The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-04
for dWomen

OF SneDa DOWN TO the new woman Ns,
exquisitely rare and precious perfumes
have been valued as a right royal gilt
or possession, %but the right has come
when ten-tenths of the il-smeliing .eN-
tracts" so called, were better poured into
the sea than used to besprinkle the toilet
of a lady.
One is constantly mystifed and amazed
at the bad taste shown in this matter
by women who move in good circles, who
have discrimination in dress and are con-
i ventional in manners And yet when
we analyize her more closely we invari-
ably find that the woman whose pres
/ ence is heralded by highly concentrated
|. perfumes is not a creation of very fine
\ calibre of quality.
AS an adjunct of the bath certain dis
/! titled waters like lavender. Florida water
or eau de cologne are delightfully."- re-
freshing and sweet, but no liquid decoc-
lions whatsoever of scented alcohol de-
clared to be the extracts of flowers, are
fit to come near the handkerchiefs. laces
and lingerie of the truly refined woman.
They do not smell like any known
flower of the earth, and, indeed. are
made from an animal, not a floral
product The basis of them all is musk
and alcohol, and when the latter evapor-
ates the musk still holds its power to
suffocate till sometimes, in a erowded
public space, a theatre or church, one is
almost, overcome by it.
"
But, while it is true that too many
women of fair opportunities for social
culture are guilty of the crudest taste
in this matter of perfumes, there Is
another class whose fas~tidiousness OF
choice is as grateful as the other is dis
tasteful. Far better. of course, to ut
, terly abjure the slightest trace of per-
fume about ones belongings than to use
the rank sort, but a certain other sort
seems to enyelop one in an atmosphere
of indefinable elegance.
Two women were in a store one day,
and had to wait for a wealthy shopper
to make way for them at a silk counter.
As she left the one who moved into her
place whispered, ibid you ever smell
anything so wonderfully sweet? 1 Won
der what it was: she had no violets?"
.sThat's the smell of money! the other
one aughed, who. was less susceptible.
But it was not the smell of money, 1t
was the smell of fresh Florentine orris
powder imported from Italy, the only
thing in the world that really and truly
does smell like dewy violets newly gath
cred, and the woman who adopts that
and nothing else individualizes herself in
the minds of her friends and to the pub
lie as a personihcation of Rossetti's ideal
of woman in his s%onnets, ITO be a
Sweetness"
There is nothing that retains the faint
violet Whit of orris like lace or yelling,
and it is pleasant to have 1t replace the
kid odor of ones gloves, but the know
ing woman's sachet never reposes among
her writing paper and visiting cards.
Another use for perfumes is a medi-
cinal one. The doctors say there is
stimulation in certain sweet odors. and
it is pleasing TO an invalid to have some
springs of lavender or Turkish pastile
burnt in the room.
The burning lavender transports one in
fancy to an old wall-in-garden, and the
little Oriental taper recalls all the en-
chantments of the Arabian Nights by the
subtlety of its perfume.
Probably one of the greatest difficulties
with which we nave to contend in keeping
plants in the house is that parehing dry
ness of the atmosphere most noticeable in
steam or furnace heated houses. writes
: Robert R. MeGregor in the December
"Woman's Home Companion" "This con-
4 dition may be overcome to a certain ex-
tent by placing jars or pans of water on
/ the radiators, or swinging them in the
! pipes just below the registers. thus fur
nishing a constant supply of moisture to
the air by the evaporation of the water.
Gas and dust are enemies to plants. The
former must be prevented by proper regu-
lation of the heating apparatus, and the
latter by regular washing of the foliage.
In spraying or sponging the foliage do
I not neglect the under sides of the leaves,
it is there that insects first make their
\ appearance, and regular sponging will
! prevent them from starting or spreading.
"The temperature is another matter for
4 consideration. In the average living-room
| the temperature should be from Is to 10
degrees Fahrenheit, which for the ma
jority of plants will do very well; but
there are some, such as carnations, vio-
lets. primroses. calias, etc.. which will
thrive better in a room where the temper
! allure is from eight to ten degrees lower.
At all times guard carefully against plac-
J ing plants where they will be subject to
! cold drafts. which are injurious and often
: produce mildew if the foliage is damp.
<1tAC 8At A3&APo N8iA RdAt - NAAC
ton of house-plants is the watering, which
influence to a great extent success or fail
ure. To lay down specific rules for water
/ ing would be a difficult matter. Too much
water will rot the roots, sour the soil and
stop the growth of the plant, and not
enough will starve it. The general ten
dency is to overwater. Supply water lib
orally when necessary, then withhold it
entirely until the soil is in condition to be
watered again. The soil in the pot should
not be allowed to become dry like dust,
but. just so 1t will crumble nicely in the
hand. Avoid by all means the ruinous
practice of watering the plants daily,
whether they need it or not. Plants in
small pots usually dry out quickly, but
this may be prevented by placing them on
trays or saucers on which there is an inch
or two of clean sand.
"As to the best location in the room for
plants, place them where they will get the
greatest amount of fresh air, light and
sunshine, which is usually about the win
dows. Flowering-plants should be given
all the sunshine possible. Foliage-plants
do not require s~unshine-that is, it is not
absolutely necessary-but do not consign
them to q dark corner for hat reason"
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