Evening Star Newspaper, October 16, 1937, Page 22

- & : WOMEN’S FEATURES. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1937. WOMEN'S FEATURES, M Tas a Unit Suggested as Aid Antique Beauty Adapted to Modern Use Planting Adjoin g ' . L My Neighbor Says: Weed your garden during Oc- tober, but do not cover plants until the ground is partly frozen. ‘We cover plants, not to keep out frost, but to prevent plants sprouting too early in the Spring. to City’s Beauty Lovely Old Vase May Easily Be Changed Into Useful Lamp Trend Toward Simplicity Noticeable in Smartest < Discordance of Colors And Arrangements Spoil the Picture Harmony and Rotation Of Bloom Assured by The orange and black scheme may be carried out in Halloween refreshments by serving sections of oranges and prunes in orange baskets cut like jack o’ lanterns. To keep apples through the General Planning. BY BETSY CASWELL. wide streets, green trees and wealth of lawns and gardens seen in the STRANGEE.S who come to Washington are immediately impressed by its residential sections. our very modern and very Amer Almost tropical in the luxuriance of its foliage, ican city boasts all the charm given by stately trees and well-kept grass plots. Our parks are, of course, beautifully cared for and thoughtfully arranged; tI the country-like aspect of Rock Creel Park for highest place in our affec- tions. We who live here accept with some complacence the beauties offered for our delecta- tion; whether we accept an ac- companying feel- ing of responsi- bility seems to vary consider- ably, according to the individual. And therein lies the pity . . . the one little worm that keeps Washington from attaining the perfection for ‘which those who love it strive. Too often are the gracious parks carelessly treated: papers and other | litter clutter the walks and mar the emerald of the grass. The squirrels and pigeons that are such a pleasant part of our city life are tamed into | friendliness through gifts of peanuts | or crumbs—but the paper bag thrown | under the bench when the feast is | over doesn’t make the landscape too | attractive to those who come along | afterward! Too little attention is | paid to the niceties of “park life,” and | the beauty of the outdoors takes on a slightly raffish and sordid appear- ance that spoils it all. * ok % x THOSE of us who live in houses that boast & bit of lawn or garden, however small, usually make an effort to make that one spot, at least, a thing of beauty. But so often our efforts are spent in vain, some one tramps with heavy boots over our newly eeeded plot, or lets a dog range across it unchecked or even robs us of a cherished plant or two in the early dawn when no one is there to see. ‘We grow discouraged and usually end up by doing only what is necessary to keep the place neat ana clean; our personal attempt to help beautify our home town has been pretty well knocked out. Even if we do go on, struggling man- fully, we find another problem con- fronting us. Here, where so many emall houses with yards back and {front are set close together in a row, individual effort may prove disastrous rather than beneficial! For instance, Mr. K. in the middle of the block plants his front yard with “shocking Betsy Caswell, he broad sweep of the Mall vies with pink” geraniums. On his left Mr, J. indulges his taste for purple petunias and on his right Mr. L. goes in heavily for brick red zinnias or orange mari- golds. Result—definite discordance. The appearance of the group of houses is spoiled and each man’'s front yard loses charm through its too close association with another that almost “swears aloud” in its cplor contrast. Picture this as repeated over and over again up and down a long block of row houses and you get anything but a beautiful unit. * % ok X T WOULD seem to me to be ad- vantageous to both the community and to the individual if a scheme could be worked out whereby, come early Spring, the residents of a cer- tain block or group would call a | meeting, really get together and decide on a general “landscaping” idea for the area directly under their control. Before deciding on what shrubs, seeds or plants they were going to buy they could form some sort of a picture as a whole and work into it with their own gardens or yards accord- ingly. so that the general effect would be one of continuous harmony, rota- tion of bloom and type of planting. It would take quite a little time, of course, but surely it would be well worth it in the long run. The group of grass plots would become a unit of beauty instead of a patchwork quilt of colors and arrangement that proved anything but soothing to the eye. I have noticed at Christmas time, in recent years, that often an entire small section of town will get together on a special outdoor lighting arrange- ment, and a certain row of houses will present a picture of unity and charm that is not found in the block where every one decorates the front of his house according to his own personal ideas. Much the same thing could be worked out with the front yards and gardens, so that whole sections of this lovely city of ours would become really part and parcel of our civic beauty. We accept so casually the treasures Washington has to offer. It is time we expressed a little of our gratitude by trying through communal effort and true co-operation to add to its loveliness, rather than to detract from It by an insistance on our personal likes and dislikes. It is our city and we are proud of it; let's express our pride in some concrete and helpful way! ‘Butter Does t he Trick! Licking Her Feet Clean Keeps Any Cat From Brooding. This ‘moving” business ypsets Kittys equilibrium. BY MARY ALLEN HOOD. URR-RR-RR-R! Just feel the sun. Made to a cat's order. Snuggle up and doze some more. Nothing to worry about. Mice all under control. Family in order. Ho, hum! Such a nice sun. Btretch, purrrr-r. For heaven's sake! What's every- one running around so for? Don’t they know that a cat can't get her beauty sleep amidst commotion? Do they want her to waste a whole morning’s Test? Better get up and attend to this. ‘They're acting like they're crazy. Oh! today's moving day! Mother is talk- ing about packing. Look at Junior, putting all that stuff in a box. Humm-m. Doesn't look like much. Roller skates, tennis racquet, base ball shoes and a foot ball helmet. Bister's throwing things right and left, can’t take this, doesn’t want that! ‘What's the idea of moving, any- how? This is a nice neighborhood. Besides, she and the eat next door had just organized a music club. First rehearsal's tonight. Well, the family can move but she's staying. Can’t mess up her plans just because they don't know a good community when they see one. Here comes the moving van. A tree for kitty! Doesn’t the piano look funny, sit- ting on the ferns? And broken china scattered up and down the sidewalk! To think that she was bawled out for breaking the sugar bowl last week! Is that the boss’ best pipe? Won't he be surprised when he finds it in the mustard? ! Needn't “kitty, kitty” her. She's foing to stay right where she is. Didn't ask her advice about moving. ‘Why should they expect co-operation? Junior’s found a stepladder. Good- bye tree! Riding over wasn't so bad but why did they have to smear butter all over her paws? Can’t expect a cat to devote full attention to worrying Wwhen she has to do a clean-up job. Wash, wash, wash. Look’s like it'll never come off, drat it! Family’s practically moved in and she hasn't had a minute to see if she approved. By the time she gets through bath- ing there won't be enough energy left to lift a paw, much less protest. Besides, folks'll be all settled. Won- der how that butter got in her ear? Some on the tail, too. One more lick and things’ll have to stand. Weary of limb and tongue. Where'd they put her pet chair? Over by the radio? Ah, sweet rest! No rehearsal tonight. Just can't stir a step. Uh, huh. Nothing like wearing kitty out to settle her in that new house. Butter on all four paws'll keep her busy. Besides, there's some sort of feline psychology mixed up in it. Where a cat washes, there is she content. g, Keeping Jelly Clear. To make sure jelly will be clear never squeeze the pulp in the jelly bag. Let the juices drip and strain through a heavy cheesecloth. The pulp may be made into butter or jam— 80 there is no waste. About one cup of juice is needed {or each four cups of pulp, however. \ ‘Winter, bore holes in the bottom and sides of a barrel and store on a dry platform a foot or more from the ground. Where only a few apples are available for stor- age, a good plan is .to carefully wrap them singly in paper, then pack them in layers three or four deep in shallow boxes and place them in the coolest position in the house or outbuilding. (Copyright, 1937.) Hostesses’ Duties to Guests Should Arrange for Transportation To Theater. BY EMILY POST. EAR MRS. POST: I have just accepted an invitation to dine at the house of a new friend who is taking her dinner party to the theater afterward. I live only two blocks away from her house and can easily walk to dinner, but I'm a little worried as to what arrangement I am expected to make for getting to the theater. Answer—You will not be expected to make any arrangement further than to arrive at the house of your hostess at the hour of dinner. The fact that she- has invited you to dine and go with her to the theater afterward makes it her obligation to see that all her dinner guests have, or are provided with, the means of getting to the theater and to their homes afterward. She will either take you in her own car, or arrange beforehand to have you and any other guests who have no cars go with those who have. L EAR MRS. POST: Please settle the question of whether it is proper or not for & group of, let’s say, 15 women alone to gather at a “otel, having engaged a private dining room, in ewning dress? It seems utterly ridiculous to me for any one to say that it was not proper, yet each and every time I try to promote a dinner of this type some of the mem- bers think that the absence of men does not permit our wearing eve- ning clothes. Why in the world would men have anything to do with the type of clothes we may choose? Answer—I don’t know how people feel in other communities, but in New York, for example, dinners of women alone are in every particular— table setting, food, and women's dresses—exactly the same whether men are present or not. * ok ok X DEAR MRS. POST: Several months ago the invitations had gone out for a large tea, which mother was giv- ing to announce my engagement. At the last minute I fell very ill and the party had to be called off. I've only just recovered sufficiently to receive at such a big party, but in the mean- time the news of our engagement has leaked out and every one knows. Do you think the party would be ridicu- lous now? Mother feels that we ought to have it since the invitations had already gone out. Answer—The only difference in giv- ing this party now instead of several months ago is that now it will be a party in honor of your engagement in- stead of to announce it. LR DEAR MRS. POST: A man and his wife whom we met during my husband’s vacation at a Summer hotel—an older couple—asked us to dinner soon after we got back in town. We couldn't go because we had accepted another invitation for the evening. This ocrurred over a month ago and to date we have not invited them back and T'm afraid there is no reason except a lack of mutual interests, not only between them and ourselves, but they and our own friends would not have any- thing at all in common. But I wouldn't want to be rude or have them consider our inhospitableness in the light of a social slap. My husband says I am worrying about nothing and that it would be much worse to pretend to build up a friend- ship which has no real material to build it with, than to let it stay in acquaintance. Answer—Unless you really find them congenial, then it seems to me that your husband is right. Priend- ship with a stranger cannot be built on fear of hurting the feelings of that stranger. This, however, does not mean that you are to be rude. You should have paid your party call, and your.manner should be friendly when you meet. Manners of the . Moment LOVE to see our friends’ new clothes. But we do wish they'd remember to show them to us before we start to leave. Every time we begin to put on our coat when we're out calling, our hostess will bob up and say, “Oh, wait a minute. I want to show you my new ‘afternoon dress.” She makes a dash for the closet, and you know youre thwarted for another half hour. You have to see not only the afternoon dress, but the clever way the tallor fixed over her last Winter’s cloth coat, and how well her sweater set looks since she dyed it, and what a difference the veil makes on her old brown hat. Not that we don't like to see all those things. But wait until we're in the mood, darling, please. And we're never in the mood when we've made up our mind it's time to go home. Can’t you see? Maybe we should just begin our call with the request that we see all our hostess’ new clothes. Then that would be over with, and we could probably leave in peace when the time comess JEAN. \ This lovely old Italian water jar, bearing proudly the coat of arms of a noble family, now sheds light in an up-to-date home. Many similar pieces may be converted into ornamental and efficient lamps. —S8tar 5taff Photo, :Dorothy Dix Says— Schooling in Practical Things Essential for Every Woman. EAR MISS DIX—We have a daughter of 20 who has had two years in college. She is engaged to a nice young man, but he is not now in a financial condition to marry and it will be at least two or three years before he can afford to marry. We are anxious for our daughter to finish her college course, or take a business course, but her flance strongly objects to her doing either one, as he says he will never consent to his wife working after they are married. That is all right, but my husband and I both think that every girl should be taught some way of making a living, whether she fol- lows it or not after marriage. Is it fair for the young man to take the position he does, and“should my daughter give in to him? A MOTHER. Answer: The young man is not only very unreasonable in the position he takes, but his views on it are s0 anti- quated that they seem to have come out of a hair trunk in the attic. Nowa- days rich people as well as poor peo- ple have their daughters taught some trade or profession by which they can earn their own bread and butter, because it is the best protection they can give them against the rainy day that possibly may come to any one. * ok X X T IS hard to see how any one can be 50 narrow and bigoted and prej- udiced as to fail to see the wisdom of this. Nor can one see what objection can be raised to it. Fortunes fail and the father who expected to leave his daughter wealthy often leaves her penniless instead. The rich husband & girl marries may fail in business, or become an invalid, or die, leaving her no money and a houseful of children. Who, then, is so helpless as the girl who has not been taught any gainful occupation, who has never made a i dollar, who has no business experience and who finds if impossible to compete with women who are expert in some line of work? You would think that any man in the world would be glad to know that his daughter or his wife would never experience this tragic fate, that she could stand on her own feet and support herself if the necessity arose. It is a fine thing for a man to want to support his family and stand be- tween his wife and the world and keep her soft within ihe circle of the home. It is the way things should be, because being a good wife and mother and a good housekeeper and manager is the woman's end of a mar- riage, and it involves all the work that any one woman should be ex- pected to do. Besides, it leaves the jobs open for unmarried women. Even if the wife never has to use her knowledge, it gives her poise and self- respect to know that she could make & living if she had to. Your daughter will be very foolish if she gives in to her young man's silly objection to her taking a busi- ness course. It will give her some- thing to do to fill in her time while she is waiting for him, instead of sitting at home and sucking her thumb. And it will give her some- thing to fall back on if he falls out of love with her, or if she loses her taste for him. A lot of things can happen to young people in two years that change all of their plans. So my earnest advice to you is to insist on your daughter going ahead and learning to be a crackerjack secretary. And if the young man breaks off the engagement because of this she will be lucky enough to have missed marrying a man who would have made a tyrannical and overbearing husband. Whatever the current mode in handkerchiefs may be, dainty ones fin- ished with hand-crocheted edgings will always be favorites. This assortment of four designs will offer enough variety for you to decorate a number of Christmas gifts. If you prefer, yow'll find they're lovely laces for lingerie or children’s garments, too. The pattern envelope contains complete, easy-to-understand illustrated directions; also what crochet hook and what material and how much you | making pickies. Tough, shriveled will need. To obtain this pattern, send for No. 382 and inclose 15 cents in stamps Address or coin to cover service and postage. of The Evening Star, orders to the Needlework Editor Ceprrisht, 1037.) Self-Made Laws Are Harmful “Face-Saving” May Prove Decidedly Embarrassing. BY ANGELO PATRI HE saddest bondage in this world is the self-imposed sort brought on by making laws for oneself. Most of the time this is done without the sufferer's knowledge. He does it to himself, not intentionally, but in order to prove to others that he is different, therefore worthy of their attention and admiration. “I hate riding in motor cars,” said the lady who felt she must have some- thing distinctive to say. At once the group of listeners were at attention. Not ride in motor cars? Why every- body rode in motor cars. How could one get about otherwise? And why? So peculiar. “I can’'t help it. I simply can't abide cars, and I never ride in them.” This was said without premedita- tion, but once pronounced, face-saving demanded that it stand. And it did bring attention. But the attention passed with the last game of bridge that afternoon, and from then on for a long long time this poor lady suffered the inconvenience of her announced hate and fear. To her great discom- fiture she found that her law has fast- ened itself upon her and she could not ride in motor cars even when she wished to do so, needed to do so. “No. I never eat meat, I don't believe in it. No, not because it isn't good for me, but because I'm against it on principle.” The difficulty about that was that the speaker had only that moment thought out that prin- ciple. Eating meat had never both- ered him. Now he found that he want- ed to eat meat and had a mental con- flict to face every mealtime. Proclamations against this and that ordinary habit or custom, expressed hates of people, of foods, of races, re- ligions and schools of art or science, of big things and niggling ones, are dangerous to the mental health of those who make them. They discover that they have bound themselves in fetters not easy to break. Hate/ or its paler sister, dislike, are not good spirits to cultivate. Their effect on the souls of men are always bad. They kill the generous expan- sion of the mind and so limit its hori- zon until, as they do their deadly work, it narrows to dimensions that choke it. Hate is deadly to the hater, and dislike carried to extremes be- comes hate. True, & man must choose between what he likes and what he does not like, but he is not obliged to nurse his dislike within his bosom until it becomes a burning sore that con- sumes him. He can exclude from his thinking the things that he dislikes, and center his mind upon those things that for him are lovely. He can flood his mind with generous, kindly thoughts that increase the good that he feels and so crowds out the evil. And how sure can one be that peo- ple and their ways are evil? The evil ones stand out without doubt. The different ories are more likely to be different than to be evil, and the healthy mind, the generous soul, ac- cepts the differences and holds on to what he finds good for him without Fixtures and Shades. BY FRANCESCA McKENNEY. overlook lighting fixtures, wall brackets and lamps. Remember, these must be kept up-to-date as well as everything else in your house or ! T THIS season of the year, when you are redecorating your home, don't apartment! It is well to stop and consider the type of rooms you have before purchasing any new lights; otherwise French fixture for an English-style room, or certainly ruin any effect for whichss you may be striving. Also, be sure to consider the height of your ceilings before you put up a central fixture. If the ceilings are very low you will be better off without any light in the center. If one is already there, have it taken down, plug the hole, and either cap it with an unobtrusive metal plate, or have the spot painted over. o If, on the other hand, your ceilings are very high, you may indulge your wish for a center lighting fixture by purchasing one of the new attractive models that fit close to the ceiling, and are well out of the way. One of the most effective of these seen recently, has bulbs that are covered with small crystal beads, tightly strung from cne side of the frame to the other. Also, | there is & fixture that has one single | bulb covered with a crystal plate. In & large room, with an extra high ceil- ing, a drop light that is cone-shaped, and made of sparkling prisms, is al- ways lovely. These come in a wide variety of sizes. * ¥ ok X UCH brass, silver and copper is | being used this year to frame all | kinds of lights. Stick to the tailored | and simple styles as much as possible. | Your old wall brackets, if of simple design, will still do, even thongh a little the worse for wear. Paint them over to match the walls of the room, 50 that they literally “fade 6ut of the picture.” Take careful stock of your lamps and shades, to be sure that they are not lending an old-fashioned look to your rooms. Several weeks ago I mentioned a new type of fixture that gives the scientifically correct amount of diffused light, which may be at- tached to your own old lamps, thus im- proving their efficiency. Should you care to look into this matter, it is wise to remember that you can choose between one powerful bulb or a three- WAy connection which may be easily | stepped up to triple power. Thus ynu‘; may have just the right illumination | for either decorative or working pur- poses. Shades should be light in color, no matter of what they are made. Parch- ment, pleated paper and silk shades are the smartest. All lines should be almost severe in their simplicity. Bed rooms, of course, may feature lamps with fluffy-ruffle shades, but in the | more dignified rooms of the house | they are definitely taboo. Living room you might end up with a delicate some other incongruity that will lamp shades have only a plain finished edge or a narrow piece of bias binding that may be of a color to tone with the room. Fringe was popular some years ago, but appears to be distinctly “out” at present! * o o X PARCHMENT and paper shades are, for the most part, plain. Occa- sionally they are decorated with a stylized scene of some sort or a simple border design. The lovely, translucent, shades that may be washed are al- ways favorites, but seem to be found more in the smaller sizes. Their col- ors are exquisite. A particularly nice standing lamp has a small bulb in the base which casts a soft light on the floor. This is a good choice for the nursery or invalid’s room, as it enables one to see to move about without disturbing the sleeper. A lamp for a table be- tween twin beds throws its rays in two directions, so that there should be no domestic squabble about no light when reading in bed! Crystal lamps and the dainty little Dresden china ones have paste) {shades trimmed with twisted ribbon and a bow. These are lovely on dress- ing tables, or in a young girl's room Modernistic lamps are “all over the place”; one particularly nice one had a base of bright blue, set on white iron legs, with a white parchment shade touched with the same blue Perfect for a man's room, or ® library, is & wooden lamp that boasts two trays for books and pipes attached to the chromium reading light with 8 drum-shaped shade in natural color It is well to remember that if you have some lovely old vase or urn tucked away in a forgotten corner, it may well make you a beautiful and useful lamp. Old water jars, crystal decanters, or large silver trophy cupe may bé utilized in this way. Take your treasure to a good electrica! firm; they will wire it for you, and equip it with the proper lighting fix- ture very inexpensively. Choose 8 shade for it with care, and with due regard for its period and type—and “you'll have something there"—very definitely! Incidentally, when buying & shade for any lamp, it is best, if possible, to take the lamp with you to the store. Guesswork is very unreliable in thir case, and you may make a bad mis- take if you depend on your memory of just how the lamp base looks! Draped“Scarf Neckline Of Color to Simp BY BARBARA BELL. HERE is real flattery in the soft drape of this scarf neckline that slips into the waistline of the dress and gives a bright touch of color to this otherwise sim- ple frock. Note the lifted waistline at front—a detail to accent the mid- riff and to give the effect of a wasp waistline. This scarf collar is easily detachable and the dress with two or three scarfs gives charming variety to a trace of hate or dislike, without a hint of mental bondage. ’ (Copyright, 1937.) Making Pickles. Carefully follow instructions for pickles are caused by too much salt,| chart. too much vinegar or the .use of old cucumbers. Boft pickles are usually due to the use of vinegar that i too strong. your wardrobe. For instance, a flesh- colored satin scarf on a wool dress is a preity afternoon frock—the same dress with a plaid wool scarf becomes a trim daytime frock. Make this prac- tical dress for yourself. The pattern includes a complete step-by-step sew A new fabric that would make up beautifully in this dress is gabardine. More familiar fabrics are serge, alpacs, flannel or velveteen. _i - | Always Becoming, Giving Touch. le Frock. Barbara Bell Pattern 1377-B is de- signed for sizes 14, 16, 18, 20, 40, 43 and 44. Corresponding bust measure- ments, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 and 44 Size 16 (34) requires 2!, yards of 54. inch material. Topper to contrast re- quires % yard of 39-inch material, BARBARA BELL, The Washington Star, Inclose 25 cents in coins for pattern ordered. Pattern No, 1377-B. Size ...... Name .. - L (Wrap colns securely in paper.)