The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-12-25

When sho Impsrsonatas tho CANCEL"
other Attractive Outfits.
Copyright, 1897. by American Press Asso-
cintion.l
III fashionable circles thcro will bc n DO
tcrnincd effort to GUST dear old Santa
Claus and in his place substitute tho An
gel of Christmas" instcad-that is to say.
wherever tho jolly rubicund old saint was
persuaded heretofore to exhibit himself to
the hosts of children to distribute gifts.
clad i'll all sorts of garments, with much
cotton wool for hair and whiskcrs and
with tho great square tin belt buckle in
pronounced evidence, he will DO conspicu-
Gus by his absence. Tho pretty sister rs
Christmas angel may interest some folks
most, but Santa Claus fills position that
none other can. One reason for this
change find in the great danger attached
to the cotton wool so lavishly applied, ms
it is very nfammablc, and another is Il
growing feeling OF dislike on tho part of
the parents To acting story that some day
must hc so radically changed and the
third is that the Christmas angel gives
'hig Sis chancc TO wear a costume that
would compel admiration anywhere aside
from that naturally belonging to the dis
tributcr of tho wonderful fruit on the
twinkling Christmas tree. Besides, it is
far easier to evolve II Christmas angel than
ii Santa Claus. Girls always seem to do
the right thing in the right place by in
stnct, while the masculine man scarcely
gets into his furry toggcry and cotton bat
ting wig and beard before he begins to
sweat, for cotton is hot, and then it is only
Il question of endurance, and he doesn't
care what becomes of the tree, his; pack or
the expectant .,aildron if he can only yet
ont alive. IW Christmas angel on tho
other side, is rs cool and serene us u dish
OF pink ice cream.
To dress this angel, then, is really worth
considering. First, Il large piece of white
siiiicning net is required for the wings.
This is to be doubled and shaped rs nearly
like the pictures of angels wings as pos
siblc Stitf wire is then to be scwcd all
around the edge and the two wings COW
cred with white goose feathers fastened on
with glue. This is really not us much
work as it would seem. The arrangement
OF the feathers is II matter OF taste. These
wings when dry shoUld DO fastened very
firmly to II cardboard shoulder blade, and
this in turn sewcd to Il tight undcrwnist,
which holds tho whole business fast.
Tho undcrgarmcnts are as usual, only
no fluffy skirts are permissible. as they
would interfcrcwith the grace of tho folds
OF the robe. This rohc may be OF cheese.
cloth, ordinary white Shooting cotton
crcpon, or china silk, china Grape on white
cashmere. All these will drapc in the
right way--that is, in straight. heavy folds
The garment is made in one piece simply
hcmncd ut tho bottom and with IL narrow
CT hem at the top, into which Il drawing
string IL run. Sleeves are optional If
there are any, they are long loose and
shaprlcss. The Christmas angel always
has her ncc: bare. Therefore the gown
l,n ~ "a ti,n
lie six inches deeper than is required to
reach i'll astraght limo from tho top Mt the
neck and the bottom. Some allow more
Tho sleeveless robe offers less difficulty
ana II the angel has pretty arms it would
10 better 10 make the gown without them.
The wings are to he adjusted first and
then the gown drawn upward and the
Sits made To 90 around the wings thread
cd with the drawing string that gathers
Tie rest OF the neck and the neck portion
adjusted anl tied properly Then II bella
1 OF silver or :;old or u slkcn cord is fastened
snugly around the waist, drawing all the
fullncss in. Tho robe is too long mt the
bottom, and the superlluous length is to
be pulled up above the belt III front and
lett to bag over i'll orthodox angel fashion
The SupcriiuOus length on sides and
back Is lett to form Il sort Of train or trip
the young W"arCr up if she does Tot take
care. II one wants TO he an extra stylish
angel. one c;.n cross two rows Of PEAL
beads over tie breast or wear "a nlnntlr al
embroidered cashmere in pale bliic. fiS-
tered ao thc back bctwccn the wings and
dropped down loosely to TIE belt at the
left side and caught np by one corner mt
the right size. This must be very natu-
rally diared otherwise it would look stiff
The mantle is Il strip OF cloth thrcc-Qunr
tcrs Of Il yard wide and two and u half
long Inc two lower corners look well
with gold tassels or little ornaments of
pearl beads y star of jewels or tinscl may
be worn over the forehead, and Il silver
band holds tho hair i'll place. | should say
that hair parted in the center and drawn
closely down over the ears and hanging
in long curls adds greatly to tho angelic
expression of the angel
have tried to explain this lovely idea
clearly enough to give all young girls the
chance of looking like the angels we all
know them to be. Even if Santa Claus
has been around in the middle of the mys-
terous night it would do no harm for the
daughter OF the household to distribute
the gifts of the tree. And that is just
what society is going to do
Some one remarked the other day that
the old spirit of Christmas is dying out
and that there is no longer any of the
jolly, rollicking family rejoicing that there
used to be 30 years ago Now family
docs or does not gather at the homo of tho
head, according to circumstances, and il
they do they have u good dinner, moro
noted for its modern arrangement than
for its old time delicious indigcstiblcness.
And after dinner everybody goes to the
thcator or somewhere else. The poor chill
drcn even have lost IL certain degree of their
enthusiasm. Mechanical toys and the
spirit of an age where children arc given