LADIES' COLUMN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10836, 20 August 1898, Page 4 (Supplement)

LADIES' COLUMN.

31 : , 'the NIGHT TOILET. ...-., ,-,..,; ■ Many women seem to think,that the one object on retiring at night is to jump into bed as quickly as possible, and they take ' no thought at all as to there being any '; necessity to indulge in any ablutions whatever, or make any sort of toilet preparation for the night. Of course, when one is tired „ out and fagged after a long day, it does ( seem hard to defer the longed-for moment of ( laying one's head upon the wolcome pillow, merely to make what may seem to some an unnecessary night • toilet.. But it always i pays a woman well in the long run if she attend to this most important subject. If we make a careful toilet our bodies will be refreshed, and our sleep will be twice as restful. To 'begin with, hot water is a necessary adjunct, and with this the face and hands should be well bathed. It is as well for the busy woman, who has been out all day, to use soap to her face, and cleanse it from the dust and impurities which a day in town have necessarily brought. The soap should be well rinsed off with clean, warm water. The teeth should next receive attention, and will last much longer and look whiter if cleansed before retiring. This careful cleansing of the teeth before sleep will do more than anything towards preserving them sound to old age. Much of the mischief and decay of the teeth is caused by the neglect of cleansing them after their day's work. The hands should be carefully washed and dried, and, if they are at all harsh, a little emollient cream or glycerine and rose water should be rubbed in. So much for the ablutionary part. Now for the hair. This should be thoroughly well brushed, and be freed from all tangle. A certain amount of dust is sure to collect in one's hair, and brushing is the only way to remove it. The hair should then be loosely plaited, and left hanging down the back. Do not tic the hair, as it is apt to make it break. A FEW PARISIANISMS. Ail ultra chic gown possess long wisps of mousseliiio de soie depending from tlie waist, and fastened beneath one or more beautiful buckles. The general idea of long sweeping line.; and flowing draperies being greatly enhanced by these artisticallyknotted scarves. To be successful they should certainly measure at least four yards long, and if the material be very soft and transparent, more like sis or seven yards will be found requisite width, in the ' case of a light texture, being about half a yard or more. Of course, much depends on the fabric, and the manner in which it is to be arranged. Some scarves simply encircle the waist, form a large bow at the back to the left, and from thence trail downwards to the skirt's edge; others start from the front at the neck, are fastened in at the waist, and then find their way in graceful folds round to the back. The' scarf, cut in half, and fastened at the under arm seams, crossed in front, and then taken to the side or back, is a simple and convenient mode. Frilled or trimmed ends, it goes without ' saying, are a necessity; one model,on view ■ has frills niched with finger-wide, satin- i edged chiffon. The question of buckles is an important one in connection with scarves and waistbelts. Buckles occupy our thoughts much : just now, and it is somewhat of a relief to . tied that there are other models than those . iii paste—effective as they are. , , Perhaps more curious than beautiful is the ] Japanese-looking waist buckle in dull gold; , its design, a lean-looking stork, is wonderfully finely wrought. ] Then quite a novelty is the cream croco- , dile belt, with peacock's feather clasps in . enamel and jewels; at the back is a similar , clasp, only smaller. The edges of tho feathers are painted on the leather in metallic lines.

A new method for fixing on buckles over muslin folds is to encircle the buckle itself with a twist of the material, sew a strip of stiff muslin at the back, to which two or three safety hooks should be affixed. Strong silken loops correspond on tho bodice or skirt, and this arrangement has the double advantage of enabling its possessor to always and rapidly fix her buckle and drapery in the same place.

THE NEED OF REST.

A large proportion of nervous diseases would be abolished if we could moderate our hurry, lessen our worry, and increase our outdoor exercise. To people engaged in an active business life this is not always possible, and for those who cannot get'a sufficient holiday, the test substitute will be found in an occasional day in bed. This is by no means a new idea, and it is one which is very seldom put into practice. It docs stem hard when one has only one day a week free to spend that day in bed ; but the person who had the courage to do it would be well repaid by the feeling of renewed energy and rest. Many who are willing to take physical rest do not know how to set about it. It is simple enough. The most restful position the body can take is lying flat on the back and stretching out at full length, because it requires no effort whatever to maintain this pose. The head must not be too high, and, if possible, keep the eyes closed and the mind free from all worry and thought. If we cannot avoid frequent agitation, we ought, if possible, to give the nervous system time to recover itself between the shocks. Even an hour's seclusion will deprive many a hurried, anxious day of much of its injury. The nerves can often be overcome by stratagem when they refuse to be controlled by strength of will. ROSEMARY LEAVES 'FOR THE HAIR. Rosemary leaves are of great value for the toilet. A strong decoction of these leaves is useful either alone as a hair lotion or in combination with other substances. The fresh leaves are the best. Two ounces may be placed in the bottom of a pie-dish, covered with water, and allowed to stew in the oven for -20 minutes. The leaves may be dried for use in the winter, when fresh ones cannot be obtained. For very dry hair a couple of handfnls of rosemary leaves may be boiled in pure lard. This will make an excellent pomade. :

MARRIED LOVERS.

The love of married life should be continuous, and the ring is symbolic of this because it is round, and has no beginning and no ending. The ring is of gold, and this suggests permanence. On the wedding day, says a writer on matrimony, the gold rug is bright and untarnished, suggestive of the love that exists on that auspicious day, but just as the fine gold of the ring becomes dimmed, too often has this been the case with the love of which the ring is the pledge and token. Imperfections are magnified; there is a' spirit of fault-finding and irritability of temper; there is a want of spirit of forgiveness; and in these and other ways the fine gold of married, love too often becomes dimmed, if not actually destroyed. Much may be done on the part of a woman to prevent the tarnishing of the love. Wives can meet tneir husbands with a smile when they come home in the ovening, for the power of a smile is very great. Men are won and influenced far better by smiles than by frowns.

THE TRUE IDEAL.

Evert women that is worthy of the name has ideals. Maybe she has 'never actually formulated them; but somewhere deep in her breast, hidden from the eyes of the multitude, lie her dearest, most sacred thoughts of life, her aims, and perhaps her but halfformed, tremulous hopes-her Holy 6f Holies. When a woman .has ceased to idealise and to make ideals, life has not much in store for her. The sweetness of sunshine, the glad hopes of spring, the sight of flowers, and the warm touch of baby fingers have no meaning for her. All that gives charm, beauty, and hope to life is gone. We have all met the sad, disappointed woman, with bitterness "writ large" upon her face, into whose soul the iron has entered, and in whose life ideals have ceased to have a place. Maybe she has mistaken idols for ideals, and her heart is shattered with "the fragments.;- Now, true ideals are not sentimental moonshine or flimsy, impossible . dreams, wherein self figures most largely. They are rather trained habits of mind and thought, the: custom of looking at everything from the highest and best standpoint, the custom of looking for the noblest, not the basest. -? w '. ■•

' And can.you give. my daughter all the luxuries she has .been accustomed to?" asked the wealthy magnate. " Yes, sir,". modestly, yet proudly, declared the young ; man. "I may even say my tandem is better than yours."- . ', • >■'