The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-03-29

and pen that every woman owes dut
70 the world-poor things, we owe g.
mdnu duties to the world-but one espe
cial duty peculiar to woman is that o
identifying the earth and doing he
best to counterfeit the sordid, materia
and deadening influences always strug
Cling to "come out on top"
All women are not pretty, all are no
graceful, or "stylish," or attractive, o
imposing; but every woman has bes
side, and it is her duty to know it and u
make the most of it, and to keep it oil
view instead of the worst side, which 81
many of the dear creatures seem deter
mined to present.
Every woman, il she means to fill he
own place in the world, is bound to make
the most of herself and to keep on doing
1t as long as she lives.
OF course there are ever SO many ways
TO apply this rule, and | have in Other
places pointed some of them out anc
urged them upon the attention of the sis
terhood, but today / confine myself t.
the one question of dress.
To begin with, every style, every de
gree, every caprice of costume must be
founded upon personal cleanliness. II
may be thought too candid a statement
and do sincerely hope that every wo
man reading these words will be right
eously indignant at such warming but
to such an one will say: OF course, my
dear, it is not meant for you any more
than for myself, but there are wo-
men!-
Well, then, the well dressed woman
must be not many hours from her bath,
and must carry about her that atmos-
phere of freshness so obvious and charac-
teristic of the upper classes in England;
"well groomed" they call themselves,
and young Englishman, whatever else
you may say of him, does suggest the
idea of buckets of water, sponges, towels,
combs and brushes. So, in more sub
dued style, should the well dressed wo-
man, whether her costume be of cotton,
wool, silk or cloth of gold.
Next to the bath comes lingerie, and
again | say, no woman, whatever the
fabric of her outer dress may be, is well
dressed, or dressed as she should be,
unless she has dainty underclothing.
But good many Of us can't afford
it!' cries voice in my ear, and reply:
But we all can, my dear, for dainty"
does not always mean expensive, and
one of the very daintiest outfits of linen
that ever saw was made for herself by
young girl of small means but great
refinement, sbout TO be married. The
only expense in the whole matter was
that she had used cambria instead OF that
stout cotton fabric which in New York
is called muslin" and which, although
few cents in the yard cheaper than
cambria, is utterly incapable Of beina
made dainty.
Well, not to enter into particulars, my
little bride had crochetec and tatted and
netted and knitted the greatest variety
of trimmings, and had KUN little blue
ribbons in at neck and sleeves and frills,
and had embr 'idered big monogram on
everything, and in some places had dp-
ptigued sprigs and wreaths of French
embroidery, and in fact had quite I'M
consciously to herself written the word
lady over the whole business, until it
seemed to me almost liberty to be turn
ing over and admiring such personal
matters.
The dear child had hardly half dozen
in, l..a. %
those at all expensive; but although she
had not made them she had contrived
them, and each one told, and would do
its whole duty and always look appro-
pirate to the occasion.
Two dresses were planned to be made
into one after "A year or two, and would
then be more effective than either could
be alone, and sumptuCus evening dress
with court train and low body could,
by detaching the train and substituting
a high bodice, be worn in the street or at
a reception. A silk slip was provided
with two or three very distinct gauze and
lace over dresses, and so throughout, for
this bride was destined to that hardest of
positions for woman-that of one who
wishes and is required to dress well upon
small means. She lived in the world,
and among people richer than herself,
but as | looked through the scanty trors-
seau and saw how every penny spent
upon it was made to tell, and how good
taste, and discretion, and willing fingers
had supplemented the money outlay,
felt serenely confident that Mrs. -
would always be one Of the best dressed
women of my acquaintance and so, in
fact, abe is.
But again, it is not every woman who,
lacking money, has skill or time to make
pretty things for herself, and to such
would say: Don't sink down into feeling
that you don't care! Do the very best
you can with the means at your COM
mand. and keep on try ing to do better.
Get . few pretty underclothes and by
care in mending, putting on new edg-
Ing, running in bright ribbon, ETC.,
things may be kept pretty for a long
While. Twas in q shop once with little
lady who gathered up the blue ribbons
- salesmau stripoed OF a n bale Of