Birmingham state herald., 1896-03-15

light and fluffy enough to be combined beautifully with the lovely stuffs shown in the line of trimmings Skirts, it is said, will grow even more extended and the sleeves smaller, the whole effect form ing perfect angle from the shoulders to the feet. The shoulders must have not one suspicion of erectness, but droop ar tistically to the elbow, or as nearly so as possible.
 One of the newest sleeve models is in bishop shape extremely full to the wrist and all laid in heavy tucks 11A inches deep from shoulder to elbow. Each tuck is laid with dozens of small flat gilt but tons put very closely together. The trimmed parts of the gown are the bodice and sleeves, which bear all sorts of odd decora tions.
 There are vests of richly embroidered white satin in heavy gold work, or laid in succession of tiny mousseline de soie frills, running parallel across. There are embroidered frills of the goods or of pink edged India silk to match, used on the bodice as shoulder decoration. The sleeves of the mousquetaire sort are all befrilled and made unusually long to hide the hand to the knuckles.
 Very many of the new gowns show a sort of tablin decoration coming below the belt. A smart frock of nut brown crepon is fiecked with leaf green and sil- yer. The skirt is extremely plain and smartly stffened about the feet. The bodice fits snugly and is overaid with a fichu-like arrangement of nut brown mousseline de soie edged with double frills of the stuff. Frills of the same dec- crate the edge of the sleeves.
 plain stock of deep violet velvet is built high about the neck and narrow belt of the same Is set off by lot of broad loops across the front. A tiny, perked-up hat of green satin braid, faced with twists of velvet, has a trimming of oddly fiecked nut brown ribbon.
 Little folks are coming into fashion, and they can thank the free-and-easiness of the times for their busy mammas' new est fad. It seems to be the thing just now to be quite frank and natural, both in speech and manners; even to be a little freer than is quite natural. Smart people in their own set, however Arctic to those who are out, are familarly Mrs Tom Dick or Harry, exceedingly enthusiastic about everything, charmed with every body, profuses in their thanks, heart broken at being obliged to refuse a friends invitation, and quite sans gene in their attitude toward each other and the conventions. Their talk is a babel, almost an argo all their own, full of the golf and horsey terms that are the fash ion for the nonce all about what he said, what she said, what the-world said, and the consequences thereof-perfecHy un- intelligible to a stranger.
 Even kindly courtesy to a stranger is too stilted and conventional to be char acteristic of modern society, though they do not extend to him in its place the bon camaraderie of their own set. A letter of hospitality it's writer would have re- ceived But open-handed hospitality is as old-fashioned as are the stately ele- garces of the old Knickerbocker and col onial days. stranger has suspicion. re- serve, indifference to brush away before society's frigidity will turn to gushing familiarity.
 One of the results of this general in- formality Is the appearance of children with their mothers oftener than was thought good form during the Angloma- mia of a few years ago. A daintily dressed little daughter often enters the parlor at tea-time.s makes courtesy at the door, and then. hugging her knees with her bare arms, gazes. open-eyed, at the com pany from the stool beside her mammals knee. She is taught to answer people nicely, to shake hands with them when they go, and to-courtesy at the door when she leaves the room. Her mother takes her driving, to picture galleries, to opera or very occasional theater matinee, to the symphony rehearsal, to the shops. She makes companion of the little girl as much as possible without intruding the child upon grown-up folks. and gives