THE LADIES' BOOK OF USEFUL INFORMATION.

COMPILED FROM MANY SOURCES.

London, Ont.: LONDON PRINTING & LITHOGRAPHING CO. (LTD.) 1896.

Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year 1897, on behalf of the unnamed author, by P. J. Edmunds, at the Department of Agriculture. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.



Preface.

To the ladies of America is this little work, "THE LADIES' BOOK OF USEFUL INFORMATION," dedicated. It is a book written expressly for women. This book is full from cover to cover of useful and necessary information for women. Never before has so much knowledge with which women should be acquainted been printed in one book. It is a perfect storehouse of useful facts. Almost every lady spends many dollars every year for cosmetics, medicines, household articles, etc., which this book would save her.

This is a book which every lady should have, and which every mother should place in the hands of her daughters as they come to years of understanding. Every girl of twelve and upwards should read this valuable work.

Many books costing from three to five dollars do not contain half the information contained in this work. Everything described in this preface is taught in this book.

It teaches ladies the secret of Youth, Beauty, Health.

The first chapter teaches all about Personal Beauty.

Every lady desires to be beautiful, and it is the duty of every woman to be as attractive as possible. All may enhance their charms and be lovely by following the directions of this book. Few persons know how to improve their natural looks so as to captivate, charm, and win the admiration of those whom they meet. This book tells the wonderful secret—all the ancients ever knew, and all that has been discovered since. It teaches how to wonderfully improve the person in loveliness. The real secret of changing an ordinary looking person into one of great beauty makes this book of great value. Nature does something for us, but art must make the perfect man or woman.

If you desire bright, melting eyes, a clear, soft, rose-tinted complexion, beautiful hands and graceful figure, well-developed and perfect, use the knowledge which you will find in this book.

It teaches how to acquire a beautiful, delicate loveliness which cannot be surpassed, and which can be retained to a very late age. By means of this teaching a woman of thirty-five or forty can easily pass for a girl of twenty-five.

It teaches how to conceal the evidence of age, and how to make the most stubbornly red and rough hands beautifully soft and white. Remember that "THE LADIES' BOOK OF USEFUL INFORMATION" does not teach the use of paint and powder, which is injurious to the skin, but how to make the cheek glow with health, and the neck, arms and hands to rival the lily in whiteness. It teaches how to cure Greasy Skin, Freckles, Pimples, Wrinkles, Blackheads, Crow's-feet, Blotches, Face Grubs, Tan, Sunburn, Chapped Hands, Sore Lips, etc.

It teaches how to cure and prevent redness and roughness, and to make the skin soft, smooth, white and delicate, producing a perfectly natural appearance. It teaches how to cure and refine a coarse skin, so that it will be clear and white.

It tells what has never before been published: How to restore a fair, rosy complexion to its original freshness, after it has become sallow and faded. This is a wonderful secret, and is sure in its results. It will also cause those who have always been pale to have beautiful, bright, rosy cheeks, and the eyes to be brilliant and sparkling.

It teaches how to have soft, white and attractive hands, even though compelled to do housework. Every lady desires to have nice hands, and all may do so by following the directions of this book. The most coarse, rough, red hands will, by following this teaching, become beautifully delicate and white, and it causes very little trouble to care for them.

It teaches how to care for the hair so as to improve the growth and to have a beautiful and luxuriant head of hair; how to keep the skin of the scalp healthy, to cure Dandruff, to prevent the hair falling, and to have it of a nice glossy hue.

It teaches how to have clear and brilliant eyes, with beautiful, long, drooping lashes; also, how to cure sore and weak eyes.

It teaches how to care for the teeth so as to have them white and sound, telling how to treat those that are decayed, and how to prevent the decay of sound ones.

It teaches how to have beautiful ripe red lips, and how to cure sore and chapped lips.

It teaches how to cure Warts, Corns, Bruises, Sprains, Cold Feet, Bad Breath, etc.

It teaches how to bleach, purify and whiten the most stubbornly red, rough skin, so that it will be beautifully clear and white; and a complexion that is naturally passable will be admired by all who see it after being treated as here described.

The second chapter teaches: The different human temperaments; how to tell to which temperament you belong yourself, and also the temperaments of those whom you meet;

The fortunate and unfortunate days of the month, and their importance at the hour of birth;

Important advice to females regarding their thirty-first year;

How to know whom you will marry;

The signs of a good genius;

All about Electrical Psychology, or Psychological Fascination—Mesmerism;

How to make persons at a distance think of you (this is a purely natural phenomenon);

How to win the affection of the person of the opposite sex whom you sincerely love. There is no black art about this, but merely psychological attraction, and by its use you can win the love of the person whose affection you desire.

When you desire the "love" of any one whom you meet, you can very readily reach him if you observe the directions here given.

Chapter three is a special chapter for young women, on a special subject, and contains advice which every young lady should study.

It teaches them: What marriage is, and explains how highly injurious it is to entertain low ideas regarding it;

How a young lady should act in the presence of young men;

What a girl should do when a prospect of marriage occurs.

It tells some of the most prolific sources of matrimonial difficulties, and how to remedy them;

What ladies should do who desire that their husbands should be amiable and kind;

What attentions are due to you as a lady.

Cautions against the failing of young ladies making themselves too cheap.

Tells what "woman" is formed to be.

Warns against indiscretions before marriage, and teaches that under all circumstance a lady will be looked to to resist any advances, and maintain her purity and virtue.

Tells what is the nature, naturally, of young women;

How a young woman should act when receiving the attentions of a young man;

How you will know when the young man whom you should marry presents himself to you;

What a man needs a wife for, and how to qualify yourself for the position;

About misunderstandings in early married life;

How a young mother feels towards her first-born.

Tells the good influence of virtuous love;

What young people should know before they become engaged.

Chapter four teaches about Love and Marriage; the attraction of the sexes for each other; what love is; what causes it; individual loves; fondness for cousins; different kinds of love; flirtation; the object of marriage; should marriage be for life.

Chapter five: When to Marry—How to Select a Partner on Right Principles.

Treats of the proper age to marry; which marriages are the most happy; which are the most productive of handsome children; how nature assists art in the choice of partners; the attributes of a handsome couple, etc.

Chapter six: Sexual Intercourse—Its Laws and Conditions—Its Use and Abuse.

There is an alarming and increasing prevalence of nervous ailments and complicated disorders that could be traced to have their sole origin in the ignorance, which is so universal, of the laws of these organs.

This chapter teaches all about sexual morality; how men and women should live; the law from the age of puberty to marriage; the law of marriage; what a man who truly loves a woman will do; a true union; how women are protected; the false and the true sense of duty; what is the most powerful restraint from evil.

The above is discussed in a chaste, simple, manner, and should be read by every lady. There is nothing impure in this book from beginning to end, but subjects in which women are woefully ignorant are discussed in a plain, moral manner to which no objection can be raised.

Chapter seven: Marriage.

What marriage is; how far back the marriage tie has existed; polygamy, what it is; monogamy, what it is; polyandry, and what it is; marriage customs; the basis of a happy marriage, etc.

Chapter eight: Pregnancy—Labor—Parturition.

Perhaps there is no more eventful period in the history of woman than that in which she first becomes conscious that the existence of another being is dependent upon her own, and that she carries about with her the first tiny rudiments of an immortal soul.

This chapter explains all the signs of pregnancy; the changes that take place in the face and neck; the suppression of the monthly flow; changes in the breast, etc.

Then it gives a sure test for the detection of pregnancy. It tells how a pregnant woman should live during the period of gestation.

Childbirth is not necessarily either painful or dangerous. It can be accomplished easily and safely and with comparatively no pain by following the directions given in "THE LADIES' BOOK OF USEFUL INFORMATION."

Numerous instances are known where ladies who had previously suffered with severe labor in childbirth have, by attending to the directions here given, been delivered of fine, healthy children with comparative ease.

No mother who has attended to the teaching here given but has blessed the knowledge of it, and it has saved many a young mother much needless terror.

It tells all about the ailments that almost always torment women during the trying time of pregnancy, making life itself seem a burden.

These troubles are: Morning Sickness, Toothache, Palpitation of the Heart, etc. It shows that there is no necessity for women suffering as they almost invariably do during this time; but that these troubles may be overcome by simple, safe remedies which are described in this book, and which may be safely taken by the patient.

It tells all about the medicine which is taken by the Indian women of North America during the period of gestation. It is well known that the women of these tribes suffer very little during childbirth, and it is almost all due to the effects of this wonderful medicine.

The recipe for this medicine, "Parturient Balm," was obtained from an Indian doctor, and is given in this book, together with instructions as to how it is to be taken.

This chapter alone is worth the price of the book to any lady. Every mother, and everyone who ever expects to become a mother, should carefully study the above chapter, as it may be the means of saving her much pain and suffering.

The same chapter explains all about a case of labor; the signs that show when labor has commenced; what to give to help the patient; the different kinds of pains; the length of time between the pains; the length of time the pains should last, etc.; the taking of the child from the mother; how to care for the child; the taking away of the afterbirth; what to do in case of flooding; how to relieve afterpains, etc.

It also explains what "Abortion" is; what causes abortion; what causes premature labor; the difference between the two; symptoms of threatened abortion, and how to prevent the same if possible; what to do for miscarriage, and to try and prevent it, etc.

The ninth chapter teaches all about: Menstruation—Change of Life—Falling of the Womb, etc. Tells the time of life at which the menses should appear.

Every mother should watch her young daughter as she nears this critical time. The health for many years to come depends to a great extent on how a girl passes this period. This chapter tells all the symptoms of the near approach of the monthly flow. It shows a mother how to care for her daughter, and to see that she has proper attention during this time.

It tells the age at which the periodical flow should commence; the symptoms of its approach; how a girl should be treated at this time; how to cure Chlorosis, or Green Sickness; how to relieve and cure painful and suppressed menstruation, etc.

If the instructions of this book are followed in cases like the above, it will save many young girls much needless suffering.

This chapter also treats on: Whites, or Flour Albus, and Falling of the Womb.

Many delicate women suffer great agony through these two distressing complaints. This chapter describes all the symptoms of these complaints, and gives simple, safe remedies for them. A lady can easily attend to herself and avoid exposure.

It also treats on Change of Life.

By the phrase "Change of Life," or "The Critical Period," we understand the final cessation or stoppage of the menses. This chapter explains all about this trying time, the symptoms of its appearance, and the ages at which it usually occurs.

With proper care this period may be safely passed, and a happy and comfortable old age be spent. All the dangers incident to this period are described, and how to successfully combat them.

Chapter ten: Collection of valuable Medical Compounds.

Any of the formulas in this chapter will be readily filled by your druggist. Each recipe will give an article which is the very best thing that can be used for the disease which it is recommended to cure.

The first is "Magic Kidney and Liver Restorer."

Most people are afflicted to some extent with Kidney and Liver trouble. This medicine is a sure cure.

Do you have: A frequent headache over the eyes; A susceptibility to chills and fever; A bitter or oily taste in the mouth; A sour stomach; A complexion inclined to be yellow; A great depression of spirits; Specks before the eyes, and flushed face; A done-out, tired feeling;

besides many other symptoms too numerous to mention? If you have, you are afflicted with Kidney and Liver complaint, and should use "Magic Kidney and Liver Restorer." This great remedy will do away with all these disagreeable symptoms, and will make you feel like a new person. It is a splendid spring medicine, cleansing the blood and purifying and toning up the system.

Another formula given is "Dyspeptic Ley."

This is a sure, certain cure for dyspepsia. It never fails.

The symptoms of dyspepsia are: Feeling of weight in the stomach; Bloated condition after eating; Belching of wind; Nausea; Vomiting of food; Water brash; Pain in the stomach; Heartburn; Bad taste in the mouth in the morning; Palpitation of the heart; Cankered mouth; loss of flesh; Fickle appetite; depression of spirits; Lack of energy; headache and constipation.

If you have any or all of the above symptoms, then you are afflicted with Dyspepsia, and should endeavor to obtain relief. "Dyspeptic Ley" is a certain cure. It is easily prepared, and should be taken by everyone who is afflicted with any of the above distressing symptoms.

The same chapter tells how to cure Ague, Intermittent Fever, Neuralgia, Sick Headache, Neuralgic Headache, Rheumatism, Dysentery, Epileptic Fits, Hysteria, Bleeding of the Lungs, Coughs, Bowel Complaint, Scrofula, Worms, Sore Eyes, Cholera, Piles, Warts, Corns, Deafness, Inverted Toe-nail, etc.

All these diseases are described, together with the best method of treating them.

Chapter eleven teaches how to Prepare Nourishment for the Sick Room. Very few people know how to prepare nourishment for the sick. This chapter teaches how to prepare a great number of nourishing dishes. Every lady should know how to prepare food for the sick, as at some time or other there is almost certain to be sickness in every family. There are over forty recipes given in this chapter for food for the sick and convalescent.

Chapter twelve describes things Curious and Useful.

It tells: How to get clear of mosquitoes; how to get rid of bedbugs; to obtain fresh-blown flowers in winter. By this process the buds of flowers can be gathered in summer and autumn and kept until the winter, when they can be used as required. The flowers open and are as beautiful as though fresh plucked from the garden. Any one can understand the process, as it is very simple.

Also: How to transfer all kinds of pictures on to glass—a very pretty art; how to prevent horses being teased by flies; how to prevent flies lighting on to windows, pictures, mirrors, etc.; to render paper fireproof; to render boots waterproof; how to extract the essential oil from any flower; how to take leaf photographs; to cure drunkenness; to make different kinds of perfumes; to write secret letters, etc.;

To prepare flowers so that their beauty will remain unimpaired for years. Roses and other flowers can be had to last for years by this beautiful art. The process is very easy, and the directions are so simple that a child may follow them.

Chapter thirteen treats of Home Decoration.

It teaches how to arrange a house so as to furnish it cheaply and harmoniously. It gives complete instructions for every room—Hall, Parlor, Library, Dining-room, Bedrooms, etc., and attends to every detail. This is a splendid guide to all who wish to make their home attractive.

Chapter fourteen teaches all about caring for House Plants. It tells the right temperature to keep them in; the proper soil for potting; how to make plants grow luxuriantly; how to have plenty of blossoms; to keep plants without a fire at night; to destroy bugs and rose-slugs; to raise plants with the least trouble; the best varieties of plants to raise, etc.

It tells how to preserve autumn leaves so that they can be bent in any form desired, and so that they will retain their color.

It tells how to prepare skeleton leaves—a very pretty amusement.

Chapter fifteen is devoted to The Laundry.

It tells: How to make washing fluid; to take out scorch; to make plain, fine, and coffee starch; to make enamel for shirt bosoms, so that any housekeeper can do them up as nicely as they do at the laundry; to clean velvets and ribbons; to take grease out of silks, woolens, paper, floors, etc.; to take out fruit stains; to take out iron rust and mildew; to wash woolen goods and blankets so that they will not shrink, etc.

The sixteenth chapter teaches how to do all kinds of Stamping.

In this chapter are given full instructions for wet and dry stamping; for making stamping powder; how to mix white paint for dark goods, and dark paint for light goods; it tells how to prepare all the necessary articles for stamping; how to prepare transfer paper; how to transfer any pattern you may see; how to make a distributor; how to enlarge designs; how to prepare all kinds of stamping powder; how to do French indelible stamping; what kind of a brush to use; and how to care for patterns. If the directions here given are followed the stamping will always be satisfactory.

Chapter seventeen teaches how to do Bronze Work.

Bronzing is the latest improvement in wax work, and if properly made cannot be detected from the most expensive, artistic bronze. It is used for table, mantel and bracket ornaments, and may be exposed to dust and air without sustaining the slightest injury. It can be dusted like any piece of furniture, and makes a very desirable, inexpensive ornament. The colors it is made in are Gold, Silver, Copper, Fire, and Green Bronze. Among the articles described are a vase in bronze, a motto in bronze, a floral basket in bronze, animals and birds in bronze, statuary in bronze, flowers and leaves in bronze.

The art of making each of the above articles is carefully described so that any one can follow the directions.

The art of Decalcomania is also taught in this chapter. This is used upon almost everything for which ornamentation is required, such as Crockery, China, Porcelain, Vases, Glass, Bookcases, Folios, Boxes, Lap desks, Ribbons, etc. It is a very pretty art, and is much admired.

Chapter eighteen gives twelve recipes for articles needed in every household. It will tell you how to save a large percentage of household expenses, and also how to have a great many of the articles you use in your daily housework of a superior quality, vastly better than the ones you are using at the present time.

It is a fact not generally known, that a great many of the articles used in daily household work cost little more than one-tenth of the price the consumer pays. We purpose to show the readers of this book how to have, in most instances, better articles than those they buy, for a small percentage of the cost. To do this, we have, by our own personal investigation, gathered a number of valuable recipes together, and have paid for the privilege of using them.

We give in "The Ladies' Book of Useful Information" twelve recipes which have never before been published, and which, if you once possess, you will never wish to be without, as they are truly valuable secrets.

The list is as follows: Healing salve; Magnetic croup cure; Worm elixir; Brilliant self-shining stove polish; Wonderful starch enamel; Royal washing powder; Magic annihilator; I X L baking powder; Electric powder; French polish or dressing for leather; Artificial honey.

It also contains a list of all the poisons and their antidotes. It describes the symptoms of poisoning and how to proceed in each case.



CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Teaches all about Personal Beauty. Every woman desires to be beautiful, and every woman may enhance her charms and be lovely by following the directions of this book. Few persons know how to improve their natural looks so as to captivate, charm, and win the admiration of those whom they meet. This book tells this wonderful secret—all the ancients ever knew, and all that has been discovered since. It teaches how to wonderfully improve the person in loveliness. The real secret of changing an ordinary looking person into one of great beauty makes this book of great value. Nature does something for us, but art must make the perfect man or woman. If you desire bright, melting eyes; a clear, soft, rosy-tinted complexion; beautiful hands; and graceful figure, well-developed and perfect, use the knowledge which you will find in this book.

It teaches how to conceal the evidence of age; how to make the most stubbornly red and rough hands beautifully soft and white. Remember that "The Ladies' Book of Useful Information" does not teach the use of paint and powder, which is injurious to the skin, but how to make the cheek glow with health, and the neck, arms, and hands to rival the lily in whiteness. It teaches how to cure Greasy Skin, Freckles, Wrinkles, Pimples, Blackheads, Crow's-feet, Blotches, Face Grubs, Tan, Sunburn, Chapped Hands, Sore Lips, etc. It teaches how to cure and prevent redness and roughness, and to make the skin soft, smooth, white and delicate, producing a perfectly healthy and natural appearance. It teaches how to cure and refine a coarse skin, so that it will be clear and white.

It teaches how to have soft, white and attractive hands, even though compelled to do housework. Every lady desires to have nice hands, and all may do so by following the directions of this chapter.

It teaches how to care for the hair so as to improve the growth and to have a beautiful and luxuriant head of hair; how to keep the skin of the scalp healthy; to cure dandruff; to prevent the hair falling, and to have it of a nice color.

It teaches how to have clear and brilliant eyes, with beautiful, long, drooping lashes. Also, how to cure sore and weak eyes.

It teaches how to care for the teeth so as to have them white and sound, telling how to treat those that are decayed, and how to prevent the decay of sound ones.

It teaches how to have beautiful ripe red lips, and how to cure sore and chapped lips.

It teaches how to cure Warts, Corns, Bruises, Sprains, Cold Feet, Bad Breath, etc.

The following formulas for Toilet Preparations are all given in this book. They are vastly superior to the much-advertised cosmetics which flood the market. Your druggist will fill any of these recipes for a very small sum, and you will always have a superior article. Each of these preparations will do exactly what is claimed for it.

The following is a list of what is given in the first chapter: Lotion to remove freckles and tan; To expel freckles; Cleopatra's Freckle Balm; Lemon Cream, for sunburn and freckles; Wash to prevent sunburn; Grape lotion, for sunburn; Pate Axerasive of Bozin, to soften and whiten the skin; To remove red pimples; To remove black specks or flesh-grubs; Preparation for whitening the face and neck (bleaches and whitens the skin); To cure profuse perspiration; Cleopatra's Enamel for whitening the hands and arms; To cure freckles, and parched, rough skin; To purify the breath; To bleach and purify the skin of the face and neck; To permanently remove black specks or flesh-worms; French face-wash (purifies and brightens the complexion); To remove pimples; Kalydor for the complexion—for pimples, freckle-tanned skin, or scurf on the skin; To improve the skin; Wash a la Marie Antoinette (gives a beautiful brilliancy to the complexion); Liquid Rouge (harmless), a perfect imitation of nature; Milk of Roses, a cosmetic; Circassian Cream; Toilet Vinegar; Bloom Rose; Certain cure for eruptions, pimples, etc.; To clear the complexion and reduce the size of the face; To cure and refine a stippled or blotched skin; To cure and prevent wrinkles; Wash for wrinkles; To remove wrinkles; How to have brilliant, beautiful eyes; To cure weak eyes; To improve the eyelashes; To cure weakness of eyes; How to have beautiful eyelashes; To cure watery and inflamed eyes; To strengthen the sight; What to do for nearsightedness; How to have a beautiful mouth and lips; To make lip salve; French lip salve; German lip salve; To care for the teeth; To cure toothache; Premium tooth powder; Feuchtwanger's tooth paste; Fine tooth powder; Rye tooth powder; To cure foul breath; To have white and beautiful teeth; For decayed teeth; To remove yellow color from teeth; Camphor paste; Powerfully cleansing dentifrice; Infallible cure for toothache; Mixture for decayed teeth; To whiten and beautify the teeth.

How to have soft, white and beautiful hands; How to care for the hands; Bleaching lotion for the hands (renders them beautifully white); To remove stains from hands; To make the hands white and delicate; Remedy for chapped hands; To whiten coarse and dark-skinned hands; To cure red hands; Almond paste for the hands; To care for the nails.

To cause the skin to become satin-smooth and to smell like violets.

To cause those who have lost the bloom and fairness of early youth to regain them.

How to care for the hair; How often to wash the hair; To improve the growth and luxuriance of the hair; To make the hair glossy; To impart curliness or waviness to the hair when it is naturally straight; On changing the color of the hair; To have elegant hair; Wild Rose curling fluid; To cause the hair to grow very thick; Lola Montez hair coloring; Hair Restorative; For bald heads; Excellent hair wash; To cure baldness; Stimulants for the hair; The golden hair secret; For keeping the hair crimped or curled in summer; To bleach the hair; For improving the hair; Pomade for preserving the hair; To make the hair grow and to prevent it from falling; To make the hair grow quick; Wash for scald heads, etc.

Powders and their use: Boston Burnet powder for the face; Queen Bess complexion wash.

CHAPTER II.

Treats of miscellaneous matters: The human temperaments—How many there are—What they are; How to tell to which temperament you belong.

The fortunate and unfortunate days of the month; Days of the week, and their importance at the natal hour.

Important advice to females.

To know whom you will marry.

The signs of a good genius.

Electrical Psychology, or Psychological Fascination.

Mesmerism.

How to make persons at a distance think of you.

How to win the love of the person whom you love.

CHAPTER III.

A special chapter for young women: On marriage; What young women look forward to; What it is best to do when a prospect of marrying occurs; What a husband looks for; What marriage affords; On making yourself cheap; How to protect yourself; About courtship; Care of your character; How easily men are led astray, and how cautious you should be; What state of life is most honorable; Important points for your consideration; To make a husband happy; Nature of young women; On attracting the attention of young men; Young man's part; Young woman's part; Parents' wishes; How young men act in female company; Modesty; Courtship; On near relations marrying; On dress; What men need wives for; A mother's pleasure at the birth of her first child; How differently girls and boys are constituted; What young people should study before they become engaged.

CHAPTER IV.

Love and marriage; The attraction of the sexes for each other; What love is; What causes love; Individual loves; Fondness for cousins; Different kinds of love; Flirtation; Monogamy; Polygamy; The special object of marriage; Should marriage be for life.

CHAPTER V.

When to marry; How to select a partner on right principles; Very early marriages; The best age to marry; When marriages are most happy; The attributes of a handsome couple.

CHAPTER VI.

Sexual Intercourse—Its laws and conditions—Its use and abuse: A prevalent error; The law of sexual morality; What men expect; How men and women should live; Age of puberty to marriage; The law of marriage; What a man who truly loves a woman will do; A true union; Seduction; How women are protected; The false and the true sense of duty. What is the most powerful restraint from evil.

CHAPTER VII.

Marriage: What marriage is; How far back the marriage tie has existed; Polygamy—What it is; Monogamy—What it is; Polyandry—What it is; Marriage customs; The basis of a happy marriage.

CHAPTER VIII.

Pregnancy—Labor—Parturition: The signs of pregnancy; The changes that take place in the appearance; How soon after conception these changes take place; The period of gestation; Changes in the breasts; What causes labor; How labor may be rendered safe and easy; What the diet should consist of; The period of quickening; How to relieve the toothache, cramping of the legs, palpitation of the heart, morning sickness, etc., with which pregnant women are liable to be troubled; Sure test for the detection of pregnancy; Parturient Balm, a very important medicine; Abortion; Premature labor; The cause of abortion; Symptoms of threatened abortion; What to do for a threatened abortion; What to do for miscarriage; To prevent miscarriage.

CHAPTER IX.

Menstruation: The time of life at which it should appear; Signs of approaching puberty; Duty of mothers; Delayed and obstructed menstruation—What to do for it; Chlorosis, or green sickness—What to do for it—What it is caused by; Too profuse menstruation—How to treat it; Painful menstruation, or menstrual colic—How to treat it; Amenorrhoea, or suppressed menstruation—What causes this, and how to treat it.

Cessation of the menses, or change of life: Very important advice is given as to the way in which the patient should treat herself, which, if followed, will be of great benefit.

Falling of the Womb: What causes it, and how the patient should be treated.

Leucorrhoea—Whites—Flour Albus: What this disease is; What causes it; How to relieve and cure it.

CHAPTER X.

Collection of valuable Medical Compounds: Magic kidney and liver restorer; Hop bitters; Alterative or liver powders; Anti-dyspeptic pills; Dyspeptic ley (sure cure for dyspepsia); Ague pills; Certain remedy for ague or intermittent fever; Fever powders; Ague drops; Pills for neuralgia; Sick headache pills; Anodyne headache pills; Rheumatic pills; Pills for dysentery; Epileptic pills; Pills for asthma; Hysteric pills; Pills for neuralgia; Cure for bleeding of the lungs; Cure for consumption; Cough syrup; Soothing cough mixture; Expectorant tincture; Sure remedy for bowel complaints; Cordial for summer complaint; Scrofulous syrup; Eyewater; Tincture for rheumatism; Worm elixir; Dr. Jordan's cholera remedy; Pile ointment (sure cure); To cure warts and corns; Cure for deafness; Cure for inverted toe-nail.

CHAPTER XI.

Things for the Sick Room. Tells how to prepare the following articles for the sick and convalescent: Barley water; Sage tea; Refreshing drink for fevers; Arrowroot jelly; Irish moss jelly; Isinglass jelly; Tapioca jelly; Toast; Rice; Bread jelly; Rice gruel; Water gruel; Arrowroot gruel; Beef liquid; Beef tea; Panado; French milk porridge; Coffee milk; Drink for dysentery; Crust coffee; Cranberry water; Wine whey; Mustard whey; Chicken broth; Calves'-foot jelly; Slippery elm jelly; Nutritive fluids; Gum acacia restorative; Soups for the convalescent; Eggs; Milk for infants; Water gruel.

CHAPTER XII.

Things Curious and Useful: To get clear of mosquitoes; To get rid of bedbugs; To obtain fresh-blown flowers in winter; To increase the laying of eggs in hens; The art of transferring on to glass; To prevent horses being teased by flies; To prevent flies lighting on windows, pictures, mirrors, etc.; To make leather wear forever; To prepare waterproof boots; To render paper fireproof; To cure drunkenness; To cure laziness; To take leaf photographs; To make lamp wicks indestructible; To make different kinds of perfumes; To write secret letters; To preserve flowers.

CHAPTER XIII.

Home Decoration: On furnishing a house; How to furnish the Parlor, Library, Dining-room, Hall, Chambers, and Kitchen; Telling the proper way of arranging each room tastefully and economically.

CHAPTER XIV.

How to Care for House Plants: How to succeed with plants; A good collection of plants; To kill the spider; To start slips; To keep plants without a fire at night; To kill rose-slugs; On watering plants.

To prepare autumn leaves and ferns; To prepare skeleton leaves; Pretty hanging baskets.

CHAPTER XV.

The Laundry: To make washing fluid; Gall soap; For washing woolens and fine prints; To take out scorch; To make bluing; To make coffee starch; To make flour starch; To make fine starch; Enamel for shirt bosoms; To clean articles made of white zephyr; To clean velvet; To clean ribbons; To take out paint; To remove ink stain; To take out fruit stains; To remove iron rust; To take out mildew; To wash flannels in tepid water.

CHAPTER XVI.

How to do your own Stamping and make your own Patterns: The articles needed for stamping; To make perforated patterns; To enlarge designs; To stamp; To make blue powder; To do French indelible stamping; To make paint for stamping; The proper brush to use; To make a distributor; To care for patterns.

CHAPTER XVII.

Bronze Work: What bronze work is; The articles required for doing bronze work; The art of making a vase in bronze; A motto; A floral basket; Copper bronze statuary; The art of making exotic leaves; To make leaves and flowers, etc.; Decalcomania—The uses to which it may be put.

CHAPTER XVIII.

A chapter of useful things to know. How to prepare: Healing salve; Magnetic croup cure; Worm elixir; Brilliant self-shining stove polish; Wonderful starch enamel; Royal washing powder; Magic annihilator; I X L baking powder; Electric powder; French polish, or dressing for leather; Artificial honey. Table of poisons and their antidotes.



THE LADIES' BOOK OF USEFUL INFORMATION.



CHAPTER I.

PERSONAL BEAUTY.

Treating of the Care of the Skin, Hair, Teeth, and Eyes, so as to have each arrive at the highest degree of beauty of which each is capable.

A great object of importance, of care to every lady, is the care of her complexion. There is nothing more pleasing to the eye than a delicate, smooth skin; and besides being pleasing to the eye, is an evidence of health, and gives additional grace to the most regular features. The choice of soaps has considerable influence in promoting and maintaining this desideratum. These should invariably be selected of the finest kinds, and used sparingly, and never with cold water, for the alkali which, more or less, mingles in the composition of all soaps has an undoubted tendency to irritate a delicate skin; warm water excites a gentle perspiration, thereby assisting the skin to throw off those natural secretions which, if allowed to remain, are likely to accumulate below the skin and produce roughness, pimples, and even eruptions of an obstinate and unpleasant character. Those soaps which ensure a moderate fairness and flexibility of the skin are the most desirable for regular use.

Pomades, when properly prepared, contribute in an especial manner to preserve the softness and elasticity of the skin, their effect being of an emollient and congenial nature; and, moreover, they can be applied on retiring to rest, when their effects are not liable to be disturbed by the action of the atmosphere, muscular exertions or nervous influences.

The use of paints has been very correctly characterized as "a species of corporeal hypocrisy as subversive of delicacy of mind as it is of the natural complexion," and has been, of late years, discarded at the toilette of every lady.

The use of cosmetics has been common in all ages and in every land. Scripture itself records the painting of Jezebel; and Ezekiel, the prophet, speaks of the eye-painting common among the women; and Jeremiah, of rending the face with painting—a most expressive term for the destruction of beauty by such means. For the surest destroyers of real beauty are its simulators. The usurper destroys the rightful sovereign.

That paint can ever deceive people, or really add beauty for more than the duration of an acted charade or play, when "distance lends enchantment to the view," is a delusion; but it is one into which women of all times and nations have fallen—from the painted Indian squaw to the rouged and powdered denizen of London or Paris.

Milk was the favorite cosmetic of the ladies of ancient Rome. They applied plasters of bread and ass's milk to their faces at night, and washed them off with milk in the morning.

As a cosmetic, milk would be harmless, but we doubt its power of improving the skin. As a beverage, no doubt, it whitens the complexion more than any other food.

But before we speak of improving the complexion, it will be well to explain to our readers the nature and properties of the skin.

This is what an American physician has recently told us about it:—

THE SKIN—ITS BEAUTY, USES, CONSTRUCTION, MANAGEMENT, ETC.

Every person knows what the skin is, its external appearance, and its general properties; but there are many of my readers who may not be aware of its peculiar and wonderful construction, its compound character, and its manifold uses. It not merely acts as an organ of sense, and a protection to the surface of the body, but it clothes it, as it were, in a garment of the most delicate texture and of the most surpassing loveliness. In perfect health it is gifted with exquisite sensibility, and while it possesses the softness of velvet, and exhibits the delicate hues of the lily, the carnation, and the rose, it is nevertheless gifted with extraordinary strength and power of resisting external injury, and is not only capable of repairing, but of actually renewing itself. Though unprotected with hair, wool or fur, or with feathers or scales, as with the brute creation, the human skin is furnished with innumerable nerves, which endow it with extreme susceptibility to all the various changes of climate and of weather, and prompt the mind to provide suitable materials, in the shape of clothing, to shield it under all the circumstances in which it can be placed.

The importance of the due exposure of the body to daylight or sunlight cannot be too strongly insisted on. Light and warmth are powerful agents in the economy of our being. The former especially is an operative agent on which health, vigor, and even beauty itself, depend. Withdraw the light of the sun from the organic world, and all its various beings and objects would languish and gradually lose those charms which are now their characteristics. In its absence, the carnation tint leaves the cheek of beauty, the cherry hue of the lips changes to a leaden-purple, the eyes become glassy and expressionless, and the complexion assumes an unnatural, cadaverous appearance that speaks of sickness, night and death. So powerful is daylight, so necessary to our well-being, that even its partial exclusion, or its insufficient admission to our apartments, soon tells its tale in the feeble health, the liability to the attacks of disease, and the pallid features (vacant and sunken, or flabby, pendent and uninviting) of their inmates. Even the aspect of the rooms in which we pass most of our time, and the number and extent of their windows, is perceptible, by the trained eye, in the complexion and features of those that occupy them. So in the vegetable world—the bright and endlessly varied hues of flowers, and their sweet perfumes—even their very production—depend on sunlight. In obscure light plants grow lanky and become pale and feeble. They seldom produce flowers, and uniformly fail to ripen their seeds. In even partial darkness the green hue of their foliage gradually pales and disappears, and new growths, when they appear, are blanched or colorless.

The best method of keeping the skin clean and healthy, by ablution and baths, may here be alluded to. The use of these, and the washing of the skin that forms part of the daily duties of the toilet, appear to be very simple matters, but writers on the subject differ in opinion as to the methods to be followed to render them perfect cleansers of the skin. Some of them regard the use of soap and water applied in the form of lather with the hands, and afterwards thoroughly removed from the skin by copious affusions, rinsing or sluicing with water, or immersion in it, as the best method. This is probably the case when the skin is not materially dirty, or its pores or surface obstructed or loaded with the residual solid matter of the perspiration or its own unctuous exudation and exuviae. To remove these completely and readily, something more than simple friction with the smooth hand is generally required. In such cases the use of a piece of flannel or serge, doubled and spread across the hand, or of a mitten of the same material, will be most ready and effective. Friction with this—first with soap, and afterwards with water to wash the soap off—will be found to cleanse the skin more thoroughly and quickly than any other method, and, by removing the worn-out portion of its surface, to impart to it a healthy glow and hue that is most refreshing and agreeable. This effect will be increased by wiping and rubbing the surface thoroughly dry with a coarse and moderately rough, but not a stiff, towel, instead of with the fine, smooth diapers which are now so commonly employed. At the bath, the fleshbrush usually provided there will supersede the necessity of using the flannel.

The small black spots and marks frequently observed on the skin in hot weather, particularly on the face, generally arise from the accumulation of the indurated solid matter of the perspiration in its pores. When they assume the form of small pimples (acne punctata), and often when otherwise, they may be removed by strong pressure between the fingers, or between the nails of the opposite fingers, followed by the use of hot, soapy water.

The subsequent daily application of a weak solution of bichloride of mercury—as in the form commonly known as Gowland's lotion—or of sulphate of zinc, will completely remove the swelling, and generally prevent their re-formation.

Eruptions are too well known to need any lengthy description here. They are usually classified, by writers on the subject, into: animalcular eruptions, or those due to the presence of animalcula (minute acari) in the scarfskin, which occasion much irritation, and of which the itch furnishes a well-marked example; papular eruptions, or dry pimples; pustular eruptions, or mattery pimples, of which some forms are popularly known as crusted tetters; scaly eruptions, or dry tetters; and vesicular eruptions, or watery pimples.

The treatment of all of the above, except the first, in simple cases, where there is not much constitutional disarrangement, consists mainly in attention to the general principles of health, cleanliness, exercise, food, ventilation, and clothing. Occasional doses of mild saline aperients (Epsom salts, cream of tartar, or phosphate of soda, or of sulphur combined with cream of tartar) should be taken, and warm or tepid bathing, preferably in sea-water, or, if not convenient, rain water, frequently had recourse to. Stimulants of all kinds should be avoided, and the red meats, ripe fruits, and the antiscorbutic vegetables should form a considerable portion of the diet. Lemonade, made by squeezing the juice of a lemon into a half-pint tumbler full of water, and sweetening with a little sugar, should be frequently and liberally taken as one of the best beverages in such cases. To relieve the itching and irritation (except in the pustular, crusted, and vesicular varieties), brisk friction with a fleshbrush or a fleshglove may be employed. The parts should also be wetted with an appropriate lotion after each friction or bath, or the use of soap and water.

In all the scaly eruptions, iodide of potassium internally, and ioduretted or sulphuretted lotions or baths are invaluable. In many of them of a malignant or obstinate character, as Lepra Psoriasis, Lupus, etc., small doses of solution of arsenite of potassa (liquor arsenicalis; the dose, from 3 to 5 drops, gradually and cautiously increased to 7 to 9 drops, twice a day, after a meal) prove highly serviceable. In the forms of psoriasis popularly called baker's itch, grocer's itch, and washer-woman's itch, the application of ointment of nitrate of mercury, diluted with ten or twelve times its weight of lard, has been highly recommended. A course of sarsaparilla is also in most cases advantageous.

The small, hard, distinct pimples—"acne, or acne simplex" of medical writers—that occur on the forehead, and occasionally on the temples and chin, generally yield to stimulating lotions, consisting of equal parts of strong vinegar, or spirit, and water, or to weak lotions of sulphate of zinc, assisted by occasional doses of cooling laxatives, as the salines, or a mixture of sulphur or cream of tartar.

Freckles, or the round or oval-shaped yellowish or brownish-yellow spots, resembling stains, common on the face and the backs of the hands of persons with a fair and delicate skin who are much exposed to the direct rays of the sun in hot weather, are of little importance in themselves, and have nothing to do with the general health. Ladies who desire to remove them may have recourse to the frequent application of dilute spirit, or lemon juice, or a lotion formed by adding acetic, hydrochloric, nitric, or sulphuric acid, or liquor of potassa, to water, until it is just strong enough to slightly prick the tongue. One part of good Jamaica rum to two parts of lemon juice or weak vinegar is a good form of lotion for the purpose. The effect of all these lotions is increased by the addition of a little glycerine.

The preceding are also occasionally called "common freckles," "summer freckles," and "sun freckles." In some cases they are very persistent, and resist all attempts to remove them while the exposure that produces them is continued. Their appearance may be prevented by the greater use of the veil, parasol or sunshade, or avoidance of exposure to the sun during the heat of the day.

Another variety, popularly known as cold freckles, occur at all seasons of the year, and usually depend on disordered health or some disturbance of the natural functions of the skin. Here the only external application that proves useful is the solution of bichloride of mercury and glycerine, or Gowland's lotion.

The Itch—"psora" and "scabies," of medical authors; the "gale" of the French,—already referred to, in its common forms is an eruption of minute vesicles, generally containing animalcula (acari), and of which the principal seats are between the fingers, bend of the wrist, etc. It is, accompanied by intense itching of the parts affected, which is only aggravated by scratching. The usual treatment is with sulphur ointment (simple or compound) well rubbed in once or twice a day; a spoonful (more or less) of flowers of sulphur, mixed with treacle or milk, being taken at the same time, night and morning. Where the external use of sulphur is objectionable, on account of its smell, a sulphuretten bath or lotion, or one of chloride of lime, may be used instead. In all cases extreme cleanliness, with the free use of soap and water, must be strictly adhered to.

The small, soft discolorations and excrescences of the skin, popularly called moles, may be removed by touching them every second or third day with strong acetic or nitric acid, or with lunar caustic. If covered with hair they should be shaved first.

Extreme paleness of the skin, when not symptomatic of any primary disease, generally arises from debility, or from the languid circulation of the blood at the surface of the body; often, also, from insufficient or improper food, want of outdoor exercise, and the like. The main treatment is evident. Warm baths, friction, and stimulating lotions and cosmetics may be here employed, together with a course of some mild chalbeate (as the lactate, protophosphate, or ammonia-citrate of iron) and hypophosphate of soda.

Roughness and Coarseness of the skin, when not depending on any particular disease, may be removed or greatly lessened by daily friction with mild unguents or oil, or by moistening the parts, night and morning, with a weak solution of bichloride of mercury containing a little glycerine.

Rashes and redness of the skin, of a common character, often arise from very trifling causes, among which indigestion, suppressed perspiration, irritation, and the like, are the most frequent. Nettle rash or urticaria, so called from the appearance and tingling sensations resembling those caused by the sting of nettles, in some people, is very apt to follow the use of indigestible and unwholesome food. It is usually of short duration and recurrent. The treatment consists in the administration of mild saline aperients, and, in severe cases, of an emetic, particularly when the stomach is still loaded with indigestible matter. These should be followed by copious use of lemonade made from the fresh expressed juice. The patient should be lightly but warmly clothed during the attack, and exposure to the cold, or to draughts of cold air, should be carefully avoided. The further treatment may be similar to that noticed under "eruptions." To prevent the recurrence of the attack, the objectionable articles of food, and any other known exciting causes, must be avoided. Red rash, red blotch, or fiery spot, a common consequence of disordered health, a sudden fit of dyspepsia, and, in females, of tight lacing, and rose rash, false measles, or roseola, having commonly a similar origin to the preceding, for the most part require the same treatment.

Scurf—"furfur or furfura"—is a formation depending on the natural and healthy exfoliation of the skin on every part of the body on which hair or down grows, but most extensive and observable on the scalp, on account of the abundance and darker color of the hair there. Scurfiness, or excessive scurfiness, is the result of morbid action, and may be treated by the frequent use of the fleshbrush or hairbrush, ablution with soap and water, and the use of mild stimulating, astringent, or detergent lotions.

Scurvy—"scorbutus" of medical writers—is a disease which, even in its incipient and early stages, when its presence is often unsuspected, is most injurious to the skin and complexion. It usually commences with unnatural sallowness, debility, and low spirits. As it proceeds, the gums become sore, spongy, and apt to bleed on the slightest pressure or friction; the teeth loosen, and the breath acquires a foetid odor; the legs swell, eruptions appear on different parts of the body, and at length the patient sinks under general emaciation, diarrhoea, and hemorrhages. Its chief cause is improper food, or, rather, the absence or insufficient supply of fresh meat and vegetables in the diet; to which cold, humidity, want of exercise and fresh air may be added as secondary ones. Hence its frequent, fatal visitations formerly on shipboard, and its still occasional occurrence in ill-victualled ships during long voyages. The treatment mainly consists in adopting a liberal diet of fresh animal food and green vegetables, with ripe food and an ample allowance of mild ale or beer, or lemonade made from the fresh expressed juice, as beverages. In serious cases, tonics, as quinine and steel, should also be administered.

Wrinkles and looseness of the skin depend chiefly on the attenuation of the cutis or true skin and the reduction in the bulk of the underlying surfacial portions of the body. They cannot be regarded as a disease of the skin; but are the result of long continued bad health, anxiety and study, and of general emaciation and old age. Cleanliness, nutritious food, vigorous outdoor exercise, agreeable occupation of the mind, and an equable and happy temper, retard their formation. Whatever tends to promote the general health and to increase the bulk of the body, and particularly the disposition of fat in the cellular tissues, also tends to remove them and to increase the smoothness and beauty of the skin. The free and frequent use of warm water and soap, followed by the daily use of mild, stimulating, cosmetic lotions or fomentations, or friction with warm oil of a like character, and cod-liver oil internally, is all that art can do for the purpose.

Excoriations, in popular language, are those cases of soreness produced by chafing under the arms, behind the ears, and in the wrinkles and folds of the skin generally. They occur chiefly in infancy, and in stout persons with a delicate skin, who perspire excessively. Extreme cleanliness, and carefully wiping the parts dry after washing, with the subsequent use of a little violet powder, or finely powdered starch, or French chalk scraped or grated very fine, dusted over the parts once or twice a day, will generally remove them and prevent their recurrence.

WASHES FOR THE FACE.

We do not approve of face washes, but as some ladies will use them, we recommend the following as harmless: Dampen with glycerine tempered with rose-water, then powder with the finest magnesia. It imparts a charming whiteness.

Less harmless, but more frequently used, is to procure five cents' worth of bismuth, of flake white, and of powdered chalk; mix with five cents' worth of rose-water. Great care must be taken to wash off this preparation before retiring to rest, as the bismuth is of a hurtful nature.

To Remove Freckles.—Freckles are of two kinds: Those occasioned by exposure to the sunshine, and consequently evanescent, are denominated "summer freckles"; those which are constitutional and permanent are called "cold freckles." With regard to the latter, it is impossible to give any advice which will be of value. They result from causes not to be affected by mere external applications. Summer freckles are not difficult to deal with, and with a little care the skin may be kept free from this cause of disfigurement by using either of the following lotions:—

First: Scrape horse-radish into a cup of sour milk, let it stand twelve hours, strain, and apply two or three times a day.

Second: Into half a pint of milk squeeze the juice of a lemon, with a spoonful of brandy, and boil, skimming well; add a dram of rock alum. Apply freely.

Magic Lotion for Removing Freckles.—Dissolve three grains of borax in five drams each of rose-water and orange-flower water. A splendid and harmless remedy is equal parts of pure glycerine and rose-water, applied every night and allowed to dry on the skin.

To Remove Freckles and Tan.—Tincture of benzoin, one pint; tincture of tolu, one-half pint; oil rosemary, one-half ounce. Put one teaspoonful of the above mixture in one-quarter pint of water, and then with a towel thoroughly bathe the face. Do this every night and morning.

To Expel Freckles.—Finely powdered nitre is excellent. Apply it to the face with the finger moistened with water and dipped in the powder.

Cleopatra's Freckle Balm.—A splendid article. Venice soap, one ounce; lemon juice, half ounce; oil of bitter almonds, quarter ounce; deliquidated oil of tartar, quarter ounce; oil of rhodium, three drops. Dissolve the soap in the lemon juice, then add the two oils, and put the whole in the sun till it acquires the consistency of ointment, and then add the oil rhodium. Anoint the freckly face at night with this balm, and wash in the morning with pure water.

Lemon Cream for Sunburn and Freckles.—Put two spoonfuls of sweet cream into half a pint of new milk, squeeze into it the juice of a lemon, add half a glass of genuine French brandy, a little alum and loaf sugar; boil the whole, skim it well, and when cool it is fit for use.

Wash to Prevent Sunburn.—Take two drams of borax, one dram of Roman alum, one dram of camphor, half an ounce of sugar candy, one pound of ox-gall. Mix and stir well together, and repeat the stirring three or four times a day until it becomes transparent; then strain it through filtering or blotting paper, and it will be fit for use. Wash the face with the mixture before you go into the sun.

Grape Lotion for Sunburn.—Dip a bunch of green grapes in a basin of water; sprinkle it with powdered alum and salt mixed; wrap the grapes in paper, and bake them under hot ashes; then express the juice, and wash the face with the liquid, which will remove either freckles, tan or sunburn.

To Soften and Whiten the Skin—Pate Axerasive of Bozin.—This celebrated perfume has the distinction of being highly commended by the French Royal Academy of Medicine. It is better for toilet use than soaps, which contain alkali.

Take powder of bitter almonds, eight ounces; oil of the same, twelve ounces; savon vert of the perfumes, eight ounces; spermaceti, four ounces; soap powder, four ounces; cinnabar, two drams; essence of rose, one dram. Melt the soap and spermaceti with the oil in a bath water; add the powder, and mix the whole in a marble mortar. It forms a paste which softens and whitens the skin better than any soap.

To Remove Red Pimples.—Sulphur water, one ounce; acetated liquor of ammonia, quarter ounce; liquor of potassa, one grain; white wine vinegar, two ounces; distilled water, two ounces.

To Remove Black Specks or Flesh-worms.—Squeeze them by pressing the skin, and then wash with warm water and rub well with a towel. Then apply the following lotion: Liquor of potassa, one ounce; cologne, two ounces.

Preparation for Whitening the Face and Neck.—For bleaching and purifying the skin of the face and neck, making them beautifully smooth and white: Terebinth of Mecca, three grains; oil of sweet almonds, four ounces; spermaceti, two drams; flour of zinc, one dram; white wax, two drams; rose-water, six drams. Mix in a bath water, and melt together. After washing, before retiring (use water as hot as can be borne), anoint the face and neck freely with this preparation.

To Cure Profuse Perspiration.—Bathe the hands, feet, and parts of the body where the perspiration is greatest, with a cold infusion of rosemary and sage, and afterwards dust the stockings and under-garments with a mixture of two drams of camphor, four ounces of orris root, and sixteen ounces of starch, the whole reduced to a fine powder. Put the mixture in a coarse muslin bag, and shake it over the clothes.

Cleopatra's Enamel for Whitening the Hands and Arms.—One ounce of myrrh, four ounces of honey, two ounces of yellow wax, six ounces of rose-water. Mix well together the wax, honey and rose-water in a dish held over boiling water, and add the myrrh while hot. Rub this thickly over the skin before going to bed.

To Cure Freckles and Parched or Rough Skin.—Take one ounce of sweet almonds, or of pistachia nuts, half a pint of elder or rose-water, and one ounce of pure glycerine; grate the nuts and put the powder in a little linen or cotton bag, and squeeze it for several minutes in the rose-water; then add the glycerine and a little perfume. Use it by wetting the face two or three times a day. This is a grateful application for a parched, rough skin, and is good for the removal of freckles. It should be allowed to dry thoroughly. When it feels pasty or sticky it may be washed off with a little warm water without soap.

TO PURIFY THE BREATH.

There is nothing more disagreeable to people with whom we associate than for them to be able to detect a bad odor from our breath when in their company. Yet a great many are afflicted in this way. The following will purify and sweeten the breath: Chlorate of lime, seven drams; vanilla sugar, three drams; gumeratic, five drams. Mix well with warm water to a stiff paste, and cut into lozenges. Take a lozenge occasionally.

TO BLEACH AND PURIFY THE SKIN OF THE FACE AND NECK.

A celebrated physician gives the following as a good skin bleacher and purifier: Half a pint of skim milk; slice into it as much cucumber as it will cover, and let it stand an hour; then bathe the face, neck, and hands. Wash them off with clean soft water when the cucumber extract is dry. If the skin is rough from exposure to the wind, an application of buttermilk at night, washed off with fine carbolic soap in the morning, will make the skin smooth and natural.

To Permanently Remove Black Specks or "Flesh-worms."—Sometimes little black specks appear about the base of the nose, or on the forehead, or in the hollow of the chin, which are called flesh-worms, and are occasioned by coagulated lymph that obstructs the pores of the skin. They may be squeezed out by pressing the skin, and ignorant people suppose them to be little worms. They are permanently removed by washing with very warm water, and severe friction with a towel and then applying a little of the following preparation: Liquor of potassa, one ounce; cologne, two ounces; white brandy, four ounces.

French Face Wash Purifies and Brightens the Complexion.—Take equal parts of the seeds of the melon, pumpkin, gourd, and cucumber, pounded till they are reduced to powder; add to it sufficient fresh cream to dilute the flour, and then add milk enough to reduce the whole to a thick paste. Add a grain of musk and a few drops of the oil of lemon. Anoint the face with this, leave it on twenty or thirty minutes, or over night if convenient, and wash off with warm water. It gives a remarkable purity and brightness to the complexion.

Or, try this; splendid.—Infuse a handful of well-sifted wheat bran for four hours in white wine vinegar; add to it five yolks of eggs and two grains of musk, and distill the whole. Bottle it, keep carefully corked for fifteen days, when it will be fit for use. Apply over night, and wash in the morning with tepid water.

To Remove Pimples.—There are many kinds of pimples, some of which partake almost of the nature of ulcers, which require medical treatment; but the small red pimple, which is most common, may be removed by applying the following twice a day: Sulphur water, one ounce; acetated liquid of ammonia, one-quarter ounce; liquor of potassa, one grain; white wine vinegar, two ounces; distilled water, two ounces. These pimples are sometimes cured by frequent washing in warm water and prolonged friction with a coarse towel. The cause of these pimples is obstruction of the skin and imperfect circulation.

To Remove Tan.—Creme de'l Enclos.—New milk, half a pint; lemon juice, one-quarter ounce; white brandy, half ounce. Boil the whole and skim it clear from all scum. Use night and morning.

A Cosmetic Bath.—Take two pounds of barley or bean flour, eight pounds of bran, and a few handfuls of Borage leaves. Boil these ingredients in a sufficient quantity of spring water. This both cleanses and softens the skin in a superior manner.

Kalydor for the Complexion.—For pimples, freckle-tanned skin, or scurf on the skin. Take emulsion of bitter almonds, one pint; oxymuriate of quicksilver, two and one-half pints; sal ammoniac, one dram. To be used moderately by means of a sponge, after washing the face and hands with pure soap and warm water.

To Improve the Skin.—Take two ounces of Venice soap and dissolve it in two ounces of lemon juice. Add one ounce of the oil of bitter almonds and a like quantity of the oil of tartar. Mix the whole and stir it well till it has acquired the consistence of soap, and use it as such for the hands. The paste of sweet almonds, which contains an oil fit for keeping the skin soft and elastic and removing indurations, may be beneficially applied to the hands and arms.

Wash a la Marie Antoinette.—Gives a beautiful brilliancy to the complexion. Take half a dozen lemons and cut them in small pieces, a small handful of the leaves of white lilies and southernwood, and infuse them in two quarts of cows milk, with an ounce and a half of white sugar and an ounce of rock alum. These are to be distilled in palneum mariae. The face at bedtime is to be rubbed with this liquid, and it will give a beautiful luster to the complexion. It is a safe application, and its effects are certain.

Liquid Rouge.—Harmless—a perfect imitation of nature. For ladies who wish to use a little artificial bloom the following is recommended. A liquid rouge to produce a perfect imitation of the colors of nature is prepared as follows: Add to a pint of French brandy, half an ounce of benzoin, an ounce of red sandalwood, half an ounce of Brazil wood and the same quantity of rock alum. Cork the bottle carefully, shake it well once a day, and at the end of twelve days it will be fit for use. The cheeks are to be lightly touched with it.

Milk of Roses.—This is a cosmetic. Pound an ounce of almonds in a mortar very finely; then put in shavings of honey soap in a small quantity. Add enough rose-water to enable you to work the composition with the pestle into a fine cream; and in order that it may keep, add to the whole an ounce of spirits of wine, by slow degrees. Scent with otto of roses. Strain through muslin. Apply to the face with a sponge or a piece of lint.

Circassian Cream.—This celebrated preparation is made, according to a published recipe, in this way: Castor oil, one pint; almond oil, four ounces; liquid potassa, three drams; essence of bergamot, oil of cloves, and oil of lemon, in equal quantities; and about a dozen drops of otto of roses.

Toilet Vinegar.—Add to the best malt vinegar, half a pint of cognac and a pint of rose-water. Scent may be added, and if so, it should be first mixed with the spirit before the other ingredients are put in.

Bloom Rose.—This is a preparation of carmine for the face and lips. Take a quarter of a dram of carmine and place it in a phial with half a dram of liquid ammonia; keep for a few days, occasionally shaking the mixture; then dilute with two ounces of rose-water, to which half a dram of essence of roses has been added. Draw off and keep a week or ten days, then apply with the corner of a soft handkerchief, taking care that if the color is too bright it is reduced by means of pure water.

Certain Cure for Eruptions, Pimples, Etc.—Having in numerous instances seen the good effects of the following prescription, I can certify to its perfect remedy: Dilute corrosive sublimate with the oil of almonds, apply it to the face occasionally, and in few days a cure will be effected.

To Clear the Complexion, and Reduce the Size.—It is essential that the blood should be cleansed. Take a teaspoonful of powdered charcoal, mixed with water or honey, for three successive nights, then use a seidlitz powder to remove it from the system. It acts splendidly upon the system and purifies the blood; but under no circumstances must the physic be neglected to carry the chemicals from the system; if not, ill effects are certain to follow.

To Cure and Refine a Stippled or Blotched Skin.—A small dose of teraxacum every other night will most materially aid in refining the skin. It is a month's or six weeks' job to accomplish the desired result. You must also wear a mask of quilted cotton, wet in cold water, over night. Do not get discouraged, for it is worth the trouble.

TO CURE AND PREVENT WRINKLES.

Pomade d'Hebe.—This pomade is used for the removal of wrinkles. To make: Melt white wax, one ounce, to gentle heat; add juice of lily bulbs, two ounces; add honey, two ounces; rose-water, two drams; and otto of roses, a drop or two. Use twice a day.

Lotion for Wrinkles.—Beautifies the face, preserves the freshness of youth, and gives a beautiful brilliancy to the skin. Take the second water of barley, one pint, and strain through a piece of fine linen; add a dozen drops of the balm of Mecca; shake it well together until the balm is thoroughly incorporated with the water, which will be effected when the water assumes a whitish or turgid appearance. Before applying, wash the face with soft water. If used once a day, this lotion will beautify the face, remove wrinkles, preserve the freshness of youth, and give a surprising brilliancy to the skin.

Wash for Wrinkles.—Take two ounces of the juice of onions, two ounces of the white lily, two ounces of Norboune honey, and one ounce of white wax; put the whole into a new earthen pipkin until the wax is melted, then take the pipkin (crock) off the fire, and continue stirring briskly until the mixture grows cold. This should be applied on going to bed and allowed to remain on till the morning.

To Remove Wrinkles.—To one fluid ounce of tincture of gum benzoin add seven fluid ounces of distilled rose-water and one-half ounce of glycerine. Bathe face, neck, and hands with it at night, letting it dry on. Wash off in the morning with a very little pure white castile soap and soft water. This is a famous cosmetic, and has been sold under various names. It is an excellent remedy for tan, freckles, and sunburn also.

HOW TO HAVE BRILLIANT, BEAUTIFUL EYES.

Beautiful eyes are the gift of nature; but even those of the greatest beauty may owe something to the toilet, while those of an indifferent kind are very susceptible of improvement. We entirely discountenance any tampering with the eye itself, with a view to giving it luster or brightness. The sight has often been injured by the use of belladonna, preparations of the calabar bean, eyebright, and other substances having a strong effect on the eyes. But without touching the eye itself, it is possible to give the effect of brightness, softness, etc., by means of the eyelids and eyelashes. Made-up eyes are by no means desirable, and to many are singularly displeasing; but the same may be said of made-up faces generally. Some ladies are, however, persuaded that it adds to their charms to give the eyes a long, almond shape—after the Egyptian type—while very many are persuaded that the eye is not seen to advantage unless its apparent size is increased by the darkening of the lids. Both these effects are produced by kohl, a black powder, which may be procured at the chemist's, and is mixed with rose-water and applied with a camel's-hair brush.

To Cure Weak Eyes.—It is well to have on the toilet table a remedy for inflamed eyes. Spermaceti ointment is simple and well adapted for the purpose. Apply at night, and wash off with rose-water in the morning. Golden ointment will serve a like purpose. Or, there is a simple lotion made by dissolving a very small piece of alum and a piece of lump sugar of the same size in a quart of water. Put the ingredients into water cold and let them simmer. Bathe the eyes frequently with it. Sties in the eyes are irritating and disfiguring. Foment with warm water; at night apply a bread and milk poultice. When a white head forms, prick it with a fine needle. Should the inflammation be obstinate, a little citerine ointment may be applied, care being taken that it does not get into the eye, and an aperient should be tried.

To Improve the Eyelashes.—Many people speak highly of this secret. Trim the tiny points slightly, and anoint with this salve: Two drams of ointment of nitric oxida of mercury, and one dram of lard. Mix the lard and ointment well, and anoint the edges of the eyelids night and morning, after each time, with milk and water. This will restore the lashes when all other remedies fail. It is not known in this country, and is a valuable secret.

To Cure Weakness of Eyes.—Sulphate of copper, fifteen grains; camphor, four grains; boiling water, four ounces. Mix, strain, and when cold make up to four pints with water. Bathe the eyes night and morning with a portion of the mixture.

How to Have Beautiful Eyelashes.—The effect of the eyes is greatly aided by beautiful eyelashes. These may be secured to a certain extent by a little care, especially if it is taken early in life. The extreme ends should be cut with a pair of small, sharp scissors, care being taken to preserve the natural outline, not to leave jagged edges. Attention to this matter results in the lengthening of the lashes. Dyeing them is another expedient often resorted to for increasing their effect. A good permanent black is all that is needed, and for this use Indian ink. As an impromptu expedient to serve for one night, a hairpin held for a few seconds in the flame of a candle, and drawn through the lashes, will serve to color them well, and with sufficient durability. It need scarcely be added that the hairpin must be suffered to grow cold before it is used, or the consequence may be that no eyelash will be left to color. Good eyebrows are not to be produced artificially. It is possible, however, to prevent those that are really good from degenerating through neglect. When wiping the face dry after washing, pass a corner of the towel over the forefinger and set the eyebrows in the form you wish them to assume. And when oiling the hair, do not forget to oil the eyebrows also.

To Cure Watery and Inflamed Eyes.—Foment frequently with decoction of poppy heads. When the irritation and inflammation occur, a teaspoonful of cognac brandy in four ounces of spring water may be used three or four times in the course of the day as a strengthening lotion.

General Care of the Eyes.—The eyes, of all the features, stand pre-eminent for their beauty and ever-varying powers of expression, and for being the organs of the most exalted, delicate and useful of the senses. It is they alone that "reveal the external forms of beauty to the mind, and enable it to perceive them, even at a distance, with the speed of light. It is they alone that clothe the whole creation with the magic charms of color, and fix on every object the identity of figure. It is the eyes alone, or chiefly, that reveal the emotions of the mind to others, and that clothe the features with the language of the soul. Melting with pity, or glowing with hope, or redolent with love, benevolence, desire, or emulation, they impart to the countenance those vital fascinations which are the peculiar attributes of man." "And when the mind is subdued by fear, anxiety or shame, or overwhelmed by sorrow or despair, the eyes, like faithful chroniclers, still tell the truthful story of the mental disquietude. And hatred, anger, envy, pride, and jealousy, ambition, avarice, discontent, and all the varied passions and emotions that torment, excite or depress the human soul, and find a resting place in the human breast, obtain expression in the eyes. At one moment the instruments of receiving and imparting pleasure, at another the willing or passive instruments of pain, their influences and changes are as varied and boundless as the empire of thought itself." Through their silent expressions the mind reveals its workings to the external world in signs more rapid and as palpable as those uttered by the tongue. It is "the eyes alone that stamp the face with the outward symbol of animation and vitality," and which endue it with the visible "sanctity of reason." The eye is, indeed, the chief and most speaking feature of the face, and the one on whose excellence, more than any other, its beauty depends.

Theories have been based on even the peculiar color of the eyes. Thus, it is said that dark blue eyes are found chiefly in persons of delicate, refined or effeminate mental character; light blue eyes, and more particularly gray eyes, in the hardy and active; hazel eyes, in the masculine, vigorous, and profound; black eyes, in those whose energy is of a desultory or remittent character, and who exhibit fickleness in pursuits and affection. Greenish eyes, it is asserted, have the same general meaning as gray eyes, with the addition of selfishness or a sinistrous disposition. These statements, however, though based on some general truths, and supported by popular opinion, are liable to so many exceptions as to be unreliable and valueless in their individual applications.

Shakespeare is said to have had hazel eyes; Swift, blue eyes; Milton, Scott, and Byron, gray eyes. Wellington and Napoleon are also said to have had gray eyes.

A beautiful eye is one that is full, clear, and brilliant; appropriate in color to the complexion, and in form to the features, and of which the connected parts—the eyelids, eyelashes, and eyebrows, which, with it, in a general view of the subject, collectively form the external eye—are also beautiful, and in keeping with it.

To increase the beauty and expression of the eyes, various means are occasionally had recourse to, nearly all of which, except those herein mentioned in connection with the eyelashes and eyebrows, are not merely highly objectionable, but even dangerous. Thus, some fashionable ladies and actresses, to enhance the clearness and brilliancy of their eyes before appearing in public, are in the habit of exposing them to air slightly impregnated with the vapor of prussic acid. This is done by placing a single drop of the dilute acid at the bottom of an eyecup or eyeglass, and then holding the cup or glass against the eye for a few seconds, with the head in an inclined position. It has also been asserted, and I believe correctly, that certain ladies of the demimonde rub a very small quantity of belladonna ointment on the brow over each eye, or moisten the same part with a few drops of tincture of belladonna. This produces dilation of the pupil, and gives that peculiar fullness and an expression of languor to the eyes which, by some, is regarded as exceedingly fascinating. The use of these active medicinals in this way must be manifestly injurious; and when frequent, or long continued or carried to excess, must necessarily result in impaired vision, if not in actual blindness.

The following means of repairing and restoring the sight, which has for some time been going the round of the press, being based on scientific principles, may be appropriately inserted here:

For nearsightedness, close the eyes and pass the fingers, very gently, several times across them outward, from the canthus, or corner next the nose, towards the temple. This tends slightly to flatten the corner and lens of the eye, and thus to lengthen or extend the angle of vision. The operation should be repeated several times a day, or at least always after making one's toilet, until shortsightedness is nearly or completely removed. For long sight, loss of sight by age, weak sight, and generally for all those defects which require the use of magnifying glasses, gently pass the finger, or napkin, from the outer angle or corner of the eyes inward, above and below the eyeball, towards the nose. This tends slightly to "round up" the eyes, and thus to preserve or to restore the sight. It should be done every time the eyes are washed, or oftener.

TO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL MOUTH AND LIPS.

The beauty of the human mouth and lips, the delicacy of their formation and tints, their power of expression, which is only inferior to that of the eyes, and their elevated position as the media with the palate, tongue, and teeth, by which we communicate our thoughts to others in an audible form, need scarcely be dilated on here. The poet tells us that:

"The lips of woman out of roses take The tints with which they ever stain themselves. They are the beautiful, lofty shelves Where rests the sweetness which the young hours make, And which the earnest boy, whom we call Love, Will often sip in sorrow or in play. Health, when it comes, doth ruddiness approve, But his strong foe soon flatters it away! Disease and health for a warm pair of lips, Like York and Lancaster, wage active strife: One on his banner front the White rose keeps, And one the Red; and thus with woman's life, Her lips are made a battle-field for those Who struggle for the color of a rose."

A beautiful mouth is one that is moderately small, and has a well-defined and graceful outline; and beautiful lips are gracefully molded, neither thick nor thin, nor compressed nor lax, and that are endowed with expression and are tinted with the hues of health.

The ladies of Eastern nations commonly heighten the hue and freshness of their lips by means of cosmetics, a practice which in Western Europe is only adopted on the stage, and occasionally by courtesans and ladies of the demimonde.

Chapped lips most frequently occur in persons with pale, bluish, moist lips and a languid circulation, who are much exposed to the wind or who are continually moving from heated apartments to the external air. East and north-east winds are those that generally produce them. The occasional application of a little cold cream, lip salve, spermaceti ointment, or any other mild unguent, will generally prevent them, and remove them when they have already formed. A still more elegant and effective preventive and remedy is glycerine diluted with about twice its weight of eau-de-rose, or glycerinated lip salve or balsam.

The moist vesicular eruption of the lips, referred to above, may also generally be prevented by the use of glycerine, or any of the preparations just mentioned. After its accession, the best treatment is to freely dust the affected portion of the lips with violet powder, finely powdered starch, prepared chalk, or French chalk or talc reduced to an impalpable powder by scraping or grating it.

The following formulas of preparations are all valuable for beautifying and preserving the beauty of the lips:—

White Lip Salve—No. 1.—Take half a pound spermaceti ointment, liquify it by the heat of warm water, and stir in one-half dram neroli or essence de petit-grain. In a few minutes pour off the clear portion from the dregs (if any) and add twenty drops of oil of rose. Lastly, before it cools, pour it into jars.

Lip Salve—No. 2.—This indispensable adjunct to the toilet is made by melting in a jar, placed in a basin of boiling water, a quarter of an ounce each of white wax and spermaceti; flour of benzoin, fifteen grains; and half an ounce of oil of almonds. Stir till the mixture is cool. Color red with two-penny worth of alkanet root. Splendid for keeping the lips healthy and of a beautiful crimson color.

French Lip Salve.—Lard, twenty-six ounces; white wax, two ounces; nitre and alum in fine powder, of each one-half ounce; alkanet to color.

German Lip Salve.—Butter of cacao, one-half ounce; oil of almonds, one-quarter ounce; melt together with a gentle heat, and add six drops of essence of lemon.

THE CARE OF THE TEETH.

The influence which the teeth are capable of exercising on the personal appearance is usually known and admitted.

The teeth have formed especial objects of attention, in connection with the toilet and cosmetic arts, from almost the earliest ages of the world to the present time. History and tradition, and the researches of archaeologists among the remains of the prehistoric nations of the East, show us that even dentistry may trace back its origin to a date not very long subsequent to the "confusion of tongues."

We are told that the ancient Welsh took particular care of their teeth, by frequently rubbing them with a stick of green hazel and a woollen cloth. To prevent their premature decay, they scrupulously avoided acid liquids, and invariably abstained from all hot food and drink.

Europeans pride themselves on teeth of pearly whiteness; but many Asiatic nations regard them as beautiful only when of a black color. The Chinese, in order to blacken them, chew what is called "betel" or "betel nut," a common masticatory in the East. The Siamese and the Tonquinese do the same, but to a still greater extent, which renders their teeth as black as ebony, or more so. As the use of the masticatory is generally not commenced until a certain age, the common practice is to stain the teeth of the boys and girls with a strong preparation of it, on the former attaining the age of ten or twelve.

Keeping the lips apart and breathing through the mouth instead of the nose, and, particularly, sleeping with the mouth open, are habits which are very prejudicial to the teeth and gums. In this way the mouth forms a trap to catch the dust and gritty particles floating in the atmosphere, which soon mechanically injure the enamel of the teeth by attrition.

On the subject of cleanliness in connection with the teeth and mouth, it may be said that the mouth cannot be too frequently rinsed during the day, and that it should be more particularly so treated after each meal. Pure cold water is the best for the purpose. It not only cleans the teeth and mouth, but exerts a tonic action on the gums, which warm water, or even tepid water, is deficient in. When cold water cannot be tolerated, tepid water may be employed, the temperature being slightly lowered once every week or ten days until cold water can be borne. Every one who abhors a foetid breath, rotten teeth, and the toothache, would do well to thoroughly clean his teeth at bedtime, observing to well rinse the mouth with cold water on rising in the morning, and again in the day once, or oftener, as the opportunities occur. With smokers, the use of the toothbrush the last thing at night is almost obligatory if they value their teeth and wish to avoid the unpleasant flavor and sensation which teeth fouled with tobacco smoke occasion in the mouth on awakening in the morning.

As to tooth powders or pastes to be used with the brush, the simplest are the best. Plain camphorated chalk, with or without a little finely powdered pumice stone or burnt hartshorn, is a popular and excellent tooth powder. It is capable of exerting sufficient friction under the brush to ensure pearly whiteness of the teeth without injuring the enamel, whilst the camphor in it tends to destroy the animalcula in the secretions of the mouth, whose skeletons or remains constitute, as we shall presently see, the incrassation popularly called "tartar." Recently-burnt charcoal, in very fine powder, is another excellent tooth powder, which, without injuring the enamel, is sufficiently gritty to clean the teeth and remove the tartar from them, and possesses the advantage of also removing the offensive odor arising from rotten teeth and from decomposing organic matter. The charcoal of the heavy hardwoods, as lignum-vitae, boxwood, oak, are the best; and these, as to quality, range in the order given. Still more valuable as a dentifrice is areca nut charcoal, which, besides possessing the properties of the other vegetable charcoals in an eminent degree, has valuable ones peculiar to itself.

Some dentists, and some persons in imitation of them, in order to whiten the teeth, rub their surfaces with hydrochloric acid, somewhat dilute; but the practice is a most dangerous one, which, by a few repetitions, will sometimes utterly destroy the enamel and lead to the rapid decay of all the teeth so treated. Should the teeth be much discolored, and ordinary tooth powder prove ineffective, a little lemon juice used with the brush will generally render them perfectly white. It should only be employed occasionally, and the mouth should be well rinsed with water afterwards. A little of the pulp of an orange, used in the same way, is also very effective and safe, as are also ripe strawberries, which may be either rubbed on the teeth with the fingers or applied with the brush. The last form, perhaps, the very best natural dentifrice known. Besides possessing singular power in whitening and cleaning the teeth and rapidly removing tartar, they destroy the offensive odor of rotten teeth and impart an agreeable fragrance to the breath.