The Toilet.

GOWLAND'S LOTION.—Take one and a quarter grains of bichloride of mercury, and one ounce of emulsion of bitter almonds; mix well. Be careful of the bichloride of mercury, because it is a poison. This is one of the best cosmetics we possess for imparting a delicate appearance and softness to the skin, and is a useful lotion in ringworm, hard and dry skin, and sun-blisterings.

TO CLEAN KID GLOVES.—Draw the gloves on the hands, and then freely wash them in turpentine until perfectly clean. Then blow into them and pin them on a line to dry. The air will dissipate any smell the turpentine may leave. Should this, however, not prove to be the case, a drop or two of oil of lemon in a little water, rubbed lightly over the gloves, will effectually destroy it.

TO REMOVE FRECKLES.—Take of Venice soap an ounce, dissolve it in half an ounce of lemon-juice, to which add of oil of bitter almonds and deliquated oil of tartar, each a quarter of an ounce. Let the mixture be placed in the sun till it acquires the consistence of ointment. When in this state, add three drops of the oil of rhodium, and keep it for use. Apply it in the following manner: Wash the face at night with elder-flower water, then anoint it with the above unction. In the morning, cleanse the skin from its oily adhesion by washing it copiously in rose-water.

TO PREVENT HAIR FROM FALLING OUT.—Make a strong decoction of white-oak bark in water, and use it freely. Make but little at a time, and have it fresh at least once a fortnight.

Centre-Table Gossip.

MAY FIRST

is signalized, in the annals of New York housekeepers, as a time of change.

Boarders go to housekeeping; old housekeepers, tired of the wear and tear of servants and marketing, give up their comfortable homes for the confinement of a parlor and bed-room in some fashionable hotel or lodging house. Or it may be that only a removal is contemplated, and Mr. Leeds is called in to superintend the sale of furniture that has got behind the times, like the street or square in which it has been used, and carpets much too small for the enlarged views of the wife of the successful merchant. Months before, the young married people have been going from house to house, peering into closets and dumb waiters, measuring floors with an accurate eye, or halls by sober, long-reaching strides, and taking the altitude of windows for shade or curtain. They stop at Berrian's, on their way to business, and pause before Haughwout's huge windows of china and glass. Peterson & Humphrey's carpets are more attractive than the prints at Goupil's or the landscapes at Stevens's. They notice the price of flour in the morning paper, and consult about the wet linen goods "from the Humboldt"—a cargo that would seem as inexhaustible as the furniture of the Mayflower. By and by, the mornings are passed at auctions, and "bargains" begin to crowd their rooms, as heterogeneous in manufacture as in use. All at once, they find their purchase brought to a stand-still by lack of funds, and the house is not half furnished. Ah, they had forgotten to make a calculation beforehand, and purchase actual articles of necessity before matters of luxury!

Now they go on as they should have commenced, cautiously and economically; still, the kitchen and chamber departments show reprovingly for some time to come how they have been robbed for the sake of the parlor curtains and mantle ornaments.

They should have had some good old friend, like ourselves, to say, "Now, my dears, I like your plan of housekeeping; you will find it the most comfortable and economical in the end, if you will only go the right way to work. You have made a fortunate selection in your house. It is neither too large for your means nor your family. How many rooms in it? How have you disposed of them? Now take a spare scrap of paper, and write them down in order.

"Begin with your kitchen, end with your parlor. Reverse the usual plan, if your aim is comfort and not show. Only Mrs. M. or N. will notice whether you have shades or curtains. If your family lack comfortable bedding, or your kitchen needful conveniences, you certainly incommode those you care most to please. Take the kitchen, for example. How large is it? Will you have it covered with carpeting or oil-cloth? How many yards, and at what price? Have you a range? If not, count the cost of stove and boilers. How many chairs and tables? At what price? The dresser, and delf necessary for cooking and servants' use." Fortunately, the lists of the furnishing warehouses save an endless amount of thought and trouble, especially in the matter of cooking utensils. Those unlearned in such research will find one of them in our answers to correspondents the present number.

As for the kitchen, so for the dining-room, the china-closet, the linen-press, store-room, chambers, and finally the parlor. Make your calculation as accurately as possible, to come within the limit you have set yourself, remembering in all cases to take from articles of mere adornment or show, rather than essential comforts, and that infinite petty mortifications and care can be saved to a house-keeper by making plenty, not superfluity, her rule.

A LESSON WORTH REMEMBERING.

THERE are very few of our readers—we take it for granted—who have not met with the little book, "A Trap to Catch a Sunbeam." A longer story, by the same author, has made its appearance in England, prettily illustrated by Gilbert. The title is "Influence," neither more nor less; and the object in view is to show the weight good or bad influence will have on the character, even from the nursery.

As most appropriate to our "Centre-Table Chat," which unites gayeties and gravities, we give as a sample of the new book. Speaking of the education of Cyril, its hero's sister—

"Yes, Julia was improving in every knowledge but one of the most important, the knowledge which a mother's example could best have taught her, to know and perform her mission here, the proper exercise of woman's paramount influence over man."

There would be fewer wretched marriages, fewer dissipated, degraded men, if this lesson were included in a woman's education; if they were taught to feel the angel duty which devolves on them—to keep the wandering steps of those who are tempted so much more than they in the paths of virtue and peace; to make them feel that in the busy world are noise and confusion; that at home there are order and repose; that there "eyes look brighter when they come, that the smile of welcome is ever ready to receive them, the work, the books are ever ready to be laid aside to minister to their pleasure"—they would find amusement then at home, nor strive to seek it elsewhere.

And not alone to the higher classes of society should this be taught. It should be a lesson instilled into the minds of all, high and low, rich and poor. Duty has seldom so strong a hold on men as women; they cannot, they will not, for duty's sake, remain in a dull, tedious, or ill-managed, querulous home, but leave it to seek elsewhere the comfort and amusement which fail them there; and, when riot and revelry have done their work, the wives and sisters who have done so little to make them otherwise are pitied for their bad husbands and brothers.

FOR THE LOVERS OF JEWELRY.

THE great Koh-i-noor diamond displayed in the English Exhibition, and shown by a model in the New York Crystal Palace, has a rival in one now deposited in the Bank of England by the consignees, Messrs. Dory & Benjamin, of London. It comes from Rio Janeiro, and weighs 254½ carats, of the purest water. When cut and polished, it is expected to surpass the Indian diamond in size and brilliancy. It has been shown to the queen, and is the subject of general remark in the English prints.

Ball & Black, of New York, have still in their window the celebrated necklace of pearls displayed at the Crystal Palace. It consists of a single string of pure pearls, threaded like the gold beads of our grandmothers, and about the same size. The cross attached is of diamonds, in a rich and tasteful setting. The pearls are of such unusual size and purity that at first it seems almost impossible that they can be real.

Necklaces are worn much more than they have been, for full dress especially. The most fashionable and costly style is of diamonds, and quite flat, either set in a pattern or a single row of brilliants. Ladies who cannot afford this costly appendage to their toilets adopt a very fine Venetian gold chain, to which is suspended a medallion of precious stones set with diamonds.

OUR FASHION DEPARTMENT.

WE do not often allude to what we have done or intend to do in this department, keeping the even tenor of our way, and letting our chitchat speak for itself. But of late we have noticed that other publications assume to have been the first to give detailed directions, in addition to the meagre description of the fashion plates at first offered to the public. Hailing as we do from the Quaker City, we shall "mildly remonstrate," and only assert that this is not the case.

The present fashion editor was the first to originate the monthly letter or record of the fleeting changes of the season, and since that time has been engaged in collecting, with more or less research and difficulty, from foreign journals des modes, the importer, the mantuamaker, and the milliner, such items as will be of practical or suggestive use, and setting these before our readers in a simple, reliable style, differing from the French raptures of the "Moniteur," or the meagre descriptions of American prints, where the fashions are a last consideration with the publisher—tacked on, because some one else had set the example. To us it seems as consistent with the scientific and professedly critical character they assume, as a lady's French bonnet would appear as the crowning-point of costume on "a potent, grave, and reverend seignior." But we have no quarrel with them for assuming our especial badge as a "Lady's Book," nor are we at all particular in demanding credit of them for our borrowed plumes; we would only suggest that modesty might be a becoming addition to them, and truthfulness an equal grace.

Now, any of our lady readers who have been invited by friends in the country to "let them know what is worn this season," will at once understand the time and trouble it takes to answer such a request satisfactorily. To relieve them from this task is what we have undertaken, at the same time giving variety to our chat by the description of any new manufacture, article of jewelry, fashionable shops, furniture, etc. etc. We did not plan or even dream of exciting emulation or envious remark, nor do we feel the slightest malice or ill-will towards those who thus confess their inferiority. Only, as the school children say, "will they please to let us alone," as we do them.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

"A YOUNG AMATEUR GARDENER" will find the following effectual in keeping the birds from his freely planted seeds. Mix together one pound of gas tar, quarter of a pound brown spirits of tar, and quarter pound of melted grease. Dip twine in this mixture, and weave it backwards and forwards over the beds, on sticks firmly planted at the side, a few inches high.

GODEY'S MODEL COLORED FASHIONS.

We have heard of "cherries without stones." Here is a French horticultural receipt for producing them, which we have never seen tested, however: "In the spring, before the circulation of the sap, a young seedling cherry-tree is split from the upper extremity down to the fork of its roots; then, by means of a piece of wood in the form of a spatula, the pith is carefully removed from the tree, in such a manner as to avoid any excoriations or other injury; a knife is used only for commencing the split. Afterwards the two sections are brought together, and tied with woollen, care being taken to close hermetically with clay the whole length of the cleft. The sap soon reunites the separated portions of the tree, and, two years afterwards, cherries are produced of the usual appearance, but, instead of stones, there will only be small soft pellicles."

"MRS. LOUISE M. C." will find farina boiled in milk the best food for an infant, next to its natural substance. It is well to change with arrowroot, in case of sickness; but, as constant food, it will fatten, but not strengthen the child.

"MISS J."—We do not think the acceptance of a bouquet objectionable from any gentleman admitted to the family as a visitor. Flowers, books, and music are the most suitable gifts. Any article of dress or jewelry given or accepted by persons with no other tie than ordinary visiting acquaintance, is not in good taste, to say the least.

"MRS. S. D.," of Mobile.—Dress caps are of the lightest possible description, a mixture of blonde, flowers, and ribbon. Much blonde is used in trimming everything. The gold and silver embroidered ribbon is only suitable for evening, or for dress bonnets.

"MILTON, Pa."—The "Dress Book" has been sent; the directions are all practical.

"A YOUNG WIFE" has our best wishes in her new undertaking. If she is at all systematic, she will not find furnishing so difficult as she anticipates. We subjoin the desired list:—

Kitchen Furnishing List for $30.

Fashions.

NOTICE TO LADY SUBSCRIBERS.

Having had frequent applications for the purchase of jewelry, millinery, etc., by ladies living at a distance, the Editress of the Fashion Department will hereafter execute commissions for any who may desire it, with the charge of a small percentage for the time and research required. Bridal wardrobes, spring and autumn bonnets, dresses, jewelry, bridal cards, cake-boxes, envelopes, etc. etc., will be chosen with a view to economy, as well as taste; and boxes or packages forwarded by express to any part of the country. For the last, distinct directions must be given.

Orders, accompanied by checks for the proposed expenditure, to be addressed to the care of L. A. Godey, Esq., who will be responsible for the amount, and the early execution of commissions.

No order will be attended to unless the money is first received.

Instructions to be as minute as is possible, accompanied by a note of the height, complexion, and general style of the person, on which much depends in choice. Dress goods from Levy's or Stewart's; cloaks, mantillas, or talmas, from Brodie's, 51 Canal Street, New York; bonnets from Miss Wharton's; jewelry from Bailey's or Warden's, Philadelphia, or Tiffany's, New York, if requested.

DESCRIPTION OF STEEL FASHION PLATE.

The unusually beautiful fashion plate of this month gives a very correct idea of prevailing spring styles.

Fig. 1st.—A dress suitable for the morning at a fashionable country house or watering-place, or for dinner. As a home dress, it is very tasteful and simple. The robe may be of pink taffeta, cashmere, or mousseline, open from the throat to the hem of the skirt, though the waist is fitted close to the bust, as in an ordinary tight dress. This opening is finished on each side by a double ruche of the same material, the edges pinked, and is laced across by narrow taffeta ribbon. Chemisette in plaits, with a lace frill. Plain cambric skirt. Shawl of cambric embroidery; close bonnet of pink taffeta and black lace, with an edge formed of very narrow ribbons interlaced with black, to resemble a plaid.

Fig. 2d.—Walking or dinner-dress of pale green silk, made plain and close; sleeves open and loose. Light mantle of flounces or volants, of white guipure lace, headed by a narrow ribbon of violet color. The bonnet is covered with lace to correspond, and has leaves and ribbons of pale violet crape; tied with broad white taffeta ribbon. Parasol of violet lined with white silk.

It will be noticed that our styles are suited to the May of our Southern readers, and the June wardrobes of our Northern belles, being exceedingly light and simple, as summer dress should always be. Readers round about us are apt to forget that we have to be thoughtful of our far away subscribers as well as themselves.

CHITCHAT UPON PREVAILING FASHIONS

BRODIE'S MANTILLA EMPORIUM—SHADES OF FASHION, ETC. ETC.

THE present promenade of Broadway extends scarcely to the Astor, in a downward direction; the crush of omnibuses, drays, business men forgetful of especial courtesy in their haste, porters, and laborers, conspire to make a chaos of confusion and discomfort below the Park which few ladies care to adventure. The tide of shoppers sets downward from the New York Hotel, and upwards from the Astor or Irving, meeting in a grand confluence at Canal Street, where you may pat the curbstone with your gaiter from three minutes to a quarter of an hour, watching an opportunity to stem the current and cross to the other side in safety.

Standing on this upper corner, you are in full view of the large freestone front of 51 Canal, the mantilla establishment of Brodie, to which we have promised to introduce our readers.

At this present writing, when everybody wants a mantilla, the graceful article of costume being considered as needful as a spring bonnet, the lower front of Brodie's has a most inviting prospect. It is entirely occupied by two enormous windows and a door of plate glass; the windows being, in reality, small Crystal Palaces for the accommodation of two slowly revolving dames in court costume of brocade or soie d'antique, bearing upon their regal shoulders the chef-d'œuvres of the establishment, whether of velvet, guipure, or taffeta, as the season represented may be. At their feet are thrown, in apparent careless, but really artistic confusion, other designs not less elegant and attractive. These figures are of wax, modelled and colored from life, and, having supported the onerous public duties of the World's Fair, are now in the honorable retirement of comparatively private, though by no means secluded life. The room which you enter from the street is fitted up with superb mirrors, ovals and pier, the central one being of remarkable width as well as length. This is not, however, the principal show-room, though the office and much other business is carried on there in appropriate departments, handsomely fitted up. The stairs, covered with velvet carpeting, as, indeed, the whole establishment, lead you to the second floor, pannelled with plate glass mirrors set between the long windows, and in every place in which they can well be inserted. The walls are covered, as below, with delicate French paper, of white and gold, and, with the rich carpet, a drawing-room rather than a business establishment is suggested. Here there are piles of the most elegant and costly styles of mantillas and scarfs, that have given place to the heavy clothes and velvets of the just departed season; and here is a fluttering of silk dresses, a waving of spring garlands, as the busy crowd of purchasers flutter back and forth, exclaiming, "rapturizing," choosing, and trying on the profusion of styles before them. In the centre, is a light iron railing, still white, in keeping with the style of the rooms, over which you can watch the proceedings of the store below, or, looking upwards to a similar balcony, you see another story, apparently fitted and furnished as the show-room in which you now are.

This is the wholesale department, of course by far the most important of all. Ordinarily, you would have no call to ascend the stairs; but, being this morning a privileged visitor, you find there Mr. Brodie himself, in the midst of his importations, designs, and manufactures, his clerks, his saleswomen, whose patient shoulders and black silk dresses give an additional air to the latest styles, and his wholesale customers, for whom he is daily shipping packages, parcels, and boxes, north, south, east, and west; but especially south and west, where doubtless our own subscribers will be among the purchasers and the wearers.

If your curiosity will carry you up still another flight, Mr. Brodie's politeness will conduct you to a passing glance of the work-room, occupying the floor above. It would not be polite to watch too long the rows upon rows of girls and women busy with the silks, laces, ribbons, and other delicate materials of their craft; but you see that they are all busy and comfortable, with light and good fresh air in abundance. Yet higher! You noticed below how rich and how abundant was the embroidery, with what precision it was executed; here there is a row of frames, where embroidery, the lightest and richest, is executed by those to whom the work is not a pastime, but a regular and profitable occupation. Here is the pure white poult de soie of the "Snow-Drop," for instance, cut and ready for making up; the design traced upon it, tacked as smoothly upon the frame as the canvas of a picture, is stretched before the artist. The rapid and regular movement of the needle is covering it with the rich work that the young Southern bride will glory over, when the all-important box—the trousseau—reaches her from New York. There is, besides these frames, a large embroidery department, situated up town, under Mr. Brodie's constant supervision. But here the new styles are first tried, that he may thus be able to regulate the prices of work, the quantity of material, etc., to be given out. In preparing for the winter season, this whole floor is filled with quilting-frames for the mantle and cloak linings; still another branch of female industry.

Some idea of the great amount of employment an establishment like this gives to the industrious classes of the city, may be formed from this bird's-eye view of the interior of Brodie's. Three hundred workmen are engaged from season to season in preparing the piles of costly draperies we have seen, as the raw material comes in only to be manufactured. Thus, the velvets, cloths, silks, etc., with the lighter fabrics, and trimmings of ribbon, lace, gimp, are imported by Mr. Brodie himself, and his designs are furnished by leading Parisian houses, known in the pages of "La Follet," "La Modiste," "Petit Courrier des Dames," and other journals of fashion.

Last, but not least, this fine building, with its costly decorations, this immense stock of goods, these busy purchasers and workwomen, are the rapid products of a persevering industry and enterprise that, were the story told, could scarcely be believed. The private history of most successful business men is a commentary upon the proverb, "Diligence is the mother of good-luck." Mr. Brodie's is a remarkable illustration. His is the only establishment in the country entirely devoted to the one branch of manufacture; his whole time, thoughts, correspondence, and Parisian visits centering on its improvement and success.

We have given time and space to the principal theme of our "Chat," partly that our readers may see how various are the styles of every article of wearing apparel, and how safely they may trust themselves to a new and graceful form, even though Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Brown do not happen to have brought it from New York or New Orleans. At Brodie's, for instance, each style is made up in every prevailing shade of silk. What folly in Mrs. Jones to say, "Green is the rage!" In a large city, nothing is the rage; if it approaches such a culmination, it is given up in a very few weeks.

As of mantles, so of bonnets. The milliner has her Parisienne models, and her working materials, and employées. No two bonnets in her show-room must be precisely alike. So of the mantuamaker, who varies her shapes and her trimmings to suit her material, the figure, height, or complexion of her customer. Straw bonnets are perhaps the most uniform of all in shape; but here, again, there is every variety of ribbon and trimming. No two bows are made alike. City people will not submit to uniforms.

There is a general style in the fashions of each season, but inflections and shades as various as its grass and leafage. Our next "Chat," as in the April number, will be of these, as June admits of changes that our Northern May denies. July will claim, as usual, its watering-place and travelling fashions, with nursery items, welcome at any season to the busy mother of a household.

FASHION.