Housekeeper.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 653, 9 December 1908, Page 7

Housekeeper.

If a little butter is rubbed round the spout of a teapot it will prevent the tea from trickling down when it is poured out.

Mud stains maty be removed fsom tan-leather shoes by rubbing them with sEces of raw potato. When dry, polish in the usual way. .

When the feet are swollen and aching much relief can be gained by bathing them in tepid water containing a tablespoonful of lemon-juice and a little alcohol. '

Use soap and water to cleanse white furniture, taking care that the water is not too hot and soap is pure, or it will discolour the paint. Polish well with an old silk handkerchief, or a leather.

New boots are sometimes difficult to polish. To make them shine easily, brush off any dirt that may be on them and rub them with lemon juice. * Let this dry in, then black and polish them in the usual way, and they will shine beautifully.

Art muslin curtains should never be washed in warm water. Make a lather with hot water, and when it is nearly cold wash the curtains. If these are green add a little vinegar, if lilac or pink a little ammonia. Salt will set the colour of black and white muslin.

A charming set of buttons for a lace blouse may be made of frills of Valenciennes lace, gathered to the centre and stitched to a foundation of net, with a tiny button or flat head on the centre of each to hide the joint. These are, of course, not intende'd for "working" buttons, but only serve for decoration.

If you have a tiny bit of gathering to do, and do not want to fix the gatherer to your machine, nor yet to do it by hand, place the material under the foot of the machine, and push the material into gathers with a long darning-needle as you sew. This

saves, both time and trouble, and gathers quite well for small -spaces*

A way to keep shoe-laces tied is to make a bow in the ordinary wayj then insert a ; button-hook underneath the centre of the bow and draw one loop and one end through (underneath), thus . turning the bow practically upside down. Or draw one loop through the other and pull the "answering" end, so that the loops are knotted.'

THE REALLY WELL DRESSED. To be well dressed means in a great measure merely suitability of attire. Beauty of face and form means stern reality. Painty powder, mess, artifit ciality, and filth do not make anyone beautiful; they only make ithem look dirty; and when a woman is getting on in life and she takes to that sort of. thing she immediately makes herself look about fifteen'years older. .Age is so much kinder than artifice. / Of course, beauty is delightful. A pretty girl is always a pleasure to look at. A nice-looking middle-aged woman is a joy, and a really handsome old lady an object of admiration and respect. . - - x - ', ■." ' ,'\ But just peep into a ballroom for one moment. The beautiful girl will be singled out in first flush by young men requiring partners. An hour later the scene is changed; all the good dancers and the girls with-pretty manners and gracious ways have. filled their places, and the pretty girls who can neither, dance nor talk are relegated to the Wallflower Brigade. A ball is a sort of hiring fair/ just as the world is a great marriage market where partners are chosen Tor life, so the ballroom where partners are chosen for a quarter of an hour reproduces the game in a minor key.

SOCIETY FOR CHILDREN. , N6 child can be expected to thrive, and to possess that buoyancy of spirit so truly characteristic to youth, unless it has the companionship of others of its own age. We invariably find that the girl who is brought up alone, who has been forbidden to play with other children, is inclined to be narrow minded, suspicious, of others, and sometimes a very disagreeable little personage to meet. Companionship rubs the angles off the childish temper; each little one rinds its own level, and the quarrels (so deeply deplored by their elders) all serve to fit them for the battle of life. Children, like ourselves, must exchange thoughts and opinions with others, and to see a little boy or girl playing alone, and in silence, is a saddening sight. . At;the same.timei, a large amount of. discretion is necessary oh the part of parents, regarding the Class of companions with whom their children play. A little unsuspected supervision will soon enable a mother to discover the right sort, and to weed out the undesirable ones; A little simple tea party may be given, and during the meal and thejplay following the clearsighted mother will be enabled to judge the character of each youthful guest, and to act accordingly.; To a certain extent school childrep choose their j own special play-mates, and the parents will have many ' opportunities of studying their character. ,