Evening Star Newspaper, April 17, 1940, Page 34

B—12 WOMEN’S FEATURES. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 194:0. WOMEN’S FEATURES, Select Furnishings With Discrimination for They Are Future Heirlooms Old Homes Show Result Of .Careful Planning And Constant Work Choose Decorations for Merit Rather Than With Emphasis On a High-Fashion Value By MARGARET NOWELL. The fine old houses and gardens in Washington and nearby Maryland and Virginia are planning to open their doors to the public. They offer a glimpse of life and homes of a bygone day and provide a wealth of new ideas for our own houses. There is many things that sometimes seem work often constitute the very efforts also satisfaction in knowing that the so trivial in our everyday house- that will make our home and furnish- ings appreciated by another generation. Many a housewife, convinced that her contemporaries would never notice the brass hardware on her bed- room highboy, would polish away contentedly if she thought it would be cherished a hundred years from now. Watch for the notices of the houses and gardens that are opened. They begin in Virginia next week end later in Washington and Maryland, and through them you may refresh your ideas on the joys of house-owning, decorating and the fun of planning and making a garden bloom. Our generation is divided about in half, with some of us loving the furniture of a previous era, with which all the care and effort it entails; the rest of us streamline our lives and furniture to demand the least possible time and effort and the most comfort and freedom. In either case, for emulation or contrast, these lovely houses and gardens have a message. There is an atmosphere about a able to describe but all of us under-< stand when it surrounds us. This same quality is apparent in a lovely garden. Old gardeners call it the “green thumb,” and you must be born with it; it is not acquired. It must be an innate understanding of all the rules combined with a wicked knowledge of how to break them. It takes years of living with a house, years of selecting and dis- carding furniture and small things to achieve just the effect we all un- derstand. So far, I have not seen a modern house with that effect. It will fake another 20 years before we are thoroughly out of the dramatic stage and down to “bed rock modern,” made up of the things comfortable to live with. Making a house is work that is never done for it takes constant effort and change and is one of the few things about which a woman has every right to change her mind. This is one of the points in favor of the old houses and the furniture of previous centuries. It has re- mained through the change of-mind and customs of several genera- tions and because of that it must “have something” that you or I would be very careless to overlook. To be sure, many things are pre- served from overworked sentiment that might better have been dis- carded years ago, but if you will stand your old Victorian sofa up by itself in the cold light of the back porch you will discover many things about it that are worth preserving. The frame is still without a crack or a pulled joint. Those first fac- tory-made joints were built to stay.) The carving is deep and beauti- fully cut and the finish after all these years is deep, clear and with- out checking. What piece of furni- ture could you buy today, even if it was going to remain in the “best parlor” for great occasions only, that would not need refinishing in 60 years? I would remove the horse- hair covering and visualize the same gracious curves of this bristling little sofa with a spring cushion seat and a satin striped brocade covering, good for another 60 years. It's quite a shock to realize that the little jam pot you use each morning on the breakfast table is a collector’s item, sought by museums and hob- byists all over the country. Perhaps you gave away grandmother’s scrap book made of 1820 wall paper, but you would have preserved it had you known that wallpaper manufactur- ers are advertising for these early patterns. So, it's a good -idea to judge your purchases and possessions on merit alone, not because they are fashionable. Keep them for the same reason. The fashion will catch up with real merit at least once in seven years and your daughters and granddaughters will think you were wise and discerning to have found and kept such delightful heirlooms. Your own house and garden may be a work of art. It will take all the time you are willing to give it, but the satisfactions are everlasting, and the background you create to- day will live in the mind of your family, influencing their thought, action and success for many years to come. charming house which few of us are ‘Streamline 'Figure for Summer Compensations Are Great for Keeping Correct Weight By PATRICIA LINDSAY According to a Paris broadcast by the fashion editor of a favored wom- an's magizine— The general silhouette is slimmer —s0 more hip reducing exercises are in order. And sane dieting. Waistlines are normal or have a tendency to drop a bit—that calls for slender midriffs! Shoulders are normal—or with just a bit of padding. That means you MUST stand and walk in good posture. Fashion decrees a universal im- portance of the straight skirt, jagk- et-suit, with lingerie blouses. Slim | Redingote costumes, and two color ensembles with dark dresses and bright jackets. Another leading French designer likes the blouse and skirt combination. Can you imagine a girl with bumby hips or & protruding abdomen looking smart in one of these slim models! There’s still time to get busy and excercise 10 to 20 minutes each day, and to resolve on energy giving menus which keep you slender at the same time. Spring and summer make wom- en dissatisfied with their fig- ures. They cannot wrap them in big coats which hide all the excess pounds. They must show the world their bulgés! And that is good, for no women can be beautiful or heathly if she is overweight, or if her system is sluggish. Beauty, en- ergy, success and happiness are so dependent upon a body kept in the pink of condition. How much bet- ter one feels if weight is near nor- mal, posture is good and daily body functionings are regular. derstand a woman who does not make the effort to keep herself up to par in weight, energy and meas- urements. If you want to be fashionable and attractive, the road to beauty is easy. You will make every necessary ef- fort to fit into the current fashion picture. And you will so schedule your reconditioning and refashion- ing program that your .normal du- ties will be cared for as usual. A few minutes each day are sufflicient for you to be enviably attractive to others and comfortably satisfied with yourself! My “One-Two-Three Slimming Diet” leaflet shows you the sen- sible way to reduce. _Write for it care of this paper and inclose a self-addressed, stamped (3- cent) envelope to cover cost of mailing. Kitty in the Kitchen By BARONESS PIANTONI. Gird on your thimble, arm yourself with your trusty needle and get to work. This time to embroider an adorable kitten on your kitchen towels. She will be a cheery inspiration to you as she goes about her daily tasks, which are very much like your own. The pattern envelope contains seven hot-iron transfer designs, 5% by 6 inches each; complete, easy-to-understand directions, with illustra- tions of stitches used and color suggestions to aid you; also what material and how much you will need. ‘To obtain this pattern, send for No. 1073 and inclose 15 cents in stamps or coln to cover service and postage. Address orders to the N Editor of The Evening Star. 2 A The com- | pensations are so great I cannot un- | | now that you know the facts, go Sheer Beauty—1940 Version By HELEN VOGT. | Because somebody figuratively | took coal, air and water, waved an | enchanted wand and muttered a few ‘ magic syllables, women all over the1 country became excited. For this was the beginning of nylon—a new | venture if hosiery that so far has | | been widely discussed wherever the | conversation turns to fashions. Al- ‘ though it is not yet on the market, nylon is already known to thousands ! of women who will be waiting to' try it when it appears in the stores: | around May 15 . - | . However, due to all the advance| |interest in this product, there have | been some mistaken ideas circulated. | | Women have asked this department | if it is true that nylon will not run| |or snag—and the answer is em-| | phatically no, it is not true. In| order to give a message to the public, therefore, the National Asso- | ciation of Hosiery Manufacturers | has approved a statement which should dispel all questions about | the product. Good Care Is Essential. This statement says that in spite of the unusual strength of nylon, it cannot be subjected to unusual strain any more than any other sheer hosiery. The wear derived from these stockings depends upon the care you give them, so be care- ful of fingernails and rough sur- faces. Do not press them with hot iron nor place on hot surface. Wash gently, lor nylon’s low capacity for absorbing moisture makes it neces- sary to wash dirt off instead of out. In other words, remember that nylon deserves and requires the same care you give to your finest hose—and ahead and experiment with wearing them. You may find that they| | fedl slightly different on the legs at first, but it is hardly noticeable and will soon be just as natural as the wearing of ordinary stockings. The honest-to-goodness start of summer fashions is really under way at last. Cottons are profuse and should find wide acceptance in clothes for every occasion. Play togs are more than interesting, with pinafore styles eoming in for their share of attention. Shorts, swim suits and slacks are all shown, and the latter are being sold now for im- mediate wear in the great outdoors. New Slacks Are Zippered. One of the trickiest ideas in this line was seen in a local shop re- cently: It's a pair of slacks that answers & long-sought purpose— perfect for bicycling or’ hiking be- cause the legs are equipped with zip- pers about half-way to the knees. The idea is to wear the slacks in their usual flappy form for ordinary occasions, but when active sports are on the program, you simply wrap the lower legs like leggings and zip them securely. They stay snug and tight and will not hamper your movements. Not expensive and really perfect for outdoor activities at this season. Speaking of unusual gadgets, it doesn’t look as though we'll ever stop talking about jewelry. You may expect to see heavy necklaces worn with everything from bathing suits to evening gowns, and though they are heavy in appearence with the massive charm of Hawiian leis, they are light in weight. Lapel ornaments are other whimsical notions more than likely to continue into warm weather. The newest and trickiest of these are bar pins with miniature: dishes strung on them! The plates are copies of old china, and many are complete with gold colored knives and forks, too. In addition to the pins, there are bracelets and necklaces done in the same manner. More conversation ploces! . Nylon hosiery, destined to appear in Washington within the next several weeks, is particularly noted for its sheer, beautifully fragile appearance. Much discussed for its faskion significance, this innovation promises to mark an- other forward step in Ih: hosiery industry. s 5 a0 S by Colelle flfi "yozmy Aopéim'cate”—- > FOR THE JUNE WEDDING/ g character (éfi poseandclothes. in / Do have severe simplicity, white crepe, slim lines. | Cutoff trainand | you'll have a | smart party | gown. Esquire Features, Inc.| Directions for Table Setting Are Given By EMILY POST. Directions for formal situations, given on occasion in this column as well as those given in unabridged detail in my book, are sometimes taken so literally as to cause real hardship to guests and members of th family. Usually the one who writes me about such a situation is the husband. A typically irate complainer writes me as follows: “As my wife understands them, the directions in your book say that bread and butter plates are correct only at luncheons and suppers and at family dinners. We have had several company dinners lately and consequently my wife has left off the bread and butter plates. I think it’s ridiculous not to have a plate to put the roll on, and will you please tell me where you are in- tending that I put the butter? On a hot plate rim, the butter skids off the rim into the middle of the plate under the fish or meat or whatever it is that doesn’t need any butter. Am I expected to dunk my roll into buttered sauce or but- tered gravy? If this is your idea of a good table rule, I'm certainly against it.” The rule is not quite what you describe. If your wife is going to serve butter, then she should set the table with bread and butter plates. The rule against butter as well as butter plates applies only to a forma) dinner—meaning a dinner of cere- mony and not just company for din- ner. But why give formal dinners? * Kk K X Dear Mrs Post: When a club is having a guest speaker who is com- ing from out of town and arriving several hours before the meeting, is it any one’s duty to meet her and take care of her during this time? The club is paying for this lecture in case that makes some difference. Answer: The question of payment A has nothing to do with the courtesy that must be shown her. If she is arriving at a station, she should be met there by some one from the club and driven somewhere to spend the time between then and the lec- ture. Some one—not necessarily the same person of course—always remains with her throughout her stay. K Kk X Dear Mrs. Post: Is “Rev. John Smith” just as good formr as “The Rev. John Smith” when addressing an envelope to a clergyman? And if there is some doubt as to whether the clergyman is a D. D., should he be addressed as “The Rev. Dr.... and spoken to as Doctor . . . any way? Answer: “The Rev. John Smith” Is better form but “Rev. John Smith” is not igcorrect. Since it could not be discourteous to give him a title by mistake whereas it would be discourteous not to give him one when he has, it would be better to err on the side of politeness and call him tor Smith when you speak to or of him. “The Rev.” on the envelope is ;)mgely polite without the Dr. or Washing Shirts Men’s and boys’ shirts will last longer if the neckbands and cuffs are rubbed with soap and then left for 30 minutes or so before launder- ing. The dirt will be loosened so they will require less rubbing. Broiling Fruit If you're going to broil or bake fruits to serve as meat garnishes use some of the meat drippings for basting the fruits. The drip- pings not only help brown the fruit, but also give it extra flavor. ,r_z Disagreeable Task Dorie Promptly Prevents Nervous Fatigue and Is Worth Effort By ANGELO PATRI. 3 There are mean jobs waiting to be done in any station of life. The meanness of the situation is not in the work. All work is good. The way we look at the job is what makes it & delight or an evil. What I consider & mean job some one else thinks a privilege. I hate a weeding job in the garden, but I have seen people to whom the sight of a weedy patch is a positive delight. Each to his own work of course, but no matter how happy a choice there will be within the job its own difficulty. The best way to overcome the un- pleasant is to face it and get it over with as soon as possible. Call on the hard customer first. Wash the pots now. Mend the torn article im- mediately. Get the hated homework done early. This will not only get the job out of the way it will relieve your mind of a burden that is de- pressing it and making you ill. Worrying about a job that is waiting takes more out of one than doing it ever does. Promptness in facing disagreeable tasks is a prevention of nervous fatigue well worth any effort it costs. Work is stimulating to body and mind when it is done in good spirit. Getting the hard task out of the way robs it of its threat. Once the mind is cured of its dread it will accept the job as it is and the whole system is toned up by that accept- ance. Work becomes what it ought to be, a wholesome exercise of men- tal and physical powers that con- tributes to the happiness and health of the worker. Children have to be taught this. They have a tendency to push aside the disagreeable tasks hoping that something will happen, the teacher be absent, the school burn down, and they will escape the task. They conveniently forget homework, lose reports that are not flattering, fail to hear an assignmen{. The best| way to train them into promptness | and acceptance of the disagreeable | is the schedule. | Somehow an established routine | helps children over hardships in | their day. Rising time, breakfast,| chores, off to school—all on sched- ule, starts.them off well. Then the school routine takes them over. The teacher follows the time table re- ligiously, never forgets to ask for assigned work, never forgets to hand | it back marked and criticised. The | eertainty of the routine supports the wobbling spirit and holds it firmly | to its duty. When faced with a disagreeable | duty the child is to be shown how | to attack it promptly and get it out | of the way. He is not to be allowed to shift it over until tomorrow, wait | | for a friend’s help, gest a little before | beginning. get a drink, look out of | the window. He must begin, keep | |on and finish, promptly. He rieeds | | encouragement and -support in this | | until it becomes his habit. | | This is one of the basic prescrip- |tions for mental health, but a | highly important one. Ironing Curtains You can save yourself the trouble | of ironing curtains if you hang | them on the rods while they're wet. | Slip curtain rods in the bottom hems as a weight and theyll dry } straight. | | . {Use Lemon Juice | Lemon juice may replace vinegar in almost any recipe calling for. the , latter. It is preferred by many be- cause of its health value and fresh flavor. Give J. Hushand good tea! Lots of men prefer a cup of good, hot McCormick Tea over any other beverage. Your men wiil thank you when you serve it. A master blend of faney, hiligrown, Orange Pekoe teas. Packed 1n flavor-tight orange metal cans —all sizes and In tes bags. Get some todsy and TASTE THE DIFFERENCE. And for better cooking—ask for McCormick Spices and Extracts. STOCKING F‘iUNS = COST MANY BUCKS ~CUT DOWN RUNS WITH NEW QUIC Lx! v—— Simple But Smart Model Make this for immediate wear of flat crepe or spun rayon in the new dull green, navy or violet, with bright red buttons and belt, or choose polka dot silk, setting it off with belt and buttons to pick up the | color of the dots. Later on, repeat | it in linen, gingham or sharkskin; it will be stunning in white and pas- | tels. | Barbara Bell Pattern No® 1670-B| is designed for sizes 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, | 44 and 46. Size 36 requires, with | short sleeves, 4 yards of 39-inch ma- terial; with long sleeves, 435 yards. BARBARA BELL, The Washington Star. Inclose 25 cents in coins for Pattern No. 1670-B. , Size ____ ‘Wrap coins securely in paper. NEW...a CREAM DEODORANT which safely STOPS .ner-arm PERSPIRATION 1. Does not rot dresses, does not itritate skin. 2. No wiiting to dry. Can be used right after shaving. 3. Instantly checks perspiration 1to 3 days. Removes odor from perspiration,keepsarmpitsdry. 4. Apure, white, greasefess, stain- less vanishing cream. 5. Arrid has been awarded the W Approval Seal of The Ameri- can Institute of Laundering for being harmless to fabric. 15 MILLION jars of 39, Also in 10¢ and 59 lars Arrid have been sold <. Try @ jar today — atanystore which sells toilet goods. z % 7 = ARRID NN "THEY EVEN MENDED THE LINING!" Right, Mister! Making minor repairs, replacing buttons and snaps —without being told and at no extra charge—is a regular feature of Manhattan's Guaranteed Dry Cleaning Service. So is gt out all the dirt—including dust and fuzz from cuffs and seams, pleats and pockets. So is sending your clothes home expertly shaped fo fit, and not merely pressed. You're guaranteed against loss through fading or shrinking. And there are daily collections— plus a special, speedy week-end service which collects Thursday, delivers Saturday. Men's suits, women's plain dresses, only 78¢. 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