Varieties.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 390, 29 October 1903, Page 2

Varieties.

A HANDSOME DIVIDEND. .ijKgSKHAT whaling is occasionally profitafcMg able is evident from the dividend declared by the Dundee Whaler Dinna Company. The profits on the year's working amounted to .£7315 83. lOd. The directors had already intimated a dividend of 100 per cent., and they now recemmend an additional dividend of 25 per cent, making a total dividtnd of 125 per cent, for the year. KING EDWAED AS A BAERISTEE. Pew people remember that his Majesty " took silk " when only nineteen years of age. He entered the Temple a mere boy, and emerged a few hour's later a fullblown silk-gowned barrister. Only to Eoyalty is such a rapid transformation granted. The Dake of Connaught is a Bencher of Gray's Inn, and the late Dake of Clarence was admitted to the Middle Temple in like manner. At one iitrie his Majesty used occasionally to dine at the Temple, and on such night the hall was full to overflowing. BEAUTIFUL OLD WOMEN. We occasionally met a woman whose | old age 5s as beautiful as the bloom of youth. Wa wonder how it has come about—what hei secret is. Here are a few of- the reasons : —■ I She knew how to fcrget disagreeable thingß. She kept her nerves well ia hand and inflicted them on no one. She mastered the art of saying pleasant things. She did not expeet too much from her friends. •"'/•' She made whatever work came to her congenial. She retained her illusions, and did not believe all the world y ioked and unkind. She relieved the miserable snd sympathised with the sorrowful. She never forgot tkat kind words and a smile cost nothing, but are priceless treasures to the discouraged, She did unto others as she would be done by, and now that old age has come to her, and thoro is a halo of white hair about jher head, Bhe is loved and considered, This is the secret of a long life and a happy one. JAPANESE LOVEMAKINO. They certainly do things picturesquely ia the Ear East. When a young Jap has made up his mind as to the maiden he

desires to wed, his next step is to fasten a 1 branch of a certain shrub tn the house of the lrdy'B parents, Shonld he prpy&a welcome suitor, the branch iB cut down and taken in, whilst if unacceptable it is left to withered die. What a lot of trouble such a system must save!.' There is another custom which wethink might find less appreciation in Western countries. The Jap bridegroom, »b in duty bound, offers the moat costlyjjifts he can aft'jrd to his biile for their wedding daj, but she, instead of treasuring them for herself, gives them to her parents as a small acknowledgement of the care and love they have bestowed on her from infancy. The actual wedding caremony takes place in the evening, and the bridal robe consists of a long white silk kimono and veil.

SOME RUSSIAN CUSTOMS A long towel is used by Russian peasant mothers to support their babies, The is f ants have no special clothes, hut are wrapped in a linen sheet, and the long towel, which fastens in a knot behind, and another passed from the shoulder under one arm, makes a sort of sling for the baby to lie in. Russian children are kept at home generally during the severe ■siater weather, and, as the dwellings ara very much heated, their clothoa are not aearly so warm as those worn by English children at the same time of year, and amosgst the poor the little folks often wear but cne garment, a shirt of cotton. It seem 3 absurdly insufficient, but then the temperaiuro of the cottage is kept very high by the piling up of straw-manure againsb its outside walls, and by the large tiled stove which is the centre of all family life during the wiafer months. This stove even serves as a couch, and on it, or about it, the children, and their elders, too, spead a large part of their time during the season when the frost and snow hold the country in their grip. In summer bare feet are the lule among the peasants, and at night it is so warm that often the beds are placed outside the' houses, and it >'s by no means uncommon when coming heme late frem some entertainment, to behold a whole family asleep in the open air. Richer people have balconies on to which they sometimes drag their beds in the summer months,

The wooden spoons and bowls" of red and gold lacqier which one often sees at bazaars and curio shops are used for hot soups. This speaks well for the durability of the lacquer. FOOTSTOOLS. A present which is sure to be appreciated by those who understand luxury, is a footstool which serves as a slippar box as well. It is an inexpensive gilt, and very easily made, or rather covered. First pre care a small wooden box with a lid, which must be fastened on with small hinges; serow castors on to each corner at the bottom, so that it can be easily moved about j cover it neatly, padding the top, and working soma pretty design or other upon it. Line the inside of the box with sateen, either quilted or plain, and your footstool ia ready.