THE LADIES' COLUMN.

Bush Advocate, Volume IX, Issue 668, 27 August 1892, Page 6

THE LADIES' COLUMN.

THI? WAY WOMJiX BET IK NEW YOKK. There is an article in tho "Manchester Guardian" founded upon statements in the ".New York Uorald", which givorf adeseription of a buttiug-houso in that city frequented by womon. American -women, it is well known, have ii strong predilection both for thu speculative side of commerce. «nd for gambling pure and simple. But with vigitrd 'to the latter " amusement" they do nob possess the same facilities an uion, and tbe Now York police havo steadfastly resisted the efiorts of enterprising "pool -.sellers" to make betting on horse racing as easy for women as for men. One " Allen," however, has contrived to surmount or evade tho difficulty, and has started an annexe for women in a cellar, which is said to bu daiug a brisk i.vudo. This is how the correspondent oi tho "Herald" (a lady presumably) deaciibes the plaoe, which is sicuuted in a low neighborhood : — " The pool-room itsi'lf, with its women's annexe, is in thorough keeping with all its surroundings. Diity, rovolling, as badlv ventilated as the Bluck Hole of Caloultu, "it is ona of tha worst of the establishments of its kind. Unattractive though the premises are, they are crowded di'ring race days with oxcited womon. " Wof the women are young, and most of thorn aro poorly dressed. There is scant evidence of prosperous vice, or any vico at all except tho gambler's passion, but every sign points to hard-working poverty as the lot of most of tho womenjthere. Yet noe one ot them all has earned her scanty dollars ao painfully that she is not eager to thrust them into "the coffers of the 'commission merchant.' " While the laces are being run their progress ia announced to tho assembly by a boy at the telegraph, and the bystanders learn thoir gains and losses. The " Herald's " correspondent made a few small bots, as in duty bound, "for the good of the house,' and needless to say was unsuccessful. " One small comfort was that everybody else seemed to have been equally unfortunate. Only one or twb oi the women came out of tha pool- room with more money than when they entered it. Indeed during three races at least a hundred bets were made ' by the women in the room, while only two tickets bore the name of a winning horse. On thoso three races the commission merchant or his principals must have made a profit of at least 200dol. But, no doubt, everyone of tbe speculative patrons of tho women's poolroom returned tho next day, provided she could obtain a few dollars with whioh to play." ! It is said that, baulked in the attempt to employ the servants of the District Messenger Company as intermediaries between themselves and the betting rooms, the women/' hayo found other ways of gratifying their gambling passion. A party of half a dozen or so will meet at the house of one, and they will hire a messenger foi the whole afternoon. He will be kept travelling between the house ani the nearest pool-room all tho time that races are in progress. Sometimes two or three messengers are hired at a time in order to secure quicker service."

To Lady Wolverton, founder of the "Needlework Gaild," U due the discovery of the peouliur properties of tho needle as a remedy for low spirits in eldorly ladies. In the introduction whioh she has written for Mis3 Amy K. Smith's "Needlework for Student Teachers" (City of London Book Depot) Lady Wolvert«n tells us that in a villase in which ehe lived thero was quite a brigade of old women, eight or nine of them, all more or less afflicted with rheumatism. She used to go and sit with them ; they seldom were doing anything but sitting over a poor fire, talking of the good old days now no more. Something to do was really what they wanted ; if their fingers were busy, their hearts would rest more. " So," Bays their benevolent visitor, "I started a little society for them. Once a week they oame .up to the house — a pretty, short walk aoross the park, whioh they liked; it was a change to . oorao and ait with me, instead of my sitting with them,-. Iso we dawdled rather over our business. It consisted merely iu giving out one cut-out article of clothing, to be brought back made the next week and another taken away. •Well, Reheoca,' I said one day, ' that is a i success, isn't it?' 'Yes, my lady,' she [ answered, 'it do save us in shoe leather, for we ait bo ntill a-doing it.' " The handy-bag is an ingenious artiole, which is to be hung on the closet door, will be appreciated by a friend whoso room is of limited size. It looks best when made of striped canvas like that used for awnings, but grey linen or bed ticking is equally strong. Iu making a bag of this kind the writer allowed a piece of material />oin. long and 2-1 iu. wide, but these measurements may have to be altered to suit tho width of the doer. Cut the top of the linen in five points. Cut six strips of the goods for pookets, making them Tin. deep and 2Sin. long. Bind the tops of those strips with braid, write with a load pencil the words that will indioate what eaoh pooketia to contain, and outline tho writing with heavy otohing cotton. Four of the strips should be arranged for two pockets each, and the pairs should he marked as follows: — "Linen," "cotton," " shoes," "shoes," " rubbers," "slippers, 1 ' and "string," "paper." The two remaining strips will be arranged to form one pocket eaoh, and will bear the words " sundries" and " pitterns." Sew the first Btrip to tho foundation, placing its top Sin. from the points, banting side to side, fulling on bottom of the pooket, and sewing the middle of the pocket to the middle of the foundation. Arrange all the pockets in the same way, placing them lin. apart. When all aro on, biud the entire bag with braid, not forgetting the points. Sow to each point a strong brass rin>r, by which to suspend the bags. This will provide an abiding plaoe for those miscellaneous bolongings whioh have suoh an aggravating faculty (or getting misplaced unless there is some definite receptacle to which thoy may always be consigned.