Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-18
THE HOME.
VARIOUS sIDE-BARS OF FASHION
AND FANCY.
A Woman's Right to be Single
Visits and Calls-Cleaning Os-
trich Feathers-Notes.

There is c phase of " woman's rights, y
says an exchange, which seems to escape
the consideration it deserves, and that is
the right of young woman to remain
single if she desires to do so. The men
do not challenge this right. It is her own
sex which, urged by variety of very subtle
reasons, conspires to put sort OF stigma on
Remen who have no inclination to matri-
mony, and by the opprobrious epithet of
''old maids force discerning and fastidious
women into unsuitable and unhappy mar
riages. A man is not abused for not taking
a partner in business, nor does he suffer
reproach because he fails to marry. A
woman ought not by social pressure to be
urged into marriage when she has no de-
8ires that way or has at least found no man
to whom her judgment and affections alike
incline. Certainly, not to marry is better
than to marry badly. and if il were not for
the fuss womenkind makes over the
event. as If it were the one real
ly needful affair, there would be
fewer FOOLISH unions of the kind. A young
woman displays frst-rate sense and fine
character in refusing to marry unless all
the conditions are satisfactory, and she has
abundant reason to be satisfied with her
course when she looks around and notes
the ill-assorted people, who find the mar
rage institution daily yoke that grows no
easier with the wearing.
Suppose, then, the eloquent chatterers
about the rights of women take this mat
ter in hand, drop the silly "old maid -
sneer and affirm the wisdom of not marry
ing for mere marrying sake, or to place
any social dictum on the subject The
Sunday issue of the New York World con-
tains budget of communications purport-
ing to come from young men and women
on the theme of matrimony. 1t seems 10
De taken for granted in these scribblings
that it is imperative to get married some
how. This is an idea that has done harm
to many women, and the women them
selves have kept it alive and active. 1t
needs thorough overhauling and revision.
SHORT VISITS ARE THE BEST.
It is not always wise to make rule that
no one is TO be admitted during the even
ing on the contrary, guest may be heart
ly welcomed if it is known at the outset
that he has come for a short time, that he
IS cheerful, and friendly, and amusing 4;
and, in short, worth listening to and enter
tanning. From the boresome visitor at all
times good Lord deliver US. But the ill
conceived gloom that settles down upon
one tired face after another. while the clock
strikes the succeeding half hours, and each
member of the family in turn comes de-
spairingly to the rescue of the faltering
conversation, is a deplorable thing. We
are responsible for the state of our con-
sciences, and if we have allowed them to
become so dull that they do not give US the
unmlstakable warning to go away, then we
must not fret if we are warded of, dreaded
and called bores. l was delighted to hear
some one say, not long ago, that she did not
think she had any right to spend two hours
at time with any friend, without special
invitation, since it could not fail to be an
interruption and it gave joy to my heart
chat one person so respected the rights of
others. Picture some one, who has assured
himself that he is not likely to find amuse-
ment under his own roof, setting forth in
search of a more agreeable place in which
20 spend the evening. He hunts from door
to door, finding that one family has honest
ly paid Its money and gone to play, an
other is dining out, the third enjoying its
invited guests, while at the fourth he is met
with the information that the ladies are en-
gagged. Perhaps at the fifth he gains an
entrance.
One person rises hurriedly from the sofa;
another comes reluctantly from a desk,
where some notes and letters must be writ
ten at some time during that evening and
the stricken group resigns itself to the de-
mands of friendship and society The
master of the house returns presently to his
vocation, with brave excuse. 1t may be
s O'Clock when the guest comes; it may be
g. and he may be kind-hearted and unob-
jectionable; he may even be profitable and
entertaining but he stays until after 10;
everybody thinks that he never means to
go, and inwardly regrets his presence. For
half an hour he could have felt sure of
welcome; in that time he certainly could
have said and done all that was worth
doing, and have been asked to stay longer,
or to come again soon, when he took leave.
There is no greater compliment and
tribute to ones integrity than to be fairly
anlreated to sit down for ten minutes
longer. OF course, we treat each other
civilly in an evening visit, but it is great
deal better to come away too soon than to
stay too late. In a busy, OYer-worked and
over-hurried city life, nothingi so precious
as a quiet evening to ones self or even
part of one. We all wish-or ought to
wish-to make life pleasant for ourselves
and other people, and are ready to be gen.
erous even with our time; but no one likes
TO be plundered and defrauded 1t is the
action and conduct toward US which makes
rs thankful or resentful when he comes to
visit us.-AHantic Monthly.
HOW TO CLEAN WHITE OSTRICH FEATHERS
am very fond of nice white feathers. 1
had often tried to clean them according to
given rules, using either CASTLE or curd
soaps, but they never satisfied me. They
had, though perfectly clean, dingy yell
iowish look that was almost as bad as dirt.
An authority told me that you could never
clean them at home because of the ulphur
used in bleaching white feathers. Believing
this 1 left of trying, until one day this
summer some very dirty white feathers
were wanted cleaned in q great hurry, and
there was not time to send them to the
cleaners. So l descended to the kitchen
and took possession of the sink. Into a
rlaz ed puncheon I put as much of mild
soap powder as would be used to wash 3
iannel garment, poured upon this about
three plnts of boiling water and stirred in
very good squeeze of the blue-bag. till my
lather in fact was quite a fashionable bright
Glue tint. As soon as I could bear my
hands in the lather I took feather, and
holding it in my right hand, immersed it
IN the lather and drew it between the
thumb and fingers of my left hand, gently
squeezing out the lather and dirt. This
kept on repeating till the lather was dirty,
and my feathers, though the well-known
yellowish dingy hue, showed no longer
signs of soil. Then l took clean, warm
water and rinsed out the soap then an
other warm water tinged very strongly with
the blue-bag That not making them white
enough used another rinse water even
more blue and stirred my feathers well
about in it, This time they looked to be
dyed a Cambridge blue. l thought that
the cold water tap, then beat the water out
of them gently on the palm of my hand ;
took them to the fire, which was clear and
hot, and waved them about in front of it
till the plumage expanded. Before they
we're quite dry began to curl them, still
in front of the fire. Having pair of
scissors that when shut are nicely rounded,
[ rs ed them for the nurnnse of curling