1901 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
11 
Dressitiakiiig as a Business. 
There is no other vocation turned to 
so readily as sewing by young women 
who are anxious to become self-support¬ 
ing, and it is the speediest pathway open 
to women bereft of husband, father or 
brother. But before one is qualified an 
imperative term of study, observation 
and practice is necessary. Artistic dress¬ 
making is taught in the Drexel Institute, 
Philadelphia; the Armour Institute, 
Chicago; Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, and 
in similar institutes of the same class in 
cities. Artistic dressmaking is not 
taught in any of the public schools, but 
is deserving of a place alongside of other 
accomplishments. Plain sewing is 
taught in many industrial schools and 
the advance step will be taken in the 
near future. In the regular dressmaking 
schools many di'ess systems, as well as 
ordinary dressmaking, are taught. For 
or |5 a week, lessons are given in 
dressmaking and designing, and the 
pupil is taught how to make up the ma¬ 
terial in vogue. The pupil furnishes the 
material, etc., and, of course, keeps the 
garment when it is finished. Many 
dressmakers from the country and vil¬ 
lages avail themselves of such lessons 
during the dull season. 
A woman needs a firm stock of health 
if she is to be a successful dressmaker. 
She may have late hours and long ones 
during the busy season, and must en¬ 
counter all sorts of weather, stand in 
crowded street cars or tarry upon the 
damp street. To be a city dressmaker 
01 under hand for shop work she will 
do well to have a specialty if she wishes 
to avoid unexpected tasks. There are 
advantages in being identified with a 
certain line of the work. The young 
woman does well to have an all-round 
training in a country or private dress¬ 
maker’s shop before she comes to the 
city. She should not come without a 
little money, or people in the back* 
ground ready to help her. Wages are 
small; board, lodging and tranaporta- 
tion are the esfsentials. To be a success¬ 
ful city dressmaker one must be unusu¬ 
ally clever and thoroughly endowed 
with the principles of her trade. The 
next step, and a very important one, is 
employment. The parlor shop, the 
down-town shop and the large stores 
are the establishments open to her. 
The factory and the sewing in families 
are also in reach. As a beginner in an 
establishment the novice is given only 
overcasting seams, putting on bindings, 
etc., and paid an average of $3 per week, 
and this rate will at least hold on for a 
month or two. In well-regulated shops 
and large establishments the same gar¬ 
ment goes through several hands. 'The 
cutter of skirts, who usually works 10 
hours a day, receives from ?10 to ?18 a 
week for her services; the skirt hands, 
who completely make the skirt, get |6 a 
week; the waist finisher from $9 to $12 
a week, but she must do fine work, and 
is expected to finish three waists a week 
with the aid of a helper who puts on 
hooks and eyes, belts, etc. The fitter 
has to be very skillful, a real artist in 
her line, to command the place and the 
highest wages, $20 to $36 per week, but 
she is expected to be infallible, to do the 
impossible; that is, please the captious, 
make a sorry figure look at least pre¬ 
sentable, and a good one nothing short 
of perfection. The forewoman oversees 
all things, and if not the proprietress, 
gets from $12 to $20 a week. This is a 
distinct picture of a fashionable dress¬ 
maker’s shop. In large stores much the 
same discipline is observed in the dress¬ 
making department, except a large force 
of women are kept at work refitting, 
altering or making over garments pur¬ 
chased. The wages, however, are much 
the same, but the work is harder; more 
precarious because of the rush and 
hurry-up admonition. Factory work Is 
open from six to nine months in the 
year. This work is chiefly on shirt 
wai.sts and underclothing. The hours 
are regulated and the rapid worker earns 
from $5 to $10 a week. 
The best and easiest place is the pri¬ 
vate dressmaker’s parlor shop. She is 
bound to understand thoroughly all 
branches of the business, and be able 
to expound the latest styles and fajshions, 
and to construct everything, from a 
shirt waist to a ball dress or wedding 
gown. If she is possessed of taste and 
quickness she is sure of abundant pat¬ 
ronage. There are no dull seasons for 
her. A good dressmaker is almost as 
tiuly trusted and as near the family as 
the doctor or minister. No business is 
more exacting, and every woman who 
intendis to sew for a living will find the 
opportunities not very alluring at first, 
but the only safe and sure method of 
ascertaining whether or not one may 
succeed at dressmaking is comprised in 
a single word—try! If what I have 
written, gathered from an experience of 
20 years as a dressmaker, will enable the 
readers of Tuii R. N.-Y. to gain a fore¬ 
sight of the requirements, doubtless 
many who contemplate leaving the farm 
and village for service in the city shop 
or factory will meet with greater suc¬ 
cess by reason of being forewarned and 
sufficiently prepared. Antci; m. noxo. 
Rural Recipes. 
Twas not framed in gold or silver, 
Vet it rather took my eye— 
A very small boy on a big doorstep 
With half a pumpkin pie. 
—Chicago Record. 
Mincemeat Balls.—Chop any left-over 
meat in an Enterprise food chopper, and 
to two cupfuls of the chopped meat add 
one tart appie; chop again, and then add 
one saltspoonful of salt, half as much 
pepper, one cupful fine bread crumbs, 
and two eggs well beaten. The whole is 
well mixed, formed into balls and fried 
in hot lard. After using the chopper, 
run a piece of bread through it to 
cleanse the cutter. The Enterprise in¬ 
cludes, among its cutters, a fine one de¬ 
signed for chopping nuts, which will oe 
found very useful in making sandwich 
fillings. Chopped peanuts, walnuts or 
pecans make very appetizing and nutri¬ 
tious sandwiches for the school lunch¬ 
eon. 
French Stew.—Wash three lambs’ 
hearts and cut in slices. Dry slightly 
and rub well with flour. Add to them 
one tablespoonful of butter melted in a 
stewing kettle. Stir the meat until 
brown, about 10 minutes, then add hoi 
water to nearly cover, a peeled lemon 
sliced and two bay leaves; cover and 
cook gently 40 minutes. Stir often and 
add water if needed. Remove the bay 
leaves and lemon and add half a tea¬ 
spoonful of salt and one-eighth of pep 
per. This dish is cheap and very nice. 
Apple Sponge.—Beat the yolks of three 
eggs with half a cupful of powdered 
sugar; flavor with lemon; beat for about 
10 minutes; add to it the beaten whites 
of the eggs. Peel three big tender 
apples; cut them in thin little slices; 
sift half a cupful of flour with half a 
teaspoonful baking powder and mix well 
with the former; put it in a buttered 
dairy pan and bake in moderate oven 
for half an hour; spread powdered sugar 
over and serve. 
Pumpkin Pie.—This recipe differs de¬ 
cidedly from those ordinarily used and 
is very good. Cut the pumpkin without 
paring, bake it, skin side down, until 
tender, and then scoop out the pulp and 
sift it. For one pie allow lYz cupful of 
pumpkin, one cupful of boiling milk, one 
teaspoonful of butter, half a cupful of 
sugar, half a teaspoonful of salt, one 
quarter teaspoonful of cinnamon, same 
amount of ginger; add one egg, beaten 
separately. Half bake the crust, fill with 
the pumpkin and bake until it puffs up. 
Jellied Beef.—To make this, which is 
not only good and nourishing, but also 
inexpensive, two pounds of stewing beef 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to UBe“Mr8.Winfl- 
low’B Soothing Syrup” for your children 
while Teething. It la the Beat.— Aiv. 
and a piece of shin-bone are required. 
Have the bone cracked and the marrow 
taken out; this will serve for another 
purpose. Put the meat and the bone in 
a kettle and cover with boiling water; 
bring to the boiling point, then simmer 
gently for three hours. An hour before 
the meat is done add a sliced onion, a 
bay leaf and half a teaspoonful of cel¬ 
ery seed; also a teaspoonful of salt anu 
one-half saltspoonful of pepper. When 
the meat is done cool; then chop it fine. 
Soak a box of gelatin in one-half cupful 
of cold water for one-half hour; then 
add to it one quart of the liquor in which 
the meat was boiled; add the beaten 
whites of two eggs, bring to the boiling 
point and boil for five minutes, then 
strain through a flannel or two thick¬ 
nesses of cheesecloth. Add the juice of 
a lemon if liked. Cover the bottom of a 
round mold with two hard-boiled eggs 
cut in slices, sprinkle with a teaspoonful 
of chopped parsley, put in tne chopped 
meat and pour the jelly over; stand 
aside over night. When served, turn out 
of the mold and cut in thin slices. 
Snowballs with Vanilla Sauce.—In a 
wide stewpan put nearly one pint of 
fresh milk; season with one tablespoon¬ 
ful of sugar, a pinch of salt and tea¬ 
spoonful of vanilla. Whip the whites 
of three eggs to a stiff froth, add four 
tablespoonfuls of fine powdered sugar 
and whip again until as smooth and stiff 
as whipped cream; moisten a teaspoon 
in the boiling milk, then use it to put 
in as many spoonfuls of white of egg 
as there is room on the surface; let boil 
up; turn over and boil up again; put 
them when cooked in a deep dish; when 
all are done add to the milk a table¬ 
spoonful of dissolved cornstarch and the 
yolks of two eggs, stirring continually; 
cook two minutes and pour over the 
balls. 
Tropical Corn Bread.—This oread has 
a decided difference in texture and flavor 
from the ordinary make. Half a cupful 
of bread crumbs soaked in a pint of 
milk, two eggs, two cupfuls of cornmeal, 
a tablespoonful of butter, a teaspoonful 
of salt; beat the eggs light, and the 
soaked bread crumbs to a batter; melt 
the shortening; stir all together until 
smooth, and bake in tins in a quick 
oven. 
Yarmouth Biscuit.—Mix three-quar¬ 
ters of a pound of sifted flour, one-half 
pound of sugar and one-half pound of 
currants to a paste with half a pound 
of butter and three eggs. Roll out to 
one-eighth of an inch in thickness and 
bake a light brown in quick oven. 
you can buy a chimney to 
fit your lamp that will 
last till some accident hap¬ 
pens to it. 
Macbeth’s “ pearl top ” or 
“pearl glass” is that chimney. 
You can have it — your dealer will 
get it—if you insist on it. He may 
tell you it costs him three times as 
much as some others. That is true. 
He may say they are just as good. 
Don’t you believe it — they may be 
better for him; he may like the breaking. 
Our “ Index ” describes a/l lamps and their 
proper chimneys. With it you can always order 
the right size and shape of chimney for any lamp 
We mail it FREE to any one who writes for it. 
Address Macbeth, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
WATCH CHARM FREETn^il od Fanning milUl 
will receive a nice watch charm by sending 4c. stamps 
to JOHNSON & FIELD M’F’G. CO., Kaclne, Wis 
COE’S 
ECZEMA CURE, SI. Large sample 
mailed free. Coe Chem. Co., Cleveland, O 
Why suffer with corn.s when a 
postal will fetch a free trial box 
of A-CORN SALVE? 
Giant Chemical Co.,Philadelphia 
FREE SCHOLARSHIPS 
:D !nJMBER 
INGINEERIIIG 
TO A LIMITED 
iKIfictrleal, Harine, 
I SUUonarj or l<oromotlTo 
* (iBcIudloc Horho’l Drawtnur) 
American &bool of Correspondence, Boston, Masfc 
{Charteted by Commonwealth o/Massachusetts^ 
I 
TERRIFF’S 
PERFECT 
WASHER 
SENT ON TRIAL at whole- 
■ala price. If not satiafactorr money 
will be refund^. SOLD under a 
posrnrK ogarantkk to wash 
as clean as can be done on the 
washboard, even to the wrist- ^ 
and neckbands of the most soiled 
ahlrt, and with far greater 
ease. Doee not wear out the 
elothes. Economizes soap, 
labor and time. AGENTS 
WANTED. Exclusive ter- 
^tory given. Big money 
made. For terms and prices 
Address, _ 
Portland Mfg. Co. Box 14- Portland, Mich. 
Meat smoked in a few hours with 
KRAUSERS’ LIQUID EXTRACT OF SMOKE. 
Made from hickory wood. Gives fine flavor. 
Cleanest, cheapest; free from insects. Send for 
circular, £. KKACSER A. URO., Milton, Pn. 
When you write advertisers mention The K. N.-Y., 
and you will get a quick reply and "a .square deal.” 
See our guarantee 8th page. 
Elgin Watches 
are tested and tried by extreme 
heat and cold at the factory and 
adjusted to withstand varying 
temperatures. 
Genuine Ruby Jeweled Eigins 
are sold by all Jewelers in sizes 
and styles to suit, and at reason¬ 
able prices. 
An Elgin Watch always has the 
word Elgin” engraved on the 
works—fully guaranteed. 
Booklet Free. 
ELGIN NATIONAL WATCH €0. 
ELGIN, . ILL. 
No Money in Advance 
Our elegant New Jewel Drop- 
head Sewing Muuliiue possess¬ 
ing all the latest improve¬ 
ments, high quality and thor¬ 
ough workmanship. Shipped 
direct at (12.50,the lowest price 
ever known. 30 days’ free trial. 
Money refunded if not as represent¬ 
ed. Guaranteed 20 years. AU at¬ 
tachments free. 125,000 sold, 
#40.00 Arlington for....#14.60 
#50.00 ‘‘ “ ....#17.00 
#60.00 Kenwood ....#81.60 
Other Machines at #8.00. #9.00 and #10.60 
Large Illustrated catalogue and testimonials Free. 
CASH BEYERS’ ENIO.N, 158-164 W.VanBaren SU, it-34S,ChIwga 
Gold-Shell Rings. 
Most people like a 
nice ring. We show- 
three styles. These are 
made by drawing a 
shell of gold over a rod 
of composition metal. 
They are better and 
will wear longer than 
solid gold rings of a 
low carat. The retail 
price would be from 75 
cents to $1. We will 
send one of these rings 
postpaid as a reward 
for sending one new subscription at $1. 
Cut a slip of paper the size of finger and 
send for size. 
“WHAT FOOLS THESE MORTALS BE”-P/zrA 
to pay $40 to $60 for a Steel Range that doee not cost over $12 at the Factory to build, 
the difference being profits and expeusee of an Army of middlemen. Such fully 
no longer neceesary, as we offer our 
Hapgood “Anti-Trust” Steel Range 
at one-half agents prices. Guaranteed for 6 years. Money refunded if not entirely 
satisfactory. Send for Big Free Catalogueof Sewing Machines, lliiggles at UId 
Prices, llarncHH, Lawn Swings #6.76, and lOOO other things at half dealers 
prices. Reference this paper. Have your bank look ns up Address 
HAPGOOD MANUFACTURING CO., Box 177 ,Alton, III. 
The only mfg, company in the world in their line selling direct to the consumer. 
CNIt 
* u 
