The Portland daily press., 1894-01-29
THE HON


derstand how from the rough, hard hide
is produced the soft fur skin one must
know the process of the fur dresser. 1t
is to him that the rough hides of the
animal are brought, and he reduces them
all to the sllken fexibility which still
leaves them strong, and make it pos
sible to sew them into garments. The
skins are first shaven of any remnants
of flesh and rough inner layers, until
the proper depth of pelt is reached, then
are vigorously and thoroughly rubbed
with good butter. 1t is not possible to
use rancid butter in this process, for the
odor of rancid butter will remain in the
fur, even after all the oily substance of
the butter has been remove. An expert
in furs examines furs as much by the
sense of smell as by the sense of touch,
and detects the odor of rancid butter at
once.
The butter is beaten into the coarser
furs by machinery, but into the finer
furs by the trampling OF bare human
feet. No method has yet been devised
that will take the place of the primitive
process of treading the furs under the
bare feet. The tramping room of the
fur dresser's establishment presents a
singular appearance. Great hogsheads
are arranged ground the side, each con-
tanning man, who is kept constantly
treading a few fine furs under his feet.
His head alone is visible, and with the
singular motions it takes on with the
rest of his body it reminds one more of
the pictures of the Ifnerno than any
earthly scene.
Yet these men are engaged in very
f,,J Stnnt
German laborers are usually employed
for this purpose. After twelve hours
trampIing the furs are taken from the
hogshead and the pelts are being shaved
and then transferred to three or four
successive drums of sawdust, in which
they are thoroughly shaken until the
last vestige of the oil of butter is re-
moved. The fur dresser tests them to
see if they are ready by blowing the fur
lightly near the tail of the skin, where
it is thickest. IT the hairs cling togeth
er in the slightest degree, he knows that
his work is not complete, and he returns
the skin to drum OF fresh sawdust to
be done over.
Thus we have another test which every
shopper should heed. Not only must
the odor of the fur be fresh and pure to
show that no rancid butter has been
used, but the fur must be lightly blown
apart in various places to show that all
traces of the oil of the butter have been
removed A shoppe who has been off
cred a remarkable bargain in furs will
do well to use the tests, for it is quite
likely that the dealer may have some
substantial reason for disposing of his
goods at an apparently ruinous price,
Helena Rowe in Good Housekeeping.
The Business Woman's Gown.
Whether you sit at a desk or are be-
hind counter it goes without saying
that dark colors are always to be pre-
ferred, writes Isabel A. Mallon in "The
Art of Dressing for Business" in the
February Ladies' Home Journal. The
crushed raspberry, peacock blue or any
of the bizarre shades may please you
for two weeks, perhaps month, but
at the end of that time you will have
tired of the color 1t has grown COM
mon. and vet you must wear it all the
season. A dark color does not of neces-
sity mean black; there are besides.
navy blue, seal brown, Lincoln green
and deep cardinal. Any one of these
colors is suitable for business wear, and
not one of tnem is tiresome to the eye,
Serge with its heavy cord, is the mater
ial Of all others 80 which I give prefer
smooth cloth. After this come the close
Iv-woyen fannels, cancels hair, the suit
ines that have a rough surface, and
either Henrietta cloth or cashmere In
France the girls who are in shops all
wear black silk dresses that are fur
nished by the proprietors of the estab-
lishment, and are laid aside when bust
ness hours are over.
Changing Effects in Living Room.
In Fanny Kemble's Recollections of
Girlhood" she tells of habit her
mother had, happily, of changing effects
in her living rooms. Instead of allow
ing sofas and chairs to retain undis-
puted possession of the places to which
they had been first assigned, this good
matron frequently introduced new COM
binations and new effects. The whole
appearance of room would be altered
or modified by novel arrangement of
it's belongings. Sometimes rooms them
selves would be transferred, SO to speak,
from one locality to another, not, of
course, the very apartments, but the blue
hangings of one chamber would take the
place of the red in former one, and vice
versa. Pictures would be taken from
this light and hung in that. The arm
chair that stood by the window would
| 90 into seclusion in shadowy corner,
and the big rocker would emerge from
the corner and find favorable adjust
ment in the point of view of the window.
| Monotony is to most people extremely
distasteful We weary of routine. We
long for a change. A girl once said Of
| her grandmother, very irritable old
lady, who was weary of life, and always
| wishing that her time had come to leave
it, II believe grandma's only reason for
| wishing that she were done with this
life is that she has An ingrained love
| of change" Flippant as the remark was,
| it had the foundation of substratum of
| truth. Many people do love change of
scene, and if they cannot have change
of place too, why should they not change
the scenery in the place where they must
| stay
Try it, if you are in state of discour-
agement. Pull your paTlor to pieces.
| Bring the piano out from the corner
where it has been standing a year or