Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-29
CHRISTMAS DINNER.

the gradual dropping off of the grosser
traditions and delights of the Christmas OF
our early English ancestors, when "the
mightiest ale was broached and the boar's
head grimly stared' as the "wassail cup"
went round.
But if there is less "wassail," the annual
feast known as the Christmas dinner re-
mains an interesting feature in the pro-
gramme of the days celebration.
There IS less novelty in modern Christ
mas fare than in any other yearly feast
except Thanksgiving. The me-honored
mince pie ranks first as standard Christ
mas dessert, although the English plum
pudding may take its place, when both are
not provided. 1t is to the Saxons that we
are indebted for the real origin of the
fruity mince pie. The Saxon kings and
mobiles always had a pie upon their Christ
mas tables, sometimes so large as to fill up
their boards These were often used as
means Of surprise in the way of presenting
gifts that were hidden beneath the crust
To such excess was the mince pie carried
that Cromwell and his followers looked
with horror upon ii, and the Scotch and
English Presbyterians adopted instead
what they called plum porridge, and from
this plum porridge was gradually evolved
the English plum pudding, which to day
stands as the great rival of the mince pie.
In place Of the boar's head and stout sir
loin, we long ago adopted that national
bird, the turkey, which in the past few
years has given way to the goose in some
households.
AUBURN-HAIRED GIRLS.
All young women possessed of red hair
can remember that i'll the days of their
childhood their hirsute adornment was
source of mocking merriment to their
friends, and the term "sorrel-top" or STRAW
berry blonde" was one of contempt. They
wondered, perhaps, why it was they were
always called 'red headed" when their
playmates were desert bed as being black,
brown or golden-haired. But the red
headed girls do not mind now that it is
every young woman's ambition to be au-
burn-haired, and she hopes by the use of
hair dyes to attain the shade that be-
lopged to the wicked Lucretia. If she
gets exactly the right shade she does not
see why a single thread of her hair might
not be preserved and exhibited, as is the
one so proudly shown in Florence as hay
ing belonged to the wicked Lucretia.
1t is odd how many famous women of
the world have had this Titan red hair
Catharine Of Russia gloried in it, and
Anne of Austria had brown hair Just on
the verge of being red. Ninon de PEnclos
was equally proud of her warm-coiored
tresses. and Mary Stuart seemed a daugh-
ter of the sun. Jane Hading and Mrs
Potter both have warm, auburn hair, but
it does not reach the real tinge, which is
that which crowned, in all her glory, the
head of the Empress Eugene, she who
has known the extreme of happiness and
sadness.
WHY WOMEN DRESS WELL.
Mrs. Jenness N1iller's ideas on the sub
iect are that women are interested in dress
very largely from desire to please, and
with women fond of admiration it is un-
doubtedly true that they desire to please
men; but there is a large class who dress
well from a desire to create envy among
women. Women of very sensitive refine
ment take more pleasure out of daintiness
next to the skin than outside, while others,
because of the admiration excited by dis
play, prefer the latter.
/ do not think that it is possible to state
how marriage affects woman's love for
dress. Circumstances generally control
that. II 4 great many cares press upon
woman she is apt to become careless for
that alone, and in the certainty that she is
married, and therefore placed beyond the
question of how to win husband by the
coquetries Of dress added to other charms.
Too few women realize that husbands
love Is often easily lost by the neglect to
be as attractive as before marriage. There
are, however, conspicuous exceptions of
women who dress more carefully than
ever to please their husbands, but they are
the wise women of the world
Very few women permit men to dictate
in the matter of dress, whether husbands
or lovers. | think that there are many
women who would desire to be daintily
dressed If no one ever saw them, but the
great mass would fall into carelessness
without the incentive of public approval.
And in regard to dress reform, women en-
ter upon it for two reasons, TO be attractive
and to gain health-the number being
about equal for both. This work is grow
ing tremendously, and it is the very
ultra-fashionable that are taking hold of ii.
1neY are DSiuS COuNluSSu that Lue lOllS
lines, which suggest without closely de-
fning the fgure,' lend charm to many
otherwise unattractiye women.
HOW TO DUST A ROOM.
'The feather duster is an abomination,"
writes Christiania Terhune Herrick in a
recent number of The Housewife. In the
hands OF 4 careless housemaid the feather
duster is fi1ted among the furniture, up
about the picture frames, down amid the
chair rungs. into hooks and corners, scat
tering the dust everywhere, brushing the
impalpable powder from one spot and driy-
ing it into another, until, when the maid
retires from her labors, all the dust in the
room has changed its place, while but little
of it has been permanently removed.
There should be a method in dusting
and il should be closely followed. First
of all, the carpet should be brushed. A
A.horough sweeping may not be necessary
every day, out in most living rooms there
is daily need of a carpet-sweeper or dust
pan and brush, often of all three. The
carpet-sweeper is admirable for taking up
the dirt in the middle of the room, but is
practically useless in the corners. Every
houselzeeper should have one of the dust
pans that can be held in place by the foot.
The gain in comfort is immeasurable to
the woman who has been accustomed to
bend herself double when she wished to
brush Up the fluff that she had gathered
together with her broom,