AROUND THE TEA TABLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 130, 4 June 1930, Page 12

AROUND THE TEA TABLE.

MATTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST.

(By SHIRLEY)

In certain townships of America, some years ago, there was instituted an interesting variant of the "you pat me and I pat you," way of managing things. Your dearest friend, or enemy, would come to you with the remark "I have a trade last for you," meaning, "I know something nice someone has said about you, and I will trade it for something nice you can hand over about me." In other words "I'll do a trade in compliments." Why "last" I do not know, or why it .became just "I'll do a trade T.L." or why the idea lasted only five years. As a; consequence of this ideal, for a time many small towns beamed in friendship. The person who handed me this information considers that it might suit Auckland. But I am not so sure. Some times boucquets are more dangerous than brickbats. If someone thoughtlessly traded with Jane a nice remark that Roland made about her, Roland, if an eligible young man, might bo in for trouble. Then, again, the lady passing it on might be a little inaccurate, like Ethel in the story who.told Jessie that George had said that she, Jessie, had a thick head of hair, only, in good nature, the last two words had been added by one-good-deed-a-day Ethel. Or she might affirm that George called her a vision because, after all, in the dictionary, vision arid sight are interchangeable words.

There is no such thing as "growing old," says the psychologist, as long as you "grow," you are not getting old. Some of the old dames in New Zealand exemplify this. One, at seventy, recently took her first aeroplane flight, and won't be happy till she has another. Napier has already a lady of one hundred years, nothing wrong with her, but a little deafness, wrote a lengthy letter the other day, perfect), and is interested in new ideas about success in life. As concerns feminine shyness about years, an Auckland lady, in a farewell address recently, indicated how unfortunate we were in regard to the century being still young. Quite a shock she had got when an old friend approached her. "I remember our former meeting was last century." However, as her years had been full of service, it is fairly certain that the "shock" was quite endurable. At the other end of the scale is the child that refuses to stay young. The youngest person, for instance, to have a permanent wave is a small girl of five. You can fancy little Cissie refusing the school swimming lesson, or a run in the wind, for fear of her two-guinea wave. * * * *

English picture shows in the near past have sometimes failed in period accuracy, I have never seen a heroine so advanced that she ,would know to wear a shingle and knee length skirts long before they became fashionable. "Disraeli" a talkie, more than makes amends. The 1874 costume was not quite so exaggerated as in the silent film of the same name, that is to say, the ladies did not look at all like hens, or self conscious, Even the men had that indefinable look of Bartorial change into the past, either they had more buttons or less buttons than they have to-day, their coats were certainly more gentlemanly than nowadays, but their trousers less so, because, I believe, pressing them did not come in till later. And some of them had beards, and Dizzy had his famous little curl. For a moment I did think that the composer of the drama's "business" had been caught napping, Dizzy, offers a cigarette to the man whom he is going to bluff, and cigarettes are comparatively modern in the world's history. But the offer is not against facts. Cigarettes had come into usage, they were brought from Russia after the Crimea, although it was not until friendly relations with Russia were firm, some years after this that the Princess Alexandria occasionally sported one or two to put at ease her Russian royal visitors who smoked. Dizzy may have smoked cigarettes in 1874, but there is one thing certain, never, even he, in the presence of Queen Victoria, or in Buckingham Palace, even if she were not present. "No smoking" was the rule in many homes of those times. Tt was held to taint the curtaiiiSj They never, it seemed, got over it, also it "went into the carpets." Queer curtains and carpets they must have had in those days, or else very powerful tobacco.

How to avoid being a born? Do what the gang docs," says Elmer Davis. But supposing the gang, your gang, docs things, you simply loathe, like golfing, motoring, or erecting wireless sets? A couple were faced with this 'difficulty, their "crowd" loved only three things, "And we don't, we can't afford to let them.think we're contemptuous of their simple, human joys." Thus the husband. At that moment, his wife noticed among the mail a prospectus of an oil company. "This may be our chance to be readmitted to the human race, for cverybody has bought oil shares, and you've got to have the common touch, if you want to get along with people.' But it will cost money, and we'll probably lose it." "It will cost less, than a car or golf membership, more than a wireless set, but the stock won't squeak and squeak and sputter, and even if you lose money, you can regard it as an initiation fee into human affairs, for everyone has lost money in shares." Her advice was obeyed. People now tell them about their golf and wireless, then wait ..politely to hear about the oil shares, and then eagerly relate' how they lost money in Cerro Caliento. "So once more we belong."