The herald., 1897-08-29
A Reflection Of a Few
Feminine Whins
SOME FELINE AMENITIES
MRS. KELLEY'S REPORT ON
CHILD LABOR IN LAUNDRIEs
A New Form Of the Poster Fad.
A Novel Idea in Decoration.
Madame Adam

ldreWell TIE OlHer udy W OHe Wuooc nus
band had recently been appointed con-
sui at foreign seaport, which happens
to be her own birthplace Naturally she
is looking forward with pleasure to re-
visiting it. Her husband speaks the
language, understands the commercial
relations and is sufficiently favored OF
fortune to be Independent OF the small
salary attached to the place. Now, the
salary is small, and the city is one Of the
lesser European countries-say a town
ION the coast of Bohemia" "Yet, would
you believe it, there were sixty three
applicants for that consulship," said the
wife, Il wonder how many there are for
such places as Edinburg, Leipsic or Ma
pies"
1t was by the merest chance that the
$1,000 order for Ex-Governor Altgeld's
official portrait did not go to a woman
from Illinois instead of to man from
Wisconsin. Clear your minds of the no
ton that artistic merit has anything to
do with the case. Do not begin to swell
out your feminine plumes unless you are
the kind of woman who thinks that
whatever a woman does should be en-
couraged simply because woman does
it-than whom her sex has no worse
enemy. The lady in question paints china
and satin bags and goodness knows what
all in one of the smaller towns of the
state. She was having hard time sup
porting her family, and there was some
thought Of ordering this picture for the
state house at Springfield Of her, just
to help her along. This was told to a
woman artist of this city, with the ex-
-,1 1a wi cads
but she wasn't Bit She said she didn't
like charity mixed up with art any bet
ter than politics, and she asked whether
the person alluded to could paint good
portrait. To which her informant re-
piled that he guessed she could II she
tried; as yet she had only painted flow
ers, but she did them real we'll!
4
When Mrs. Florence Kelley writes a
book 1t is sure to be mighty interesting
reading even If it is merely an official
report. In her latest published work sha
tells that little girls are now employed
in laundries in Chicago in constantly
increasing numbers. Now, everything
connected with this work makes 1t an
occupation for the rugged and fully ma
tured only; the heat and dampness, in
tensified by lack of ventilation; the
sharp contrast Of temperature at close
| CT work; the long, irregular hours; the
| health and limbs of the weak and un-
wary. Yet the law places no such re-
| straint over laundries as it does over
factories. Children of and 10 years
toll in them. A mother laments that her
daughter is overworked, som etimes not
getting home until after midnight From
time to time child is manned or falls
insensible from exhaust as did seven
girls one day last August in a cellar
laundry where they were working in n
temperature of 11S degrees. The suffer-
.ngs Of this August are not yet recorded
unless there is indeed a judgment book
but they are going on all around us.
While we play golf.
southern young lady Is in the city
borrowing posters for an exhibition in
Louisville, Ky. This reminds one that
the fad has taken new form here. The
present idea is to use poster as a key
to the decoration Of a room. For in
stance, a room which looks north and
was formerly unwisely furnished in pale
blue has been immensely improved by
following the warm tones of Century
poster by ]. c. Leyendecker. This rep
resents literally golden-haired maiden
on a background of conventionalized
poppies; so the walls have been tinted
a sort of golden TAM with wide poppy
frieze. There are oak picture holdings
and oak grilles across the top of the
windows, with strip of thin red silk be-
hind them, and curtains of creamy white
stuff barred with russell They only fail
the length of the sash, where window
seats meet them, cushioned in NADIA
gascar grass cloth, wiry, light brown
material, with broad strips of red, blue
and green. poppy-red lamp shade,
tawny tiger-skn rug, furniture all of
oak and wicker, and the poppy lady her
self fitted into panel over the wooden
mantlepiece, carry out the scheme.
On their first trip to Europe all that
people want Is guide books; on their
second introductions. This of course ap-
plies only to ''real folks" not to artificial
men and women to whom foreign travel
means merely shopping. A Chicagoan
recently returned from across the water
went exceptionally we'll furnished with
letters, and of all the great people he
met he was most impressed with Juliette
Lamber, the founder of the Nouvelle
Revue. He calls her Juliette Lamber
rather than Nine. Adam. because he
says that is most truly her own name.
1t was neither her fathers nor her hus-
bands, but one she took and made fa-
nous by her pen, one which had the
honor of street named for it in that
capital of the intellect, Paris. Alas! a
recent ruling of the city council forbids
the naming of any street after any still
living parsonage, so the Rue Juliette
Lamber is to be rebaptised, greatly to
the annoyance of its godmother An
other thing that grieves her is the cool
ing of enthusiasm for Russia. She is
herself an ardent Russophile, was the
first to dream of Russian alliance, and
one of the most active in bringing it to
pass. One of her projects was the send
ing of a souvenir to thousands of Rus
sian women in the name of the women OF
France. Through subscription en-
gineered by Nine. Adam every sailor OF
the czar's fleet when he visited Paris was
given tiny gold bracelet with forget
me-nots on it to take home to his wife
or his mother.-The Looker-on, in Chi
oa Cr Tin, &c. Ii a,>, 4