MARCH 20 
THf RURAL WEW-YORKER. 
Jfor 
omfn. 
CONDUCTED BY MISS RAY CLARK. 
DAME FASHION, 
ARTICLES FOR HOME MANUFACTURE. 
Fashion, fickle goddess, has led her votaries 
Into such extravagances, that she has brought 
down on herseir the denunciations of sensible men 
and women—and servos her right; but whether 
she has been won over and means to mend her 
ways, or whether she Is only like that, little girl 
with the curl, and la Just now very, very good, 
while she will presently be horrid, and lead t he 
way luto, nobody knows what lengths of absurdity; 
at any rate, she certainly Is now, unprecedentedly 
good, and I feel It In my heart not to withhold a 
commendatory word. 
Ferhaps, never before was comfort, health and 
convenience so studied In connection with dress. 
For one, I confess inyself happy to be able, with¬ 
out making myself conspicuous, to wear clothes 
that feel comfort able, or rather that I do not feel 
at all. It Is really delightful to put on the short 
dress of lo-day, no dragging train to carry, and one 
less backache to soothe Perhaps I am prejudiced 
by my comfort, hut It seems to me that women 
never looked so well before. We have actually 
come to a place where extremes seem to be left 
out, excopt with the empty-headed few, who will 
always strain anything Into extremes. 
We have neither the unwieldy leviathan of crin¬ 
oline, nor the ln.suITerable tie-back, but skirts that 
clear the ground and with Just fullness enough, 
answering to the old lady’s Idea of a dress skirt, “ a 
walking length and a striding width.” To be sure 
trlmmtng Is In many cases overdone, hut a plain 
dress with a little graceful drapery, la by no means 
an oddity. O, woman ! do fall so deeply In love 
with t he simple short dress, that you will never 
give It up, never ! 
Large waists, too, are admissible. Think of the 
days when the wasp was the Ideal of womauly 
beauty. Physicians, teachers, and old wlse-heads 
lectured, talked and wroto against It, but a line 
from a novel describing Belinda’s sleuder, taper¬ 
ing waist, had more weight with the moat ol the 
fenilnlnesex. But Dame Fashion decreed " Woman 
shall breathe again,” aud Pies to! forthwith corset 
strings were loosened, and heart and lungs and 
liver took a new lease of health and life. Tkere 
are some brainless creatures yet, who know no 
better than to rejoice In a waist that la out of all 
proportion with thotr shoulders and hips; their 
loss will not be felt much when they finally break 
In two. 
Talk about the good old days 1 Rather pity your 
hurled grandmothers, aunts aud other feminine 
ancestors, wishing that they could have lived In 
this decade! How did It all come about! Who 
studied out aud skillfully cut. and lifted the pat¬ 
terns for underclothes that are a joy to wear? 
Think of the old bands and hands, that cut and 
sawed and “ skewed round." Now with garments 
dependent from the shoulders, with the corset 
waist or corded waist, or "Health ’ waist, fur¬ 
nished with fastenings for the skLrts, so that their 
welgUt need not bang on the hips. We pity the 
queens even, who lived and died before this happy 
change was brought about. 
Even the shoes have had a reform 1 The high, 
tapering heel, set In the middle of the foot, on 
which Idiotic fashionables precariously balanced 
themselves, has given place to a low, broad one, 
and poor, pinched toes are trying to recover their 
Identity In wide, roomy shoes. 
To go from the foet, to the head, a lady's dress¬ 
ing-table Is no longer covered at night with rolls, 
curled hair aud switches, and her head In the day¬ 
time ts not of such extraordinary proportions, 
and Intricate make-up. as to be a source of amaze¬ 
ment to one not accustomed to the arts of higher 
civilization. 
As for headwear, there are bonnets and bonnets, 
and huts and hats. Hence, In spite of the many 
useless and startling affairs with which some will 
always offend the eyes, tUere are really sensible 
shapes aud styles of adornment. They are large 
enough to suit even a man, and many of them 
light and soft, and altogether comfortable. Hoods, 
too, again—pretty, Huffy hoods—that cover up 
one's ears and are proof against the nipping Aug¬ 
er’s of the most spiteful frosts. And the children, 
too, havo Utile bonnets or hoods. Many a lime I 
have shivered with horror to see little girls on a 
cold winter’s day with tiny hats set ou one corner 
of the head, they looked so blue and cold. Now It 
Is the fashion to keep warm. 
Tyrannical dame, have you had enough of des¬ 
potism, or are you only restlnga Uttle preparatory 
to a new raid, seven times worse than ever before ? 
I am ashamed to say It, but I suppose there are 
millions oi women who would be ready at the first 
note of your majesty’s announcement to make 
guys of themselves to any extent, tor never had 
ruler such absolute sway as you 1 or was the com¬ 
mon sense of those wiser women who cried "Trea¬ 
son” luteoUous, and nave you gone over to the 
conspirators? Or did you feel some compunctions 
on account of the physical woes of many of your 
blind followers — woes consequent ol your man¬ 
dates? Or were you brought down by the anathe¬ 
mas that were hurled at you trom pulpit and plat¬ 
form by the satire, ridicule aud caricature that 
greeted you everywhere? 
There la nothing more Pharisaical In my burst 
of self-congratulation. 1 know there are still 
enough petty feminine weaknesses to lament, and 
there are enough ever ready to raise their voices 
In lusty lamcutHtlon over past sins, If not present 
ones; but l for one am enoouraged, and 1 do feel 
like sending up a jubilant hymn of thanksgiving, 
though In the interludes 1 confess that 1 Improvise 
alliauy, from l tilers and paniers, from tie-backs, 
fantalls aud Grecian bends, from any relapse Into 
the unmitigated follies of which the remlnlne gen¬ 
der has heretofore been guilty, deliver us. 
CONTRIBUTOR. 
I saw a very pretty shaving paper case a short 
time since. It was of sliver card-board, cut heart- 
shape, hut very broad. It was slashed at regular 
distances from the edge, and a blue ribbon run In, 
a bow and ends of the ribbon were sewed on to hold 
the two sides, and the bright tissue papers that 
were placed between the article were about 
twelve Inches across, the ribbon an inch and a 
quarter wide. Such an article would be very 
pretty made of Bristol board pinked around the 
edges and ornamented with handsome embossed 
pictures. Gilt card-board would be still hand¬ 
somer, and may be more or less elaborately orna¬ 
mented with a contrasting color of zephyr or em¬ 
broidery silk. 
Purses of sadlers silk either crocheted or netted 
are useful, since silver lias come Into circulation 
again. They are so easily made that very little 
description Is necessary. The meshes should he 
quite fine. Two rings for slides must be provided. 
The opening Is made lengthwise In the center of 
the purse and should be two and a halt or three 
Inches long. 
Slipper cases may be made, costing from a mere 
nothing to as many dollars as your purse and In¬ 
clination will allow you to spend. They may be 
cut Into any pretty shape from pasteboard, cov¬ 
ered with fancy paper and embossed pictures. A 
pocket of any bright or plain goods may he used, 
bordering It with a ruchtug In a contrast ing color. 
If you wish It still nicer, It can be elaborately em¬ 
broidered on canvass In Berlin wool, and finished 
by the upholsterer or finished at home by putting 
a large cord around the edge to suspend It by, 
with balls or tassels to correspond. 
Forn holders are very pretty made of a lantern 
globe, when no other glass presents ltselr, and 
ornamented with transferred pictures. Another 
stylo Is with a frame for the hack, and % pocket In 
front, formed of long oat straws, cutting them 
between the tolnta, winding them with very nar¬ 
row strips of gilt paper, so that It will show as 
much of the straw as the paper. Sew the straw 
frame together at the corners, leaving an inch or 
so, rustic fashion, then finish with tiny cord and 
tassels. 
The back should ho six Inches wide and ten 
long, the front lacking four or five Inches of reach¬ 
ing to the top, and joined at the bottom. When the 
two frames are completed, stretch on them pink 
or white tarlcton, taotetng It underneath, lightly 
to the straws Then paste embossed pictures 
on the front piece and the upper part of the bade. 
Suspend with cord and tassels. Another cord 
and tassel at each upper corner of the front piece 
Is fastened to the back in such a manner as to let 
tire front fall forward a few Inches to form a 
pocket. 
Another fern holder can bo made of Brlstol- 
board pinked and ornamented with pictures and 
put together In the same manner as the last de¬ 
scribed. 
The larleton has a falry-llke appearance that la 
very charming. Tassels or balls for these delicate- 
looking articles, should bo made of pink and white 
zephy r or something equally dainty and delicate 
In color. l. n. K - 
-- 
shoe. It Is made In the shape of the wooden shoes 
worn by the French peasantry, but of beautifully 
carved cedar, rosewood, or colonial bark. It la 
ornamented with silver or other metal settings. 
It can be made, too, of black stained wood and set 
with steel knobs. It Is a much prettier invention 
than the turned-up Chinese slipper. It diminishes 
the foot in size and exhibits the silk clock or 
striped filoselle hose. The “ sabot” ts also advan¬ 
tageous to the Marguerite balayeuse. a new frill¬ 
ing for the Inside of sklrlB. It consists of a hand 
that, is plain Instead of being kilted, and Is made 
either or superior muslin or plain percale. Three 
rows of embroidery are gathered at the lower 
basis, one above the other, so that the foot 
emerges from a small labyrinth of delicate snowy 
work 
- 
Table Decorations.— Nothing Is prettier to grow 
In an epergne dish than moss, using the large 
feathery and matted kinds, and arranging them 
so that the straggling parts are tucked In. Sprays 
of Ivy, small ferns, especially the common poly¬ 
pody and hart’s—tongue—which, when rooted, last 
for weeks -may be Interspersed, and the whole 
should be sprinkled well every day. If It Is occa¬ 
sionally put out for a couple of hours’ soaking In 
the rain, the dish will keep green for weeks. This 
will require no cottonwool; hut pretty green for 
growing In wool may be had by cutting off the tops 
of carrots, with their crown leaves, and setting 
them as close together as they will He. They 
should be kept rather moist —A Lady Etcher. 
-» «--»- 
CORRESPONDENTS’ CORNER. 
HOW TO MAKE MOSS BASKETS 
Very beautiful baskets for holding flowers can 
ho made of the longer and more feathery kinds of 
mosses. We have made them often, and never do 
either garden or wild Mowers look more lovely 
than when clustered upon a verdant border of that 
most delicate and beautiful material, which by 
proper management may be made to preserve Ita 
freshness and brilliancy for many months. We 
will here give directions for ihelr manufacture. A 
light frame, of any shape you like, should he made 
with wire aud covered with common pasteboard 
or calico, and the moss, which should first be well 
picked over and cleansed from any bits of dirt or 
dead leaves which may be hanging about it, gath¬ 
ered into little tutts and sewed with a coarse 
needle and thread to the covering, so as to clothe 
It thickly with a close and compact coaling, tak¬ 
ing care that the points of the ruoss are all out¬ 
ward. A long handle, made in the same manner, 
should be attached lo the basket, and a tin or 
other vessel, filled with either wet sand or water, 
placed within, to hold the Mowers. By dipping the 
whole structure Into water once in three or four 
days, Its verdure and elasticity will be fully pre¬ 
served, and a block of wood, about an Inch thick and 
stained black or green, If placed under the basket, 
will prevent all risk of damage to the table from 
moisture. To make such baskets affords much 
pleasant, social amusement for children, who will 
find a constantly renewed pleasure In varying 
their appearance.— Floral Cabinet. 
HINTS FOR WOMEN. 
If Mrs. F. M. B. will try placing her mildewed 
clothing on snow and then sprinkle more over It 
and let It remain a week or more (the sun must 
shine on tt), 1 think she will be satisfied wlih the 
result. This recipe has been tried on clothes very 
badly mildewed and never known to fall. 
Will Miss Clark have the kindness to give Dr. 
Dio Lewis’s address and oblige? Excrki knce. 
Mrs. F. M. B.—If you have wood ashes and make 
your own soap, dip the article mildewed In the 
soap barrel, until thoroughly saturated, with the 
soap, and spread In the -July sun. Bring In nights, 
or if It should rain Repeat the dipping ir neces¬ 
sary. It takes several days. 
Mrs. M. B. Me Louth. 
The above recipes have been selected from sev¬ 
eral received, the others being similar to these or 
ones published In " Domestic Economy.” 
Dr. Dio Lewis Is not In New York city; if his 
address should be obtained, it wfil be given In 
another Issue. R- c. 
In the Rural of February 7, a sister wishes to 
know how to wash mourning calicos. Take five 
cents worth of glue for washing one dress. Dis¬ 
solve the glue In the water, wash and not rinse 
It looks as good as new, that Is my experience. 
A. E. H. S. 
seeing an Inquiry how to starch black calico 
without the starch showing white on the material 
I win say that 1 have made starch ror black lawn, 
using strong coflee Instead of water with very 
good results, i wet t he starch with a UlCle cold 
coffoe and pour on the rest of It while boiling, pre¬ 
cisely as ordinary starch Is made; and starch the 
material in the usual way. aunt Rachel. 
Will some one be kind enough to give directions 
through the Woman's Department of the " Rural” 
for making pretty but not too expensive Lambre¬ 
quins for a parlor In the country, and If some one 
will suggest something new In the way of curtains, 
I shall be much obliged. Eittb. 
New linen may be embroidered more easily by 
rubbing It over with fine white soap; It prevents 
the. thread from cracking. 
To remove grease from wall-paper—Lay several 
folds of blotting-paper on the spot and hold a hot 
Iron near tt until the grease Is absorbed. 
To take ink out of linen—Dip the Ink spot In 
pure melted tallow, then wash out the tallow and 
the Ink will come out with 1„. This Is said to be 
unfailing. 
If brooms are wet In boiling suds once a week 
they will become very tough, will not cut a carpet, 
will last much longer and always sweep like a 
uew broom. 
To remove rust from a stovepipe—Rub with lin¬ 
seed oil (a Uttle goes a good way); build a slow 
Ore at first till It Is dry. oil In the spring to pre¬ 
vent it from rusting. 
To clean brass—Immerse or wash it several 
times In sour milk or whey. This will brighten It 
without scouring, it may thea be scoured with a 
woolen cloth dipped in ashes. 
SKETCHES OF GERMAN LIFE. 
Adjoining the common sitting-room In the kitch¬ 
en, a survey of which convinced us that neither 
the comfort ncr the Ingenuity of women had been 
consulted In its construction. Though a model of 
cleanliness, It was void of every convenience. In 
the corner nearest the chimney is a crude eleva¬ 
tion of stone and mortar about three feet in night 
and four in length and breadth, the whole resem¬ 
bling a blacksmith's forge. This Is the “shed” or 
fireplace for summer-cooking, as the large stove 
previously mentioned is used lor that purpose In 
winter and la adjusted to the kitchen wall In such 
a manner that It can be heated from without. 
These stoves are large enough to bold a bundle of 
twigs the size of a beer keg, in addition to the 
pots and kettles which are. conveyed to the blazing 
fire by means of a long pronged stick. On the 
upper rows of shelves which cover one side of the 
kitchen-wall, the cooking utensfis are arranged 
with mfiltary precision, while the lower ones con¬ 
tain high, narrow jugs of milk. On a bench be¬ 
hind the door stands a tub of water which the 
women have to bring on their heads from a well 
about a square distant. The old-fashioned dash- 
churn, which Is si ill In universal use. a basket of 
fir-cover and a bundle of dry twigs complete the 
visible contents of the kitchen. The Invisible re¬ 
mains consist of several strings of home-made 
sausages and some hams hanging on beams 
fastened in the chimney, where the people tell 
their children, the chimney-sweep, of whom they 
nave a wholesome dread, places them for all good 
children. 
A steep flight of stairs brought us to our little 
room which—Its high feather-bed, locking very 
much like a snow-covered hillock, two chairs and 
a small table being Its sole occupants—looked a 
little cold and empty. But a peep through the 
white curtains over the gable roofs Into the varie¬ 
gated billowy landscape, rising gradually Into 
mils or fading In the blue horizon ; the clear lim¬ 
pid stream rushing and leaping trom the depth of 
a gray old forest, soon reconciled us to our new 
quarters. Here we would quietly and unobserved, 
see the people coming and going; carrying Joy¬ 
fully or wearily, the burden of lire’s harvest. And 
In the evening sec the lamlly groups sitting on 
logs before the houses, singing ballads or relating 
the same old legends of mysterious apparitions 
and haunted castles, their honest faces all the 
while reflecting the cheerfulness and sunshine of 
their green meadows, or the solemn earnestness 
of their forests. 1 have seen both characters, and 
for the hotne-slck and the love-sick recommend 
the former. Their very fool steps quickened your 
pulse. They open Hie door with a Jerk and at 
once fill the room with life and laughter. You 
Imagine every minute they are going to say 
something very amusing and are generally not 
disappointed; though, whatever they relate, the 
hero Is invariably embodied in themselves. Their 
heads and anus give force to every word, and un¬ 
less you are accustomed to them you wonder If 
they haveu’r got the headache, or tf they are not 
very tired, or If their joints don't ache. 
But for a quiet, confidential chat where you are 
not In constant dread lest your words are brewing 
a storm In some hot-headed enthusiast, we prefer 
those quiet, earnest Germans, who smoke their 
long pipes, Hatching all the while very attentively 
to your arguments pro and con until finished; 
then they carefully knock the ashes out of their 
pipes, lay them hack in their accustomed place 
and In a few pithy words give you their opinion 
and. instead of the blustering hurricane without 
which the other would not come to an under¬ 
standing. they quietly clear the sky of contro¬ 
versy with an amuslug anecdote which converts 
everybody but themselves Into laughter. 
BERTHA a. WINKLER. 
Fashionable Wooden Shoos.— A French novel¬ 
ty Is the artistic “ sabot,” instead of a boot or 
WHAT IS A “ BLIZZARD ?” 
At Home. 
Hitherto we have only seen the peas tnts under 
the most favorable clroumstanees, gathering 
abundaut harvests; enjoying popular festivals; 
and, in general, making merry over the most tri¬ 
fling Incidents; apparently a most good-natured, 
contented people. But was It always thus? Are 
these happy, peace-loving peasants whose world 
Is their village, their forest and their wclnberg 
alwaysamlable and contented with their lot? We 
will Hee. 
A few' days later we removed bag and baggage 
to the house of a well-to-do Burger, where, judg¬ 
ing from the prim attire aud Joyous faces of the 
good rolks, our expected arrival was made into a 
holiday. The fragant odor of Juniper twigs 
greeted our entrance into a large airy room fur¬ 
nished with rude but well-scrubbed benches ranged 
along the wall behind the coverless table; a com¬ 
fortable looking settle between the wall and the 
huge furnace like stove reaching almost to the 
celling; a nigh feather-bed and a few very clumsy 
chairs which, like the benches, bore evidence ol 
frequent scrubbing. 
The clean sanded floor; the curtained windows 
and the white-washed wall adorned with a looking- 
glass, a picture oi our Lord, another of Luther, 
over each of which a fresh Juniper twig was uod- 
dlng Us silent, fragrant welcome; everything 
looked so fresh and blight, so plain and yet so rosy 
that for a moment our thoughts wandered back 
involuntarily to the equally humble pioneer homes 
of America where the light or love and liberty 
shed Its bright, rays over the bare tloor and the 
rude, home-made furniture. And from beneath 
the roofs of which, me great architects and 
builders of tire grand Republic have emerged tor 
two centuries clad, Indeed, with German simplicity 
but armed with the vJgor of native strength and 
filled with the spirit of the free air, aud the free 
soli for which alas! Germany sighs In vain. 
There, only love, and the contentment of spirit- 
resignation, can keep the hearth-stone warm. 
“ The papers want to know what a blizzard Is, 
and they turn up their noses at the word, but them 
as has been thar’ can’t see where the Joke comes 
In. I’ve shook hands with one or two bllzzardB, 
and here’s the affidavits to prove it!” 
ne drew off his boots. Three toes were missing 
from the right foot, and the big toe alone remained 
on the left. Two fingers were gone from the left 
hand, one ear shrivelled out of shape, and his nose 
seemed to have no Ute In It. He was a rough-look¬ 
ing old ehap, and he was warming Ills heels on the 
steam-pipe in the cabin of a ferry boat along with 
several other passengers. 
“Well, what is a blizzard!'' asked one of the 
crowd as the old man pulled on his boots. 
" What’s the weather here to-day ?” 
"Two below." 
" Well, you add five or six degrees of cold to it, 
take off your clothes and walk around for three 
hours and you’ll have a slight comparison. A bliz¬ 
zard haln’t ’zactly a two-edged sword nor a bullet, 
but it lives next door to ’em. You’d better twice 
over be notched In a tornado. I’d take the chances 
of outrunning a prairie fire qulcker’n living through 
a Jinuary blizzard.” 
" TeU us about ’em.” 
" The fust one l ever Beed,” said the old man as 
he held up the stumps of his missing fingers, "war 
down In Nebraska, closo to the west fine. I had a 
ranehe and wan well fixed. The livin’ room fur 
me and three herders was about twenty feet 
squai”, with a big stove in the middle. On the 4th 
day ol Jinuary, isaa. there wasn’t a flake of snow 
on the ground, and at four o clock in the afternoon 
it, was warm enough to go In my shirt, sleeves. 
Half an hour berore the sun went down the sky 
was clear and blue. I stood looking off at a herd 
of horses, feelln' as If t wanted to go bar’tut, when 
all to once a shiver climbed over me. It was as If 
ice-water had been poured down my back. Thar 
was a moanin’, roarin’ sound away to the west¬ 
ward, another shiver, and next mlnlt It was dark 
and the blizzard had come. Quicker than I can 
tell you the sky turned black, night set In, and 
mountains of snow come boomin’ along before a 
gale blowtn’ eighty miles an hour.” 
“ Well?” said some one as the old man paused. 
“ Wail, there she was. That blizzard was born 
in the Rockies. She’d whirled around and round 
