The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-12-28
FOR AND ABOUT WOMEN.
COSBY READING FOR MAID AND
NATION.
Houses Numbered Up With Bric-a-
Brac and Ornamental Furniture
= Are the Children Out Of Print9-
WOnlan's Economy.

-~>~
Woman's Economy.
TOO little furniture is bad, but too
much, it seems to me, is a good deal
worse" said a faded housekeeper to
writer for the New York Ledger. MY
life is literally worn out with moving
and putting in order and caring for the
thousand and one articles of doubtful
ornamentation and absolute uselessness
with which the house is numbered. I
think that an ornament must have
some excuse for being in order to be
really worth the time and trouble re-
qulred to take care Of it. Instead OF
this we have representations OF all
sorts OF quaint and queer things that
appear to me to have no right what
ever in the drawing groom, to say the
least. Some of these days hope to see
more of what might be called adapt;,-
ton in the beStoWing of our household
decorations. The library is good
place for curiosities unless one has a
special room devoted to such purposes
and they ought to be kept there i'll
stead Of in the draWing-room or par
lOrs. A cabinet with shelves might be
placed in either of these rooms and FILL
ed with articles appropriate to the de-
partment. But how often do we find
every sort of curiO, from the hOrrible
and grotesQue to the realistic and al
most indecent, arranged in receDtion
and family rooms. OF course where
space is limited, one must do the best
one can; but. all the same, there are
many bits Of brc-a- brac that would be
much more agreeable if less prominent
~ exhibited. TO tumble Indians Chin
csc, Japanese and all manner of arti-
cles into one place in such close proxi-
nifty that they continually elbow each
other is like colOniZing the different
sorts OF people under the same roof
and compelling them to- live there
whether they will or no. The incon-
grulty, after 4 time, becomes painful
and 1t would seem as though, in their
own way, the articles would quarrel
with each other as violently as would
the human specimens of the same
species were they thus crowded togeth-
or. And what is true Of bric-a-brac is
equally true Of furniture. The fancy
Tor odd pieces sometimes runs absO-
lutely riot, and brings about the col
lection of heterogeneous assortment
OF furnishings that, however fine they
may be individually. are an otfense and
WEAKNESS when they must be endur-
ed collectively. Fewer articles, chosen
and arranged on a Well-defined nlan
and with the most scrupulous regard
Tor one another, are much more salts
factory to an artistic taste than the
choicest miscellaneous collection that
the gathering mania ever brought I'M
der one roof"
Arc the Childrel Outof Prints.
l was once on a committee for making
catalogue Of hooks advisable for CHI J.
dren and young people, and my part
was to examine such as We're tout Of
print,' but which might be worth
recommending to publishers for repro
ductlOn, writes Mrs. A. d. r. Whitney
in the first Of a delightful series of pa
pers under the title Of 'Friendly Letters
to My Girl Friends' in the Ladies'
Home Journal. / carried in a score
or so one day to our meeting, where
each of us was to make her report
When they turned to ME and my rath-
err formidable Dreastwork of piled vol
umes. and asked what | had to say or
submit, l simply answered: 1.-THE chill
dren are out Of print" And that is the
way Of it. Literary work perishes, as
TO it's husks; it is only the vital germ
that can survive. Life within the form
cndures end waits though it may be
buried for a thousand years, to reap
pear, fresh clothed, for new time, in
new body; to. every seed its own
body, as it is In the resurrection.
When one has really been in a book,
and stayed and had Il pleasant time
there, I think there is Il great delight
IN going again and again, as one does to
a favolite summer haunt The very
opening Of its pages brings breeze
Of welcome atmosphere, like the air
overthe hills or by the shore: and when
there is true companionship, counsel,
thought, suggestion, sympathy In it.
one is never tired Of their own rccur-
renee but clasps hands eagerly with
old friends, and knows there is moth.
ing in all strAngerhood that can be
better.
WOman'S Economy.
From cursory glance at the conpar-
alive qualities Of economy as possessed
by the two sexes may be deduced the
fact that a man will pay so cents for
a 1O-cent thing he wants and a woman
will pay 10 cents for a 5O-cent article
she has no use for and all because
it Is cheap. a man will eat a 5O-cent
luncheon down town and come home
hale and hearty and fresh and find his
wife, who has lunched on toast and
tea because it was cheap, all worn
out and in heap. It is this misconoep-
ton Of economy that initiates against
the progress Of woman as much as it
Is any other two things. 1t helps to
maka har tho x1-oal-or Gov booo 800 ~