Hospitals" are best appreciated when the little old temperature is hovering midway between 102 and 103 degrees, At such times the slump in silver, the inculting fur coat, ind stinilar outside activities are as dimly remembered dreams, and all_of momentary interest is eentred>within four barren, walls and the'silent white-capped sentinel of pain who periodically adjusts the bronchitis jacket and pours steaming bovril down the quiescent throat. Eighteen hours out of the twenty-four are devoted to sleeping and nourishment, and the remaining few may be' enjoyably fantasy tical with speculations as to just how many corpses have been carried ut of the self same room, and what tales those four naked walls could tell if they could but talk, But inevitably comes convalescence, and. with it feminine responsibility to a larger number of friends than the patient had mown she possessed. Hospitals always, bring. them forth in amazing and gratifying numbers, and for the} usual look. of. roses and sweets, novels and. nick-nocks, retribution must be made, As' usual. the solution is charm, For although. ostensibly hospitals are, for. practical and painful pur-, poses only, each frail member of the fairer sex soon realizes, after the temp, has been declared normal and visitors therefore permissible the, fact that although friends, do all the coming and. the patient does no' going, the, responsibility of appearance is' in no way lessened. And.after the first day of alleged convalescence it becomes common knowledge that raiment must be changed just, out as often porch. Yes, hospitals are fully, equipped with woollen blankets, but even if hospitals must be antiseptic the general effect may be infinitely Frightened by the addition of just such lovely gifts to the inmates.
If all this seems more comfortable' than artistic, consolation may be derived from, the. knowledge that after the bath one of those tailored little quilted-satin bed jackets may te donned for breakfast. Quilted crepe de Chine in pale blue or pink is also an incentive to appetite, looking, itself, good enough to eat. But first, the ie, or pyjamas. erring habit of getting into the porridge and soft boiled egg, and, later, the ten o'clock orange juice. Crepe pyjamas to match that bed Jacket are nice, with wide trousers, and.a bow tie at the, V-neck which make one look as though she were about to indulge in a sailors horn pipe. Plain white, satin or crepe Pylamas are also good, with long Sleeves, and an almost, bat not quite, mannish. effect. Save those giffen nighties. "for afternoon callers, no: one. will see you.in the morning. but. the. doctor. and nurses anyway, and they will quite approve of the "neat but not gaudy" appear-rice. "Incidentally, forget, about the cosmetics, no. painted invalid is appealing. Besides it is so. much more apparent when natural colour. ing, is, at its lowest. A fruit of Powder on the, nose, will be, quite sufficient.
Then for breakfast and the morning, séance.with. the. frivolous allotment of literature donated by] friends, At any rate it should be out, No one can ford to be ill shabbily these days, for the world, including nurses (after the danger point is passed)—has mental, and frst, last, and always, it is appearance that counts, How. ever, has, wal have. their' advantages, for who doo not capital ate to the helpless feminine in her bed of pain (even if the pain is a thing of the past) and, particularly if appropriately clad, There is the matter of practicality and common sense, starting at the ungodly hour when the ill are awakened to take the morning sponge and gargle. And the bath. No. use frilly for that fession, especially on these ct morns. The warmest and coziest woollies are the only proper accoutrements to. pronoontide ablutions, and how, "pre" these hospital ¢leansings can If you are thinking about, going to the hospital in the near fulure, and even if you are not, for one never knows what, will happen next, better get acinted with Peach & Ca, in the Sassoon Arcade, allegedly "for. gentlemen, but, where there may be obtained in small the very nicest Jaeger's eamelhair robes, as silky-soft and warm as that teddy-bear you used to take to bed with you. They may be had in prices ranging from.$65 to $120, in soft and, pastel colours or in the natural goldy-tan, To go with them are cozy slippers, the. Kind that, snuggle up around your ankles and thwart tthe biting breeze. These are $10.50, and, from the approving pat you will got from the doctor when he sees the outfit you will know it was worth it, Then, if you have one of.
ese nice lingering illnesses, like hoid fever, you might suggest couple of. weeks of roses be discarded in favour of one of those amd-hair blanket.rugs, the. kind that just ery for a drowsy smuggler in the chaise longue on the sun frivolous and if it isn't, put them wise, Heavy hospital rei helped any patient' eyes. John Erskine's group of hart stories entitled "Cinderella's Daughter" is acceptable in any, literary mani for hospital diet, oF the pert poetry of Baird Leonard, deliciously unlyrical, and of th fort to make. the weepigst woman buck up a bit. And just more words, to those whic gifts to the patient. Along with your flowers. yon might send. a bright little vase or bowl, Hospital attendants. have a most annoying habit of, poking. long stemmed roses into jelly jars and all that sort.of nonsense, besides,- you've no idea hhow that homey touch will improve feverish tion. Then. too, hospital walls are always so blankly bare,. At frst, one doesn't, mind but after awhile they seem almost shameless, Some. vivid little etching or sketch, not t00 expensive, to sort of break the virginal monotony helps along @ whole lot. Particalarly if your friend is doomed to stay in for a protracted period, There is no reason in the world why hospital rooms should not be attrac. tive for the prolonged sufferer and her friends. Y pillow oF two] quantities of books, and even book-ends (you've idea how books pile up and fall down on one), a picture or so, and presto, the room is changed!
Now for tifin and a nap. Then ithe real fun begins for if ever nighties and pyjamas were meant to shown it is this year. No longer is a nightgown a straight sheath of Sue with Salem the top for the!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.