498 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
Box for Holding Spices. 
Many steps can be saved in doing housework, by 
having the various articles required kept together, 
and near at hand. A wooden box for hoi ding spices, 
like the one shown in the engraving, is a most 
convenient little affair. It is large enough to hold 
ten medium sized baking powder tin cans, holding 
half a pint each. A lid is fastened on with small 
hinges, and provided with a hook for closing. 
A narrow strip of leather is tacked from the inside 
of the lid, to the inside of each end of the box, to 
»A CONVENIENT SPICE BOX. 
prevent the lid from opening too far. The name 
of the spice contained, is marked on the top of 
each can, with common white paint. The letters 
may first be drawn with a lead-pencil, to serve as a 
guide for the brush. The outside of the box may 
be finished in any way to suit the taste. Ours is 
stained to imitate oak, with the word “ Spices,” in 
dark-brown on the front. To make the box more 
ornamental, a pattern may be cut out of heavy pa¬ 
per, and fastened to the wood with mucilage. 
After the staining has been applied, and the paper 
taken off, the pattern will look as if inlaid. The 
staining should imitate walnut or some dark wood. 
A good design is a small group of leaves in each 
corner. The veins and a little shading may be put 
on the leaves after the paper is taken off, by 
using a small brush and the staining liquid. 
A simple border might be put around the top of 
the box and the lid. 
Foot Scrapers, or Boot Cleaners. 
Some people (men in particular,) do not pay due 
attention to the removal of dirt from their boots 
and shoes, and often walk into a kitchen or sitting 
room, upon a clean floor or carpet, with much mud 
and dirt adhering to their foot-gear. This may be 
prevented by placing a boot scraper or cleaner near 
the door, and in laying walks between the house 
and the barn, and other out-buildings. To aid 
those who desire to make boot cleaners, I herewith 
present several, and of sufficient variety, so that 
there need be no excuse for an absence of this 
necessary article near the door, Any of the forms 
shown may be attached to the step at the door, or 
secured to a piece of board one inch thick, one foot 
wide, and about two feet in length. The scrapers 
shown in figures 1, and 2, are of iron, and attached 
by screws to the bottom piece. A blacksmith can 
bend an old piece of iron into the form desired. 
Figure 3 shows a piece of hard-wood, one foot in 
length, four inches wide, and nearly one inch thick, 
with one edge made quite sharp, the whole being 
nailed firmly to the end of a piece of board. The 
plan shown in fig. 4, 
consists of two wooden . 
pins one inch in diame¬ 
ter, firmly secured in 
holes made in the bot¬ 
tom board near one 
end, three inches from 
which is a bar 5, either of hard-wood or of iron, 
fastened upon the pins. This form has some 
advantages, as the tops of the pins, if made flat 
and sharp, will aid in cleaning the sides of boots. 
A mat should be provided, and in absence of any¬ 
thing better, a piece of old carpet will serve a most 
excellent purpose. The house-keeper may need oc¬ 
casionally to refer the careless members of the fam¬ 
ily to the foot scraper and mat. 
Fig. 4. 
Woman’s Dress.—The Corset. 
1 heard a group of children talking about corsets 
the other day, and it was easy to see the effect upon 
them of home education, or of daily example. 
Those who had seen the women about them habit¬ 
ually dressed with corsets, regarded such articles 
as a necessary part of a well-dressed woman’s 
wardrobe, and looked forward to wearing the same 
as a matter of course. They seemed to think they 
could not have good forms, “ stylish figures,” 
without such mechanical aid. 
Other children, who had never seen their mother 
wearing a corset, said, “How queer! just as if the 
natural figure was not good enough,” and they be¬ 
gan to speak of the evils of tight lacing. Their 
companions, like most women, asserted that few 
women wear their corsets very tight now-a-days, 
and that their friends in particular did not, and 
while corsets did no harm, they very much im¬ 
proved the human figure. 
Corsets certainly are not worn as tight as they 
formerly were. Fashion allows much larger waists, 
and partly to this is due the better average health of 
women now, and partly to thicker-soled shoes, and 
better covered arms and shoulders. Formerly they 
were laced in front, and foolish women drew the 
lacing as tight as possible, often asking help to in¬ 
crease the tension. Though fewer corsets were worn, 
there was more “ tight dressing ” than now, for the 
dress-waists were lined with the strongest, most 
unyielding material, and fitted as close as possible. 
Friends of the corset claim that it affords needed 
support to the upper part of the figure, and protec¬ 
tion to the lower portion from the pressure of 
bands, and the weight of skirts. But would all fe¬ 
male health and beauty fail, and woman remain a 
mere wreck, and monstrosity, had the corset not 
been invented? In Anthon’s “Roman Antiquities,” 
we read : “ Stays for coinpressing the form into an 
unnatural appearance of slimness, were not known 
to the ancients, and would have been an abomination 
in their eyes.” Artificial support of the bust is 
rarely needed, and such support should come from 
above, rather than from below, as seemed good to 
“ portly Roman dames ” of old. The abdomen 
does indeed need protection from encircling bands, 
and dragging skirts. The quickest and surest way, 
is to abolish close bands and heavy skirts. The 
corset affords no real protection. It only deadens 
the sensibility by its steady pressure, and distributes 
the weight more evenly over the back, hips, etc. 
This pressure is one of the most common causes 
and aggravations of those troubles classed as “ fe¬ 
male weaknesses.” These is no need of close 
bands upon lower garments, and heavy skirts sus¬ 
pended from the hips. A rational style of dress 
will not include heavy skirts at all—only those that 
are short and light, and all bauds may be fastened 
to rows of buttons, sewed upon the bottom of a 
loosely fitting under-waist. Many women now 
wear under-clothing arranged in this manner. 
We are offered various improved eorsets, made 
with shoulder-straps, to support all weight from 
the shoulders. But the sloping shoulders of wo¬ 
men are not adapted to bearing heavy burdens, 
and many women refuse to wear shoulder straps, 
they prefer the equal pressure of the unsupported 
corset, weighted by skirts heavily trimmed, to sus¬ 
penders or straps upon the shoulders. The com¬ 
bination suit or “ ehimeloon ”—is the best way out 
of the difficulty—that and light plain skirts. 
The temptation to tight-lacing is not so great as 
formerly, now that corsets are fitted by measure, 
and then fastened in front with steel hooks. But 
almost every corset-wearer would find her waist 
expanding in size, should she leave off the corset, 
and wear really loose clothing. The corset- 
steel is one of the worst features. The pressure 
upon the stomach and thus upon the nerves back 
of the stomach, results in weakness and general 
invalidism. Many corset-wearers imagine that the 
corset is a real support to the strength, because they 
feel “all gone ” without it. This only shows how 
much mischief the corset has already done. Their 
feelings are all unnatural. The muscles of the 
waist and abdomen have lost their native power 
through confinement. If the toggery worn in the 
shape of basques and skirts, with bands and weights, 
oppresses and torments her when the corset is re¬ 
moved, the toggery should certainly be reformed, 
and the muscles given a chance to recover their lost- 
power. Physicians have always condemned the cor¬ 
set as prejudicial to health, and the best artists 
have condemned it as distorting woman’s natural 
form, and detrimental to real grace and beauty. 
But there is little hope of woman’s emancipation 
in large numbers, from these bonds, so long as 
closely fitted waists, and especially basques prevail. 
Travelling Case. 
When going on even a short journey, one often 
wishes to carrv some articles that may be packed 
in a small, compact dressing case, which will take 
little space in a valise or hand-bag. Travelling 
dressing cases of all degrees of elegance can be 
purchased, but a very convenient one may be made 
at home with little work and at small cost. The 
case here illustrated is made of heavy linen canvas, 
lined with rubber cloth. Any other material pre¬ 
ferred may be used for the outside, but the lining 
Fig. 2. — THE FINISHED CASE. 
should be of rubber cloth, which is on sale gen¬ 
erally, and is not expensive. It is usually a light 
gray color, and is not so heavy as the oil cloth 
often used. For an intermediate lining between 
the rubber and outside canvas,, drilling is well 
suited, though any strong material may be used. 
Cut the rubber cloth and lining in pieces 12 inches. 
