The San Francisco call. [volume], February 27, 1910, Page 13, Image 13

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
The San Francisco Sunday Call
THE bonnet box. from the fact that
it occupies such a place of Im
portance in the well-furnished
wardrobe, is deserving of a treat
ment that will raJs© It In th© decora
tive scale and at the earn© tim« In
crease the convenience of this friendly
accessorj'.
It Is undeniable that th© necessary re
ceptacle for hats and bonnets receives
more wear and tear than th© millinery
which it protects. All of us have pulled
the battered pasteboard box from th©
concealing shelter of the bed or th©
dark corner of a closet; and few can
boast of the unbroken edges at th©
er.d of a season. This is row worthy
of an evening's work. A restoration of
a worn bex or a few touches on & new
one will make It a thing of convenient
beauty with no possibility of a. quick
return to its resting place, dv© to th©
half shame of the owner.
A clam box offers excellent oppor
tunity for decoration that will bring
it in the scheme of th© room. For th©
little girl's hat box, the left-over strip
of wallpaper that has been used In
the nursery corr.ss to an appropriate
eid.
Cut out the figures that are poster
eeque in. their simplicity; paste them In
a fringe around the outside of the box.
They are very effective on the plain or
striped .surface of pasteboard. Tap© of
BOOKPLATES WITHIN YOUR REACH
LET us plead in favor of th© book
plate for all collectors of a
library, no matter how limited in
size. No one can tell to what pro
portion his bookshelves may expand
under the care and protection that th©
bookplate Implies.
Given a name In every book— a past
ec-'.n elate with name and dates — tha
volume Is necessarily regarded with
more fondness by Its owner, and is
less likely to remain In some bor
rower's bookcasa.
Tho bookplate at Its simplest Is
\u25a0within the reach of all. The elaborate
and altogether artistic effort— th©
finished product— may be an impossi
bility to many. Don't wait for this.
Consider It If you know an artist: one of
the younger Illustrators will do the
work at a. comparatively low rate —
a, few dollars. Th© cut and & first
500 pasters will not be exorbitant at
some small prlntery.
Til* bookplai* la fiaal It roes Isto
•11 of your books for all Urn©. It Is
HOME "LIFE OF THE JAPANESE
A CHAPTER on family customs and
education in a recent Japanese
work states that "a marriage is
usually arranged by parents. The pro
. ced*re "would be somewhat as. follows:
> Parent* who wish to marry their son
or daughter make their wish known
among their friends; in many cases
there are match-making friends, who
would. let parents know of eligible
parties, ,or parents themselves may
know of such. \u0084
"In any case, inquiries would follow
proposals " mad© on - either aide; If the
WORK FOR THE WOMANLY BRAIN AND HAND
a durable width should be used for th© '
very necessary straps, and the other
trimmings are th© same as In any well
fitted box.
Th© form of any bonnet box can b«
made durable by pasting a covering of
English chintz over th© outsid©. Th©
pattern that has been used %> for th©
other decorations of the bedroom will
bring th© box Into its appropriate niche.
Th© material should b© measured and
glued on with a paste made of flour
and water. Your book-covering days
when you went to school will point the
way toward, a successful manipulation
of th© material.
Now the next important step Is th©
placing of th© standard or hat-rest. ,
Its convenience Is obvious. Th© hat Is
saved the contact which wears out th©
under surface of Its brim. This wire
support, purchasable at any store, and
resembling ,a large lamp-shade- frame,
can be glued In or held In place by
stitches of strong cord.
Strapping the under sld© of th© lid
Is Just one more step, of which per
haps you have not heard, f
Place linen tape across th© surface
In two parallel lines. Fasten the straps
at the outer edges, allowing'th© central
portions to remain free but taut. Then,
when your lingerie hat, or any shape
with a crushable brim, is to be placed
away, the crown can be slipped un
seen by you and by many, and it's by
far more satisfactory to make your
self a tracing of some simple scroll
or book or shield than *to own the
feeble effort of a dubious draughtsman.
Many are the designs to be copied
from Interesting volumes on illustration.
There are wreaths, books, candles,
torches, lanterns, old lamps, each with
parents are satisfied. , then the young
people are told about it. and asked their
thoughts on the matter. .
"The young couple lively with their
parents, and if there, is more than" on©
It is '\u25a0generally, the eldest who does so. \u25a0
When a child - Is v born --\u25a0 to them th©
grandmother Initiates the young wife in
the practical duties of motherhood.'
"A Japanese child is, never struck; in
punishment. I have- sometimes seen a *
child put into |a . closet for - punishment, .
and a severe punishment' is the applica
tion of moxa. .
THE BONNET
BOX BEAUTIFUL
AND CONVENIENT
der the tapes and held securely In
place. .
Of course, there should always be
strings to fasten the lid in Its place.
The exclusion of dust ia one of the
Important uses of the hat box.
There you are.— durability, utility and
beauty at one fell swoop. Your bonnet
box will show quick results from an
evening's work.
Its own significance. There: is also th©
knocker, which is good; and the door
way, which is better. >
Suggestions are here shown for the .
Inclosing, within certain lines, of th©
design you may choose. The circular
scroll or shield needs no line about It.
The. leaf and the scroll requires a
square inclosure as a definite size for
the plate, and the owl "and book (sym
bol of wisdom and knowledge) is vastly
Improved by the oval lines, which were
drawn round the edge of a cup.
The bookplate should always provide i >
ample space for printed or written name
and smaller space for a date; otherwise
it will have defeated Its own end.
The plainest bookplate you have suc
ceeded in" tracing or drawing may be
taken through the regular' process of
cut-making and printing, or you may :
trace each one upon the small' piece of
parchment which you have cut the de
sired shape and size and ink It in.^
The actual hand-made ' bookplate -Is
not to be despised, although it involves - f
a considerable amount of time? <; I
"In the old. Japanese pharmacopeia
moxa, a small piece" of a ; certain dried
herb; is applied tosoine part of -the body
and burnt, it , beinir ,? supposed ;to| be ; a ;
very efficacious J remedy ,,; for:, some dis
eases; and, there arc ; people* who. believe
In .it even to the present -day; and "so
pomotimes moxa'issapplieditova'disobe
dient child; but the custom Is ( now dying •
out;, partly, ;' perhaps;*, becausejthe^ herb'
Is not to be found In many; houses.! rvv : '
: :.'as =\u25a0\u25a0&•* general -rule; 3. the >
and displeasure: of; parents seem to be a
sufficient deterrent." \u25a0:•-: , f- -
SOME INDIAN BASKETS! Mtf) THEIR USES
fT^HE North American- Indian I ; has not
I ' | expressed I his ; intellectual and | spir- 1
."J- ' ; itual % aspirations \. and accomplish
ments y through .^architecture., patnt
ing ; ;; ° r sculpture.'-^ -but ,\ 'chiefly ;
through 'the handicraft^ of the- Indian
woman. ;shows the woven ;
result^'of^the.': demands; of life in * its *
utilitarian. nnd idealistic. phases. -The
simple ; routine '•" of .'the 'work of the .
-home - r and;tihe";_more» formal steps. In 1
\u25a0Indian?- ceremonial -are; closely con
nected'vwith Indian; baskets.. - . V'iiiStff
. "; Indian f basketry ' embodies \u25a0. the myth
ology,^ folklore.' -history, 1 ; poetry and
. esthetic*'; -ideals ;of the; tribes.-." To '""\u25a0.
. 'Americans,- then, \lC should be intense- ;'
ly interesting >froni }the :; ethnological :
standpoint^ '? ? Th*. subject' 'is .broad, -
the\ meaning'.; of "each; form, and deco-
rative , style ' leading \the' investigator
' into 'i wide • and/ far-reaching ' fields i of
knowledge of ;\u25a0; the ". ; natives \"of our
country.\ : .' :\u25a0 ['.'-\u25a0'\u25a0 y\\u0094- \u25a0\u25a0*\u25a0> .-- I -,^., -.;\u25a0;.
«,One*strikingr : featurejof 5 Indian bas
kets rls'. the: perfect'adaptation of each
form to the. purpose which it must
- Be 5 ye - You must •remember that the
environment Is a wonderful" factor in
deciding- the occupations of a, people.
In the great Southwest, ..where the
tribes live" -in the arid sections in
which > every drop of waterj is pre
cious, Indian basketry takes: the form
of water.' bottles or 'carriers. No In
dian* pitcher !s broken ; at "the well.
Jars and water bowls", are- woven', from
willow stoppings and coated ;. with
gum from /the;; pinon,- pine. •:; The'; long
journeys . across the . waterless
stretches of \u25a0 the desert' need
feared by the 'clever travelers.
: There, are. of course) . other T: carious
water bottles, some ; of which taper, to
points ' that < are; used ; as : standards, thus
preventing the" receptacle from oyerturn
ink::::\u25a0::...'.'-; ;,-.'\u25a0 ; •) •r > . :
The- triangrular" hanging basket is a
Choctaw/shape of cane into ; which \u25a0 the
Indian maker throws ; acorns r or ; . nuts
for safe keeping. She preferaa shallow
bowl *: f or ; : this,:-, but ; frequently the nat
ural * * fesourcea 'of v her.' home prohibit
her inclinations from'expressing'them
selves. \u25a0 \u25a0 !\u25a0;.;'•_' '.\ : i%f, ' \u25a0 \u25a0 !\u25a0-,.-\u25a0'. .' '/'V.'".' s ''. -' •'
In : the J deftly .woven : bassinet . for the
little papoose there is again^ the r adapta
tion, V.to;. to; the .use^ The r ; little ; -one -is
\u25a0trappedi upon r stbe';wide and
the r. awning ; affords 5 protection ;, for J the
baby."si Whether^ strapped 3on i the " strong
«houlders;of;thei mother* In 'her. wander
DRESSMAKER
TO CHILDREN
\u25a0\u25a0>-"-;\u25a0. ' . ' '
THE women who sew are specializ
ing as they haVfe never done be
fore. It is not to be expected that
the clever modistes of today will go on
forever in the footsteps of the ancestral
dressmaker, pjuttlng up garments of
every eort. size and kind. Hers^ was
a liberal education on a subject which Is
now fast becoming a science as well as
an art. With accumulating knowledge
' there comes the desire to specialize and
to single out some one branch of th*
art.
The dressmaker of today leans In the
• direction of her own. particular success,
and drifts gradually along its path, ex
cluding as much, as possible . all other
branches of the . work as they grow
wearisome: and it is well.
The woman who has dravtn lines and
limited her effort in a certain direc
tion has made money. "The dressmaker
to children has done a "'Tattling busl
'* ness"— to quote her own enthusiastic
words'— and she doesn't mind telling it
out abroad, because (sht adds) she has
more work than she can do.
' ' There are a few secrets that she
divulges for the benefit of others, and
her little story is worth- telling. She
"had a kirftU with children, to begin
with They always stood still for her,
( and gazed lovingly Into her soft
brown eyes, so they weren't hard to
tit from- the very first.. She liked
them, too. which meant even more.
In fact, she loved little ones arid took
n .keen delight in \u25a0 turning each one
of them into something picturesque..
Their mothers grew to know It; in
facf r they took in the situation at a
glance and left everything to her. anil
then success be'sran to come. It heaped
up higher and higher when she was
left to her own devices and allowed to
bring out all >their baby prettiness
according to her taste and with little
ing 3 afield, or hung upon a nearby
tree , or' post, this cradle represents
a; convenient disposal . of the Indian
baby. -,It." at -least, cannot 6tray from
its ,own fireside, although the lack of
ease for the little muscles must as
tonish civilized mothers.
When there Is not
a baby on hsr back,
the squaw must
carry other burdens.
She must" gather
wood for the camp
fire, fish, 'grain, nuts
and meat, and tho
large conical basket
which hangs over
the shoulders at the
back is her ' solution
of, the problem.'
These are made* of
yucca fiber," rattan,
wicker * combined
frequently ;/ ..With
twine arid .cord. -Varying from : a'ibag
flhaped: carrier' of net to the ornament
ed form " shown ; here, the basket passes
through ) many degrees of weave. : mate
rial : and -decoration. Huge, ones repre
senting r ; ; thousands of stitches, are a
part of > the household furniture, hold
ing . food : and clothing, when the •. family
is t settled; . and ; acting as a moving . van
wheni the :: owners are on their way to
pastures" new. i-v ' - •"- :.
v Perhaps r the - oval plaque ... shows the
« : \u25a0-:'.: .\u25a0? '.•-:\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0''- " - \u25a0 - ' ' »— -' '. . \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 ,-•••-\u25a0'
Interference from their Inexperienced
mammas.
But there was a money aspect as
well. In fact, two different sides of the
money question, ia this Interesting busi
ness scheme.
. The successful on© tells of her \u25a0
financial reasons for drifting Into
coarse linens for little children. She
saw in it a business requiring com
paratively little capital for the pur
chase of a certain requisite Una of
, colors and materials which were
absolutely sure to sell, as opposed to
the fleeting fancies of older women
of fashion, whos© vagaries condemned
each passing material almost be
fore It had gained a foothold.
And furthermore she knew the
value to mothers of the picturesque
frock so difficult to master by the In
artistic dressmaker, and of th<s"un
irimmed garment whose virtue was In
Its cut. She banked upon these points
and got her prices.
Her stock Included reliable linen's
in a none-too-long line of colors.
suitable only for children: certain
stock designs, such as shepherd's and
the clan plaids of Scotland, In gins
ham and^ worsted: narrow Insertion
(she eschewed lace) and various
straight braids. Her embroidery ma
terials matched the linens, and ther«
was scarcely a chance for wast* of
material with the thrifty manufac
turer of tam-o'-shanter hats and
bloomers when ther© _wer© left-OTer»
of material.
There was much to master; when
isn't there?. But she was spared tho "
agonies of the misfit and. worse, th*
unbecoming garment which women
pay for. accept and then return at th©
instigation of some friend.
The f dressmaker to children ha* an
easier lot and a more certain Income,
with less capital invested, than th*
dressmaker at large.
greatest variation, because of the widd
and general use to which It is put in
Indian ceremonial. Heaped with gifts
to propitiate the gods, it may adorn
the altar in an Indian village; at the
religious dances it figures conspicu
ously.'and'at many .wedding feasts i:
Is indispensable.
The plaque pictured in the erouo of
drawings v a form of a Navajo sacred
basket. It Is made of aromatic sumac.
- and holds sacred meal.' The crosses ars
said to represent- clouds.; heavy with
rain. .• and probably this design had Its
origin in ceremonies to bring the rain.
There are other forms of Indian bas
ketry.' each representing the work of an
Indian woman. Into which the a.3plra
' tions *.• and universal desire for expres
sion , has been woven with each twist
•of -the "grass". From "the work of tho
remote Aleutians to that of the Indians
of the > far South, basketry stands
as a tribute to the . unrewarded \u25a0 labor
of the native- American.