104 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



Feb. 



labits* department. 



From Blackwood's Magazine. 

 LITTLE ROSE. 



She compB -with fairy footsteps — 



Softly their echoes fall — 

 And her shadow plays like summer shade 



Across the garden wall. 

 The Kolden light is dancing bright 



'Mid the mazes of her hair, 

 And her fair young locks are waving free 



To the wooing of her hair. 



Like a sportful fawn she boundeth 



So gleefully along; 

 As a wild young bird she caroleth 



The burden of a song. 

 The summer llowers are clustering thick 



Around htr dancing feet, 

 And on her cheek the summer breeze 



Is breathing soft and sweet. 



The very sunbeams seem to linger 



Above the holy head, 

 And the wild flowers at her coming 



Their richest fragrance shed, 

 And Oh ! how lovely light and fragrance 



Mingle in the 1 fe within ; 

 Oh ! how fondly do they nestle 



Round the soul that knows no sin. 



She comes — the spirit of our childhood— 



A thing of mortal birth, 

 Yet bearing still the breath of Heaven 



To redeem her from the earth. 

 She comes in bright robed innocence, 



Unsoiled by blot or blight. 

 And passeth by our wayward path, 



A gleam of angel light. 



Oh I blessed things are children — 



The gifts of heavenly love; 

 They stand betwixt our world-hearts 



Aiid bitter things above; 

 They link us with" the spirit- world 



Of purity and truth. 

 And keep our hearts still fresh and youDg 



With the presence of their youth. 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY; 



OR, 



HOW TO ]\IAIvE HOME PLEASANT. 



BT ANNE O. HALE. 



[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 

 1866, by R. P. Eaton & Co., in the Clerk's Office of the 

 District Court for the District of Maseachusette.] 



CHAPTER Vn. 

 MAKING AND JIKXDING MEN'S CLOTHING. 

 [continued.] 

 In the choice of materials for outer garments 

 men generally like to consult a woman's taste and 

 judgment. If she is not commissioned to pur- 

 chase, as she generally is for the clothing we have 

 already considered, her opinion is of great conse- 

 quence in the matter ; and she is so well aware of 

 it that she docs not hesitate to express it freely- 

 even if it 1)0 uncalled for. (In performing which 

 benevolent bersice the writer of these chapters is 

 not at all backward,— as her readers have proba- 

 bly discovered before this time.) 



Ready-made clothing can be bought so low that 

 many persons prefer buying to having the trouble 

 of making, or getting it made. But a good fit is 

 seldom obtained in a ready-made garment, and 

 there is great risk of being deceived in the quality 

 of its materials ; while the making is never very 

 good — seams rip, linings sag, buttons come off, and 

 button-holes break down. It is very much more 

 economical to employ a tailor whom you can trust 

 to make it. Or, if you cannot afford that, get a 

 good pattern of him, and make it yourself. In 

 getting patterns, don't be hasty to adopt new 

 fashions, neither be the last to hold to the old 

 styles. Above all things avoid all fanciful designs, 

 cither in the cut of a gannent or its trimmings, 

 and remember that a well-dressed person is one 

 whose dress never attracts attention. 



If you decide to make coat, vest, or pants your- 

 self, and the material of the outside is woolen, 

 take off its selvage, and shrink the cloth. 



The advantage of this is that very little cloth be- 

 ing water-proof, this dampening, evenlj' done, pre- 

 pares the nap to receive all subsequent wettings 

 without being spotted. And, also, as woolen cloth 

 always shrinks in wetting, it is better to have it 

 over before it is attached to linings that will prob- 

 ably always remain the same. 



To accomplish this well, wring a sheet through 

 warm water. Fold it, its whole length, through the 

 middle. Spread it on a table, and lay upon it the 

 cloth, very smoothly. Then fold cloth and sheet 

 together, across their width. Let them lie thus an 

 hour; if the cloth be very thick, two hours. At 

 the end of that time remove the sheet, and hang 

 up the cloth where it may dry smooth and straight. 



For cutting: having procured patterns from a 

 tailor, or, as directed for a shirt, use the same 

 measures ; adding to them one around the waist, 

 and another down the waist, just under the arm ; — 

 for the length of pants a measure from the waist 

 to the heel of the boot ; and with these calculate 

 what variations the patterns need. 



In passing your hand over dressed cloth you will 

 notice that a down- stroke keeps the nap smooth, 

 an upward one roughens it ; so, in cutting, be sure 

 that all parts lie the same way. Not only would a 

 mistake in this cause portions of the garment to 

 feel disagreeable to the touch, but make a difference 

 in the shade of the color. 



It is sometimes necessary to piece the cloth. 

 This is called ranting; it is very careful work. 

 See that the nap of each piece to be joined falls the 

 right way. Baste the edges of the two together, 

 in overstitch. Flatten this loose seam, and with a 

 fine needle and silk pass close, short stitches across 

 from edge to edge, below the nap; — no stitch, not 

 a speck of the silk should be visible. It is slow, 

 nice work ; but with little practice it can be skill- 

 fully done. Dampen the seam and press it on the 

 wrong side. A stronger way (it is generally done 

 with thinner cloth) is to stitch the seam on the 



