The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-15
FOR LITTLE FOLK.
How TO Enhance Their Baby
Beauty Without Sacri-
flee of Common
Sense.
DRESSING UP TABooED
Ideal Servants Abound in Chrysan-
themum Land-The Per-
feet Buttonhole.

We dress our children in accordance
with our degree Of enlightenment, a y
"Babyhood." Is it not the most en-
lightened course to follow laws of the
utmost simplicity? In our own dress
we are. most of US, slaves to fashion.
The overskirt goes and we rejoice. 1t
comes again and VIZ groan, but put 1t
on. How many of us Withstood the
hustle which prevailed some years ago?
Yet with what delight do we don the
plain skirt!
New our children should only in a mod
crate degree be subservtent to fashion
always sufficiently so to be ~inconspic-
uous, yet never so much so as to be in
the slightest degree uncomfortable In a
community as enlightened as ours is in
hygfeTac matters one sees very little OF
undue heed to fashion at the expense Of
comfort. Yet even among our children
may not i~nfrenuently be seen long,
thick hair in surnme dresses OF such
length that the child actually tumbles
over them; cotton dresses kept on after
children are old enough to ronp about in
the snow, and to protect the child from
cold, coats so enormously thick and long
as to be in themselves a burden and GER
tainly a hindrance to locomotion; sleeves
so y~o1uminous as to make every putting
on of the outer garment a torture to
chlld and tug to parent.
1t may here be said that there IS album
dant opportunity for any one of US to
expend a goodly amount and yet dress
our clsilduen simply" This suggests
the anecdote of the woman of fashion
who, when asked by her dressmaker
whether her dress should be made sim
ply" replied: Certainly, spare no OK
pense." But children a not the dis
eliminating eye that distinguishes the
cost of fabrics. They wish to look like
one another, and if the rich observe rules
of even apparent simplicity. they make
life easier for their less fortunate neigh
bors. Envy. jealousy and snobbishness
are pitiable enough in men and women,
but in our children-heaven forfend!
dressing UP"
One word now on the subject of
dressing up AS far as possible, it is
better to maintain a certain average
of appearance, if / may so put It. Let
the best clothes be not so far superior
to the worst as to make the child en-
barassed in the old or s-elf-conscfous in
the new. The easy grace of manner in
some women which comes from always
being appropriately dressed should not
be overlooked in considering the dress
of children. How well I remember The
little parties many years g In the
country town where I grew up! The
long array of boys on ONE side of the
room rooted to the spot by a stern con-
seriousness of the high dicky and the
shirt 'front.', the restless pull at the col
lar button and the furtive glance of
pride at the unwonted crease in the
trousers leg; opposite the girls, never
quite so awkward, yet conscious of the
eyes gazing at them in shame-faced adj
miration, and wearing their Sunday RIB
bons and new button boots in a little
1utter of excitement-how clearly I see
his picture now! Often I wondered why
when we crossed the room, WI seemed to
have so many more feet and hands than
ever we did in the school room.
Let US, as far as possible, while our
children are children, do away with the
too marked distinction between the best
and everyday costume. Let US, above
all, emphasize the paramount import
ance of cleanliness in personal details.
1t is true that there is nothing more
wholesome thai "clean dirt"-dirt such
as we are all familiar with after a morn
ing's play in the sand heap or hours
spent in the delights of mud pies, and
the dressing up for the table, the in
door play, or for the walk in the street,
can mean simply smooth hair, clean
hands and nails "a point which cannot
too early be brought to a childs atten-
tion), and a clean dress.
SIMPLICITY AND DAINTTNESS..
While laying such emphasis on SIM
plicity of dress, I should not for a mo
ment wish to underrate I'll the little
daintiness of costume which does no
cost money, but the mothers time. One
rarely meets with a morner who does
not take a natural pride in her own hand
work, perhaps inversely proportionate
to her real capaDility, Tor we are al la, aps
labor. Led rue say, in this connection,
that the mother who necessarily spends
a large proportion OF her rme IN the care
work occupy as small a part OF her lels--
ure moments as possible. Intellectual
development is more important than
tucks and ruff1es, and how many women,
after the cares of married life begin,
hardly do more than read the evening
paperi Nor are those delicious idle mo-
when we lean back before the fire and
.tdo absolutely nothing" The nervous
overIbusy mother, who never has a
away must have mending or sewing
of some kind in her hands, is not the
woman who makes her husband happiest.
Ought a woman to feel aggrieved hat
the little attentions she remembers with
such tender sentiment during her early
married life gradually melt away, when
She reflects that she, herself, is too alb
sorbed in her own cares and occupations
to respond to them? Many a husband
laments the loss of the old lazy moments
with his wife, when he, himself. tired
out with his work, mental or physical.
could throw aside care for an hour and
have an old-time talk or. read with her,
Just for the happiness of companionship
and sympathy in something beside the
cares of life.
said of us, with truth, as / once heard