1950: Sleep

I don't know about you, but with this latest time change I'm having a heck of a time adjusting. I just don't do well getting up when it is still dark out, and I am of course staying up way too late. What's a girl to do? Why, dig up some sleep tips of course. These are just a few suggestions of things I might try from Ida Bailey Allen's Youth After Forty, published in 1950. She has a whole chapter devoted to the topic!

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What to Read Before Going to Bed
If you have been using your eyes steadily all day, reading should be avoided. But if you must read, choose what I call a "drowsing book," unexciting, mildly interesting or amusing, or frankly dull. Or select something philosophical, or comfortingly religious, that induces a feeling of security in the Infinite to which you are about to entrust your body and soul in sleep.

Bedtime Routine
But don't think you can merely jump into bed and have a good night's rest. Getting ready for bed should be an unhurried process. After undressing arrange your hair for the night. Adjust a sleeping net to keep it in order, and have a pretty one. If you bathe at night, the bath should be tepid, not hot. If you are very tired, take a lazy relaxing bath. Then come the nightly facial and hand routines. Now stop a moment to check. Windows adjusted for fresh air? Alarm clock set? Glass of water on the bedside table? Carefully turn the covers way back. Lights out and into bed.

Get Tense to Relax
Stretch out full length until you feel tall. Stretch the arms wide on each side; rotate the feet. Rotate the legs. Wriggle the toes. And here's the pay-off for real release from ordinary tension: To overcome tenseness resulting from the day's push and rush you must first get tense. To do this stretch every muscle of the body as taut as possible, clench the hands, tense the feet, the toes ~ then slowly go limp all over and relax completely. Do this several times. Finally you keep that relaxed condition. The eyes slowly blink and finally close. Your whole body feels grateful for this release from tension. You welcome sleep.

Sweet Sleep Inducer ~ My Best Recipe
Lie flat and still. Don't think about the day; its sorrows; disappointments; joys; triumphs. Don't think about tomorrow. Forget yourself and give out something to others. What? Kind thoughts or blessings to everyone near and dear to you; to friends, acquaintances, persons in public life you perhaps have never met but who have helped others. You might even include some people you don't like. This will make you more tolerant, and tolerance induces relaxation. If you try every night for the rest of your life you'll never finish the list, sleep comes so soon and is so deep and "sweet."

1949: Correct Proportions

Someday I'll do a comparison of all of the "average" or "ideal" weight charts, by age and height, in all of my books. I just stumbled across another one, a bit surprisingly in the Searchlight Homemaking Guide, revised in 1949 from an earlier 1937 edition published by Household Magazine. The chapter title, nestled among the ones on cooking and cleaning, caught my eye: "Exercise and Good Looks."

But instead of focusing on the weight chart right now, I'd like to share something the authors titled "Correct Proportions." This caught my eye, as I have recently been "reducing" as they used to say, and also had to get myself measured for the wedding dress in the past few months.

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Many women like to have some basis for correct proportions of the body to guide them, especially if they are attempting to gain or lose weight. The following figures will serve as a guide. Measurements should be increased a little for persons of greater height, and reduced a little for shorter persons.

Height..............................5 feet 5 inches
Shoulders, over arms...... 42 inches
Bust................................. 34 inches
Waist............................... 26 inches
Hips................................ 38 inches
Ankle.............................. 8 inches
Wrist............................... 6 inches
Weight............................ 122 pounds
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Who knew there were guidelines for what the ideal size of women's wrists and ankles should have been!?

1936: Oatmeal Porridge

Today, March 7, is National Cereal Day! I love cereal of all sorts, and love to mix cold cereals together for a unique combination. In winter time, though, we have a steady diet of blueberry oatmeal cooked overnight in the crockpot (trying it yourself? use steelcut oats and frozen blueberries). Top some maple syrup and maple sugar on top with some milk in the morning, and YUM.

So in honor of National Cereal Day, I bring you these oatmeal porridge methods (requiring slightly more effort than our trusty crockpot) from the classic Mrs. Beeton's Household Management. My edition is from 1936, and I bought it years ago when visiting London. At 1680 pages plus advertisements, it was a bit challenging to carry home, but worth it. Happy cereal eating!

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Ingredients. Oatmeal, salt, water.
Method. There are several ways of making porridge. The one generally adopted ~ although by no means the best ~ is to sprinkle the oatmeal into boiling, slightly salted water with the left hand, meanwhile stirring briskly with a wooden spoon or spatula. When the porridge is thick enough, the stewpan is drawn to the side of the fire, and the contents slowly cooked from 20-30 minutes, being occasionally stirred to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan. A better method is to soak 4 ozs. of oatmeal in 1 1/2 pints of cold water overnight, and in the morning strain the water into a stewpan, and when boiling add the oatmeal, and salt to taste. Twenty minutes' gentle simmering will sufficiently cook it, and it must be well stirred during the process. Probably the best plan of all is to use a water-jacketed saucepan for making porridge, for it is always desireable to have oatmeal thoroughly cooked, and as the water in the outer pan obviates the necessity of frequent stirring, the porridge may, with little trouble, be cooked for 2 or 3 hours on the previous day, and reheated when required; a pinch of salt should always be added to the porridge. Fully and partially cooked oatmeals can be prepared in a few minutes. Full instructions are given on the packages.
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1956: Framework for your Lingerie Trousseau

Last time I introduced you to the concept of the lingerie trousseau, and promised more details from Marguerite Bentley's Wedding Etiquette Complete. Her entry on this special trousseau continues below. This should help brides-to-be (or others just trying to stock up) plan their shopping lists.

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I have compiled a sort of framework for your lingerie trousseau that may serve as a reminder from which you may choose in making your ultimate selections. There is enough here for any bride; too much for you perhaps, or not enough for you if you are to live on a grander scale that requires more garments because of frequent trips, deferred laundering, and other reasons. But here it is for your inspection ~ and do not forget nylon with its quick drying quality!

Lingerie Trousseau

Bridal Set ~ "best"
Negligee ~ lace-trimmed
Bed jacket to match
Slip to match
Panty or step-in to match

"Second-best" sets
3 lace-trimmed or somewhat fancy nightgowns
3 slips to match
3 step-ins to match

Tailored sets
3-6 tailored nightgowns, or pajamas
3-6 slips to match
3-6 step-ins to match, or short, close-fitting panties of glove silk

Miscellaneous Suggestions
Tailored crepe robe ~ also nice for traveling
Quilted robe or woolen housecoat for winter
1 negligee ~ soft, dainty type
Bed jacket
Tea or hostess gown ~ not a "must," but nice to own
2-3 pairs of mules or bedroom slippers
2 daytime girdles or foundation garments
2 sport girdles
1 evening girdle
2 evening slips
6 daytime brassieres
3 evening brassieres
6-12 pairs of day stockings ~ the same shade for economy
6 pairs of sheer stockings for late afternoon and evening

Monograms are always as much of an addition to lingerie as they are to linen. Have them embroidered on your sets if you can afford this.

1956: Your Lingerie Trousseau

I'm in the midst of wedding planning, which amazingly is going quite well, thanks to the fact that I am not worrying one bit about where people are going to sit, and whether the napkins will match the flower girls' dresses. Oh, and having a wonderful sister who is an experienced event planner helps!

There is an amazing amount to get caught up in in the wedding industry mania, so to ground myself and to think about what's truly important (like marrying the person you love), I've been reading some of the old wedding guides in my collection. Certain that having a "theme" (isn't marriage the theme?) and "colors" (how about all colors? I like color!), are relatively new "traditions," I was looking through one book from 1956 for something to back me up. However, I got a little distracted by this information, from Wedding Etiquette Complete written by Marguerite Bentley. What ever happened to the tradition of the lingerie trousseau? I think we should bring this one back.

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Assembling your lingerie trousseau can be a thrilling task, because the items you will buy are so dainty and beautiful. Here is your chance to indulge in your fondest wishes, but you must use your head as well as your heart in the selection of the pretty things you like best and will need most in your new life.... In our great-grandmother's day muslin nightgowns with dainty bits of embroidery were as useful twenty years afterwards as the day great-grandmother was married. This is not so today. Styles change, and new lingerie additions are refreshing notes to a wardrobe only too soon. You should, however, purchase enough lingerie to last for the first year or two with plenty of changes; this matter must be regulated by your future mode of life. If you intend to have a maid or maids in your household who will launder your lingerie carefully on stated days, more garments will be needed than if you intend to wash out each piece yourself in your small apartment the day after wearing it...

Three types of lingerie always seem to me to be the general basis of every trousseau. First and foremost - and here you may indulge your heart's desire - the bridal set! This may be as fragile and unutterably lovely as you care to purchase, as it's a once-in-a-lifetime buy. On the other hand, you may prefer to be more practical. After you have selected your bridal lingerie, you begin to think of your nightgowns, slips, and step-ins that may be lace-trimmed, a sort of second-best to the bridal set, dainty and beautiful. Last, but by no means least, are those practical but beautiful tailored sets in flat crepe, often monogrammed and bound in another color. These are smart for your daily life, and you will love their sleek-fitting lines. They may be handmade if you can afford it; if not, there are many machine-made garments that will answer your purpose beautifully.
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Stay tuned! Next time I'll share the author's framework for a lingerie trousseau.

1922: A Love for Beautiful Things

Here's another sort of love described: a love for beautiful things! Let's read what Mabel Hale, in her 1922 book Beautiful Girlhood, had to say in a chapter which focuses on "A Few Faults Discussed":

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Another fault is an inordinate love for pretty things. I say "inordinate," for there is a proper appreciation for those things that are beautiful that is allowable in every one. But she who has too great a love for these things sets great value upon their possession. Pride and vanity follow close in the wake of a love for personal adornment. Money that should go for more necessary things is given for things beautiful. The girl becomes dissatisfied with the home and surroundings as she finds them, developing a deep dislike for what should be dear to her, all because they do not meet her ideal of beauty.

Such a girl needs to learn to look well to the good that is about her. Where love is, real beauty can be found. There is nothing more beautiful than a happy, satisfied heart. If your love for pretty things so fills your heart that you can not see the good that loving hands and hearts would bring to you, then you need to give serious attention to that which is obstructing your vision.
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1897: What Love Is

"Love is the essence of every existing thing: the root of life! the recompense for death," so says author Ella Wheeler Wilcox in her 1897 book titled Men, Women and Emotions. In this week before Valentine's Day, it seems appropriate to share some quotes about love. Here's the first, with more to come as we get closer to the 14th. Wilcox continues:

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It is the all creative spark, the vital force of the universe. There is power to achieve in the mere utterance of the word ~ Love... Love is the natural element of all things. The illimitable oceans of space are composed of the waters of Love. Whoever loves most widely and warmly is most in harmony with the universe. Love is the key to success. To love your work is to excel in it. To love observingly and nobly any worthy object or aim is to eventually obtain and attain it....

To love is to know happiness but not contentment, rapture but not peace, exhilaration but not satisfaction; for contentment means inertia, peace means stagnation, and satisfaction means satiety, and these three cannot exist where Love is. Love and action are co-existent, and there is no repose where Love is, but there is rest even in its restlessness, ecstasy in its misery, hope in its fear, joy in its sorry, and sweet in its bitter.
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