MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 December 1928, Page 7

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

ITEMS OF, INTEREST

(Notes

by

Marjorie)

MILKMAID AS PRINCESS. STRANGE GERMAN STORY. BERLIN, November 20. “Princess Marguerite of Prussia,” was the title Martha Borth. a milkmaid, gave herself on her travels, and numbers of people in Erfurt., Eisenach and elsewhere accepted iter as a member of the Royal House. Two elderly women at Erfurt did not doubt the girl’s story when they saw her wonderful court dress and coronet of sparkling stones, which were not even paste, but cut glass. They lent the “princess” all the money site wanted to the extent of impoverishing themselves. The women decided to visit the girl, but when they arrived in their best clothes at the supposed palace—which was really the home address of the Prince August Wilhelm—the butler informed them that the lust Princess Marguerite had died in 1850.. They were so convinced that there must be a Princess Marguerite alive that officials permitted them to look over the palace and the adjoining farm.

When the women discovered their “Princess” in the cow’shed, the latteilaughingly assured them that she had found everything in such confusion when she returned to the Palace that she was working herself to put things right. ‘ “Please stay at Potsdam,” she said. “Come to dinner to-morrow night.” But the police arrived instead.

Scallops and pleats form the decoi’ative note on this attractive little model in light navy georgette. The pleats are set into the plain, scalloped yoke and stitched flatly as far as the hips, whence they are allowed to float loosely. Note the long, plain sleeves trimmed with narrow scalloped frills.

VOGUE OF THE HANDKERCHIEF.

(By Mary Lovat).

Owners of beautiful old lace handkerchiefs must often have wished for a revival of the pretty fashion of holding one in the hand. The fashion has been revived this season, but with so great a difference that even those women who possess no family heirlooms will still be able to follow it. The handkerchief of the moment is meant either to be carried or to be tucked into a bangle specially made with a tiny clip to fasten it safely. It may be of priceless old lace, or it may match the frock, bridge coat or fichu with wihch it is worn. The “matching handkerchief” is usually of georgette, flowered chiffon or printed crepe de chine, and is large enough to play a conspicuous part in the ensemble. If intended for evening use, it is of the same material as the frock, bordered with lace only along the lower sides which droop downwards whoij the opposite point is tucked into the cuff or bangle. Thb woman who makes her own frocks must allow enough material to give; her a good square over for the handkerchief, which must be hemstitched or adorned with a border of drawn threads stitched with coloured thread. This work, which looks as if it were a matter of much fine darning, is really the simplest thing in the world, for, by tying the coloured silk or linen thread to the extreme end of the thread that you are about to draw out of the material, you thus substitute the new one without any extra labour. You may insert a border of scarlet, threads into a square of yellow crepe de chine, or a black border to a printed square of white and green —a very effective touch. Another idea is to add a wide border of plain georgette to a printed square.

A BEAUTIFUL PRAYER, “Thou, O Lord, provides! enough for all mon with Thy most bountiful hand. But whereas Thy gifts are made common to all men, we through our selfishness do make them private and peculiar. Set right again that which our iniquity hath put out of order. Let Thy goodness supply that which our meanness hath plucked away. Give meat to the hungry and drink to the thirsty; comfort the sorrowful, cheer the dismayed and strengthen the weak; deliver the oppressed and give hope and courage to I bcm thai are out of heart. Have mercy. O Lord, upon all forestallers and upon all them that seek undue profits or unlawful gains. Turn Thou the hearts of them that live by cunning rather than by labour. Teach us that we stand daily and wholly in need of one another. And give us grace by hand and mind to add our proper share to the common stock.” —From Queen Elizabeth's Prayer Book.

WARNING TO WOMEN. TOO GOOD A HOUSEKEEPER. There is such a thing as being too good a housekeeper. We have all met her- —an energetic, shrewd, tireless little woman with a keen eye to business and an ambition to excel in each detail of household science. She is the “must-be-done” woman. Every article in her homo reposes in its correct place —the cushions on the sofa, the chairs by the wall, the books in their shelves, even the curtains hang with an air. of precision, while the polished floor is guiltless of a. speck of dust.

When the youngsters come home from school she does not welcome them with a kiss, but admonishes them to remove their boots and not dirty the floors. When “hubby” returns after his day in the city, she meets him with a. condemning finger pointed at his muddy shoes, and warns him not to leave his pipe about on her polished mantleshelf. In other -words, her spick and span sanctum is of more importance to her than the happiness of her husband and children. As time goes on her mental attitude becomes narrowed and crabbed, for she imagines that she cannot spare time for reading. Books in her estimation are for ornament, not use. Such is her devotion to household tasks that she taboos forms of amusement which take her into the air and sunshine. By degrees she arrives at such a. puss that the only entertainment she permits herself is a school concert, at which Molly is to sing or Willie to recite, or perhaps the college sports, where Tommy will compete for athletic honours. Naturally her friends desert her,

since she can never spare an hour to have a homely cup of tea. with them. She has allowed herself no relaxation, and the result is frayed nerves, followed up by tea-drinking and a disposition to nag. She resents the gay laughter and buoyant spirits of her young people, and regards them as boisterous and unruly. “Hubby” she dubs cold and unsympathetic, since the poor man fails to appreciate her perpetual efforts in the form of a. spring clean. To put it simply, this truly excellent housewife' has failed in the very elements of home-making, since she has sacrificed the simple joys of the ideal home for the spic-and-span precision of a doll’s house. She has worn away her energies, and succeeded only in making those about .her miserable and depressed. She exists as a warning to all women not to neglect the spirit of the true home-maker for that of merely the housekeeper.

“WHAT A MISER.” “She has a son in America and another in Australia; she is simply overladen with food-parcels, and yet she never offers a crumb to anyone! 1 believe she’d let her own kith and kin starve if they were here! What a miser!”

This was no mere gossip! We all knew old Moth Anisia. Tiny and shrivelled, uncommonly tidy in her brown coat and brown shawl, she went her own ways through the Petrograd streets, furtively, slinkingly, as thoiigh she feared'that someone would pounce on her from a dark corner aud wring her secret from her. The room allotted to her by the House Committee was locked either from within or from without. Mother Anisia did not encourage callers. And open curiosity infuriated her. “You get on with your business and leave me to mine,” she would snap, when anyone asked her what she did do with all the parcels of food. “Selling them on the market and getting something for a rainy day. What’s that to do with you,?” ■ Selling them! And old Pavel across the road well-night starved to death. . Yet something in her careworn, wrinkled' face with its clear blue eyes, prevented people from jeering at her too much. “A miser she is and a miser she will always be,” they muttered, shrugging their shoulders.

“Women are more womanly, charming. and beautiful than they have ever been, since the times of ancient Greece, and I sincerely hope that drapers wishing to sell more yardage will not compel them to wear their skirts longer,” .said the editor of the “Drapers’ Organiser” recently. PARISIAN MAKE-UP. The way in which Parisiennes make up to-day is really extraordinary (writes “Germain” in an exchange). Some of the women’s faces up to date are now a copy of a futuristic picture. But Frenchwomen seem to have rouged ami made-up from time immemorial! The story goes that under Louis XIV. a. courtier implored his wife in verse not Io use too much rouge, although. rouge was the fashion of (lie day. Going a dutiful wife, she complied with her husband’s request, but by so doing she did not improve her appearance. The duke (yes, he was a duke), was informed by the master of ceremonies that, the duchess, being now as yellow as a guinea, the Queen looked upon her refusal to rouge with disapproval, and, pious though she herself was, she did not despise rouge. This placed the duke in an awkward' dilemma. Tie therefore proceeded to write another poem, to implore his lady to return to her first, love, and once more paint on her face 1 the blushes of youth. Of course, she complied, and there is a happy ending to the story. In the present year, 1928, ladies are allowed to wear as much, or as little, rouge as they choose —or none at all. Neither are they limited to pink and white complexions. ONE MORE LEAGUE.

Modern woman is proving worthy of her modern emancipation, and keeps a steady head, a brave spirit, and feet that tread the progressive path without faltering. Australian women are realising their powers as well as their responsibilities, and while they have faith in the old adage, “union is strength.” believe that good organisation is its backbone, says a Sydney writer. Many progressive women met at a very large gathering at Beaumont House, when a new women’s organisation was formed and called the League of Women Voters of New South Wales. Mrs Littlejohn was in the chair, and after discussion it was. agreed that a, provisional committee.

should be formed to draw up a constitution. The objects aimed at are: To secure the close co-operation of women with men in social and political life; to support the candidature of qualified women for public office, including Parliamentary, municipal, and all administrative offices: to educate, women voters on social, political, ami economic questions; to encourage women to follow the deliberations of Parliament; and to procure the passage of necessary legislation bj r both State and Federal Parliaments. There is not perhaps much that, is new in those proposals but. there seems to be a. now impetus behind them. A provisional commit tee was formed Io draw up the constitution.