OVER THE TEACUPS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 177, 26 July 1913, Page 15

OVER THE TEACUPS.

MAXIMS OF AX EXPERIENCED HOUSEWIFE. i Xever let your husband e t the idea i that the money he hands you for housei hold expenses is an "allowance." It is well to wash the children's faces • when they need it, but if the youngsters 1 are boys it is idle to indulge the°hope that you can keep them clean. As between boys and girls there isn't much difference in the expense of raising them. A girl's finery may cost more, , but a boy eats more food. A kitchen nirl who is over 40 u-uaily , gives much lees trouble than one who is under 30. OOSSIP PARTIES. '. The Cossip Party is the lates: social craze in America. The hostess writes a dozen or more topics of conversation on cards, which are handed to guests upon their arrival. The subjects chosen are usually up to date and piquant. Chairs arranged in pairs and sofas scattered , about the room are numbered. These arc drawn for. and each couple drawing corresponding numbers hunt up the seats. A bell is rung to announce each topic of , conversation, for which five minutes are . allowed. At each change of places the next subject of gossip is chatted about. At the end slips of paper and pencils arc i then distributed, and the women vote for , the men whose gossip has mast interested them, and the men vote for the women. Tbe two gaining the most votes receive prizes as a reward for their brilliancy. This seems to be a splendid opportunity for sharpening up one's conversational powers. j SERVANTS' REVOLT. ' The Chicago maids arc following the example of ihe Xew York barbers, ami , rebelling against their long hours and the alleged despotism of their employ- ' ers. Their action is merely typical of i the labour uure-st prevalent throughout the country, and brought to a climax hue'v in the New Jersey towns where the factory operatives, urged on by the Industrial Workers of the World, enj gaged in armed conflict with the special police. Apparently the Chicago maids object to washing toy dogs and fastening a myriad hooks on milady's gown, as derogatory to the status of free.boni women. As the result of one maid refusing to bathe a pompom, and the ventilation i , of her grievances as one of a class in the public prints, there is a genera! mutiny iu Chicago's fashionable residential district, where pet dogs and complicated gowns abound. Protests against too much dog-elean- ! ing have been growing in fashionableI home.-. The climax came some weeks: , ago, and hereafter, if the maids triumph, toy dogs wil! go to the dry cleanser or , remain among the small unvva-'hcl. . ino hooking of gowns has been ,lr- I clare-i to be as objectionable as dog . washing. Many cases of " lacer's arm. it , , is declared, have been found among the maids, corresponding somewhat to the housemaid's knee which for many year- , afflicted scrubber-. They say thai the'l newest disease i- caused by the operation ,' of placing a 2"iolb. woman inside one of the new "tube" gowns designed for a;' 1201b. filler. The svmptoms are swelling/ ' muscles on the upper part of 'the arm ! f near ihe shoulder, followed by lameness. ; i In their demands for a union the maids ] ■ do not .say whether they wish to regu- , late the ,"'-" of the woman or Ihe size of i, I the gowns'. Maid.- further allege that thev are ! required to stay up late at night to ■ wait for the return of their mistresses, i and forced tc bear the ill-humour which follows the overhead criticism of a gown ; or an over-abundance of lobster. ; WEDDI N't I SUPERSTITIONS. Every nation has its own beliefs and superstitions iu regard to weddings. It is considered unlucky to be married iu May. The ancient Romans believed ; May to be under ihe influence of spirits ■ adverse to happy households. On the . other hand. June was held to be the most 'propitious lime of the year for wed-1 dings. i j In mediaeval times superstitions in re- . •gard to weddings were rife, and people , liad recourse to all kinds of love I philtres. iiT.agic-.il invocations, aud other ; follies which were supposed to bring luck , to bride or bridegroom. Some of the superstitions of the Middie Ages were ( very curious. li was thought that, ill- ] luck would dog the union of'the married t pair if the biidal party in going toehurch, met a monk. a. priest, a hare, a dog. a cat., lizard, or serpent. on the other ' hand, it was considered very lucky to meet a wolf, a spider, or a toad. ; ' "Marry in Lent and you live to re- ' pent." is a superstition which holds to this day. All penitential days throughout the year were considered unsuitable , for wedding festivities. "'lf it rains on the wedding day the'' bride will weep all her married life" is a ' saying that is .still believed in. It is \ also considered unlucky for the bride to " try- on the wedding gown before the cere-1 ' mony. "Three times a bridesmaid, never a; hride.*' is another well-known saw. and] j one seldom finds a girl nowadays willing to be a bridesmaid more than twice. j 1 It is considered unlucky for bride and • bridegroom to have the same initials. "Tochange the name and not the letter is ' a change for the worse, and not for the ' better." ; In •Sweden Ihe bridegroom has a great j fear of 1 rolls and sprites, and as an iinti-M dote against their power he sews into i his clothes various strong-smelling herb'.. "I such as garlic and rosemary. It is ctis-' a | ternary 'o fill the bride's pockets with' ] bread, which she gives to the poor she i _ meets on the way lo the church, and so !' averts misfortune with the alms she c bestows. On their return from church the bride and bridegroom visit their cow- I houses and farms that the cattle may thrive and multiply. ' The wedding ring a.- a symbol also] dates to far-back times, probahlv having; ; its origin ill the days of Tubal Cain. It ! ! was at one lime customary for marriage ! ' rings to be worn by 'both sexes, and this j custom is largely followed on the Con-' tinent to-day. Our ancestors put the ( ring on the left band because they found A it more convenient, and they chose the i fourth finger because it is less used than i the rest, and more capable of preserving t a ring from damage. j 1 It is hard to determine the origin of 1 the idea that a shoe brings luck, but it ! is reminiscent of the time when a woman i was practically sold to her husband. In olden times Jews confirmed a sale bygiving a sandal to their customers. An Anglo-Saxon father would give his shoe to the bridegroom, who tapped his wife- 1 ' to-be on her head with it. signifying that, henceforth she was his property. , j It is considered lucky for a young un(.married -girl to sleep with a piece of wed- : < iding cake under her pillow, i