Milk is also marvelous for bleaching, but it is a luxury not suited to all purses. Lemon juice may be used to remove stains from the hands. Tomatoes will produce the same effect. For a stubborn mark, rub gently with a piece of fine toilet pumice; but beware of injuring the texture of the skin.
After a thorough cleansing comes the manicuring of the nails, which with a little experience may be accomplished at home with excellent results. The flesh surrounding the nails should be pressed back very gently to its proper place. Be careful not to tear or bruise it, else a jagged appearance will result, necessitating clipping, which always encourages growth. An orange stick is a necessary adjunct to the toilet; by its aid the nails can be probed and cleaned without fear of injury. A white crescent at the base, a rosy tint in the middle, and a white transparent border with a polished (not too highly) surface are the marks of well-cared-for nails.
Do not have them too long, else they are liable to break; curve on either side, with the deepest portion projecting just far enough to protect the ball of the finger. Do not scrape with pointed instruments of steel. It takes a long time for a bruised surface to resume normal conditions. Gloves, worn when unpleasant work is necessary, should be loose. Before putting them on it is a good idea to cover the hands with a light layer of oil of sweet almonds or vaseline. This prevents callous spots, and the process of softening will be in progress during the occupation.
YOUR “LAUGH” LINES
It was long the popular belief that wrinkles are caused chiefly by sorrow and care. Up pops somebody in this twentieth century to denounce that theory and to declare that the merry folk are far oftener afflicted than the sorrowful and that laughter more frequently furrows the face than tears.
It is a rather happy suggestion; not that wrinkles are welcome, but that cheerfulness is a heaven-sent gift and should be received with grateful hearts. Let laughter ring out loud and long. It is infectious. It uplifts those who hear it. If it brings wrinkles, you may be sure it displaces more hideous lines.
If home were made more cheerful, the law would clutch less often at the throats of criminals and the institutions would open their doors to fewer refugees. We know, when night comes, mothers are tired and husbands fractious with bile and business. The good woman would like to sit down to an interesting book and the man to his newspaper and silence, each feeling the comfort is well deserved from duties well performed.
But have they the right and is it safe to follow the natural bent? Boys and girls will have fun; they will have room and place for noise and laughter and the irresponsible bubbling of youthful spirits. If these be not accorded to them in their home they will surely seek and find diversion outside.
She is the wise mother who, in addition to her deeper anxieties and solicitude, draws and holds with her own largeness of spirit the expanding natures of her laughing girl and rollicking boy. To do this she must be as quick to laugh as to cry with them, recognizing the drollery of their wit and giving it welcome.
There is the cheerful woman who puts herself out to be pleasant to her friends. Meet her on the street and she will treat you to a cheery smile and a soft greeting that has a sweet little melody all its own. Such a woman makes the nightingales sing in one’s heart. She doesn’t send souls into deep mourning as does the whiny woman or the grouchy person or the suffering sister with woes that bury you like an avalanche.