Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-28


we have worked! Why, I have learned to
sweep, and make beds, and dust. and
soothe sick babies. and play nurse with any
one. l think sometimes, when I look back
oyer the winter that our poor people have
done us more good than we have them. We
gave them bodily succor, but they taught
US something worth more than that, with
out knowing 1t, perhaps. but valuable
lesson all the same. Mr.. Moody said one
evening that the mind was more than meat
and the soul more than Iaiment-at least
that was the substance of 1t, and II we are
not better in mind and soul for the ex-
periences of the past winter, it Is because
we are impervious to Improvement At
least, so it looks to me-"
THAT Is true" replied Bobbie, earnestly.
Il have not many social triumphs to record
but feel some way as though have been
or some account in the world, and the sem
sation is decidedly pleasant. We have
grown in-I don't want to say grace what
Is the word to use, Elaine?'
Il think grace Is exactly the word
Grille" said Elaine, with a loving pat. TT
is good old church word that means to ex-
pand ana improve, to become better, more
fit for useful life, and less 'cumberer of
the ground to put 1t in the real old
Methodist style. 1 suppose every woman
wants to be beautiful" she went on
thoughtfully, God must have planted the
desire In our hearts. just as He gave men
the desire to be strong and big Of stature.
But women do not begin early enough in
life to realize all that is required to make
a woman beautiful Our bodies are only
pieces Of delicate mechanism, and If we
wait for some parts Of IL to get rusty from
disuse, We must expect to find that we cam
not accomplish as much with them as we
could If We had kept all the tiny muscles
oiled for action. So much Is expected of
women now. socially. professionally and in
tellectually, that they need to have their
physical powers well under control to know
how to rest, how to react from the demand
OF our very exhausting life; how to care for
the very delicate bodies We have inherited
from mothers who never took care OF their
bodies at all. The health and v1gor Of a
nation can never rise higher than the
health and vigor Of its mothers. The health
OF the women sets the standard"
But Elaine" demonstrated Jennie. Il
thought you favored physical culture"
Useful Occupation Counts.
80 do. child. for the lazy rich,' as
Sara's clerk put 1t. But for strong. Wig
orous young girls like we are. I have
very small opinion Of it. Walking riding.
dancing, tennis, and the small household
duties that each one Of you ought to have.
whether you need to do them or not. would
be amply sufficient to keep you healthy
unless you willfully override some law OF
nature In that case you are the loser,
for you know that nature exacts her pen
atty for every infringement of her laws,
and that sooner or later you have to pay.
The aim OF all physical culture is self
knowledge, self preservation and self i'm
provement, and unless one begins to study
these in youth, the process in later life
will not be any more satisfactory than
patching up old plastering. I'm afraid that
that young lady would find herself long on
cleanliness and short on health, though,
IL she ever got chance to put her theories
into practice. / am a fish for water. but its
use can be abused. i think, on the whole,
that would rather err on the side of too
much, however, than too little. Think how
MOI vfrr1 70
the report that you had contracted a pois-
onous skin disease through wearing hose
too long without washing! That poor Eu-
ropean princess will wish now that she
had not had such costly and frail black
lace stockings and few more common
sense ones, that could be washed once a
day"
Bathing so much is an awful lot of
to dress without bathing sometimes.
get in hurry. ana it does take such a
lot OF time"
Points I'm bathing.
Don't you dare to do such a thing"
stormed Mary. who came in just in time
to catch the last remark. 81 wish you
could have had the object lesson that
had today. You would sooner think of 60
ing without your bangs than your bath
I was waiting in the members gallery at
the House while mamma was talking to
by me. / think that she was a lady but
no woman who has the real instincts Of a
lady would carry about with her the palpa-
BILE inference that she was living in a
house where a bath tub is a novelty.
couldn't stand it, so moved to another seat
and had the misfortune to sit beside q
woman with thick, long hair. and the
had to move again. That woman's hair
would have been beautiful II IL had been
clean, but 1t was musty and sour and dingy
with dirt. Ugh! it makes me sick to think
of it,"
Tell us how often we should battle,
Elaine. 1 really didn't know that one could
battle too often" said Nora. who had been
unusually quiet.
sWhy, Nora, II would be perfectly alb
surd to undertake to lay down rules in
sentence or two that would do for all of
you. / can stand hot bath once a day
and sponge bath besides, just before re-
firing. Some of you may not be able to
take a hot bath once a week. and SO have
to take the tepid bath; shower bath is
good for some systems and for others IL is
simply cruel. 1 can't endure a shower bath.
woman of vigorous habits should take
a good soap bath in a tub and rubbing once
a day. Never directly after meal and
never when she is tired. But she can select
More delicate women may have to take the
sponge bath entirely. II you want per-
fectly refreshing sleep dip a towel in soft
cool water and give the body a thorough
q. Il
that it is a good plan to take the full bath
just before retiring. Early in the evening or
in the morning is the best time. II the
methods that / suggest are followed no
woman will make herself a malodorous
nuisance in company"
Elaine, do you believe that any amount
of bathing or dieting or physical culture
will make woman beautiful. unless she
has a sweet nature behind it all?" 1t was
Bobbie who asked the question, and Bobbie
has disposition as lovely and lovable as
the snow drop.
The Abiding Place of Beauty.
mo, do not. You know We talked about
that once before. A woman of unlovely
disposition would be unlovely yet, though
she had the face of the Sistine Madonna
1t is not the regularity Of feature, nor the
richness of color of those great master
pieces Of Raphael that appeal to us so d.
rectly, but the soul that seems to animate
the beautiful eyes and the TRANSFERRING
glow of sanity perfection that shines over
all. His madonnas are ideals of all that is
tender and sweet and true in woman. In
them you see, besides the beautiful body
the reverent spirit, loving heart, and ra-
diant personality that made her fit to be
the mother of Christ / think that those
who choose the best and beautiful in life
are certain to reflect It. While, on the
other hand. as some one says, Every de-
pressing scene, every unreasonable loss of
gray hairs Study yourself and determine
what lovely traits are possible for you, and
then possess them by intelligent persis-
tence. With Gods help get a soul in tune
with all that is lovely and of good repute
make your body vigorous and fine and then
others. strive to make a beautiful picture
of yourself"