The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-02-18
INTERESTING TO POOR LADIES.


It Is not necessary to think this paper 1
will he intended for the benefit of servant I
girls from the title above, More women |
In the country have to dress on less than \
fiffy dollars q year than any thing over |
that sum. Plenty OF farmers daughters |
nice, intelligent girls, quick to gather and |
keep every little idea of refinement that |
comes in their reach, girls who positively !
hunger and thirst for pretty and tasteful
things to make their bare lives brighter,
have to be content with less than this, be- |
expenses certain, and increased taxes, the
oyerburdened father cannot provide for his
family more literally. How much do the
wives of ministers have to spend, WHO
preach to small congregations for salaries
of five hundred dollars, including rent,
housekeeping, schooling, doctors bills.
and all the expenses that must come out of
a cramped income, especially if there are
two or three children TO dress beside her?
How do the wives of young business men
and clerks dress, when every dollar that
can be saved must be put into the business
that means bread for their mouths aud
roof over their heads? How do school
teachers dress, those prudent ones who do
not throw away every dollar on them
selves, but send home savings for the
mothers winter cloak, and the boys term
bills, and to pay for having cisterns put in,
and windows mended in the old house at
home. as some of these creatures are capa-
BILE of doing on the salaries of $500, which
notice the cities which pride themselves
on their system of public schools arein the
Dressing on small allowance can
only be at all satisfactory when one has
! the skill to do every sort of sewing, and
fitting. and millinery for herself. All
these things girl should understand
by the time she is sixteen. And just
those years when. her nerves and
strength are least able 10 endure any
mental or physical strain, between
thirteen and sixteen, should be given TO
learning these especially feminine arts OF
sewing and housekeeping. Tae contrary
is the usual practice. A girl is kept closely
at school till she graduates at seventeen;
or eighteen, when she begins, in the DrleI
period at home before she nlarries herself
off, to pick up some practical ideas ABOUT
making dresses and trimming hats over,
leaving the most to be learned after she Is
fairly married and thrown on her own re-
sources. There is nothing IN
der heaven more desirable for girl to be
skillfll in, than nice sewing and dressmak-
ing; for it is fast becoming one OF the
things not to be had for money. SO the
girl who wants to make any sort OF APP
pearance on fifty dollars must lay it all Out
in material, doing the work herself, and
taking it out in the consolation that IL Is
much nicer than any she could hire done
for her. If she can't learn at home or OF
some clever neighbor, it will be richly
!. worth while to pay good seamstress foi
lessons, the first thing; or when bonnetls
in question to pay milliner something
over the price to show one how to trim II
J oneself, without doing it for her.
I The first thing girl wants is stock O.
+ underwear, fine and pretty as for wedding
clothes. =. Half-a-doZen OF eacf
garment will be the modest outfit for oul
Z girl of fifteen who is just assuming thu
q care of her own wardrobe. To provide
this will take the larger share of her mon
ey, and should be the principal object
ambition the first year. The next she ma,
} devote most of her attention TO ,gettlns
good stuff dresses, a merino and nice al
] paca, which will be good at least thre
years to come. The next and the next sh
: may economist enough to get black SILK
] that will be her standby as best dress TO
: many a season, and so on. The Womal
who is certain of $50 year to spend Oh
D her dress from the time she is fifteen o
sixteen years old, ought to have thor
S eughly desirable, though narrow, ward
: robe by the time she is twenty-five, an
such one as, in the country or village, Wi
/, mark her as the lady on any occasion.
e In selecting material for underwear
t will not be possible the first year to bu.
: the soft finished percales and fine cambria
a In which women delight for their white
t clothes. The aim will be to have enoug
! So, UTh
= the niceties can be added by degrees. Th
soft finished white cotton known as Frui
of the Loom, which is bought for u
|. cents in New York, is best for the purpose
as it takes the needle well, has eve
IS threads and wears as well as any other 10y
$ priced brand. For durability, however,
! is preferable to get the best unbleache
If shirting, of the same price, shrink an
Q bleach it at home on the grass. The quic
e methods of bleaching by soda all tax
s away from the fibre of the cotton and tur
q it yellower by afterwear than the grass
r bleached. Some nice ladies prefer IN
# bleached cotton, as it lasts so much longe
IS that it pays to put nice work in it. 1t ha
o the round thread of French percale use
/, for the best durable sets, and when bleach
i ed Is more like it than any of the whit
n flat-threaded shirtings, while it is delight
e fully fine, close and evenly woven. PlaI
d sacque patterns for chemise and nigh
: gowns are most economical IN cutting
g easiest to iron, and give most satisfaction
It in wearing, while they never are entirel
u out of use. There is fashion, it seems, i
d Undertaking as well as any thing else
8 and you will find servant girl as rigid 1
Y exacting that her two chemises shall b
:. gathered on the hips. and made with tueh
o ed instead of corded bands, as fine lad.
will be about the set of her tOurnure, o
e the shape of her sleeves. Sacque garment
z, are always in style for those who chO0s
: them. They require two yards for
o chemise, and four and quarter yards fo
Is a nisht-dress. A yard and halt makes
It pair of tucked drawers. Now, for TIL
understandable, there will be wanted,
/ Six chemises Of 2 yards each. ..........R yarc
V six pairs Of drawers, IL yards.
! Six night dresses Of Az yards .25H
l., -. tF| 46X yarC
If which is the usual length of piece {
h shirting. A lighter muslin will answe
d for the skirts. The cheap skirts sold
me shops, under 81 piece, ARE made
If muslin at cents yard, which yet take
d starch well and lasts for seasons with carr
is To the list above we must add l6 yards
,e material for four white skirts, and 4 yarC
Z. of striped skirting. for every day wear, 4
% cents a yard; felt balmoral for winter
and three flannel skirts, which will hav
to be of cotton and wool flannel, that ha
r two good qualities, it does not yellow nc
l. shrink in washing. These underskiri
r must be closely gored so as MOTTO give III
3. due fulness to the hips, and as they al
d shorter than the rest, 2t yards each is an
IS pie, so that z! yards at % cents yard
e all that will be needed. There must be {
n least three woven merino shirts, and
s, many pairs of drawers for cold weathc
g. which. in the cheapest quality, are not le'
d than $l.00 a pair, but we will choos
r, something better. The shirts or vests,
d ladies choose to call them, may be made
d fine cotton and cool flannel, prett
,r quality of which sells for 80 cents yar'
g. 4 yard and quarter make a vest p incl
d es long, with long sleeves, while the draw
r ers take two yards each, which adds abol
n ten wards to the account. The vests wi
a only cost about 623 cents apiece and
Is much nicer than nlerino, if made as the
D. can be. embroidered with silk or linen flo
s, round the neck, and with fine elastic kni
lie ted cuffs Sc eed on the end of the clos