Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-20
JOLLY KRIS KRINGLE
Demands Such Heavy Tribute That
1t Is Well to Begin Early.
HINTS FOB HOME DECORATION.
Bits Of Fancy Work to Keep Pretty Pemin-
inc Fingers Busy.
MAKING CRUEL FOR VEIE INVALID
WRITTEN FOR THE p1sPATcH.l

With the languorous heat of the dog days
scarcely out of our veins it seems hardly
seasonable to begin Christmas talk, still in
this busy day and generation coming events
have to be to some extent discounted. To
many of US our Christmas intentions are
more generous than our purses-it Will be
wise to begin in time to execute these 1nten-
tions. The purses stretch better If the
strain is not a sudden one. Many women
accumulate during the summer wanderings
pretty little things that are carefully put
aside for Christmas gifts; others begin
in the early autumn, now, for in
stance, to pick up trihes to hoard against
this supreme holiday of the year.
At no time do the shops offer such genu-
ine bargains in materials for Christmas
fancy work as now. At the lace and trim
ming counters odd lengths of all sorts Of
handsome things are shown and scraps of
beautiful fabrics, silks, velvets and plushes
are to be readily found for the seeking
remnants of summer finery that must give
way before the influx of fall and Winter
goods. And beyond few striking Christ
mas novelties that are not shown till the
snow flies, it is easy to select from the many
permanent favorites work which will please.
And at least, if the actual gift is not pur
chased, nor its materials, secured thus fore
handedly, it will be wise to have eyes and
ears open for suggestions as to what is
wanted. 1t was the writer's good fortune
just before last Christmas to see a remark
able collection of gifts. 1t had been got
together by big-hearted woman and was
intended for distribution among a wide
circle of relatives and intimate friends.
There was French fish kettle 'tfor lit
tie cousin of mine who does her own work"
apretty rug ''to cover a worn place that has
much distressed the owner of certain par
lor," choice though small etching for
''house mother whose artist soul had been
starved patching trousers for five royster-
ing bovs;" two orchestra seats for q coming
theatrical performance "for young clerk
and his wife who love the play and are
rarely able to enjoy it" and so on. Every
article represented q gratifed desire, q
study of felt wants, to use a much abused
but most expressive phrase. And In the
face of this painstaking care 1t suddenly
seemed as if the Indifferent reckless choice
that marks much Christmas giving lacked
the true spirit of the time.
The perforated silver tea balls, which
were such popular wedding gifts last eu-
tumn, seem rather to have fallen from
grace this season, which is pity, for they
were and are distinctly useful 'They were
taken too much advantage of" sagely re-
marks a young matron, who was a bride q
year ago. 81 had eight among my gifts, all
family size, for the teapot, and could not
use possibly more than one. They were
pretty, new, not too expensive,
and seekers for wedding presents
simply ran them into the ground.
Naval officers in particular Ct was a navy
woman who was ta1king) took to them won
derfully. Six of my eight came from en-
signs and sub-lieutenants.
1t is safe in selecting these dainty trihes
for other people to buy the individual ones
for use in cups; such will bear duplicating
and look very pretty piled on the tea tray
to be sent around with each cup and daintily
taken out by the silver chain when the de-
coction is sufficiently brewed a substitute
for the pretty spheres was seen the other
day at the tea table of a young
chatelaine whose resources did not permit
a full set and whose wedding occurred be-
fore the rage for them, in the shape of tiny
tarletan bags holding the tea leaves. One
was dropped in each cup and boiling water
poured over it, as in the case of the silver
vessel, and later taken out with little silver
tongs PROFESSIONALLY the brewing of tea,
cup BY cup, in this fashion greatly en-
hances its flavor. And as q final suggestion,
mesdames serve your tea hot. In English
drawing rooms, at the 'tfve o'clock, the
tea is drunk at the scalding point.
An excellent method to clean wafls-pa-
pered, painted or hard fnished-is to make
a dough of coarse -four and water and rub
with it, first carefully wiping off all loose
dust from the surface to be cleaned. Have
some -four at hand to thicken the dough as
it grows too soft under the handling.
At a recent wedding, hangings of gauze,
the color of the prevailing flower, added
not little to the charming effect of the
rooms. Lavender sweet peas were banked
and punched in every possible place and at
windows, doors, draped over the pictures,
garlanded in the chandeliers, and in fact
wherever opportunity seemed to offer were
hangings Of lavender gauze. The effect was
graceful, but the color a little trying to
some of the guests. The idea might be
duplicated in yellow or pink more satisfac-
torily.
Something exceedingly feecy and pretty
in the way of picture or eassl scarfs and
something was pronounced new in
the Exchange, where it was seen, is one of
whitewash blonde, made up with No. 9
ribbon. Take piece of fine blonde of
whatever length and width desired-a scarf
80 inches wide and u yards long, when |
finished drapes welI-and run an inch hem |
along its length. Finish each end with |
hem the width of the ribbon. Fringe strips |
of ribbon to the depth of finger, leaving the |
ribbon plain the width of the scarf. Allow |
two strips for each end, Tack a strip of !
ribbon to each hemmed end, and to each |
strip join wheels of the blonde, adding to |
these the remaining strips of ribbon. Finish |
the second strip of ribbon at each end with /
vandykes of the wheels made by putting
them on in rows in the order-three, two,
one. The wheels are made of round pieces
of the blonde turned together and gauged at