The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-12-06
WHAT SHALL WE GIVE /?
ALICE OFFERS SOME SUGGEsTroNs
IN HER LETTER TO LOUISE.

My DEAR LOUISE: With big strides Christ
mas is coming upon us, and the perplexing
question: "What shall give for a Christmas
gift ?" is uppermost in women's minds. The
saving custom of sending souvenir cards at
Chrstmas-tide has almost died out 1t was
blessed fashion, for the outlay represented
by these pretty little srifles was frequently
about all the sender could afford. So greatly
has the demand for Christmas cards declined
that the English manufacturers are thinking
of abandoning the making of them altogether
the business being so unremunerative. The
passing of the Christmas card fad makes the
festive period, with its obligations of "giving
and taking,n somewhat of hardship to
many. For the slender purses, the art and
fancy stores are havens of safety, compare
lively. The rage for scarfs of all sizes and
descriptions is as great as ever, but the pres
ent vogue of Orientaism and furnishing
schemes gives the greatest prominence to
pillows and cushions. Drawing-rooms and
sitting. rooms are filed with them. They are
heaped up in careless profusion on sofas and
dlvans, on window stills and in the corners of
rooms. Many of them are of extreme costlness
as well as beauty, but some that require the
outlay of only few dollars are equally as
elegant. For Christmas gift pretty pillow
is always acceptable, as they are just the
things of which there can hardly be too many
A lovely one may be made with very little
plantation cloth, which is q fabric only re-
Gently imported by the Society of Decorative
Art. 1t is to be had in q wide range of colors.
A beautiful and effective sofa pillow may be
made of this material embroidered In floral
design outlined in gold thread and filled in
with floss in long and short stitches. Another
way of making really handsome pillow is
to get pretty china silk handkerchief, put it
on substantial silk lining and finish with
small tasses at each corner. l saw a beauty
made Of n black china silk han iaf
sprinkled with pansies embroidered in shades
of purple and yellow. 1t had lining of dull
gold-colored silk. A very excellent effect in
pillows is obtained by using the ordinary gray
linen canvass. The ground work of one I
saw was darned in with dull olive green silk.
The design, q spray of autumn leaves, was
couched with heavy COUGHING cord, which
stood out in bold relief from the subdued
background.
Women usually know by intuition what
will be a proper and acceptable Christmas
gift, but men have no such wisdom given
unto them. There are girls who will not ac-
cept iewery of any kind from their gentlemen
friends, and have noticed these rare speci-
mems are usually girls with quite following
But there are many other beautiful and dainty
articles besides jewelry for man to offer his
best girl at Christmas. There are exquisite
things in leather, for instance. A man may
show his taste and generosity in card case
of perfumed and tinted skin, silk lined and
silver mounted, with tiny silver screw
pencil. Then there are suede portfolios, and
handkerchief cases, and leather glove boxes,
"fine and sweet smelling as roses'' AS for
the artistically beautiful bonbonnieres of
satin and silk, with exquisite mountings, their
name is legion But the contents must match
the quality and daintiness Of the outside.
The most important ball to be given here
this month is that for the blossoming of Miss
Bonaparte. Besides her noted paternal
ancestry, Miss Bonaparte has very distin-
guished American blood flowing In her veins
She is a great-granddaughter of Daniel
Webster, and Mrs. Justice Blatchford is her
great-aunt. Miss Bonaparte is said to be the
possessor of set of wonderfully large and
beautiful pearls that were given her by her
god mother, the Empress Eugenie.
In seems to be fore-ordained that one
Cabinet lady of eacE Administration shall
break down under her social duties. In Pres-
dent Cleveland time, 1t was Mrs. Villas. Now,
Mrs. Wanamaker seems to be the victim. 1t
certainly does require an amount of season
Ing" SO to speak, to enable woman to bear
the strain. The Cabinet ladies of each
Administration usually leave retired, quiet
firesides, to pose before a somewhat exacting
public. Mrs. Wanamaker's life had, hereto
fore, been free from society cares, and ''the
burden thrust upon herr has evidently proved
more than she could bear. In every sense of
the word, the Postmaster-Geueral's wife, has
been the hostess of this Administration, as
Mrs Whitney was of the last. But Mrs.
Whitney had had the requisite ''seasLning,"
and SO was able to keep up to the finish. The
closing of Mr.. Wanamaker's house this winter
would be blow to Washington society. And,
by the way, there Is a new manner of pro-
nouncing the Postmaster Generals name 1t
is Wanamlacker This is considered much
more stylish than the Philadelphia way!
Ever yours, ALICE.