December 24 , 181H ) .
OMAHA ILLilTSTHATlUn HE 12.
American Need of
Housekeepers
"If you want to know why wo have no
first-class professional housckcepcis In this
country , " volunteered Uio Importer of a real
live English specimen , "It Is because the
American woman Is too proud and far too
Independent to allow an employe to manage
hoi' homo. That Is also the reason why wo
with the best ordered , most luxurious homes
In the city suffer from criminally wasteful
domestic management and the worst service
of any highly civilized people. In Franco or
England , where half as much money Is spent ,
twlco tbo work for the servants to do and
a third of the conveniences put at their dis
posal , the fashionable country or city house
is conducted with n noiseless regularity that
tea and eats her dinner alone , later , wearing
a plain black silk go\\n , a muslin wreath
cap and a small lawn apron. Every servant
iu the house , with the exception of the but
ler , Is under her direct control , and for the
good or evil that every servant docs she Is
responsible.
"Sho accepts my directions with a humil
ity no decayed gentlewoman ivould show , and
with a respectfulness no confidential lady's
maid over feels. She gets { 50 a month and
an allowance for paying the servants' wages
and catering to their table , and she It Is
w ho SCCH that no w astc goes on In my house.
"With a prajer of thanksgiving and a
quiet mind I can now nightly lay my head
,
IMPERIAL GOWN FOU THE CZARINA.
fills the American visitor with nothing short
of amazement. In houses \\hero the Incomes
are by no means largo a corps of finished
servants will bo found that only our mil
lionaires over hero can afford.
"Just so long as the American woman Is
head of a modest household she Is the most
all-around capable housekeeper In the world ;
she can face stlffer odds and rout thorn more
utterly than any French or English woman
living. Wo are the only women in the
world who , when deserted at a critical mo
ment , can cook a meal and yet sit at the
head of tbo table wbllo that same meal Is
being served In a fetching frock carrying
on the conversation as though nothing had
happened. It Is a charming faculty , but
when she Is put at the head of a corps of
twenty servants and a great country house
her sjstem falls.
Kroneli MuUrc D'llolel.
f "A big , fashionable household Is Just llko
a big ship , It's got to have n captain to di
rect its couroo and an engineer to run the
machinery , and In the foreign countries they
rcalbo and provide for this. In Franco It Is
usually a maltro d'hotel who shoulders the
domestic burden. He has worked up In the
son Ice and his word Is law to the servants.
Ho hires and dismisses them , plans their
work , sees that It is done and he guarantees
to keep the men and maids well fed on a
stated allowance. The mistress gives him a
sum every month and on this ho caters for
the servantw' table , that Is by no means sup-
pile , ! from the larder that feeds the family
Every servant Is entitled to the scraps ho or
she loaves and has his or her own plate ,
knife , fork , spoon , etc , and when a meal Is
over these are washed and set away by their
ownern In their special cupboards. Scraps
are an Important Item to the thrifty French
domestic.
"In England there is a woman who does
this , and every handsome English bouse Is
built with special housekeepers' quarters , a
sitting room and bedroom. Some American
houses are now being provided -with these
special two rooms.
A Mnilt-l Jlrlllxli IloiiHcUfc'iivr.
"My housekeeper Is of the typical sort
She Is about 40 , plump , pleasing and a set
tled widow who entered service at 1C as a
scullery maid and has worked up. She Is ad
dressed by tbo household as Mrs. Brown , and
every afternoon her tea la served In her sit
ting room at 4 o'clock by a maid She drinks
on my pillow and I don't expect to comedown i
down with nervous prostration at the end 1
of the season. The storm and stress of ;
housekeeping has passed by mo and no ,
longer must I coolly count off $200 a month ,
to waste as most fashionable hostesses do ; ;
no longer do I haunt Intelligence offices ,
Vihen a dozen engagements pi ess and no ,
longer do I set down to weep on coming
homo from a hard afternoon's calling to J
I
Tj
'
'i
niUECTOIK GOWN OF SEA ( WEEN
VELVET
hear that the cook has left In a rigo , the
parlor maid has smashed my best brlc-n-
brac and the laundress scorched a hole In my
best tablecloth.
American W < IIIIIIU'M .MiiUcNhlft.
"Hut let mo tell vou what lots of our rich
women do. They don't mind handing their
babies Into the care of kindergarteners , but
they deeply leseni shailng the command ot
their households with a competent woman
For my part I think every big American
household where there Is a great corps of
bin units should have ono of these competent
women at the head , and very boon , In con
sequence , we would see a maiked Improve
ment In the ( American maidservant , for
training domestics Is ono of the Important
mlbsions of the English housekeeper. Shu
takes In Ignorant glrlu and teaches them
Hist to bo competent kitchen maids and
then promotes them as their value niitl
knowledge Increases and thus the genera
tion of English maidservants , the deftest ,
most accomplished dumtstics In the world ,
are trained In their profession. Clever and
versatllo as the American woman may bo
when tin own on her own resources , she has
no gift for educating crude talent. When
she has wealth and luxury she simply solves
the dlfllculty by paving fabulous wages ,
overlooking a good deal of Incompetence and
retiring to a hotel every now and then to
recover from the battle with servants. "
Living Fashion Models
The holiday season brings out the now
garments that wait for a special occasion foi
their display. It cannot bo denied that -well-
attlrcd people odd to the zest with which
any social gathering Is peimeatert.
This toilet , designed In Paris for the beau
tiful czarina of Russia , Is ono of the most
elegant costumes ever perfected. The ma
terial Is a superb satln-flnlshcd black lady's
cloth , richly embroidered with black chenille
In large , graceful arabesque patterns. Doth
skirt and bodice show clusters of light , con
ventionalized flowers , the effect being ob
tained by cutting out the cloth over heavy
lavender velvet. The high collar , boa fronts ,
muff and trimmings for a toque of black and
lavender velvet are of Russian sable and one
last touch of Pariblan distinction Is given to
the whole by a couple of big artificial flovv-
eis on the muff.
The Dircctolr gown is of the palest sea
green velvet , richly embroidered with silver
and peaifls. At the bottom of the skirt la a
band of silver lace , adding greatly to the
biilllancy of the dress. Chinchilla and n
cluster of whlto camellas give the low
bodice an air of great elegance.
The short coat Is of heavy grey melton
with smart rovers of cherry-colored velvet.
The slashed skirt , spade front , elaborate
stltchings and big steel bullet buttons show-
It as the last cry from Paris. .
Enameled Butterflies
A bit of antique history , a touch of in
dividuality , the crisp flavor of romance are
becoming more and more associated with the
ornaments most valued and worn by fash
ionable women.
This prevailing sentiment is well Illus
trated by a lady of fine taste who has car-
iled out an idea wholly her own. She has
always had a passion for butterflies , and In
her collection are many of the rarest and
most beautifully colored specimens known to
science. Whenever she finds ono that
especially suits her fancy , or has attached
to It some pleasant association , she sends It
to nn cnamelcr In London , a man reputed to
bo the finest artist of his kind In Europe ,
and ho makes a fac-slmllo of the specimen
Their fantastic shape and brilliancy combine
to make the butterflies excellent models for
this particular kind of workmanship. With
wonderful fidelity they are copied , and even
the transparent quality of their wings Is
effectively simulated. They are finally
mounted so that by pinching their wings to
gether the sharp gold claws fasten tightly to
whatever they are placed upon. It would be
equally feasible to have them made Into hair
pins , bracelet dangles and clasps for veils.
This particular woman , however , who has
perhaps forty of these enameled beauties ,
wears them In hut ono way , as shoulder
clasps on her hall dresses , or placed
d agonally across the front to represent a
flight ot thu gauzy Insects. Sim has ono
complete set of yellow butterflies , and they
nro hold In reserve to bo worn nltli B ft ,
whlto gowns. The largest ones arc fustenol
en the right shoulder and from there they
decrease In s/e ! to the waist line Another
flight Includes every color of HIP rainbow ,
and for them bodices of a more somber hua
aio chosen as n background. Wonderfully
effective also are two very largo and quaint
ly-formcd sapphire blue ones that were worn
as decorations for a yellow crepe gown
Quito aside from the artistic rffect nnd
originality of this decoration , the beautiful
creatures themselves have boon so minutely
and accurately copied In the on.tmel work
that they nro excellent studies of the orig
inals In fart the charming woman to whom
they belong often sighs and vows that her
admliers are all butterfly loveis , and she IH
cjntlnually entrapped by the scientific world
to tell the peculiarities and species of those
from Australia and New Zealand.
Missed
Detroit Jouinal Ho found her weeping
bitterly.
"Oh , Huiold ! " she cried , "I have mlfcscd
you so much. "
Hitherto , understand , she had thrown
teacups at his head , for the most part Per-
haps It was small wonder , after all , that
Hhu mlbscd him
Hut now aho throw heruelf at hla feet
and all was well once more.
r
1 \ - * < * „ - ; * & # * ;
SHOUT MELTON COAT. H
The Newest Omaha
Recently a. pioneer resident of Omaha
made an address befor * the Woman's club
devctcd chiefly to reminiscences of the early
days. Ho eave a graphic dcscilptlim of the
village as It fatood more than fitly yearn
ago , consisting of less than a don cabins
made of logs cut from the timber found
along the small streams hereabouts. An
other pioneer still lives who use' Ma hat for
a postoirice , there being no b'i i ling for an
odlco. Within a generatloi Omaha has
grown to bo the metropolis of Nebraska.
la history destined to rejn.it Itself ? Our
artist has produced a plcluro of Omaha
Camp , an embryonic city situated In the Gold
"THE NEWEST OMAHA"-OMAHA CAMP , I ) . C.
mountains of Uritlsh Columbia , not far
above the International boundary line
separating the state of Washington from the
( juceri'ti possessions. Omaha Camp can
scarcely ho called a village , yet the queen's
odlclalH have designated It an u Hrltlsh
postolllco and mall matter In delivered and
collected there dally. The log cabins were
erected by the Lemon Gold Mining company
of Drltlsh Columbia , a company olllcorcd
largely by Omaha men , and the rude
structures are Inhabited by the employes of
that company , whoso mini * and Htamp mills
are situated Just over the brow of the hill
to the right.
The spot IH a mom delightful wio ,
especially In the summer season. Hugged
mountains rear their lofiy peaks In ovwy
direction , and mnsnivo pine , fir and tamarack
trees add color to the wild , picturesque
surroundings. In fact , Omaha Camp Is
right in the heart of a primeval
forest so dense In places that one
cannot see Ilfty feet ahead In any
direction. Ferocious wild beauts abound and
at night mountain HOIIH come within gmi-
Hhot of the cabins and koup up their hair-
raising , supernatural cries to the dis
comfiture of tcnderfcpt.
Whllo the present ctivlionmcnt of Omaha
Camp In Just as nature madu It , thu hand of
the sturdy pioneer IH being felt and before
many months shall have elapsed clvlll/allnn
will cnark a marvelous metamorphosis In
this mountain hamlet. Already down thu
valley to the east the slulll whistle of the
loconnotlvo can bo heard at Omaha Camp
and early In the spring the Iron rails will
bo laid within a few miles of thu camp
With thu advent of the railroad the legion
will Hwann with prospector * ) and mlnoiH
Villa are already developing the rich mineral
deposits th.it have made thu district famous
There are many prosperous mines In opera
tion there ami ( ho railroad IH building to tap
them and take their output to the mills and
smelters now building fifty orahundred miles
eoflt. "The Newest Omaha" Is located on the
alto of the Gold Standard claim , one of the
Lemon properties. That it will continue to
grow and prosper as its big sister has done
goes without saying , for the resources be
neath Us surface portend great pomlbllltlcs ,
Colonel , Nof General
Speaker Ilcnilorbon object * very much to
being called "General , " a practice of recent
growth as the highest ranU ho over held
was that of colonel