THE HOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11872, 25 January 1902, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE HOME.

.' LAUNDERING. Very particular housekeepers keep the different sorts of clothing for the wash in entirely separate receptacles; bed linen is kept alone, table linen separate from all the rest, underclothing by itself, and so on through I all the varieties 'of articles. But in many households this is scarcely practicable, and a good plan is to keep the table linen by itself, to have a hamper in the bathroom, or in some general, large closet, and then provide each bedroom with a capacious bag for the use of that rooms occupant. ■ It is an excellent plan to do the mending of all the finer articles at least before they go to the laundress. Especially is this true of table linen. Carefully examine each piece for any small holes, or even places worn thin. Then, with fine darning cotton or linen floss or table linen ravi lings, and with fine, even, stitches, darn <;ach hole, and when well laundered such places will be really hard to find, while the life of the tablecloths and napkins will be many times prolonged. , Not only holes but stains should be looked after. Tea, coffee, and fruit stains can be taken out by placing the spot over a cup or bowl and by pouring boiling water through it. Ink stains can be easily removed by washing at once in sweet; milk. To take out rust wet the cloth in cold water, rub salts of lemon on the spots, and dry in the sun. To remove mildew lay the cloth on some fiat surface, rub salt on it, sprinkle with powdered chalk, moisten with cold water, and dry, not too quickly, in the sun.

The home laundress may find the following hints useful. Clothes should be dried quickly. Starched articles will lose their stiffnesr- if dried slowly. Flannels will shrink voider those conditions. Colours will often run which would have remained quite clear if dried more quickly. In hanging, each piece should be well shaken, so that it may not dry in heavy creases and folds. Skirts and dresses should be hung by their lower edges, and not by their bands; and J. sufficient number of clothes pegs should be used to prevent a strain on any one spot from the weight of the garment. . \ Table linen is 'much better not starched. It may keep clean a little longer, but the way it humps up in folds on the table is soul-harrowing. It might be objected that starch gives body to cheap linen, and the only answer to that is that it does not pay to buy cheap linen. Get a good cloth, it will last much longer, and so make up the difference in original cost. Then, if needful, darn it and darn it until another good one can be bought. It will look better mended and mended than a cheap cloth will look when it is new. Tablecloths should be pulled even and folded before ironing. Very heavy and very hot irons should then be used, and the pressing should not stop until the cloth is perfectly dry.

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Scenting Rooms : ' iff you want to scent any of your rooms try burning a little eau-de-Cologne in an iron spoon. Some people prefer to burn the pastilles that are sold specially prepared for the purpose; but the eau-de-Cologne does just as well. A Rough Curtain-Pole: Sometimes curtain rings seem , to stick to the pole, and tho curtains can only be. drawn with great difficulty. To remedy this, take the rings off 'and rub the pole well with paraffin. This smooths the wood and prevents the difficult}'. To.Mend China: To mend china mix together equal parts of fine glue, well beaten white of egg, and white lead, and with it paint the edges of the article to be mended. Press them together, and when hard and dry scrape off as much of the cement as sticks abovo the joint.

TRAINING IN HOUSEWIFERY.

The need of housewifely training for girls is acknowledged on all sides, but we do not think tho opportunities offered in London are sufficiently known to the public.

There girls leaving the elementary schools can obtain a very thorough training free of charge, thanks to the London County Council, which is again inviting nominations for scholarships in domestic economy schools connected with the Technical Education Board. v

There are now thirteen of these schools. They ars held in nearly all the Polytechnics and technical institutes in London and in a few other centres as well. Here girls holding County Council scholarships are given free instruction on five days a week for about six months. They cook their own dinners, make dresses for themselves (the dinners and the materials for the dresses being provided free of charge); they continue the plain needlework they have learnt in the elementary schools, learn to use a sewing machine, and do a quantity of useful mending; they are taught laundry work also, bringing the things to be mended and washed as far as possible from their cwn homes. Household cleaning comes in for a large share of attention, as anyone visiting the schools when the Friday afternoon cleaning up is going on can testify. In fact, all the training necessary to make a good housewife may be found in these schools, and we would strongly advise parents whose girls have lately left or are just leaving school to apply to their teachers for a nomination for one of the 300 or more scholarships offered. The nominations are made by the head teachers of public elementary schools for girls, and are open to all girls of fourteen years of age, or to girls of thirteen years of age who have passed the seventh standard examination.

A COSY CORNER,

There has been a rage for cosy corners for some time past, and I note with horror that many self-elected teachers advise that old packing-cases will make a good foundation for a corner seat.

Reader, the packing-case as an article of furniture or a fitment is an abomination. A really comfortable and strong corner seat of the old-fashioned church pew style, that is, two seats at right angles to one another, but having a more comfortable back, may be built by anyone strong enough to use* the tools. The work is, of course, distinctly massculine so far as the carpentering is concerned.

First of all a rest is nailed to each wall. It is best to use a strong piece of scantling. The length of each rest is that of the seat. Six pieces of scantling are now cut to form legs. One goes at either end, one in the middle of each half of the seat, the remaining two support the contiguous ends of the two halves. The seat proper should be cut from stout boarding, and the boards be united on their under surface by cross pieces. This seat should be deeper than it is intended to be when finished by eight inches. Fix the seat on the rest and legs. Use screws, not nails. Bracket each leg to the floor. Four feet above the seat, and parallel with it, fasten to the wall two strips of stout boarding. Each half must be as long as the corresponding half of the seat. Tim depth of the boarding may be anything over four inches. On the seat itself, six inches from the wall, run along its length two pieces of stout boarding about three inches wide, but five inches will answer better. Next fasten to the strip of wood on the wall and to the strip of wood running along the seat some of the strongest material you possess. Stout carpet will serve ; but mark —it must be nailed very securely in place. Flat-headed nails with little collars of leather or linoleum will give the best result. Cover in all the woodwork and carpet closely with chintz. Avoid any attempt after effect. The object is to hide the foundation. Upon this framework place what dressing you may choose. A seat made after this manner is thoroughly strong. The slanting back is a great improvement. When desired, instead of the rough wooden legs mentioned turned legs may be used. They can be purchased for p few pence each. '