OUR LADIES' COLUMN. RECIPES, HINTS.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 776, 19 July 1890, Page 4

OUR LADIES' COLUMN.

RECIPES,

HINTS.

" Strive And thvlv \ Cry •flpeed, fight o», for ever, thoro an hero,' b My Dear Mr Editor,— There Bermn to be nothing now on which one may write to hit the popular taste, save " Unionism," " Lydia " is not supposed to know anything about tbia allabsorbing topic ; still oho thinks that when the " domestics " propose starting a union it is timo for married women to form a union tool " Domertics," in my experience, have in many , places the benefits and privileges of homes ; but there Are a few mistresses who do not know how to treat their ■ervant*. As a genevnl rule, however, domeetio servants are pretty oomfortobly situated. The meeting at Dunedin seemed to mo to bo somewhat (•roioftl. As to the matter of wages I think that nervanta are so well paid that they in many cases make their mietresaefl appear very plain m regard* dress. Besides, ia it not a matter of fact that domestic service ia looked upon with disdain 1 There is no reason why it flhonld bo, for " all work ii honorable;" but there are false notions existing with regard to w ser* vice," due as mnch to education as to up-bringing, that oroatea a scarcity oj good domeiticß; henoo the high rate of wages paid, I have received the following note : " Dear Lydw,— Sotno of my friends and mynelf have been talking about the publishing of what young ladiet wear at dacces and balls; nnd now that the stason ie on for these enter* Uinmento, we agreed to write and ask you if you would be good enough not to insert any communication descriptive of dress aa worn by individuals at public or private balls, The obiei reason is this, that as young ludion do not care to wear the same dress twice when it io publicly known, the publication of what they did woai would necessitate their getting a new oostump. On the soore of economy, then, Lydia, (for we want to make one dresu do a win tor), I have to «&k you to be co kind «a to comply with om request, — Bertie," I am glad to nee that my readers arc anxious to study economy in the mattor of drees ; but would thero be any harm in deaoribic^ the dresseu if tbf names of the wearers were left out. ' I shall readily agree to thin and would .ask correspondent to observo that aa c rule. What is your idea as to the averngf age at which a girl may boot many' and as to the kind of man who wonlc make the best busbsnd ? To thio question I notice that " Woman" has ro ceived come 483 answers from hei r«ader», Twenty-five was hit upou by 231 of the correspondents, and sever a of them wrote some very pods'' l>k essays opon the question. MiaH BurBand's has been seleoted as the Lest, Thia lady writes: " Man propose? &nci woman accepts, therefore it would bt difficult to bavo any hard-and-fast rule concerning tbo age a girl should mam, Nevertheleafl, I consider that a </,i"rl Bhould not marry uatil she hai reached twonty-ono, though twenty, five is tbo beat and moat reasonable age. How can a girl of eighteen understand the importance of the stop ' . , , , One hardly ever meets a womac who bai married very young but whe expresses her opinion that it is a greai mistake. On the other eido, a girl o twenty-five must have eeen aotnothiop of the world, and had time and opportunity of judging the characters one habits of men io it; besides wh oh, ehf has learnt to know herself and hei own mind, and is able to difittn^ufah -betweon love and what is only infntuofcioo, . . . A girl of twoofcy-five, though still young, io yetawomuD, and may have learnt come of nature's hardest IeBBODB, which will soften ihosp rough edges, and leave her a itrong woman, whoso love will bo d'Op, tender, and true, without whiob the difficulties of married liio cannot be endured." Speaking of a youog girl's ideal of her future husband Mies Burnund says: "Howofton many a noMe heart ifl passed Dy in this bufly world hece.uKe it lacks a fair exterior I To a woraan of twenty-five boauty in about the last consideration, in faoi-, it hardly on f en her mind ; for how often has she not found that great good lookß 'in a man are so often accompanied with an overweening conceit and Helfiubnene, while a plainer man makes up for this dofioiency by a charming manner whicli is more taking, and if ho iaonly o'evor, he is a thouaand tiraeu more utirao ivr than the very haodnomest man in the world. A man should bo an much bii wife's friend m her husband, and he abould have a fender thought and can of hor everywhere, letting her ueo thai he really want** her for herself, and noi to share her with the world in gpnoral, He ahoald Jikewiso think floraolhing ol her appearance and pay her a few attentions, for he should romomber thai when he was wooing he thought notbing too much for her. Man and wife ought to sbaro the earao tastes to a cer. tain degree, and some thiogH inommon together; but, nbovo all, the man should have some business or occupation which prevents him being alwayr fuwing about tbo house in matton which do not oonoorn him. Tho marriage of two beings united in heart aod mind is one of the moafc boautiful things in this very pros&io world ol ours." Now I must say something ol fashion. One cannot exactly tell what tho details of tb« coming neaHon'e fashion may be>, but a few general rewarka now will indicate its course, Thick white dreuaea, made of duck and heavy linon used for men's waistcoats, •re to be much the faahioo ; they are suited to the plain style of g:>wna now worn— A now color for dreaaes ia the " anemone," a novel and improved tone of vieux rose, aod ibia is often combined with a velvet skirl;. At all events, at prouent velvet is extremely fashionable—The #arif wrap i» novel ; it in in soft silk of any Beleoted color, and resembles a burnous, with the taoeelled hood go arranged that it formn u very becoming heuddroaa when re-quired,—-For soma time bultona on (iresßPU have been thoroughly ignored ; fcut they have now be«a resuscitated us

fcrimmtaga £ot? vee rathe* than for ornament, and bodices for day wear once more' fasten at the baok,— The new mtookings have oordod atripes in quaint mixtures of color, and arc mado in the finest filk. Another novelty is aimulatiDg laoinga on the front of tho foot. v Redingo!ea are still the mantles 2 Ktr excellence for visiting ooatume, aa fctiey are for ordinary wear, although xnoro ornate in oharaoter, as befits tho ccoaaion for which they are required. A charming mode! is in grey cloth, with velvet nppl'qu* ornanoonts in \\ darker nhftde. The radingote k fastened At the waist only, and discloses a draped plastron and tnblter draped at the top, both made of tho cloth, and the tiiblior bordered with appl quee io dark grey velvet. The open froutß of (he corsage ate oroaruentad wit ! > appliques', and these aro continued bolow the waiat, ending in the centre of each redingoto panel a little way above the hem. Tho bnok is ornamontod to correspond on each «ido as far aa tho wwist, and the v6teraent ia finielied off with a plain coatnloovo nnd short Juire over eleevo, very much rained ut the aboulder, open in front, and ending just belofr the elbow. Mado in this way, the redinc;oto forma a oompleto costume, but v6t«mdbtB eimilar to thiw, and in other colors, are also worn over a skirt and plaetoon of black ailk or velvet, Yourn sincerely, JjYVIA.

MASHED POTATOES, Boil the potatoes till thoroughly done, having added a handful of flak to the wator. Then dry them well ; and, with two forks placed baok to bnok, beat the whole up till no lumps are left. If done rapidly, the potatoes thuß oooked are extremely light and digoatible,

PARADISE TWIST. Boil 31b of loftf nugar in £ pint of vrftfcer, for half an hour ; put it in h litfclo gum water to clear it and a tftblospoonful of vinegar, which will causo it to give you moro time to make it ap; pull ono p*rfc of it and lap it over tho other, cut it into twist, roll, and streak it vrith red and white coloring.

COUGH SYJtUP. A good cough syrup in made of one pound of ftgv, on© pouud .'of raisins, three lemons, one-balf pound of rock candy, one-hdlf pound of loaf sugar, , and one quart of cider brandy, Splir the fruit and ulice the lemons and put them in a Mason jar in layers ; divide tho sugar and rock candy evenly betvreon tho layero and pour over' the whole the cider brandy. Allow it to sland three days before usinj?. Take a wineglaesful throe tiraea a day. i

The great art of composing a rich soup consists in bo proportioning tho several flavoring ingredients that no particular tuato predominates. When broths, soupa or gravy are preserved from day to day, they f hould be warmed up every day, and put into fresh-ecalded pans ; this roudora them less liable to spoil, To dry parsley, gather it when dry and free from dust ; place it in a pan before tho heat of tho Sro, till it beoomes criap; rub it, and pass it through a sieve, and preserve the powder in dry bottles, for voe, leaving them uncorked in a warm plaoe for a week or ton dayo, Fiah may bo preserved in a dry state, and perfectly fresh, by means of augar alone ; fresh fish may thua bo kept for some days, bo as to bo aa good when boilod aa if jttsfc caught. Thoy are muoh better in thia way than when Halted. Whenever we find personal oUsanlineaa, neatness, and domestic comfort, we may expect a degree of aelfrespeot, a dolioacy of feeling, and an obedienoo to tho laws of moralty. When a wholo cheese is cut', aad the consumption amall, it becomes dry and loosen its flavor ; to prevout this, cut a oufficiont quantity for a fow dayij' conauraption from tho oheoso, and place the remainder in a 000 l place, rather damp thaa dry, spreading a thin film of butter over the cot surface, and covering it with a cloth to keop off the dirt. Piuit opota, and similar e,t»ine, may be frequently removed from cloth by holding the part over a oommon brimatone match, lighted, or by water ucidulated with a little salt of lemons, oxulio or muriatic add, bufc oaro must be taken not to apply thiß liquid to oolora that it will iojuro, ; Meat employed for broth, soup, or »r*vy, should be fresh, for if in the Hlighteat dogroe tainted or naaty H oyramumcateß a disagreeable taste; freah meat gives « more savory broth than moat that has been kopt two or throe days, In beef the riba are leaa liablo to bocomo tainted than any other joint. Tho best meat for keeping iv mutton, aad the log keops beat,

Life is voryr ahorfc, but it dooon't fcora so whon a follow i 8 waiting for an ovorduo train at a country railway station, ' The MGchanioal milkmaid has been pronouuced a buccosb. An jron tuction-tubo in fitted round tho cowhouse, and indiarubbor tubes ajfo attached to tho udd«r. A force-pump worked by a boy, supplies the suotion! aud nix cows may be placed under requisition st once.