4 , 24 , 
AMERICAN AGKIC ULT U RIST. 
[November, 
for the rag carpet proposed. Suppose I get the 
matting, sell the cotton rags to the tin peddler, and 
make a few good plain rugs (pieced and braided 
ones, for I have no time for the pulled or drawn 
rugs), to lay over it in places where most warmth 
is needed in winter, or where most wear will come. 
Would not that be the best economy? 1 think it 
would, if we take into account the happiness and 
health and mental growth of the whole family— 
and if I had time I could show you how they are 
all involved in the question as to how we shall 
spend our time and money. Still 1 am not pre¬ 
pared to vote absolutely against all rag carpets. A 
good carpet of this kind will do a great deal of ser¬ 
vice—much more than almost any cheap carpet of 
the same money cost. The most reasonable method 
seems to be, to cut up the old garments and sew 
and wind them in balls as soon as they are unfit for 
other service, disposing at once of the refuse as 
paper rags. A housekeeper who has leisure, as 
childless housekeepers often have, or one who has 
children able and willing to help, can do this. Only 
good rags will probably be used, and some day 
there will be a carpet all ready to weave. Some 
housekeepers really do have time to make rag car¬ 
pets, and to read good books, and to take walks 
with their children, and to keep up a correspond¬ 
ence with their absent friends, and social visits with 
their neighbors. Each housekeeper and mother 
must judge how she can best spend her time. 
Banged Hair. 
I am glad that this horrible fashion has such a 
horrible name. It is a fashion that disgraces our 
6 ex. Its prevalence shows that a great proportion 
of womankind are willing to submit to almost any 
indignity—even to having “idiot” written plainly 
on their faces—if it is only “ the fashion.” I have 
pitied little children so disfigured, and when I have 
met grown-up women and girls seriously appearing 
with banged hair in public places, in apparent 
ignorance of their disgrace, I have felt that I ought 
to, as Whittier says in “ Ichabod,”— 
“ Walk backward with averted face 
And hide the shame.” 
It seemed unkind to look such deluded “ females ” 
full in the face, for fear they might think you 
noticed their deformity or idiotic appearance. I 
don’t know whether the word “ banged ” applies to 
the short frizzes worn over the forehead, but I have 
supposed that it only meant the short hair hanging 
straight down over the forehead like a fringe, not 
at all in an “ artless ” manner, but in a style so de¬ 
fiant of all artistic sense, as to stamp its inventor as 
absolutely ignorant in respect to beauty’s laws. 
Woman’s dress is a standing joke in the newspapers 
and among plain-thinking men. They always have 
some hold by which they can show us up to ridi¬ 
cule. But men are now crying out in agony over 
the “banged” hair, begging to know why women 
will do so. What possible reason can they have for 
making their faces hideous to behold ’—There is no 
reason, except that it is “the fashion.” I think 1 
have heard, however, that all the frizzing and 
crimping of the last dozen years has so broken and 
ruined the forelocks of most young womeh that 
they resort to cutting them short in order to 
strengthen the roots and make these locks grow 
smooth and fair again. But didn’t they know all 
the time, that frizzing and crimping would break 
and ruin the hair? Why can’t they fasten back 
this fringe, or shingle the whole head, not too 
6 hort, and give themselves a respite from all the 
tediousness of puffs and crimps, and rats and 
twists, and hair-pins and backcombs, and every 
other device invented to torture woman’s hair? 
No, “Simon says ‘thumbs up,’” and all the 
thumbs go up. “ Simon says ‘wig-wag,’ ” and all 
the thumbs wig-wag. “ It is the fashion,” and we 
“ must ” do thus and so. “ It is not the fashion,” 
and we must not venture to follow our sense of 
decency and good taste. That ends it, of course, 
for the class of women who wear their hair 
“ banged.” But my heart relents. There are smart 
amiable girls, and intelligent young women in the 
ranks of the “ banged.” Doubtless they have 
reasons that I know not of for their tasteless 
method of dressing the hair. 
Making: Comforters, or Comfortables. 
A comforter for a wide bed should have three 
and a half breadths, calico width, for the covering 
of each side, or for the whole, seven breadths, each 
two and three-eighths yards in length. In purchas¬ 
ing calico, allow sixteen and five-eighths yards. 
Many fill their comforters with from six to even 
eight pounds of cotton, but I do not like to put in 
over five pounds, and it is convenient to have a few 
light ones with only three pounds of cotton. 
Lay the lining of the comforter upon the floor, 
and spread the cotton evenly upon it, leaving it a 
little thinner at the edges and corners if you choose, 
where the comforter will tuck in at the sides and 
foot of the bed. Open the rolls of cotton careful¬ 
ly, and unfold them as much as possible, making 
an even thin layer all over at first, and covering 
this with three, four, or five other layers. All this 
pulling apart and laying lightly together makes a 
lighter, softer, and warmer comforter than if the 
cotton is put in only partly unfolded. Place on the 
upper covering evenly, and tack all together 
around the edges. Lift it carefully, rolling it up if 
necessary, and lay it over a lounge or bed, or large 
table, beside which you can sit to tie it. Tie at in¬ 
tervals of six or seven inches, tying in Lifts of 
worsted, or sewing through with light-colored yarn, 
and simply tying this with rather short ends. Turn 
in the edges of the upper and lower covers, and 
run them together when the tying is done. This is 
better than to bind it, as it can be more easily taken 
apart for cleansing. This method of tying com¬ 
forters without putting them in frames is a great 
improvement on the old plan, I think ; for the 
putting it upon the quilting-frame, and rolling and 
taking it off, was always the worst part of the job. 
Mixing 1 Bread without Salt. 
Most bread-makers put salt in with the flour, 
yeast, water, or milk, with which they mix their 
bread sponge. I see no advantage in it, and I am 
very sure that the bread is less sweet (and to my 
own taste less delicious) on account of the salt. I 
have known several persons, who at first thought 
otherwise, to be convinced of this by experiment. 
Christmas Decorations. 
It may be thought early to call attention to the 
subject of Christmas decorations. If we had in 
mind only home decorations, perhaps it would be ; 
but for Churches and Sabbath Schools it is none 
too soon. The days of those of our forefathers, 
who in their protest against formalism of all kinds, 
neglected all observance of church festivals and 
holidays, have passed. Their descendants will not 
be debarred a participation in the festivities of 
Christmas, and there is scarcely a denomination that 
does not observe the day in some manner, while 
the ancient custom of decorating churches, is be¬ 
coming more general yearly. So many are inter¬ 
ested in the matter of Christmas decoration for 
both the home and the church, that we are sure 
that a few hints on the subject will be generally 
welcome. The matter properly comes in the house¬ 
hold department, for with the few exceptions of 
wealthy societies, where the matter is left to the 
sexton to employ professional decorators, it may 
be accepted as a rule, that if the church is to be 
decorated, it will be done by the women of the con¬ 
gregation. We will go still further, and say, that 
while the women may decorate the church, it will 
be practically done by one woman, who will be 
prime mover, head designer, the one who will 
look after everything; and though she may have 
help, will be looked to for everything. That one, 
too, is likely to be the one who reads this article, 
for it is just such women as our sisterhood of 
housekeepers that are found in the lead in such 
matters. It is astonishing how one leader will inspire 
others in work like this; a company of other women 
will be ready to help, if they are only told what to 
do ; the young women will make it the occasion of 
a frolic, and will make fun of the work; and the 
young women being there, the young men—but we 
are getting away from our subject. Leaving to 
another time some hints on home decoration, let 
us consider that of the church, as it will take some 
time to bring matters about. In the first place, 
there must be the decision to decorate at all. There 
will probably be one of two objections made ; it 
will either be said that the church is too nice and 
new, and that decorating will injure or disfigure it, 
or that the church is too old and poor, or too rude 
and primitive, and decorations will be out of place. 
Either objection admits of a ready answer. In 
decorating, we use green leaves, flowers, and fruits, 
all Nature’s, or God’s, handiwork, and there is no 
human structure so perfect, that these will not 
bring to it an 
added beauty, 
while all need¬ 
ed decoration 
can be done 
without driv¬ 
ing a nail. This 
suggests the 
answer to the 
other objec¬ 
tion ; if our 
church is so 
mean, let us on 
this occasion 
cover its pover¬ 
ty. The oe- 
Pig. ] __ A star. casion we cele¬ 
brate took 
place in a manger, let us for once glorify our barn 
of a church. Having decided to decorate, the next 
question will be how much ? This, and all other 
details, had better be left to the women who read 
the American Agriculturist. We will suggest to 
those to whom the matter is quite new, not to un¬ 
dertake too much. Have a definite plan of what is 
to be done, and let it include only what can be done 
well. If only the pulpit can be well decorated, be 
content with that; but usually, the whole chancel, 
or end of the church where the pulpit stands, by 
whatever name it may be called, as the part to¬ 
wards which all the congregation look, may be 
adorned. The rest will depend upon the architec¬ 
ture of the church; galleries, pillars, window- 
frames, heavy cornices, etc., otfer opportunities 
that one with proper taste will take advantage of. 
About the Materials. 
The kind of green to be used, will of course de¬ 
pend upon the locality, some places affording a 
greater variety of evergreens than others. Hem¬ 
lock is one of the most generally useful greens for 
both large and small work; did it last longer, we 
would place it as the best, if but one could be had 
Fig. 3.—CIRCLE AND TRIANGLE. 
but its leaves soon drop, and become littery. 
Arborvitas, Spruces, Laurel, Ink-berry, Holly, and 
Rhododendron, among the trees and shrubs are the 
most available; the Lycopodiums, especially the 
kind known as “Bouquet-Green,” or “Ground 
Pine,” are most useful for small work. Those 
named, are all wild ; where materials can be spared 
from cultivation, Golden and other Aborvitass, Box, 
Ivy, and other evergreens, may, by judicious trim¬ 
ming, afford a goodly amount of useful material,, 
and the plants be none the worse for it. 
Flowers and Berries. 
Those who have been fortunate enough to dry a 
lot of everlasting flowers, will find them come into 
play, and berries are especially useful. A few scar¬ 
let ones will give a wonderfully fine effect. The 
most abundant berries for this purpose, are those of 
