The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-02

properly so addressed but are called
| Mister like any civilian, while cap
tains and officers of higher rank are
given their titles in conversation, but
every one has use for the simple infor-
nation which ought to be more general
than it appears to be that a widow
properly retains the full Christian
name of her husband and does not re-
sumo her own.
In the case of a divorced woman she
may use her own name as Mrs Mary
Smith, if a first name is absolutely nee
essary although except when there is
some other mebers of the fam
| lily entitled to the simple I'M
prefxed name, Mrs. Smith, that
she can use her maiden name and ner
married name hyphenated as Mrs. VIII
son-Smith. To the dowager or the old
est matron of the name in the family
properly belongs the family name with
no other prefix than Mrs. In some
families the dowager, especially if she is
\ an elderly woman is known as Madame,
a very pretty and dignif1ed custom
When the good old fashion of family
names has resulted in several matrons
| of the same name in family the
grandmother is Madame-say Brown,
the daughter Mrs. John Brown and the
granddaughter Mrs. John Brown, Jr.,
or Mrs. John Phineas Brown, in case
the second name of the grandson is
different from mis- fathers.
| OF course all wives and widows sign
bands last name to any epistle al
though in the case of business letter
their formal address with their nus
bands name is written in parentheSeS.
The use of the full name, as Mrs.
William Smith, is better form than
that of two initials, as Mrs. w. l.
Smith. The single initial is unpardon-
able. Sometimes a man has been
long, awkward or unusual one that
for brevity and accuracy he uses
merely the initial in business, but his
wife should always have the full name
on her visiting card and should insist
upon being known as Mrs. Ezekiel
Clark, never Mrs. E. Clark. Any
name, no matter how bizarre or ugly
looks OF sounds better than a single
initial or even, to some tastes, than
two initials.
This use of initials is a bourgeois
custom anyway, and probably because
it arose from the exigencies of bust
ness, and British society has always
froWned upon trade it does not pre-
vail in aristocratic circles in England,
where they make a good deal of fun
of the American middle initial. There
the man of good position without a
title is known as Mr.. Lawrence Stew
art or Mr.. Lawrence BrySOn Stewart.
never as Mr.. Lawrence B. Stewart.
The use of the full name is a question
for individual taste to decide. 1t has
lately had a great vogue among u.s.
and has suffered accordingly in the
judgment of people who object to the
commences of popular fadS. 1t seems
to be preferable to the first name and
the middle initial or that atrocity the
name parted in the middle" as Mr.. L.
Bryson Stewart. Common sense might
easily dictate a rule in this case If
man has been generally known by
his two names from childhood, an
old fashioned custom lately re-
Vived, his wife would very sensibly
and appropriately retain both on her
visiting card and be known as Mrs.
James Robert Clark, But, on the
other hand, if he had always been
called James Clark, and had even for
gotten that he had a middle name,
why drag it from the dust of oblivion
for the sake of the appearance of your
visiting card? Be simply Mrs. James
Clark and console yourself by re-
membering that so many people use
the two first names that it is really
quite TOO common.
The Woman who Knows has a fasci-
mating idea for the furnishing of a
chairs, an hour-glass tabourette a di-
van, tea table and a small round ia
Bile comprise the furniture which is all
in willow in French gray stain. A green
oak library table goes with it and on
this she pictures in her minds eye, an
antique bronze lamp with cut brass
shade finished with green silk fringe
and green pottery vase filled with
chairs and sofa are of green and white
cretonne and the hangings of a very
open mesh Oriental fancy net and a
Japanese silk in bayadere stripes of
white and shades OF green.
Another room in this castle in Spain,
which by the way, the prospective
young matron with visions of home
making and housekeeping should not
fail to visit has a background of Japa-
nese cotton in which green, blue, yellow
and red mingle in the landscape re-
peated over its surface. This is for the |
hangingS. The same strong tones APP
pear in a fantastic dragon design cover
ing a pillow. The sofa and chairs are |
of green willow with yellow cushions. |
The reading table is of green oak. 1t |
holds a green bronze lamp with ! |
Geisha shade and pottery, in blue,
green and yellow repeats the tones of /
the room charmingly.
A library set for a country house |
might combine Drown willow and /
leather. Chairs. sofa and table would
have frames of the basket work sug-
costing the Mission style in their |
strong, straight lines The upholstery of
leather would be fastened with big I
brass nails and the table covered with |
the leather fastened with nails. Such !
a table costs $24. the sofa $40 and an /
arm chair $40.
A green willow living room outfit
suggestive of vacation comfort has two
big roomy chairs enough unlike for va
riety and enough alike to belong in the |
same room. Each has an arm basket
for papers. There is an oblong table |
with an undershell, tea stand and a |
basket. The chair cushions
and draperies are of white cretonne |
with yellow roses and foliage. Similar
sets are obtainable in ivory willow, |
Gobel in blue and dark red.
The so-called English cottage pa
pers, so much admired for summer |
walls, are nearly all made in this
and designed by Americans. |
The background is usually cream,
ivory, or a delicate buff. and nothing
prettier than the designs of wild roses,
bachelors buttins. wistaria, primrose,
and ntbaY- sim OIo flowers can he had