Evening Star Newspaper, December 17, 1936, Page 58

D—6 w OMEN'’S FEATURES. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER . 17, 1936. WOMEN’S FEATURES. Mothers! Do Not Let Christmas Be Saddened by a Single Childish Tear ¢ In the Name Sheltered Youngsters, Give to Other Children of Your Own This Year Let No Little Boy or Girl Hope in Vain for of Santa Claus. BY BETSY E column today is addressed to the mothers of healthy, happy, well- clothed and well-fed children . brought up as precious jewels; live in spacious homes and sleep in*soft, warm beds; who have toy closets filled to overflowing with playthings of every variety; who eat their scientifically planned and deliciously cooked meals at exact hours, every day; who are attended by specialists thes: instant some minor illness appears; who know the gratification of every whim; who walk primly to sunny parks holding ¢ S the hand of § nurse or govern- ess; who ride to school in expen- sive limousines and wait to de- scend until the chauffeur opens the door for them —in short, to the mothers of the pampered darlings wne take their good | fortune as their Just due. To you, then, this column. To you, my earnest request that you stop and think—really think—about the chil- dren that are not as fortunate as yours. That you think of their bitter little lives, their childish misery and' despair. While you wrap the gaily colored paper and ribbon about the imported stuffed ' animal for Junior, that you Betsy Caswell. Manners of the i Gardenias from the street peddler have their time and place. 2 IGHT after you've been reading| about Ex-King Edward's daily | floral tribute to American womanhood, | 1t’s pretty disastrous to your ago sud- denly to hear the sound of your escort’s } voice, shouting from the taxi window to a street vender, “What'll you take for a couple of gardenias?” | It practically makes you want to| gnaw your fingernails. Especially if you are dressed in white satin and pink brocade and are headed for the| opera. You'd just as soon be pre-| gented with a bag of peanuts during | Isolde’s love death. It's hard to know what to do, too, for you hate to discourage even the most primitive forms of chivalry. Usually a girl thinks gardenias from & street vender are fun on a luncheon | date or a walk around the park. But in the evening they are a terrific let down. You can, to be sure, suggest to the boy friend that he put them in his| pocket and keép them until tomor-| row—because they'll go much better with your suit. That might hold him the next time. At least you can al- | wrapping lovely gifts beneath the | glittering branches of a gayly trimmed the Coming CASWELL. . . to the mothers of children who are who are cared for meticulously; who bought, although it was pretty steep | in price because it had such an en- | gaging face, think of the youngster | that may never have had even a toy | dog to cuddle. As you wrap the little fur coat carefully about Mary's doll with the real lashes and flaxen curls— think of the child that has had to “make believe” with an old towel, with a knot for its head, as a dolly. When you search the town for handsome barley sugar animals for the tree— think of the little one who will be actually hungry, for bread, on Christ- | mas morning. When you go to select a tree, and turn away impatiently from some that are only 6 feet tall instead of 8—think of the hopeless child that knows Santa Claus and Christmas trees only as fairy tales. And when you plan to fill the over- size red flannel stocking, jingling with bells at heel and toe—remember the child who must endure the tragedy of finding his ragged sock as empty in the morning as when he hung it by the cold hearth the night before. ¥ ok K % THEIRE is no disappointment as poignant as the disappointment of childhood. The blow is always s0 harsh; there is no adult reasoning to come to the rescue and soften it. Chil- dren have such implicit and unques- tioning faith that whatever shatters it wounds them seriously. Perhaps the greatest unhappiness of youth comes when, for some rea- son or another, Santa Claus loses his reality, and takes his place with other fanciful imaginings. It is bad enough when this happens to the child whose Christmases will continue to be bright and replete with gifts, although he knows now whence they come, but when the belief in the patron saint is | lost through actual privation, and the | youngster feels that Santa has “double- crossed” him—then the matter is 10 times worse. This year, through the efforts of many Washingtonians and public- spirited organizations, an attempt is| being made to see that no child with- | in the city will wake to an empty stocking on Christmas morning. Peo- ple have co-operated, splendidly, and gifts have come pouring in through the various channels. But always there is room for more and still more. And that is why I am appealing to you mothers who have so much to give to your own youngsters to pause in the delicious hurry and bustle of prepar- ing for your little ones’ Christmas and give a helping hand to the other babies. * %k x ON SATURDAY morning there will be special shows put on at the Warner Bros.' theaters here in town to gather toys and clothing for the | poor children. I ask you to make it| a point to attend one of these shows | yourself, or to send your own young- | sters, or some member of your house- | hold, with whatever gifts you choose | as your price of admission. If you can- | not go yourself telephone some store and ask them to send a plaything or an article of clothing to the theater for you, charging it to your account. But don't let the day gn by without having done your bit to make the 25th of December a day of gladness instead of sorrow for some child who has not had the luck to be born into a safe, warm, luxurious world. Don't, on Christmas morning, as you watch your own youngsters un- tree, wonder if somewhere, just a few blocks away, another little one is cry- ing its heart out before an empty stocking. Make sure, on Saturday morning, to the very best of your ability, that the birthday of Him who ‘ways hope. —JEAN. If you are partial to bed spreads, ‘beneath, we would recommend this motif. It is really a lovely lacy bit and what is more, it is easy to do. It is crocheted in the soft knitting and crochet eotton that works up so quickly, and across. This one is made with long fringe about 8 inches deep, but if you're not given to fringe, you'll find that the round edge of the motifs will make & very interesting edge. loved all children is not saddened by a single baby tear. that will show the color of the cover the larger motifs measure 6% inches ‘To obtain this pattern, send for No. 404 and inclose 15 cents in stamps or coin to cover service and postage. Address orders to the Needlework Editor | better with cold sandwiches. of The Evening Star, - 3 ? “Hope Springs Eternal...” Z N N ¥ NIRRT N e o S SRR \\\ W\ And how tragic when it is childish faith that must be shattered! o N S NS As you watch your warmly wrappered, well-fed youngsters hang up their stockings on Christmas eve, be sure that you have done your bit to prevent disappoint- ment from coming to some trusting little waif. Coping With, Difficult Situations Happy Medium in Tolerance Is Best. BY EMILY POST. DEAR MRS. POST: What can one | do when vulgar talk is introduced | at a party? Every once in a while this occurs and I always feel helpless. | If I laugh with the rest I feel cheap and vulgar and I hate myself, and if I don't try to laugh, others say “You | can't take it.” I have tried to ignore | whatever was said, making believe | I didn’t hear, but some one invariably | draws attention to my not having| heard and the whole unpleasant sub- | | ject is brought up all over again, with | the ‘spotlight turned on me. | Answer—If pretending that you did | not understand is futile, you have no| choice that I can see except to say,| as Queen Victoria did, “We are not amused,” with your expression even if not with your actual words. In other words, it comes to this: either you are amused enough to be willing to go out with these friends, or you | will find other people to go out with. x X X x EAR MRS. POST: I have unin-| tentionally hurt a friend and I| am miserable about it. Some time ago she telephoned and invited my husband and me to go driving with her and her husband on a Sunday afternoon. We accepted and she said they would be around for us in about an hour. Shortly after her invita- tion, relatives of ours, who live far away and whom we had not seen for several years, telephoned from a near- by town that they were on their way home from”a business trip and would like to come over to see us. There was no time to explain all this to our friends first, and I told the relatives to come. Then I telephoned our friends | immediately but they had already started out for our house. When they arrived I tried to straighten out everything but the wife was very obviously hurt and would not stay be- cause she said they had ordered din- ner elsewhere for the four of us and would have to go. I have called this friend once or twice since, inviting her to the house, but she is always busy and I feel that this is simply pretense. What can I do? And did I really do something terrible under the circumstances? Answer—It is an undeniable truth that broken engagements are often | dangerous to friendship. In this par- ticular case it seems to me that had your engagement been to dine with your friends, your failing them at the last minute would have been inex- cusable. But since, apparently, you were merely asked to go for a drive and did not know about their plan for dinner, I think your friend’s re- sentment is unreasonable—especially since you evidently asked them to stay and reservations could have been can- celed. Whether you care enough for her to keep on inviting her after her repeated refusals is something that only you yvur:el{ can answer. * * % ]llva MRS. POST: I would like to an evening surprise birthday party for my son, asking a dozen or so of his high school friends. Everything is to be simple and the evening will probably be spent in playing a variety of games, as our house does not afford space for dancing. For refreshments, would chicken sandwiches and milk be sufficilent? I know all the young people drink milk and hardly any of them drink coffee, and I thought milk | would be very easy to serve. Or can you suggest something that you like better? Answer—If you are sure they like milk better than anything else, this is an excellent reason for serving it. Otherwise, I think I would suggest that you have cocoa for a change, and also because a hot drink would taste Col bt, 1936,) Well-Cut Pajamas Simple Tailored Model Will Appeal to the College Girl. BY BARBARA BELL. AJAMAS that insure warmth, good fit and pleasant dreams— that's what these are! The college girl will be right there in the dormitory parade with this at- tractive model in pongee, rayon or synthetic crepe. Tailored collar and shirt opening always flatter the young, while the fulness of the sleeve makes for true comfort. As for the sewing, it goes like a song, in one afternoon. The illustrated sew-chart leaves noth- ing undone to clarify each step as you go along. A gay printed cotton would certainly liven up your pa- jama wardrobe. Barbara Bell Pattern No. 1923-B is available for sizes 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. Corresponding bust measurements, 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38. Size 18 (36) requires 5 yards 39-inch material. Every Barbara Bell pattern includes an illustrated instruction guide which is easy to understand. Send 15 cents for the Barbara Bell Pattern Book. Make yourself attrac- tive, practical and becoming clothes, selecting designs from the Barbara Bell well-planned, easy-to-make pat- terns. Interesting and exclusive fashions for little children and the 1925-B BARBARA BELL, ‘Washington Star. Inclose 25 cents in coins for Pattern No. 1923-B. Size..__... Name P T L — (Wrap colns securely in paper.) cut patterns for the mature figure; afternoon dresses for the most particu- lar young women and matrons and other patterns for special occasions are all to be found in the Barbara Bell Pattern Book. (Copyright, 1936,) Peach Topper. 6 slices of bread 6 peach halves 2 packages creamed cheese. Cut bread with round cutter slightly larger than peach half. Toast, cream cheese until fluffy. Pile lightly Spirit of Yuletide Must Live' Let Children Take Part in Holiday " Preparation. BY ANGELO PATRI. T I The year’s shadows are lengthen- ing and soon we will light the candles to brighten Christmas eve, and to welcome the coming of the New Year and the returning sun. Time now to begin. Christmas is a children’s festival. Much as we older ones enjoy the color and fragrance, the lights and the memories that are Christmas, the children enjoy them:-more. We who are getting older have to find most of our Christmas joy in making it for children. The more of them the better, for numbers increase the spread of hilarity and the warmth of good cheer. Some of the gifts can be bought, some must be made. An early start on both is going to be a great help. that is sheer luxury of the spirit. One useful thing, one to feed the body, one to feed the soul, and after that, anything that will make a glad child gladder will do. It is very important that children share in the Christmas preparation. If the house is to be decorated—and why not?—they can have a hand in it. If they can make garlands and wreaths, so much the better. In the country where I like to go for Christmas, the doors are dressed with ropes and garlands and wreaths, sprinkled with glittering cones. The children are busy for weeks before, getting this ready. They put up as much of it as they can alone and | some grown up person puts in the last tacks and ties the red bows. This preparation keeps them out of the | way many busy afternoons. Making the cakes and cookies offers them a pleasant job. They get the fruit ready for the cake, beat eggs, shell nuts, eat the first samples as | they come from the oven. That's all in the Christmas program. Then there are the old carols to practice. Nothing gives & handful of youngsters so much fun as dressing | up as waifs and trudging out to carol | blithely as possible under a neighbor's | snow crunching underfoot is some- | thing to be cherished in old age. Making gifts goes on merrily and in secret. Children ought to know that a gift made by their own hands pleases more than one they buy. Their hands put something of themselves into the gift, but their pocket money lis hard put to it to get anything | beyond the material thing. A child | cannot put personal feeling, labor, | sacrifice in terms of money and goods as grown people can, which is not bad for the Christmas spirit. Older | children can approach it, but even they would do better with the work of their hands. And while all these preparations for a glad Christmas are on the way | don't forget to prepare the most im- portant background of the spirit. Read over the story of Bethlehem. Read “Dickens’ Christmas Carol.” Read. recite and repeat as often as called for, ”'Twas the Night Before Christmas.” It is time to begin to get ready to make this the gladdest Christmas there ever was on this glad earth. (Copyright, 1936.) A% m;r Chair Old Favorite Graceful Design Adapts It for Use With Any Period. BY ISABEL TAVENNER. which can safely be used with almost any scheme of decoration. It fits in without clashing with any of the period types of furnishing and does not create a jarring note when used in a modern setting. While most of us think of the Windsor as being a typical early American design, it really originated in England. There is some doubt as to its actual origin, but an interesting legend which may or may not have its conception in fact tells us that George II while hunting near Windsor stopped in a poor man’s cottage and saw there a chair which impressed him because it was grace- ful and at the same time comfortable. So well he liked the chair that he had one made for his palace, calling it his ‘Windsor chair. these graceful chairs used in America in the early days were sent over from England, it is equally true that they were made in large numbers by wood- workers among the Colonists. The lovely open porch facing the river at Mount Vernon boasted 14 of these chairs during Washington’s time. Washington imported so many of the things he used from the mother coun- try, we presume these chairs were of English make. In fact, among his papers has been found a copy of an order to his British agent asking him to procure a number of chairs “as those of domestic manufacture are not strong enough for ordinary sit- ting.” History tells us also that Jef- ferson wrote the Declaration of In- dependence seated in & Windsor chair with a writing-shelf attachment on one arm. The design of the Windsor chair allows for more variations in construc- tion than perhaps any other piece of furniture, the various ways in which the spindles spread causing entirely different shapes, rounded back or straight hoop back, fan back or with an extra set of spindles added above the back proper making the comb back. But with all these variations in the form of the back, almost without ex- ception Windsors are made With wooden saddle seats and turned legs. This combination gives an appear- ance of lightness, yet makes an ex- ceptionally strong chair. If you cap.count among the treas- ures of your household an antique Windsor, be duly gratified, but for utilitarian purposes a well made mod- mmm‘hm;mnmu.nn-lum‘rmmmmmw. mm&'fllmtfll&nuflm 18 time to prepare for Christmas. | Do try to give each child one thmg; | lighted window. The memory of crisp | While it is of record that many of | - Dorothy Dix Says Rarely Does Marrying a Man to Reform Him Prove years old. A waitress. Des- perately in love with a boy 21 years old. He is wild. Has been in trouble time after time |and he drinks incessantly. Lately, while drunk, he took part in an at- tempted hold-up and was arrested. |He is out on bond now. His trial | cames up in about two months. He wants me to marry him. Says I can change him and make him settle down for good and I believe I can. What shall I do? Shall I marry him, even if he does go to prison & couple of years for his mistake? I can keep my job and wait for him. Don't ask me to forget him. That is utterly im-' possible. I have never loved like this before. JEAN. Answer—At 18 you couldn't have had | very much experience in love, Jean, s0 | why don’t you give yourself the benefit | of the doubt and see if what you feel for | | this young man is just a passing girl- | ish fancy or the kind of devotion that | will stand poverty and disgrace and that can fish a man out of the gutter and still see in him a fairy prince. You are only 18. That is so terribly young to wreck your life, to throw away every chance of happiness, of having something wonderful and beautiful happen to you, of finding a husband who is strong and depend-| able who will take care of you and | protect you and give you ease and comfort. Anything beautiful and splendid and romantic can happen to | a young girl if only she isn't foolish enough to mess everything up at the very beginning. * % * x ‘CAN'T you sit down and think out | | this matter sanely? This young man hasn’t a single qualification that | | fits him for marriage. He is a drunk- | |ard to begin with, and men who ac- quire the drink habit in their youth rarely, if ever, conquer it. He has | been arrested for trying to commit one | of the most cowardly and despicable | |of all crimes for which he probably‘w | will be sent to the penitentiary. Even if he escapes the disgrace of a prison sentence, it will follow him as long as he lives. He hasn't any money. He | hasn't any job. He couldnt support | you. If he had one spark of real man- |hood in him and truly loved you he wouldn't want to drag you down to his level. Your only excuse for wanting to marry him is that you love him. Be- lieve me, my child, infatuation of the | kind you have, which is nothing but | physical attraction, is not enough to | marry on. That passes. Unless you can respect the man to whom you are married you will come to be indif- | terent to him, or even to hate him. Try to realize that at 18 your tastes are | changing and that the man you think | you are in love with today you are | tired of tomorrow. But you cannot | undo the tragedy you have made of your life if you have married the wrong one. * x * x ! YOU think you can reform this boy. Nothing but superhuman vanity makes a woman believe that she can change a man's habits and character and turn a weakling into a strong ! man, breathe energy into a lazy one, | or cure a drunkard of his thirst for| liquor. Millions of women have tried 1t and not one in a hundred thou- sand has ever puiled the trick. If a man’s own manhood doesn't make | him walk the straight-and-narrow | path. no woman can_either coerce or cajole him into it. All human experience goes to show that & man will do a lot more for a woman before he is married to her than he will ever do for her after she is his wife. So, if you are so enamored of this youth that you feel that you cannot give him up, refuse to marry | him now, but tell him that you will| | wait for him and marry him after he | | has proved to you that he is worth | ing. Tell him that you will be "THE Windsor is one type of chair | EAR MISS DIX—I am 18% Be clear- Successful. his wife when he has shown that he can leave drink alone and when he has got a good job and can offer you a home. If he doesn't feel that you are a goal to strive for, then he cares very little for you. Don't make yourself a prop for a weakling to lean on, or a Keeley cure for a drunkard. Don't commit suicide when you are only 18 years old. * x x ¥ ¥ DEAR DOROTHY DIX—We are two sisters, 22 and 23, and we want to submit our problem to you. We are tired of everything, bored with everything. We no longer get a kick out of life or any of the things we used to do. We used- to enjoy danc- ing, sports, having our friends in for little parties, but we no longer get any pleasure out of any of these things. Night clubs bore us. Dances bore us. Dates bore us. Everything. Our only enjoyment is movies. We go to one every night, but soon I suppose even that will bore us. We have even tried deep reading and night school, but to no avail. Our friends tell us they also are fed up with life, that life is the bunk, etc. They get no joy out of living. Is it because we are older? Has the world changed? Are all young people like that? Are there really people who have fun any more? Tell us. THE MISSES L. Answer—This being “fed up with life” business is simply a pose with modern youth. There is nothing to it. They think it makes them seem sophisticated to affect to have been everywhere and seen everything and heard all there is to tell until it palls upon them. If you want to see how little reality there is behind this pres tense, you've only to leave them out of something and see how eager they are to go to the parties at which they affect to yawn, and how avid they are for the amusements that they com- plain of as being so tiresome. They are like the old people who are always telling us how they long for death, yet who send in a hurry call for the doc- tor if they have a pain in the toe. * x OREDOM is the hallmark of dull- ness and stupidity. Intelligen people are never bored. It is onlv those without understanding, imagi- nation and appreciation who are bored in a world that is so full of such a number of things that it keeps us all on our tiptoes. And never before was life so full of thrill and interest, &0 dramatic, so adventurous as it is to- day, when new planets are swinging into ken: when new wonders are be- ing discovered, incredible inventions made; when the old civilization is crumbling into dust and a terrible and unknown order is coming to replace it. ' Only a moron who doesn't kno what it i all about can be fed up with modern life. My Neighbor Says: House plants will have to be watered more often now than they were during early Winter months. A warmer temperature and brighter sunshine will dry the pots out much more rapidly. To fry fish, clean and wipe as dry as possible. Sprinkle with salt, dip in flour or egg and cracker crumbs and fry in deep fat until brown. A pinch of salt added to coffee after it has reached the boiling point brings out the flavor. Chicken to be used for salads is much easier cut and diced if it has first been chilled in the re- frigerator. (Copyright, 1936.) 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