NOTES FOR WOMEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 277, 20 November 1913, Page 8

NOTES FOR WOMEN.

(From Our Lady Corrcspoadent.)

CHILD CULTURE AS A SCIENCE.

The Children's Welfare Exhibition, which was so huge an affair and so great a. success when organised last year at Olympia by the "Daily News" that it has been decided to hold another, combining a conference with it at which prominent educationists will take part, and the recent progress in methods of teaching will be demonstrated rrom April 11th t.j April 30th—Easter recreation for numbers of children—nest year.

AX INNOVATION IX EDUCATION. An interesting educational enterprise is being undertaken by Messrs f'aubury Bros., who are permitting inure than 000 of their junior employees to attend s-pL-cial day continuation classes which have been arranged on one-half day each week for forty weeks of the year. Hitherto the- Toun» people employed at the Bournville works have been required to attend an evening school on two or three evenings each week. Now they will attend the day school once weekly and the night school once, the instruction at first consisting of Kn<rlish and arithmetic, with physical training.

UUSsIAX iLEALS. .Apropu.s uf the" enterprise of one of the halfpenny dnilies. which employed ■■!■ food expert a few months ago to show how much more economically than it is now done a working class lu-mily's food coii'.d be prepared, a protest has appeared in a provincial paper from a Russian correspondent who consider? that starting a meal with a roast joint (such as bt-ef, which was advocated by the expert) is reckless extravajra nee.

Russians, it was pointed out. never begin their chief meal with a joint. They take the edge oil" their appetite..- with less expensive food. .\|>]iotitr.-, appear to the New Zealander to be rasters of no frailty in Russia when one hears that the housewife, to whom butchers' bills are a matter of moment, will perhaps provide a great bowl of salad, made of haricot beans, potatoes, and a little onion, as the first course. she vi ill give, a good helping of this excellent dish all round, aJid follow it up with soup. With this are always served little pies made of. what the correspondent facetiously or sufferingly described as unbreakable pastry. and filled with egg. cabbage, fish or a little minced meat. Alter this the joint—if there is one!

REFORMS IN PORTUGAL. The women of Ponugal an , benetiting to an extent, under tue now Kepublioau Government, much greater than they ever enjoyed before. Only a lew mouths aiter the now state of affairs was established the divorce laws, which had hitherto withheld from women tlio right to petition for a dissolution of marriage under any circumstances whatever. were amended, so that now divorce is obtainable by mutual consent. Then au affiliation law was parsed holding the fathers of illegitimate children responsible for their support and tlie support of Ihe mothers as well, and providing machinery for the investigation and proof of patornitv. As in France, the Ulngitinia-tc child inherits half the property which would ordinarily descend to the legitimate child, or an equal share of the property where there is more than one legitimate child.

The marriage laws were also reformed, while interesting legislation with regard to married women teachers ordains that these, far from being under apprehension of dismissal, are granted a month's leave of absence, with full pay. before the birth of a child, and two months' leave of absence, with full pay. afterwards. High teaching posts have been thrown open to women, and there is at least one woman professor at the Coimbra University.

EVERYDAY COOKERY. | RECIPE? WHICH WILL HELP .THE THRIFTY HOUbEWLFE. pork: PIE. To make a really good pork pie is not the difficult thing you might imagine it to be. Of course it requires some skill and a little practice, but there is no reason whatever why anyone who can take pains, and -who can be accurate in weighing and measuring, should not make a real success of it after a few attempts. You will neeed two and a-half pounds of pork pie meat, one-third fat, and, to season it, three-quarters of an ounce of salt and a teaspooniul of pepper; one half-tablespoonful of dried sage can also be added, if liked. Cut the. meat pie. into small pieces and mix the seasoning and flavouring well with it.

TO SLAKB THE lUSTRY. Pork pie pastry is not made at all iv the same way as short pastry. The method is as different as possible. Put four ounces of lard and four ounces of butter into a sauce-pan with one gill of water and one gill of milk (shr>rt measurel.

iLet this come to the. boil and then stir it into one and a-half -pound of plain -flour, adding a good pinch of salt. When it is cool enough to handle knead it until quite smooth and leave till almost cold.

TO MOULD THE PASTRY. With your hands well raised, fingers pointing straight down and wrists well up. work the pastry into a large cupshuppcl raa?s, but with this difference, the hollow must be greatest at the base and smallest, at the top. Be very careful that the pastry is oven throughout, thicker at the base, but evenly thick all round the sides.

When well raised, put Lhe prepared meat into the pastry, pressing it down firmly, keeping the. shape of pie right all the time, turn the upper edges of the. pastry outwards, wet them, roll out a piece for the top, put it carefully on. squeezing the edges well together, cut them straight, and either wave them with your fingers and thumb or snip them with scissors.

A few fancy leaves, etc, may be stamped out and fastened on with beaten egg or milk, then brush over the whole pie with beaten egg and bake in a moderately quick oven at first. Cook altogether for one and a-half hour or until ihe meat is quite tender. TO MAKE THE JELLY.

Many cooks use merely a. plain stock for the "jelly part." but this is not good enough. Buy three pennyworth of skins and a few bones and cook these in plenty of water till reduced to hall.

Add to the skins a "bouquet of herbs," which consists of a t€aspoonful of thyme and marjoram, a nice strip of lemon, peel, ten peppercorns, a sprig of paisley, tied together in arakin-; in preferred a few sage leaves can be used instead of the thyme and marjoram. Ponr into centre ,hple of pie -when nearly cold, ands ■when " Ba^odcalsoeJsailnrosfeaettmgi