The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-12-28
TWO KINDS OF RosE-JARs.

One is a Joy Forever and the other EN-
phaticalIy Is Not.
Boston Gazette.
"How did you make your Tose-iar?" l asked
a certain gay BELLE She heanswered, with laugh:
'I'll give you my recipe and the result, then you
go and try the exact opposite method. l pur-
chased the finest potpourr jar in the market,
the finest table salt, the very spciest spices,
and the-sweetest perfumes; and then had sent
me the loveliest flowers you ever saw, which [
ruthlessly destroyed in their first freshness
without taking time to enjoy them-great roses
as big a cup. Well, put in first a layer of
salt; this, you know, is supposed to catch and
hold the fragrant essence of the flower, as does
the grease in the oils of commerce. The salt
strewed thickly with rose leaves, sprinkling
them with the spices and perfumes; then came
another layer of salt and layer of rose leaves
and spices; so on to the top This is the ortho-
dox recipe, and [ followed it carefully: but
instead of growing sweeter, it became more
and more offensive, until finally had to hold
my nose every time / opened it. Bah it was
awful"
A friendly druggist suggested most happy
compromise. Preserve all of your flowers, wear
them, and enjoy them; then when they are quite
withered pull them to pieces and dry them thor
oughly, spread out upon a paper-his love let
ters if you like-in dark room, so that they
potpourri roll them in your hands, mixing with
them aromatic spices and the best sachet pow
ders, sprnkling them with the finest essences
and oils, mixing with them the sweet lavender
flowers which are already dried. Then you will
have rose-iar that you will not be afraid to
open. Or better STILL take your dried leaves to
the druggist and he will mix for you potpourri
that will be joy forever. The rose-jar is
comparatively new craze, only two or three
years old, but very dainty one 1t fills long
felt want, and suggested, perhaps, the many de-
vices for refreshing our parlors and bedrooms
with pretty artistic trfes.
The taste for sweet scents is not, however, of
recent origin. 1t seems inherent in the human
breast, and is as old as the Mills upon which
the flowers blow. Though somewhat accentu-
ated of late, since they are brought more
readily within our reach, the fondness for
sweet odors seems to date back to the most
ancient of days-to the Garden of Eden, no
doubt. Fragrant woods, sandal and cedar,
were used in the construction of the tabernacle
in the wilderness, and also in Solonon's Tenn
pie, while frankincense and myrrh were burnt
as incense continually in the service. Among
the gifts sent by Jacob to the rulers of Egypt,
when he wished to propitiate them, were ''gifts
of frankincense and myrrh," and these same
fragrant gums were brought by the wise men of
Greeks and Romans were inordinately fond of
perfumes, which they used not only
in the amounting of their heads and
boards, but also about their houses and
garments Even the tyrant Nero showed
weakness for perfumes, for one of the
most costly is called by his name, ''Neroly,"
and, though still brought from Egypt, was
quickly adopted for the production of essences
from the numerous fragrance-bearing flowers
which grow in wild profusion in Greece and
Italy. But long before this fragrant waters
were in use in Arabia. Through all generations
and circumstances this taste has come down to
us, Our grandmothers could not afford or pro-
cure essential oil or sweet-scented powders, per-
hans. had of lavender
chamomile and sweet fern, the leaves of which
were carefully gathered and laid on the shelves
between the folds of snowy homespun linen, and
a few leaves tied in the corner of handkerchief
or little bag of sweet lavender deftly concealed
about the gown, then as now was indispensable
to lady's toilet.