PLACE AUX DAMES.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 181, 16 July 1912, Page 3

PLACE AUX DAMES.

Three Books. What have you found to read lately I Have you been lucky enough, after hunting impatiently through the piles of futile, badlvWritten trash With which the booksellers’ tables and counters are laden, to come across one book worth reading? Did you find “Once Upon a Time” by Richard Harding Davis ? If not, you must go on looking till you do. It is a collection of short stories, written in an easy natural style ,with well-chosen words, about people whom you remember having met before: nice people and otherwise, all absolutely alive. Mr, Davis’ work still has the charm of his earlier stories, the humourous, tolerant outlook on life, and the sound, though quaint philosophy ; but he has evidently travelled a good deal since we knew and loved his “Teddy Vander” —what was the name ?—and his scenes of operation have grown wdder and more interesting. “Once L’pon a Time” is a delightful book ; you must be sure to get it. “The Reason Why,” bj’ Elinor Glyn, one took in a hesitating way ,wondering, from the title, if after her recent horrors, this good lady was perhaps relieving her feelings in a burst of eloquence on the woman question. Not at all. She has descended instead to the cheapest sentiment—the sort of thing that would grace the pages of a penny novelette. The book contains no trace of the charm which excused the Elizabeth, Ambroisine, and Evangeline narrations, and proves the author unequal to a sustained effort, and a wrier of very limited capacity. Miss MacNaughton, who gave the world a charming and realistic character study in “Christina McNab,” described her own new book in describing Christina. “Some people are dull, and some people are d-dull” ; perhops you remember the sentence at the beginning of a chapter ? Well, “Peter and Jane” is very dull indeed. It is from end to end a living contradition to the assertion that “the three volume novel is extinct.” It has every attribute of the three volume novel, though, happily for the patient reader, compressed into one. “Peter and Jane,” or the Missing Heir” : What a title! A title? A warning. “This Day’s Madness—” There is a movement on foot, we are told, to do away with the “oldfashioned” wedding ring. The band of plain gold has evidently struck some leader of fashion as very seve-e and not ornamental enough to ' e worn in proximity to others of more ornate construction. Many of the smart women in the big world have therefore replaced it with a platinum ring encrusted with diamonds. Is all the poetry and sentiment, all the reverence for old and beautiful association which has made the plain gold band sacred since the Romans used it in the Second Century, to be counted as nothing against a hitherto unthought-of space where diamonds may blaze 1 Of course, if their husbands care so little as to allow it, one cannot blame the women; given an entirely free hand women may be counted on—the majority of us—to do foolish and ridiculous things. That is what husbands were invented for, to rule us kindly, but firmly, and turn our activities into safe and natural channels. Of course, if the menkind do not keep their end up, they need not be surprised at the evolution of the militant suffragette, or the woman who calmly discards her simple badge of matrimony for a bejewelled ornament —in fact, they need not be surprised at anything. Poor Japan.

Ibsen’s play, “A Doll's House,” has been translated into Japanese and was recently performed in Japan. The Seito, or Bluestocking, a magazine written for women, about women, for women, devoted a special number to a consideration 01 the play, and the result has undoubtedly been to make the women of Japan consider whether they will be content to occupy in the future the position they have held in the past. The The “Marys” who contributed to the Queen’s Coronation gift will be interested to learn that the Holiday Home for Working Girls, to which the money went, was opened on July 6th. Barn House, Whiltstable,,'was purchased for the purpose some time ago ; it has been done up and newly furnished, the Queen having given her personal attention to the selection of the furniture. From last Saturday week London working girls are able to go to the home as the quests of the Queen, and remain for a, fortnight free of cost, except for their railway fare, 5/-. which they will be asked to pay themselves. Smart Girdles for the Summer. Why not make them now ? They are a welcome change from the lingerie blouses you are getting ready for the warm days, with the' 1 ’ endless tucks, in-set insertion, and hand embroidery. The many styles of these new girdles and sashes which you will wear with your summer frocks require only a “knack” on the part of the maker ,and a little well-spent time. Many of them are very simple, quite within the scope of an amateur, but you must bear in mind the ultimate aim, which is that their effect should be straight and limp. Flat effects are smartest, the long straight ends falling one from the upper and the other from the lower edge of the plain belt, which is about two and a quarter inches wide. The ends, which reach to within a few inches of the bottom of the skirt .are about three and a half inches wide. The ends may be placed almost anywhere you fancy ; at the right or left side of the front or back, at centre frontl at the centre back, even directly under the arm. if you are slender enough to wear them there becomingly. It is a good plan to line the ends with a contrasting colour or material. Silk or velvelt ribbons, or even flat trimming braids, and heavy lace insertions matching the trimming on a dress, are all used, and you may fray the

ends, cut them slanted or pointed, Or mitred, as you will. So hie you forth to the Saks Which abound in our town at the moment, lay in a stock of useful oddments—and make your summer belts.