WOMAN’S WORLD

Evening Star, Issue 18230, 21 March 1923, Page 3

WOMAN’S WORLD

[Bx VIVA.]

Reports ot social functions will be welcomed lor this column. " Viva” will also answer all reasonable questions relating to tbe home, cookery, domestic economy, and any topic ol interest to her sex. But each letter or report must bear the writer’s name and address as a guarantee ol genuineness, and questions that do not permit of a public reply cannot be answered. Questions should be concisely put and the writer’s nom de plume clearly written,

THE POST OARD PRINCE

LADIES’ FAVORITE. [From Our London Correspondent.] February 1. A little shop near the Tate Gallery can claim to have the lar’geat stock of picture post cards in London, for the woman pioprietor makes a specialty of old masters and famous people reproduced in postcard form. Cromwell and the Prince of Wales are the two “ best sellers.” and she tells me .that the trade, in a bad way a year ago, Is now up to pre-war dimensions. Last week she was given an order by an American lady for every post-card portrait of the Prince of Wales in existence. To her amazement, she found there were 124 different post cards of the Prince, who can therefore surely claim to ho the most post-carded person in Europe. A steady business, she said, is to be done with regular artist customers, who use the reproductions of old masters to help them m their own work.

THE ART OF PARTNERING.

Now that hostesses are beginning to put a ban on tiro ".take your own partner” habit, every dancer must revise her methods.

The first point that women should consider when dancing is adaptability. Elaborate steps amount to nothing compared with the gift of being able to adapt oneself to the most ungainlv dancer. It is very useful at big dances, where one usually has a different, partner for every dance, always to make a point of watching the next partner’s step, if one has not danced with him before. Only a glance or two is needed, but it makes a world of difference. When dancing with a man for the first time a girl should be very careful at corners. A girl should always look as though her partner were the only dancer in the world. It is the surest way of having a full programme.

ROYAL BIRTHS.

ETIQUETTE LV THE PAST. The birth of a son to Princess Mary is tho first occasion of a birth in the Royal Family since that of the late Prince John, youngest son of King George V., in 1905, says the Sydney ‘ Sun.’ As usual in such cases, the event was no doubt formally attested by the great officers of State, who would he summoned, to attend at Chesterfield House, the London residence of Princess Mary and Viscount Lascellos, and who sign tho necessary registry of the birth.

it would be interesting to know whether caudle was distributed at Chesterfield House to all visitors privileged to call and offer their felicitations. Quaint as the custom sounds, it was nevertheless maintained so late as the birth of Edward Vll. Eor several days after the Prince’s birth the lady-in-waiting on Queen Victoria received a .succession of distinguished visitors at Buckingham Palace, each of whom, including the old Duke of Wellington, had to taste the .Royal caudle in the Queen’s apartments. The picture of the hard-featured, beaky-nosod, “ pub-lish-aiid-bc-damned ” old victor of Waterloo sipping caudle from a spoon and “roaring like any sucking dove’’ over a cradle is sulliciently ludicrous. When an heir to the throne is born, a baronetage is customarily conferred on the contemporary Lord Mayor. The future King Edward VII. actually happened to be born on Lord Mayor’s Day. and as a consequence the fortunate aiderman received his baronetage almost as soon as he had taken office. At the birth of George IV. the cost of the cake and caudle distributed amounted to forty shillings a day. It is also recorded that those admitted to the palace wore instructed to “ mind their step,” and not make a noise. They were not allowed to touch the infant, but they might lay n cautious hand on his clothes. These precautions boar ample witness to the Royal baby’s temper if awakened, and doubtless also to the strength of his lungs, which, by the way. reminds one of a little scene at the castle of Blois, shortly after the birth of the baby Princess Claude, daughter of Louis VJI. and Anne of Brittany. The young Archduchess of Austria attempted to kiss the young lady, but she yelled so loudly that etiquette was flung to the winds, and all the four a.nd twenty small girls who followed the Princess had to gather round and join fervently in the task of soothing her Royal tantrums ! In the old days the first to announce to the,', King that he was the father of a son was, like all bearers of good news, richly rewarded, and an amusing story is recorded of a certain Master Dominic, physician-in-waiting to Elizabeth, queen of Edward IV. Tho worthy doctor saw no reason why he should not pocket tho reward, as well as anyone else, and accordingly, when tho Queen was confined, listened at the door till ho heard the child cry, and then rapped cautiously on the panels and “ fray ml (asked) what the Queue had.” Unfortunately, the lady-in-waiting within had a hasty temper, and immediately retorted: “Whatsoever the Queue’s Grace hath here wythin, suer it is that a f'olo standithe there withoiito.” Poor Master Dominic went empty away.

THE ENTERTAINING WOMAN.

COXVEESATIONA L BEILLIAXC E. “ Men will stand anything nowadays." was recently remarked, “except a woman who bores them,” which, in other words, means that to be a success it is necessary to know how to amuse. In, olden times, for a woman to shine in society, beauty alone was necessary; but now the pretty girl who has nothing to say for hersalf seldom has a very good time, says a writer in the Melbourne ‘Ago.’ Wo may not have returned to the clays of the wits and raconteurs when epigrammatic conversation was the order of the day, and when brilliant women vied with each other in thoiy efforts to form a salon, but we have at any rate, entered an era when conversational powers are required. And, granting this, it behoves every woman to bo as entertaining as she can. But what of the innumerable women who, when in society, fail most conspicuously to shine—the hosts of wives, mothers, debutantes and spinsters to whom no one seems to listen when they speak 1 They are not always stupid, though they must invariably feel so; and in many cases they are not even shy; but for some {to thorn,' incomprehensible reason their brains refuse to function. They keep a steady conversational level of banal and inane remarks. “ I never can think of anything to say,” is usually their cry. Now, in the majority of cases it is perfectly certain that this diagnosis is incorrect. Their trouble is not that they have nothing to say, but rather that they do not know how to say it. They suffer from an utter and complete inability to express themselves tc any extent. Put plainly and simply, they literally do not yet know how to talk. The remedy is a simple one. It consists of setting to work day bv day tc enlarge one’s vocabulary. This is best done by reading t. paragraph of any magazine or newspaper and immediately looking up in the dictionary any new or unaccustomed word. The word and the meaning is then written down and read over the following day, After a very short course of this treatment the moat inarticulate will improve; thoughts and ideas come as never before, and conversational powers grow, A good and varied vocabularly is one of the secrete of sa interestina gewomlity*

“LADY BETTY.’’

HER DOWNS A\D ONE-STRAP SHOES. The engagement of the Duke of York to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon hue brought that pretty and interesting young lady into the limelight, and, naturally, her clothes also (says a London correspondent of the Sydney ‘Sun’). She has been jjoing about a good deal with the Duke ol York in a very pretty shade of powder bine velour coat and skirt, fur-trimmed and made in Russian coatee fashion. With it she has been wearing a small turban-shaped hat to match, with a big feather mount at the side. Though she is “ petite,” she wears a rather long three-quarter coat. —a fashion in favor with many small women this season. The old idea of the short coat for the small has died out, and the longer coat i« found to bo height-giving. Lady "Betty,” as she is called, has rather a fancy for a fringe, and it suits her well-featured face. She is always in the height of the fashion, and consequently will bo a great acquisition in the Royal circles. Her grey suedo walking shoes, worn with silk Stockings, exactly matching, nro made with a single strap and a rather pointed too. _ ,■ Her engagement ring, with its largo sapphire between two diamonds is liket.l to'divert attention from the emerald made popular at the last Royal wedding.

DUKE OP YORK’S NEW HOME

[From Our London Correspondent.] February 1. During 11 10 week the Duke of York and Lady “Betty” Bowes-Lyon have spent a considerable time together, and on Tuesday, I learn, spent tho afternoon at White Lodge. Richmond. Although it has not been officially annou iced, it may be taken for certain that this rvill be the future residence of His Royal Highness. The Duke and his fiancee were received by Lord Farqubar, win is the present tenant of the famous residence, and who showed them over the whole place. Since Lord Farquhar has had the Lodge lie has made many very interesting and valuable additions, paricularly from the historical point of view. I understand that His Lordship lias no intention of moving these, but will leave them for the pleasure and use of his successor. An ' official announcement may be forthcoming by tho end of next week regarding the date of the wedding and its venue. I am reliably informed that it will take place during the last week in April, and that Westminster Abbev wilt be selected for the ceremony.

DORA WILCOX.

FINDS SYDNEY DULL. Dorn Wilcox, the New Zealand-horn authoress, just back from England, finds Sydney dull. '.Asked by the Sydney ‘Sun’ what changes site noticed in Sydney, she remarked on its dullness after nightfall, “ I walked up tleorge street from the quay the other night at half-pa.st 10,” she said. “It struck me that the town was very badly lit, mid seemed horribly dull. Everybody must have been sleeping innocently in their beds, and the empty streets struck mo forcibly after Tinissels, I notice the difference from London more in the daytime, and miss the really crowded thoroughfares. London's traffic surges, always, and occasionally there is a, break; but in Sydney there are pedestrians and vehicles for ever dribbling across tram lines. I gel quite scared sometimes.

“Another thing: T find it terribly difficult always to remember to think whether or not I .should .smoke a cigarette. In London women smoko almost everywhere ; but here I scarcely ever see a cigarette abroad, and I am told with bated breath (hat 1 must he careful where I Might up.’ I am not used to it, and as I dearly love a, cigarette the restraint is making me feel finite virtuous."

MYSTERY OF A WOMAN’S HAIR.

IX A PHARAOH'S TOMB. Among the many strange discoveries in Tutankhamen's tomb at Luxor none perhaps lias caused more discussion than the alabaster box containing human hair of a grey color—the hair of some woman placed in that tomb mure than 3,000 years ago (slates a correspondent of the ‘ Daily Mail,’ writing from Cairo).

One theory is that this hair was that of Tutankhamen's queen. But this is most improbable. His queen was still in her teens when he died. She was the third daughter of Akhiialon (Tutankhamen's predecessor on the throne of the Pharaohs), and is definitely known to have been born about the sixth year of Akhnaton’s reign. Akhnaton died in the seventeenth year of ids reign, so the girl was, at her father's death, about eleven or twelve, and it was then that she married Tutankhamen. It is safe to ,sa\ r that Tutankhamen, reigned about six or seven years, and thus Ids queen was perhaps only .seventeen years of age at his death, or nineteen at the very most. This grey hair could not have come from a woman of seventeen or nineteen ; and it is extremely improbable that in her old ago fho tomb was reopened for the purpose of depositing her grey hair in it. It is ail (lie more improbable because of an intrigue in which she was involved after her husband's death. Tutankhamen left no son, and he was succeeded by Ids wtlci's grandfather. Ay, the father of Akhnaton’s queen. Tutankhamen's queen was so much annoyed at this that she tried to marry a son of tile King of Hittites, promising him that ho should become King of Egypt. There is a record of tin's engagement, but not of the marriage, though it probably took place. Her schemes against her grand]Mii>a, however, failed, and very pn.v sibiv she was pul out of the way, as Egyptian sovereigns sometimes were. In any case, she disappeared.

The rinjne of this lady was first of all Anlth-sen-pa-Aton. This was changed when the dynasty returned to Thebes to Ankh-s-Amen, or, possibly, by tho prefix of tho feminine article Ta, to Tar Ankh-s Amcn. In tho Hittite document where she is mentioned she is called Dakhamon, which is almost certainly a corruption of tho Egyptian name. Tho mystery of this hair has yot to bo revealed.

’NEMONIESI

I think they call ’em “ 'nemonies but tliere, I can't ha sure — TJicy’m like a lot. o’ fairy-folk 'longsido th’ kitching-door! Old Sammy Brown, 'a sez they’m “ Japs,” wotover that may bo; But 1, I baint no scholard like, as anyone can see 1 I never knnws wot flowers be which! Their names I quite forget! 'Copt rosemary an' lavender an 1 pinks an’ mignonette : An’ rases—cabbage roses—an’ th' stocks an’ pansies blue : But there, I knaws I love ’em! An* I 'Hows they knaws it too! Bui these ’ere little ’nemonies, they shake their buds at me— An' luff at all my worrit* when I'm busy as can be' Sich ’mazin’ cheery company I’ve never ’ad. before— They’m like a lot c' fairy-folk 'longside th’ kitchen-door! T.rrrn v; /’linn

A GREAT PRESS WOMAN.

The late Lord Northcliffe, hi his book on ‘ English Newspapers e.nd their _ Millionaire Owners/ .which he published shortly before his death, referred to Lady Bathurst, director of the ' Morning Pont’ of London, as “the most powerful woman in Enghind, without exception, other than Royalty.'* This high tribute to the fearless owner of the ‘ Morning Post’ is shared by a big newspaper-reading public of _ England (writes a correspondent of the New York ‘ Outlook ’), Everyone admires courage, and this quality, so pronounced in the brilliant director of the ‘Morning Post, has made her a dominant figure, not only in journalistic circles, but in the political life of England as well. This titled ami brilliant , newspaper owner, like Lady Rhondda, represents in her success undoubted proof of the ability of daughters of genius to safeguard and direct the great interests handed down to them by illustrious parents. Lady Rhondda, , the world’s greatest hnsinesn woman, a director in more than thirty cornorations and companies, inherited these vast interests from her father, the late ]). A.- Thomas, the Welsh coal operator. Lady Bathurst took over the control of the ‘‘Morning Post’ at the death of her father, the late Lord Glencsk. Lord Northelifte, in Further commenting upon her genius, said : “ Yon may not always agree with her methods and policy, yon may not always agree with the enormous headlines, hut you will admit that, right or wrong, the ‘ Morning Post ’ is bright, consistent, and always English.” “Knowing,” he said, “the internal organisation of the. ‘ Morning Post ’—for every newspaper knows the internal organisation of every other newspaper, just as every army knows the organisation of every other army—l know that this paper is produced by the genius of a woman, assisted by just two really capable men. If she were living in America her name would ring from one end of the continent to another, and be hurled at Great Britain as a sign of American national superiority.” Always having admired Lord Northcliffe for the honesty of his convictions and the almost superhuman courage with which he backed them, I felt a jjreat desire to meet this titled and brilliant owner of the ‘ Morning Post.’ I wrote to Lady Bathurst, conveying my desire, and outlining the questions J was tempted to n,sk her regarding her ideas of what a groat daily newspaper should represent. A few days later I received her reply by letter, as she had been called away from London at the time. In brief, she wrote; “My ideas about journalism are so simple and_ crude that they would he of no interest in this complicated world. They are merely to stand by the right and expose what is wrong. I think papers have mnrh power, but there is much 1 should like to see corrected. I should like all sensational divorce and other criminal cases cut out, and tile mere facts that so and .so arc divorced printed, and the result mentioned as a matter for regret and shame by the guilty party, and no unwholesome details/’ (A committee of distinguished men arc now conferring together in London for the purpose of obtaining this end—that sensational divorce cases shall not be exploited in the newspapers.) “I should like,” Lady Bathurst further wrote, “ to see more literature, more wit, .more information of a really interesting character, such as scientific matters, garden, farm, painting, music, etc.—floss sensationalism. In fact, the ideal would lie that a paper should contribute to peoples happiness and. sanity and not to excite all their worst feelings. "As for .politics, the paper must of necessity reflect the bias of Rs owner’s and editor’s minds, but if it in perfectly truthful and sincere it matters not whether it is Conservative, Liberal, or Labor, Republican or Democrat. We all like an opponent we can respect. “ It is the man or the paper that suppresses the truth to .serve his own ends and who lies glibly that we cannot tolerate. These arc my simple views, and, simple as they are, I believe in them; ] and, what is more, I know that if yon I go straight ahead and fear not, on what ; you believe to be tho straight road, it's i wonderful what you can achieve.”

THE FOUR WALLS

Whatever the covering of the wails it is essential that they should he kept as clean a.s possible, writes “M.G. IJ.” in the ‘Manchester Guardian.' Whether paint, paper, or distemper is employed, the dust, and soil will collect unless care is taken. From a labor-saving point of view, therefore, housewives will welcome the newest fabric to be employed as a wall covering. It is a form of leather, and is both long-wearing and little inclined to soil. For “ordinary” walls a wall brush will be found the most efficient tool for weekly cleaning, but failing this a soft broom with a clean duster tied over the head can 1)0 used.

When a more thorough cleaning is necessary an excellent cleaner can he made a.s follows Dissolve 4oz of while soap in two quarts of boiling water. When cool, add half a pint of petrol and enough flour to form a non-sticky dough. Rub one way of the paper with this, and follow witli a clean, dry cloth. Fold :n the dough as it becomes soiled. With this preparation the paper Is quickly cleaned, and will look like new. Where there are spots of grease, etc., on the wall these should be removed b y,applying a paste o'? fuller’s be removed before the cleaning is done by applying a paste of fuller's earth and leaving it to dry and then brushing it oil. Varnished paper can bo cleaned best with cold tea, and afterwards polished with furniture cream.

It is a good plan to wipe the paint and surrounds with a paraffin rag, as this will keep flies, etc., from the walls. Very often a wall is marred by an unsightly tear in the paper. There is no need to go to the expense of repapering the wall if the following method of repair is followed. Take a piece of paper to match, rather larger than the torn patch to be repaired, and tear it into a rough, un-even-edged shape. In the ca.se of a tiled paper, such as that of a bathroom, the patch should Ire cut to match the pattern exactly. With an all-over pattern tho jagged edge is less likely to show. If tho paper on tho wall has faded, the new piece should bo exposed to sun a.nd air until it is likewise faded ; otherwise it will be very noticeable. When the paper has been torn to size it should be placed face downwards on a hard surface, and tin) edges scraped with a sharp pen knife until a very‘thin, almost transparent, edge is left. Tills process eliminates tho possibility of the patch standing out on the wall surface. The patch should then be coated with flour paste, and carefully pressed into position. If it is thus flattened, pressing from centre to edge, it will be impossible to detect, the paich when finished.

The best paste for such work is made by mixing a tablespoonfu] of flour with a quarter of a pint of water, adding three cloves, and stirring in a. saucepan until the mixture thickens and boils. Tho cloves preserve the paste, which may then be put. in a jar and used ns required. Damp walls may bo rendered damp proof by brushing them over before papermg with a varnish) made by dissolving a quarter of a pound of shellac in a- quart of naphtha-

A SURE CURE FOB CHAPPED HANDS.

Hero is a certain euro for chapped hands which lifts been used in many country districts for generations : Get an ounce of beeswax, which is to be secured from any oil and color shop for a small sum. With a knife grate this into a small pot, and then pour on sufficient olive oil to cover tho wax completely. Put tho whole thing in a slow oven so that tho wax will melt. Then put aside until quito cold, when tho preparation is ready for use. The clapped parts should lie anointed at night, and then protected with a small bandage. In the morning all trace of tho trouble has departed, much to the delight of the sufferer, A little of this substance rubbed on fingers and toes that have been chilled will nearly always prevent the development of bad chilblains,,