of any sort for key hooks, a toaster paper rack with ribbons braided through the bars in contrasting colors, or any nicely filled up work basket with all the spools, scissors, needles, thimble, pins, tape measure, etc., offer a list of suggestions at least. Of bags something must be said, as there are here too unlimited possibilities. Linen or heavy cretonne is our favorite material and from the time honored shoe bag to the delicate silk handkerchief affairs for soiled laces, one may have a chance to think for herself. We have in mind a set of linen bags for a gift, with turkey red cotton on gray linen. One shall be marked "wool," another "cotton," a third "white." One shall suggest a stitch in time saves nine," for the stockings, another shall say rags ready," for any emergency, here shall be bandages, old linen thick and thin rags, strips of flannel, wads of cotton, shirt sleeves (ready to sew across the end) for poultice bags, such necessary "rags" as are seldom ready when needed. 66 66 Once we saw a dainty white satin laundry account. It was in the form of a pincushion to hang up and on one side were printed the names of articles to be sent out, thus, "collars" "cuffs," there were twelve squares marked off with numbers beside, and if six cuffs were sent, a pin was stuck in the sixth square, the same with other pieces. I shall imitate this in two ways. My laundry account shall be of white linen, some left from the old fashioned custom of making cuffs, etc., at home, which has waited to "come of use" as grandmother always assured us things would "if kept long enough." I shall edge it with torchon lace ruffle and write the list with indelible ink so that it can be laundried and made new again. I shall make also a bag like a small pillow slip, of white linen front and some pretty silesia, a ruffle around it, and slip in a box lid double in the middle, to hold it out square at the corners, and it shall hold a tablet and pencil, for instant memoranda, to be transferred from the "Household account," which shall be written also with indelible ink on the linen, and marked with pins as supplies are exhausted. For gentlemen there are so few things one can make. The laundry list might serve or a bag for soiled collars and handkerchiefs, a catch all for "trash." A waste paper basket, ornamented as much or little as desired, a foot rest covered with crazy work or merely cloth, quaintly or comically embroidered, with some allusion to a peculiarity or fancy of the recipient (if a brother or near relative) monograms embroidered on handkerchiefs or hat crowns of silk or satin, or strips of ribbon with monogram or name painted on them for overcoat sleeve lining, a whisk and holder, an ink stand or an easy chair-these are always acceptable to a gentleman, in his bachelor quarters at least, for there is usually a lack of women's care and a new object suggests the giver and warms the heart in gratitude for the thought of his comfort. However one remembers good gifts to friends we must not forget the poor, nor need we make our Christmas gifts to them always or all useful. They have so few joys, so few pretty bright spots, so few new things, that along with the part worn clothing and comforts for winter's cold, it is well to slip in some pretty trifle and above all give a smile and a cheery greeting. Invalids are favored as receivers of gifts. A stout drilling or ticking bag filled with sand, with an ornamental flannel or cloth cover, is useful for heating to tuck up to an aching side or a cold back. Scrap books are a grateful addition to a sick room and may receive clippings from friends at a distance, pictures or pretty cards, to interest or amuse the invalid. Those who have leisure to admit of filling such a scrap book, deftly illustrating some comic poems by straggling pen pictures on the margins, may be sure of winning a smile, of beguiling away a weary hour of convalescence or if tedious monotony of a long sickness. Those who can use a scroll saw can prepare fairy clock frames, brackets, cabinets, card receivers and light frames for photographs. Baskets in which fruit is now sold are capable of ornamentation, covered with cretonne or silesia or even turkey red calico and trimmed with lace or dotted muslin if desired, also any number of loops of ribbon and one or two large bows, and they are fit for work baskets or stocking basket, for spool basket, or toilet basket for papa, or grandma's patch work or carpet rag basket. Spool boxes may be made into cunning little bureaus for paper dolls' clothes, the frame being of some larger box, the spool boxes serving for drawers. Strips of paper are neatly pasted over all, and buttons are fastened on for knobs. If a bit of broken looking glass can be framed in gilt paper or secured in a swinging frame to the bureau it just tops it out. Cardboard easy chairs are an old fashioned work box, very nice even yet for a little girl's first sewing, and dolly can rest in it while her little mamma works. Christmas trees may be decorated with devices made at home we have seen many different shapes of gilt paper trifles, (butterflies, doves, deer, cupids, cherubs, stars, anchors, crosses, horse shoes, leaves, urns, shields, gondolas, sleighs, chairs, gloves, boots, hats, carts, wheelbarrows, hearts, balls, etc.) Beside these are the bobinet bags of candy, never too old fashioned to please the children but as legitimate fruit of the Christmas tree as an apple is of its kind. Fairy mottoes of bright paper letters an inch long strung upon the finest threads may be effectively disposed about the tree or over green wreaths or doors. "Peace on earth," "Good will to men," "Merry Christmas," and such time honored sentiments as belong to the season are suitable and where they are new, are surprisingly effective. The gift giving divinity of the Christ child prompts us now; let us give freely of our own joy in Him, of our sympathy as well as our substance; rejoicing and making merry sad hearts, who shall find in us the true Christmas spirit, living the prayer of the poet: "Teach us to love and give like Thee! Original in GOOD HOUSEKEEping. -Rosamond E. THE OLD FAMILY CLOCK. A deeper grief than that of death "Tick, tock," swings the old clock. -Lydia Wood Baldwin. Original in GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. HOUSEKEEPING IN FOREIGN LANDS. VI. IN GERMANY. N many respects it is much easier to "keep house" in Germany than in America. German servants are strong and willing, and move along in the same routine, never flying off at a tangent, as the best Irish girl is prone to do at most inconvenient seasons. The houses are almost all apartment houses, with rooms all on one floor. No washing is done in the house, not even the dish-towels. Well regulated German families have the washing done once in three months only, but the American, residents, not having such a supply of linen, send out the washing each week. The "wasch frau comes in from the country with her small cart, drawn by a dog, and with a huge basket on her own back. The prices are small, the family washing for our family of eight costing but about two dollars a week. None of the bread is made in the house. There is a bakeshop on every corner, and the bread is brought to the door every morning. The rolls are like the French rolls, and are delicious. The "zwci-back" or twice baked bread is a small slice browned on each side in the oven, which makes it very crisp. The black bread comes in long loaves, certainly half a yard long. It is very nutritious, and my children are very fond of it. It is the universal custom to give each servant one pound of coffee and one pound of sugar a month, and half a pound of butter a week; also a certain amount of black bread daily. This they use for their own consumption. The cook does the marketing and is perfectly trustworthy. Everything is bought in small quantities and there is almost nothing left over from one day to another. Nothing is wasted, and it is quite a study to see the various tempting ways in which remnants are "worked over." Pieces of chicken, ham and beef are all chopped together, and all sorts of meat cakes and croquettes are made. A very nice pie is made by alternate layers of this chopped meat and sliced potatoes, the top being covered with bread crumbs and the whole baked for half an hour. The kitchen is the prettiest room in the house. The white porcelain stove with its bright saucepans; the dishes ranged around the room in dressers; the plants in the windows, and above all the cleanliness that prevails, combine to make the room a most pleasing picture. A servant never objects to doing anything that is asked. Blacking the boots is a part of the regular work of the second girl. I have several times seen a servant out on the side walk helping to bring in the coal. If an errand is to be done the girl always goes out bareheaded, even going to market, with nothing whatever for head gear. The principal fault of German cooking is too much fat and too much spice. They use inferior meats, what we should call nothing but soup-meat, and give flavor to them by high spicing. The desserts are often delicious. They have a lavish way of using chopped nuts, caraway seeds, etc., that is not exactly pleasant. One good dessert is simply a good sized griddle cake with a generous spoonful of jelly in the middle, then the cake quickly rolled up and sprinkled with fine sugar. The chocolate puddings with whipped cream on top are very nice. The Germans themselves invariably take five meals a day. Coffee and rolls at seven is the first breakfast; coffee or chocolate, rolls, fruit and eggs is the second breakfast: then comes a full dinner at half past one, another meal at four of bread and coffee or beer, and a regular hearty supper at seven. Even then, if he goes to the opera he must take a little something before going to bed. The Germans, however, eat but little at a time. It is a point of etiquette never to eat but two rolls at breakfast. A young lady at one of the boarding schools asked for a third roll one morning and created as much astonishment as "Oliver Twist " when he asked for "more." German salons have a hard-wood floor, which is polished until it is as slippery as glass. There are always several small rugs, instead of one large one. There are usually one or two sofas, with a table exactly in front of each. The porcelain stove rises grandly in some corner and it is beyond the ingenuity of man to make it anything but monumental. The sofa and the sofa table are wedded in Germany. Move out the table every day, and every morning the servant will move it back. The sofa is the seat of honor, always given to an honored guest. As the sofa is always decorated with tidies, and the table always has a crocheted cover, it is fraught with danger to the unwary. If one succeeds in getting in safely he is sure to arise with a tidy on his back, and drags off the table cover in getting out. The bedrooms have their peculiarities. The beds are narrow and short. Besides a large feather pillow there is a hard, wedge-shaped pillow underneath, which causes you to sit up in bed. Nothing will persuade a German girl to leave it off. Nightly you remove it, nightly it re-appears. The top sheet is tied on to a sort of pillow which is the sole coverlid. It would be comfortable if it were larger and not so fat, but it never will stay where it belongs. If you pull it up over your shoulders, your feet stick out; if you cover your feet, your shoulders are cold, and if you turn in bed, it slides off altogether. Prices are very moderate, especially for labor. A good cook can be had for four dollars a month; a second girl for three dollars and a half. A German teacher comes to the house every morning, teaching two pupils three hours, for two marks (half a dollar) per day. The best teachers in painting charge but two marks for a lesson of three hours. The best dressmakers will make a woolen dress for three dollars, and an elaborate evening costume for five dollars. No one is in a hurry, and you must per force accommodate yourself to their movements. Even the children walk slowly along, and shake hands with each other when they meet, in elderly fashion. It is a good discipline for our nervous Americans, always in a hurry. In the shops all articles of clothing are tied up in paper and have to be carefully untied to be shown; then each thing is tied up and put away before anything else is shown. When you leave the shop every one says "Adieu," which is the universal farewell here, as in France. The Germans keep good hours. The opera begins at seven. When there is a long opera, it begins at six, so as to get through early. If you are not on hand before the beginning of the first act you are not allowed to take your seat until the curtain falls at the end of that scene. If you have company at home, after ten o'clock you cannot play the piano without special permission from the police. Your house door must be locked at ten. The policeman has a key to every house on his beat. If any one is out late and has forgotten his key the police will let him in provided he is sure of him. On the whole the Germans are an earnest, steadfast people, with a world of sentiment, music, poetry and art, in spite of their stolid exteriors. We can learn much of them, especially in doing our work thoroughly and taking life easy in other respects. -C. R. M. Original in Good Housekeeping. THE CARE OF THE EYES. AND "SPECS." N these days of literary clubs, magazines, mountains of current literature, and above all, courses of systematic study in the household, schools and colleges, there is nothing of greater importance than the care of the eyes. The people of the civilized world of to-day, naturally use their eyes much more than did the ancients, or our ancestors two or three hundred years ago. Formerly, scholarship was confined to comparatively few, who by laborious pouring over much used manuscripts, acquired learning and were singled out by their fellow-men as sages and great lights to be revered and wondered at. But how different it is now! Every child who can muster a whole pair of trousers and a slate and pencil, is sent to school. To-day the son of any sewer digger or scavenger, can and may be the master of volumes of erudite learning. There are so many advantages in such a grand progress, that it is seldom an unfortunate result is considered. But one of the disadvantages is plainly shown, in the fact that through this increased and more general close application of the eyes, the number of weak, near-sighted and inflamed eyes is greatly augmented. Everybody knows, if he does not assume, the correct position while reading or writing, and so, no rules and regulations will here be squandered. flammation of the eyes may be soothed by laying over them a cloth saturated with extract of hamamelis. There are few people who are not occasionally annoyed by an aggravating twitching of the muscles of the eye. This is caused by abuse of the organs or general weariness of the whole system, and the remedy of course, is rest. Students, and others compelled to use the brain a great deal, often complain of a deathly sleepiness, an utter inability to hold the eyes open. This is not at all a disease of the eyes, but merely Nature's demand for her just dues. A physician of my acquaintance, in such a case, once recommended "a week's sleep," and it sufficed. Where the eyes are so afflicted that rest and simple remedies fail to restore them, no time should be lost before consulting an oculist and submitting these valuable organs to skillful professional treatment. One important thought was almost forgotten. It is very injudicious for the sick, sitting or recumbent to read or use the eyes closely; the eyes, probably from their intimate relation with the brain, are sympathetically affected by every ill that may attack any other part of the body. So many have a foolish dread against wearing glasses, "specs," the grandmas call them; while there is danger of young eyes assuming glasses too old and consequently straining the organs, there is a much greater and more common peril, of neglecting the required use of competent lenses. The only safe way in selecting glasses is to visit a reliable optician and have the glasses "fitted" as one would a dress or coat. We can not be profligate in the care we expend on the eyes. When the "windows of the soul" are closed or obscured, darksome" indeed, will seem this "house of mortal clay." -Frances Wadsworth Johnson. 66 To read or write in twilight or dim light of any kind is trying to the optic nerve. Parents should be especially watchful over their children in regard to this. The writer remembers with gratitude the vigilance of her own wise Original in GOOD HOUSEKEEPIng. and good mother, who never permitted her child to linger over even the most fascinating story, when the light was fading. That same daughter, nevertheless did, what she now deeply regrets, viz.: gaze fixedly at the glaring sun in glory over her weaker-eyed playmates. Methinks if that dear mother had witnessed her little girl's foolishness, some other part of that child's anatomy besides those vain eyes, would have stung and smarted. The keenness of the sailor's organs of sight is almost proverbial. This effect has two causes. The cold, salt spray dashing into the seamen's eyes, strengthens and hardens them. Also, the mariner's practice of constantly piercing the atmosphere to see something, often absolutely undiscernible, greatly trains the organ in clever acuteness. A thought is immediately suggested; would it not be beneficial to teach children to test their ability to see distant objects? The hands of the court house clock, an in-coming vessel, a faintly appearing train, the rapidly fading forms of birds in flight, and many other objects that the little ones would be eager to notice if so directed, would aid to expand and perfect the various delicate, and minutely beautiful parts which compose the eye. Infants are frequently born with eyes so weak that they "water" upon exposure to wind or light, even when judiciously advanced to these. This weakness may be cured by frequent bathing with water of the saltness and temperature of tears, or as in my experience has been of more value, dashing cold water over the eyes each time before taking out and never bathing the baby's face, especially about the eyes, with warm water. Cold tea is also recommended, and may do the work for some and fail in other cases. WHY CANNED MEATS POISON. When people are poisoned by eating canned meats, it is not A NEWSPAPER PARAGRAPHER SAYS: That purposes, like eggs, unless they be hatched into actions, will run into rottenness. That it is only once in a life-time that the average man loves his neighbor as himself. That the pleasures of the world are very deceitful. They promise more than they give; they trouble us in seeking them; they do not satisfy us when possessing them, and they make us despair when Incipient and even sometimes, either acute or chronic in- losing them. Original in GoOD HOUSEKEeping. ECONOMICAL BUYING. in buying consists in the perfect adapta look after such things yourself, it is better, either to refrain from buying them, or to secure a perfectly trustworthy person to handle them, for the losses through ignorance and careless indifference are painful to contemplate. Strong, durable articles, not too heavy, or too elaborately constructed, are the best kind for the average help to use, and are always worth their cost. Large quantities of food should never be given tion of the purchase to the needs, and the less there are certain principles running through the whole First. The article should be fully worth the amount asked for it. That is, its intrinsic value should be such that, as prices average, you are getting the full worth of your money. If an article for the table, it should be in good condition to use, and of good weight or measure. If for personal, or housekeeping purposes, its quality should be the best to be obtained for the price. Nothing is really worth having that is half spoiled, or that will not wear well in proportion to its cost. Second. The article should supply a genuine need. The need may not be immediate, but it should be both possible and probable. Many persons have a mania for buying what they will never use, simply because they see a good article for sale at a tempting price. Food, clothing, household articles-all are recklessly accumulated without regard to quantity, and then either wasted, or laid by until time or changing fashion renders them almost, if not quite, worthless. Especially in regard to that which is purely ornamental, it is wisest to buy only what you have an actual and immediate use for. Third. The article should be suited to the use that is to be made of it, or the place it is to occupy, and to the surroundings of its owner. Sirloin steak is not suitable for soup meat, nor French china for kitchen ware; neither does elaborate trimming look well on a cheap calico dress, nor brocade and plush furniture over rag carpets. These are extreme cases, but it is always in bad taste, and betrays both ignorance and extravagance to use an expensive article for an unsuitable purpose or one inferior to that for which it was designed, or to associate coarse and fine or inappropriate articles together. Instinctive good taste, or a patient study of good examples will save one from such errors. Fourth. It is not economical to pay very much more or less than the medium price for standard articles. For instance, such materials as all wool goods or pure linen, or good silk bring a certain price in proportion to their weight and fineness. But the extremes of either coarse or fine are not usually economical. Exceptions may be found to this rule, in the special rates made by large firms, on some of their best goods, during certain seasons of the year, and in instances of peculiar adaptation to some particular purpose, but the principle holds good for all ordinary cases. Neither is it economical for persons of moderate means to indulge in showy and expensive novelties that are likely soon to go out of fashion, for if the material is good, such articles will outwear their usefulness, and if not, they will become shabby before they have served their time. As regards household supplies, while it is generally true that "the best is the cheapest," yet there are some important qualifications to this rule that should be noted. It is not economical to put expensive articles into the care of ignorant and untrained servants. If you cannot Original in GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. -Mary Ayer Godfrey. HUMDRUM WORK. IT'S SENSE AND SACREDNESS. The sacredness of humdrum work is rapidly becoming an article of faith among women. And this new doctrine is being preached most generally by our literary women. There is hardly a gifted writer now but what sees well to the ways of her own household. The inky dishevelled Jellybys are dead, there being no place for such beings in this--the woman's century. There was a time when a writer wore short corkscrew curls, ate slate pencils and gazed at the moon, leaving the common cares, sacred cares of home to those less gifted. Now our writers by example as well as by pen furnish a stimulus to the home keeping women in her sweet task of making a well ordered home. It is written of George Eliot that "she was proud of being an excellent housekeeper and that nothing offended her more than the idea that because a woman had exceptionally intellectual powers, therefore it was right that she should absolve herself or be absolved from ordinary household duties." It is comforting to know, through her letters that the writer of Adam Bede and Romola had "trouble with her jelly" and that to her moving was a sore trial. She says in one of her letters: "To me the most desirable thing seems to be to have our home, and stay there till death comes to take me away." It used to be thought that literary women had no appreciation of domestic trivialities, and devotion to books must be accompanied by a dislike and neglect of household enjoyments. But our best and most popular writers among women furnish examples of the fact that mental capacity does not preclude the understanding of the best ordering of life, and home loving hearts go with strong brains. George Eliot saves her best coloring for her homely women, doing humdrum work faithfully day by day. She makes heroines of those who are striving to be " content with their middlingness.' "If I could write like naming a popular writer, "I would not make my bed or pick up a thing." So said a young girl who had attempted a little in authorship and failed. Just here she made a mistake; because she scorned the simple home duties, her little attempts at "household talks" fell flat. To give point and directness to all articles for the home they must bear the stamp of personal experience. In the novels of the day the heroine we love and remember is not the woman who is marked off from the crowd by commending gifts of intellect, but some patient, loving home-mother whose life is full of hidden pathos and grandeur. As long as the world stands and we need the gentle ministrations of home, eminent powers will pale before faithful love. And more and more shall we see that the unhappy and frivolous are the destroyers of home life; the thoughtless and weak neglect home interests and to fill well one place in woman's kingdom we must fully believe in the sacredness of humdrum work. -May Kingston. Original in GOOD HOUSEKEEping. A RANDOM EXTRACTS FROM A HOUSEKEEPERS' NOTE-BOOK. WHITE quilt used on a child's bed-or any bed, for that matter-will keep clean and free from wrinkles much longer if, instead of being allowed to remain on at night, it be drawn down over the foot-board, care being first taken to remove all dust. Lest the quilt should reach the floor, and thus become soiled, the top should be folded back toward the bed and passed over the foot-board just far enough to prevent its slipping off. Should the foot-board be of such a shape that the spread will not hang smooth, it might be removed and folded evenly. When a person is reading aloud, quotations, although indicated to the eye of the reader, are not always, by the words themselves or the context, made at once apparent to the understanding of the hearer; hence it is a good plan to state the beginning and end of a quotation, more especially the end. Many persons, from some deformity or peculiarity of form. or of habit, induced perhaps by the necessities of their occupation-as, for instance, the constant rubbing of the handle of a tool-or from any other reason, have a tendency to wear their clothes thin in certain places. A woman who mends her own clothes or those of others, or sorts them for mending, will soon notice the places peculiar to each person, and, if she makes new garments or orders them made, will do well to have the parts liable so to wear made double, if practicable, or stayed in some manner. Corset covers seem inclined to break at or near the shoulder seams; a facing of the material, an inch or more in width, around the neck, will do much to avert this. School children's pockets are subject to holes consequent upon the carrying of miscellaneous articles, such as pencils, knives, marbles, etc., and should, therefore, be made of stout material, the edges turned in and stitched closely, and often inspected. busy person some time and annoyance in turning it over and around to find the beginning. It sometimes happens that a housekeeper, by changing her stove for a new one, or by a purchase at auction or in some other way, finds herself in possession of a kettle or steamer which is too small for the hole of the stove. In such a case an iron ring, made to fit inside the hole, will remedy the trouble and allow the use of the utensil. These rings may be obtained of a stove dealer. People are affected by the cold in various ways. One is afflicted with cold feet, and needs extra protection there; another suffers from cold wrists, and should in severe weather wear wristers; still another has weak lungs or a sensitive chest, and so on. The part to which I desire to call attention is the back, and I should like to suggest to ladies who are troubled with cold backs that they would derive much comfort from an extra lining of flannel, or canton flannel, fitted smoothly into the backs of their dresses. I suppose there is no doubt that the best way of hanging up basques, outer garments, etc., is to suspend them from the shoulders by means of yokes. There are yokes in the market, but some ladies cannot readily obtain them, and others cannot afford to purchase them. It may interest such as these to know that a fair substitute may be made at home from very ordinary material. A section of a barrel hoop, cut to the proper length, or a piece of willow or birch bent into a curve, will serve the purpose. A cord should be tied around the middle of the hoop or stick by which to hang it on a hook; of course, the farther the hook projects from the wall, the making of a garment, even if yokes are to be used; they the better. The loops, however, should not be omitted in will be serviceable in traveling or visiting, where one is not sure of finding yokes, and it is not convenient to carry them. As for the proper place for the loops, I wish some one would inform me, for I have put them on three different parts of the sleeve, and, as there are objections to each, I cannot decide. Skirts and overskirts, with puffy draperies, should be hung so that the draperies do not come against the wall, thereby rendering them liable to get crushed. It was for a long time a mystery to me why magazines so often presented such a jagged appearance as to edges, but not long ago I read in a newspaper a list of the different uses to which a woman puts the hairpin, and although cutting the leaves of magazines was not mentioned, I am inclined to think that was the instrument employed in. some instances. There are various reasons why, in writing a letter, the writer's address should always be given; if from a city, street Some people affect ragged-edged letter paper and cards. I do not know if the fashion has extended to magazines; if it and number. If a business letter, or one requiring an immehas, it certainly will not conduce to their preservation; what-diate reply, it is of great importance; if a friendly missive, ever may be one's opinion as to the beauty, I, for one, prefer smooth edges, and it is not a difficult task to cut leaves properly. Lay the book flat on a table, or in the lap, holding down the leaves to be cut with the left hand; then, with the right, insert the paper knife (which should be thin) to the handle in the fold, and draw through with a quick, steady, outward and upward motion (not sawing); repeat the process as many times as necessary, being especially careful, in cutting across the top of the page, not to leave a quarter of an inch uncut, as, in case the book is opened wide, it will be liable to tear unevenly. How many people are aware that in folding and putting a letter into an envelope there is a right way? If the sheet is to be folded three times, begin at the bottom, fold over a third, and bring the top down over it; then, holding the letter in the same position, slip it into the envelope. If properly done, when the envelope is opened and the letter taken out, the lifting of a fold will disclose the date, thus saving a and not have taken the precaution of making a note of it. the one to whom it is sent may have forgotten the address Again, the writer may have changed his place of residence since writing to a friend, and so long a time elapsed since the event that he had forgotten that the friend was not aware of send to the old address and run the risk of its being correct. the change; in a case of this kind, the person answering must The letter will most likely be advertised, and, if it finally reaches the one for whom it is intended, it is only after a delay, which might have been avoided, as well as the uncertainty and anxiety, had the present address been given. Black shopping or traveling bags, which have become shabby from age or use, may be made to renew their youthful appearance by an application of boot dressing. The clasps and other metal parts should be brightened before the blackening is done. There are different kinds of dressing for sale; I have used the Queen Anne for more than a year, with perfect satisfaction. As "leather is leather," and |