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OVER THE TEA-CUPS.

AN ENGLISHMAN'S AFFECTIONS. Few, if any, Englishmen really love, none ever "fall" into the state; they certainly conceive affection—sometimes quite a strong affection —for many of their possessions, such as their wives, horses, dogs, and even for the children, says Elizabeth of H. in the "World," especially if the wife is pretty, the dog clever, or the horse a thoroughbred, and no doubt this affection is quite sufficing, and may toe more lasting than a grand passion; but it must be much nicer to be a shooting star than a wee little everlasting twinkle. WOMEN'S LARGER FEET. American shoe manufacturers held their fifth annual national meeting in Boston in July, and it is their unanimous opinion that the women of the present generation have larger feet than the women of the last. Marvin Merril, of Detroit, stated plainly that the No. 2 size in women's shoes, which was so popular twenty years ago, has practically disappeared, and that not one in twenty retailers now handle this size. "It is true," said Mr Merril, 'that women ask for No. 2's occasionally, but this is feminine affectation, to wfiich we yield by selling so-called small 3's." The increasing size of women's feet is attributed to the increasing tendency of women to work and exercise. There is a consensus of opinion that women who wear comfortable footgear for golf and other sports find trouble in getting back into tight shoes. The opinion expressed by the shoemakers' convention is that the average size of the shoes which women wear to-day is from 4 to 5, as compared with 2 to 5 ten years ago. JUDGE AND TIIE VISITING MOTHER-IN-LAW. An amusing discussion on the merits and demerit* of mothers-in-law has been started as the result of a drastic pronouncement by Judge McGuire, of New York, who has decreed that a danghter-in-law cannot be expected to tolerate a visit of more than ten days from her mother-in-law. The ca»e was one in which a young and pretty married woman charged her Boaton mother-in-law with disturbing hel domes! ic peace and happiness. "She came to us on a visit." said the wife, "and snubbed me mercilessly, telling me that I did not know how to manage the boiry or how to arrange the meals. She npsct every one of my household rnles, assur ins me that her rules were better. Finally she turned my husband against me." The judge questioned the defendant, who stiffly observed that her daughter-in-law exaggerated matters. "Mothers-in-law." observed the judge, "are more or less a necessary institution, but except in rare cases they are constitutionally ma-sterfnl and forget that they were once daughters-in-law themselves. They regard it as their exquisite function to domineer and tread on the feelings of their daughters-in-law, and they have little discretion. They ought, in my opinion, to be made by law to confine their visits to a maximum of ten dars.*'

Sad to relate mos»t of the correspondents of N>w York newspapers enthusiastically concur with Judpe MeGnire's drastic strirtures on mothers-in-law. CURIOUS MASCOTS. Madame Patti. who has enraptured all music-lovers, places great belief in an old doll, called "Ilenriette," which she has treasured as her special talisman since she was seven years of age.

Another singer with a real faith in mascots is Madame 'Alice Esty, and she never sings in public without wearing a small preen heart attached to a delicate necklace of gold.

The Shah of Persia and a small table, upon which are five splendid portraits, are quite inseparable. ThU mascot accompanies him everywhere, and is placed close to his pillow while he sleeps. The portraits consist of himself, the late King Edward and his Consort, and tie Tsar and Tsarita of Russia. The late Baronness Burdett-Coutts was almost convinced that good luck would desert her if she parted with a lucky guinea. This coin was given her grandfather, who dressed rather carelessly, by a benevolent old pentleman . who had mistaken the former for one seeking charitv!

Among ladies in French society there is a preat desire to possess for "luck" bits of the hangman's rope, and applications are frequently made—but without success —to influential Britons connected with the Home Office to obtain such unpleasant relics from the hangman! IMPRESSIONS OF AN AUSTRIAN ON ENGLISHWOMEN. Rome sidelights on the peopTc of England by Hcrr Morawitz, Vienna chairman of the Anglo-Austrian Bank, make excellent reading in the "Nineteenth Century." "To characterise a nation without mentioning the 'woman' would be building a house without a roof or a foundation. What distinguishes a ladv of the higher and upper middle classes in England from her sister abroad is her independence, due on the one hand to the respect which she enjoys and 'which allows no man to approach her but with the greatest deference, ami prevents him usinpr a coarse word in her presence—and. on the other, to her athletic upbringing which removes all ideas of helplessness and timidity so often attributed to the feminine sex.

"The young girl goes out alone, and unmolested and unharmed, visits her relations in India and Canada. Intelligence and common sense, gracefulness and feminine charm, a lack of cequettishness

nd affectation are the characteristics of the refined English lady, which word, like that of gentleman, includes, a long series of good qualities.

"Englishwomen have greater capacity for enjoying solitude and occupying themselves with the duties of their surroundings thaji those on the Continent. They accustom themselves easily to lea-ding a country life., while the Parisian and the Viennese (who resemble each other so much) often prevent their husbands retiring from business and living in the country.

"Strong marked individuality, natural need for independence, lack of wealth, which latter often obliges the daughters of <rood families to earn their Jiving, enable women of the upper middle classes to take a more prominent position in the worid than do women in foreign countries.

"Ladies as doctors, journalists, nurses, heads of business houses, are often to be be m«t with. Englishwomen have proved in various -ways that they have had their ebare in rendering the Anglo-Saxon race efficient and thorough."

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19110902.2.90

Bibliographic details

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 209, 2 September 1911, Page 15

Word Count
1,019

OVER THE TEA-CUPS. Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 209, 2 September 1911, Page 15

OVER THE TEA-CUPS. Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 209, 2 September 1911, Page 15

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