The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-08-05
FINE LINEN CHESTS AGAIN.
THEIR OLD IMPORTANCE AMONG
 GIRLS REVIVED.

The linen chest is once more assuming 1 importance in American homes. | Housewives have always had their household linen, but the linen chest as an institution means more than that. Tn Europe it has always kept its pres tige, but in modern days, the linen of the American bride has been bought in wholesale fashion at the same time with the trousseau. Perhaps it has been be- cause the modern girl is less prone than her great-grandmother was to consider matrimony and a home of her own as the great essential things toward which all girl-life moves.
 It may be that the linen chest was el- bowed aside with many another tradi- ton, in the emancipation of the young woman, and that higher education root ed out the old time feminine taste for hoarding fine linen against a day of home making. If all that is true, then the new fad for linen chests may be hamburger of a welcome reaction. The day of golden feminine mean may be at hand.
 Everywhere in the shops to-day, one finds linen chests, more or less elabo- rate. For a few dollars one may buy very plain oak or cherry chest, and the price ranges from that modest sum far up into the hundreds.
 Nothing but fine antique will do for some young women, and genuine old chests whose heavy wood is finely carved and rich with the color and lus- ire of centuries are not sold for song. Imitation antiques are plentiful and some of them are attractive enough if one buys them for what they are and does not pay the price of real antiques for them.
 There are fine old inlaid chests, chiefly Italian, and one recently imported for the daughter of a New York man cost the buyer twenty-five hundred dollars. Another, of French workmanship inset with exquisite medallions of painted ivory, is valued at five thousand dol lars.
 A strictly modern French chest made to fill New York order is of dark oak severely plain, but mounted in wonder f,1l art nouveau metal work set with semi-precious stones.
 Here at home designers and artists are turning their attention to the revl- val, and one young Chicago artist has made herself name by her linen chest designs. Hand wrought brass and bronze, gleaming channels, hard carv- ing. color staining, all are pressed into service by her, and the results she ob- tains are sometimes very beautiful.
 One of her fancies is the decoration of 1 sy, rior of the chest may be dark, heavily carved, unadorned save for the carv- ings. Life the lid and one is confronted by a beautiful symbolic or conventional design in glowing color.
 Such chests are not for all lovers of linen. but linen all women must have and the earlier the collecting is begun the more satisfactory the supply is when it's owners wedding day comes The wise mother buys the linen chest and begins stocking it long before the daughter is old enough to take vita interest in the proceeding.
 Later she initiates the daughter into ioys of linen buying and linen owning This ought to be an easy matter ever with the modern, undomestic girl.
 Down deep in every truly feminine heart turks the love for fine linen. Ont need only appeal to that love in thu right way to make linen enthusias out of even senior wrangler or gol champion.
 There be young women who scorn tn idea of matrimony and would scoff the idea of providing anything for sucl an untoward and undesirable event but even the old maid who takes unt herself the title of bachelor woman vii need a home somewhere and linen t use in the home.
 As for the normal and same girl wh hopes to marry and be happy ever al terward and dreams day dreams Of home of her own-for the type, than heaven, is not extinct-she will learn delight in her linen chest and sacritic even a new hat to towels or tabl cloths.
 It is easy to have an exceptional beautiful supply of linen. if one watche the sales and if one buys little at time. Even though a woman has ur limited money at her disposal she car not at one fell swoop collect stock linen as satisfactory as one picked u piece by piece because of some particl lar merit or charm in each piece.
 One may buy almost any sort Of l1ne store hemmed, nowadays. The hurr and rush of modern life, the require ments of big hotels, clubs &sc., have d' manded that concession, but the gi who is cut out for domesticity will pr fer hemming and working her own lii en.
 Of course the supply she will nee will depend upon the position she W occupy, but it is hard to get too mu' linen. and certain basic rules of sele ton every one may follow.
 First there is the kitchen supply cl towels, glass towels, roller towels, di cloths, cheese cloth clusters, tick co cred iron holders, a bag for clothespir cotton flannel bags to draw over broor when wood floors are to be brushe All these are to be hemmed. work with one or two initials and laid aW' in the linen chest. Then there is [ servants linen, bountiful supply sheets, pillow slips, towels, spread table cloths, napkins, not necessarily very fine quality but carefully selectf durable, well worked.
 When this foundation is laid one come to the delightful part of the Wol