.
For Rusty Stove Pipe*—Rub with linseed oil, a little goes a good way;
build a slow fire at first till it dries. Oil in the spring to prevent it from rusting.
Finger Marks on a PIano—To remove finger-marks on a highly pol-
ished piano, wipe with a cloth wet in pure cold water. It does not injure in
the slightest if wiped dry, and restores the new look at once.
To Sweeten Rancid Lard.—Heat the lard, and when melted slici'
three or four parpd potatoes; continue heating until the slices (which
should be quite thin) are well browned.
To Improve Tin Kettles—Kerosene will make tin kettles as bright as
new. Saturate a woolen rag and rub with it. It will also remove stains
from clean varnished furniture.
To 'Whiten Ivory.—Discolored ivory may be whitened by rubbing it
with a paste composed of burnt pumice stone and water, and then place it
under a glass in the sun.
To Pack Canned Goods.—Pack canned fruits in saw-dust. This ma-
terial will certainly help to keep the cans cool in summer and prevent frees-
ipg in wta*er.


HINTS AND HELPS. 535.
parcels; yet such a habit will flud ready appreciation when some one is in
need of paper and string to tie up a parcel. There is nothing so unsightly
as an old newspaper for such a purpose. There are so many good u that
old newspapers can be put to, that brown paper should be always kept on
hand to wrap up parcels. There is nothing better th.n old newspapers
under a carpet to soften the tread and keep the hard floor from wearing
out the carpet. There seems to be some ingredient in the printer's ink .at
drives away moths, and for that reason newspapers are better than any-
thing else to wrap up furs and woolens during the ummer. They shou d
never be destroyed after they are read unless used for kindling, but should
be kept in a straight pile. It is a wise precaution to keep a role ot old linen,
one of old cotton and needles and thread in the kitcl.en drawer, where it can
be readily found in case of a burn or cut. A step-ladder on hand to reach to
high places saves a great deal of trouble. A step-ladder table, which may
be covered when not in use, or a wooden-seated chair, should be on every
floor except tlie kiichen floor, where the ceilings are usually so low thatuny
high place can be reached by standing on the kitchen chairs, which are
always, or should be, made with wooden seats that may be scrubbed and
washed. All these matters are small, but a series of petty vexations are
more liable to irritate the temper than genuine trials.
How to be Independent—To save is absolutely the only way to
amass a solid fortune, and if the wives of poor men would only realize this
fact, it would be much the best for them. People who start in the world
without means must either be content with poverty all through life, or be
willing to deny themselves many things, and save, to lay the basis of in-
dependence in the future ; there is no other certain mode. Yet we will
hear many women, who indulge in dress, entertaining and other luxuries
far, far beyond their means, bemoan their misfortune in being poor. For-
tunes do not come, as many suppose, by chance, and we make no more
fatal mistake than in thinking we are mere creatures of fate. Every one
may make or mar his or her life, whichever they may choose. Fortune is
for those who, by diligence, honesty and frugality place themselves in a
position to grasp the boon. If housekeepers would only study the art of
being saving in little things, such as may each in itself seem insignificant,
but when put together amount to a great deal, it would contribute vastly to
their prosperity.
Then, to learn to curtail all unnecessary wants, as well as to spend
money always wisely and economically, much suffering in old age would bo
avoided, and many more comfortable fortunes amassed. The best evidence
of frugality is a yearly deposit—let it be ever so small—in a savings bank,
and the way to reach this good fortune is for women to be frugal, diligent
and industrious, giving such an example to husband and children as will
lead them to join in the strife for independence.
Making Te»—There is something intellectual associated with the tea-
drinker—a pleasant gossiping sort of intellectuality. In spite of all the
lectures which have been read against it bv those who make their living by
reforming the human race, tea is without doubt a great blessing of modern
living, restoring the tired workers and refreshing the nerves without excit-
ing too unnatural or strained exertions, like other stimulants. If we w»ra
to follow all the whims of the numberless, would-be hygienic reformer*,
who have arisen in these days to condemn every good thing the Lord has
given us, we should be reduced to a diet of bran and cold water. Exces-


HINTS AND HELPS. 539
Chimneys and Soot.—There is nothing more vexatious than a stove
which does not perform its duties, yet there is no more certain test of an
inoapable servant or housekeeper than continual complaint of the stove.
There are very few poor stoves. All first-class iron-moulders make good
kitchen stoves, which only require to be set right, kept clean and treated
intelligently to cook well. It is not at all an uncommon thing to fiud the
principal dampers of a stove in regular use sealed up with soot and ashes,
and the flues of the oven overflowing; and yet the mistress of the house is
wondering why the stove smokes or why the oven does not bake on the
bottom. Even when every damper in the stove is in order and the ovou
flues are clean, the flue of the chimney may be so choked with soot that
the stove cannot get a breath of fresh air. A chimney in steady use in the
kitchen ought to be cleaned at least once every two or three years to insure
draft. Some chimneys may draw well for years without cleaning, but they
are exceptional. If the kitchen fire does not come up clear and bright in
half or three-quarters of au hour after it is started, there is something
radically wrong about the drafts. As often as once a month all the oven
flues should be cleansed. This is not a pleasant task, but it is necessary.
To Beat an Egg—Any child knows how to beat an egg, which is true
so tar as that any onu by dint of patience and a fork can beat an egg to a
froth, but one person will take fifteen minutes and have it less light than
anovher in five. The one will beat fast, carrying the fork back and forth,
but entangling very little air; the other will lift the egg, as it were, with
each beat and throw it over the fork. This is the proper way and does toe
work in half the time. Acquire the habit of beating eggs, or anything else,
from the elbow, not using the whole arm; the fatigue wili be much lessened.
Tho use of egg-beaters has made egg-beating for cakes, such a formidable
task in our mother's days, a very light one in ours, hut for beating just one
egg a fork, even now, is often most convenient. Even with a beater, how-
ever, the best results are obtained by observing certain rules. In hot
weather leave the eggs in ice-water or on ice, because they then become so
thoroughly chilled that in boiling them you cannot estimate the time re-
quired, and should they become frosted they are inferior for all purposes.
Iu beating the whites of eggs a tiny pinch of salt will tend to facilitate the
work.—Good Housekeeping.
Cleaning Finely-Polished Glass—The finest kinds of glass, includ-
ing plate for windows, as well as that used for tableware, :ire comparatively
soft and easily scratched; and, according to The Decorator and Furnisher,
French mirrows and other highly pollsued surfaces are often dimmed and
scratched by the use of harsh cloths and newspapers in combination with
polishing and cleaning powders and soaps especially recommended for
glass cleaning. B.ith potash and soda attack glass, and are capable of re-
moving or greatly injuring the polish. Even common soap and water dim
the surface perceptibly after frequent applications.
For windows, mirrors, glassware and polished glass generally, it is best
not to use soap for cleaning, and to employ only the softest and finest of
cloths. Polishing powder, polishing soaps—and, in fact, anything harder
than prepared chalk—should not be tolerated. For fine glassware, mir-
rors, etc., alcohol and water is probably the most convenient and safest
liquid that can be used. No polishing powder to oe tound in the market
is fine enough to improve or preserve' the pohsh of the better kinds of glass.
In some cases a little acetic acid or kmion juice may be added with ad«


HINTS AND HELPS. 543
wipe very dry. Soak them occasionally in alum water that has been allowed
to cool Let the handles lie for an hour in this, and then remove them and
brush well- say with a nail brush. After this, take a clean linen towel, dip
it in cold water, squeeze it out, aud while wet, wrap it around the handles,
leaving them in it to dry gradually, as, if dried too rapidly out of the alum
water, they will be injured.
Fire Extinguisher—Take twenty pounds of common salt and ten
pounds of sal ammoniac, and dissolve in seven gallons of water. When
dissolved it can be bottled, and kept in each room in the house, to be used
in an emergency. In case of fire occurring, one or two bottles should be immediately thrown with force into the burning place so as to break them,
and the fire will certainly be extinguished.
Regarding Canned Goods.—Marion Holland advises those who use
what grocers catalogue as canned goods to always open the cans some
hours before cooking the contents and empty into an open bowl, set in a
cool place. This removes the close, airless, smoky taste. Drain the liquor
from peas and beans, cover with fresh, cold water, and let them soak for two
hours. It freshens them wonderfully. Things to Remember.—T prevent oilcloth, patent leather and simi-
lar materials from sticking together when rolled, purchase a few sheets of
paraffine-impregnated or otherwise prepared paper, and roll the material.
This will prevent sticking. It will also prevent the fading cf the colors or
gloss by keeping out air aud moisture ; the evaporation of the oil is like-
wise prevented to a great extent.
Lemon juice squeezed upon your spots of iron rust, with salt plentifully
sprinkled over it, will probably remove all traces of the unsightly spots on
your white dress. But if you would cover the nails in your closet with
little muslin bags, or pieces of glove kid (old glove-fingers are as good as
anything), you will probably never again experience this difficulty.
Soft water should be used in cooking vegetables, and the only way city folks can soften water is to add a little salt to it. Six or eight potatoes will
need a teaspoonful of salt added to the water; turnips and parsnips require
about the same, that is, a teaspoonful of salt to a quart of water. If any
scum should happen to rise to the surface when the vegetables are boiling,
it must be carefully skimmed off.
Bore a hole through the top of a broom-handle, tie a string in it, hang
the broom up when not in use, and it will last twice as long as when al-
lowed to rest upon the floor. After sweeping dip your broom in hot soap-
sails, shake well aud hang up to dry.
Here are two things to remember when cooking either veal or pork : they
should be cooked so thoroughly that the lean part will be white and firm,
and they should never be boiled unless first well salted. With pork there
should be served some kind of farinaceous vegetable, like rice, potatoes or
hominy.
When wo wish to extract juices from anything we put it in cold water,
and let it gradually reach the boiling point; so when we wish the viands
to retain their juices, and use the water only as a medium for cooking them,
the opposite course must be pursued.
One may utilize old matting which is no longer fresh enough to look
well, by putting it under carpets. It can be cleaned perfectly by washing
It on both sides with hot salt water; hang it on a line outdoors to dry.
Jewelry of all kinds can be beautifully cleaned by washing in soap suds,