The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-07-28
BEDROOM DECORATION.

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No doubt, could perpetual freshness and
cleanliness be insured, nothing would be
prettier than white dimity and muslin for
bedroom windows, beds and dressing te-
bles; but, unluckily, in large towns espe
cially, these materials soon lose their crisp
ness and purity, and once these are gone,
farewell to their beauty Besides, in these
days, when one has to look pretty closely
after expenditure, even the washing bill
cannot escape; and necessary, unavoidable
outlay already swallows so much that the
expense entailed by these easily soiled
draperies is often grudged, even in the
country. where from the absence of smoke
and the pure air, they last clean longer.
These light draperies are only in keeping
during hot weather. Still bedroom may
look very fresh, cozy and dainty without
scrap of muslin or glazed lining beyond
the morsels required for the pretty pin
cushion. In the first place try and realize
that hangings of any sort are unnecessary,
however pretty, and in case of illness have
almost always to be got rid of. The lum-
bering old four-poster, with damask or
moreen hangings, and it's soft, smothery
replaced by the light modern bedstead with
its spring mattress, while the hangings
have either dwindled to small tester or
vanished entirely. For curtains
NOTHING LOOKS PRETT1ER
Than the coarse striped wooden Algerian
material to be procured at any depot for
Moorish and Eastern goods; it looks bright
and fresh, will bear thorough busting, and,
IT really solled, washes as well as any stuff
known. The counterpart may be of two
fhran vuiH he &c
material, edged with ball fringe, and suffi-
ciently long at sides and ends to hang below
the frame Of the bedstead an inch or two.
IT you prefer it your Counterpart may be
embroidered on strips of plain and colored
sheetings, and finished of with coarse fur
n:ture lace instead Of fringe. For your
mantel valance you can have a row of van
dykes of the Algerian stuff, finishing each
point with a. bushy WOODEN tassel; or, again,
you may have straight stripe of crewei
work, or vandyked border Of alternate
plain and colored sheeting, with small
spray OF flowers on each plain vandyke.
WHATEVER you choose, don't let your border
be very deep, and by all means eschew fire.
place curtains. The down draueht of
the chimney in any room should
never be prevented, but more especially
not in bedroom. The same objections
apply to dressing table hangings as to bed
yalances, though, naturally, on smaller
scale. Fortunately one meets more and
more frequently now. with the dressing
table made to match the rest of the furni-
ture and requiring nothing beyond a plain
white cover, Of course this may vary
from the plain marcella with it's cotton
fringe to the linen cloth edged with more
or less costly lace or embroidery. If by
chance you have table Of the old type
positively requiring drapery, choose some
material that, though evidently capable of
renovation at the hands of the laundress or
professional cleaner, will require the pro-
cess as seldom as possible. Velvet and
stuff are as out of place in an ordinary
bedroom as muslin and lace, for, at any
rate the latter will wash should they be
soiled. Nothing looks better for this pur-
pose than
: THE, OLD FASHIONED WHITE DIMFrY,
With,ban of color (such as red Turkey
twill, for example, which is as serviceable
as the dihity). Still the pure white of this
soon soils. and though easy enough to get
up, where expense has to be studied the
cost of it outweighs its dantiness. Work
house sheeting, Of the unbleacbed, creamy
tint, mixed with colored sheeting to match
without embroidery, both looks and wears
we'll; so do plain colored sheeting or
Turkey twill, trimmed with coarse, creamy
furniture lace. If tastefully arranged, any
of these will make pretty and lasting drap-
cry for the dressing table; and with a pretty
pin cushion of muslin and lace, with bows
to match, and a small, fine white diaper
toilet cover, will be as effective and attrac-
tive as the most fastidious can wish.
Where the time and money can be afforded
it is good plan to have a set
of draperies, etc., for winter and an
other for summer. For example, in winter
have the striped Algerine material for cur
tains, quilt, mantle valence, and where
necessary, for the dressing table. Then
in summer change these for sim
liar ones of unbleached sheeting enbroid-
cred and mixed with colored sheeting. For
the embroidery, choose some good con-.
ventional pattern, and as much as possible
have all your odds and ends, night-dress
satchel, ETC., to correspond. Peacock
feathers, honeysuckle, chrysantheums.
marguesites, conventionalized and worked
in outline in several shades of one color. ali
look well, and do not, weary as colored
flowers are apt to do, unless colored and
drawn to perfection, which, alas! all crewel
work most certainly is not. Remember,
your bedroom is not only the place in which
you spend your nights and the time re-
CURED for dressing -you. may have to pass
long, weary hours of sickness there; SO, al
though you need not in anticipation of this
reduce 1t to the baroness and simplicity
necessary in hospital ward, while
making it 8
AS FRESH AND PRETTY
AS you can, try to have all things useful
and in thoroughly good taste, that when
your nerves are unstrung by illness and
pain YOU may not be fretted by queer
shapes and still queerer combinations of
color, which in health you passed BY I'M
needed or admired as s'the fashion. . Now
for few details. Hair brushes keep best
and cleanest in the drawer Of your toilet
table (the clean paper lining of which
should be constantly renewed; but when
there is no drawer, have box either Of
Japanese LACQUER (Which damp cloth
cleans thoroughly, or a plain deal one,
covered to match your night dress case.
The box should be large enough to allow
two divisions, one side for your hair
brushes, the other for your cloth and hat