The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-10-01

laced objector to the art of the higher
physical culture hold out against the idea
that gracefulness should be cultivated as
a valuable factor in happy. healthful liv-
ing?
We may perform the simplest every
day duties in a manner to give US keen
enjoyment by putting a little science into
practice. l have seen a well-bred wom-
an sweep a floor with a dexterous turn
of the wrist that made the act seem like
a clever conjuring trick. And this was
no attitudinizing, but natural, womaniy
skill. Doubtless this dexterity is a nat
ural gift. but it may be in a large meas
ure acquired. There are many systems
of grace culture in rogue now, and almost
every progressive woman spends a little
time studying some one of them. The
pity is that most of the systems are pure
fraud, with probably a grain or two OF
truth beaten out thin. And even II the
system one chooses as a guide is correct,
theorizing amounts to nothing. Practice
is everything, and self-training is a long
and tedious process. Everybody cannot
learn to be graceful. Bodily iexibflity
is usually acquired with comparative ease
in youth, and may even be gained by pa
tient work late in life. Blu if one can
not be positively graceful, it is never
impossible to be negatively graceful; that
is. not awkward.
"A long step toward the curing of many
nervous ailments that afflict us will have
been made when we learn to control our
fingers, feet and head, and gain the cell
ebrated 'repose' which is. in other words,
hra,oa ~ ,spnoaovror xr r,aattoa
TIC sum up everything in a few words.
make all movements smoothly, and never
make one that has not a purpose in it,"
For the stability nd righteousness of
Ii government We are accustomed to
think we must pin our faith on the coun-
try people who live near to Natures
heart . writes Mrs. Lyman Abbott in
the October Ladies' Home Journal" the
first of 3 series of Peaceful Valley pa
pers which picture life in az ideal rural
community. "But how many of tkena.'
she says, seem to have learned anything
noble from her? Her beauty does not re-
fine them, her honesty does not incite
them to th~oroughness, her f~ree-handed-
ness does not inspire hen to generosity
they become narrow and sordid in the
midst of grandeur and liberaiity. They
imagine there can be nothing in life but
work or play, toll or rest, and they feel
a contempt for those who play and rest.
they have never learned to mingle work
and play, toll and rest in due proportion,
and they cease to find any pleasure in life
unless they abandon work altogether.
Like the tired woman who wrote her own
-s4z-- 49, e,-1x- lo.xv.n n ,a1aan
where they can do nothing forever and
ever,
This view of life makes loafers in the
village as it makes them in the cities.
When a different spirit has found room
to grow, a new order of living prevails.
Life become something more than a slow
grinding of the mill, more than a burden,
to be endured only because it cannot be
at will laid down; it becomes a luxury as
well as a necessity. Individuals combine,
not for their own advantage, but to multi
ply benefactions, and as strength increases
by its right use, the attainment of one
worthy and ambitious advantage is only
the suggestion and achievement of an
other"
The crazy quilt mania was very hard
on the ancient and honored institution of
saving odds and ends. Scrap bags that
had been handed down from generation
to generation were ruthlessly emptied in
a day by the quilt maniac" whose one
ambition in life was to finish a fearful
and wonderfully useless piece of needle
work before her next door %neighbor fin
ished hers.
- 4-l1-- -,o~-v 49,
pie tendencies, but she saves bits of her
prettiest frocks with which to make gifts
to her dear 500 friends. In these days of
fancy dress balls, big pieces of brocade
are found in many women's scrap bags,
and these make beautiful pillows
smaller pieces of brocade look well as COW
erings for blotting books. Book covers
may be made of other pieces, with the
title of the book worked across. Sachets
for gloves, handkerchiefs or wells may be
from scraps of figured silks, lined
with thinner silk or satin, a layer of wad-
ding, permeated with sachet powder, be-
ing placed between the silk and the lining
to perfume it.
Pin cushions of different kinds could be
made from the smaller pieces, and are
always acceptable gifts. Those represent
ing fruits are novel. Bags for holding
c~ottons, buttons and other little work
basket articles, which are apt to tumble
about and get lost, could be fashioned
also out of small remnants and made
pretty and ornamental, and, of course,
patchwork could be made out of all the
small cuttings which are over.
The bridal garter for the October bride
will be of white elastic. Running over
the surface of the elastic will be al deli
cate tracery in blue in the pattern of a
tiny flower. Here and there win be knots
of very narrow white ribbon.
The buckle is a rhinestone one, clear
and without color, save for the gold set
ting. The end of the elastic is brought
through the buckle and knotted with
ribbon.
Bordering the elastic is a ruffle of white
lace of fine pattern. AS elegant a little
piece of lace as may be found can be
placed upon the garter, for the bridal
garter is to be put away as one of the
of the day.
1t is a Holland superstition that a bride
should make her own wedding carriers.
and that she should make them of
new ard something blue
With such a garter the day will not
prove rainy. nor viii any mishap mar
the bridal feast.
Exquisite nets and embroidered gauzes
arc largely shown in the shops as the