THE WOMAN'S WORLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10404, 31 March 1897, Page 3

THE WOMAN'S WORLD.

THE WOMAN QUESTION. Ix these latter days of the nineteenth century, when woman is struggling for an equality with man in the arts and sciences and in politics, ic may be interesting to know that as early as the slxbh century the " woman question" was a knotty problem confronting the sages of that period. It was a more startling question, however, than that of these days of safety bicycles and abbreviated skirts. "Are women human beings ?" was the woman question as formulated in the sixth century. This startling enquiry was proposed by a bishop at the Council ot Macon, and the reverend fathers were so amiable and so liberal as to devote several sessions to the consideration of the subject. They did not disdain the question as useless or frivolous, but gravely undertook the task of assigning to woman her proper place in creation. With all her faults they loved her still, and, moved partly no doubt by affection, they generously decided that she did not belong to the world of "muttons, beefs, or goats," but was in truth a human being. It must not be imagined, however, thatthisadvanced theory was forced upon Christendom. The Council of Marcon was not (Ecumenical, and so churchmen were not constrained to accept its decision. To admit that womankind was a part of the human race was surely a proof of high civilisation ; and yeb the sixth century is one of those unfortunato periods which have been scornfully termed the "Dark Ages." SPOILING THE GAIT. Very often a woman's gait is ruined by the wearing of tight boots or very high heels. The latter produces a rolling uiotioo. Always wear a pair of boots which do not pinch and that have low heels when going for a walk. Nothing is more fatiguing than a long walk in high heels or tight boots. BOOKMARKERS. Bookmarkers are again popular, after having for some years been laid aside. The newest are a fine coloured cord, and have a " lucky" coin at one end and a full rosette of the cord at bhe other. Baby ribbon may )e used instead of cord, if preferred, and almost anything thab will hang may be employed as a drop—beads, sequins, gold tassels, bracelet charms, pompons of all sorts and sizes, for instance. Of course, the price of the bookmarker must depend upon the value of the pendant. Two loaf-shaped pieces ot white card, or vellum, stuck together for about, a-third of their lengthat the stalk end, make charming bookmarkers. Meedleas to eay, much of their succo6s must depond upon the way in which the card is painted to resemble nature as nearly as can be. A crown, a stalkless flower, a lizard, or crocodile, the figure of an imp or g suggest other shapes for these simple Htfcle bookmarkers.

THE TABLE. A Rechekche Sauce.—Chestnut eauce is always popular, and, judging from my correspondents, good recipes for it are scarce. Shell half a pound of chestnuts, and scald till the skins will peel off easily. Place these in a pan, with half a pint of veal stock, the rind of half a lemon, and a little cayenne and salfc to tasto. Leb this simmer till the chestnuts are soft, pass it through a sieve, add a cupful of cream, let all simmer very slowly for two minutes, and serve. Ox-tails and How to Usk Them.— First, always cut the tail into neat joints and soak for an hour in salted water. Next, set in a stew pan, cover with cold water, add salt, and bring slowly to the boil. Strain off the water, rinse the pieces of meat in warm water, and set in a stew pan sufficiently large for the ox-tail to lie ov6r the bottom, add vegetables to flavour, cover with water, and stew very slowly for three hours. After that time remove the smaller joints and allow the larger to cook for another hour. Ib is very, necessary when preparing an ox-tail to let it cook slowly. Stewed Ox-tail: Prepare as described above, adding, if liked, a bouquet of herbs. Tako up all the meat, strain the gravy, thicken and colour it, and pour over all. Garnish the dish with croutons of fried bread. Oxtails and Tomato: Stew the tails till tender. Fry half a sliced onion, a little chopped ham, and four large tomatoes, cub into slices. Fry , all together for a few minutes, add the gravy from the tails, thicken with a little cornflour, and boil for twenty minutes. Skim well, season Co taste, and pass the sauce through a strainer. Make all hob together and eerve. Oxtail Piquante Sauce: Cook the tail as previously described, and then thicken the strained gravy with browned flour. In a small saucepan put two shallots, finely chopped, and a teaspoonful of vinegar. Reduce by boiling till the vinegar is nearly all evaporated, then add some chopped gherkins and olives. Pour the thickened gravy on to the pickles, etc., boil up, and pour over the tails. Beep Olives.—To make a nice dish of the above you will require about one and a-half pound of fillet of beef or rump steak. Cut the beef into pieces about half an inch thick, and three inches long ; beab them flab with a web cutlet bat, or, if you have not one, a heavy knife will do. Chop up all trimmings of tke beef, also two ounces of suet, put them into a basin, with one teaspoonful of chopped parsley, quarter of a teaspoonful of chopped thyme and marjoram, salt, pepper, and one egg. Mix all well together. Next place a layer of the mixture on each piece of beef, roll it up, and tie round securely with a piece of string. Have ready in a saucepan about) a pinb of good brown gravy, or Bfcock, pub the rolls of beef into ib, and stew very gently for three-quarters of an hour. Take a hot dish, on which you have piled some mashed potato or spinach, arrange the rolls neatly round. Thicken the sauce with a little flour, season it with pepper and salt, stir well till it boils, then strain it over the rolls.

Ego Salad.—Cut two cold boiled potato into dice, pour over them two tablespoonfuls of hot vinegar, in which ha 3 been melted a teaspoonful of butter, and set them aside to cool and to marinate. Slice or quarter six cold boiled eggs, and arrange the potatoes, drained of their vinegar, with the eggs upon a layer of crisp lettuce, shredded celery, or watercress. Just before serving time turn over the salad a generous allowance of mayonnaise. A teaspoonful or leas of onion juice may be squeezed into the vinegar used to marinate the cold potatoes. This delicious salad is possible at all seasons.

GENERAL NOTES.

Cdkling Ostrich Feathers.—A smooth piece of whalebone or the blunt edge of any ivory paper knife are good things with which to curl ostrich feathers. Neither impoverishes the feather nor curls it too tightly. A Soap to Whites the Hands.—To a wineglass of oau do Cologne add a wineglass of fresh lemon juice, and into thia mixture pound a sufficient quantity of best white soap to absorb all moisture. Well mix together, and roll into balls. When hard this will be found an excellent! soap. Pipeclay fob Lines.—A little pipeclay dissolved in the water employed in washing linen cleans the dirtiest linen thoroughly, with about one half the labour, and saving quite one half of soap. The clothes will be improved in colour equally as if they were bteached.

Tight-lacing.—Woman who tight lace always lose their looks very early. The reason is obrious, and the person who is so foolish as- to want to have a deformed waist in place of the one nature bestowed on her mueb suffer in consequence. To Clean Patent-leather Boots. —Rub on a ?mall quantity of vaseline, which will keep the leather from cracking, and also polish them with a duster after, which will make them look as good as new. , Wase your Fade.—Nothing is ao destructive to a fair complexion as dfre habit of going to bed with an unwashed face. Get the duet and powder off, open the pores, and give the skin a chance to'do its work. In the endeavour to do this'-.don'b plaster ib with soap. But, whatever you do, don't; wear vaseline or glycerine, or any kind of grease to bed. It doesn't) do any good, and it spoils the linen. Domestic Yeast.—Noil one pound of good Sour, quarter of brown sugar, and a little salt in two gallons of water for one hour. When milk-warm, bottle it, and cork it close.; it will be fib for use in twenty-four hours. One pint of this yeasb will make 181b of bread.

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