The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-11-15

remarkable in the history of almost all
our great men as their habits Of pro.
digious application.
Social ADJUSTMENTS in Olden Time.
It is amusing to note the devices by
which these social and pleasure-seek-
ing lotteries sought to amuse them.
selves, and to pass the time which
hung heavily on their hands. At one
period it became fashionable for men
to busy themselves with embroidery
and other light work which had hith.
erto been the exclusive province of the
ladies. Entering the salon, you would
observe gaily dressed cavaliers seated
at embroidery frames or stitching
away at piece of tapestry; even pom
derous philosophers and grand States
men might have been seen busily en-
broidering birds, flowers and coats.of-
arms. Then there came about fash.
ion of unraveling the silken and me-
talic threads of .fringes and tissues.
This was called purifying. The ladies
of quality we're wont in this to make a
pretense of doing something useful and
economical. At first they and their
male gallants employed themselves in
picking out the gold and silver threads
from old garments, worn trimmings,
epauletS, and so on. ''On a circle of
ladies being formed" says Tame, "a
big unraveling.bag in green taffeta is
placed on the table, which belongs to
the lady of the house immediately
all the ladies call for their bags The
gentlemen were expected to furnish
the rather costly materials for this
curious pastime; on one occasion the
Duke of Lauzun supplied his guests
with harp to be unstrung and unrav-
eled. The ladies, after thus separating
the threads, We'd with each other in
selling them, and thus made merit of
earning an income. If they destroyed
a garment worth 1000 francs, and sold
the threads taken from it for 100 they
would consider the operation as good
one.
Not content with unrav1ing old gar
ments, they would capriciously de-
stroy new ones in the rage for ex.
ceiling in this peculiar accomplish
met. One day lady, as she swept
out OF the drawing-room, took it into
her head that the gold fringe which
dangled from her robe would be
capital for unraveling; and without
hesitation she took her scissors and
cut it off. "Ten women suddenly
surround man wearing fringes, pull
off his coat and put his fringes and
laces into their bags, just as if little
bold flock of tomtits, 1uttering and
chattering in the air, should suddenly
dart on a jay to pluck off it's feathers.
Thenceforth man who enters a cir.
Gle OF women stands in danger of
being stripped allve.''
In all the fancy-work on which ladies
employed themselves, the men seem
to have taken part. Poinsinet, in one
of his comedies, represents a young
Marquis entering a room where two
fair damsels are embroidering. One
is working a piece of dress-trimming,
the other Marty flounce. The beau
examines the embroidery with the
eye of connoisseur, points out here
and there the specially good touches,
and is too polite to notice any defects.
He takes little gold tube out of the
pocket Of his richly decorated waist
coat, and selects dainty gold needle.
stHe goes to the frame at which Cida-
lise is working, and finishes the flower
which she had begun. From her he
moves to the sofa, and, Selling one
end of the flounce. assists Ismenc, to
whom he pays special attention, to
complete her task
At this time it was the custom of the
ladies invariably to carry their work
bags with them to the evening recep.
tiOns, in which they had not only their
embroidery materials, but the last
novel, the popular song, and their
patch-boxes and e.pots. Gentle.
men always carried deftly- broidered
little bags into company, which held
ga whole arsenal of cutlery and fancy
articles, such as boxes of different
shapes filed with lozenges, bonbons,
snuff, and SCENT
At another period the fashion of the
day was to cut out drawings from
books and pamphlets, and to paste
them on screens, lamp-shades, boxes,
and vases. The skill in this was to so
arrange the drawings, or parts of diff
ferent drawings, as to produce a Gu
rious or amusing effect. Then there
came a season when all the rage was
for charades and riddles, which gave
a peculiarly good opportunity to exer-
else the light and rapid wit so conspic-
uous in the French. Every evening
the drawing-rooms were converted in
to impromptu charades. Some lady
would suggest a word or phrase, and
forthwith it would be converted into
the subject of a sprightly little play.
Many of the word-games now current
with us in America had their origin in
the necessity the French salons