St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-05
OUR CONTRIBUTOR.
What Polly Pepper Has to Tell
Globe Headers


The week opens with holiday con-
tribution from GLOBE reader who
signs herself Polly Pepper. The GLOBE
has no means of knowing who Polly
Pepper really is, but what she says is
readable. and it is to be hoped that
many another woman will follow her
example.
The woman's department in the vari-
Gus papers came up for discussion
the other day, and the opinions ex-
pressed. pro and con, were as various
and emphatic in approval or disapproval
as the tastes of the ladies present. One,
who has successfully launched a family
of sons and daughters ''On life's tenn
pestons sea- expressed herself spicily
in this way: My children are all
grown. have seen them through
short clothes into skirts and
trousers. They have had all
the sicknesses that childish flesh
is heir to. They all have original
sin, and / have done my own spanking,
efficiently, think. They are we'll edu-
Gated. l have taught my girls all they
need to know of domestic matters, and
what d0 L want OF advice on these mat
ters? Whatever is new or of good re-
port | want TO know, but advice-thank
you, no. What we tired mothers want
is to have our leisure diverted and to
feel ourselves in touch with the great
outside world. from which the cares of
a family are too apt to separate US. We
don't want to go 10 school by mail"
Another lady took up the pro of the
question in this sense: .Of course,
Mrs. Blank. you have learned all this
by experience by the time you raised
five children, but we younger ones,
whose dear mothers kept US from all
knowledge of iife's cares, are often very
glad Of the advice you speak so scorn-
fully of. An old housekeeper like you
would hardly care for Il recipe for
stewing rhubarb, or how to serve the
bread scraps, but such as 1 are always
glad to find that Mrs. Rohrer or Miss
Maria Parloar has taken time to tell us
how. to- do these things" So you see the
wOman'S department must be all things
to all women. -
CMrs. JeaDess-Miller expresses herself
in this wayin regard to question that
deeply interests all women: Every
few weeks L find in the newspapers
articles written by uniformed writer's,
showing how economically woman may
dress. Sometimes the sum total for
clothing for the year is ridiculously low
and sometimes it is surprisingly high.
Such articles usually do more harm than
good. They create dissatisfaction. The
woman who is struggling along, trying
to educate her children. keep comfort
able home, dress herself decently and
save little money from her husbands
salary for the rainy day, is apt to be-
come discouraged If she reads i'm some
paper that wOman's wardrobe may be
rep!enished each year at figure below
what she is herself spending in her
own saving way. OF course, men read
these silly articles, too, and are often
dissatisfied with their wives because
they think they are spending too much
for dress. On the other hand, shallow
women are apt to think it fine thing to
spend more than they can really afford,
simply because some newspaper writer
says such an amount is necessary"
The Art Interchange says that the
"lucky moonstOne is growing in favor
and is esteemed especially productive
of good fortune in love affairs if it be
cut in the shape OF a heart. 1t is a
species ST feldSpar, the finest specimens
OF which come from Ceylon. and it has
pearly play of color not unlike that of
the moon. which gives it it's name. 1t
has undoubtedly been popularized in
England by Wilkie Collins novel of that
name"
An English tailor has invented rainy
day dress skirt. The cheviot of which
it is made reaches within foot of the
ground, and to the edge of it Is attached
a band of leather or macintosh of SIM
liar color. This band is buttoned on in
visibly. and can easily be removed and
cleaned. This invention, which lacks
the elements of ugliness common to
proposed rainy day gowns. is warmly
welcomed. POLLY PEPPER.