MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 November 1923, Page 8

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

NEWS AND NOTES. The jumper is perennial, but the ' newer order has a cape collar, and ■ perhaps short frilled sleeves* The trimI mest of skirts, either plain or finely ' kilted, are worn with these blousettes, which, however, should be of a patterned fabric—any of the Paisley or Indian stamped silks now so much seen. Sir William Orpen, the noted artist, while admitting that he would have preferred to dive; into Tutankhamen’s period because beauty abounded then, says that artistic genius can find equal beauty to-day, in spite of the railing of sensitive people against the ugliness of ths utilitarian age. Although Watteau ladies blushed and always wore silks and laces, there were probably just as many aggressive young women then as now, but they were not painted. Nowadays there was no alternative, but an artist could make beauty out of serge and cigarettes. Rembrandt found beauty in a butcher’s shop.

A national tribute was paid to Queen Wilhelmina of Holland recently to celebrate her silver jubilee by a chorus of 13,000 male and female voices singing before the royal palace, on the Dam, the city’s central square. This chorus represented 400 guilds, corporations, and societies from all over the country, all bearing their banners. Afterwards they marched past the palace while the Royal Family watched from a balcony. All the streets leading to the Dam were filled •• ith surging masses of people, all wearing the Orange colours.

Wisconsin officials have discovered that a woman has lived for 40 years at Lynxville, posing as a man. The deception was disclosed when a postmortem examination was made on the body of William Taylor, who died of cancer. William Taylor had lived with Nellie Taylor, doing a man’s work and wearing a man’s garb* Lately Taylor- took up the profession of herb doctoring when not working at the Mississippi River docks or on farms. Efforts to trace the life of the woman have met with little success, although old inhabitants of the village recall that half a century ago a girl in a distant village, who claimed she had been misled by a stranger, went away to be married. The authorities believe that friendship of an older girl for her younger friend prompted the marriage, though no record of it has been found. Taylor was 65, and Nellie 55. Nellie worked as a scrubwoman in the village hotel until Taylor’s death, when she disappeared, and has not been seen or heard of since.

The fact that Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden has again shown his scorn for the alluring beauties of his own country by going to England for a second wife, just as he did for his first one, is arousing (according to recent despatches from Europe) keen resentment among his hitherto loyal and admiring subjects. Prince Gustav’s first wife was Princess Margaret, eldest daughter of the English Duke of Connaught. They were married in 1905, and she < died three years ago, afterbearing him five children. And now the widowed Prince, still strong in his preference for the charms of English women, has won the heart of Lady Louise Mountbatten, the youngest daughter of the late Admiral of the Fleet, Marquis of Milfordhaven, and a great-niece of the late King Edward. Naturally the people of Sweden, a land always famed for the beauty of its women, are disappointed and not a little indignant to see their Crown Prince pass by all the lovely and accomplished native brides he might have had and choose one from a foreign land.

There is one day during the year upon which the Indian Government has decreed that Hindus may lawfully gamble. That day is Devali —the Day of Light, which is dedicated to the Hindu god Ram, in celebration of his coronation, and of this day the devotees of that religion take great advantage. Huge sums, in relation to the wealth of the gamblers, are speculated, losers often, finishing up minus money, house and everything. And on frequent occasions in such circumstances the born gambler has lost one of his wives. From sunset onwards, on this day., the native bazaars throughout India resemble fairyland, for outside the house or shop of every true Hindu are placed numerous little lamps of a very primitive construction. They consist merely of small shallow bowls, about the size of a salt-cellar, filled with oil in which a wick is floated. The numger of lamps varies with the financial standing of the householder, the wealthier natives displaying them by the hundred. According to the tradition, he who displays tlie greatest number of lights will become exceedingly rich, for on this night Lak shami, the goddess of wealth, is supposed to wander abroad, and enter wherever there are sufficient lights to catch her fancy. Another method of enticing the unsuspecting lady consists of placing in a bowl filled with milk and rice a cluster of pretty flowers. The Hindu believes that to present a friend with flowers is to wish him or her happiness. Hence the offering of flowers to Lakshami.

The number of undergarments that women wear grows fewer each year, and less material goes into them, yet their place in the wardrobe is of increasing importance (says a London correspondent). In Victorian days, and even to a few years ago, women wore the same styles in undies year after year, and it was “always” white. There are distinct styles in lingerie to-day, not changing with the frequency of the outer garments, but requiring consideration to follow the styles of the gowns under which they are worn, “The. slip-on gown is responsible.” It is eight years ago since French dressmakers began to use it and about six since we took it up ; since then it. has acquired a great vogue. With it came the slip-on blouse, and so all the garments under it had to slip on too, thus it comes about that the women of to-day have slip-on wardrobes. There isn’t much of it, for it has grown less and less in bulk and length, it has no buttons, just the elastic band which holds anything that needs holding around the waist. The finest of silks, satins,

crepes ;ind lawns are the favoured materials and coloured undergarments now hold first, place. A dainty accessory for underwear is the detachable shoulder strap. Two small crocheted loops at either end will button over tiny pearl buttons. Little ribbon roses attached to tiny shoulder finishes and serves a useful purpose as well.