Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-12-17
WHAT SHALL 7 GET?

ject.
This matter.of fact way of masculin,
nature and this perverse refusal or lacl
Of capaity to see common things in 4
sentimental light, narrows the field Of
selection for gifts that will seem at once
appropriate and acceptable to men, and
yet, as their lady friends we'll know
they are not devoid Of appreciation fol
personal attentions and little tokens OF
regard. Neither do they ordinarily ex
pect or wish for things that are expen-
sive. The best way to put sentiment
into gift for man is to put some
thing of ones self into it. A bit of work
that is artistic or useful may be trans.
formed from mere merchandise into 8
token with meaning in it, if it is wrought
by the giver's own hands and not
bought outright at a shop. It fatters
him with the idea-and it should, of
course, be well founded-that he is re-
ceiving at the hands of the fair donor
some of her personal service for his con.
venience or pleasure, little attention,
prompted by desire to do something
rather than to buy something to please
him. Then he is sure to be pleased.
But it is not practicable in all cases to
manufacture ones Christmas presents,
and resort must needs to be had to the
shops, with their multifarious display
of articles duly labeled as every way
appropriate for the demands of the sea-
son. Then what shall be bought, sup.
posing the exchequer to be drawn upon
but slenderly supplied? for the value of
gifts as such bear no proportion or re-
lation whatever to their cost.
There are plenty of things provided
for the qualification of refined tastes
Books there are, and pictures, and bits
of genuine art for the library table or
the chamber But even here men, if
sensible, as of course most men are, are
to be treated differently from children,
and even-with becoming difference be
it said-from most women. They care
little for snowy bindings or for a multi
plicity of pictures, unless the latter have
real claims to excellence and then they
are sure to be expensive. Books gotten
up specially for the holidays are gener-
ally of the kind that they do not want.
ANIMALS and collections of glittering
trash are, or ought to be, their aversion.
If man has literary taste Or any fond
ness for books-and if he has not he
has small claim to consideration on
these occasions-there are scores of
things that he would be sure to like,
and it is not difficult to find out their
general character at last. A picture, to
be pleasing, must be something of gem
in its way, but there are many knick-
knacks in bronze or the various wares
that skill and taste work into beautiful
forms that cannot fail to be acceptable.
The toys, and picture-books that delight
children, the ;rinkets and gewgaws
that, sometimes at least, please women,
and the common place articles of every
day use, may be excluded from the field
of choice, and yet there will be enough
left to meet all requirements and pro-
duce the happy results aimed at i'll the
giving of gifts. All that is needed is q
little sober judgment and the dealing
with man according to his nature, which
is in all cases the only successful way of
dealing with him.-MeD York Times.
WHAT TO BUY FOR HER.
1t is a season for gift-making, and
young gentlemen who are at loss to
know what to buy may find timely
hint in the following from the New York
Graphic:
Boxes of gloves have become favorite
New Years gifts for gentlemen to send
to their lady friends, and are much more
useful and sensible than bonbons. Gloves
are always 8 desideratum to women
of society and refinement, and particu-
larly of late years since the difference has
has been 80 marked between the high
grades and the low. Twenty years ago
when all gloves were short and broad,
when one button was considered suffic.
lent for fastening and two superfuous,
when ornamentatien added to the defects
and high color served to emphasize them,
the difference was of less consequence
but great advances have been made since
then, and now fine glove shows itself
at once by its length, its fit, its fexibil-
ity, its perfection of shade, its perfect
neatness and finish, it's absence of any
ornamentation, which only serves to
increase the apparent size of the hand.
But such gloves maintain certain STAN
dard of price; their tones are of perfect
purity; they are made to order of
select materials and only in fashionable
shades; the best workmen and work
women are employed upon them. Low
priced gloves, on the contrary, are short
and comparatively shapeless. Out of a
dozen only one or two pairs will be
desirable in shade or color, but the rest
must be sold, as they are bought in
" assorted" dozens, and therefore the
woman who must buy cheap gloves or
none at all is sure of ill-ftting ones, and
must take her chance of color and be
content with an approximation to what
she wants, which, by the way, is quite
as near as most of us get to any thing
that we want at any time.
Grades as Mixers.
A recent writer suggests two very i'm
portant questions, the facts in relation
TO which, and the principals controlling