St. Landry democrat., 1888-09-01
USEFUL. AND BEAUTIFUL.
How Women Should Dress When Dolhs
Kitchen and House Work.

wrapper Dlauo III IdDfItIlt VI ~ hii|S''"
fashion is the most becoming, while tor
slender forms the plain full skirt al
tached to spencer or yoke waist -
more desirable. For material, cotton
gOOds-gingham. seersucker or calico
are the only suitable fabrics for work
ing dresses. These can be worn the
year round by lining with heavy un-
bleached muslin for winter, and, II
necessary, adding another undergiF-
ment. In these one can always feel
and look tidy. Wooden materials have
such an affinity for ashes, dust ana
grease that if worn one must either
spend much valuable time and strength
brushing and cleansing, or pass Tor a
slOven. Bingham and seersucker are
preferable to calico. It takes no longer
80 make them up, and, although they
may cost twice as much,' they Will wear
twice as long The crinkled seersuck-
err, too, require no starchlng, ana put
little, if any, ironing. Medium colors
are to be preferred, except, perhaps, in
midwinter.
The accessories of working toilet
are as important as those OF ball at
tire. A white collar is Indispensable
Some ladies prefer paper to linen for
morning wear AS any thing white at
the wrists is out of the question ruf11e
! of the same material as the dress forms
a neat finish for sleeves. This may
vary in width to suit the taste Of the
wearer. Neatly arranged hair IS as
important an item as the collar. FrlZ-
yes, while more becoming TO most faces
than plain bands or pompadours, are
not altogether neat for the kitchen
Moreover, steam and Precipitation are
sworn foes to curls that are not natural
Kitchen aprons, gloves and caps to
! be worn when sweeping, busting and
attending to fires, are essential to clean
! illness and soft hands. "Oh, | can't
bother with gloves!' exclaims some
one How much trouble and time are
necessary to the slipping on of pair
of loose gloves, kept in convenient
; place? And how amply repaid is one
for the infinitessimal amount of both in
volved when she takes up her sewing.
Consider, too, how much more soothing
the touch of soft hands to the little ones
and invalids than that of hard palms
and rough, crooked fingers.
Caps should be worn only when nee
! essary, as covering the hair tends to
cause badness.
Shoes must not be forgotten. The
ankles tire when slippers are worn, and
heavy shoes are apt to cause WEAKNESS,
although useful when the ground is
wet. Cloth shoes with moderately thick
soles are the most comfortable when
working about the house. Be sure to
wear shoes sufficiently large Or you will
reap bitter harvest of corns, bunions
and tender feet. Overshoes should be
kept in a convenient place to be put ON
when necessary.
Change the dress after bathing face,
hands and combing hair, when the main
work of the day is over. Rest and re-
freshment invariably attend this GUS
tom, no matter how tired one may be.
If too utterly exhausted to attempt this,
rest assured that you are overtaxing
yourself to an extent dangerous in the
extreme. Change of dress, if only from
one calico to another, is always to be
made then, if possible.
A sponge bath of cold Or tepid water
also often rests one when very tired.
j. This can be taken in ten minutes, as it
is better, if one has not time to do
more, to simply wiring the cloth or
sponge nearly dry and go over the sur
face of the body once, rubbing thor
oughly afterward with Turkish towels,
than to omit daily bathing entirely.
Those who do homework need to battle
oftener than those who do not. Pumice
stone, good soap, scrubbing brushes
for the hands, lemon juice for stains,
and vaseline or rose water and glycer-
inc or cold cream should be kept on
shelf over kitchen sink. To apply one
of the last frequently to the hands, and
also to occasionally rub the face and
neck with a dry cloth tends to keep the
skin and hands in good condition.
When you see the cloth after rubbing
you will be amazed to discover that
you had so dirty face. The face and
neck should always be cleansed before
going to bed by using dry cloth or
one moistened in tepid water, or cold
cream, Or something of the sort, ap-
piled. For the morning and afternoon
washes cold water is more refreshing
and stimulating than warm. It is wei
always to apply an unguent after wash
ing, rubbing off and in, when used DUR
ing the day. By using these means no
woman need have the coarse, rough,
unnaturally dark skin which is unde-
niably produced by constant house
work, unless some precautions be taken
to counteract its effect. Have the ap-
pliances convenient, and after the habit
of using them is once formed you will
find it harder to forget these luxuries
than it was at first to remember them.
-fisarie Merrick, IN Table Talk.
1t is interesting to notice how Slow
ly new ideas make their way. As, for
instance, there are country places not
far from Boston, the streets of which
y Al