The Sentimental Song's Success

1895

"Did you ever hear anything as mushy as that?" asked the man at the minstrel show. He referred to a song about "papa" and "dear mamma" and "sweet little child" that was being done by a man with a soft, girlish voice.

He didn't like it at all, but the house demanded an encore, and a woman just in front of him had a handkerchief to her eyes.

"That's what people want," said the man who sat beside the complainant. "Just give them mother and baby and a waltz tune, and they're happy."

The lines of the song were almost idiotic in their strained attempt at tender sentiment, and the air seemed a variation of what has been heard in every minstrel "first part" for 20 years, but the people liked it just the same because it was so well sung and because "mamma" and "baby" were treated with such exceeding tenderness. — Chicago Record.


Table Mats

Here is a set of three tea table mats. The materials required are a quarter of a yard of linen lawn, some honiton lace braid and a few skeins of honiton lace silk. The quarter of a yard of linen will make three mats, each 9 inches square.

First overcast each piece of linen neatly all around the edge and baste upon this edge a row of the lobed braid, which, having scalloped edges, will make a pretty finish for the mats. Buttonhole this braid to the linen on the upper edge. Next baste a piece representing a spray of flowers upon each corner, and with the honiton lace silk buttonhole it upon the linen. In similar manner make a center design if you desire one, though this seems superfluous, as it never shows when the mat is in use. When the stitching is done, turn the mat, and with a pair of sharp embroidery scissors cut away the linen covered by the lace, being careful not to cut any of the lace stitches. When all are done, place the mats under a piece of muslin wrung out of borax water and iron until the muslin is dry. — Womankind.