The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-11-30
BEAUTIFUL HANDS.
sThat they are and How Every one G.
fc.rrf-e. Than

What They are and How Every sJns Can
Acquire Them.
Really beautiful hands are rarely
seen; hands white. smooth and shape
ly, whose finger-tips curve upward
like the pink petals of an opening rose,
and whose dainty nails are polished
like the heart of q blushing sea shell.
Such hands had the lovely Queen of
Prussia and they may sometimes be
seen among us, but are more rare than
almost any other physical charm
A small hand is not necessarily at
traetivc, proportion being one of the
chief elements OF beauty; but the per-
feet member must be a trifie long, with
gently tapering fingers. Such are the
hands that we ascribe to poetic and
sensitive people. ideaiiste in art or
character. Heavy hands with thick,
sqEare-topped fingers could never be-
long to such dreaIners, but are as sure
IL the sign Of a prosaic nature. The
hands should be slightly rounded, the
thumb reaching half way up the fret
finger, the middle one extending
nails length beyond the first. the third
about half nails length shorter thar.
the middle finger, while the fourth
should reach the second joint OF its
ncighbor- The skin shJuld be soft
and fine. the lines almost impercepti-
bic, and the whole hand should be ex-
quisitely supple.
1t is probably use rather than ma
ture that makes most hands so very
unlike this ideal, for though few are
perfect in shape and some are hope
lessly coarse in texture, for the most
a great Improvement is possible.
Smoothness and dainty cleanliness can
be preserved and cultivated; stainless
tips and polished nails cost little but
some minutes Of time. With them no
hand can fail to be pleasing. even
though it may never serve as an art
lists model; so none need display the
almost universal bIemishes except
they be engaged in the toughest labor
Nearly all homework can be done in
gloves, which, though they seem a lit
tie troublesome at first, can soon be
worn without Inconvenience Espe-
| cially in sweeping and busting are
they useful to protect the skin from
dirt and hardening. and in these exer-
cises they are not in the way. But
during sleep they can always be worn.
care being taken not to have them too
| tight, as that would disturb circu-
lation- Nothing Is more certain
tc improve the hand than
the slight sweating thus se-
cured. L whitens. softens and
renders it more supple. In addition
there are creams and pastes 10 be ap-
piled, many OF which are excellent.
The following recipe has been taken
from the French: Yelk of fresh eggs.
2 seruples: sweet almond oil. table
spoonfuls; rose water. l ounce: tine
ture of benzoin. Sc grains. Beat the
yelks up with the oil, and add. sue
eessively the rose water and the tine
ture. Put this inside the gloves and
sleep in them.
Above all. wet the hands as little
as possible. Wash them IN tepid
water with a little borax and mild
soap, and never omit to dry them
thoroughly after washing.
The care of the nails is of prime i'm
poFtance. A brush should always be
used, and If not sufficient to remove
the stains that so easily gather there
are acids that viii complete the work.
Some people use lemon juice for this
purpose. II they are then brightly
polished they viii be so much i'm
proved that the effort will seem wel
spent Preparations for this use are
now quite common, but another is
suggested. This consists of equal
parts OF cinnabar and pulverized en-
cry, rubbed on with a small sponge.
Then a little oil of bitter almonds nav
be passed over them to still further
enhance their luster This care will
be sufficient to give any woman pair
of attractive Chicago Nescs.