move gracefully. The ordinary Delsarte
movements of swinging the wrist backward and forward, of raising the
hands high above the head, and the general exercises for the
cultivation of gesture and expression are all good and can bring about
the habit of spontaneous relaxation and activity. No gestures at all,
though, are better than awkward ones.

Large joints are very unsightly. It is said of the Countess of Soissons
that she never closed her hands for fear of hardening the joints.
Funny, isn't it, to what extremes those old-time ladies went? And yet
the Nordauites say we are degenerates!

Of Mme. Crequy it is recorded that "she was a woman most resolute," and
in proof of that assertion the chronicler says that if no lackey were
within call she opened the doors herself--without fear of blistering
her hands! It was the desire for dainty, delicate white hands that
first gave nice little boys the task of trotting after stately dames
and carrying my lady's prayerbook or fan. Fancy one of those
porcelain-like creatures of helplessness hanging onto the strap in a
State Street cable car! Perish the thought! And what a jolly time Mme.
Crequy would have had could she have indulged in a Christmas shopping
scrimmage. After a few tussels with the swing doors that bar our
entrance to the big stores, Mme. Crequy would have blistered her hands
to the queen's taste and the poultice stage. There's no chance of a
doubt about that.

BATHING THE HANDS.

With the hands, as with almost everything else in the strife toward
beauty culture, cleanliness is the first great essential. You cannot
keep your hands smooth and pretty without an occasional hard scrubbing.
Unless the hands are unusually moist naturally, hot water should not be
used. Have the bath tepid--just warm enough to be cleansing. Say a fond
farewell to all highly-scented soaps and bring yourself down to a
steady and constant faith in the pure white imported castile. I doubt
very much if there is a soap manufactured which can equal this for its
harmlessness and purity. The best way is to buy a large bar, letting it
dry thoroughly, and cutting off small slices as they are needed.

Never fail to let the soapy water out of the basin and fill again with
a clear rinsing bath. When drying be sure that the towel is not coarse
or rough, and that it absorbs every particle of moisture. Very gently
press back the cuticle around the nail. A little orange-wood stick or a
piece of ivory