NOTE AND COMMENT. 
HE talent, ability, or whatever we choose to call 
it, to do one’s own dressmaking, bonnet making, 
etc., often means the difference between being poorly 
dressed and well dressed. The cost of the materials is 
often but a small part of the expense for tasty and 
stylish appar3l. The labor—skilled labor—is what 
counts, and when this can be done by dextrous fingers 
at home, much more can be produced from the small 
amount of cash which must often do service. Last 
week we gave some plain hints calculated to aid the 
home milliner in her decorative attempts. This week 
we give illustrated directions for another form of 
decoration easily made by deft fingers at home. Later 
another will be given showing a very pretty ornament 
formed of goose feathers. 
t t t 
Thk inquiries of our readers for information about 
magazines show that they are interested in that class 
of literature. There has been a considerable reduc¬ 
tion in the price of many of the magazines during the 
past year, and we are able to offer our subscribers 
some reduction from even these low rates. Several 
are noticed this week, and more will be in succeeding 
issues. j j. j. 
t T t 
Thk suggestion has been made that women would 
make good barbers. VVe have heard of one or two, 
but, for some reason, they don’t seem to be very 
plentiful. One barber, a mere man, of course, says 
that they are not a success for the reason that they 
cannot keep their razors sharpened, and have to de¬ 
pend upon a man to keep their tools in order. That a 
man competent to do this will not stop at the mere 
sharpening, but insist upon doing the work as well. 
Is this a base slander, or is it only an idle excuse? A 
woman writing in one of the city dailies admits that 
she can’t say whether women would be an improve¬ 
ment in that trade, or not. She says that they cer¬ 
tainly have nice, soft hands, and their breaths would 
not be likely to be tainted with sta'e beer. But she 
thinks that women would make admirable hair cutters, 
especially for children. She would like to see a 
mother who was ever satisfied with the work of a male 
barber when the head of her offspring was concerned. 
She has her soul full of poetry about that darling 
head, but if she ever conveyed any of it to the barber 
—generally a phlegmatic Teuton—the public was not 
aware of it'. His idea of scissors is that they were 
made to cut with, and cut he does, until stopped by 
inclined; and there is a department. Sanitarian, 
which treats in common and easily understood lan¬ 
guage of the various ills of mankind. There are a num¬ 
ber of short departments treating of various topics, 
“ The Household ” giving matters of especial interest 
to the housekeeper, including a choice collection of 
recipes. There is a fashion supplement, which will be 
a great help to the home dressmaker and milliner. 
The magazine takes advanced ground on the temper¬ 
ance question. Nearly every article is illustrated, and 
it is printed from clear type on a good quality of paper. 
Each number is accompanied by a very pretty picture 
in colors. It is issued monthly at 20 cents a num¬ 
ber, or per year. We will send it and The R. N.-Y. 
one year for §2 G5. 
Arthur’s New Home Magazine. —This contains a 
number of interesting stories, a few of them con¬ 
tinued, the most of them more entertaining than in¬ 
structive, with few illustrations. In the January 
number some of the principal titles are “ With the 
Ancient Egyptians,” “Miss Vera’s Telegram;” “A 
Harmless Lady;” “A Yellow Envelop?;” “The Mosques 
of Tlemcen;” “A Poor Rich Man.” There are num¬ 
erous short poems, a department on fiowers that will 
be helpful to those interested in plants, both out and 
indoors. There is a department for girls and boys, 
containing one long and several short stories, some of 
them suitable for quite small children. “The Home 
Circle ” contains various matters of interest to the 
housekeeper. “ Woman’s World'’ is a department 
devoted to fashions. There is a fashion supplement 
which contains designs for various garments. It is 
published monthly at $1 per year, single copies 10 
cents. We will send it and The R, N.-Y. one year 
for $1.90, ^ 
Home Magazine. —This is the magazine edited by 
Mrs. John A. Logan. It usually contains an instal¬ 
ment of a continued story and one or more short 
stories ; a page of “ Personal Recollections ” by Mrs. 
Logan is quite interesting historically. There is 
usually a page about “ Men and Things at Washing¬ 
ton;” a page for the little folks; one for Sunday 
afternoon ; and one each on fashions and home dress¬ 
making ; “Mother’s Home Talks;” fiowers and the 
dining room. There are departments on fancy work, 
health and beauty, and through the house. It also 
contains editorial notes and some short bite. It is 
published monthly at 50 cents per year. We will 
send it and The R. N.-Y. one year for $1,40. 
MAKING CHENILLE FLOWERS. 
HENILLE flowers in shades of red from palest 
pink to deepest crimson, also in yellow and 
white, are a rich garniture for hats. Six petals com¬ 
pose a flower, each being formed of a piece of wire, 
five inches long, covered with chenille and bent into a 
loop as shown in Fig. 32. A large headed pin forms 
the center about which the petals are ranged. Long 
wires extended for the stem are either covered with 
Chenille Flowers. Fig. 32. 
chenille, or slipped into large rubber tubing. A 
pleasing variety is obtained by varying the depth of 
the color used and the size of the flowers. Buds are 
simulated by fastening three loops to a stem. A hat 
trimmed with nothing but such flowers, either in 
clusters or strewn over a broad, drooping brim, is 
exceedingly becoming, and i^epresents a pretty bit of 
warm color in the murky lapse between winter and 
spring. _ ANNA HINRICHS. 
Renovating Wall Paper.—A young woman with little 
money but considerable taste and ingenuity renovated 
her dining-room with a small outlay. The paper was 
of a light material, color and pattern and it had 
grown soiled and dingy through long service. A 
remnant of light straw matting was tacked around 
the lower part of the wall, headed by a broad, plain 
gimp for a dado. Then she hung cheap paper Japan 
ese scrolls at regular intervals over the worst places 
in the paper, reaching from the ceiling to the top of 
the matting, and lastly tacked up small portfolio 
engravings wherever they happened to be needed. 
the indignant parent. A woman hair cutter would 
understand these delicate points much better, and 
could drum up a large and lucrative juvenile trade. 
Here’s an idea for the woman who is on the look¬ 
out for an opening. There are plenty of hairdressers 
for ladies in the cities, and they are apparently doing 
a thriving business. Why not extend the profession 
to the smaller towns? 
MAGAZINES FOR THE FAMILY. 
I N a recent issue of The R. N.-Y. I noticed an article 
on the cheapness of magazines. I would be much 
pleased, and I doubt not others similarly situated also 
would be, if you would publish the names of a num¬ 
ber of those that combine household economies, fash¬ 
ions, and good literature, and give a short description 
of the character of their contents. In these times we 
wish to get the best and most useful for our money, 
but few of us have an opportunity to look up the pros¬ 
pectuses of the different magazines. m. c, b. 
A number of others have expressed a similar desire ; 
so we give herewith names and descriptions of some 
magazines which combine the desired features, and 
will try to give others later. Any subscriber whose 
subscription is already paid for 1894, may have any 
magazine noticed, for $1 less than the price given for 
the two. 
Demorest’s Family Magazine. —This we consider one 
of the best of the family magazines. It contains a varied 
assortment of literary articles, some of them instructive, 
all of them entertaining, a few continued; for instance, 
the November number, which is an average one, con¬ 
tains a profusely illustrated article on “The Naval Ca¬ 
dets at Work and at Play ; ” “ Familiar Talks on the 
Different Schools of Art;” “ Wedding and Engagement 
Rings ; ” “ Our National Nut,” being a very entertain¬ 
ingly written and well illustrated article on the cul¬ 
ture and handling of the peanut; “Within Prison 
Walls,” an episode of Thanksgiving Day in New Eng¬ 
land. There is something about “ Society Pads,” 
“Winter House Flowers;” a department for “Our 
Girls;” a department on “Home Art and Comfort,” 
which must prove quite helpful to those artistically 
□ O YA 1_ S 
D 
'TOURING hard times consumers 
F ii ^ cannot afford to experiment 
lrC)Lj|i i with inferior, cheap brands of bak- 
ing powder. It is NOW that the 
] great strength and purity of the 
ROYAL stand out as a friend in need 
- to those who desire to practise Econ¬ 
omy in the Kitchen. Each spoonful does its per¬ 
fect work. Its Increasing sale bears witness that 
it is a necessity to the prudent—it goes further. 
N R 
11# Grocers say that every dollar in¬ 
vested in Royal Baking Powder is 
worth a dollar the world over, that it 
does not consume their capital in dead 
stock, because it is the great favorite, 
and sells through all times and seasons. 
mm 
ROYAL BAKING POWDER CO., 106 WALL ST., NEW-YORK. 
