Evening Star Newspaper, July 22, 1937, Page 42

WOMEN'’S FEATURES. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, 1937. i WOMEN'S FEATURES. Proposed Child Adoption Law for District Would Correct Procedure’ D. C, THURSDAY, JULY 22, Curb on Hasty Action, Proper Investigation Stressed by New Bill I)o:aking Into Status of Prospective Foster Parents Will Be Made Compulsory. BY MARY JANE BRUMLEY. in the District of Columbia. S IGNTFICANT, Indeed, is the measure reported favorably, on July 14, by the House District Committee—a bill to regulate adoption of children The committee’s approval climaxes a long battle by local children's agencies to correct what they regarded as the evils of the present system. They may well feel proud, for the proposed law, ntroduced in April, is slated for consideration by the House on July 26. Two phases of the present procedure have drawn the fire of investiga- fors—the speed with which adoptions,: ean be put through and the frequent® lack of proper investigation of pros- pective parents. The new measure meets both objections. It provides, too, for the examination of the child, thus saving foster parents many a future heartache. First, +he Board of Public Welfare shall determine both the child's fitness for adoption—physical and mental— and whether the prospective parents’ home {s suitable for him. If a quali- fled social agency has made an in- vestigation, the board shall accept that instead of making one themselves. Findings and recommendations in the case must be reported to the United States District Court within 60 days. ‘This is an excellent proviso in that it forestalls useless delay and undue haste. * ok % x "A SECOND notable provision of the bill is that the child must live in the adoptor's home for six months before a final decree of adoption can be issued. Public welfare workers are to make as many visits as seem advis- able during that time. Authorities feel $hat a trial period, in addition to show- g whether a child is suited to his new surroundings, may bring out factors $hat no investigation could, however thorough. They cite the case of the wife who became insanely jealous of the youngster taken into the home. No one could have foreseen that un- bappy ending. These, then, are the primary clauses of the proposed act. But there are other laudable features. Two deserve special mention. The consent of a minor to his child's adoption must be obtained, just the same as that of any other parent. The consent of an {llegitimate child's father is not necessary unless he has both acknowl- edged his offspring and contributed willingly to its support. A distreseing angle of the illegiti- macy problem was unearthed by Prof. H. G. 8paulding of the George Wash- ington University Law School, in his | research on current adoption practices. “I was shocked,” said he, “to discover | that attending physicians and mid- | wives were not required to report the | names of either illegitimate children or | their mothers. That seemed to me un- | necessarily cruel. What right had we | to shut that door and forbid all future disclosures? The proposed corapulsory investigations will result in ascertain- i ing such facts. All records and papers | in adoption proceedings will be sealed, however, upon entry of the final decree and only a court order can open them for inspection. This safeguards the interests of all concerned.” * % K X ACK of space forbids mention of of this most timely topic. The last issue of Reader’s Digest carries a resu- me of difficulties that beset the path of those who wish to adopt children. The Children’s Bureau of the United States Department of Labor has made a study of adoption procedure during the past year, particularly in those States where they have the type of investigation suggested for the District. A representative of the bureau stated at the hearing that 23 of 26 States studied require the investigation. | Three more authorize, but do not compel it. In 11 of the 23 States, the Department of Public Welfare is made responsible for carrying out the pro- gram. Twenty States provide for a residence period before final adoption. | Of this number, 12 have a six-month | term. one specifies a year and seven | say “an interlocutory period.” While 12 States require the records to be kept confidential, only New York re- quires them to be sealed. They are to be opened only to parties interested and by order of the court. And s0 the record runs. Needless to say, skies will be much rosier for District children if the proposed adop- tion bill is enacted into law. Becoming House Frock This Cool and Comfortable Model Ideal for Hot Days. : BY BARBARA BELL. HIS diagram pattern requires only a few hours to make and every line is designed to keep you comfortably cool in hot weather. No collar to add bulk, no tight aleeves to bind. The simple elosing is easy to get into, the zleeves flare gracerLlly and the skirt, darted at the waistline for snug fit, gives you complet. freedom. Make it up in a sheer, cool cotton for complete eomfort. Barbara Bell pattern No. 1372-B is designed for sizes 34, 36. 38, 40, 42, 44 and 46. Size 36 requires 42 yards of 35-inch material. Every Barbara Bell pattern includes an {llustrated instruction guide, which is easy to understand. 8end 15 cents for the Barbara Bell Spring and Summer pattern book. Make yourself attractive, practical and becoming clothes, selecting de- signs from the Barbara Bell well- Pplanned, easy-to-make patterns. In- teresting and exclugve fashions for little children and the difficult junior age; slenderizing, well-cut patterns for the mature figure, afternoon dresses for the most particular young women and matrons and other pat- terns for special occasions are all to be found in the Barbara Bell pattern book. BARBARA BELL, Washington Star. Inclose 25" cents in coins for pattern No. 1372-B. Sise___._._ Name various other interesting phases | Set Your Table Where Cool Breezes Blow For Sunday luncheons out of town, the great outdoors should be the set lightfully informal and congenial, and is a real help to the hostess. Simple food, attractively garnished and served, and plenty of it, should be the motto for country parties. Children Must Not Interrupt Home Where Every One Talks at Once Is a Bedlam. BY ANGELO PATRI “(EEE-EE-E, ma, if I'm not giad to get home.” “We're certainly glad you're back and tickled to know you're glad of it, too. What happened?” “You know what? In that house you don't get a chance to speak not even one sentence through.” “Tck, tck, Robert. I hope youdidn't talk all the time.” “Talk? Listen, ma, if T got the chance to say good-by, even, I was lucky. Nobody got any chance. They all talked at once, and each one hol- lered louder than the other. I got a headache.” “But, weren't Donald's father and mother there, too?"” “Oh, sure, and they just had to talk along with the others or keep still. | If anybody started to say something all the rest chimed in and talked along with him.” “They just kept interrupting each other, you mean.” “I guess it was an interruption party, ma. Anyway, I'm cured of in- | terrupting anybody again as long as I | live. Believe turn.” Robert had made an overnight visit to his school friend'’s home, and the nolsy group had rather shocked him. In his home interrupting anybody while he was talking or working or otherwise engaged, was considered bad manners. In Donald’s family #t was the rule. They never waited for any- body to finish his sentence: they start- ed new topics of conversation regard- less. ‘There are plenty of such people. They do not seem %0 realise any- body else wants to speak, or wants to be quiet, or wants to do his work uninterrupted. They drop into the house unexpectedly, any hour. They call on the telephone whenever the apirit moves them, and that seems to be at the oddest hours. They keep right on talking in high tones, over the voice of the first speaker. They hold the floor by going an octave higher and using the bellows vigorously. They are professional interrupters, and they have their reward in the common ex- ecration of their acquaintances. Children should be trained to avoid this, and the best training is & good example. Let the child speak to the end of his story. If he tries to hold the center of the stage beyond a rea- sonable time, lift your hand in signal for the finsh. Then let the next one speak in his turn. But let no child interrupt another when he is talking, nor speak at the same time. It simply is not done. People are not to be interrupted in their routine whether of work or play. Ask permission before turning on the radio. Knock gently at the door of the room in which some one is working. If you must intrude upon him have & good reason. Don’t make calls unless you are expected, not even on your grand aunt. She might prefer the quiet of her home to the interruption of your presence. Don’t disturb people, but try to adjust your- self to their wishes and you will as- sure your welcome. (Copyright, 1937.) me, Ill wait for my The Old Gardener Says: Most vegetables are benefited by a little feeding at occasional intervals in hot weather. Experts know how to use quick-acting fer- tilizers like nitrate of soda, but as a rule it is better for the ama- teur to use a balanced vegetable fertilizer, although a little nitrate of soda will cause the quick growth of lettuce and other leaf crops, which is desirable. Fertil- iser applied now should be worked L S ——, (Wrap coins securely in paper.) into the soil along the rows and not be permitted to touch the foliage or the stems of the plants, because it 5 caustic and may eause burning. Dorothy_ Dix Says ‘ It Is Best to Let Querulous and Aging Mothers Live Among Strangers. EAR DOROTHY DIX: My mother 15 & middle-aged woman, a widow. She has a house that rents for $40 a month and $5,000 in the bank. She complains of fll-health, but we think it is just & mental condition. She has two children, myself and a brother, both married. My husband and I both work. We have tried every way we know to make mother happy and comfortable without avail. She has been in rooms, has boarded with strangers, has lived with an old lady, has lived with us and we have lived | with her, and she is not contented with any of the arrangements. We are at wits’' end to know what to do. How much money should my brother and I give her? What is my duty to her as & thankful, appreciative daughter, and yet as a loyal, helpful wife, for my mother objects strenuously to my husband and I pooling our earnings in a common fund? How can I balance home and husband, mother and career without losing my mind? X. Answer—It seems to me that when you have a warped mentality to deal with the only thing to do it to hold | fast to your own sanity and do what you know to be the sensible thing Evidently your mother is one of the querulous, ill-balanced. neurotic, se fish women whom nobody on earth can please and who would not ditions. 50 it is folly for you to wear yourself out in the vain attempt to make her happy. %k SHI doesn't want to be happy. She wants something to complain about, some grievance to whine over, and she gets a sadistic pleasure in making other people as wretched as she thinks she s herself. Nearly every family has that kind of a kill- Joy in it, and it is a tribute to human nature that they are bome with so patiently instead of being throttled, a8 they deserve to be. Your mother's grievance now s that her children married and her be | | satisfied and contented under any con- home is broken up, and so she is try- ing to break up your home and dis- satisfy you with your husband and make you feel that he isn't dealing fairly with you on the money question —though the fifty-fifty joint check- ing arrangement is generally con- sidered to be an equitable way of settling the money problem between husbands and wives. ting. Buffet service is de- Lotions a Under such circumstances, when your mother is always fault-finding and pecking at your husband and your husband naturally resents it, it will be disastrous for you to have her as a member of your household. So | the best arrangement you can make | | is just to make her a monthly allow- | ance and let her live where she pleases. If she has $40 a month from rent, it would require only a modest sum | from you and your brother to make | her comfortable. 8he will be far better off among strangers than she will be with either of you children because she will have to control her- self when with others. X x % % | EAR MISS DIX—Does a girl al- | ways have to worry over whether | or not her sweet heart is tired of her? Must she always have that fear in mind? And is there no insurance whatever against it? Can't we do anything else except take it when it happens? People get married every day. They must not have grown tired | of each other, even though some of | them went together for years and years. This matter really has me worried, MAY. Answer—Well, it may. It is every woman's headache because men are fickle, “with one foot on lsnd and one on sea, to one thing constant never,” as the old song says. Why men change, why romance wears out so quickly with them, why the girls they were so crazy about one day they can't see the next, nobody knows. They don’t even know them- selves. All they know is that they have fust lost their taste for them. And that's that, ‘When we tell you that it took exactly six hours to make this vestee, we know yowll want it. It is as easy to Nice for chilly evenings now and absolutely indispensable a little later. make as it sounds, and just as useful. It's exactly right to wear at home or in the office; over a bathing suit now, and under a coat in the Fall. The instructions are given in small, medium and large sizes, and we know you'll have no trouble varying them a little more if necessary, ‘The pattern envelope contains complete, easy-to-understand illustrated directions, also what crochet hook and what material and-how much you will need. To obtain this patterni, send for No. 497 and inclose 16 cents in stamps 10 eover service and postage. or coin of The Bvening Star, Address orders to the Needlework Editor (Copyright. 183704 —Modern Science Institute Photo. | Boon for Summer Use Liquid Cleanser Before Application of Fresh Make-Up. BY ELSIE PIERCE. ECAUSE the skin exudes more oil and moisture during the Sum- mer than at any other time of the year, and because the skin, like the body, benefits by a change in diet, it is & good plan to change to lotions for Summer loveliness Unless your skin is very dry and! fragile, easily chapped or irritated you will find & liquid cleanser very effective to remove residue, grime, dust, oil and old make-up. Continue to use your liquefying or cream cleanser at night before retiring for a very thorough cleansing. But several times during the aay and particularly before applying fresh make-up, try the liquid cleanser. There are many such cleansers on the | market, and they are delightful. They | are a boon to the traveler, the sports- | woman, the business woman and can be called upon to do & quick cleans- | ing and freshening act at a moment’s | notice. I've known business women to disappear into the rest room look- ing worn and wilted from Summer's heat and emerge within & few minutes | looking positively reborn. A quick | going over with the liquid cleanser | and the application of new make-up does the trick. Another lovely Iotion is skin tonic. T have found the following a luxurious little treatment for the skin. Cleanse the skin thoroughly. Then apply a thin gauze masque over face and neck. Have handy an atomizer filled with skin tonic that has been iced (I keep my bottle in the refrigerator all Summer). Spray the tonic over the gauze masque. Lie down in a darkened room with tonic soaked pads over the eyes. Repeat the tonic spraying once or twice. Rest for 10 minutes or longer if you can. Blot the skin dry with a tissue. Apply a make-up base and then your make-up. You should look and feel fresh as the proverbial daisy. During the Summer, unless the skin is dry, the tonic may be made to serve as a make-up base. Blend rouge directly over the skin while it is the least bit damp. Then blot dry, and dust powder over face and neck. Heighten the color with a touch of compact rouge. Another indispensable lotion, par- ticularly for those traveling, partak- ing of outdoor sports, those who live near sea, sand or dusty wastes is & good eye lotion. A few drops of & really good lotion will spare you the agony of irritation, will keep your eyes clear and bright. (Copyright, 1937.) “AND IT MAKES THE MOST MARVELOUS RUSSIAN DRESSING!” oR! . usSY AN e ot 8¢ 4 tenspoetons P 280 . \;‘e“: “;a-:“d i “;;::.,S' ¥ sl oo ¥ Zates Country Entertaining . Should Be Carefully Planned in Advance- Guests Also Must Realize Impossibility of Obtaining Extra Food at the Last Minute. BY BETSY CASWELL. of the Washington Summer A definite system about guests. For her home is, inevitably, a mecca for heat-worn city dwellers HOUSE In the country, not too far from town, is a delightful solution problem. But such a residence does bring additional worries to the lady of the house unless she has a ‘Thoss of her friends who have not been able to get away from town themselves, regard her little rustic retreat as a haven of refuge. That is quite right and proper—and the enterprising hostess will welcome the string of dusty cars that , turns in at her on Sun- 4 days but she will welcome them only if she has everything running accord- ing to a prear- ranged plan. Food is, of course, the great- est preblem. In the heart of the country there is no such thing as running down to % the corner deli- catessen, or calling up the club to get those extra rations in an emer- gency. No. Everything must be in the house—and it must be so con- structed that in case of storms pre- venting the expected number of guests there will be no undue wastage. A well-stocked emergency shelf is a big help. Plenty of canned soups, of tuna fish and salmon, of canned potato salad, chicken a la king in Betsy Caswell | jars, fruit in tins, potato chips and sticks, and “hot dogs.” Welsh rarebit comes in jars, needing only to be reheated with a 4ittle ale or beer to be deliciously pungent, complete Ttalian and Chinese dinners that may | be prepared in a jiffy may also fill an unexpected gap. It is a good idea to keep the contents of the emergency shelt following along the lines of your general choice in foods. so that if the homemade variety gives out, you can add the extra portions from cans, without the trick seeming too obvious. * % ¥ X ANOTHER good idea is to make i&i known to your friends that, if they are going to descend on you with- out notice, they must bring some food with them. City dwellers should re- member that hostesses in the country | need to know the number of guests | they may expect no later than Friday | afternoon. That gives them time to | do all their planning and ordering from the village store on Saturday; morning—after that, getting extra food becomes pretty difficult. So the unexpected guest will be far more welcome if he or she brings a contri- | bution to the feast. Cold soup in a thermos, if it is a specialty of the | guest's household; a variety of cheeses; a dozen oranges or lemons (you'd be | surprised how those disappear in a | thirsty crowd); perhaps a dozen eggs; cooked meat of some kind; a cake, or a tin of cookies—or even a large cool watermelon! ‘This may sound mercenary and in- hospitable on the part of the hostess, but it really isn't. It is a matter of cold facts—so many mouths to feed, so many portions of food. No way to get any more. And when there are more mouths than there are portions n somebody has a poor time! The easiest way of serving Sunday meals in the country is buffet fashion, with the table set on a screened porch, | and the guests serving themselves be- | fore settling in congenial groups in cool corners. People coming from the hot city appreciate to the utmost®the feeling of being out of doors, and in gentle breezes—they will consider the al fresco meal far more of a party than one served formally indoors. As a matter of fact, the less formality the better, and outside of having the table set and the dishes washed by a maid, the guests prefer to do their own work in this instance. A clever hostess will assign certain guests to certain jobs— WANT MORE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS? o Molly must serve the salad, Daisy the meats, Dot takes care of the jelliedr soup, etc. Put the men of the party to work in the beverage department. and every one will be busy enough to keep out of each other's way. * koK X N THE country, use yqur gayest peasant linens, wooden and pottery plates and bowls, and set the table to give the greatest possible appearance of coolness. You may, if you prefer— |and laundry is a problem in your {part of the world—use the really | charming paper plates, napkins and tablecloths that seem so gay and erisp Arrange the food with an eye to its attraction, and do, for goodness sake, ’ha\'r the hot things hot and the cold things cold! Nothing is more depress-“ img than neutral food! | Keep the menu and ;Slmpl?. as befits rural life. the dishes Don't t elaborate garnishings, and molds fancy names. Have everything de | ciously cooked and seasoned, daintily but not fussily arranged—and plenty | of it. If there is a wealth of rich cream | in your neighborhood, pay the handy | man a quarter extra to turn the crank |of the ice cream freezer, and have homemade ice cream with fresh | berries as a standard dessert. Make & feature of whatever you can do best— fried chicken, fresh killed; beefsteaks broiled over charcoal, or meats done en brochette. Find a “specialite de la maison,” and play it up for all it's worth. It will save you a lot of brain work, and will win you the name of & ~ clever hostess And if your guests want to exercise— and most of them seem to, these days—let them go to it. Have the deck tennis court marked, the croq ground in order, the real tennis co: in apple pie condition. and the horses ready and waiting. If you don't run that kind of a place—let them weed the garden! Manners of the Moment “'HE"N your date offers you a pisce of chewing gum, we can't ses » why you have to go rigid and act as though you had been insulted. Of course, you probably have a sense of sin about chewing gum. You've been told that it isn't ladylike to munch it on the street. You may have a | feeling, too, carried over from early childhood, that any man who ehews gum is no gentleman, But be reasonable. Some of the nicest people have a secret yen for gum. And when a smart young man gets to the point of offering & smart | young girl a stick of his private stock she should feel complimented. &he * should feel that she has gotten into his confidence She doesn't have to chew with him she doesn't really like it. But if she does like it she should grasp this eagerly as her chance. And she can make him feel it's & very special concession. “With you, yes” could say, “I'll chew gum. But you're the first Just think how romance could blossom under that start. Of course, if you don't want any romance to blossom in this particular spot, you'll be stiff and make nasty remarks about chewing gum on the street, But maybe that's as it should be. JEAN. ghe * (Copyright, 1837.) Try makifig muffins this | NEW EASY WAY —see how light, tender, digestible e e ——— MARY’S BLUEBERRY MUFFINS 234 cupe sifted flour 314 teaspoons baking powder teaspoon ealt cup sugar cup fresh blueberries 1 egg, well beaten 1% cups milk cup Spry, melted Sift flour with baking powder, salt and sugar. Sprinkle i tablespoon of the flour mixture over blueberries and mix well. Combine beaten egg, milk and melted Spry. Turn liquids into dry ingredients and stir_vigorously until all flour is Gampened.T he battershould look lumpy . (Don't overstir.) Fold blueberries care- * fully into mixture. Pour batter into muffin pans !nlvd with Spry. Bake in hot oven (400°F.) 25 to 30 minutes. Makes 12 large muffins —so light, tender and golden-brown everyone will rave ut them| But remember, only ry can give perfect results in s recipe. (AUl measurements in this recipe are level) 1 BUY THE 3-LB. CAN AND SAVE MONEY EMPTING, golden-brown, Tlight asa feaxfier. these muf- fins fairly melt in your mouth. Make some today. You'll be delighted with them, delighted with Spry, the new, purer shortening that creams so much easier. Use Spry for all your baking and frying. Cakes will be lighter and finer, yet mixed in half the time. Pastry flakier and more tender. Fried foods extra crisp and tasty, so digestible a child can eat them. See for yourself. Get Spry today! n3-b. and 1-B. cang pry The new, purer ALL-vegetable shortening— TRIPLE-CREAMED!