HOME TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13723, 13 April 1908, Page 3

HOME TOPICS.

HOUSEKEEPING MONEY. The decision gi v en by Justices Phillimore and Walton, laying down that the savings of a wife out of remittances sent home by her husband for housekeeping was his property, has revived interest in an old controversy. Miss Fitzherbert, of the Women's Freedom League, remarked that the position of the wife is a disgraceful one under such circumstances. " She is practically the husband's serf," she added. " Not a penny of the money which he hands to her for housekeeping is regarded by the law as hers. The fact that we wiah to alter such a law is one of the reasons why we are insisting upon having the vote. Women must be independent- of their husbands. The present position of women in this respect is unjust and cruel, and particularly is this the case among the poorer classes, with whom I have spent many years. Among the working classes the wife frequently does all the purchasing. In addition to keeping the house and paying the rent she buy her husband's clothes a well as the children's. In many cases it would be a calamity if the husbands were able to get the small sums which the wives save, and in' order that the money may remain intact for the benefit of the home women frequently keep their savings a secret. The present law should certainly be altered. There must be State maintenance for motherhood or a proportion of the husband's wages must-be earmarked for the wife." Mrs. iv. .nsaty- MacDonald. discussing the same subject, said a woman was entitled to a full share of her husband's earnings. But it was difficult to make a legal distinction. What was necessary was to emphasize the neid of rendering women independent, in order that they should not have to marry for a subsistence. FOR. PRETTY GIRLS. Never neglect to brush the eyebrows. The triple mirror will allow you to see the head at sides, as well as the front, so thit you can see that all the lines are foxl, and pin up the little offending short hairs carefully. Each a little thing in itself, but all evidence of good grooming. As sitting is strongly-advised as much as possible, while making a toilet, select a chair which will permit you to use the accessories "necessary as conveniently as if you were standing, have it adjusted to the exact height, and then you can make this throne from which you command your forces a-s ornate as you please. Seated before your table your toilet may be arranged with none of the strain which standing entails. Make a, schedule of your daily life, and see how much of it you can devote to your personal improvement, and when you have decided, formulate yourself according to your time, and then let them be a part of your everyday existence, as any of your other duties. You cannot accomplish even fair results without preseverance. Thorough grooming is as necessary to the refined personal appearance of a woman as it is to the sleek satiny look of a racehorse, and a woman quickly shows the effect of attention or neglect in this respect.

TO LAUNDER BAJY CLOTHES. - Wash and boil the nightdresses thoroughly. If they are wrung as dry as possible through the wringer they will not require further drying. They will look better if ironed while still wet. To iron a nightdress, commence with the trimming. If a plain frill, iron it on the right side, and if lace, iron on the wrong. *. Use a small iron and pull the frill out gently with the fingers. Next iron the sleeves, lay them out smoothly, and,; iron first the upper and then the under half. Then iron the bodice part, still using a small iron and keeping the neck at your left-hand side. Commence with the part nearest to you. When ironing the full part of the front, iron carefully into the gathers. The skirt of the nightdress should be ironed double, first the front and then the back. Finish off by ironing the strings, hems on the wrong side, shoulders, and around armholes. To fold, lay the .nightdress on a. table with the back uppermost, and double 'the sides over, so that they meet in the centre at the back. Roll up the ties, pin them together at the back, and fold the nightdress in three or four folds from the bottom .vara. A day gown is finished off in very much the same way, with the difference that it is slightly starched before ironing. The skirt is better done on the skirt board, as the two sides would be apt to stick together if ironed double. GENEVA CAKE. Three-quartans of an ounce of flour, one •mall teaspoonful of Plasmon powder, 2oz of almonds, 6oz of castor sugar, loz of fine-ly-chopped candied peel, the grated rind of one lemon, the whites of five eggs, a piece of short crust. Line a cake tin with the short crust. Pound the almonds in a mortar, adding to them the Plasm on powder and a very little cold water; then put them into a basin with the sugar, lemon rind, and candied peel, and beat all together. Whisk the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, add these and the flour lightly to the mixture, then pour it into the lined cake tin, smoothing over the top with a knife. Bake in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes, and when cold ice over the top with any icing preferred. WORKING GOWNS. A woman can look as fresh and as charming as a rose in a working-gown made low in the neck, with elbow sleeves, and clearing the floor by as many inches as she may think suitable. . This gown will be a real luxury to the housewife who has to do her own housework, or even part of it. These gowns should be all in one piece, that is, with blouse and skirt joined together on the band. The short length of the gown will k-iep the hem from becoming soiled on the floor. It is not really necessary to wear an apron with a print gown of this kind, for it can be washed almost as easily as the apron, but a little apron with, big pockets might be found useful, chiefly on account of the pockets. The housewife who has never tried working with her neck and arms free cannot imagine how much more expeditiously and comfortably she can get through her household tasks. FORGET YOUR AILMENTS. "Talk about anything rather than your ailments or those of your friends," "was the advice offered by a bright woman to those of her sex who do not realise the depressing influence of unhealthy topics of conversation. " There was an underlying truth," she continued, "in the old superstition that to talk about demons and witches was to lay oneself open to their power. It is so with disease and misery. To dwell on these subjects is practically to invite their presence, by depressing the mind and filling it with suggestions of weakness and peril. To be healthy you must talk health and think health. It is a duty you owe to your friends as well as to yourself."