Domestic Economy.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 45, 20 May 1875, Page 7

Domestic Economy.

SPARE DIET.

The merits of what is popularly styled a generous, or- in other words a highly hitrogenisecL, v diet, are widely known ; yet the • hard work of the' -world^ so far as physical exertion is concerned, is certainly performed on a I limited allowance of inferior food by" manual toilers, whose very ... labour enables them to elicit the utmost amount o|" benefit from every ounce consumed. "All who have made a long, sea voyage, such as that to Australia or China, must remember the increase of appetite' whichy^succeeded to the customary nausea of sea-sickness, and which in the case of emigrants ill-sup-plied with provisions,, frequently amounts to raging hunger. This excessive- inclination for food v abates after a time, although a person in' perfect health still craves for more nutriment "at sea than ashore; yet the rations of seamen are none of the most bountiful, while there is less of bodily aliment among the stinted occupants of the forcastle than among the officers, who naturally receive an unlimited supply of food. The French soldier's rations have of late been slightly increased, but for many years they remained fixed at a standard, which was adopted as one fit to maintain the men at the average rate of health and strength to be found among the French peasantry. Half a pound, or in rough numbers, eight and a half ounce of beef, with vegetables, furnish the .soldier with the two meals of soup and bouilli which represent his breakfast and dinner, and which, with a pound and a half— or, say, about twenty-seven ounces — of bread, con» stitutes his whole sustenance. This dietary compares unfavorably with that of the English private, with his twelve ounces of meat ; but since the time of Louvois the French army lias been, theoretically at least, managed on principles of strict economy. To young men of the poorest class and from the poorest districts, such as Poitou, the Landes, or Dauphiny, this nourishment represents comparative abundance. The youth who. from infancy, has been better used to chestnuts than to bread, or whose ordinary dinner has consisted of rye-meal porridge, as in the Sologne, or of cabbagesoup, as in Morbilian, is' contented with* his treatment beneath the colors ; while the sturdy French-Fleming*, or large-limbed Norman, finds it hard to reconcile himself to the pittance granted by tbe state. Yet, as a rule, the health of the troops maintains itself at a fair average, when contrasted with that of the civil population in time of peace, while that of the Prussian privates (whose bread-ration is smaller than that of the French, but with whom the deficiency is supplied by a larger weight of potatoes) is consider? ably above that of the rest of the people of the country. — • All the Year Round.'

A bath at cairo. — A lady correspondent thus describes a bath at Cairo : — The room was low, small, and octagonal in shape. The inevitable stone basin and seats were in the centre. When we came in, a number of old momen and young* girls were occupying, the seats. In one corner of an alcove was a large water-trough, which was being filled with boiling-water. We took in these preparations without understanding them very well. We ; had imagined " the bath " to be one of hot air, and not of hot water. We had no objection to be stewed by the former, but strongly disliked the idea of being boiled in the latter. The time was passed, however, for us to decide for ourselves, we could only submit ; but when the attendants, arming* themselves with palm fibre and soap, proceeded deliberately to wash us in the above mentioned water, it was almost more than flesh and blood could bear. We had but three Arabic words between us, -none " of which meant " cold." I frantiiially demanded " moir " (water), They granted our demand by salutirig our shoulders with douches of the scalding water till I almbst felt as -if my skin was .peeling off me. I have ever since 'had a fellow-feeling of that unfortunate blackamoor whom his master tried to wash white. Our. at-. . tendants were quite pitiless. Eyes,, riose, ears, mouth — everything was covered and filled with that stinging white, soap which they used. ' If we rested at all an attendant" from behind would suddenly overwhelm Us with some of the water— a measure which, repeated several times, reduced us to complete passiveness. The Patron op Young Girls.— -The fete of ' Saint Catherine was_ celebrated recently. -Saint Catherineis the patron saint of young, girls.. It is looked forward ..to as: eagerly as Christmas is iii England by young.budding womanhood. In schools fires .begin that day.. •. Children may' !• shiver and, starve before ..that day; but until the '25th of November ho schpblroom in Trance has! a fire ihl'ih! its., stove. Saint Catherine 'bias the honbr-of warming her votaries' hearts, feet, jand; hands/ and £3' the honor ftririg^ ecbn6my 0 to school treasuries itis rigidly fulfilled.. Buton Jie^morhmgrpf^the 25th .of November every* fireplace and stovb'm -the house is bright „with gladsome ! MWes'^nd-^un^^aiht i ar6unjd^theni « r ~w£(& a happy faces

and brighter smiles than ever wood or coal .could kindle. And, oh ; the delight of that short (too shoit) day. Until one o'clock the churches are filled with girls of every age, and they are all be.awjtiful ; for they are all young and ga|bSd in life roseate hue of hope. ] ■6b not no a loyefier_,s|glit2lj?a.'n;a French church on Sai at Catherine's' "day, with •its congregation of youngyfair. girls, praying, they know not, for whrt, since every blessing of life is theirs; At one o'clock is hiriphedn, and Saint Catherine's alette is serevd as religiously, to rich and poor alikeii as plum-pudding is •served to English children » After luncheon comes the walk and visits; after the walk comes the dinner, and after the dinner the event of the day, the .theatre and ball. Nay, be not shocked, . ladies. The theatre is a dra wing-room comedy, acted exclusively by young girls before a company" composed exclusively of ladies. The ball also is composed entirely ofgirls j black coats are forbidden. The charm of these, entertainments is that every young girl is dressed in gala white. A French girl knows no greater bliss than to be dressed in white.—' Paris.Correspondent of Saunders' Newsletter.' Female Society.— What is i t that makes all those men- who associate habitually with women superior to others who do not ? What makes that. woman who is accustomed and at her ease in the society of men, superior to her sex in general ? Solely because they are in habit of free, graceful, continued conversations with the other sex. Women in this way lose their frivolity, their faculties awaken, their delicacies and peculiarities unfold- all their beauty and captivation in the spirit of intellectual rivalry. All the men loose their pedantic, rude, declamatory, or sullen manner. The coin of the understanding and the heart changes continually. Their asperities are rubbed off, their better, materials polished and brightened,' and their richness, like the gold, is wrought into, finer workmanship by the fingers of women than it ever could be by those of men. The iron and steel of their characters are hidden, like the character and armour of a giant, by studs and knots of gold and precious stones, when they are not wanted in actual war-fare.