LADIES' COLUMN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9581, 4 August 1894, Page 4 (Supplement)

LADIES' COLUMN.

HOW TO TIE BOWS. Mot one person in ten can tie a bow, and bows are übiquitous. Nothing will be complete this season without a bow—so it is well to know something of the way they are made. The popular Virot bow is made from a yard length :of silk cub on the bias and three-eighths in width; the edges must be turned in and blindstitched. The two ends of the silk are sewed together so that the strip becomes' a circle. It is then folded in four loops, two on either side, the upper ones a bit longer than the lower ones, and the lower edges of each loop drawn tighter than the upper edges.Holding* the loops firmly in place with the fingers, the left loops are turned over the right ones and the whole tied into an ordinary " tight knot." This forms the knot in the centre that confines the bow without any sewing. A gay buckle of jet or rhine stones fastened over this knot, and a few fancy stick-pins hold it in place. Another bow constantly worn is the Alsatian. It needs only five-eighths of a yard of six-iuch ribbon. Crease the ribbon in a small plait down the centre. This controls the fulness. Lay it in two long loops,' leaving a three-inch end from the last loop, wrong side out. When the loops are caught firmly down, wind the end that was left up over the centre of the loops, catching it on the back side. This makes the knot, and is more graceful than tho amateur's way of making a. bow and sewing tho centre knot on afterwards. Milliners avoid stitches in ribbons, unless they are v. real necessity; they much prefer fanuy pins. A word about ribbons. Black is eminently the favourite, combined with any colour you like ; turquoise blue, pokeberry, and" aster are all nusir. desirable shades. . NEW FASHIONS. A very handsome afternoon dress (described by tho writer of Woman's World in the St. James' Gazette) is one made of what is called " beetle-win"" silk, in which a sober green plays into deep royal blue veiled with striped black grenadine. "Two pieces of broad jet sequined passementerie fall on either side of the skirt in front, and there are two more behind which meet at the waist under a bow of black moire ribbon. As for the bodice, there is a vest of black kilted chiffon in front, shoulder-capes of sequined lace, fastened at shoulder and bust with tiny chiffon rosettes, and a black collar-band finished off with a rope of green velvet next the neck." " Very pretty also is another dress of biscuit coloured hopsack, the overskirt lifted daintily to reveal an underskirt of shot heliotrope and fawn silk, trimmed with guipure insertion. The bodice is of the silk, with loose bands of the insertion coming from neck to waist, and a yoke of pointed guipure. With this a hat of fawn straw, trimmed with large rosettes of heliotrope tulle and a couple of purple or blue birds, would look well." "Admirable in its simplicity is an evening gown of black silk grenadine with six tiny frills ruffling round the foot of the skirt, and a large Mario Antoinette fichu of black chiffon draped about the shoulders. Another good one is of black mirror moire, with a bodice of black kilted chiffon crossed by vertical straps of jeu passementerie. Puff sleeves of the moire, with a soft kilting of chiffon at the elbow, complete it." " In contrast with the sombre simplicity of the foregoing is the elaborate grace of a silk whose narrow blue-and-white stripes have a grey effect, tho delicacy of which is accentuated by black stripes with a tiny conventional device in black and pink upon it. Double frills of black-and-cerise chiffon fluff round the skirt and about the shoulders, while a huge sash, of the cerise chiffon is tied round the waist, fastening at the left front, where its ends, weighted with jet sequins, fall to the. foot of the skirt. The full puffed sleeves are of silk."

THE CONCLUSION" OF THE WHOLE MATTER. The question of the " volt of the Daughters" is ably dealt with in an interesting article, signed "A. E. Pritcbard," in the Queen, from which we append the following extracts :— " Doubtless there are many foolish, nar-row-minded. and selfish mothers amongst us, as there are many headstrong, conceited, and graceless daughters of the advanced and fin de. sieele type. Still, no sensible people will reason from extremes ; and it may be fairly admitted that an impartial person, looking round the ordinary circle of acquaintance that makes up the society of a country neighbourhood, comes to the conclusion that the daughters do not 'revolt' en masse, beyond the pages of the magazines. Of so-called ' smart' London society, with its high pressure and its exaggerated conditions, I do not speak. Unnatural and artificial causes must, of course, produce unnatural and artificial results. - Very probably there may exist in these circles to a great extent the seeds of disaffection, germinating in the great hot-bed of London life, to produce a heavy crop of rebellion, and ultimate revolt in due time. But, when all is said, this strata of society is but a section. It is the whole, not a part, one reasons from; and, so far, it is not too much to say that, for the average of well-born, well-trained, and well-educated mothers and daughters of England, the so called ' revolt' has no existence at all, speaking in the general sense. But, on the other side, there is undoubted danger of the present agitation developing into real revolt, thanks to the seeds of disaffection . and discontent that are being scattered broadcast by reckless hands. Is it wise, by ventilating the subject prematurely, to hurry on, and as it were, to invite a catastrophe—to suggest to reckless and independent spirits, always pining for ' change,' grievances that ought, in the name of all good feeling and good taste, to settle themselves by the simple process of mutual forbearance at home? There is a world of wisdopi in the wellknown proverb, ' II faut laver son linge sale en famille.' It is illustrated every day by the many ' sensational' trials one reads in the daily prints full of mean and ignoble details that makes one's cheeks burn for very shame to read, and which should never have been dragged to light at all. True dignity will bear a good deal—feminine dignity, above all—before taking the public into confidence. Again, it is a moot question to many whether a grievance is increased or diminished by the fact of 'airing it.' On the one hand rages the Scylla of brooding discontent; on the other, the Charybdis of that unrestrained utterance commonly known as a ' piece of one's mind.' But, as the present discussion is clearly a woman's question pur el simple, and as all are agreed that women's temptation is rather towards too much speaking than too little, it may be safely inferred than in this case ' least said is soonest mended.' By continually dwelling on an irritating subject; by analysing it, by studying, classifying, docketing it, and finally pigeon-holing it for convenient reference; by collecting facts to fit one's theories (the natural course of an eager and impetuous writer bent on redressing a special wrong), it follows generally that the dissatisfied and restless reader, whether mother or daughter, already smarting from the pinch in her own particular shoe, will throw herself hotly into the fray, and enrol herself enthusiastically on one side or the other. . . . Should the threatened revolt develop into an actual one, the home— the very cradle and basis.of our English greatness— ■ be undermined, and, saddest of all, our fiercest foes would be ' they of our own household.' Surely we women who have not yet lost our heads, we—average mothers and daughters—who still have eyes to perceive the ' falsehold of extremes'should look to it, and band together to keep out the common foe. So long as we are unanimous we are safe— 4 bundle of sticks' still holds good. "Minor differences will exist, and it is but natural and right they should. Before you strike a light there must be friction. Between extremes lies the truth, and the present movement may at least be utilised by ' searching out the grains of truth that lie in it,' and by setting ourselves to smooth down agitation, and , thus restore the balance of the domestic relations, at) the present crisis so rudely.shaken." <4 John," she eaid, softly, " I've con-, eluded to do without a new hat and send for mother with the money—it won't take much to pay her expenses here." "My dear, - he cried excitedly ; " the idea of you wearing that old bonneb another day is too horrible for me to endure, and I'll never enter this bouse again until you get a new one." The wife smiled to herself.