The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-28
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= ONE WOMAN'S VIEWS. :
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NgllttV Y. Y! n! iteSS
suppose that women who write for
the papers must fill a certain amount
of space, but sometimes IL does seem
rather a pity that other people are ex-
pected to read the material thus sup
piled. Often, too, they are expected to
profit by the advice given, which is
adding insult to injury.
For instance The Ladies' Home Jour-
nal published explicit directions last
month regarding the proper care of
girls wardrobe. The girl who conscien-
tiously followed these directions would
be an unmitigated little prig and would
never have n moment to employ in
kind thought of others or gentle deeds
that help to make the earth bright.
She would never in this world get time
to do anything for anybody but her
self or to think of anything but her
own personal appearance. She would
really be a most uncomfortable person
to have in the house, and everybody
would breathe a sigh of relief when
she took herself, her five hat boxes
with the name of each hat marked
plainly on the side" her array of
bodices and the houseful of tissue pa
per required to keep them in shape:
the numberless sets of trees" for her
shoes, the multitude of bottles of BEN
zine, naptha and other malodorous
"cleaners;" her many receptacles for
each separate piece of jewelry, her
wealth of dress-frames and the guam
tity of other paraphenalia necessary
to a self respecting young woman,
away for the summer.
This article starts out with the ever
lasting fairy tale of the way Queen
Victorias daughters have all been
brought up to mend and darn and
make over their own gowns. All have
to say on this point is that if the
said daughters were obliged to do
these things what should have been
the happiest girhood in the world must
have been largely wasted. What is the
use of being the daughter of the
greatest queen on earth if one must
attend to the sordid duties of life in
early youth, even to the extent of per-
forming that most loathed of all tasks
to every normally constituted girl,
making over old clothes? l don't be-
lieve they ever did it, do you?
never was in too much of hurry when
she came in from the street to look all
over her gown to see if it needed
mending, to brush and put it away
carefully, and stuff the bodice with the
all pcrvading tissue paper; to take Off
her shoes and stuff them with some
more tissue paper or trees" TO as
sumo her slippers. and probably rub
the street boots with Vaselinc for half
hour or more; to fold her veil 1.-THE 9TH
cr way" and put its own special pin
therein; to brush her hat and put it
in it's own special, aforementioned
and labeled box-having previously, of
course, freshened the artificial flowers
by pulling and bending and straight
ening each. Umagine daily pulling
and bending and Strengthening each
artificial flower on the present day
hatD besides looking carefully over
her gloves, wiping her umbrella with
silk rag and doing several dozen
other things, the neglect of which
would at once stamp her as untidy and
unstable in character. oh, dear, oh,
dear! to think of being born girl
and having a mamma or maiden
aunt who would insist upon this pro-
gramme! One can imagine that a girl
having been brought up after this
fashion would develop into a wife
whose husband and other male rela-
tives would welcome with tears of joy
a war or anything that would prom
Use to take them out of her immediate
vicinity. A girl who would pitch
things toward the four corners of the
I,1
panion.
Now, I'm not encouraging untidi-
| ness. Anything but girl who goes
about with the buttons off her shoes,
or the hem of her gown frayed, or a
| missing link in the connection of her
shirt waist and skirt. She hasn't any
| right to be careless in these and kim
dred matters any more than she has to
| chew gum in the street cars or other
public places. But the average girl, if
| she is any sort of use in the world. Is
| obliged to Scurry out and in the house
| a half dozen times day, at least, and
| if she should stop to change her shoes
| each time, to do the amount of brush
| ing to her apparel, and the amount of
| tissue paper "stufling" recommended
| in the Ashmore regime, either she
would be a driveling idiot after a week
| of it, or her family would desire "a
break up housekeeping. There is such
a thing as being possessed of a neat
| devil, and the Ashmore girl would be-
| come one of the earliest victims.
A man was heard TO remark not lone
| ago, II have the best wife q man eve,
married. She never left anything un-
done yet that a woman ought to do
but sometimes / think we'd all be hap.
pier if she had This everlasting dust.
| ing, cleaning and regulating business
| is q mania with her and the whole
amount of it is, none Of us ever have q
very good time in the house for feal
we may forget and pulla rocker too fal
out of it's orbit; disarrange the exact
angles formed by the books on the
table, or lay newspaper in the wron2
place. Sometimes when she goes away
for a few days ! kick the rugs up a
the corners, bring the dog into the par
lOr, put the curtains up at different de
grces of attitude, and yank every news
paper out of the basket. OF course
always see that its all right before sh,
comes back, for it would break hel
heart to know that her wears of drill
had produced eye service only"
Time to read good books and maya
zines, time to learn about the history
we are now making, time to spend al
hour with an invalid friend or really
enjoy a walk in the fresh air, is some