The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-01-19
50 long that they cover half the hands.
Useless Bric-a-Brac.

Americans. The curse Of the American
home today is useless bric-a-brae-
A room in which we feel that we can
freely breathe is 50 rare that we are in
stinctively surprised when we see one
1t is the exception, rather than the rule
that we find q restful room
AS matter of fact, to this common
error OF oVerfurnishing so many of our
homes are directly due many of the
nervous breakdowns of our women, says
the Ladies' Home Journal.
The majority are afraid to simplify
things. They fear the criticism of the
outside world that their homes are
sparsely furnished; they dread the pos
sibility that their rooms may be called
bare They fear to give way to COM
mon sense. 1t is rare, but exhilarating,
to find a woman who Is courageous
eye single to comfoHt and practical
utility.
Here and There.
Ermine is the evening fur par excel
The green veil has disappeared abso-
Aii-feather hats are exterenly fash
ionable in Paris.
'ComplexiOn-pinlx' is one of the latest
White remains FIRST choice in gloves
for evening wear
Hand painted designs decorate the
toes Of some OF tie new slippers
The prevailing style Of dressing
for young girls Is low in the neck
All evening gowns have long trains.
but fit closely around the sides and
front
Luxurious evening gloves are supplied
with jewel fastenings and silk lacinss.
Angora felts are becoming popular,
especially in the gray and brown
The long and large. open, oval shapes
are the most favored designs for bar
rettes.
Roses Of cloth of gold with empire
law
millinery.
Ermine and white chiffon form fash
fOnable combination for bridesmaids
hats; bunch Of roses at one side Is the
only trimming.
The Bride and Her TrOusseau.
If @all the world loves a Iover,r GER
tain it is. too. that all womanly women
are interested in brides and trousseaux
The interest that is bestowed upon
brides in general seems to be new
er-failing. Thet trousseau of the present
day is, however, q much more sensible
affair than that of old. Young women
have wisely come to the conclusion that
a great mistake was that old fashioned
idea Of having a thorough outfit even if
by SO doing the bride were a. physical
and mental wreck from the consequent
fatigue and worry Those brides of years
ago are not to be compared with the
present perfectly healthy contented
young woman who has not devoted all
the weeks and months of her engage
ment to laying in supply of clothes
sufficient to last her for years The or
iginaI purpose of a trousseau is in itself
an excellent one and that a bride should
start on her married life with a suffi-
Gent amount of clothing to last for a
twelVemonth, no one can question; but
1t IS not necessary to buy clothes for a
year ahead, particularly now when fash
Ions change so continually. sum Of
money, large or small, as the case may
be, put in the bank for the years ex-
penses, and merely what is necessary
Tor the season of the year when one is
married purchased at once, is a far
more practical plan-Ffarper' Bazaar.
A Self Possessed Girl.
A rather curious method of burglar
catching was resorted to by an ingen-
ious maid servant recently in the east
As the Electrical Review tells the story,
while in pursuit Of her household duties
the maid noticed a mans foot inside the
clothes closet. She did not scream,
neither did she jump at the door nor
shut it with a bang; instead she took
broom and began to sweep that corner
OF the room near the closet. Her APP
proach was gradual, and the sweeping
was done so naturally that it would not
have aroused the most suspicious bur-
glar. At last the broom brushed the
door gently but hard enough to close it
to the fraction Of an inch. With five or
six more gentle sweeps that closet door
was shut and almost latched, which she
at length succeeded in doing by gently
pressing her arm against it.
As the telephone in her house was so
near the closet that the burgular would
be a bic to hear her if she called for as
sistance, she bethought herself of an
other plan. In the back yard some teIe-
phone lfnemen were at the time making
repairs on a wire that runs to another
house in the block. She went out and
spoke to them. They promptly tapped
wire. attached a testing instrument
and called UP one of the downtown ex-
changes, which, in turn, got the house
owner who, in his turn, called up Police
headquarters From there the call was
sent to the police station nearest the
house and two policemen were sent
around and got the man.
An Original Idea.
Mrs. Durham Wheeler originated the
ofl-clOth sold everywhere for tables. It
comes in pretty designs Of blue and
white, and is easily washed Kitchen
wallis treated with this preserve for a
long time their daintiness. When a
landlord is obdurate and will not paint,
you can, therefore, with a hammer and
fine tacks. If you cannot afford the SER
vices Of a Daperhanger, have the walls
ant and refreshing tone given to the
kitchen. This tone is given by the arclli-
tect to large and important kitchens. by
the marble and the thing of the walls
pipes that are introduced. The tiles in
these instances are study in them
selves But the architect seldom ex-
ponds any of his energies on the apart
ment kitchen. Almost everything in the
way of beautifying is therefore left to
the individual tenant. 1t is well for this
tenant to remember that the lower one
descends in the scale Of wealth or of
social Importance, the more the apart
ment kitchen is in evidence, and the
point that I have always maintained
is that the kitchen in just these apart
ments should be made as interesting as
nv r1f1 II rr< ore