THE VALUE OF HOBBIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 156, 26 March 1908, Page 3

THE VALUE OF HOBBIES.

effc 2? believing that' it' is . the •pace that Mis.. A, great- insanity expert has' recently, given ,it v as his dictum-that far more lunacy arises from idleness than from overwork. Edison maintains that work is the r £. e i lxlr of '' fo- ? ou drink consistently .. of that you-must find: relief from all troubles and,griefs.. What most of us want to bearin mind,'(says an Australian writer) is that work is more or less a habit, and the happiest people ni the world are th'oso who havo had : this habit-.cultivated in. them.. The mother who takes the trouble to provide, her small boys and _ girls with 'outlet? for ' thoir energies is almost invariably the mother of a " a PPy family., Hobbies may be something of a nuisance.in the household, but the boy who has been given the run of a few good tools, or 'nllowed to 1 old clocks in peace, • generally, develops into that' greatest of household I blessings—a. cheerful, handy man; Incident-, ally, the - girls . who havo never .been encouraged to use their, needles have really been deprived of a" wonderful source of enjoymfent and actual recreation. Nee<llework—especially Knitting is quite frequently .proscribed by doctors' to nervous Subjects, nowadays, ;anu : one-finds food for reflection in- tho fact that hardly any womaii requiring a rest cure is irwonian with a hobby, that can be pursued at home. There aro scores of handicrafts, including raffia work,-bead .work, carving and metal work, which boys and girls can doto- .. get her m their own homes.;-A little management, and the habit of useful work is.culj as easily as the-habit of idleness. ;

For the unlearned some wise maxims to lay to heart are: "Never have a silk or satin short and simple, nor a serge built trailing and_ olaborate.,","Never wear a smart hat with tho blouse and skirt variety ■■.£* >. • n . or P' ri ' n ' .untrimmed chaponn ™visiting toilette;" A few moro useful Dont s 1 ."Don't display your ankles except in tho country, and then be'sure that booos, not stockings, cover them." ' Notonly aro "ower-jhort", skirts—except for a mountain climb bad form and no class at all, but _thoy mako tho wearer look top-heavy. Don t try. to emulate the Gibson Girl, for she is out of fashion; and at best bad imitations which merged into caricaturcs—woro the most noticeable results shown. The last wiso_ Don't" - says: "Don't wear a hat on the back.of tho head." It is not the, fashion, iind it doos not look as if it wasa pure accident which placed it there. A-hand-glass has been known to cure this, complaint, for the back of a largo hat hanging on the neck is not likoly 'to appear beautiful or becoming,—Melbourne. "Punch "