The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-12-14

homes of our statesmen for Christmas. i score
and more of the Senators have their families
here, and there are perhaps two thousand little
ones, whose fathers are connected with the
Government, who dream every night of Santa
Claus. A great many presents are given in
Washington among friends during the holidays,
and one of the leading subjects OF discussion
to-day is Christmas presents and how to make
them. Mrs. President Harrison believes in the
celebration of Christmas. She gives a great
many presents and she tells me that the most
of her gifts were in the past homemade. She
gave away great many of her paintings as
Christmas gifts, and she tells me that she would
like to paint to-day for Christmas, but that her
public duties compel her to purchase such pres
ents as she gives away. She has large circle
OF pensioners to whom she always presents arti-
cles of food and wearing apparel on Christmas
and she says that she takes great pleasure in
doing so. She does not believe in expensive
gifts among friends, and she thinks that pres
ents made with ones own hands convey a
greater compliment and form better token of
friendship than any other kind.
MRS. SHERMAN ON CHRISTMAS GIVING.
L find that many of the noted ladies of Wash
ington depreciate the growing custom of pro-
miscuous giving on Christmas. l asked Mrs.
Senator Sherman for her opinion Of the subject.
She said:
II think that Christmas presents should be
confined to relatives and personal friends. with,
OF course, the privilege of extending the re-
membrance to Others whom we may chose to
compliment. But as to making indiscriminate
gifts, 1t ought to be discouraged. To friends at
distance a little memento of the day in the
shape of a small card is always acceptable, and
a little homemade article, either for practical
use or ornament, is much more valued from
the fact that the recipient knows we have taken
pains and thought for him in making it. Ger
tainly there is no pleasure in the receipt of a
gift which conveys an obligation, and thus
makes one feel that she has incurred a debt in
getting 1t. l don't like indiscriminate giving
Almost any one can make something of one
kind or another that in the motive induced by
the effort VIII awaken responsive chord in the
breast OF the recipient, and l seldom, if ever
make Christmas presents unless prompted by
affection or the desire to give proof of esteem.
A gift beyond ones MEANS" Mrs Sherman
went on, should always be avoided, as it is
never appreciated, and places the receiver in
position of embarrassment. There is no need
of it. SO many dainty little gifts can be bought
for trife nowadays that the purse need not be
very large to meet the requirements of the sea-
SON.
l called upon Mrs. Senator Davis to learn her
views in regard to the making and giving of
Christmas gifts and was rewarded by sight of
variety of dainty articles prepared by her own
hands. She was busily engaged in the work of
putting her house in order for the winter, but
she showed me many pretty and original pieces
of fancy work, carefully folded away for the
adornment of her house. l spoke of these as
being fine specimens of Christmas work, and
Mrs. Davis said:
81 always make the larger number of nv
Christmas presents, as | know from personal
experience now much more pleasure a gift con-
yeys that has been made by friend, and"-as
she picked up sachet bag-'in my opinion
there can be nothing more appropriate to send
friend than one of these simple little bows of
satin ribbon which conceals beneath its tie a
fragrant sachet of violet powder or other sweet
scent These you can easily send through the
mail, and they make pretty ornament for the
back of chair when pinned at a becoming
angle on one side. Then, as you know, | am
very fond of oil painting, and, as possess some
degree of original talent, / often occupy my
leisure hours in sketching flowers or other de-
signs upon boiling cloth, which | form into
sachet bags for the handkerchief drawer The
suggestion of sweet odors at the holy feast of
Christmas transports one in Imagination back
to the first Christmas morn when the Wise Men
laid their tribute of frankincense and myrrh at
the feet of the Christ-Child. One Of my favor
ite ways of remembering the occasion is by
Christmas letters, and if you will accompany
me up stairs i will show you what | mean .
Upon this we went to the second floor Reach
ing her chamber we found the maid was engaged
in sheeting her bed in its sable coverings of
black China silk, and pillow cases relieved by
richly embroidered letters of yellow floss in the
centre of each case. Over the sheets was
thrown warm comfort of silk in the same
sombre hue tufted in yellow These Mrs
Davis says, she prefers for use duringthe winter
varied by white silk in summer, for each season
having gowns OF corresponding shades orna-
mented with dainty bows of bright ribbon.
This fact, believe, has already been given to
the public and caused quite futter of interest
among the fair sex generally. NY hostess also
explained that she wore black silk underwear
from preference, and found that the absence of
flannel did not affect her health Returning TO
the subject Of the Christmas letters, they are
simply extra large sized sheets of letter paper
IN the varied tints Of gray and stone blue On
the upper left hand corner of each is a raised
clover leat In white, and the writing is in white
INK, which produces striking effect AS Mrs.
Davis showed me them, she said:
~ generally make up an appropriate bIanl,
verse or few lines expressing best wishes for
The season, and one can treasure them for years
Small homemade gifts like these conway no
feeling of obligation, and | think the habit of
promiscuous giving OF expensive articles has
become almost burden, and takes largely from
the original significance Of the gift"
ONE OF MRS. ATTORNEY GEN. MILLER's GIFTS
One of the daintiest pieces of home manufac-
ture have seen lately is a sofa cushion made
by Mrs Miller, wife of the Attorney General.
1t is of blue jeans, embroidered with asteroids
in white linen floss Around the edge is sewn a
twisted cord of white and gold formed of the
hoss. The great beauty of this simple but effect