The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-11-03
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WOMAN'S WORLD.
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How many women are going to starr
In this season hunting pleasure? asks
Dorothy Maddox in the Philadelphia IN
quirer.s
How many are going to become slaves
of amusement clubs7
How many are going to imperl the
peace and comfort of their home life by
obligations to card clubs, dinner club
reading clubs and all the other feminine
assemblies which make so much demand
mon the time, the wits and the ward
robes of their supporters2 :,
A hint in season may save many a line
on womanly brows which cannot go
frownless through this social campaign
The trouble is, most of us spend too
much time thinking how we can be
amused. We forget. or we refuse to ad-
nit, that this cold. practical, workaday
world is made up of more duties n
pleasures. And yet l wonder If it Is NOT
rather influence than Inclination that
starts us on a mad scramble for dstrac-
ton.
It seems about as hard for a woman to
refuse an Invitation to join something
as for a small boy to say mo- at a sug-
gestion to play hockey"
Some day a neighbor calls with a spicy
little account of a club she is getting up.
1--WE want your name so much, it viii
help the club along immensely or certain
social lights Of the ~neighborhood have
spoken particularly of getting her mem
bershfp.
The bit of hattery works like heaven in
the mind of the undecided one.
She hesitates. she smiles, her name
goes down on the list, the ~treasurer's
pockethook snaps t~riumphantly on her
first elub dues, and she is Sin for it, as
she says to herself. with a half apprehen-
.sive fear of the consequences.
Perhaps it is a card club that has her
in its clutches. What a autter she is in
when she begins to make ready for its
reception in her own home.
How the rooms are worked over the
children shunted out OF the way, and
what pathetically anxious moment she
spends in consultation with a bargain ca
ferer.
Then the after-elap, when she looks
back with little shivers of modification
over the soggy patties, the stale sailed
almonds and the sherbet that thawed to
a sickly syrup on its trip from the kitchen
to the card room.
And oh the way thase hateful women
eyed her prizes! If they had suspected
her of confiscating part of the club funds
they couldn't have looked more signih-
cantly disappearing.
And after all, it cost her-wen, a good
many more dollars than she could afford.
Multiply this experience by four or nve
for some of these social p~lungers lave a
club for every day in the week-and you
can calculate just how much friction
women must endure when they are at
tackled by the club epidemic.
About the most tormenting of all these
social tortures IS the literary club
This is, if anything harder on the MEM
bers' families than on the members them
selves.
A frank confession Of the situation came
to me the other day.
"What.v I exclaimed to a friend who
made some remark about her "Wednesday
liierary,' you've Joined that thing again?
I thought It literally wore you out last
year"
ooh. ne.g she answered airly; at was
nv family Is wore out. / kept them all
busy Juggling home books from the library
and looking up data for me until they
struck. This year I'm afraid I'll have
a hard tussle getting up my papers, but
YOU know YOU can't afford to drop out.
People soon ignore you altogether"
Meanwhile the woman who is pig-head-
ed enough to travel her own little domes-
tic routine with no yearnings for these
diversions finds herself getting through
the days neither worked to death nor
worried to death, ard with a grateful
household besides to bless her for her
foresight in keeping out OF things"
80
Ingenuity is often taxed to the utmost
to invent some novelty in pincushions,
which are quite a feature at bazaars, in
every form and fashion The shuttlecock
pineusion is one of the latest. The cush-
ion is made to fit inside the ring of
feathers, and is glued to the centre. 1t is
covered with a piece of pretty, bright
colored broeade, and is made like a firm
little plum pudding, tied round with a
strfng. Round the shuttlecock is a length
of folded ribbon, finished off with a bow,
with a few small loops of silk cord, and
one long one, by which to hang it up.
It is useful for hanging on a looking glass
or to a work bag or basket. Another
novelty is a large heart, composed of two
pieces of cardboard covered with brocade
and plush, and sewn together, holding
scissors, thi1nble, two reels of cotton,
packet of needles and bodkin. The heart
measures at its widest part six and a
half inches across and is altogether eight
inches from top to point. Before the two
pieces are Joined together W lengths Of
elastic are stitched across, with in the
upper one places for the reels OF black
and white cotton and scissors and in the
lower for the thimble and packet of
needles and bodkin. Also some loops Of
ribbon and a strap must be added for
suspending and decorating it, The strap
Of ribbon is carried across the depression
in the heart and the loops at each side,
quite at the top Round the edges are
put in four bonnet pins, lace and ordi-
nary pins with black and white heads,
one finishing off the point of the heart.
A third novelty is a Enthusiastically bent
length of bonnet wire, covered with two
narrow satin ribbons intertwined with
three small hearts suspended, one being
larger. These are covered in different
colors, one having white pins, the other
black and the larger one fancy headed
pins. With some taste this arrangement
can be made to look very pretty. Quaint
little Japanese teapots, bright colored
china jugs, miniature saucepans and coal
scuttles, such as are sold for dol1's houses
little arm chairs and silver ornaments of