The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-04-16

my husband takes such pride in my
small feet. -
Towels and sheets were spun from cot
ton to replace the house linen which had
been cut into bandages, or scraped into
lint for the surgeons in the field. One
handsome young woman, the daughter
of an ex-minister to Spain, rises before
me out of the haze of bye-gone years,
stepping lightly TO and fro, winding
bandages on the spindle of her wheel and
talking pleasantly to her visitors, while
her patriotic mother sat by, cutting up
the table linen which she had treasured
for forty years. Ine daughter showed
great callous knots on her shapely hands
made by scraping lint, and mentioned
them with an expression of gratitude to
God that she could procure material for
SO much work.
a general officers wife called to see the
wife of the president and brought her, as
the most acceptable present, a paper pat
tern of a glove, like those she herself
wore, beautifully embroidered and exactly
fitted TO her delicate hands. This paper
pattern is still extant, and very precious
TO the recipient; it was very useful in
providing the presidents whole family
with presentable gloves made from the
sleeves and breast OF an old confederate
uniform, and the cast-off black cloth gar
ments OF the gentlemen of the family.
Ladies plated exquisite straw hats and
bonnets, and learned every brand except
that of the Leghorn; the birds OF the
country furnished feathers for their
adornment.
INGENIOUS LUxURIES.
Where new companies or battalions or
gained for which flags were needed, the
sisters and sWeethearts of the men sacri-
feed their best silk frocks to make the
flags; with cunning embroidery they en-
blazoned them in such royal style that
they are wondrouSly beautiful even in
this day OF the renaissance. Is it aston
iShing that our men wrapped these flags
about their bodies and like the stern
Scotch father, who gave another and
another son Esfor Eachim,' died one
after the other to preserve them from cap
ture?
The snippings left by the army tailors,
pieces of grey and black cloth five or six
inches across, were pieced together and
then cut into jackets for the soldiers
children. Very acceptable these $40
seph's coats" proved to those who could
boast no better covering.
Such rags as could be utilized in no
other way were wound in balls and
woven into carpets, which did duty in
place Of those long since cut up for horse
and saddle blankets, and these home
made carpets were contributed later as
the need of them arose.
Bits of the clippings of the best gown
were sewed neatly over the worn out
house slippers of the women and they
straightway became dandy little congo
ners OF the gown, and were dainty to
look upon, as well as objects of pride to
their owners.
Flannel was very scarce and cost S15 or
$50 yard, but underwear was knitted of
home-spun wool and was quite as COM
Portable as the woven. Dyes were made
of the juice of plants. The raw silk
wound from cocoons was dyed and twisted
into very smooth thread. The finest and
most even fax thread, nearly as strong
as wire and quite as smooth and fine as
sewing silk, was made in Virginia, and
even now there is none SO good in the
market.
HOW WE LIGHTED OUR HOUSES.
Lamp wicks were plated by hand and
the oil was fried out of refuse pork: some
times wild myrtle berries were stewed I'M
til they yielded pale green wax, which
made beautiful and aromatic candles.
The oil of peanuts served also for illumi-
mating purposes. When none of these
were to be had the resinous pine-ssfat
pine''-was cut into splinters and burned
one at time, while the overWorked
women sat around the Pickering light
and seWed until late in the night.
1 once saw five soldiers wives making
clothes by this light, and while they
worked they talked over the chances of
their ''men" coming home alive. "I don't
expect mine,' said one, "but God knows
do not want to complain. Since nv
baby died he hasn't any occasion to
Gomez By OCCASION she meant in
ducement.
During all these laborious occupations
the children had to be clothed, generally
without the assistance OF a sewing ma
and disciplined. Night schools were es-
tabiished IN the Easements of the
churches, where the ragged children were
taught by the young ladies'.
Great barrels of soap were made of the
refuse OF the hogs killed for family and
plantation use. Was toilet SOAP re.
quired, the need was supplied each time
that a home-cured ham was boiled TO-,