The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
767 
Simple Styles. —Many of the now 
Presses depend more on line than on 
elaborate trimming for their style, and 
though we see plenty of foolish and ex¬ 
aggerated clothes, there is no reason for 
a sensible woman to wear them, unless 
she wishes. The prevalent short skirts 
make for comfort and cleanliness, but no 
one need wear them more than eight inches 
from the ground, which is a standard 
conservative length. Many are much 
shorter and very scant, and w T e do not 
like them, nor do we like or approve of 
the low-cut, short-sleeved dresses seen on 
the street. As long gloves are more ex¬ 
pensive than ever, many girls think they 
must economize on them, and thus look 
carelessly dressed by appearing gloveless 
with short sleeves. Any girl who wishes 
to make a good appearance with small 
expenditure should avoid exaggerated 
stvles. and settle on some color combina¬ 
tion that will make her whole wardrobe 
work well together. 
Suits, coats and silk 
or wool e n frocks 
should all be har¬ 
monious. a n d a n y 
bright or unusual col¬ 
ors should be confined 
to cotton or other 
Summer clothes that 
are inexpensive. 
A Useful Blue 
Taffeta. —In the first 
picture the model at 
the left is dark blue 
taffeta, with a front 
panel and chemisette 
of sand-colored peau de 
soie. The plain bodice 
is gathered a little in¬ 
to a piping at the 
darts, so as to wrinkle 
at the waist: it has 
rather a redingote ef¬ 
fect, with its curving 
coat collar. The plain 
gathered skirt shows a 
gathered panel down 
the front, which looks 
as though a continua¬ 
tion of the chemisette. 
Three bow knots trim 
the front panel, and 
one the chemisette; 
these were narrow 
double-faced ribbon, black on one side and 
silver on the other. The hat was a plain 
sports shape of sand-colored Georgette 
faced with dark blue silk. This dress is 
plain, but very becoming, and not too 
difficult for the home seamstress. 
Red and White Gingham. —At the 
right is an unusually pretty model of red 
and white check gingham, made dp with 
white organdie, a novel combination much 
in favor this season. Red and white 
gingham, the fine Scotch weave, is fash¬ 
ionable both for children and grown-ups. 
This dress had a plain skirt and waist of 
the gingham, with a tunic and overblouse 
of the white organdie. The tunic, open at 
the front, was scalloped at the bottom, 
and trimmed all around the front and 
lower edges with two bias bands of ging¬ 
ham. Each scallop had a disk of ging¬ 
ham set in. Collar and turnback cuffs 
were also trimmed with two bias bands 
of gingham. This was a simple and inex¬ 
pensive dress, but surprisingly pretty. 
We have seen some gingham dresses hav¬ 
ing broad bands of white organdie set in 
the skirt, and some with an organdie vest 
strapped with bias bands. These were all 
pretty, w'ith any 
color in gingham, 
but the red and 
white check is ex¬ 
ceptionally fresh 
a n d attractive 
thus made. The 
hat was a mush¬ 
room shape of 
dark blue taffeta 
with a corded 
crown, faced with 
white, and trim¬ 
med with white 
flowers. 
Three Juve¬ 
niles.—A t the 
left, in the second 
group, is a little 
frock of Alice 
blue organdie 
trimmed with nar¬ 
row Valenciennes 
lace and white embroidery. It is a plain 
one-piece drees set into a circular yoke, 
which is edged with buttonholing in white 
mercerized floss. The lace came down 
each side of the front and passed around 
to the. back, forming a rounded panel. A 
little strap belt went across both front 
and back, this having four-petalod daisies 
worked with the mercerized floss. Three 
of these daisies w'ere on each side of the 
front, while at each end of the belt was 
a circle of lace with a daisy in the cen¬ 
ter. This is a pretty model for dotted 
Swiss, and it looks unite dressy, without 
being elaborate. 
Knickerbockers Arrive. —We are all 
accustomed to bloomers with little girls’ 
frocks, hut the newest models this season 
show real knickerbockers, coming below 
the knee, and showing well beneath the 
short skirt. This is a French fashion, 
and the first of the style we saw were of 
black sateen, both dress and knickers, the 
dress embroidered in bright yellow wool. 
Taffeta and Gingham with Organdie 
Organdie and Knickerbocker Dresses 
Visitors to France know the coverall pin¬ 
afores < f black sa<een worn by French 
school children, and the idea has ap¬ 
parently been adopted for dresses; dark 
blue sateen is also used. Another dress 
with knickers, shown at the right, was 
pale blue gingham; this was fastened 
down the front over an inset of pink, and 
was trimmed down front hems, on lower 
edge and sleeves, with a narrow band of 
pink cross-stitch. There were two groups 
of white crocheted buttons down the front, 
and two of these buttons at the side of 
the knickers. We think these knickers 
more comfortable than bloomers, and they 
take loss material. Some are gathered 
into bands, and some are drawn in with 
about four rows of gauging. They do not 
need the tight elastic of the bloomers at the 
knee, and thus give freedom of circulation. 
Sewing Room Notes. —Sweater coats 
of jersey cloth are made on the same lines 
as suit coats, and are very graceful. They 
are desirable for wear 
with sports skirts, and 
after the skirt of a 
jersey suit becomes 
shabby the coat may 
be used in this way. 
Some attractive sports 
coats are also made of 
jersey cloth. The 
sweater coats are 
made in both Norfolk 
and Tuxedo models. 
Attractive separate 
skirts of crepe de 
chine are knife-pleated, 
ornamented with two 
half-inch tucks. Ready¬ 
made, they come in 
black, white and mid¬ 
night blue. 
Dotted swiss is one 
of the prettiest of 
Summer fabrics. A 
middle-aged or elderly 
woman would find 
black dotted swiss, 
either all black or with 
white dots, very cool 
and comfortable, and 
quite dressy if prettily 
made. This is also 
very desirable for one 
wearing mourning. 
Eyelet embroidery is 
fashionable for Summer dresses, either as 
trimming or for the entire dress. Allover 
eyelet work, white or ecru, on swiss or 
batiste, is 3S inches wide, and costs from 
$3.50 a yard up. 
Fine chip hats, with broad brims of 
the Romney type, are seen in bright and 
delicate colors, trimmed with large roses 
or poppies of the same shade. One at¬ 
tractive color is hyacinth, a soft pale pud- 
pie a little deeper than orchid; jadeite is 
a rather deeper green than jade ; Egyptian 
an intense blue. From general appear¬ 
ances broad-brimmed hats will be more 
worn that last season. 
A new style <>f waist dress hanger re¬ 
cently seen was of smooth celluloid, pink, 
blue or white. There was nothing to 
catch the most delicate fabric, or to be¬ 
come dusty. These hangers cost 45 cents 
each. 
Among heavy cotton materials for sepa¬ 
rate skirts is blazer-striped ratine. It is 
38 inches wide, and comes in vivid com¬ 
binations of strip.es on tan grounds ; rose 
and black, or blue and brown. Ratine in 
plain colors is also much used for skirts. 
■Some serviceable sports suits are made 
with skirt of solid 
colored ratine, 
and coat of har¬ 
monizing blazer 
stripes. 
Very fine Irish 
dimities, solid 
colors, corded in 
checks or stripes, 
were S5 cents a 
yard. 
Japanese crepe, 
in many solid 
colors, is 55 cents 
a yard. It makes 
very attractive 
children’s dresses, 
or women’s house 
dresses, having as 
much body as 
linen, and is eas¬ 
ily laundered. 
Kinderga rten 
cotton material for 
is firm in texture, 
heavy as galatea. 
$1.50 a yard, is 
with foulard 
fine English 
cloth is another useful 
children’s clothes; it 
while not quite as 
Sateen, at 50 cents to 
seen in solid colors and 
figures, the latter being 
sateen of high luster. 
The Mission Play of California 
There is not a State in the Union 
where one can find so many varied diver¬ 
sions as in sunny California. Mountain¬ 
climbing. ocean-bathing, fishing, both in 
fresh and salt waters, automobiling on 
some of the finest roads in America, the 
big trees and the national parks and 
many others. The short trips one can 
take are of much interest, and at this 
time of year, when the citru- trees are in 
full flower, the odor reminds' one so vivid¬ 
ly of the shy patches of arbutus in the 
hills of New England. Then the tender 
green of the trees putting forth new 
leaves, the profusion of gorgeous roses 
and the geraniums and flowers of all 
kinds blooming everywhere make a won¬ 
derful land of beauty. 
It was our good fortune to take one 
of these short trips to old San Gabriel to 
witness the Mission ploy, this having been 
playing since January 1. and closing 
May 8. having given over 150 perform¬ 
ances this season. During the past 10 
years that it has been played it has been 
performed more than 17.000 times. In 
no other way can the settlement of Cali¬ 
fornia be understood as well as by wit¬ 
nessing one of these performances, which 
for nearly three hours hold one in the 
grip of intense interest. 
No doubt the majority of Eastern peo¬ 
ple regard California as a comparatively 
new-settled State. I had always so 
thought of it. Not so. The Spaniards 
had’ made some attempts at settlements 
previous to the coming of the Franciscan 
Fathers from Mexico, but it is to the lat¬ 
ter band of courageous pilgrims that the 
honor of permanency attains. 
The first act of the piay is dealing with 
the establishment of the mission at San 
Diego in 17<I0, one of the padres, with 
the ship, having gone farther up the coast 
to find Monterey, where some years previ¬ 
ous they had tried to found 1 a mission. 
They failed in their object, but discovered 
the Golden Gate, which they named in 
honor of their patron saint, St. Francis, 
San Francisco. Fray Junipero Serra, the 
father superior of all the padres, had re¬ 
mained in charge at San Diego, 'but after 
nine months of labor among the Indians 
not one conversion or baptism had been 
made among them. All hands were very 
destitute and discouraged, the relief ship 
expected not having arrived, and the com¬ 
mander was urging the return to Mexico 
of all the company. The padre refuses, 
and after the utterance of an earnest 
prayer the booming of cannon is heard 
and the ship bringing relief and supplies 
comes into view. 
The second act, 15 years later, is very 
cheerful, as it is in the heyday of the mis¬ 
sions, nine of them having been estab¬ 
lished along El Cameno Real (the King’s 
Highway) from San Diego to Sonoma. 
The bells are still beside this road, at 
intervals, that were placed there so long 
ago, and as one drives along this now 
wonderful macadam highway he cannot 
but think of the faithful padres who al¬ 
ways walked from one mission to another 
along what must have been then only a 
trail. These padres never rode, it being 
part of their religion to walk, so they 
would miss no opportunity to do good by 
the wayside. Now thousands of automo¬ 
biles go whizzing along, seemingly giving 
little heed to the mission of the padres 
and their good intentions. Either side 
of the road are immense groves of citrus, 
trees. The largest ranch under cultiva¬ 
tion in California is located on this drive. 
One drives for three miles to pass through 
it; oranges, lemons and walnuts are un¬ 
der cultivation. 
In this second act there are exhibition* 
of the fine arts taught the Indians by the 
padres, many beautiful Spanish dances, 
solo, quartette and company singing. 
There is also a convocation of the padres 
who have come io the fiesta, and they 
report many converts and much gain in 
cattle and grain among the Indian work¬ 
ers who have become Christians. The 
missions were all built by the Indians as 
part of their faith, and the padres must 
have been wonderful guides in many arts. 
The third act represents the decay of 
the missions as they were in 1847, and 
is very sad, for they are nearly all in 
ruins now. The lamentation of the 
Seuora Yorpa was familiar, for it is very 
like that of Senora Moreno in “Ramona.” 
by Helen Hunt Jackson. The acting of 
the entire company is superb. Many of 
the members are Indians and 1 Spaniards. 
The part of the superior. Fray Junipero 
Serra, is the most finished piece of dra¬ 
matic acting one could ever expect to see. 
It is taken by Frederick Warde, who is 
considered one of the foremost actors in 
America, and he is well worthy of the ap¬ 
plause rendered him bv the immense audi¬ 
ence. 
When the curtain comes down for the 
last time on May 8 it will be for the. last 
time in the present playhouse. Property 
has been procured a short distance away, 
where there is now under construction a 
modern playhouse, in which the Miission 
play will be produced next year. The 
entrance will be at the adobe house in 
which Ramona was born, and through the 
garden of the big grapevine which was 
planted in 1775 and covers an area of 
10.000 square feet. This yields oue and 
one-half tons of granes each year. 
We also visited the old San Gabriel 
Mission, established in 1771. Here are 
many of the most interesting relics; 
beautiful paintings, all brought from 
Spain. The nearly life-size images on the 
altar are exactly where they were placed 
150 years ago, and are all of wood, hand- 
carved. _ An organ brought from France 
is still in use. In the baptistry the cop¬ 
per font, on a stone base, was hand ham- 
mered by the Indians; and at the font 
1 l ave beon baptized, more than 
10.0(10 of them being Indians. Much of 
the flooring is of brick burnt by the In¬ 
dians in ovens which are in the old ceme- 
teiy back of the mission. The walls are 
all of this brick, which is about eight 
inches square, the lloor brick being a 
beautiful red color. The outside walls 
are plastered. We ciimbod to the belfry 
four of the original six bells are hanging 
v here they were placed so many years 
ago. Back of the mission is the oldest 
rose tree in California, and it was a mass 
of fragrant white roses. mrs. w. e. ii. 
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