Morning journal and courier., 1881-07-09
Price Four Cents.

tint, mixed with colored sheeting to match
 the rest of the room. and either with or with
 out embroidery, both looks and wears well; so do plain colored sheetings of Turkey twill,
 trimmed with coarse, creamy furniture lace. If tastefully arranged any of these will make
 pretty and lasting drapery for the dressing
 table; and, with pretty pin-cushion of mus
 lin and lace, with bows to match ,and small,
 fine, white diaper toilet cover, will be as ef- fective and attractive as the most fastidious
 can wish.
 Where the time and money can be afford
 ed, it is good plan to have set of draper
 ies, etc., for winter and another for summer.
 For example, in winter have the striped AL
 gerine materials for curtains, quilt, valance,
 and, where necessary, for the dressing table.
 Then in summer change these for similar
 ones of unbleached sheeting embroidered and
 mixed with coIored sheeting. For the en-
 broidery, choose some good conventional
 pattern, and as much as possible have all
 your odds and ends, night dresses, sachet,
 etc to correspond. Peacock feathers, honey
 sucde, chrysanthemums, marguerites, con-
 ventionalized and worked in outline in several
 shades of one color, all 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. Re- member your bedroom is not only the place
 in which you spend your nights and the time required for dressing-you may have to pass long, weary hours of sickness there
 so, although you need not, in anticipation of this reduce it to the baroness and simplicity necessary in hspital ward, while making it 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 un- needed or admired as the fashion" Now for few details: Hair brushes keep best and cleanest in the drawer of your toilet ta- ble, the clean paper lining of which should be constantly renewed, but when there is no drawer have box, either of Japanese lac quer (which damp cloth cleans thoroughly or plain deal one, covered to match your night-dress case. This box should be large enough to allow of two divisions, one side for your hair brushes, the other side for your cloth and hat brush and shoe horn, whilst strong, broad, elastic straps will keep your combs, hand glass; nail scissors, button hook, etc.. firmly attached to the lid. Line this box with glazed twill ining-gray Is best-slightly wadded and fixed to cardboard, made to fit the box nicely, so that it may be easily taken out, and the covering renewed; in the hair r-brush division keep small fine towel Gan old, soft towel, cut in four, is cap- ital for this purpose) to rub your brushes after using them. This keeps them clean and saves the incessant washing they other wise require, and which always tends to spoil tuSIl, no uldCIer HOW CdEoLully OOuS luo box is useful on a journey, if you do not possess traveling-ba for in it you can pack your pin-cushion, your needle, thread and button box, and all your little toilet-ta- ble accessories, and so have them all together at hand, instead of having each individual article to hunt for.
 One of your correspondents recommends the tiny white china baskets so often seen as toilet tidies They are nice in many ways but the absence of a lid hardly seems to fit them for this purpose-as the hair Is so apt to get loose. More preferable to many will be the small Japanese boxes with their tight-ftting lids, where the combings of your brush may be securely placed, and which should be smptied and the box dusted out by the maid each morning when she "does out'' the room.
 For washstand screens the most serviceable are the wickerwork ones, as they keep clean and fresh looking, and by hooking on to the stands save nails in the wall. If these do not please pieces of plain sheeting, with bands of color hung in rather full folds to tiny rod supported by nails at each end, look nice; or they may be worked to match the rest of the furniture, and stained across plain, fast ening them with strong drawing pins. Screens made of thick cardboard covered with strong wallpaper, made to simulate tiles, and well vanished, look fresh and nice, if you don't mind the sham, and at all events, they are easily renewed. I saw these in use once at large hotel, ana certa1nly the erect was good, and the housemaid told me they lasted well and were easily kept clean with damp cloth. A bath blanket to lay in front of the washstand is another most comfort able and even pretty adjunct. A yard square of white or gray felt or blanket Gan ordinary blanket cut into three four, ac- cording to whether the blanket has a stripeth edge or not), either bound with white braid \ or button holes around, embroidered with large bold spray to match the rest, if possi- ble, looks well, and is large enough for all useful purposes.