St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-02

perieneed the annoyanceS are now In
variably ordering the low backs, and in
cases where they do not desire to sacri-
flee what are on hand sufficient low
backs are procured tohaye the high and
low placed alternately at table.
Decorators have learned to draw in
splration from every branch of Oriental
handicraft, and from the fan which the
sweet girl graduate of the fiowery king
dom yields in her coquetry to the head
rest which grips her neck and keeps
her chignon in place over night. any
thing and everything seems to have
peen used by the depredatory house
decorator and adapted to interior fur
nishings.
The prude. who has served lifetime
in the strait-laced atmosphere of village
life. is simply Mortified at the decollete
exposure of the ballroom; then again
polite society. when confronted with the
short-dressed, fat-legged exhibits of the
European -peasantry. is unspeakably
shocked. For instance. an embroid-
erod frieze decoration which friend
OF ours. New York dealer, brought
over some years ago, work of the
Charles Nv. period. represented four
dancing cupids holding strings of gar
lands. The work was close copy of
nature in every detail, and as such it
had to be retouched and done over in
parts before it could be shown with
prOpriety to the class of customers our
friend dealt with. For several years it
remained in his place Impoverished,
until he moved up town to more
ariStOcratic neighbOrhood, where
the embroidery was shown TO
a better educated element, and
Immediately the criticism was made
that in the time when this embroidery
was supposed to have been made nature
was faithfully copied, and as nature
was not very closely copied in this piece
it certainly could not be an original of
those days; whereupon the decorator
stepped up and pulled out all the
stitches, restoring the natural details.
and the embroidery was quickly taken
by one not overwhelmed with prudiSh
scrupleS.
A man with a good deal of originality
has adopted the tape idea which we see in
Renaissance lace curtains, for applique
purposes. upon valances or pOrtiereS.
He has taken quarter-inch ribbon of a
quiet shade. hayInga beaded edge and
reversible colors, and worked it upon a
background of some neutral color. 1t
gives very pleasing effect. on the order
of Louis XIV. ribbon designs.
There appears to be noticeable de-
mand for the old Dutch effects in fine
parlor furniture.
A curious decorative scheme was
shown us the other day, and can be
utilized in making chair-backs, man
tel valanceS, or anything of that kind.
You may have seen child take sheet
of red PAPER, fold it and refold it. and
then with pair of scissors clip it IN
curves along the folds. BY unfolding
this, and laying it upon sheet of some
other color, delightful design is
shown, with the details all in regular
| JuXtaposition. This is decorative
scheme in a nutshell. The difference is
that instead of paper you use felt, and
instead Of one sheet you use several
sheets.
Novelties which are now beng shown
for the holidays are little brackets with
drapery Observation-Disclosures, delicate,
frail things of bamboo or some other
light wood, made with almost rustic
simplicity, but backed by heavy semi
circular silk scarf, which forms deco.
rative background as it hangs on the
wall, or little bracket with queer-look-
ing curtains hanging from it; odd
things, curious; never seen before, and
made at prices that would guarantee
their sale, something like Sl2 to SIS a
dozen. we believe.
How do you pronounce word spelled
pOrtiere? We get it all sorts of ways
porter, porcelain, porcheere and por-
thar. IT'S going the rounds now, as vase
did some years ago. In Boston, it was
vawz; in Philadelphia. varz. and every
where else, where they didn't care a
cuss, they struck it vace. We often WON
der how these Alterations arise. Por-
there is French word, and there is
nothing about it which should con-
fuse one; but take notice, among the
retailers particularly. and you will find
in days trip of the trade that views
vary, all the way from porcheer to por-
thur. The best rules of orthoepy give
the pronunciation portear, with the last
syllable taking the ''a" as in the word
fat, and not the al as in fair. The best
authorities, including Worcester. Walker
and johnson, pronounce vase with the
sound not as harsh as 'sZ," nor soft as
IS" but go-between.