Evening star. [volume], May 16, 1936, Page B-8, Image 20

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
WINDOW BOX SEASON BRINGS TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
_ A A.__
--
Select Plants According
To Location in Which
They Are to Be Placed
Colors May Be Chosen to Harmonize With
Surroundings, But Keep to Type Best
Suited to Your Needs.
BY BETSY CASWELL.
IOHT now is the height of the1
window-box season. Seed and
plant stores are doing a rush
ing business, being crowded
with customers caught window
boxless by the sudden Summer
Weather. Anxious
faced women dis
c u s s feverishly
the merits of
geraniums versus
petunias, and the
struggle to ob
tain an original
and ‘'different"
floral arrange
ment that will
grow properly in
a box is adding
to the silver
threads found on
the heads of
many Washing
ton matrons.
The worries begin when last year's
Window boxes are unearthed from the
dark corner where they have lain
since the blooms withered and died
in the Fall. Usually it is discovered
that friend husband or the handy
man neglected to remove all the old
dirt and plants as they were particu
larly told to do—this job now de
volves—as they knew it would—upon
the lady of the house, who Is in a
frenzy to get the boxes washed, paint
ed and filled before the Joneses arrive
to call on Sunday.
After the soil and debris has been
dumped the boxes present a weather
beaten appearance that one hopes
fervently can be remedied by a good
coat of paint. They were dark green
last year—this year they should be
white, to match the new porch furni
ture. Due to the pressure of time, no
sandpapering is done; the white paint
Is slapped on and the boxes put in the
*un to dry. While this is being ac
complished. madame betakes herself to
the nearest nurseryman or seed store
to select the “filler.”
* * * *
T>Y the time she has battled through
dozens of other women, intent on
doing just the same thing, argued
back and forth with the salesman,
changed her mind 15 times and lost
her pocketbook and temper, she re
turns to the scene of her labors, her
loot proudly parked in the rumble
seat. She takes one look at the
window boxes and sends out an
SOS call for a painter, a gardener
and a doctor. The green paint has
come through the one coat of white,
the neighbor's dog has gone to sleep in
one box and the rest have become as
bumpy and blistered as if they had
been exposed to poison ivy. By the
time the experts have got through
working on the boxes (the gardener
thoughtfully neglects to use those
flowers purchased by madame and
substitutes some especially fancy
models of his own) and the doctor has
attended to madame’s exhausted
nerves, the boxes have probably cost
a sum that would keep the household
In food for several months.
So, to avoid such a calamity, take
your window-box gardening with due
deliberation and care. If you are
purchasing new boxes you may take
your choice of cement, wood or metal
ones. If you are using the old ones,
and have to paint them, don't try to
build Rome in a day, and do a good
Job while you're at it.
* * * *
“pOR successful flowers, be sure that
there is plenty of drainage of
some type in the boxes. Soil in win
dow-gardens tends to bake and there
fore the drainage problem is a very
important one. Before filling the
box wnth soil, put a layer of small,
loose stones or bits of broken flower
pot along the bottom.
Soil should be carefully chosen,
both for its richness and for Its abil
ity to hold large quantities of water.
A good potting soil may be obtained
from the florist or you can make one
yourself out of one part peat moss
or leaf mold, three parts loam and
one part sand or sifted coal ashes.
It is also a good idea to mix some bal
anced plant food in with the soil when
filling the box. Allow 2 inches without
soil at the top of the box to facUltate
watering.
Now plant your flowers, give them a
feeding of plant food once every six
weeks and remember to water them
generously. If they are to have much
sun it is better to water them at
night and take care that the earth
never becomes hard or baked. Cul
tivate often with a small fork and
watch them carefully for insects.
a * a *
AS FOR choosing the flowers, one
should bear in mind that location
will have a great deal to do with their
success and that plants should be se
lected that are best suited to the
place where they are to grow. For
instance, for a very sunny location
one might choose a combination of
purple and white petunias with gold
en dwarf French marigolds; dracena
with blue and pink petunias are
pretty, while nasturtiums and white
geraniums make a colorful picture.
Of course, you have to take into
consideration the color scheme of
your room, your house or the terrace
furniture and choose plants that will
bloom harmoniously, but stick to the
type that the dealer tells you will do
best in a sunny spot.
Fuchsias and begonias do well in a
shaded location and the combination
of begonias and English ivy is always
delicate and pretty. Some boxes seen
on a shady Washington terrace re
cently were filled with fuchsias, white
sweet alyssum and “Heavenly Blue”
morning glories, which clambered all
over the trellis back of the white
boxes. With the white garden fur
niture and gay awning striped in the
fuchsia red and purple, the effect was
unusual and charming.
If you sit out on your porch or
terrace much in the evenings, do
tuck a gardenia plant in a corner
somewhere. The perfume is ac
centuated in the darkness and the air
becomes a veritable Paradise of scent.
It seems a pity that there are so few
flowers suitable for window boxes
that have this same faculty of pour
ing their sweetness onto the night
breeze, but perhaps some clever hor
ticulturist will discover one for us
before we are too old to enjoy it.
Cook’s Corner
BY MBS ALEXANDER GEORGE.
LIGHT SUPPER.
Tutti-Fruiti Salad
Cheese Circles
Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Frost
TUTTI-FRUTTI SALAD.
iServed in Bowl.)
1 cup sliced 2 tablespoons
bananas chopped
1 tablespoon pimentos
lemon juice Va cup French
4 teaspoon salt dressing
Va cup sliced 4 cup salad
oranges dressing
4 cup sliced
pineapple
Chill all ingredients, line shallow
bowl with shredded lettuce and arrange
layers fruit, sprinkle with lemon juice
and pimentos. Add French dressing
and top with salad dressing. Serve
immediately.
A glass dish will show the salad
arranged in different colored layers.
Here's a sweater you can live in, morning, noon and night. It Is simple
enough to wear any time, any place. Best of all it's a jiffy knit and you can
be wearing it In less than two days.
It is made with only a suggestion of a sleeve and a boat-shaped neckline.
The directions cover four sizes—12, 14,16 and 11 years, but you can easily and
•imply make it larger merely by increases.
The pattern envelope contains complete, easy-to-understand illustrated
directions, with diagrams to aid you; also what needles and what material
and how much you will need.
To obtain this pattern, send for No. 2D1 and inclose 15 cents in stamps or
coin to cover service and postage. Address orders to the Woman's Editor of
The Evening Star.
{Conrlstrt, 1M&>
A k
,-’ :—
Successful in Various Fields of Endeavor
Mrs. Campbell Prichett, who has invaded the mans world of selling automobiles, and chalked up an
enviable sales record. She also writes, works for charities, entertains frequently, and does them all well.
To go through life in high appears to be her motto! . —»ub Photo.
Encourage
More Pride
In Honor
Ideals Should Become
Tangible in
Character.
BY ANGELO PATRI.
“A BUNCH of us are going to cut
class and go out to hear the
game returns. Come along.”
"You mean cut school?”
■•‘What else could I mean? Coming?”
“Not me.”
'Think yourself too good, don't you?”
"You said it."
There was resentment In the first
lad's voice and cool contempt in the
other's. He not only would not cut
class, but he Indicated that he had
nothing but scorn for those who were
doing so. I have no words of reproach
for that scorn. I believe that the
fellow who scorns wrong doing is right
to show his scorn.
‘‘He’s such a conceited snip. Goes
about as If nobody was good enough
for him to associate with. He gives
me a pain.” Usually this attitude
means that the accused has shown
his contempt for some dishonorable
action and has gone his way^without
regard to those who performed it.
The accusation of aloofness was Justi
fied only in the instance where it has
shunted off dishonorable behavior.
Those who fail to live up to their own
ideals usually have a grudge against
those who succeed In doing so.
I believe boys and girls ought to take
great pride in being honorable, trust
worthy, upright people. I believe in the
pride that makes discreditable conduct
contemptible. I applaud the pride that
forbids its possessor to stoop to unbe
coming conduct, to lower his flag in
the face of the enemy. We have be
come too tender of the wrongdoer,
made his way too easy. It is time to
let him feel he Is beyond the pale, time
to scorch him with scorn and smother
him with contempt.
uont nun- anyooays ieeungs is
kindly, but there are time* when it U
one’s duty to hurt somebody’s feelings
lest he hurt others, himself among
them, beyond remedy. If the wrong
doer was promptly made to feel him
self cut off from the association of
those whose ideals he had wounded,
made to feel his unfitness, he would
repent. Or, if too hardened for re
pentance, would go his lonely way to
the bitter end.
I am not forgetting that there is a
pride obnoxious to all good people.
The pride that places money, social
position, rich possessions beyond all
else Is unworthy pride and poisonous
to the soul. The pride I mean is the
pride in honor, the pride that places
goodness, idealism, nobility of conduct
above material things.
Noble children have been reared In
poverty-stricken homes. Ignoble ones
have come out of richly endowed pal
aces. Spiritual honor is not born of
material forces, but of the spirit alone.
That spirit thrives In every heart that
welcomes It. It is found among the
richest and the poorest in the land. I
want to encourage it, praise it. bring
it to full power In the national char
acter. I want children to be proud of
their good name, so proud of it that
they will fight to maintain it against
all odds.
I believe that it is right to teach a
child to be too proud to do a dishon
orable thing.
(Copyright, 1936.)
The Old Gardener Says:
It seems strange that the fleece
vine or silver lace vine, as it is
also called, should not be more
widely known. Perhaps garden
makers are afraid of it because it
belongs to the knotwreed family,
some members of which spread so
rapidly and are so hard to get rid
of that they become downright
pests. This vine—the catalogues
list it as Polygonum aubertl—does
not offend in this respect. On the
contrary, it remains obediently
just where it is placed, at least
with Its roots. The vine spreads
Itself over a trellis or a Summer
house in a few years and produces
great quantities of fleecy white
flowers late in the Summer. The
fact that it blooms late is one of
its good points.
(Copyright, 1936.)
Dorothy Dix Says
Learning to “Pop the Question” to a Man
Is a Problem to Most Girls.
Dear miss lux: ror a long
time I have been in love with
a man whom I have every
reason to believe loves me, but
for some reason he has never asked me
to marry him. Maybe he is timid.
Maybe he thinks I won’t be satisfied
to live on what he could give me.
Maybe he is one of those men who
just let things rock along if they are
going fairly well and who is content
to let a pleasant relationship exist
as it is. But, anyway, I want to know
where I stand. I don’t want to waste
my life in watting on a man whose
attentions are without intentions, so
I have made up my mind to pop the
question to him. But how shall I do
it? What does a girl say when she
proposes? She can’t Just walk up
and ask for a wedding ring, like she
would a Job. Help me out.
LEAP YEAR GIRL.
Answer—I doubt that any one can
give you advice about how to pop the
question that will help any. because
the idea of a girl asking a man to
marry ^ier is so new that women have
not had time to develop a technique
in handling the situation. Any wom
an can tell you how to lure a man
to the altar by indirect methods, but
when it comes to frankly asking one to
assume your board bill and shopping
ticket for life—well, that's got them
guessing.
About the only tip that I can give
you is to tell you that when you pro
pose to a man go after him hammer
and tongs and make your meaning
clear. After a girl has prettied her
selif up for a man for years, listened
to him talk about himself and gone
to the places that he liked and she
loathed; after she has towed him
out into the moonlight on romantic
nights and after she has gushed over
little white bungalows and cute apart
ments and he hasn't gathered from
her conduct and conversation that she
is in love with him and wants to marry
him. there Is no use in wasting finesse
upon him. You’ve got to come out
flatfooted and ask him how about it.
i jf uuukse. tne least emoarrass
^ lng way for a girl to propose Is
by letter. It is lots easier to slop over
on paper than it is when you are close
together. That saves the girl’s face
in case the man says ’’no,” but it
also gives him a better chance to de
cline.
Also, it does away with the personal
touch, which is about nine-tenths of
the game in marriage. With the girl
a thousand miles away It Is easy
enough to weigh her good qualities
and decide whether they are worth
giving up one's bachelor freedom for
them. But with a pretty girl within
easy arm’s reach telling you how she
loves you and how handsome and
wonderful you are and how she will
devote her whole life to making you
happy, it is another proposition alto
gether.
And, of course, the girl who pops
the question to a man has to have her
little sales talk ready and be able to
convince him not only that he wants
to marry her. but also that he thought
of it first. Of course, you can go as
far as you like with the sentimental
stuff, but you’ve got also to make him
believe that you are the only one who
understands him, that you can make
better bread than his mother and that
two can live cheaper than one.
But, above all. be careful in choosing
the psychological moment in which to
pop the question. Never do it in busi
ness hours when he is chasing dollars
instead of dames. Or when he is
hungry and is thinking of his stomach
instead of his heart. Or when he has
just had some piece of luck and is
feeling so puffed up that he thinks he
could marry Greta Garbo if he wanted
to. Wait until some time when he is
sitting across a table in your own
apartment, replete with home-cooked
food and filled with thoughts of do
mesticity. Or wait until some time
when he is down on his luck and wants
some woman’s shoulder to cry on and
some woman to baby him, and he will
be yours for the taking.
tke i^Qynge^p^^ra'tiorN
You can’t expect to connect on your forehand drive if you
have canine interference, no matter how perfect your grip or
footwork. It’ll take Mary Lou a long time to explain that to Janice,
who is all set to get the ones she misses. The young lady in
front trying to receive the ball is attired in a brown and white
knee-length culotte dress, which permits her to be as active as
she likes and still preserve her lady-like appearance. Janice’s
sport suit is made in a newspaper print of white and blue, with
headline« screaming all over it. Pups thinks tennis is a better
game than golf—the balls have more bounce in them!
—Olrl’* Oram From a Washington Shop.
P A
More About
Proprieties
And Custom
Introducing Profes
sional Friends—
Shaking Hands.
BY EMILY POST.
r\BAR MRS. POST: (X) We have
^ friends—a man and wife—who
are both practicing physicians. Will
you tell me, please, how they should
be properly introduced when together,
socially and professionally. <2i Also,
how is an envelope addressed to both
of them?
Answer—(1) Professionally they are
introduced as Dr. John Smith and Dr
May Smith. Socially, this depends
upon whether the wife is willing to
give up her title and be known as Mrs.,
or whether she prefers being Dr. In
the latter case you use the same form
as above. (2) You must be guided ex
actly as I have explained in (1).
* * * *
Dear Mrs. Post: When should a mac
remove his glove to shake hands witt
another man? Or is it necessary tc
remove it only before shaking hand!
with a woman?
Answer—I have never heard of a
man removing his glove to shake
hands with another man.
* * * *
Dear Mrs. Post: (a) At a dance. 11
a man cuts in on a girl when she it
dancing with some one she likes verj
much and with whom she would prefei
to keep on dancing, is there any wa;
she can refuse the second man withou
being rude? <b> Also, don’t you thin!
It old-fashioned for a girl to say
"Thank you, too,” after a man ha;
thanked her for having danced witt
him?
Answer—(a) Not unless she am
the whole group to which she belong;
understands that a girl's dancing witt
her eyes closed means do not cut in or
us I (b) There is certainly nothin!
old-fashioned about being polite.
* * * *
Dear Mrs. Post: What can I say to i
man who persists in asking me to gi
out with him? I don't want to be rude
but I have no Intention of going any
where with him—ever.
Answer—There is nothing exceptlni
to tell him frailkly. “No—never,” whicl
is certainly not very polite. Or el»
resign yourself to the fact that tellini
him no is to be part of your dailj
routine—at least until he grows dls
couraged.
* * * *
Dear Mrs. Post: Is it necessary thai
a gentleman hold an umbrella over i
lady when they are walking in thi
rain? Isn't it perfectly proper that hi
let her hold it herself when the um
brella Is, of course, just big enougl
for her?
Answer—I am afraid he must hold
the umbrella over her. If this replj
to this is that the corner drips down
his neck. I can only suggest that h<
avoid this as best he can, since the
rule has always been that a gentleman
never carries a lady’s parasol, but h«
always holds the umbrella over hei
head.
(Coprrlsht. 1936.)
My Neighbor Says:
When cutting flowers in the
garden do not keep them in the
hand or lay in a dry receptacle,
but place them as soon as cut
into a pall of water; they will
keep fresher hours longer.
Scrubbing brushes will las*
twice as long if they are given an
occasional wash in a strong solu
tion of salt and water and allowed
to dry in the open air.
If at all possible, vegetables
should be cooked in their skins
in order to avoid removing the
valuable mineral matter directly
under the skins.
Sugar, used wisely, is an im
portant source of energy to the
body. Plain white sugar is used
best with cereals and in the
preparation of milk, eggs and
fruit desserts. Used thus, it
makes more palatable and deli
cious the foods that have greater
importance for body building,
while also adding to their energy
value.
(Coprrlsht. 1938.)
I
Femininity and Social
Grace Are No Handicaps
In the Business World
Mrs. Campbell Prichett Ably Demonstrates
That Efficiency and Charm May Go
Hand in Hand.
i
BY VESTA CUMMINGS.
A CITY where Emily Poet's book
on the correct way of doing
things is a best seller year
after year would naturally be
the habitat of one of the first success
ful automobile saleswoman in the
country.
Mrs. Campbell Prichett, who until
five years ago had encountered the
business world only through ordering
her wardrobe from Chanel or Worth,
now sells one of the higher-priced au
tomobiles to all those of the Nation's
Capital, foreign and local, who demand
elegance in transportation at any lati
tude, longitude or elevation.
Mrs. Prichett, who is known as one
of Washington's beauties, has distin
guished herself as a hostess in many
parts of the globe. She entertained in
her homes in New York, Paris, Califor
nia and the PhUlppines with the same
charm she now brings to the workaday
world. After growing up in California
and attending the National Cathedral
School here, she made her debut on
the West Coast.
Six years ago she returned here to
make her home with her aunt, Mrs.
Sydney Cloman. The stock market
crash had settled into the depression.
She wanted a job and had no business
training, but was not alarmed by the
fact that she did not typewrite or take
shorthand.
At that time a foresighted automo
bile manufacturer was forming a wom
an’s sales guild in key cities of the
United States, and the representative
was referred to Mrs. Prichett when she
came to Washington, by inquiring at
the Junior League. Mrs. Prichett was
made director of the local guild and
selected about 20 debutantes to assist
in arranging demonstrations.
* * * *
“IJVERY one in the world falls into
one or the other of two cate
gories," Mrs. Prichett says, "lone
wolves or friendjy puppies. I am a
friendly puppy. When thinking of
work, the Job bringing me into daily
contact with lots of people sounded
most amusing. I have always loved
people of all types and classes. Sit
ting at a desk all day would have
driven me mad. But I love selling
motor cars.”
When a new embassy or legation
member arrives in Washington Mrs.
Prichett places a car and chauffeur
at his family's disposal for calling,
just as one would do for a friend.
In many cases they are friends, or
friends of her many acquaintances in
the diplomatic set.
Nothing is too much trouble for
Mrs. Prichett in displaying her cars.
She regards it as fun. She may take
a prospective buyer to a horse show,
letting the husband drive one way
and the wife the other, or Includes
some of the loveliest spots in and
around the city In demonstrating to
a newcomer.
“Most of my friends are diplomatic
or Government people." Mrs. Prichett
says. “They hear of people thinking
of buying a new car and let me know.
Each sale brings new prospects. It la
a never-ending chain. I very seldom ,
do cold canvassing, but when I do I
am always overcome by the kindliness
of Individuals who might possibly be
inconvenienced by my telephone calls
or visits.”
Automobile saleswomen are increas
ing In number all over the United
States, according to Mrs. Prichett.
"The motor car world builds to
please women and sells to their dic
tates," she says. “As the purchasing
agent of the Nation the woman plays
a part In 70 per cent of all cars
bought today, statistics show.
* * * *
"IT has been found that the same
1 courtesy one extends to a guest in
one's home is of value in presenting
automobiles. Women appreciate feel
ing free to examine a possible pur
chase without haste and without
listening to explanations of mechani
cal details they only pretend to under
stand.
"What is under the hood is no
longer of primary importance to the
demonstrator. The man knows that
stalled motors are rare today in most
well-cared-for cars. He decides
whether to buy a *500 vehicle or a
*3,000 one. His wife has the final
decision. She is concerned with
beauty of line and color and knowa
if her younger children are likely to
open rear doors of a four-door sedan
while the car is in motion. She adores
nick-nacks.”
The company employing Natalie
Prichett featured a "ladies' week" not
long ago. If the locale had not been
a show room discreetly embellished
with sleek roadsters, town cars and
limousines, It might have been late
afternoon In any Washington draw
ing room. Tea was served. A rose
was presented to all callers. Mrs.
Prichett presided with equal charm
at tea table and steering wheel. Her
customers moved about, exclaiming
over new package compartments,
trunk racks, upholstery and color com
binations.
"If I am asked about engines I call
one of our motor experts,” Mrs.
Prichett explains, "for engines are as
mysterious to me as to other women.’*
Natalie Prichett's business career
does not interfere with her social life.
She manages both with the same
enthusiasm. Her Tuesday at homes,
about which a great deal has been
written in local society columns, are
a rendezvous for smart Washington.
She knows every one, goes every
where, and sells automobile*.
Nicely Molded Slip
Seams are Carefully Gored and Fitted to
Prevent Any Bulkiness.
i—----w .
BI* BARBARA BELL.
THIS clever slip does a grand job
of molding your figure. The
gored seams and molded tops
lit and flatter.
You have a choice of the built-up
shoulder strap or a narrow one, and
the neckline Is cut low enough In back
to be worn with your lowest cut frock.
Seams are lock fitted to prevent any
bulking beneath your dress. This slip
is within every one’s reach at low cost,
just send for the pattern and use It as
many times as you wish.
Barbara Bell pattern No. 1843-B Is
available In sDes 33. 34, 38, 38, 40. 44
b
1843-B
and 44. Size 34 requires 3 yards of
39-inch fabric.
BARBARA BELL,
T»Z WASHINGTON STAR.
Inclose 35 cents in coins for '
Pattern No. 1843-B. Slae_
Name_
Addreas - .
(
(Wrap coins securely In paper.)
* A