JL mm wM<. mm- St mmZmwt 1 IS gKf|| wmmm^ wwmMt ■■■■ wmmmmm 'W§fi$ism •: ' : V.. :; >■ ■ AmyGAye i AND OlHERJ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2020 with funding from Getty Research Institute https://archive.org/details/factsforladiesbeOOgunn Books Bought, Sold and Exchanged THE WOIMES BOOK CO. T't tviission St. S- Jfc^. HARRIET HUBBARD AYER Facts for Ladies BEAUTY DIJMING, BY 1^1 NS LEY'S HOUSE DECORATIOJY HEALTH OFWO^E^J AJNID ®HILDF^EJM BY ROBERT A. GUNN, A. M., M. D. EDITED BY AMY G. AYER. CHICAGO: AMY G. AYER, Publisher, 109 and hi Wabash Avenue. 1890 . COPYRIGHT, AMY G. AYER, 1890 . RECAMIER. PREFACE. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever ; Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness.” John Keats. THIS book is designed to occupy a position at once unique and important. It is a book expressly for ladies. It deals exhaustively and intelligibly with a vast number of matters, concerning which all ladies ought to be thor¬ oughly informed. In its comprehensive sweep, it covers the whole ground of personal and domestic life, and, especially for ladies just entering on the many cares and responsibilities of housekeeping, it would be exceedingly difficult to find, among the many books devoted to these matters, a more suitable adviser, friend and guide. The wisest of householders and the most sagacious and experienced of women, will sometimes find themselves placed in circumstances where they are a little at a loss to know what is just the best thing to do. But it is hardly conceivable that any exigency could present itself, or any question arise, that this book would not fully meet or answer. In the very outset, the book deals boldly with the question of personal beauty, and points out the secret of its development and perpetuation. Some foolish people seem to think that there is vanity, and only vanity, in the desire to be beautiful. It is not to be denied that there is 3 IV PREFACE. some natural pride in the conscious possession of beauty. But surely this pride is not to be wholly condemned! A lady ought to be as beautiful as she possibly can. This is her duty, it may also be her pride. Great masters of art in the old world and the new, have found nothing yet in the whole realm of nature more beautiful than “ the human form divine.” If this be so, the first and nearest duty is to guard and conserve that beauty by patient, jealous, constant care. There is no virtue in uncomeliness, and it is a shame to neglect that gracious human form divine,” which, by a little care, might be made “ a thing of beauty ” through youth and years, and on to venerable age. The “ temple ” of the body should always be kept pure and bright and beautiful. The sug¬ gestions under this head, concerning the complexion, the hair, the hands, the teeth, and the general grace and beauty of the human form, are as simple and detailed as they are important. Passing from this matter of personal beauty, the book then deals with the important question of dining. It is not necessary to be a pronounced epicure to know that dining, properly understood,-is a fine art. There is all the difference in the world between “ eating ” and dining.” Mr. Gladstone, the octogenarian statesman, is said to have remarked that the secret of the robustness of his venerable age was the fact that he “ never allowed himself less than an hour for the pleasant business of dining.” The hasty lunch of the city is one thing, the pleasant dinner of the home is another. To sit down to a well-cooked dinner, gracefully served, with a few con¬ genial spirits round the board, is one of the chief delights of life. Fifty pages of this invaluable book are devoted PREFACE. v to a wise resume of practical hints on all the important points connected with this very important department of social life. The mode of arranging the dining-room and setting out the dining-table with a judicious use of cut¬ lery, silver, glass and flowers, is fully discussed ; and that discussion is followed by the introduction of a large variety of menus , with recipes for all kinds of delightful dishes, the excellence of which has been proved, not by occa¬ sional experiment, but by frequent and long-continued usage. The book next deals with the subject of house decora¬ tion, a subject that during the last ten years has become a matter of universal interest. The building of a house may tax the skill of architect and builder, but the furnish¬ ing and decoration that change a mere “ house ” into a “ beautiful home/’ require taste and skill and tact. It is not wealth only that goes to the making of “ the house beautiful,” but that fine sense of arrangement that knows what colors harmonize, what contrasts are desirable, what forms are graceful, and where “ a sweet disorder” is infinitely better than mere order. There is much more taste required than is commonly thought in knowing exactly where to hang a picture, and how to drape it when it is hung. The home is woman’s kingdom ; here she reigns a queen by rights divine, and here her genius and taste find their happiest exercise. The drawing¬ room. the dining-room, the reception hall, the parlors, the library, the bed-rooms, are but separate estates of this one home realm, each of which requires a distinct and separate treatment. Into each one of these depaitments this book goes with wise and practical suggestions, and so thorough, and exhaustive, and minute are these sugges- VI PREFACE. tions, that it seems a pity that any household in the land should be without “ Facts for Ladies.” The last part of the book vies with all the rest in practical importance. “Man know thyself” is a good motto, but if the maidens and mothers of the world were better acquainted with their physical organism, and the simple secrets of health, they would spare themselves end¬ less and unnecessary suffering, and the future races of men would be cast in a more heroic mold. This department covers the ground of Woman’s Physical Structure — Maid¬ enhood, Womanhood and Wifehood; Motherhood, Baby¬ hood, Childhood ; Diseases of Babyhood and Childhood ; Diseases of Women ; General Hygiene, etc. The eleven chapters of this medical department have the rare advan¬ tage of presenting their various themes in plain, intelligible terms. Too frequently such matters are clothed in tech¬ nical phraseology to such an extent that it is very difficult to clearly apprehend their real meaning. MRS. SCOTT MONCRIEFF, CONTENTS. I BEAUTY. PAGE. A Beautiful Complexion.14 Bathing - - - - - - - -17 An Oily Skin - - - - - - -19 Blackheads -.20 Cold Creams -.- 20 Wrinkles -.22 Pimples -------- 27 Freckles ----.---28 Hair - -- -- -- --30 A Beautiful Form 37 Developing the Bust - - - - - 43 Teeth - -. 44 Hands --------- 45 Shoes -.-------48 Dress and Color - - - - - 48 Perfumes -------- 50 DINING. Invitations - - - - - - - - 53 Art of Dining - -. 55 7 viii CONTENTS. PAGE. Wines—Order of Serving - - - - 59 Breakfast, Luncheon, Tea, and Family Din¬ ners - - - - - - - -61 Carving - -- -- -- - 66 Choosing Fish, Game and Vegetables - -6 g Flowers - - - - - - - - 75 Thanksgiving Day Dinner - - - - 77 Breakfast Menu ------ 79 Choice Recipes ------- 80 HOUSE DECORATION. Harmony for the Eye - - - - - 113 Woman’s Kingdom - - - - - - 115 The Reception Hall - - - - - - 116 The Drawing-Room - - - - - - 118 Carpets or Rugs - - - - - - 124 The Library - - - - - - -125 The Dining-Room. - 130 The Guest Chamber - - - - - - 138 The Gentleman’s Den - - r - - 140 The Bed-Room ------- Shades for the Window - - - - - 1 51 Elegance for Little Money - - - - 153 Pretty Devices for the Home - - - 156 An Authority on Designs - - - - 167 CONTENTS. ix HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. CHAPTER I. PAGE. Woman’s Physical Structure .... 169 CHAPTER II. Maidenhood — Education of Women - - 177 CHAPTER III. MENSTRUATION AND OVULATION. Menstruation — Ovulation — Absence of Menses — Chlorosis — Painful Menstruation — Profuse Men¬ struation— Change of Life ----- 188 CHAPTER IV. WOMANHOOD AND WIFEHOOD. Courtship — Marriage — Celibacy — Sterility - - 204 CHAPTER V. MOTHERHOOD. Conception and Pregnancy—Signs of Pregnancy — Foetal Development — Maternal Changes During Pregnancy— Hygiene of Pregnancy— Disorders of Pregnancy ------- 222 CHAPTER VI. MOTHERHOOD — continued. Painless Childbirth — Natural Labor and Its Man¬ agement— Difficult Labor — Preternatural Labor — Complicated Labor — Attentions After Labor X CONTENTS. PAGE. — Diseases Following Labor — Accidents of Labor — Miscarriage and Premature Labor — Prenatal Impressions and Mother’s Marks - - - 259 CHAPTER VII. BABYHOOD. Care of the New-Born Babe—Infant Feeding — Baby Hygiene — Physical and Mental Develop¬ ment --------- 294 CHAPTER VIII. CHILDHOOD. Development of Both Sexes Alike Till Puberty — Education of Children — Hygiene of Childhood - 316 CHAPTER IX. DISEASES OF BABYHOOD AND CHILDHOOD. Disorders of Infancy — Congenital Deformities — Diarrhoea— Cholera Infantum — Hydrocephalus — Convulsions — Croup — Diphtheria — Eruptive Fevers — St. Vitus’ Dance — Sore Eyes — Ear- Ache and Discharges from the Ear — Infantile Leucorrhoea—Phimosis and Paraphimosis — Scald Head — Itch — Head Lice — Worms — Weak Spines and Spinal Deformities - 325 CHAPTER X. DISEASES OF WOMEN. Diseases of the Vulva and Vagina — Inflammation of and Ulceration of the Womb — Leucorrhoea — Dis- CONTENTS. Xi placements of tire Womb — Tumors of the Womb — Diseases of the Ovaries — Cancer—Hysteria - CHAPTER XI. GENERAL HYGIENE. Condition of Dwellings — Dress—Rest and Sleep — Hygiene of the Skin — Hygiene of the Digestive Organs — Hygiene of the Respiratory Organs — Hy giene of the Eye — Hygiene of the Ear — Hy¬ giene of the Generative Organs - PAGE. 350 363 377 Glossary FACTS FOR LADIES. BEAUTY. Since the world began beauty has ruled, and yet who can tell you what it is? As “ one star dififereth from another star in glory,” so does one woman differ from another in beauty. One competent judge will tell you golden hair and blue eyes constitute beauty; another whose judgment is equally good insists there can be no beauty . without black hair and sparkling dark eyes. Beauty, from this standpoint, being only a matter of individual taste and opinion, the question is left open for every woman to establish a criterion for herself; for beauty is charming, exquisite individuality. Regular features, light hair, dark hair, brown eyes or blue, are only a small portion of beauty. A pretty face, without its little details of dress and personal care, is forgotten as soon as looked at. On the other hand, a woman with positively homely features, who understands detail of dress, the secrets of a fine complexion, sparkling eyes, beautiful form, and who has made human nature enough of a study to know just when to say the right thing in the right place, will be considered the beautiful woman, where perfect features will pass unnoticed. What are the secrets of a fine complexion, sparkling eyes, beautiful form, etc.? Physicians, realizing the * 13 14 FACTS FOR LADIES. interest, and trying to meet the demand for information, on this subject, have written page after page, and book after book has been published. The purchaser, beguiled by the catchy title, finds, after hours of patient reading, that there is nothing more profound than the mysteries of the human system, unless it be “ personal beauty,” as set forth by these writers. To understand the technical terms, the “ whys and the wherefores,” would need a thorough medical course to carry out the suggestions, would need more than the threescore years and ten, in which we are supposed to finish the duties of this mortal life. With all due respect to the learned writers, “ Profes¬ sor ” this, and “ Dr.” that, personal beauty can be de¬ veloped without studying “Hygiene” or “Anatomy.” Beauty, summed up into a fine complexion, bright, spark¬ ling eyes, a straight, lithe figure, and shining hair, is within every woman’s power to reach, and means simply bathing, fresh air and exercise. A BEAUTIFUL COMPLEXION. There is nothing attracts the eye sooner than a clean, beautiful complexion. There are numerous causes for a bad complexion. It is generally the result of not bathing regularly and often , an indoor life, sleeping in badly ventilated rooms, a fretful, irritable disposition, an inactive liver, hard water and impure soaps. Cleanli¬ ness being the foundation of health and beauty, the ques¬ tion of bathing should be the first considered. Bathing is a much discussed question. Of course, in this enlightened day, everybody is supposed to bathe properly,but there are so many different opinions as to what is proper. The LILA CAVANAUGH ALKALINE BATH. — AN OILY SKIN. 19 ALKALINE BATH. This is only good to use occasionally if troubled with an oily skin. It is also cooling and refreshing in cases of fever. 6 oz. Carbonate of Soda (Crystal). 1 oz. Borax. Dissolve in one quart of water, and add to an ordinary bath. The sea salt that is kept by all druggists makes an excellent bath, and is very strengthening. A fine substitute for an ocean bath is made from the following: 2 lb. Muriate of Soda. 1 lb. Sulphate of Soda. Yt. lb. Chloride of Lime. y 2 lb. Chloride of Magnesia. Dissolve in two quarts of warm water, and add to the ordinary bath. AN OILY SKIN. Ladies troubled with.an oily skin may bathe the face with this lotion with benefit: A oz. Pulv. Borax. 1 oz. Glycerine. 1 quart Camphor Water. It is healing, whitening and beneficial. A few drops of ammonia added to the bath stimu¬ lates and cleanses the skin. It is particularly valuable in removing odor from those who perspire freely. It should be used with care, however. If used too freely it stimu¬ lates the hair capsules, and will start the fine hair growing on the arms, face and neck, which is anything but desir¬ able. 20 FACTS FOR LADIES. “ BLACKHEADS.” Blackheads or comedones are formed by the oil in the perspiratory glands becoming hard and too dense to escape in the usual manner, and is generally the result of not bathing properly (not using hot water and soap on the face). The dust and dirt mingling with the oil at the aperture or “ pore ” form the blackheads, and they can only be removed by pressure. Washing the face with hot water and soap and water in which is a very little car¬ bolic acid is efficacious in causing them to disappear. In using carbolic acid use warm water, and only a few drops of the acid, but have it strong enough to slightly smart the face, or that part of the face affected by the black¬ heads. It stimulates the skin or glands into activity, and allows the oil to escape in the natural manner. COLD CREAMS. Every lady should have among her toilet articles good “ cold cream.” If made with the proper ingredients, it is indispensable in cases of pimples, chapping or any roughness of the skin. Thousands of dollars are expended in advertising the innumerable creams in the market, and, when you ask a druggist which is preferable, he invariably sets forth his own special make. The truth of the matter is, they are all very much alike. If one is better than the other, the preference should be given to the one not advertised ex¬ tensively. To pay for advertising, the profits must neces¬ sarily be large, and consequently the quality of ingredients inferior. Nearly all creams sold in stores become rancid , and in this state are irritating to the skin instead of sooth¬ ing. It is better to make your own creams. It can be done with very little trouble and at small expense. WRINKLES. 25 ion and skin of a girl of eighteen. It may not be a pleas¬ ant thing to contemplate, but it prevents and removes wrinkles as nothing else will. Other ladies noted for their fine complexions, sleep in masks made of rubber or silk. It is a question whether excluding the air from the face may not be injurious eventually, but the perspiration caused by the use of the mask keeps the face white and delicate looking. The mask should have a thin layer of cold cream on its inner surface, or the face should be thoroughly anointed with oil or cream before adjusting the mask. An excellent remedy for preserving the skin fair and ward¬ ing off wrinkles is a paste made from the following: 4 Eggs (the Whites of). ]/ z pt. Rosewater. y oz. Alum. % oz. Oil of Sweet Almonds. Almond Meal or Oatmeal enough to fonn paste. Beat the eggs, rosewater, alum and almond oil together, and add the almond meal or oatmeal until a paste is formed thick enough to spread over mask. This will give firmness to the flesh, as well as make the skin fair and smooth. A good remedy for cleaning out the complexion and making the skin fair, is to take a teaspoonful of charcoal in water or milk, every morning before breakfast, for ten days. Half an hour after eating, three times a day, take a wine-glass full of dandelion tea, in which is a little extract of mandrake. There is nothing better than charcoal for removing organic impurities from the stomach, but it never should be taken unless followed with some kind of a mild cathartic afterward, as it is constipating. A great many girls and women resort to the arsenic pills advertised to beautify the complexion. Without 26 FACTS FOR LADIES. doubt they are efficacious in filling out the tissues and making the skin perfect and fair. In some cases they are beneficial, particularly when the system is malarious; but, if the pills contain enough arsenic to produce any change whatever, after a time they would become injurious, and should be taken only under the advice of a physician. A fine preparation for bringing the blood to the exter¬ nal fibers of the skin, and roses to cheeks and lips, is made from this recipe: 3 oz. Rosewater. 1 teaspoonful Tincture of Benzoin. It is also unsurpassed as a remedy to remove tan and sunburn by sponging off the face with it after exposure, and before using any water. Lemon juice diluted with water is always very satis¬ factory in removing tan. Muriatic acid is also good for whitening the skin. In using it, care should be taken. Add only a few drops to the bath water. Another lotion for removing tan or sunburn is this: io grains Borax. 2 oz. Limewater. i oz. Finest French Oil of Jasmine. 1 oz. Oil of Sweet Almond. If the face has become sore, or is peeling off after using this lotion, use every morning, after washing, a prep¬ aration made from the following: 2 drachms Cloride of Ammonia. I oz. Spirits of Wine. io drops Attar of Roses. I pt. Rosewater. i oz. Venetian Talc (fine powder). Dissolve the cloride in the rosewater, and the attar in the spirit. Mix the two solutions and add the talc. ELLEN TERRY. W RINKLES. — PIMPLES. 27 For those having tendency to very red faces, it is better to avoid eating anything that will heat the blood, particularly during the summer months. Eat fruits, salads, fresh new vegetables and light meats, such as fish or poultry. If the complexion naturally inclines to sallowness, nothing will cure it quicker than exercise in the open air, eating coarse bread, and hunting for the sunny spots. If the skin is coarse, the coarse bread, oatmeal, with plenty of bathing and frequent changes of underclothing — those that come next the skin — will produce a wonder¬ ful effect in a short time. If the face is rough, bathing, and the applications of cold cream will smooth out the roughest skin. 1 pi. White Brandy, '/l pt. Rosewater, makes an excellent wash for removing roughness of the skin. It should be used to sponge off the face night and morning. The brandy keeps up a circulation, and the rosewater counteracts the effect of the skin becoming too dry in using the brandy. PIMPLES. Any of the recipes given for cold cream will cure severe cases of pimples, if they are of the common red order. If they are inclined to be sore, and come from impurities of the blood, a cream made from the following will be found to be very drying and healing: 1 oz. White Wax, 1 oz. Spermaceti, 2 oz. Almond Oil, I oz. Benzoated Lard, I oz. Oxide of Zinc, melted and beaten to a cream. Use it on the face, and at 28 FACTS FOR LADIES. the time remove the cause by taking some simple remedy for purifying the blood. FRECKLES. There are two kinds of freckles, sun freckles and liver freckles. When caused by exposure to the sun, they are just under the epidermis, or scarf skin, and can be removed by external applications. Lemon juice, diluted with water, proves efficacious sometimes, and any application that will rough up the skin sufficiently to remove the scarf skin, removes the freckles with it, though this process is more or less disagreeable. Several years ago there was a sen¬ sational lawsuit in England over a cosmetic. Three peo¬ ple, each claiming to be the the inventor of a popular tonic for“making complexions beautiful,” called upon judge and jury to decide the matter. During the progress of the trial the formula was given, which was as follows. i y 2 oz. Bitter Almonds. 15 grains Corrosive Sublimate. 1 qt. water. This preparation, while it contains deadly poison, does nothing more or less than burn off the upper skin, or scarf skin, and of course removes all blemishes with it. One of the most popular moth and freckle lotions — or the most advertised — of the present day, is made from alcohol, corrosive sublimate and acetic acid. It sounds as if the parties advertising such a remedy should spend the rest of their days behind the bars, but, as fortunes have been made with it, and people still continue to pur¬ chase “ bleaches,” it must be the results are, in some cases, satisfactory. For those whose ambitions tempt them to “ rush in where angels fear to tread,” I will give a HAIR. 35 There are many simple remedies that will lighten the hair several shades, such as exposing the hair to the sun, washing it frequently with soda, borax, ammonia, salts of tartar, or common bar soap. One of the finest hair tonics, if not the best one known, is this: i pt. High Wine. I pt. Water. i oz. Bear’s Oil. By applying it to the scalp, it not only stops the hair falling out, almost at the first application, but it will restore gray hair to its natural color, and cause the hair to thicken. High wine is alcohol before it is distilled. Do not allow a druggist to give you poor whisky for high wine, as a great many will do. High wine can only be found at a distillery, and cannot be bought , as it is not stamped. Sometimes a distiller, out of the kindness of his heart, will give it to you. A gentleman of my acquaintance, nearly sixty-five, tells me he was quite bald at forty, and what hair he had was gray and lifeless. He commenced using this tonic, and has used it, more or less, from that time to this, and his hair is so luxuriant that some mem¬ bers of his own family accuse him of coloring it. Another hair stimulant is made from this recipe: i pt. Bay Rum. I drachm Tincture Cantharides. I oz. Castor Oil. i drachm Carbonate Ammonia. Mix well, and rub into the roots two or three times every week, until the hair ceases to fall. There is nothing more beautiful, no more refining to the face, than gray hair. A woman might be common- 36 FACTS FOR LADIES. place in appearance naturally. Let her hair turn to a pure gray, or white, and she at once becomes elegant and dis¬ tinguished. And yet there are many that abhor the thought of “ getting gray.” It is better to color the hair with some harmless coloring matter, than it is to suffocate the scalp by wearing false hair. There are very few harm¬ less hair dyes, if any. Probably the following is as free from harmful ingredients as any known: 1 drachm Sugar of Lead. 2 drachms Lac Sulphur. 3 oz. Rosewater. Use every day once at least, until the hair resumes its natural color, after that, once in two weeks. Another simple hair dye is made from these ingredi¬ ents: drachms Nitrate of Silver. t ,)4 drachms Sulphur Potassium. 33^ drachms Rosewater. 2)4 drachms Water. Be very careful, when applying this solution, not to get it on the scalp. Apply with a fine-tooth comb. Honey wash is a popular lotion for the hair, and is made from the following: 1 drachm Essence of Ambergris, x drachm Essence of Musk. 2 drachms Essence of Bergamot. 15 drops Oil of Cloves. 4 oz. Orange Flower Water. 5 oz. Spirits of Wine. ' 4 oz. Distilled Water. Brushing the hair thoroughly and often is nature’s restorer. It is positively necessary, otherwise all washes, tonics or stimulants, will prove a dismal failure. — * m. ■ • : MISS VAN AUSTIN. DRESS AND COLOR. 49 artist. To be dressed in perfect taste, a lady should have the same “tone” predominate from head to foot. The fault of a picture is the atmosphere the artist has thrown into it. He could not have a cool, gray morning tint in one part of the picture and the colors of a warm sunset in another part. The same tone of color must pervade the entire canvas, or it will be a failure. And it should be the same in a lady’s street costume. Individual tastes and fancies may be petted in house dresses, but on the street, hat, dress and gloves should be the same color, regardless of passing fashions. Colors, unless studied carefully, are disastrous in effect. Tints should be avoided, unless the wearer possesses high color. Black, white and rich dark colors are becoming to all complexions. One is always well dressed in black, and every lady should have a plain black silk in her wardrobe. It is suitable for “ mill and meeting.” To be particularly well dressed it is better to have two, one for “ mill,” and another for “ meeting.” White is generally becoming. Care should be taken in selecting it, however. Never wear blue-white near the face. A yellow-ivhite has the effect of making the face look fair, while blue-white will give it a decidedly sallow appearance. A fleshy person should avoid all light colors, and black that has a decided luster, such as black satin; it will magnify the size, while black without much luster will make one look a third smaller in comparison. It is every woman’s duty to have bright, beautiful house dresses. In these one’s fancy can run wild. As long as the costume is artistic, beautiful dresses for one’s home should be the study of every mother, wife or sister. In house dresses there is great opportunity for artistic dressing. The most brilliant colors are permissi- 4 50 FACTS FOR LADIES. ble at home, and drapery that would be decidedly bizarre on the street, is elegant and graceful in the parlor. The consciousness of being becomingly and artistically dressed brightens up the countenance wonderfully. Sometimes changing from common apparel to a beautiful tea gown will cure actual indisposition. I fancy I see an incredu¬ lous smile — but a lady of my acquaintance resorts to this as a never-failing remedy. Aside from all this, the home pictures should be made the strongest influences thrown around husband, brother and child. The memory of these bright home scenes will cheer the pathway of a weary plodder through life. PERFUMES. To use powerful, strong perfumes is the quintessence of vulgarity and coarseness, but there is nothing more fascinating, refined and irresistible, and suggestive of moonlight, music, love and flowers,” than a sweet, deli¬ cate, faint odor, that is gone almost as soon as it is noticed. Have your favorite odor, and never use but the one. Purchase the finest extract of some flowers, and use but a small quantity. A better way is to have innumerable sachet bags, filled with cotton and perfume powder, and kept in the dresser, in the closets, and in your trunks. An elegant perfume for a sachet bag is made from the follow¬ ing ingredients: I oz. Heliotrope Powder. 20 grains pure Musk (grain musk). A fine perfume is made by mixing Jockey Club and White Rose in equal parts, and adding a very little Musk (Lubin’s). Use Lubin’s Jockey Club and Wright’s White Rose. A dainty handkerchief is an indispensable accessory ISABELLE URQUHART. DINING. By Kinsley’s, Chicago. This is a wonderful age for advising and correcting. If people go wrong in these days, it is not for want of plenty of counsel. We do things no longer by the card, but by the book. But if the housewife, filled with a laudable desire to be “ correct,” should consult the books as to the proper number of invitations to her next dinner, for instance, she would find herself involved in a maze of con¬ tradictions. In this country fourteen seems to be the orthodox number. It may be stated, however, that it will almost invariably be found true that a party few in number is more pleasant and agreeable than a large one. At an afternoon tea eight ladies will be. found more congenial than sixteen. It is, of course, taken for granted that quarrelsome and ill-natured people are not to be invited under any circumstances. Emerson said one of the main objects of all the dif¬ ferent modes of civilization is to bring a number of con¬ genial and agreeable people together at dinner, but he does not tell us how to dispose of the other variety, the man who grumbles through a dinner in a state of chronic sulkiness, or the woman who makes uncomplimentary remarks sotto voce to the right and left. Formal dinner invitations, during the season, should 52 DINING. 53 be sent out from ten days to two weeks in advance. To send them out three or four weeks in advance signifies an excessive formality, which should be scrupulously avoided. Of course, in the great social centers, necessity compels the issuance of invitations long before the event, but there is no occasion for it in most American cities. The invitation should be either written or engraved. The lady who is a frequent dinner-giver has engraved invitation cards at hand, with the space for the name of the guest left in blank, so that it may be inserted with pen and ink. At particularly formal affairs the name of the guest is engraved. The invitation should be made in the name of both host and hostess. The following is the usual form: Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Johnstone request the pleasure of Mr. and Mrs. John Barnard’s company at dinner, on Thursday, December tenth, at seven o’clock. The answer should be addressed to the hostess only. An invitation should be answered as soon as received. If an accident prevents the attendance of a guest who has already signified his intention of being present, no time should be lost in notifying the hostess, that she may supply the vacancy. No gentleman should ever be invited without his wife when other ladies than those of the family are expected. The dinner hour should not be earlier than six, not later than eight. Full evening costume is required. One should be careful to not invite those, whatever the party numbers, who are known not to be on good terms with each other. History shows that a Dr. John¬ son and a Wilkes are not a joint dinner party success. Get “ talking men.” Too much talk is better than not dining-room DINING. 5 7 Chateau d’Issan, Margaux, Ferriere, St. Julien. The wine of first quality, when mature, ought to have a beau¬ tiful color, much firmness, a very agreeable bouquet, and a flavor which embalms the mouth, strength without being intoxicating, and body without harshness. The Burgun¬ dies, contrary to the generality of French wines, are im¬ proved by a sea voyage. With the roast serve a claret, Burgundy or Cham¬ pagne. These wines may also be served with game, Claret preferable. Champagne, unlike Burgundy or Claret, is a wine always improved by ice. The chiqf char¬ acteristic is its exquisite delicacy of flavor. There is no difficulty in securing a fairly good Champagne. In this country one can choose from four or five popular brands, any of which are good. It should always be served very cold; never higher than forty degrees. Ice must never be put in the wine, but packed around the bottle. Cham¬ pagne frappee is exquisite and refreshing. This is made by freezing the wine in the bottle with ice and salt packed around it until it has the consistency of snow. Some sort of punch may be served after the roast, such as Victoria, Cardinal, Kirsch or Roman. With the entrees come Champagne, Claret or Burgundy. Serve a Champagne with the salad. Wine is not essential with the dessert, though perhaps a good Hunga¬ rian might be given. The Tokay is exquisite. In hranee Malmsey and Malaga wines are offered usually, and in England the white and red Constantia and Frontignan are frequently produced. Before the fruits, nuts and raisins are brought on, small cups for coffee should be passed. While not under the head of wines, a slight digression 58 FACTS FOR LADIES. may be pardoned for a word about coffee. For three cen¬ turies a more delightful, innoxious, or exhilarating bev¬ erage has not been brought to light. In extreme heat or cold, no drink for steady use compares with it. But it is not justly appreciated, and for good reason — nine cases in ten it is improperly made. The Turks, who easily bear the palm as coffee-makers, do not grind the berry in a mill; they pound it to a powder in mortars. Housewives or careless servants are prone to either grind the coffee too coarsely, or, worse still, buy it ready ground, in which case t^e aroma is likely to have totally evaporated. The fact is, the finer coffee is ground the better it is, and it ought to be ground immediately before use. Then, the berry should be roasted, not burnt. If you want perfect coffee, remove the berry from the fire the moment it crackles, and wrap it in several folds of flannel to cool. This preserves the essential oil. When it is cool, place it in an air-tight canister. Sufficient for the day should be the coffee thereof. In France they usually make coffee a Dubelloy , which consists in pouring boiling water on coffee placed in a porcelain or silver vase pierced with small holes. This is poured off, heated to boiling point, and passed through again. The result is coffee as clear and exquisite as any one could wish for. A full-sized teaspoonful of coffee should be allowed for each guest in making the small after-dinner cup of coffee. With the fruits many families introduce some old Madeira, but it is not an essential. After which, the cof¬ fee, very hot. Any liqueurs may be served, according to one’s judgment. It may not be generally known that there is no alcoholic neutralizer more potent than coffee. DINING. 61 BREAKFAST, LUNCHEON, TEA AND FAMILY DINNERS. Air your dining-rooms. The girl should be in¬ structed to open the windows and close the doors of the dining-room the first thing in the morning. Five min- utes’ contact with the sweet morning air will effectually dissipate all disagreeable odors caused by the closing of the room during the night. The breakfast table may be covered with a white cloth or a colored one. The latter may be any one of a hundred varieties. But the dinner table-cloth must always be white. For breakfast, dainty colored doilies are pref¬ erable, as well as at luncheon or tea. The only napkin allowed by fashion for the more formal dinner, however, is the large damask, hemmed. For the lighter meals, bright touches of color are to be desired. For luncheon, it is not essential that any table-cloth be used, particularly if you have for a dining table one with a hard polished top. Large fringed napkins may be spread at each plate. The dining-room should always be curtained with some such material as Swiss muslin or the more expensive China silk. The light should never be brilliant, but sub¬ dued. If the scene from the dining-room windows is a disagreeable one, care should be taken to always draw the curtains at meal-time. There is much discussion as to the changing of nap¬ kins. Some decry napkin-rings, because it is proper, they say, that a clean napkin be served to each person at every meal. For any family, however well to do, this is an entirely unnecessary expense. To say nothing of the fearful laundry bills this entails and the number of napkins necessary to keep in stock, the extra trouble is 62 FACTS FOR LADIES. too burdensome not to be avoided if possible. Besides, it does not pay to laundry good napkins so frequently. To change napkins once a day is amply often. Sparing accidents, a napkin may be used two or three times with¬ out becoming noticeably soiled. However, the matter is purely discretionary. Always try to have flowers on the table. Even a little bunch of nosegays or daisies will brighten things wonderfully. For dinner they are almost a necessity, created by fashion, and there are still better reasons for the morning meal. Most people come to the breakfast table with listlessness and jaded appetites. They wouldn’t be so if they had gotten up an hour or two before and taken a brisk two-mile walk, but they haven’t. So the dining-room, the breakfast table and its appurtenances cannot look too inviting. A butter plate, goblet or tumbler and a salt-cellar should be at each plate. If individual salt-cellars are not used, a cruet or the modern “ shaker ” should be placed at each corner of the table. The big, ungainly caster in the center of the table is out of date. Do not place the tumblers bottom end up. It is an obsolete custom, and one which never had a foundation in reason. If it was done to avoid the accumulation of dust, the same would apply with equal force to everything on the table. The knife should be placed at the right of each plate, with the edge laid toward it—the fork on the left side. The napkin is placed on the left. The tea tray is set in front of the mistress. The butter, ice and cream should already be on the table. The same arrangement answers for the lunch and tea CARVING. 67 There are no serious difficulties in learning how to carve, and, with a little study and patience, any one may quickly learn to perform the task with sufficient skill to at least avoid remark, and every head of a household oueht to make it a study. It is not an easy matter to prepare a good dinner, but it is an easy matter to spoil the effect by negligent carving. All exertion is in very bad taste. It either indicates your lack of dexterity as a carver, or toughness of the roast, or age of the fowl. It is not difficult to carve fowls, and in roasts, loins, breasts, forequarters, etc., the butcher should always separate the joints. The platter should be placed so that the carver has full control of it, and thus avoid ungracefulness. Use a keen, sharp knife. In carving a turkey, place the head to the right, cut off the drumstick, sidebone, next the wing, then the sec¬ ond joint, and slice down the breast until a rounded white piece appears, which you can separate from the bone by sticking the blade between. This is one of the best parts of the fowl. Then turn the bird the other way — the fork need not be removed from the breast bone during the entire operation — and perform the same operation on the other side. Serve each person with a piece of the dark and a slice of the white meat. A capon, partridge or large chicken may be carved the same way. Small chickens are usually served in halves, either cut straight down the breast bone or crosswise. As a rule, only the breast of the partridge is eaten, the legs being too bitter. Stick the fork straight in the 68 FACTS FOR LADIES. breast bone, cut a slice from the outside breast, then cut close along the breast bone and around the wing, pushing all the meat from off both breasts. The grouse may be usually carved in the same way. Generally, however, birds and small fowl are served simply in halves. Only the breast of the canvas back duck is eaten. Stick the fork straight and firmly into the middle of the breast bone. Then carefully cut off the meat from the breast, either in one or two thick slices, or thinner. Other kinds of ducks, such as redhead and mallard, are carved the same way. Small birds, squab, snipe, plover, woodcock, etc., are usually served whole. No carving is necessary. Roast Beef .— When the rib-beef is well roasted take it from the oven and put in on a hot dish with the rib bones downward. Cut off just a little of the crust from the top. Stick in the fork slantingly near the edge, and hold it firmly with the left hand, while with the right evenly cut small slices, one third of an inch thick, down to the rib bones. Then cut underneath to separate the slices, and serve. A saddle of mutton, lamb, or venison should be first carved lengthwise, then, crosswise down. Be careful to stick the fork firmly in the saddle, and use a very sharp knife. Keep close to the bone, and when the piece is detached, cut crosswise into small pieces half an inch or more thick. In carving roasted leg of mutton, begin with small, thin, even slices about a quarter of an inch thick diago¬ nally down to the bone. Continue this until you come to the end bone, then cut lengthwise underneath to the end. The meat is much thinner on the under side. Carve here BREAKFAST. 79 brought to the table thoroughly hot. Serve Romanee Conti. On each salad plate put a lettuce leaf, and on it an artichoke heart dipped in French dressing and filled with celery mayonnaise. Serve very cold. After this remove everything from the table except the flowers, bon-bons, etc., and serve the plum pudding. Pour brandy around the pudding on the platter, spread powdered sugar on top, set fire to the brandy, and, with a spoon, keep pouring it over the top until it ceases to burn. Cut in slices and serve, putting some of the liquid on each plate. Ice-cream, “ noisette panachee,” should be served, with ice-cream forks, after the pudding. Small assorted cakes should be passed at the same time. Then remove the plates, and place before each guest a dessert plate for fruit, crackers or cheese. Old port is served in small glasses at the same time. While the finger-bowls—with a little peppermint water, or water with a geranium leaf in it — are being used, place on the table small cups for coffee, which should be served very* hot. Cognac and liqueurs complete the dinner. BREAKFAST. Prepared by Kinsley's. MENU. Melon. Frogs au Beurre. Cucumbers. Lamb Chops Broiled. Pomme Sara. Coffee. ' Eggs en Bechamel. Rolls. Frogs au Beurre.— Cleanse the frogs’ legs in cold water, then in fresh water with a little salt and lemon juice, wipe dry, roll in flour, put them in a frying-pan in melted butter, and cover the pan. Let them cook for five minutes till they are nicely browned on both sides. 8 o FACTS FOR LADIES. Cucumbers. —Peel them deep, and slice them carefully. Half an hour before using them put some vinegar and salt on them. Stir them well, and keep them in a cool place. Just before using them press out all the vinegar and water, add’a little fresh vinegar and salt if needed, and dress them with oil and pepper. They should be well stirred and served very cold; dress with vinegar. Lamb Chops, Broiled. — Cut the chops from the loin of lamb through the kidney, broil, and baste with butter and salt. Pomme Sara. —A potato, cut with a peculiar knife used for the purpose; can be fried or boiled. Eggs en Bechamel. — Poach the required number of ■eggs, and serve in a deep dish in Bechamel sauce. Garnish with cress. Bechamel Sauce. — Melt an ounce of butter in a sauce¬ pan, add an ounce of flour, and mix well together, add an onion cut in slices, half an ounce of lean raw ham, and a small portion of salt and pepper. When beginning to color, slightly moisten with a pint of milk, and stir well until boiling, after which let boil ten minutes longer. Strain and serve. CHOICE RECIPES. Furnished by Kinsley's. Menu. Cream of Celery. Boiled Sea Bass. Drawn Butter.* Potatoes a la Duchesse. Roast Leg of Mutton. Currant Jelly. White Turnips. Mashed Potatoes Browned. Bird’s Nest Pudding. Soup. — Select a dozen nice fresh celery, pick out the choicest part for your table, the larger outside pieces and hall CHOICE RECIPES. 83 and toss until brown, and add the chopped parsley before serving. CHOICE RECIPES. Furnished by Kinsley's. Puree of Green Peas. Baked Red Snapper. Tomato Sauce. Cucumbers. Roast Quail Stuffed. String Beans. Mashed Potatoes. Rice Pudding. » Coffee. Puree of Green Peas .— Obtain two cans of American peas, and, after straining, put them in a saucepan, adding a slice of raw ham, an onion stuck with a few cloves, cover with a gallon of good beef broth, and let boil for an hour. Then remove the ham and onions and press the soup through a fine sieve and put to boil again, adding one half a pint of hot cream, and season with salt and pepper. Beat the yolks of three eggs with half a cupful of cream, and stir the mixture briskly into the soup, putting in also a third of a pound of good butter, and stir again until the butter is melted and thoroughly mixed. Sprinkle over the soup a little chopped parsley, and it will be ready to serve. Baked Red Snapper. — Clean a red snapper of medium size, and place it in a buttered pan. Cover the fish with tomato sauce ; also put upon it small portions of butter, and sprinkle freely with bread crumbs. It is then ready for the oven, where it should remain forty minutes, or until the flesh becomes detached from the backbone. It should be served with tomato sauce poured over it. Tomato Sauce .— Put in a saucepan one ounce of raw ham, a carrot, an onion, very little thyme, a bay leaf, two cloves, a small clove of garlic and one ounce of butter. 84 FACTS FOR LADIES. After these simmer for ten minutes, add an ounce of flour well mixed in one quart can of tomatoes and a glass of consomme or stock. Let all boil for one-half an hour. Season with salt and pepper and the least portion of nut¬ meg. Strain, and the sauce is prepared. Roast Quail, Stuffed .— Clean, wash and wipe dry the desired number of quails, and stuff them with dry * bread or meat stuffing; tie them securely so they will hold their shape, and put them in a pan. Season with salt and pepper; pour in a small quantity of water, enough to cover the bottom of the pan, and place a strip of bacon over each quail. Cover them nicely with a buttered paper, and let the quail remain in the oven for fifteen minutes, then remove the paper and return the pan to the hot oven, that the quails may be browned, turning them frequently. Serve on toast, pouring a little gravy over them ; the re¬ mainder should be sent to the table in a sauce-bowl. The gravy is made by putting in the dripping-pan in which the quails were roasted one pint of good stock, a large spoonful of beef bouillon, and letting boil for five minutes. Then strain and remove all the fat, and season with salt and pepper. Mashed potatoes make a good dish to accom¬ pany birds whose meat is dry and not juicy. String Beans .— Take a can of string beans, strain off the liquid, wash again in cold water. Into a saucepan put a spoonful of butter, and then put in the beans. Season with salt and pepper, and, after the beans are well heated, they may be served. Rice Pudding .— Wash six ounces of rice, changing the water several times; boil it in boiling water for ten minutes, then put it in cold water for a moment, drain it and put into a saucepan on the fire, with three pints of RECEPTION HALL. » HOUSE DECORATION. TlIE Orientals clothed themselves in colors. Their garments were decorated with figures which recorded events in their history, or, not unlike those that came after, were the products of imagination. Decoration came in with the creation. Long before the first architect dreamed of a structure, the inhabitants of the plains living in tents, had the material for their shelter “ hand-painted,” and the entrances to them were hung with draperies on which were symbols and history and poetry. We are given to speaking of the progression of the age in which we live. As a matter of fact, this age has only harmonized that which made the world beautiful when its Creator brought it from chaos and sent it revolv¬ ing in space to the music of the morning stars, which — “ Sang o’er the rising ball. ” In the course of time, when the tents of the plains had been folded and the peoples of those ages began to build, we find them decorating their houses with material and designs similar to those with which they wrapped themselves. The customs of the earth changed; the maps of the hemispheres have been altered by revolutions, and history has been written and forgotten. “ A thousand years their Gloomy wings expand,” I 12 FACTS FOR LADIES. and we find the women of our civilized era paying court to a carpet weaver to create something in colors and com¬ bination for wearing apparel, and, having adorned them¬ selves with the fabrics, they have “ parted their raiment,” and given parcels of it to festooning their homes, making them places of beauty and full of rest. Penelope was not unlike her sex of the present genera¬ tion. She never finished her web. That which she deftly did by day was torn and destroyed by night. She resumed her work in the morning with eagerness, and im¬ proved upon it by making it more elaborate and beautiful. The woman of the present generation removes to-day that which she used yesterday to make her home a picture. There is no continuity in decoration, and there should be none. “ The house beautiful ” would lose its reputa¬ tion for artistic interior if it remained always the same. I want my home made beautiful; adorn it lavishly as you may. What are the designs? ” was the remark and interrogatory of a woman of refinement and wealth, to a man who has made a life-study of the work. “ There are no designs,” he replied. “ Decoration,” he continued, “ is a thing of personality. No one road, though the thoroughfare may be a royal one, will lead to any one design, or school of decoration. There is every¬ thing to consider — paradoxical as it may sound, there is nothing to consider.” He was right. Said another man whose study it is to make homes beautiful: “ Who is your architect? Is he building for the purpose of sheltering you merely? or is he building with a view to decoration? Is the structure to be modern or ancient? Is it of brown stone, gray, block or pressed woman’s kingdom. 115 impress upon the American people, and that is this: No¬ where on the face of the earth is there such wood as we grow in this country for decoration and the finish of our houses. There isn’t any of the wood used in our houses which is not as susceptible of high finish and polish as any Parian marble that was ever quarried. There is no deco¬ ration which gives a home the same effect as these Ameri¬ can woods, I care not which one may be selected. I fancy,’’ he continued, “ that no sane man in this age of the world would allow a decorator to grain his wood. I must say that, so enthusiastic am I upon the matter of finishing homes in natural wood, that it seems to be running to the cheap and gaudy to see a room finished in Lincustra- Walton, or some other material that is showy, but never possessed of that beauty which accompanies durability. Nor would I advise any man to finish in white. You know there was a time when the interior had to be a glassy white or a dull. There is no demand for that any more. Good sense, to say nothing about taste, has relegated white to other places. Do not understand me as saying that a white and gold in the proper place, is not a handsome fin¬ ish and an effective one. You may have touches of it in your salon , if the other decorations are in harmony. ” WOMAN’S KINGDOM. The Home of the Heart —What Makes It the Sweetest and Dear¬ est Place on Earth. I come now to that kingdom where women are queens — a kingdom which has no lines of royalty and no crests, and yet one that is more to the heart of woman than any realm of a titular dignitary. It is the home in which nations are educated. If it be true, and surely it is, that, though it be ever so ii 6 FACTS FOR LADIES. homely, there is no place like home, what shall be said of the homes of refinement and culture of the present time? Surely there is a field in this decorating of the homes in which women may have the proudest distinction. It is here where she may elaborate to the utter content¬ ment of her own nature; here she may bring to bear the little conceits, the pretty things which creep out from the nooks and corners, the surprises from the hitherto neg¬ lected spots. Here she sits, like Penelope, again creating, though the work be destroyed the next hour. She beau¬ tifies more than ever after the destruction. Here there is nothing in which ingenuity cannot hold revel. There is nothing too elaborate — there is nothing too simple to turn into something that peeks out at an unexpected moment, in an unexpected nook. A lady in Chicago who has a knack of making an ensemble of simple things, took a cast-away shoe of her baby, and bronzed it. Into the opening she inserted a brass bucket—a tiny one, which cost her three cents — and this was put on the writing desk of her husband, and into it he knocks the ashes of his cigars. Let me enter the house beautiful, and take up its beauties, those that are elaborate. Come with me in the f exploration of this field, that has such limits that any woman may find in them somewhere a sphere adapted to herself. THE RECEPTION HALL. Let us enter the house at once. Here is the recep¬ tion hall. It is the same with your house as it is with your .newly formed acquaintance. The first impression is the SETTING ROOM. 130 FACTS FOR LADIES. as many for your library, always remembering that they should be appropriate, as you can find places for them. Where else would an inscription be more appropriate? There is no apology necessary for asking so much of your time to this essay, if you may call it that, on the library. If you have one, you will agree that the only criticism to be made is that the essay is not longer. THE DINING-ROOM. Where the Master Meets His Family and Friends and Makes the Welcome Double. You may have met your guest in the cheery vestibule hall and given him the right hand; you may have received him in your salon with its rococo, renaissance, early En¬ glish, old Dutch or colonial furnishings; he may have enjoyed the subdued richness of some Persian design, “ or the light-loving colors of Arabia,” or the Louis XVI. sets. The perfume of your conservatory may have intoxicated his senses until he dreamed of the tropics, and he may have enjoyed the restfulness of the guest’s chamber until it car¬ ried him homeward in his sleep. But you have not entertained him until he has sat at your table. The breaking of bread was the first rule of hospitality. The history of nations and feasts are closely interwoven. Beauty and wit sit down together on state occasions in the banquet hall. Some of the conventionalities of the salon may be broken over with propriety in the dining-room. It is the neutral ground of the house. It is the dining-room, and all which appertains thereto, that tightens up the cords of friendship, and makes good will among men and women. Here is the glow of home. There is no mistaking the THE DINING-ROOM. 131 good intentions of this apartment if they are in existence. If a man is not at home here he will not be anywhere. From this precinct he goes out and realizes the full mean¬ ing of the couplet: Fate cannot harm me, I have dined to-day. You have, in advance, prepared your menu, and your table is arranged. If these are not satisfactory, granting that your better nature is at peace with all the world, you may be sure that the reason may be found in the fact that your architect and decorator have not done their work. If there is anything in the construction of your dining¬ room that smacks of the dainty or delicate, have it removed. You will never enjoy a dinner there, and your epicu¬ rean friend will go away from your presence with the feel¬ ing that “ one thing thou lackest.” A gentleman who had seen the world, returned home and built him a mansion. Its furnishing was complete. The architect and the decorator left the house just as the owner’s heart and taste had desired it. Some time after its occupancy a friend from one of the European capitals was his guest. This guest was a man who knew by intu¬ ition, education and observation, precisely what was required to make a house complete. On the termination of his visit the host said: “ I want your candid opinion about my house.” The guest thus appealed to replied, “ You have no dining-room, therefore you have no house.” The dining-room, had been neglected. There had been no proper arrangement for light. The wood about the walls and ceilings were delicate. It was a child’s idea of a play-house. The owner, in the first place, was a THE BED-ROOM. 143 The bed-room is where we “ wrap the drapery of” our couch about us and lie down to pleasant dreams.” It is the resting place where we lounge when “ darkness falls from the wing of night.” If it be a bed-room simply, it is more or less confined, and, being so, one is unable to place within its walls the mementoes and pretty things which become a bed-room more appropriately than any other. It, would seem,, from some considerations, that “ bed-room,” or “ sleeping apartment,” is a misnomer. If this apartment is the living-room — to use our grand¬ mother’s name for it, the sitting-room—then “ bed-room” is a misnomer. With the advancement in everything calculated for such an apartment, there is no reason why it should not be the living, as well as the^bed room. If it be used as a bed¬ room solely, it will never receive the same attention it would otherwise receive if it were the living-room. You may think differently, and be honest in the thought. But there will come days when it will be neglected in spite of your good intentions; these poor natures of ours are so apt to lag by the way, at times, in spite of the best resolutions. There appear to be more and better reasons for throw- ins the living: and the bed room into one than there are reasons against it. Let me say, then, that they are one. It follows that the room should be the perfection of home. The children gather about you there in all of the seasons — they show their faces at the windows to watch the flight of birds, to see the world without, to follow the patter of the rain on the glass in summer, to watch the snow fall in winter, and, in the evenings, to look into the sky with its groves of stars. ” 144 FACTS FOR LADIES. It is the place where the family pictures hang; where the husband confides the cares and pleasures of his life to the wife of his heart; where the wife adjusts the differ¬ ences of the household; where she arranges her plans for to-morrow; where she takes her confidantes; where she mends for baby, for, no matter what her resources may be, the American mother loves to do this, and will do it. It is the place where the children say good night, and give their kisses, and from which they are taken to their own couches. There must be times when one’s head will ache, and the limbs grow tired, and what more appropriate than to pillow one’s self in one’s own living-room, from every nook of which some pleasant recollection looks down. A kindly disposed man who knew something of the world, said to his house decorator, “ Be careful what paper you put on the walls of my living-room, rvhere I sleep. I am tired sometimes, and sometimes I am sick. My eyes do not close, and in such moments, when I am on my bed, and my eyes wander about the room, as they will, I want them to rest upon something pleasant on the walls. Don’t select such patterns as will get me puzzled with their angles. There is everything to a sick man in the right kind of figures on the walls.” How shall this living-room be furnished ? Carpets offered for the entire floor are in body Brus¬ sels, Moquettes and Wilton, in unusually soft tones of color and simple in design to become the situation ; and, if you will have, as you must, other rooms for sleeping, there should be a distinct feeling of color — blue to pre¬ dominate, we will say, in one room, old rose to predomi¬ nate in the other; or ivory or gray-blue and red, or ELEGANCE FOR LITTLE MONEY. 153 eye as sleeping in a room, through the windows of which the morning light breaks. For health—and with health there follows always a brood of blessings — double shades are a necessity in a sleeping apartment. One additional idea on shades before we enter that inimitable domain so dear to woman’s heart — “ the house beautiful.” If your house is of a somber material, good taste will warrant your return to the school of decoration in vogue when — “ Venice sate in state, throned on her hundred isles,” the old-fashioned Venetian blind. Your grandmother followed that school, and you may be sure, that, in adopt¬ ing it in this age of beauty, you will violate no rule. Especially true is this in any house which has on it the impress of stateliness. Need it be said, that, if you are following out the Chippendale school of decoration, you will not want the Venetian blind? About the Chippendale there was “ a light, airy nothingness,” in keeping with many of the French ideas so characteristic of the year 1700. ELEGANCE FOR LITTLE MONEY. How often in my rounds have I been met with the inquiry: “ How can we who are not the salt of the earth, financially speaking, adorn our homes. Everything neces¬ sary for house decoration is so expensive that our tastes fail to reach them.” There are some homely sayings which come up now and then to answer what seem to be abstruse problems. One of these sayings is: “Where there’s a will there’s a wav.” A woman who has the innate love of docointion 154 FACTS FOR LADIES. will beautify an alcove and trim an attic in a way that would make any mortal content. Now, here is a pretty room, and it is within the reach of that woman who has the love of home at heart, and who has a husband who is just half-way inclined to humor her whims. The decorator who gives it calls it “ the pink room. ” Very appropriate, for the woodwork is painted a pale pink color, the ceiling being tinted in light shade. The walls are covered with cheese cloth, cream white in color, plated in wide box pleats. A frieze of cretonne, eighteen inches deep, with cream ground nearly covered with pink roses and pale olive-green leaves, meets the cheese cloth, and is divided from it by a narrow picture rail in dead gold. The floor is stained a dark color, and covered by a large Chinese cotton rug of white ground, with ara¬ besque border and medallion of shaded pinks. These rugs are particularly adapted for summer. The sofas and chairs show no woodwork ; they are covered with the same cretonne as frieze, upholstered in, with back and seats tufted. The portieres are of cream white momie cloth, with wide band of same, embroidered in crewels, with a design of pink dog-roses. The window curtains are of cream white scrym, with pink stripes, and are tied back by wide pink satin ribbons. Little sash curtains of pink Chrnese silk hang charmingly on rods, with only a narrow hem for trim¬ mings. The mantel-cover is a wide piece of pink Chinese silk, laid like a scarf over the shelf, the piece hanging over being looped up in the middle and toward each end, thus AN AUTHORITY ON DESIGNS. 167 AN AUTHORITY ON DESIGNS. This is an interesting study—designs in furniture. I have had the opinions of many house-furnishers and decorators on this one point, and I adopt the exact lan¬ guage of one who has charge of the largest and decidedly the richest collections in the city of Chicago. He said: In the new styles of furniture the designs are sim¬ pler, and the ornamentation less elaborate and more chaste. The same principles are now followed in cabinet-making as in architecture. Barring special cases, which may be regarded as exceptions, there is a growing disuse of orna¬ mentation, purely as such. Designers are seeking more and more the beauty that rbsults from simple, even severe, lines and fine finish. In some styles, especially of tables and bed-room sets, this is almost carried to excess. The aim, of course, is to produce striking effects without such an expenditure of labor in manufacture as to prohibit sale, and, in so far as designers now sin in this respect, I think they sin on the right side. “ Taste is now gravitating toward the antique. With the exception of a few patent devices, such as folding- beds, office furniture, and revolving book-cases, nothing really new has been got out for years. The Eastlake pat¬ terns, so popular some time ago, were nothing but a crude adaptation of the Gothic. Painted furniture, once so popu¬ lar, was novel only in its finish. So, too, with stained woods, which are used only for cheap goods. All these are now out of date, and designers are busy working over Romanesque, renaissance, Louis IV., and colonial patterns. We adapt and unite the different types just as modern architects combine different styles of architecture, and i68 FACTS FOR LADIES. many of our most pleasing effects are obtained in this way. The popular fad keeps us within the leading-strings of the antique, and, so far as this requirement is met, we are left free to make as many violations or combinations of art principles as we choose. “ In the matter of woods, oak has precedence. Cherry probably follows next. Birch and curly maple are much used, since they give a pleasing, dainty effect Walnut, which for some time has been out of favor, is gradually coming back again. Oak and cherry are now what wal¬ nut used to be—the staple goods — and I presume it will not be long before they, too, will yield to the popular fancy, and take the obscure corners of retail establishments. Mahogany will always be popular, but it is too expensive a material to be of wide use. Good oak can be had for $50 a thousand, and the same quality of mahogany costs $150, and, when the former will take as fine a finish, and give as pleasing an effect as the latter, it is bound to catch the masses.” t HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. CHAPTER I. woman’s physical structure. The health of woman depends upon the physical development, not alone of those structures that are com¬ mon to both sexes, but particularly of the special organs and functions that characterize her own sex. How impor¬ tant, then, that every mother and every girl who expects to become a wife and mother should understand the struc¬ ture and physiological development of those organs that impose on her special and ennobling duties in life, and may also, through ignorance, entail life-long disappointments, pain, sickness, premature old age and death. To know herself, woman must study the structure of the various organs of the human body, and thus learn that in nothing but the organs of generation does she materi¬ ally differ from her brother. She eats the same food, and this is assimilated by organs exactly the same as those of man. She breathes, thinks, sees, feels, hears and tastes in the same way as he, and the heart, liver, kidneys, skin, and all other organs are the same in both. As a rule, however, woman is smaller than man, and the various organs are proportionately so, but we often see as much difference in the size of individuals of the same sex as there is between men and women, so that we cannot be certain that this difference in size is not due to difference in environment in the formative period of life. 170 FACTS FOR LADIES. It is only when we reach the generative organs and parts connected therewith that the real difference in struc¬ ture and function is manifest. The hips of women are broader than those of men, because the bones of the pelvis (haunch bones) are spread out more to afford room for child-bearing; and the mammary glands, or breasts, are developed in woman to supply her offspring with proper nourishment, while there is only a rudimentary nipple without a gland in man. The special organs of sex in women are divided into the external and internal organs of generation, a knowl¬ edge of which should be here acquired in order to under¬ stand the important questions hereinafter discussed. THE EXTERNAL ORGANS. The external organs of generation are situated on the exterior of the bony pelvis or basin, where they can be readily seen, and are technically named: 1st, the mons veneris, or mountain of Venus; 2d, the labia majora, or greater lips; 3d, the labia minora, or lesser lips; 4th, the clitoris; 5th, the hymen; 6th, the perineum. The Mons Veneris .—The mons veneris is a triangular eminence formed by an accumulation of fat under the skin at the lowest point of the abdomen, directly over the bony arch in front of the pelvis. It is peculiar to the female sex, and more prominent in young virgins than in mothers or aged women. It is also said to be more developed in young women who are natives of tropical climates. The ♦ skin over the part is smooth in early life, but at puberty it is covered with hair. Its use has never been satisfactorily ascertained, but early writers claimed that it was more elevated just before THE INTERNAL ORGANS. 173 The Perineum. — The perineum is the space between the back part of the vulva, and the anus, or back passage. Though not properly belonging to the generative organs, it plays an important part at childbirth, as its ready dila¬ tation permits a speedy expulsion of the child, while the labor is greatly protracted if it is hard and rigid. It is often ruptured during labor, and, unless properly attended to at the time, a serious operation is required. All these parts qre liable to disease and accident, and therefore a general knowledge of their structure and functions is necessary to an understanding of what may be hereafter said regarding the health of the parts. THE INTERNAL ORGANS. The internal organs of generation are: 1 st, the vagina; 2d, the uterus, or womb ; 3d, the Fallopian tubes and ligaments ; 4th, the ovaries. They are all hidden from view, and contained in the bony cavity, or basin, formed by the bones of the pelvis, or haunch* bones. The bladder and rectum are also contained in this cavity, and, as they often bear important relations.to the generative organs, they will be briefly described in connection there¬ with. The Vagina. — The vagina is a cylindrical canal which connects the internal with the external organs. It is com¬ posed of muscular fibers, and is lined with a delicate mucous membrane. At maturity it is from five to six inches long, and about one inch in width, but this varies materially under different circumstances in life. It is largely supplied with blood-vessels and nerves, and is highly sensitive, especially near its orifice, where the tis¬ sue is spongy and erectile. Its upper extremity is attached to 174 FACTS FOR LADIES. the upper part of the neck of the womb, the womb being held by it like a cork in a bottle, except that the weight of the womb appears to invert the upper end in such a man¬ ner as to form a circular groove between the lower part of the neck of the womb and the walls of the vagina. It forms an outlet for the menstrual flow and for the passage of the child at birth. It is also the organ of copulation. It is subject to inflammation and other disorders which will be hereinafter described. * The Uterus .—The uterus, or womb, is a hollow, pear- shaped organ, situated above the vagina and between the bladder and rectum. It is very small in early childhood, but grows rapidly, and reaches its full size at puberty, when it is about three inches long, two inches broad at its base, and from one to one and one-half inch broad at the neck. Its lower part, or neck, projects into the vagina, and is cov¬ ered by a mucous membrane which is continuous with that of the vagina. The mouth of the womb is a small oval aperture* situated in the center of the lower extrem¬ ity of the neck, and can be readily felt with the finger in the vagina. From this a narrow canal leads into the cavity of the womb. The cavity is narrow below, but expands toward the base, and has an opening on each side which connects with the canals of the Fallopian tubes. The walls of the womb are composed of muscular fibers about half an inch in thickness, and are lined internally by mucous membrane. Externally the womb is covered by the peritoneum, a delicate investing membrane which cov¬ ers and holds in position most of the organs of the abdo¬ men and pelvis. This membrane, through sympathy with the womb, often becomes the seat of inflammation, which is called peritonitis. MISS CARRIE DANIELS. CHAPTER II. MAIDENHOOD. MAIDENHOOD, in its broadest sense, means the state of being a virgin, but the term is used here to indicate the period between puberty and maturity, which covers about six to eight years. The term puberty is derived from a Latin word which means “ to begin to have hair,” and the name pubis is given to the bony prominence at the lower boundary of the abdomen, just above the gener¬ ative organs, where the hair grows. In its broader senses the word puberty is used to indicate the beginning of the period when people are capable of procreation, or bear¬ ing children. The age of puberty varies according to temperament, climate and mode of life. In girls it usually ranges from the twelfth to the fourteenth year, and in boys from the fourteenth to the sixteenth year. Girls develop more rapidly in warm climates, and puberty is sometimes attained as early as the tenth year, while in very cold countries it is not reached before the age of sixteen or even eighteen. In some cases even in our own climate girls are not "developed till their sixteenth or seventeenth year. As the girl approaches puberty, hair grows around the generative organs, her breasts enlarge, her hips broaden, her limbs round out, and her whole form takes on a classic beauty. Like the budding flower, she expands in every way till at last she blooms forth a blushing maiden. New 12 177 I# 178 FACTS FOR LADIES. forces are now at work in her organism, and the romping, forward girl is lost in the retiring, bashful, sensitive being who has just crossed the threshhold that separates her from her brother and leads to the development of perfect womanhood. A new and individual functional life now begins, the nature of which should have been fully explained to her before, and by her mother. The ovaries and uterus, which have been undergoing a gradual development from baby¬ hood, now take on their special activities and the period of menstruation begins. It is the appearance of the menstrual flow that marks the sexual development that is complete at the age of puberty, and, when this occurs, the girl is capable of becoming a mother. It has long been the custom of physicians and parents to consider this as the critical period in the life of woman, and much has been said and written concerning the great care with which the girl should be watched dur¬ ing the first months of menstruation. This has been looked upon as the period of sexual development, while in fact the appearance of the menstrual flow marks the completeness of ovarian and uterine development, and the commencement of a health function which can only result from healthy and fully developed organs. Dr. Ely Van de Walker, writing on “ The Genesis of Woman,” in the Popular Science Monthly for July, 1881 , touches the key-notes of this subject in the following words: “ Young women become objects of parental and med¬ ical solicitude at a period when it will have but little influence on the perfection or imperfection of their sexual life. By the keenness of the vision directed to this period HIGHER EDUCATION OF WOMEN. 183 menstrual period. A person may be exposed a hundred times without any bad result, yet at any time such ex¬ posure may result in menstrual suppression or other functional disturbance. It is therefore especially advis¬ able to avoid getting the feet or clothes wet during the menstrual period. The injuries of tight lacing during maidenhood cannot be overlooked. The organs of digestion, as well as the womb and ovaries, are displaced by it, and hence con¬ gestion, inflammation and functional disturbances are sure to follow, and when they occur the cause is over¬ looked, and it is claimed that they are due to the tyranny of her organization. Again high-heeled boots change the natural axis of the body and give rise to uterine dis¬ placements which are supposed to be the natural heritage of women. If w r e are to have healthy women the years between puberty and maturity must be guarded so far as the observance of the general laws of health are concerned and the correction of the errors of the past in everything that relates to women. HIGHER EDUCATION OF WOMEN. At this late day it is hardly necessary to make a plea for the higher education of women. They have so uni¬ versally demonstrated their fitness to pursue the higher education, and their ability to compete successfully with men, that their strongest opponents have been long since silenced. Yet many still adhere to the belief that the majority of girls are unfitted to pursue the same course of study as boys on account of the peculiarities of their sex. Dr. Maudsley, of London; Dr. Clark, of Boston, and others, 1 FACTS FOR LADIES. 184 have claimed that the menstrual function makes woman an invalid for one-quarter of each month, and thus renders her incapable of pursuing her educational advantages con¬ tinuously. When such a condition does exist, it will always be found to result from the tyranny of modern civ¬ ilization, and not from the tyranny of woman’s organization. Perfect organization means perfect function, and any natural function does not interfere either with proper mental or physical effort. If it were true that woman is incapacitated for labor one-quarter of each month, why should not some sympathy be extended to the thousands of girls and women who are compelled to work the year round from early morning till late at night in the factories, stores, kitchens and fields all over the world. When this side of the question is touched, many are willing to acknowledge that the menstrual function is normal, and may be perfectly healthy, and that it is not deranged by physical labor; yet they adhere to the belief that in consequence of that function women differ from men in their modes of thought. They even say that this difference is noticed in early childhood, and, as an instance of it, quote the passion little girls have for dolls. I need not tell any one who has studied the habits of children that this supposed difference does not exist, except as it has been developed by environment. Give a little girl her choice between out-door sports and the most beauti¬ ful dolls, and see how soon the dolls are forgotten; observe how she deserts her doll for the rougher toys of her brother, and then say if you can that the instinct of her sex makes her fond of dolls. Examine the brain of woman by the most careful examination to which it can be subjected, and you cannot CHAPTER III. MENSTRUATION AND OVULATION. Menstruation - Ovulation — Absence of Menses — Suppression of Menses — Chlorosis — Painful Menstruation — Profuse Men¬ struation — Change of Life. MAIDENHOOD is ushered in by the establishment of the normal ovarian and uterine functions, which are mani¬ fested by a sanguineous discharge from the vagina, and for which every girl should be prepared by a full explana¬ tion from her mother or teacher. This discharge occurs periodically once every twenty-eight days from the time it shows itself, excepting during pregnancy and the nursing period, for about thirty years. The term menstruation is the technical name by which this flow is usually desig¬ nated. and it means the flow of menses, or monthlies. It it also designated by many other names, as menses, month¬ lies, catamenia, courses, turns, terms, periods, flowers, monthly sickness, etc. Many of these names are purely local, and are therefore unintelligible to women in other localities. This flow of blood is always dependent on ovulation, or the ripening and escape of the ovum, or egg, from the ovary. It is generally supposed that menstruation and ovulation are one and the same process, but recent investi¬ gation has established the fact that, while menstruation MENSTRUATION AND OVULATION. 189 cannot take place without ovulation, the latter does often take place without the former. It is estimated that there are at least thirty-six thou¬ sand ova, or eggs, in each ovary; therefore, in the human family, only a very small number of these meet with the conditions necessary for fruition. These eggs exist even in fcetal life, and doubtless undergo a gradual development from birth to puberty. An examination of the ovaries just before puberty would show their surfaces studded with numerous nodules or projections, which are found to consist of sacs called Graafian vesicles, after the anatomist who first described them. These sacs contain the eggs that have attained the greatest development, and when puberty is reached one of these vesicles becomes con¬ gested and the further development of the eggs takes place more rapidly. The size of the egg and excessive amount of blood in the part cause the Graafian vesicle to rupture, and thus the egg escapes from the ovary. At this moment the finger-like extremities of the Fallopian tube grasp the ovary and the escaped egg is sucked into the canal that leads to the womb. As a rule it takes the egg about fourteen days to pass through the Fallopian tube and out of the womb, unless it is impregnated during its passage, in which case it is lodged in the womb. After the first egg escapes, it leaves a cavity in the Graafian vesicle, which gradually contracts into a small yellow spot, called, from its color, the corpus luteum, or yellow body. As soon as one egg escapes, another vesicle begins to enlarge, and in about four weeks it has matured, and escapes the same as before described. This process of the development of the egg and its escape from the vesicle is attended by a marked conges- il of '-p ««* \ ft A STUDY CHLOROSIS, OR GREEN SICKNESS. 195 head and back, and at the same time to relax the tension of the womb, the following may be given with great benefit: Tincture of gelsemium (fresh root), one ounce; tincture of black cohosh, two ounces; simple syrup, enough to make six ounces. Dose — one teaspoonful after each meal and at bedtime. This treatment will usually bring on the flow, by causing a relaxation of the tension of the uterine vessels. In cases where the flow has been suppressed after having appeared, the hip baths and hot water bags must be used, and the above mixture given at the time the flow should appear. If it fails to do so, some aloes and iron pills should be obtained, and one should be taken after each meal and at bedtime till the time for the next period comes round. If severe inflammation of the womb is present, it may be relieved by frequent injections of warm water into the vagina, in which a teaspoonful of carbolic acid is dissolved in a quart of water. If this fails, a phy¬ sician should be consulted. CHLOROSIS, OR GREEN SICKNESS. Chlorosis, or green sickness, is a disorder of the gen¬ eral health, marked by languor, extreme debility and dis¬ ordered stomach. It is generally considered a disease of the blood, in which there is a deficiency of iron and the red corpuscles. The skin is of a yellowish or dirty cream color, which fact gives the disease its name. It most fre¬ quently occurs at puberty, and, when it does, the men¬ strual flow is scanty, painful and irregular, or entirely ab¬ sent. It may also occur later in life, when it is usually preceded by profuse menstruation and leucorrhcea. It is characteristically a disease caused by imperfect nutrition, 196 FACTS FOR LADIES. * and, when once developed, it is liable to give rise to St. Vitus’dance and other serious complications. The symptoms of chlorosis are great languor, dislike of exercise, fatigue on the slightest exertion, melancholy, love of solitude, disposition to weep without cause, im¬ paired or perverted appetite, coated tongue, constipated bowels, flatulence, offensive breath, palpitation of the heart, quick, weak pulse, frequent headache, and all the symptoms of indigestion. As the disease advances, the muscles become soft and flabby; the lips, gums and inside of mouth become pale and bloodless; and the skin takes on the characteristic greenish-yellow hue. The menses have not appeared, or are very scant at first, and then become entirely suppressed. A slight cough is often present, even when there is no indication of lung trouble. The tissues waste rapidly, and it seems that death is inevitable. Treatment .—The objects of treatment in chlorosis are to correct any disorder of the stomach, and remove any other disease that maybe recognized; to restore the blood to a normal condition by proper diet, exercise, bathing, and the use of iron and vegetable tonics; and to stimulate the womb and ovaries to healthy action. Constipation should be overcome by taking one compound podophyllin pill every night till the bowels move freely every day ; all articles containing starch or sugar should be excluded from the diet, and beef and mutton in various forms, with milk and eggs, should be given freely, and, to aid digestion, one teaspoonful of elixir pepsin, bismuth and strychnine should be given immediately after each meal. Fluid hydrastis may be given in ten-drop doses in a tablespoon¬ ful of water, fifteen or twenty minutes before each meal. DYSMENORRHCEA, OR PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 199 pulsive pains, resembling labor pains, will come on at intervals of a few minutes apart. The flow is very scant at first, but gradually becomes free as the pain par¬ tially or entirely ceases. This form of the disorder may result from cold, and only occur at one period, or it may become habitual, being very mild during some periods, and greatly aggravated at others. No woman requires to be told that she has painful menstruation, but, with the exception of the neuralgic variety, she cannot tell what variety she suffers from; and, as the treatment depends on an accurate knowledge of the condition of the womb, the physician should make an examination before commencing treatment. It will be found that mechanical dysmenorrhcea is most common among maidens who have just begun to menstruate, and who have suffered from the first period. Yet cases are also found later in life, especially among women whose wombs have been injured by different labors or criminal abortion. Young girls may also suffer from the congestive form, but this and the inflammatory conditions are more commonly met with among married women. The neuralgic variety may occur at any period of life, but is most commonly met with among unmarried women about the age of thirty. Treatment .— Mechanical dysmenorrhcea must be treated by mechanical means. Cutting the canal through the neck of the womb to make it larger is practiced by many specialists, but is mentioned here only to be con¬ demned as a general practice. In some cases the mouth of the womb is almost occluded, and here the cutting is necessary. Dilatation by sponge and sea-tangle tents is also resorted to for the purpose of enlarging the canal. 200 FACTS FOR LADIES. and, when no other means are at hand, it may answer the purpose, though it is painful and often tedious. By the use of modern instruments for dilatation, by skillful hands all mechanical obstructions can be removed so that the menses will come and go without pain or suffering of any kind. The pain of congestive and inflammatory dysmen- orrhcea is best relieved during the period by the free use of hot hip-baths and the administration of the following: Tincture of gelsemium (from fresh root) one-half ounce; tincture skunk cabbage (fresh root), one ounce; viburnum compound (Hayden’s), enough to make six ounces. Mix, and take one teaspoonful in one-third goblet of boiling water every half-hour till relieved. During the interim between the periods the congestion or inflammation should be cured by proper local treatment. Neuralgic dysmenorrhoea may be relieved by the mixture above recommended, and it should be given in the same way. Where the disease is habitual, greatbene- fit is derived by continuing to take one dose of the same mixture after each meal and at bedtime during the interim between the periods. Unmarried women over twenty-five who suffer from this form of dysmenorrhoea will almost invariably find permanent relief from marriage, the reason for which will be given in a subsequent chap¬ ter. MENORRHAGIA, OR PROFUSE MENSTRUATION. The term menorrhagia means an increase in the men¬ strual flow, a condition which is commonly called profuse menstruation. This may occur at any period of life, in the full-blooded and robust, or in the feeble and delicate. CHANGE OF LIFE. 201 Some women always have a profuse menstrual flow, and yet appear to be in good health, but, as a rule, such a flow indicates either an excessive quantity of blood in the sys¬ tem, or a general weakness which permits almost an actual hemorrhage from the womb. In some cases the menstrual flow occurs every two or three weeks, or even oftener, and again the periods may occur regularly, but the quantity of blood lost is very excessive. In some cases the discharge is normal men¬ strual blood, while in others it seems like a hemorrhage from the uterine blood-vessels. In these last-mentioned cases the blood coagulates, or clots, in the womb, as well as in the vagina, and after it has escaped from that canal. The usual symptoms of menorrhagia: General debility, paleness of face, cold feet and hands, severe pain in lower part of the back and abdomen, severe headache at times, and derangement of the stomach. It may be caused by cold, severe exertion, mental emotions, excessive sexual indulgence, severe child-birth, and abortion. Aside from the general condition of the system, the uterus is almost always in an unhealthy condition when profuse menstru¬ ation occurs, and it is therefore important that proper medical skill should be employed at the earliest possible moment. During the profuse flow the patient should keep quiet, and avoid all undue exertion, and if the case is severe she should remain in bed till the flow stops. As soon as it does so, the general and local treatment should be commenced, and continued through the interum. CHANGE OF LIFE. The ovarian and uterine functions continue operative for a period of thirty or thirty-two years, after which there 202 FACTS FOR LADIES. is a cessation of the menstrual flow. This indicates a ces¬ sation of ovulation, after which a woman is incapable of bearing children. This climacteric period is called the menopause, or “ change of life,” during which women have been taught to expect that they must of necessity be invalids, and that it is a critical period through which they cannot pass without great suffering, and danger to life and reason. This is a great mistake, and every effort should be made to make women understand that the ailments incident to this period are due to some previous disorder of the uterus or ovaries, or to some other diseased condition of the body. In healthy women the menses cease for good with no more inconvenience or suffering than attends the ces¬ sation of each monthy flow, and it is absurd to suppose that every womaF must be an invalid for three or four of the best years of her life. About the forty-fifth year of age the menses begin to be irregular, and after a few months cease entirely. In tropical climates the cessation maybe several years earlier, while some women reach the menopause much earlier than others, even in the same latitudes. On the other hand, many women menstruate regularly till their forty- eighth or fiftieth year. Among those who suffer at the “ change of life,” hot flashes is the most common symptom. This is first felt as a sudden heat of the body, which usually rushes to the head and face, sometimes causing dizziness. This feeling is often followed by a perspiration, and then a sensation of chilliness. Sometimes a chill precedes the hot flashes. Books Bought, Sold and Exchanged THF HOLMES BOOK CO. 704 St. S. 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