The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-29

@fSS -
The wooden bedstead is fast going out
of fashion, and its place is being taken
by the brass and iron bedstead, says the
Newark SUNDAY Call" Soon the wooden
bedstead, be it or mahogany, oak, plrds-
eye maple or any other fine wood, VIII De
as obsolete as the big four-poster OF our
~grandmothers. The brass bedstead had its
origin in italy, but its greatest popularity
is in this country. Iron bedsteads were
first made in England, ard became popu-
lar here. The first polished brass bed
steads were made in this country. Inc
popularity of the metallic sleeping
corches is easily accounted for. a chiet
reason is the sanitary one.
Brass bedsteads first began to be made
here about nineteen years ago." says the
New York Commercial" las the IA
dustry has developed many Improvements
in construction, design. etc, have peen
made, and the demand constantly IN
creasing all these years has resulted IN
the establishment of many large rae
tories. some of which can turn out three
hundred bedsteadse q week. | believe
there are about twelve leading plants II
the United States. The s%pringing up OIL
these factories has created keen compe-
.it,on ~ home Prices are therefore low,
nrofits small, and in order to make II
nav firms must do a big business.
.sThe American brass beds are far SUI
nerior in quality, design and workman
ship to the English article. The latter IS
made of inferior tubing. The surface, toe
is not so well polished
1.-THE various processes are: FIRST, lhe
brass tubing is mad in various sizes ana
then cut into lengths as required, orna-
1nents and mounts are next made; the
parts. after being assembled or put To-
gether and fitted, are taken apart, after
which they are polished, ~laequered to
prevent furnishing, and put together
again.
.sMany brass bedsteads are cheap and OF
poor quality. They are usually made OF
very thin brass and are not at all durable
It might be inferred that solid brass BEDS
are the most durable. This is a wrong
impression. The best beds are not made
entirely of brass. Such beds can be bent
and shaken apart. The most durable
type is that made of steel or iron lined
brass tubing, which gives stability to the
parts. a brass surface is oily, so TO
speak, and unless the tube is lined with
iron or steel the ornaments and fittings,
when plugged into the posts or tubes,
will not hold securely.
.sThere are different styles of finishes,
such as 'oxidized silver mat silver,
satin silver, sEtruscan or dead gold, and
combinations in Etruscan and bright gold
or silver and gold> Those are for the I'M
namele beds. Steel and iron bed
steads are enameled in white, vermillion,
etc.
.eThe sale Of enameled naturally ex-
ceeds that of brass beds. because they
cost less and are, within the means of a.
larger class of people. The popularity of
the white enameled iron bedsteads has
increased wonderfully
Here's a suggestion for a New Years
entertainment. 1t consists of a New
Years ghost party" at which each guest
shall come prepared by attire, manner
and demeanor, to simulate one or more OF
the conditions which would rave resulted
from the persistent following out of by
gone New Years resolutions.
A young woman always merry, laughing
and handy with her tongue" to make
use of a picturesque Irishism. may appear
as solemn, demure and serious as though
she had for years obeyed the dictates of
the resolution which she has many times
framed in regard to becoming more SOBER
and circumspect.
The man whose funny stories are invar;-
ably listened to with enjoyment may de-
vote the entire evening to selling every
possible chance of gravely discussing poll
tics or the weather; he is acting out of
the long time resolution of growing old
with dignity and grace.
A woman who loves bright colors and
pretty outlines may present herself sob
erly attired in black or dun color, and with
her hair. garments and personal posing
far more adapted to the resolution which
once formed in regard to denying herself
TOO many pretty things thar like the
woman whom her friends know.
For the successful. amusement of the
evening nothing more is required thar
the promise and certainty that the var
sous guests will fulfill their. own concep-
tfons in regard to aforementioned reso-
lutions of other years. The man who has
promised himself to be unfailingly and ex-
actly truthful will insist upon going into
the minutest details in regard to the chair
he brings or the music he hears. The
woman who has many times resolved to
sstake up her music again. will fly con-
~tinually to the piano and abstraetedly
practice scales and five finger exercises.
The college fellow who has vowed to keep
up his athletics will swing dumboells
wildly now and then in a corner of the
room. The woAan who has often re-
solved to abjure dancing will suddenly
to waltz, and as suddenly
cease; the young man who has many
times resolved to learn to dance will caper
about as INCREASINGLY as possible.
ut is an ~indisputable tact that there
are scores of American women today con
nected with charitable, club or ~organiza-
ton work for which they have no actual
taste and only a forced interest" writes
Edward Box in the January Ladies'
Home Journal" .'But the insufficiency of
the home as a place for women to de-
.velop their fullest talents has been so in
cessantly talked about that these women
have felt that, to be in touch with pro-
gressiye ideas. they must take on some
outside work, even at the cost of leaving
something undone in the home machinery.
Some women do not stop 10 discern an in
contestable fact: that those of their sex
who are forever crying about the narrow
ness Of the home for women are those
who have either never had homes of their
own or are unhappy in the homes which
they have. No happy wife nor true mother