Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1899 — WOMEN HOME [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WOMEN HOME

EARNING ONE'S OWN LIVING. r , * MOST of the educated women now obliged to earn their own living can look back upon a girlhood of freedom and pleasure, from which they were suddenly hurried, by stress of circumstances, Into the field of labor, where the workers are always many and the- prizes few, says the Philadelphia Times. Desperate often with the monotony of dally work, many young women take hasty refuge In that before-mentioned employment of wife, lacking the most needful qualification—Love. • The majority suffer their heartbreak with a deathly, stillness, simulating an Interest in the work that they are far from feeling. Against feminine employment of a kind there can be no prejudice, for there is much that women, and women only, can do successfully; but It Is the incessant employment all day, and from week end to week end that tells so severely upon woman's health and brightness, ofttimes upon her womanliness, leaving her nothing but the nervous, ever-present dread of loss of employment and the certainty of an old age of poverty and loneliness? For not the least unhappy factor in this daily employment of women Is that they have no time to make and cement the friendships that might comfort and support them in their old age. Seeing how contt acted stl.l Is ti e field of feminine labor and how many are urgently needing employment therein, one cannot speak too strongly in dis'approval of women who engage In the competition for vacant positions prepared to take a smaller remuneration than the market value of the work they can do because distraction, and not money, is their object, and they know full well they can throw the employment aside as soon as it fatigues them and return with zest to the pleasures and comforts of home. These dainty dilettantes in the world of work are, in plain words, robbing their poorer sisters In a most culpable and unwomanly manner. For the competition, being already so great, no honorable woman should accept a position for which remuneration is given unless she Is absolutely obliged to work to support herself or some members of her family. Decorative Bit of Furniture. The possibilities of window decoration in the hands of an ingenious woman are simply endless, and the housekeeper who is so fortunate as to have a wide recessed window, may make a most artistic as well as useful nook of it. The services of a carpenter are, of course, necessary, but after he has fitted the boards in place, milady's own fair fingers may complete the decorations. Have four boards, one inch thick, fitted into the recess and nailed securely in place. The top board must be on . n level with the window rill, or, better still, cover it; the fourth board is screwed to the floor, and the other two

placed equal distances apart. If desired, two commodious drawers may flB part of the two lower compartments, but this Increases expense materially, without adding much to the beauty of the pretty book shelves. Screw a brass rod to the second shelf and fasten to It with rings some curtains In china silk or chintx, using the space so covered for old magazines, pamphlets, etc., while that above may be ustnl for books, and the top shelf for bowls of flowers, ferneries or growing plants. The curtains across the casement should match those of the bookshelves, and the woodwork of the whole should be the uime, either ivory white or stained oak, stained to match the other fittings of the room. Odd bits of china or silver look well on the lower shelves. Care of the Hair. Gut a third of an Inch off your hair when the moon Is new, and do the same 1 the next month when the moon Is full. Every night give it a good brushing, being careful not to scratch the scalp. Use the brush while dressing the hair when possible In place of the Comb. Wash hair every six wrecks, lining warm water and any mild toilet soap; rinse first with warm water with a little borax, and then use clear, cold water. Dry thoroughly. If the hair falls out and Is very dry, rub a little oil on the scalp. : — „ When to Punish children. Don't punish your Uttle ones before others. It istirs up all the temper there Is in their little bodies. Not only that, but If they are old enough to realize much, It lessens their respect for you, and their own self-respect receives a bad blow. I say wait until you are all alone with the child, and If after a *’ .* » 1 ,

kindand loving talk you feel that it must be punished, do It I have seen children so ashamed at being reproved or punished before people that It has made my heart ache for them. Perhaps this would be what some would like, and think it better for them to be so ashamed. I do not. Besides, if a child does wrong things before our guest, or theii own companions, it hurts ns very much, but if we punish a child before theni will the latter not be very much disturbed? And It will hurt them by making them feel uncomfortable and out of place. So It makps It bad all around.— Orange Judd Farmer. Keeps the Placket Closed. No skirt Is complete at the present morneht without the back has some device to keep the placket perfectly closed. This is necessitated by its perfect fitting sheath shape. Many and

varied are the forms these arrangements have taken, the most usual being a row of tiny buttons on both sides, laced or looped across. Our illustration shows the general effect of these various devices, and a new idea that recommends Itself, because, while being very ornamental, it is utilitarian as well, it can be easily adjusted to any skirt. They come in sets of a halfdozen pairs and are easily sewed on. Marrlaaeable Daughters. Fathers and mothers need not be husband hunters, but they should be genial, hospitable hosts to such young women and men as they deem fit companions for their daughters. It is their duty to enter heartily and cheerfully into the lives of their girls at this stage of their career as well as any other. Many a young woman has been deprived of social life because of tbe indifference or open Inhospitality of her parents to her friends. The father who selfishly seeks his own comfort and enjoyment, burying himself In a book or paper when his daughter’s friends are in his parlor, creating an atmosphere of restraint and unsoeiabillty, is, perhaps, dooming his girls to a lonely, unhappy life. The mother who is scant of courtesy and friendliness to these guests is doing her daughters a greater and more lasting wrong than neglect of some of their personal wants In their earlier years would have entailed. Nor does their duty end In a willingness to reeeive and entertain in a cordial way the young people congenial to their girls; if It be that there are not young men and women in their neighborhood with whom their daughters can associate, it is their lKumden duty to remove thence to a community furnishing the necessary elements for an adequate social life. Families move for much less important reasons; they seldom move for more Important ones. fetnted Stationery. A woman's stationery should speak of herself, and should be as much identified with her personality as possible. A sachet of violet powder, or orris, placed in your letter box, gives a subtle odor to the paper, which some women love to affect, but It is far better and safer to avoid all perfumes in your stationery, ns sometimes one is tempted to go too far. Men have l»een seen to throw down a note or letter in disgust when detecting the slightest perfume about it. Under no consideration sbould a man ever use perfume in his stationery. Scents of all kinds should be shunned by men. either in their paper or about their persons.—San Francisco Chronicle.

About Introductions. Superfluous introductions were once —and not so long ago, cither—an almost universal nuisance lu this country. The woman who persists to the farce of “making people acquainted” in the twinkling of on eye, under any and all circumstances, Is still to bo found, but she le happily becoming more and more rare. The confirmed Introducer Is a bore, and should be ruthlessly discouraged; but, until mental telepathy shall have become a more widespread accomplishment than It is now, the old-fashioned Introduction ought not to be permitted to lapse Into utter disuse. Domestic to Oet a Fortune. Susannah Humble, a St. Louis domestic, will receive a fortune of |240,000, left by her grandfather in Scot-

land. The search for the ■ missing heiress has f extended over twelve months. The fortune was left to Susannah and her sister, Mary, who jeame from Scotland ‘six years ago, with 1 their parents, and ret- . tied In Quincy, 111., Susannah going to

St. Louis four years ago. She says the first'thing she will do with her money will be to buy a nice home for her parents.

WINDOW BOOK SHELVES.

SKIRT FASTENING DEVICE.

SUSANAH HUMBLE.