Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-07-03
.. Ole ..
Home Maker
EDITED BY
ALICE F. TALCOTT.
Forming a ChiId's Taste in Dress.

well, before I'd let a young one
pick out her own clothes Mine al
ways took what l bought for them,
and kept still about it,"
1t was the iron-jawed woman who
spoke, and her remark was called
forth by the group a little way from
us in the large department store. A
mother and little girl were selecting
coat for the girl.
'Now, Elsie, you may take any one
of these" said the mother. The
child was weighing with a judicial
air the four coats laid out on the
table. 1t was rather enlightening to
listen to the little girls comments.
She was afraid the trimming on one
might not wear well, though she
liked the shade best. Another was
too much like the old one, and she
wanted a change. She at length
chose what looked like a pretty and
serviceable garment. An unpreiu-
NlNCu pei WOuiu nave III
a sensible proceeding. The mother
had indicated what coats from the
number displayed suited her in quail
ity and price. Then the child had
exercised her taste in choosing one
of that number. That she had had
experience and had been taught what
to look for, was shown in her reject
ing the trimming that might not look
we'll after wear.
But what about the woman who
thought it subversive to discipline to
allow child to choose it's own gar
ments. Did we know her in our
childhood? think we did. She
was Grace's mother, and we remem-
Der the kind OF clothes Grace used to
wear, the sad-colored things that
wouldn't show the dirt, garments
that always were bought too long
and wide to allow her to grow into
them, which she never did until they
were worn out. And we remember
vividly Grace's anguish of spirit over
her clothes. When she was a young
lady, earning her own money, she
plunged into extremes to satisfy her
love of pretty things, that had been
SO denied. We might whisper, too,
that Grace's taste is not yet devel-
oped. She does not know how to Sc
lect becoming and suitable things.
And besides Grace, there were a doz-
en- others in our circle who were al
lowed no word in the choice of their
clothes. We know enough now to
be glad that our mothers took us
along to the stores, and having ruled
out the undesirable things, allowed
us to choose from the others. I re-
member once, too, when l got my
most valuable lesson in clothes, by
my mothers allowing me to get
something against her Judgment. It
was pink cotton. When | had seen
1t l could think of nothing else that
would take its place. Mother warned
me that it would fade in the first
washing, and that pink was not be-
coming to me. But when l still
pleaded she allowed me to take it
home. 1t did make my skin and
hair look horrid while it was new.
and it did fade to a horrid streaky
color at the first washing. But I
wore it unmurmuringly New dress
es didn't come often in our house.
But the next time, listened to moth
er's advice in chastened spirit.
wonder how many of the hone
lessly dressed women that we see
every time we go on the streets had
their clothes chosen by someona eIsa
until they were quite grown up?
Selecting suitable garments for her
self and family is part of a wom-
ans business. Why should she not
be trained for that in the formative
period of childhood? OF course.
SA'N hOOuo SOlll6 wise Rul0lnR,
She must be guided toward simplic-
lty and harmonizing colors, and good
materials. She must learn that
beauty does not lie in much trim
ming and elaboration. If she inclines
to the exaggerated styles it is usually
sufficient to point out someone in
the street who has made caricature
OF herself by adopting the extremes.
AT school they are beginning to teach
the child to enjoy the best things in
art. At home let us do our part by
cultivating refined taste in house
hold. decorations and the things we
wear.
TRIED RECIPES.