The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-16
FOR FEMININE READERS
SELECT THE Useful WHEN IN
DOUBT ABOUT A WEDDING GIFT.
Reason why Much Amateur Dress
making Lacks StyIe-Married WOm-
en- Who Earn Their Living.

Intelligent giving is one of the fine arts.
and there are very few persons who are
educated up to the point where they I'm
derstand just how TO give gifts and when
to give them. says the New York Ledger.
The wedding present Is something that
almost every person finds it necessary to
select. ana it is not at all amiss TO give a
little careful consideration TO this most in
teresting as well as perplexing duty. Sc
lecting a present to some one who lives afar
off is unquestionaDly a puzzling task. One
may not know the tastes, circumstances or
environments of the happy pair, and can
not, therefore,, even hazard a guess as to
what would be the most appropriate or
acceptable.
One of the most sensible of women used
to say that when she did not know just
what was wanted she always sent fine table
linen. Good damask of some conservative
pattern never goes entirely out OF fashion,
and will keep an indefinite length of time.
If it is not required at once it comes in
play later. There is nothing more satisfac-
tory to the good housekeeper than a we'll
chosen stock of table linen.
Among other standard articles for pres
ents are linen bedding. and fine china ar
tdcies. Really excellent pieces of bric-brac
do not go out of fashion. They rather in
crease in value and grow more and more
desirable as time passes.
But suppose you who are to give the
present are living in some out-of-the-way
place, where there are no shopping advan-
tages. Don't for one moment imagine that
you cannot get something very nice and
acceptable. Why not send a nice set of
ready-hemmed tea and glass towels, some
useful house cloths, kitchen towels,
hemmed busters, duster-holders. clothes
pin bags, lron-holders. ironing-board COW
ers, bread cloths and dish cloths? One
young housekeeper bride was obliged to cut
a towel in two pieces to make a dish cloth,
and to send to the store for a couple of
yards of cotton cloth to make a cover for
her ironing board. Dear me, why have
all of these lovely things no poor relations
to make dish cloths and house cloths out
or she exclaimed, as she looked in vain
Tor a common piece of crash with which
to wash her china.
An important item in giving is to consider
the means and situation of the young cou-
pie. If they are to live in a cottage, a
large and expensive rug would be merely
an un~manageable and inconvenient article,
and one which they would scarcely appre-
ciate. Residents of a handsome or palatial
home would find pleasure in a very dainty
tri1e, when they would scarcely find a
place for some large and snowy but mex
pensive article.
AS a rule, some small bit of some of the
many art treasures of the world will be
much more suitable than anything elabor-
ate or conspicuous. One bride took quite
as much pleasure in a very fine refrigerator
as in anything she found among her large
number of handsome and costly presents.
Another enjoyed a box of carefully chosen
pots and pans, chatting dish, alcohol lamp,
patent baking pans and up-to-date ice
cream freezer. They represented the plain
prose of life and filled a space that is al
most always vacant in household prepara-
tons.
Some years ago a young bride. who had a
large circle of admirers and friends, made
UP her mind to go to housekeeping when
she returned from her wedding trip. Her
father gave her a pretty home, and she an
ticipated a great deal of pleasure in fitting
1t up and entertaining her friends. On the
wedding day she remarked that a good
many of her friends seemed to have for
gotten her, but in the excitement of the
event she thought little about it. When
she returned from her trip she found a little
home furnished from cellar to attic. She
declared that there wasn't a thing lacking
from piano to sink brush; from refrigerator
to window screens.
place was top full of surprises. A
little door here disclosed a linen closet. an
other a put-away place for work baskets
and SEWN materials. A cupboard was
packed with towels, wash cloths, house
cloths, dish cloths and busters, and a fur
niture beater hung on a nail in a convenient
locality. There were door mats and kitchen
poker, shovel and tongs. and even an ash
sitter was not forgotten. To make every
thing doubly sure three young cousins of
the bride and a competent servant kept
house there for a week, and whenever any
thing was required it went down on the list
and came up to the little house in due
course of time until the pleasant task was
world who believes in sensible wedding
presents.