Evening star., 1901-12-07
I TIOUSE=
HOLD
lINTS

NSEYlANIJJ
From this time on until the advent of the
new year the average woman expects to
lead a strenuous life. Just recently man
committed suicide because orders were
coming in so fast he could not fill them
! If women were prone to succumb to an
overplus of demands upon their time and
strength the next census returns would
! show remarkable falling off. Few and
far between are the mothers and house
keepers who can voice from experience that
piaint of Tennyson's "Ulysses:''
How dull it is to pause. to make an end.
| To rust unburnished, not to shine In use.
While much of the extra work antedatins
Christmas is compulsory, every woman
owes it to herself and family not to go be-
yond her strength, leaving aftermath Of
| nerves and consequent irritability. Bet
ter cut down the Christmas shopping list,
simplify the meals, let the windows lose a
bit of their usual clearness, than come to
as to lose the Christmas spirit, which is
more than meat, more than raiment, more
| than the giving of rich gifts.
And in this very matter of Christmas
Iargesse, To many of US the financial de-
mands of Christmas have come to mean
| serious Qe1clt IN the family treasury
While We all agree that it is more blessed
to give than to receive, do we not often
carry this dear privilege too far? If we
| could only learn that it is the spirit that
| counts, and not the dollars expended! If
| friendship is only measured by the costii-
| ness of a gift such friendship is not worth
| the keeping. A Christmas letter, a sprig Of
| holly, a homemade cake or box of bon
| bOns carries with it the Christmas spirit
quite truly as silks, satins, scarlets
| and velvets."
In getting ready for the Christmas shop
| ping one should make out an accurate list
| of what is needed and then adhere to It..
| The Christmas display is always more or
| less of a temptation, and unless the shopper
| puts on the brakes she is apt to come home
| laden with things that look pretty but
| have little or no intrinsic value.
Every housekeeper enjoys cOnveniences
| for her kitchen, and of these this year
| there is no end The new fire-proof serv-
| ing dishes are to be commended on the
score of economy of time and labor. These
| come in pretty German ware, blue and
white and brown and white, and the pies,
| puddings, custards, patties and casseroles
cooked in them can go directly from the
| oven onto the table.
same material for holding cream cheese.
| These can be kept on the ice and taken
| from there to the table without having to
make change to fresh dish.
| To put under these hot dishes there are
| pretty blue and white tiles, with felt backs
| These will outwear the Older wood and
willow mats and will not necessitate laun-
dering like the cotton table mats. They
| come from 90 cents up.
Every woman who has tried cutting po-
tatoes by hand for French frying will ap
preciate of the convenient little fruit
and vegetable slicers. These are of wood,
about the size of an ordinary crater, heav-
| iII- nI faly hn rlIa IF r
crater. A movable guard presses the veg
etable against the sharp edge of the
grooves and across them, producing plain
f1utings, lattice cuts or "shoestrings,' as
desired. By means of this time-saving de-
vice a dozen potatoes can be prepared in
ten minutes. the results being not only uni
form in size but newer and prettier in
every way. The price, Is cents puts the
sicer within the reach of all.
Ground pepper, say those who know, is
more largely adulterated than any other
article of food. For those who want to get
the pure spice there are small pepper grind
ers for the table of either china wood.
A whole pepper is put in one of them, and
ground over the food as required by indi-
vdual taste.
For the person who suffers from cold
| feet in the winter or the individual who
| wants to guard against taking cold in an
| nsufficiently heated country home or when
| sitting by the window, there is nothing
nicer than the new wooden overShOes. These
are black outside and white in, with a soft
| leather sole, and lace up about ankle high
| They should be large enough to slip over
| the ordinary shoes. Whole not handsome
| they are exceedingly comfortable, and
| would make a sensible gift for one who
| drives who sits at cold desk for
writing.
| Handkerchiefs are always appropriate
| for Christmas present. Pretty Swiss en-
| broidered ones. good quality with initials
| hand embroidered in small Roman letters,
| come in packages at s1.15 a half dozen.
| AS pictorial post cards still continue in
| favor in this country and abroad, a good
| idea is to utilize them as bearers of the
| Christmas greeting. Almost every large
| city has it's own special views which are
| interesting as souvenirs.
A gift of stationery never comes amiss.
| particularly when impressed at the head of
| each sheet is the owners monogram. This
| is no longer the old-fashioned, stiff and in
| tricately complex monogram, but one that
| can be read by all men. Each letter is now
| stamped in different color, with a rich
metallic luster. For instance, if the initials
| are NJ F. T., the NJ. would be stamped in
| silver the f. in gold and the T. in vermil-
| lion. There are also steel blue. red-copper
| and bronze letters-in fact, a dozen differ
| ent shades from which artistic combina-
| tions may be made.
Comfortable and pretty, too, are the new
| knitted petticOats. These come in all the
| delicate shades well as in dark red, black
and navy blue. They wash well and, being
machine made, are not expensive.
"A good hard sauce to use with plum pud-
| ding is composed of one cupful of butter
| washed free of salt. two cupfuls powdered
| sugar the whites of two eggs we'll beaten
! and wine glass of French brandy. The
| latter may be omitted, however, and a
| tablespoonful of currant jelly substituted.
| Beat the butter to cream in warm bowl,
add the sugar little by little, then the eggs
| beating all the time until the mass is light
| and creamy. Lastly, add the brandy or
| jelly and beat again. Arrange upon a pret-
ty dish In the form of mound, make little
! scales over it with the point of a teaspoon
| and set in cold place to harden
| JustifabIe, Perhaps,
/ Frnm he \av- Work woatly