The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-08-07
ideas for Tmonaeu.


All summer girls do not go in for aIh-
lstics. or rather the athletic girl is not
the only aspiramt for simmer laurels.
The dear Dorcas-like creature who loves
to make an old-fashioned but sweet pic
ture of herself in white muslin with
jeweled thimble flashing on her finger
and a pile of multicolored silks in her
lap, is much in evidence to an admirins
summer world.
Some of the pieces Of needlework upon
which Observation-Disclosures young women
expend money. time and energy are
very attractive and even valuable. Cen
tire pieces, tray cloths, and carving cloth
are works of art.
These exquisite bits of handwork are
not a mere fad or passing fancy me
great amount of patience required to pc
expended over an article, the material
used, should be the best ~obtainable, ren-
ders them something to prize and keep,
and transmit from mother to daughter
as one would any other article of house
hold value.
Tray and tea. table cloths, centrepieces
and doilies embroidered with dainty col
ors in pleasing designs make one OF the
most acceptable wedding gifts from one
girl to another, or from one friend to an
other as birthday or Christmas offerings
representing as it does so much of that
friends time, patience and careful, kind
" thought, which is, after all, the true
value of a gift.
An exquisite centrepiece has been called
the grape design It was a combination
of leaves, fruit and tendrils. The piece
was round, of linen of exquisite fineness
and evenness of texture. and the en-
broidered fruit formed a heavy, rich
border of leaves and fruit alternating. the
fine tendrils curled inward toward the
centre Of the piece. The grapes were
done in silk of a dusky. dusty purple,
inaescribably rich and beautiful, and the
leaves in silver tones of green
Another pretty piece was of the jewel
pattern. This does not mean that pre-
cious stones and gems are wrought into
the article, but a high raised pattern.
or dot of vivid color heavily wrought
among the designs OF leaves and flowers,
or even a conventional pattern. This
form is particularly effective on the
linens of pale color SO much in vogue.
She will tell you she is making these
to hand down to her granddaughter Amer
lea is beginning to prize heirlooms. The
girl whose grandmother has been thought
fuI enough to make a collection of the
dainty tribes in vogue during her girl
hood counts the old lady of blessed MEM
DRY indeed.
Buckles were much worn for a season
three-quarters of a century ago, and it
is needless to say that a long and heavy
purse was required to become the pos
SCISSOR of a set. They were used on the
shoes and belt. or girdle. and were very
elegant objects. being of pure metal, be-
jeweled and carved-or chased, as the
term was then.
The girl Of today who was fortunate
enough to wear a set of buckles come
down to her from that day. is to be
envid. The maid or matron who can
serve afternoon tea from a genuine old
Delft hin set. is not less to be enyied
though that particular sort of china was
common enough in the early days of the
country.
But today there IS a charm about it.,
an aroma of the past, and it is viewed
through the rose clouds of the romance
that always hovers about the vanished
thine, though in actual fact the past had
little t offer in comparison with the ro-
nance ard actual novelty of the present.
A pretty set of dainty china, of an up-to-
date pattern. a set of and embroidered
liner for the table, a collection Of hand-
some buckles or fans of the belle Of today,
will be quite as highly priced by her
granddaughter a quarter of a century
hence as ara the tribes handed down to
1s Of the present day from a dead and
gone past.
Ard never was it easier to acquire a
collection of any article faneied than it is
today. There are buckles jeweled and
plain. of gold. silver and works of art in
jet. which add so much to the exquisite
daintiness of the simple summer toilette.
Belts of metal and leather, which viii
tell a correct story of just how stout or
slender the dear old lady was in her much
vaunted bellehood.
A history may be wildly outlined in a
collection of fans and a romance read
from her well-preserved slippers.
%What has become of ali the old la
fiek?' remarked a man the other day.
when I was a boy there used to be one
In nearly every family I knew and visited
-wrinkled, whste-haired, veritable old
women, who by their venerable appear
aree, gave a dignity to the household.
One by one these dear old ladies, so asso-
slated in my mind with the pleasant days
Of my youth, have, in the course of ma
ture, Joined the great majority; and. odd
ly enough. their places have never been
hlled.
Other succeeding generations have
passed through the customary ~graduations
Of childhood. youth and middle age, but
there are no old people, or at least only
an occasional specimen bowed down by
physical infirmities b~etokening great age,
and as different from the pretty, kindly,
Oustling old ladies that I remember as
It is possible to imagine. Who would dare
sali the modern grandmother oldn'
Il felt old oncel' remarked one of these
remarkable end-of-the-century products,
but that was years and years ego, and
when my children were growing up. and.
| was worried to death about their health
md their education, and their morals and
Their manners. together with their future.
md the thousand and one things that
mothers fret over so rnecessariIy-fo
liter all, what will be will be, and there
5 no use b~ruising ones self against a
,tope wall.
Now, thank the Lord, they are all mar
led and settled. and I feel as if l had
to1o1 p nnrzr toara IF