Evening Star Newspaper, May 25, 1895, Page 17

TRAINING THE MIND How Kindergarten Methods Are Fol- lowed in the Public Schools. IN THE FIRST TWO GRADES Little Ones Taught to Keep Em- ployed, but to Be Happy. LEARNING MUCH OF VALUE INCE GERMANY honored Froebel by making the kinder- garten a national in- stitution in 1840, the system has grown and spread until it 1s now under the foster- ing care of govern- ment protection in almost every coun- try in Europe, and Is. slowly gaining ground in this country. Of all the large cities in the Union, Wash- ington is most backward in making the kindergarten a part of her public school system, through no fault of the public school trustees, however, but because of a short-sighted Congress, which stints the District im educational appropriations. But, though there is no separate kinder- garten curriculum, kindergarten methods prevail in the first months of each year’s school in the first and second grades, and to @ large extent in the third grade. In the first grade the children begin at the age of six, sometimes a few months younger, and this is what they take up in that first year's work: “Language, num- bers, plant work, animal work, physiology, Penmanship, drawing, music and health exercises.” In the second grade it is ex- actly the same, a little more advanced, and likewise in the third grade, vith geography and sewing added. That sounds like a pretty stiff task for children who haven't learned to button their own boots yet, and still like to be rocked to sleep, but, bless you, they don’t mind it. Indeed, they look The Singing Lesson. as though they liked it, hard work and all =only it is never made to seem like hard work. Of course, there are people who think that these kindergarten methods are all play, and good for nothing but to keep the children out of mischief. Well, that is just exactly what is done. They have good care and rational amusement. Their active brains are set to work, and not left to plot Yn'ischief, but the work is only scientific lay, so sugar-coated that they swallow it greedily and ask for more. These young Students are kept in but half a day, be- ¢ause the school facilities are not ade- wate for the pressure upon them, and so fo sets of pupils have to be accommo- Gated each day. Said one of the bright first grade teachers to a representative of The Star: “I suppose You think that the noise in this room would drive a teacher wild.” And really, just at that moment, there was excellent cause for the supposition. One of the small maidens had a bug, and was gleefully giggling and dancing about while two or three of her mates were craning their necks to see the ugly thing creep over her fat hands. An- other had a branch of maple leaves, and (was eloquently discoursing about its va- Tious attributes in a stage whisper to a tupid-looking boy, who was industriously ing to rub the heel off his shoe on the gs of his desk. About twenty of the pu- ig were nervously interested in what the eacher was saying to The Star reporter, and twenty pairs of small boots camé glumping up to the desk, their owners {ching up numerous excuses for the ex- gursions. Every blessed one of the fifty or More acted as though it had St. Vitus ce. Then the teacher said: “Attention!” ‘And quicker than scat, every leg straight- éned, every foot was on the floor, back- ones became ramrods, and every smiling face was turned in eager expectation on the teacher, She gave them some little task, and, in the quiet that ensued, she finished what she had commenced to say. “We do not try to restrain the children Maple Leaves, Much,” she sald, shaking her head at an obstreperous boy, and handing a piece of Paper to one and a pencil to another—all at the same time. “We try to keep them émployed, and happy, and outside of that they are permitted to wiggle and walk, talk and tell stories, just about as they Please, but we always turn it all to ac- count. Woe correct their false syntax, help them add words to their vocabulary, adorn their stories with all the morals possible, and, in fact, we never lose an opportunity to give them new ideas. We teach all this in three ways. Sentence, word and sound Trethods. The alphabet we teach only inci- dentally. A child tells a story about a dog. At once I say, ‘Can we all spell dog?” It may happen that half a dozen cannot. Then they are told to say it fast, then slcw and slower, until they have it down the simple sound of the three letters rawlingly uttered. Then I teach them the hames of those letters by sound. Then I Write the word dog on the board in large letters and direct the class to trace those haracters in the air, then shut their eyes, and see it with the mind’s eye. Then I say, ‘Write it,’ and by that time they are able make the characters quite creditably, that way they learn the formation of tters, to spell, to write, and, above all, it makes them very careful in observing, 20 that they may be accurate. Then they be- gin sentence building, and to punctuate. We teach them the science of everything We touch upon. Children quickly grasp the fyhys and wherefores of anything, and they soon go on investigating tours them- gelves, and some of their conclusions are funny enough, and withal, logical.” ‘Then she took the maple branch from the ghild who was lecturing to her mates about it, and quickly pulling a leaf for each of a fase of a dozen, she called them about her. he held up the branch and asked the ame of the tree upon which it grew. The answer came quickly. How did they know THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1895-TWENTY PAGES. 17 it was a maple? “By the leaves,” came the reply. What were the leaves like’ ‘The answers were vastly different, but got the idea, and a number compared 1 with other leaves, such as the lilac, and i i Object Lessons, the cherry. One said the maple had five fingers on its leaves, like a hand. It had veins, like the hand. “Veins” was a new word, so they had a spell of learning it. After spelling veins, and writing it in the air, after the teacher's tracing on the beard, they went to the board and wrote it themselves, all very proud of adding a word to their vocabulary. Then they drew the leaf, each one, on the blackboard, and there wasn’t a single specimen that would have to be labeled to know that it was meant for a maple leaf. Then the whole fifty of them did some sight reading of music. The teacher put the staff on the board, and wrote in a cou- ple of bars of music, running up and down the scale in rather a confusing manner, but it didn't confuse those youngsters a bit. When called on individually to name the note, give the time, the clef, or the key, they did it, and made few mistakes. Then they sang the notes. Forwards and backwards and side wise, and skipping about. The teacher tried them almost every way but standing on their heads, and it is probable that they could have sung that way, too. Some of them would have been nothing loth to try it, anyhow. Of course, all this is advanced work in the year, for the first two months of the fall term are supposed to be all that are devoted to the “baby work,” the unfolding of the fallow mind. The First Requirement. “Our first duty,” said the bright teacher, “4s to interest the children. A child’s mind is always reaching out for more light; its fingers are an investigating committee of ten, and awfully active. If it finds toys all made ready for use, its first instinct is to pull them to pieces to see what force makes them do certain things. In the ‘science’ methods of our first grade work we teach them how to build up, and how to make their own playthings. Their de- structive bent is turned in an entirely op- posite direction. A child is simply a huge question mark for the first ten years of its life, and I sometimes think that there are parents who take a fiendish delight in blunting its sensibilities, and studying how little they can aid its inquiring mind. Then we also teach the children habits of per- sonal neatness, and instruct them in cour: tesy and politeness.” Training the Mind. Froebel took the ball, cube and cylinder to epitomize the universe, and his idea has been generally adopted in first grade or kindergarten work. With these and their clay, their bright pictures, their object les- sons—during the first months each child ‘brings some object from home to study, a teacup or a clock, a mechanical toy or a baby shoe, it does not matter what, and from these the little ones learn the object lessons that are so valuable—with all these they do not have much time for books, nor is there any necessity for them. It is “line upon line,’ day after day. They are in no way subdued, so long as they are not rude. They are encouraged to interest themselves in everything going on about them, and to impart any new knowledge as soon as acquired. One small youth of six scant summers came to school Wednesday morning, bubbling over with questions about the Memphis drill. The teacher told him as weil as she could its import, and was about to say something concerning the companies attending from here, when the little fellow broke in impatiently, “Oh, yes! I know all about the Fencibles. They didn’t get there. Tell us about the ones who won the prize!” What is Needed. There is a growing feeling among the District educators that the important work -of the kindergarten should be done before the child advances to the first grade, and that the first grade pupils should have more than a half day's school, but, under existing crowded circumstances, nothing can be done. Certain it is that the thou- sands of little ones who are in the first grade are doing splendid work, work that the patrons of the school should be proud of, for some of these little children are a little short of marvelous. Beside the first grade work along kinder- garten lines, Washington has four free pub- lic kindergartens housed by the school com- missioners. The District gives them house room, philanthropists do all the rest, and not the least among them by any means are the gentle, cultured young women who are devoting their lives to the poorly paid and not always pleasant work of saving from the streets and alley slums the little toddlers who else would learn swearing in- stead of singing and pocket picking instead of praying. The Free Kindergarten. You just ought to hear these free kinder- gartners warble! Thin, piping, wrongly pitched little voices, most of them, but the way they open their mouths and let the noise roll out is amazing. But singing isn’t hulf of the fun. Every song they sing has a “motif” and they motion it out. They plow and sow, harrow and mow; they drive, and skip, and hop, and dance; they go through a complicated gymnastic ex- ercise with hands and feet and heads and bodies; they imitate everything imitatable, and they are not once admonished to make less noise. How they enjoy it all, too! “Jaky” would go to sleep instead of raking hay occasionally, and rowdy little tow- headed Touissaint is inclined to flirt with small Zintka Luna, the Sioux baby of Wounded Knee fame, much to her dis- tress. Among them there was a little Leah, with a face like an odalisque and a figure like a foot ball, who rolled off her chair numberless times, and whose garters were a source of great trial, and a small German fraulien, whose prim braids and tidily mended old frock told of a careful mother. There was ’a small urchin from somebody's alley, who looked ag though he might be an exemplification of one who had been ‘conceived in iniquity and brought forth in sin,” robbed before birth of his heritage of healthy childhood, and the little left. covered by mortgage to evil. Down in Snow’s court, that modern sec- tion of Sodom, where the children of Ham herd like animals, Mrs. Hearst has estab- lished a free kindergarten, with Miss Has- lup at its head, and the thoroughly in earnest young lady is making a splendid Success among her small ebony charges. ‘Aside from the fact that they are learn- ing something good, little kindergartners, are learning nothing ill. peer ee ee The Poet and the Bon Vivant. From the Critic. ‘The Poet, crossing Madison Square the other morning, met the Bon-Vivant. “Ah!” exclaimed the Poet, “do you see these trees? How exquisite their tender green!’ “Yes,” replied the Bon-Vivant, “I was just noticing that and thinking what a lovely salad they would maki “Who the dick—hic-ens you makin’ a face at?"'—Life. CARE OF THE HAIR Senora Sara Gives Some Practical Advice to Careless Women. THEME OF POEP AND HISTORIAN Well-Kept Tresses Always Gain and Retain Admiration. HOW TOCOMB AND WASH THEM Se Written for The Evening Star. T IS RATHER A Jee facte that very few women seem to have any idea how to care for their hair. Those with long, thick hair find it is naturally very oily and greasy; it gathers dust and lint from the air ev- ery minute of the day and night, and these, uniting with the olls, speedily de- cay and send forth a disagreeable odor. A head covered with thick hair much confined perspires a great deal, and this is added to the other odor. Another singular fact is that it is an exceptional case where one can detect the bad odors on one’s own hair. From Bible days to now beautiful hair has been the theme of the poet and the historian. It may be an inheritance or it may be the result of a patient, never-ceas- ing vigilance in grooming and caring for the small supply with which nature has gifted one; but, from whatever source, glossy, well-kept tresses always win ad- miration. Long, thick hair is not always a blessing, for its very weight precludes all possibility of its being stylishly arranged. It is stated for a scientific fact that thick, heavy hair is given most often to the indolent, sen- suous nature, and that its possession indi- cates one of undisciplined mind and untidy tendencies. Very often women neglect a beautiful head of fine hair through ignor- ance. More often, however, they neglect their hair because it is a costly thing to have it cleaned by a professional, and they are actually too lazy to clean it them- selves. Heavy hair should be washed at least once a month. If it is very thick it ought to be washed twice a month, and such treatment might do away with the terrible headaches that women with heavy suits of hair often suffer from. How to Comb the Hair. ‘There is an art in combing the hair which few women acquire. It is a lamentable fact that very few women pay any atten- tion to the combs and brushes they use, buying the first cheap brush that presents itself and using it till it gets painfully di- lapidated, and then getting another of the same kind, The proper comb for threading and straightening thé tangled hair should be a firmly made one of rubber or shell, smooth as ivory, with slender teeth, wiiose points are not too sharp. A metal comb is a@ positive menace to the scalp and hair follicles. A single broken tooth in a comb should condemn it for the use of one who cares for her hair, as it can never be run through the hair without breaking off one or two and dragging half a dezen out by the roots. The fine comb is a necessity at times, but not to be used often, for the brush and redding comb should do the work af the scalp is in a healthy condition. It should be smoothly and firmly made, with slender, closely set teeth, whose points are neither blunt nor sharp. A cheap fine comb is an abomination, to be shunned along with cheap soap. The brush should have a light wooden back—metal or bone are both too heavy to manipulate properly—and the bristles should be bristles, and not split whalebone or sea grass, as so many of the cheap ones are. They should be long and thickly set on the brush. When to Begin. The care of the hair should begin in childhood, and it is right then that astart is made for a good or poor head of hair. The scalp is quite susceptible and resents bad treatment and poor care by getting dry and then the hair dies and falls out. If the scalp is naturally dry it should be washed frequently and then rubbed with some perfectly sweet oll or vaseline over night. In the morning go over the head with a soft clean towel or cloth, rubbing every inch of the scalp gently to get the oil off, then rub gently with the bare fin- gers for a few moments to loosen up the skin and create friction and glow. Brush the hair and trim the straggling ends. Such treatment of a child’s head will generally result in producing a vigorous growth of hair, but you have to keep up the treat- ment regularly three or four times a week or the first thing you know the hair will fall out. If the child’s hair is thin and stringy cut it short and keep it well trim- med for the first few years of its life and it will probably come in thicker, at least that is the opinion of a celebrated German authority. ‘The hair will split at the ends, no matter how well it is cared for, and once a month at least the ends should be clipped; not cut straight across, making them blunt and unmanageable, but by picking the ends of the hair up in the hands and clip- pirg, a few at a time, all the split brown- looking ends till you’ can slip your hand over the long etrands and not feel the tini- est bit of roughness. Hair that is split at the ends will not grow an atom, so, if you want your hair to be vigorous, you must be careful in this respect. If your hair is heavy and iong about all that you will have to do for it is to keep it clean ard combed. There are a thousand reasons for hair falling out, for it seems to be one of the most sensitive adjuncts of the body. Gen- erally speaking, when your hair begins to fall out you should look to the condition of your system before you begin to invest your earnings in patent hair restoratives, most of which are delusions and snares, anyhow. If your general health is good and yet your hair com®@at you can make up your mind that you do not take the right kind of care of it, and that a vigor- ous course is all that will save you your head covering. : Hair bleaches and hair dyes are all in- jurous. Very serlows brain and nerve disorders have been occasioned by their use, and total baldness cften follows a@ long-continued application of the delete- rious compounds. Happily, the women of this end of the century are wiser and more sensible than their sisters of the past, and dyeing the hair is steadily declining. It is a practice resorted to only by those who are ashamed of their age, and who wish to counterfeit youth, a counterfeit so base that a child can ‘easily detect it, Nature has kindly planned her affairs so that when she sends whitening locks she makes other changes in the body, so that hair and com- plexion harmonize, and old age becomes a beautiful thing. But dyed hair has never a natural appearance, and it always presents a ghastly discord with the unchanged skin. Bleaching the hair has much the same ef- fect. ly How to Wash the Hair. There can be no cast iron rules for car- ing for the hair, but one, and that is “keep it clean.” After that cases must be stud- led individually. The safest and cheapest wash for the hair is a tablespoonful of borax to a gallon of soft water, plenty of good castile soap, lots of clean towels and an egg. Divide the hair evenly, comb down over the face and bend over the fasin. Soap the hands well and rub the scalp then lift up the water and wash hair and head thoroughly. Have the beaten egg at hand and after the soap bath rinse the hair in luke warm water. Then rub the beaten egg into the scalp with the fingers, twist a towel around your head and hair and let the egg remain for about five min- utes. Then rinse in three warm waters, borax in the two first ones; dry with the towels till no more water drips off. Then sit down in the sun if possible, with your hair hanging down over the back of your chair. Shake your head a little occasion- ally, end by the time your hair is dry nearly every knot will be out of it. If it re- mains snarled, pull the strands around and straighten them with your fingers. When quite dry, and not before, begin to comb the ends’ of the hair first, grasping the locks close to the scalp, so that no strain will come there. Comb gently, and don’t jerk or break the hair, because that splits and retards its growth. Don’t put up till every hair is dry. In pinning your hair up never strain it, for that makes the scalp sore and hurts thé hair. Curling irons aré much better for the‘hair than paper and crimpers. A moderatély hot iron will curl the hair naturally}/o&e too hot defeats its own purpose, and 'tHe hair loses its elas- ticity and comes out 6f curl at once. Never put the curler-in the'blaze, for that rough- ens the iron and hi the hair. Never ap- ply it until you arésure it will not burn, and you can go using the iron indefi- nitely. Putting the Biir in papers. pulls and strains the roots frritates the scalp, and that retards gaowth and soon kills the roots. So long ag, your mistreatment of your hair does not'réach the roots it does not much matter, nly that it will not look as well as smoothjshining locks, but when you strain the roots or let deleterious com- pounds get to them, then you may be sure that you will injure your hair. Always “dress” your hair for‘the night. It is bet- ter for you, as well+as beneficial to the hair. Brush it well; then part and make into two loose braids, and let them hang unconfined. This cools the scalp and lets the air to it. A liberal expenditure of com- mon sense and a small supply of toilet ap- purtenances will give almost every woman, no matter how plain, a neat, sweet-smell- ing head of hair. SENORA SARA. CLOTHES FOR THE CHILDREN, Some Suggestions That Will Add to the Happiness of Mothers. Just about now half the mothers in the land are groaning over wardrobes for the wee ones. One who has never had one of the small hostages to fortune to clothe has rot the slightest idea what a lot of money, heap*of patience and quantity of material it does take to keep them even present- able, to say nothing of dressing them like doll babies for show, as s0 many mothers seem possessed to do. Undoubiedly, too much money is spent on the wardrobes of children. To keep them attired in fine woolen, silk andesatin dresses all the time bad taste, makes them vain, and the time will come when there will seem to be nothing good enough for them. A little child, boy or girl, should be comfort- ably, _ cleanly heaithfully clad, no more, no less. It can’t’ be comfortably clad in clothes which call for constant ad- monition to “not soil” them, “keep off the grass," “don’t get down on your knees,” and so on, and the mother who is vain enough to dress her child only for the sake of hectoring it into a decline would wear diamonds at the breakfast table and say “hey?” 5 Tt is worse than relly to trig a child out for a country trip in lawns and cambrics, lace trimmed and leaded down with em- broidery, for not one washwoman in ten can launder them properly, and certainly you won't find such a woman in the coun- try, and a new wrinkle will come in your face every time you lay out one of the dainty garments, for you know that to make it look decent you will have it to iron yourself. You fret the ohild with ccnstant nagging about care of {ts cloth- ing, and wear your soul to a frazzle wita worrying over its destructiveness, hence your trip helps nobody. Instead of buying white goods by the boit and embroideries and laces by the dozen yards, try the plan of one thoughtful mother for one summer and see how it works. She has two little daughters, of four and eight, and a son aged six. { She makes for their every-day wear in the country, where they stay four months of the year, complete suits of blue print! Of course that sounds __ perfectly Ye shocking to ultrasre-1: fined ears, but if you could see those chub- by faced, happy youngsters, whow never in their lives have been told” to # take care and not soil their clothes, you would realize what a» sensible mother ‘hey have. The only white garment that the children wear is:the | little knit body to which stockings and drawers are fastened. For the rest, the drawers, skirt and dresses ate made of plain 6-cent calico, blue, with a small white figure, and there isn’t'a ruffle or tuck in the whole outtit, six suits to each. The stockings worn are stout black ones, and the shoes are strong fine leather but- ton boots, with leggins, and overshoes for damp days. For evening wear, after the afternoon nap, there are pretty sleeveless white aprons, with some ruifies and a lit- tle lace. The blue suits that are to be worn the next morning are put on fresh and clean, and the white aprons give them quite a festive look. Clean stockings and lcw shoes take the place of the morning boots. For cool days, each child has a blue serge frock and a little serge jacket. In reserve there are two or three pretty lawns ard daintily trimmed skirts and drawers, but they never see daylight except under stress, and the children hate to see them come out of the trunks. They are never hampered by long-sleeved aprons, which simply add ‘to the wash, for it takes a dress a day anyhow, and an apron would be that much extra. As the print wasnes so easily, the laundry bills are amazingly small. A simple design for an outing dress for a girl from two to ten years of age could be made like the illustration. The waist should be lined with some thin material. For the print frocks no lining would be necessary, and <he sleeves should be loose and caught ina narrow cuff at the hand. The wide col- lar should be left off and a tiny ruffle put about the neck. For a wash silk dress for extra occasions, the design as it stands ia simple and dainty. vi ty made of lawn or In- dia linen, and should come quite to the bettom of the frock. The neat littie jacket should be made of serge and lined with sateen, and have large pearl buttons to fasten it. A low-crowned, rather broad blue sailor, with simple ribbon trimming, would be quite sufficient for all occasions, and a sun bonnet should be added for every-day wear. If a stronger macerlal than print is wanted, blue duck is a good substitute, but it will not launder so nice- ly, and gets to looking faded. Dutch llue calico costs a little more than either, but it wears never ending), Fishes That Cannot Swim. From the Fishing Gazette. More than one species of fish is met with which cannot sim, the most singular of which, perhaps, 1s the maltha, a Brazilian fish, whose organs of locomotion only en- able it to crawl, or walk, or hop, after the manner of a toad, to which animal this fish to some extent bears a resemblance, and it is provided with a long upturned snout. The anterfor (pectoral) fins.of the maltha, which are quite small, are not capable of acting on the water, but can only move backward and forward, having truly the form of thin paws. Both these and the ventral and anal fins are very dif- ferent from the smaller fins in other fishes, and could not serve for swimming at all. Other examples of non-swimming fishes in- clude the seahorse, another most peculiar- ly shaped inhabitant of the sea, which re- sembles the knight in a set of chessmen; and the starfish, of which there are many specimens, which mostly walk and crawl on the shore or rocks, both being unable to swim. o+—_—___— His Choice. From the Albany Journal. “I’m glad Billy had the sense to marry a settled old maid,” said Grandma Wick- field, at the wedding. “Gals is hity-tity, and widders is sort “of overrulin’ and up- settin’, But somehow old maids ts sort o’ thankful and willin’ to please.” And the lady rocked away comfortabiy, with the consciousness of having said a good thing, but the look on the face of Billy's new- made wife, as she fixed the old lady with her glittering eye, was suggestive of any- thing but meekness. HAVE YOU SMOKED TOO MUCH? Take Horsford’s Acid Phosphate, It will relieve the depression caused thereby; quiet the nerves and induce refreshing sleep. and | The apron should be-+ A PICTURE OF HEALTH TODAY. Mrs. Moore Was Sinking---Paine’s Celery Compound ‘The people have given their verdict! pare, Senta, county and most bumble village ‘There is a us of testimony from all Auierica to the that Paine’s celery com- pound fs making sick, tired-out, nervous mien and Wowen well and strong again. There have been published by thousands in every state in the country this spring testimontals from people in every station of life in those states telling of the many, many cases where this great- est of all remedies has made people well. ‘The Evening Star has published the unsolicited testimony of well-known and highly esteemed peo- ple in Washington who have found health and strength in the remedy that was first prescribed by Prof. Edward Phelps, M.D., LL.D., of Dart- mouth College. Men and women of national reputation have written thankful letters on the same subject, which have been published the world over, and have called forth wnasked for responsive letters from Made Her Well, equally prominent men and women in other, lands. clow is a letter that commends itself in this spring month of May to every woman in Washing. ton. It was voluntarily written to Wells, Richa son & Co. by a lady whose portrait, given above, 1s assurance of her high character and honest dispost- tion. She is a picture of womanly health. ‘She Js Airs. Robert M. Moore of Laporte, Ind., and she writes: “Please accept my heartfelt thanks for the great Food Paine’s celery compound has done me. do think that there cannot be too much said in its favor. I was completely run down a year , and had the advice and attendance of two the best iysicians in the town, who. nounced my sickness nervous prostration. I was treated by one for two weeks, and then went to another, and at first he seemed to help me, but after a while instead of getting better I ‘went from bad to worse. “At the earnest solicitation of two of my chil- Gren and a dear friend, who was very much inter- rudging breath of fresh alr—and ‘are many men and omen—recover vigor of the nerves compound. & THE POPULAR BLOUSE. Some of the Recent Changes in the Design of Waists. The devotion of women to the blouse waist is almost pathetic. It is seen on everything from neglige to evening gown, and there is every reason to believe that it will be here in even greater force when the leaves begin to fall. It is so loose and easy, yet not a bit untidy, it is so capable of elegant effects in drapery and other acces- scries, and it gives a woman such a splen- did chance to exercise economy! With one handsome street skirt of wool, and an- other elegant satin or silk skirt for more ceremonious wear, @ woman can appear much better gowned than formerly, and spend only about half as much money. A bccice handsome enough for a court recep- tion can be placed in madam’s hands for $15, whereas a full toilet would cost about ten times that. The skirt to go with such a waist, and half a dozen others, whose cost will average $7 each, will cost about $0, Figure it out for yourself why bodices are ng the earth. racteristic of some of the later waists is a different treatment of front and back. The blouse front will have a gathered back, a wide pleat down the front having a full ruffle of the same or of lace, or of both, on each side, and the back having narrow strap-like bretelles of ribbon, or some of the goods, running from the shoul- der seam to the belt. These may have an edging of the lace, or not, as is fancied. Another thing that is settled about blouse waists is that the sleeves, while bouffant to the limit, will not be stuffed with steel cages, but have a simple interlining of scmething like tarleton and fall almost to the elbow, where they will fill out. ‘The very latest French touch on street gcwns is the introduction of yokes, collars, cuffs and even vests and chemisettes of sheer white French lawn or fine linen and mull. These are tucked and pleated and trimmed with frills of half-inch yellow lace, Valenciennes being most popular. The cuffs simply fall over the hands, be- coming frills or pleatings like the finish of an undersleeve. The vests and yokes are completed with tucked collar bands laid over white or colored ribbon with a stand- ing ruffle of lace, and a cute little bow of the lawn. Plaid silk waists are quite the fad for the slender. One with the lower part of the big balloon sleeves and front of the bodice overlaid with rich lace, and collar and belt of velvet, is particularly elegant. In Dresden china silk, one with a very full ruffle all around the shoulders, caught down with knots of velvet, is as pretty as can be. ——__ That's Different. From Truth. Professor.—“When we want to say some- thing that we don’t dare say in English we use the French.” Pupil.—_And when the French want to gay something they don’t dare say in French—" Professor.—“Ah, you could mak “be fortune in Paris if you could only cover that something!" TALE OF A RESENTFUL CAT. A Story That the Reader May Think Requires an Affidavit. From the Boston Transcript. Blossom is a big gray cat. She has been in the family for seven years, and her iistress thinks she was fully ten when she came uninvited and took possession. Her charms made her welcome, and visitors, as a rule, pet her to her heart’s satisfaction. Still, she shows her loyalty to her mistress by many feline felicities. One day a young man came for a short visit. He was an in- veterate tease. As there was no one else for a victim, he took Blossom in hand, in spite of pleadings and protestations. Her ears were greeted with the strange terms, “Old rascal,” “Scapegrace,” “Tramp,” and kindred names, till the astounded cat did not know what had come to her. Her pretty ways disappeared, she fled from his approach, and hid whenever she could till he was out of the house. One morning she was missing for some hours, and was rot to be found in any of her hiding places. A lcud ery from the-chambermaid revealed her whereabouts. Blossom had revenged herself on the visitor's nightshirt, which lay in tatters on the floor. Pussy was scolded, and every one was cautioned to keep the door shut. In vain! The cat would find her way in and hide till the chambermaid was through for the day, and then the claws went to work, first on the visitor’s own clothes, if any could be found, and then on the pillow cases. The young man tried to soothe her feelings, but she would have none of him, and he was glad to cut short his visit. Blossom quickly re- covered her usual demeanor, and has never been known to destroy anything from that day to this. ———_+-e+___ Won a Japanese Wife by Bravery. From the San Francisco Examiner. Charles Litner is one of the luckiest sail- ors that ever sailed out of this port on a sealing schooner. He is going to be mar- ried to one of the prettiest girls in Japan. Not only is she very pretty, but her par- ents are very wealthy, according to the story told by C. Burdell. Burdell came up on the steamer Coptic last week. Speaking of young Litner, he said: “Charley is the son of Sebastian Litner, a laborer, who lives out on 19th avenue. He is an athletic young fellow and has always had an ambition to see the world. That's why he shipped on the schooner Jane Grey and went roving over the seas in search of seals and adventures. “While at Hakodoto, Japan, a few months ago, Litner happened to be on one of the chief thoroughfares one afternoon when @ spirited Japanese pony ran away with @ Japanese girl, Miss Siena Kato. Litner saved the girl's life by springing in “front of the runaway and striking the pony a stunning blow on the head with a club. “The act was regarded as one of rare bravery, and before we left Japan it was announced that Litner was engaged to marry Miss Kato. He was hurt in the ac- cident and was first taken to a hospital, but was afterward removed to the young lady’s residence at the request of her par- ents. The marriage ceremony was to have ee place two weeks after we sailed. ‘hey are probably married by this time.” Ticklin: From Truth. Askins.—Good gracious, Kidder! came you by that fearful cold?” Kidder—“My wife leaves the window wide open every night when the baby is wake- ful and allows the wind to blow on me be- — it amuses the baby to hear me coug! the Baby. How ORIGIN OF THE CROSS, “The origin of the cross is lost shadows of prehistoric antiquity” Thomas Wilson of the Smit tution to a representative of The is the most ancient of symbols, ently. This fact is easily inasmuch as the sign is simpler and easily made than any other, When primitive savage first found to upon an article of his some indication of his o secting lines sufficed. This id —the same sort of mark that is used in place of a signature by people not know how to write. Crosses of patterns appear to have been used ciently in all parts of the ‘world, “Next after the cross in plicity comes the circle, which has been widely employed for symbolical For one thing, the circle serves as an blem of eternity—the serpent, you know, with its tail in its mouth. “After the circle comes the which is widely used in the orient as symbol of benediction, like the cross. The name ‘swastika’ coms two Sanscrit words, which are er Christianity. They signify Rath aes Hindoo priest carries about with small bottle filled with sand, On a house in which he desires blessing he pours the sand out 3 the upon a flat surface, and with or dexterous movements of his fingers it into the shape of the ‘swastika’ It equivalent to making the sign of the cross : 8 i i % “The cross, the circle and the ‘swastika’— these three are apparently the most ane cient of all religious bola, Con: the first ae ak me ager writ but respecting e widespread use practically nothing is be found in Mterature.”” A Boon For Every Woman And one that it will pay ber to tscorgr, ‘ Hair dyes make § radical change of eclor— plainly perceptibl as dy aged ticky, malodorous smears disgustiig in ap- plltation-offensive to smell and sight—full of lead and other poisons, Imperial Hair Regenerator Is clean, ordorless, lasting. 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