The record-union., 1897-07-04

It is hard sometimes to know how TO
follow that vague direction salt to
taste" 1t may be remembered that for
the normal palate one teaspoonful OF
salt is sufficient for pint of other
ingredients.
Now that burlap can be had in al
most any desired color its use as wall
hangings is growing. 1t is put on as
dado, in panels, or entire wall stretches
from Dashboard to frieZe are covered
with it, 1t is certainly artistic in eff
feet, but the sanitary authority frowns
upon it, preferring a papered or smooth
finished wall so far as his standard of
cleanliness is concerned. The loose
weave of the burlap makes the fabric
a good dust holder 1t is difficult to
get it all out, even with the use of a
stiff brush Still this objection is
simply a comparative one, and is often
overruIed From the decorators point
of view it must be remembered that
the wall treatment with burlaps has a
tendency to reduce the size of the room,
and should be applied, therefore. with
that knowledge taken into considera-
ton.
Englishwomen complain when they
come over here that they never get a
cup of hot tea This will not seem
strange to any American who has par
taken of that beverage in an English
home where it is served and drunk by
the natives-at the boiling point.
Until one has experimental with the
iorfO %r;k,,
the wall their value in increasing the
apparent size of a room can hardly be
appreciated. In a long window
parlor of an uptown house a wide arch
was made each side of the fireplace
and the space filled with looking glass.
Apparently then the room opened into
another through these spacious arches,
and though a light piece of furniture
stood in front of each the illusion was
not interfered with. Such mirrors are
often set directly opposite the parlor
door to relieve the contraction of a
narrow hall. The architect of to-day
has many devices to overcome the
monotony and stiff lines of halls and
rooms. even in the conventional all
alike Block houses, heretofore consid-
cred unalterable.
At the silversmiths are to be found
oblong. fiat silver trays that are to
hold the blocks of ice which serve for
any of the several dinner or luncheon
courses.
An ingenious way to secure an extra
bathroom was seen the other day in an
uptown house. Opening from the sec
ond-floor front was the usual dressing
room, a large long closet with double
mirror doors, this room opening again
by sliding-dOors into a similar dressing
room that in its turn connected with the
back room of the floor. The drawers
and shelves with hooks for dresses were
taken out behind the mirrored doors,
and in the space left was fitted a beauti-
full porcelain tub, with all modern
plumbing accessories. When needed
throwing wide open these double doors
secured a sufficiently spacious bath
room, their simple closing again pro-
ducing once more the mirror-lined
dressing room. There was no question
as TO the sanitation of this arrangement,
the closet bathroom being finely ventil-
ated by means of the modern roof pipes.
New ideas for cotillions are always in
demand One recently heard of was the
appearance of a telegraph boy in one of
the figures, who distributed kilograms
among the gentlemen requesting them
to dance with certain ladies.
The free use of naphtha, it is known,
is efficacious in preserving carpets from
moths in closed houses, but the whole
sale use of it wlrich is necessary is not
without serious danger. The fatal burn
ing, last spring. of two ladies from the
igniting of the naphtha fumes IN draw
ing-room saturated with the liquid for
protective purposes is still a sufficiently
fresh tragedy in this community to en-
join caution. The house had been made
ready for the summer closing. the in
mates expecting to leave by an early
train. but the lighting OF the gas when
evening came precipitated a casualty
that changed all summer plans. A car
pet-dealer says that if the camphor balls
OF commerce are crushed fairly fine and
spread under the edges of carpets and
heavy rugs when they are overhauled
in the spring, they may be left with
confidence.
The ingenuity of the modern child is
noticeable On a recent rainy afternoon
two children who had been restlessly
seeking amusement to the annoyance of
their elders, subsidized after awhile into
valued quiet After an hour or two of
such respite their occupation was dis
covered They had invented a new
game. which they called asking the
dictionary" They looked over the il
lustrated pages at the end of the volume,
picked out any one that struck their
fancy. and spelled out the name beneath
il. and then lsborious1y consulted the
dictionary pages for the definition.
They took turns in doing this, and the
"game" part consisted in the relative
ouickness with which each found the
definition. The one who did it in the
shorter time scored a point AS a re-
source in an emergency the idea was
not bad.
Treasure Trove.