Evening star., 1898-12-10

except by what you remember of the tastes
and wishes of those to be remembered. Put
down on the list the names of those to
whom you wish to give gifts, and in each
case formulate the reason for which you
wish to give it. If you find you are giving
a gift in exchange for another which you
have received in the past or which you
think you will receive strike out that name
with all possible haste. You are desecrat-
ing the holy spirit of the season, commit
ting a vulgar action and beginning train
of deceit. This is not half strong enough
language to express the crime which is
committed when one deScendS to "exchanS-
ing gifts.
After you have erased any name in which
you feel there is a sort of barter in the Civ
ing of a gift look carefully again and see if
you are giving TO some one who may feel
embarrassed by your gift 1t hardly seems
possible that such things could happen in
well-bred families. but a young man con-
fded to me last Christmas that he had re-
ceived a gift from q girl whom he knew
very slightly. Her family came from the
same town as his. but this was not a strong
tie in his opinion on which TO rest an eiao-
crate gift which the girl had evidently
fashioned with her own hands. The worst
of it was she was only in moderate circum-
stances and this added to the weight OF the
load / learned in casual way from the
girl that he had been kind to her and to her
mother and she wished to show her appre-
| ciation; but note from her mother would
| have been better and would have saved
WHICH oli oiic SiES No3 iA>'N
| quite lifted.
Great Problem Solved.
This brings us to the question of what
girl may with propriety give a man. In the
first place she should know the man very
well and he should be related to her by the
ties of affection or blood before she can
give him much of anything. This hardly
seems fair, for probably she has been ac-
cepting flowers and candies from men VINO
l dc in
which it can be repaid except by Kindness
and courtesy and by the charm which makes
her receive a plethora of faVorS IN the nrsl
place. In the illustration you Will ma
| tobacco TAR which can be bought undeco-
rated and with few clever strokes OIL the
brush transformed into an ornament, as 1t
| Is already comfort for the man who
smokes a pipe. We can't all paint, however;
| if we could, the problem would be partly
solved; so in another corner the medicine
chest which may be made of strong linen
| or silk lined with stiffenins, or better still
made of canvas, will appeal to those who
| can use a needle. 1t is a small affair and
very simple. The place for each bottle is
made by the ribbons or cords, for which
str,Iment The bottles can be bought, and
! according to the size they are Is the linen
| or silk cover gauged. Tobacco pouches are
well known. A more personal gift, but one
which any man with a grain of neatness in
| him values, is bag for soiled linen. 1t
should be made of chintz or denim. A piece
about two yards square will be enough.
| Finish 1t at the top as you would any other
| bag, with drawing strings. but have also
| a place wide enough to put in a smooth
stick, which will hold it out. Then slit 1t
down one side and face the slit. Articles
| may then be thrown into the bag without
| the trouble Of opening the top of the bag
| each time.
| Cannot Have Too Many.
| Sofa cushions are a boon to a bachelor maid
| or man. In fact, they are most acceptable
| gifts to any one who has not already
enough to fill at least two divans A man
| told me solemnly the other day that If
| girls would give him handkerchief cases he
! did wish they would make them so he could
| use them. This method proved to be most
| simple. 1t seems that men do not want to
| drag their handkerchiefs out of pockets
| neither do they want to unite anything So
| If you do make a case, make 1t simply
long piece of linen or silk, faced and stuffed
| with cotton batting and sachet, as usual
Then do not finish 1t by sewing up the side
| or tying the enus together with ribbon
Leave 1t simply to be folued over when the
l handkerchiefs are In. This simple case has
worked a revolution among busy people
| One girl Of my acquaintance has all her
| wells and gloves In cases of this sort
| Simply long strips of pretty material prop
| erly scented and lined which fold over.
| Leather Is fertile field. although, as one
| woman with long list and small purse
| remarked feelingly, ''It is very expensive"
| Still, one can get lovely little gifts In
| leather all the way from a dollar to many