Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-07-03
A FASHION IN HANDS.

White hands are no longer in fashion.
The pretty, delicate, well-kept hand of
our mothers and our aunts has become
something rocco. However, a pretty
hand is still very beautiful; and there
are those who prefer it to the brown
and knotty hand of which most sports
man-like young ladies are now so
proud.
The fashion of playing games without
gloves, such as lawn-tennis, rowing,
archery and ball, the habit of walking
gloveless about the country in the sum-
mer, alpenstock in hand, the exposure
to the salt sea wave, have brought the
feminine hand, once SO carefully cared
Tor, to the complexion which Shakes
peare derides when he SAYS: "She hath
a leathern would think that her
old gloves were on it."
At the same time that these brown
hands are fashionable, and the palm
hardened, even corrugated with the
callouses which have been earned bv
the severe use of the mallet and the
oar, great attention is paid to the nails
more than ever before. A professional
manicure is to be found at every water
ing place, who spends half an hour a
day over the nails of fastidious
woman, cutting, polishing, removing
the superlluous skin from about the
roots, putting on powder and a rosy
unguent, and then polishing them with
her own hand, or a bit of wash-leather,
etc, etc, until she makes them shine
like jewels. Lord Byrons nails were
SO fine that Lady Blessington leaves a
description of them. She says they
were like a ~rose-leaf with a half-moon
of silver in it; and every lady now en-
ulates Lord Byron's nails. Nails
should be shaped like tilbert,
and encouraged to show that half
moon at the root. This can be ac-
complished by the person who owns the
nail, if she simply runs a delicate steel
point-a dull embroidery needle is the
best-around under the skin every
morning, and then pushes the skin
back with the towel as she wipes her
hands after washing them. We are
glad to observe that these nut brown
maids who do not mind tanning the
hand are still very neat and particular
about their nails. One should pay strict
attention to their condition at all times,
both as to cleaning and cutting. A
liberal supply of soap on small nail
brush with warm water is the best way
to treat nails to bring about cleanliness;
then, while the hand is moist. an ivory
nail-cleaner should be passed under the
nail to free it from dirt; then the thin
skin which intrudcs on the nail should
be cut with Il pair of sharp and bent
scissors. Occasionally the nai's should
be filed, and the hard skin which forms
round the corners OF them cut away In
cutting the nails SO as to preserve the
beauty of their shape, use very sharp
pen-knite; the nail should be cut either
pointed or oblong, following the shape
of the finger. The Oriental ladies knew
this, and allowed the nails to grow of
enormous length. Nothing defOrms the
hand like a stumpy or a broken nail,
unless it is dirty one. They should
never be bitten; bitten nails are hope
lessly ugly.
The Chinese consider that long nails
are proof of gentility, consequently
they allow their nails to grow absurdly
long. In some parts of Italy the nails
are suffered to grow until they begin 10
break; but this is not to be commended
Never cut the nails with scissors tun-
less the delicate crooked scissors), for
the other kind pry up the nail and hurt
its contour
Honey, cold cream and almond paste
used to be applied when ladies desired
to have delicate white hands, and our
great-grandmothers, after amounting the
hands, slept in gloves made of chicken
skin.
''Some OF the chicken-skin for night,
To keep her hands plump. soft and white
The practice of wearing gloves at
night to impart delicacy to the skin was
common to both men and women even
as late as the reign of George Nv. In
deed. the processes of improving the
complexion then induced bellies to lard
the face, to wear a mask lined with per-
fumed pomade on the face, put slices
of veal stepped in milk over it, to athe
it in milk, and wear gloves lined with
unguent, etc. fortunately now all Of
them discarded. Gloves of chicken
skin appear to have been held in par
ticuIar virtue in giving the wearer a
hand to be proud of, although these
gloves must have been very trail, and
difficult to put on and off.
Now that the science of palmistry is
becoming SD favorite a study. and there
is to be only step between divination
and prophecy. it behooves Young ladies
to keep the palms of cir hands free
from the disfigurng catriX of a late
ly cured blister. We advise the bright
girls who are to play lawn tennis this
summer to wear gloves. A loose pair
of dog-skin gloves Will not hamper
their work, and the hand that is useful
and strong may inst as well be pretty.
Chaucer commends his gentle Prioress
for the cleanly fashion in which she
dined. Dizziness of finger and lip were
then rare, yet he praises Eer white hand
and taper fingers, and says:
At mete was she wei ytaueht withalle.
She lette no morsel from hire lippes falle,
Ne wette hire fingers in hire sauce dope:
Wei coude she carrie morsel and wei kepe."
Nowadays the modern belle has the
finger-bowl to help her. and after using
her fingers to help herself to olives, to
take a piece of cheese. even, to her lips.
and to eat fruit withal, she can cleanse
them in the rose-water or the violet
favored bowl, Or rub them against q
bit OF lemon which floats in the finger
bowls of most well-appointed tables.
In the new fashion of learning the
art of cookery. which engages the at
tention of SO many of our bellies. it is
very well for them to have bowl of
clear water, into which they dip their
hands often, as they proceed to handle
the various articles which their vocation
requires them to touch. In basting a
fowl the hands should be protected