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HOW I DECORATED OUR CHURCH 
AT CHRISTMAS. 
The decoration of our church in her festival seasons 
has often been left entirely in my hands, and it seemed 
to be one of the ways in which I could offer a sweet¬ 
smelling tribute to the great Ruler of all things. The 
church itself is a cozy little place over fifty years old, 
assure readers of the Cabinet that modifications of 
this idea will serve to adorn the parlor and provoke 
many words of praise from visitors. The letters were 
some three inches high and two inches in thickness, 
being cut out of several thicknesses of the whitest 
cotton wadding pasted together, causing them to stand 
out in relief, and much resembling letter scut from very 
heavy marble, and as against the blue background the 
effect was admirable. The cross was formed in the 
same way, and the Lily bed was cut from one thick¬ 
ness of the cotton, mounted on bonnet wire. A few 
pennies’ worth of powdered mica and diamond dust 
with no pretensions to grandeur, but extremely neat t 
in all its fittings. In the centre of the chancel stands ' was 8 P riukled over tlle wllole > ami here and there bits 
a white marble font, between the lectern and the read- I ot adhered t0 the c0ttou alld background, making 
ing-desk. The first design I shall describe, I should xt to §' lltter wlth e!laruun g effect iu tlle of *e 
gas. The words “ Christ is'Risen,” in pure white re¬ 
lief, seemed to re-echo back in constant refrain the 
notes of the sweet-voiced soprano of the choir, mak¬ 
ing the few strands of Spanish Moss that was hanging 
among the white Lilies to trein ble in delight. A few 
grape tendrils dipped in melted white wax added not 
a little to the bed of Lilies. This lovely creation was 
a wonder to myself, and had I seen it in a Broadway or 
Chestnut street shop window, I should have had hard 
work to restrain my propensity for the purchase of 
pretty things. 
We here in the country have to originate designs 
and carry them out as best we can, and I think an 
interchange of ideas between those who are so fortu¬ 
nate as to live in the great cities and the suburban 
dweller will result in good to each. Hoping these 
suggestions will find favor in your eyes and give some 
new ideas to those who delight in the making and 
owning of pretty things, I will simply sign myself, 
Lewistown. 
have mentioned before, was at the institution of the , '' as ' 
Rector. We had but few flowers, but those we had 
did good service. In our garden a mammoth Fern was 
growing whose leaves formed a perfect vase or basket. 
This we dug up carefully and placed it in the bowl of 
the font. Then I made a cross of the choicest white 
flowers and fixed it in the centre of the fern basket, its 
delicate and graceful leaves forming an exquisite base. 
Around the outside I fastened a wreath of the most 
fragrant Roses, and trailing therefrom were long sprays 
of Clematis. The D.D. who performed the office of 
institution and for years charmed his hearers in Wash¬ 
ington City, was pleased to speak of it in his sermon, 
practically taking his text from the thing of beauty it 
was. I took the beautiful Fern home, and although 
this w r as years ago it still stands in my garden a living- 
souvenir of that occasion. 
Again the Christmas decorations were left to me. 
Wreaths of Laurel and Pine festooned the walls. On 
the font I lavished most of my care, as it faced the 
congregation in the most prominent manner. Two 
large pieces of bark, with knots of Lichen, were 
placed on either side of the marble font and between 
the bright green Mosses of various species, held firmly 
to its place by black thread, the whole forming a per 
PARLOR HOT HOUSE. 
Some of your readers may be interested in an im¬ 
provised hot house that. once afforded me no little 
feet resemblance to an old tree stump some four or pleasure and amusement, and doubtless my “ iuven- 
five feet high. At the foot of this a wreath of gay 1 tion,” which I have not secured by patent right, will 
leaves of the brightest yellows and reds gathered in be so improved upon by some cute T ankee, so mod- 
autumn, pressed and waxed, were, placed and gave died and dressed in less homely guise, that I will 
life to a large cross covered with Lichen (the relics of never recognize the child of my brain, in which case 
many a ramble through the woods), which extended I shall only have to join the noble band of martyrs 
upward from the old stump. From the arms of the recruited from the ranks of those who sow for others 
cross, and depending from the marble bowl of the font, to reap. Several years ago I was for many weary 
hung long' sprays of the lovely Southern Gray Moss, months a prisoner in my own room, looking out of one 
seeming like a beautiful mist hovering all over and window on the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, 
around the decoration. Oh, that in all things the North and from two others southward on the fair Valley of 
and the South could thus be blended, and so lovingly the Shenandoah. November had come in bare and 
meet togelher and forget all past differences in the chilly, and the bleak winds that swept down from the , 
great future that in God’s own good time will come to mountains with rain and sleet destroyed the last ves- j 
our nation ! ' tige of autumnal beauty in my flower garden. Some 
At Easter, when the church sends forth her most of my special pets were already ranged on flower 
joyous tones, it was my lot again to prepare the build- j stands'and brackets in my southern windows, curtained 
ing for high festival. Pot plants banked in Moss were with Madeira vines and Parlor Ivy; but the prospect 
arranged in front of the chancel in pyramidal shape, for winter bouquets was not encouraging. My Roses 
and gay cut flowers which filled the font perfumed the ' turned yellow and dropped their leaves; Geraniums 
air; but what most attracted attention and claimed the seemed seized with a consumption and stood limp and 
well nigh lifeless in spite of all the tonics I could ad¬ 
minister ; and as for my Fuchsias, they persistently 
most praise was the work done at our own house, and 
which was kept a secret from all until it was put in 
position. A large shield, over four feet high, painted refused to be comforted for the loss of summer sun 
a delicate azure tint, with a silver border, was elevated 1 and gentle zephyrs, and stood with watery transparent 
over the pulpit. The words “ Christ is Risen ” wore 
formed around the top of the shield. A large cross 
springing from a bed of Lilies occupied the centre and 
base of it. I never had seen anything like it, and 
stems, utterly bare of even a hint of bud or leaf. 
There they were ! They would not die outright, and 
they gave no sign of coming vigorous life. 
My room was wanned by the old-fashioned fire- 
evolved the plan from my “inner consciousness,” as place, roaring and cracking all day long, and black 
the Germans say, and was surprise!! myself, when it and cold all night. Long may they live, these relics 
was completed, at its wondrous beauty, and can safely ] of the olden time, in song and romance; but for nine- 1 
teenth century comfort, commend me to a parlor 
heater or some such device of this prosaic age. I sat 
at tny window one day feeling that it was really 
“ Hardly in a body's power 
To keep at times frae getting sour, 
To think how things are shar’d—■” 
I wanted a hot house, and I longed for money to build 
one. Suddenly a fifteenth amendment, aged about ten 
; years, rushed down the paved walk dragging after 
him a battered tin wash-boiler. A thought flashed 
into my brain, and opening my window I called, 
“Abraham Lincoln Jefferson Davis!” so christened 
by a prudent daughter of Ham as a compromise be¬ 
tween her gratitude to “ de ’liverer of my people” and 
her desire of propitiating her “old mars,” whose faith¬ 
ful servant she remained. A. L. J. D. came and 
readily surrendered his right in the old boiler, and 
upon the promise of an unlimited supply of candy, 
undertook to find me two worn-out baking pans and 
fill them with woods earth. By dint of hammering, 
the dents in the old boiler were made to disappear, and 
it was treated to a good scraping and then a coating 
of green paint, which color happened to be convenient; 
brown would have been prettier. Then I had A. L. 
J. D. bore a row of holes all around the top, about 
two inches from the edge; then I procured a shallow 
bowl and poured into it some lard oil, placing in the 
oily bath two or three floating tapers—“witches.” 
A. L. J. D. came in with the pans of earth, which I 
thoroughly warmed before my hickory fire,' and then 
returned to the pans after arranging for drainage. 
“Now, Abe, can you-get me some pieces of pine 
board, and ask your father to come to me at dinner 
time with his hammer and saw ? ” Out of the boards 
I had old Sam construct two rude frames, closely 
fitting into the inside of the two earth-filled pans, and 
these 1 covered with panes of glass. My hot house 
was done. I had but to go to my ungrateful pots of 
flowers and cut off every stem and twig that had a 
semblance of vitality. These I planted in my pans, 
setting the boiler in a window, putting the pans on 
top of that and letting them alone in the day time, as 
I knew the heat of my room was then all sufficient ; 
but about ten o’clock at night, when the fire began to 
burn low on the hearth, I lighted my tapers, and wa¬ 
tering well, covered my cuttings with the glass and 
went to bed to sleep the sleep of a quiet conscience. 
I had done my duty by my plants; now let them per¬ 
form their part. And they did ! Night after night 1 
would awaken in the silent watches, and the light 
streaming through the tiny air-holes of my hot house 
shone out like so many unwinking eyes, saying to me, 
“All right; just go to sleep; you see we are wide 
awake and attending to business.” The way those 
things grew ! By the middle of January my pans were 
a mass of green, and I was forced to transplant into 
pots and boxes enough thriving, healthy plants to fill 
my borders in the spring, after having delighted the 
weary invalid for hours with fragrance and beauty and 
the pleasant pastime of caring for them. 
Now I am sure I have suggested an idea to some¬ 
body, who is very welcome; only, when elaborated, 
let me know the result. Phcebe Scott. 
Baltimore, Md. 
Gloxinias. —What kind of treatment do Gloxinia bulbs 
require during the second winter? 1. Does the plant die 
down in the fall? 2. Do the bulbs multiply? 3. Do 
the old bulbs blossom more than one season ? 
Monmouth, Me. A Subscriber. 
Answer —Keep dry and warm. 1. Yes. 2. No. 3. Yes. 
U? 
