The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-13

to the clean tick, as fresh and good as
new.
A woman has been talking about ''the
human figure" She says: The other day
a lady told me she had made the discovery
that she had been sitting and standing
incorrectly all her life. She had lived long
enough to have learned the fact long ago.
She is nearly fifty, quite plump, and felt
convinced that the unbecoming bunch of
fat ond her shoulders and a distressing
tendency of ~embonpoint Were the direct
results of this unfortunate error. And we
might well be Mortified if it were re-
vealed to us how many women had sys-
Dramatically cultivated hopelessly hideous
figures by this same fault. and in nearly
every case the primary cause is tight,
dragging. uncomfortable clothes.
The aching waist is squeezed by just a
few more tugs at the corset lace, until the
organs are forced out of place, pressed
down and driven up and tortured into I'M
natural positions, while the heavy skirt,
haircloth lined, and sometimes ridiculous
ly voluminous, drags on the back and
hips, and the unfortunate, uncomfortable
wretch who serves as a lay figure is
forced to literally 'slump'-yes, slump is
the only word which expresses it-into an
ungraceful attitude, with the abdomen
thrown forward and the back rounded
out, while the whole weight of the body
is thrown on the hips, because she is abb
solutely unable to stand any other way.
But the fat woman will say: How can
we help it?'' She is truly in a terribly bad
position, but it is not hopeless. Exercise
will down her flesh to a great extent, but
most women are too indolent to apply this
remedy Even those who possess slim.
trim figures and do not need a corset any
more than a dog needs two tails will pull
the strings till they can't draw a breath
any more than the sphinx, to the everlast-
ing danger of their health and happiness
and the utter destruction of the symmetry
and classical proportions of that most
beautiful of natures creations, the human
form.
Try a health waist. There are numerous
makes. Among all of them you will surely
be suited. If you are stout have a number
of buttons sewed to the bottom of the
waist and to these fasten your clothes.
kThen, have your skirt securely fastened
( to the waist. Two hooks at the back of
the waist belt, two and one-half inches
apart, and corresponding eyes attached to
the belt of the dress, will make all secure
and comfortable. Use the lightest weight
Innings possible, and avoid voluminous
skirts. You will be astonished to find how
much more comfort you will be able to get
out of life, and, as a natural consequence,
how much more comfort your family and
friends will be able to get out of it.
So.
There are some points of difference in
the making of the skirts this season, ac-
cording to "Harper's Bazar." To begin
with, they are narrower; very rarely is
an ~exaggerately wide skirt seen, and then
it is one that is cut in one piece, circular
"a style only to be attempted by some
genius in skirt hanging. Fewer cores
never more than five: the front and side
breadths much s%traighter, still tight fit
ting over the hips, and all fulness well to
the back, where it is laid in small box
pleats. There is still used a narrow fac
ing of hair-cloth, and a stiff ruffled petit
coat is necessary as ever to keep the
dress skirt from falling in around the
feet. Sleeves are small to the shoulder;
in tailor gowns they are very pretty-a
much modified coat sleeve, with just a
little fulness at the top. Almost all
skirts are trimmed, or made of some fig
ured material hat gives the effect of
trimming. Braid is now sewed on at
both sides, instead of only one like last
winter, and the narrow is preferred to the
wide, unless when the wide braios and
very narrow soutache are combined.
Street gowns are short, to clear the
ground; house gowns are all long; while
dinner gowns, ETC., are made with trains.
For street wear dark colors will be the
most fashionable, but for receptions and
the house all the light colors are in style
both for old and young. Buttons, buckles
and brilliant trimmings will be greatly
used, while lace, both black and white,
will continue to be worn with every pos
sible style of gown.
80
The 'sWoman's Home Companion"
thinks most women make the mistake
when they are having a dress fitted of
wearing new corsets. A Partisan dress
maker or first class tailor will never fit
over a new corset If there is a particle
of starch in it. Why? Simply because
a corset that is starched Keeps its shape
on account of the stiffening afforded by
the starch, which after a few wearings
lessons, and such sh~apeliness as the cor
set had leaves it. with the result that the
bodice which was fitted over it has at the
end of a few times wearing a different
figure to fit. Not being automatically
adjustable. the waists bags and wrinkles
in places, and the dressmaker gets the
blame of poor fitting.
The barbaric queenss6f Ne Hawaiian
Islands once wore VIII is Thought to be
the c~ostliest cloak in the World. The
cloak is now in the National Museum,
and the foundation is of olona, or native
hemp. Stitched to the foundation with
hempen threads are the feathers of the
native birds of the islands, the feathers
overlapping and making a soft, eautiful
and perfectly smooth surface The
feathers are put on in the form of cres-
cents, in yellow, red and black. The
black and yellow feathers are from the
Moho nobilis. and the bird is extremely
shy and hard to capture, making it's
feathers of great value 1t took nearly
one hundred years to make the cloak, and
it is estimated to be worth 81, 00O.0 900.
For six ordinary sized custards melt
six tablespoonfuls of sugar, stirring care
fully to prevent burning, says the La
l:ary Ia~,n -, 49, ,, Dee, :4. = -. I