WOMAN'S WORLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13874, 7 October 1908, Page 9

WOMAN'S WORLD.

THROWING SHOES AFTER A BRIDE Thu custom \of throwing old shoes and rice has prevailed for many years in. America, England, and Scotland. It came from the Eastern nations, and was originally intended as a sign of relinquishment by the relatives of their authority over the bride- An old • Jewish : custom provided that a brother of a childless man had the first privilege of marrying the widow, and until her brother-in-law refused her she could not marry again. Another authority maintains that the throwing of the shoe was a sham assault on a groom, who was supposed to be carrying off' the bride. ...... / THE POPULAR WOMAN. Women, it bad judges,of men, are seldom wrong in their estimate of other women; ' and, if they are inclined to be harder on each, other than a man would be, on the other hand, they are "so easily propitiated that a woman who is unpopular with her own sex has -really her own tactlessness to blame. -. .'.■-. ' • The really popular woman is always considerate towards other women. She invariably makes a point of telling them how nice" they look, and whispers in their; ears some flattering remark she lias just heard about them. So" long as a woman of this type keeps the members of her own sex in good humour, with_ themselves, so long will she keepT their goodwill towards". her, '.'arid, so prove her superiority, riot only over j the "man's woman," but the" woman's I woman." '',"': . : ;-■ ■■■:■ ■ PROGRESS IN DRESS;; I s With all the faults that woman's drees has now, its gair in twenty, in ten years lias been very great. It is, far less.flimsy | than it used to be; has more dignity, co- i herence, ; plan. ; .Its tints, more v or lees" pleasing, are very rarely, dirtpleaeing, and | the modern notion of carefully following I and revealing the outlines of the figure is; very successfully canied out. The clothing is j more and more Supported from the shoul- i ders ; the stacks of petticoats are done'awajrJ with •;'■ wool and" silk under defend the sensitive skin, 'and, though' not all' shoes are sensible, sensible shoes are worn, and may be found. ,; Some of'the headgear'is obtrusive in its viciousness, but the usual" bonnet it- inoffensive, and in it« close trimness goes' 1 very well with the severely plain street suits. _ _ > • . ; ;; ' j OMAN'S POWER FOR GOOD. i The true' woman, by her example, her [ precepts, and ' her insight.; into .character, exerts more influence for good in the world, and does more to elevate mankind than the j greatest statesman. By her counsel ■ and love she wins the wayward and erring from bad company and debasing habits; while her true and beautiful life elevates, refines, and uplifts all who come within/the: sphere. of her influence." In the exalted offices of wife and mother she reaches the zenith of her glory; and ; blessed indeed is the home in which" such a 1 one reigns: :By her- thrift I and tact she makes ; the best of untoward j j circumstances; and her cheerfulness keeps ' I the hearts of those about her buoyant, even in adversity. Her careful 'management | makes a small income sufficient for ) a large ' family's needs, and enables her to lay aside ; ! an occasional, amount for charity. |' _ ' j. BRUNETTES OR BLONDES. . I In choosing a wife a man looks ahead. ;Though a. pretty face may attract his' eye, he does not care to strive) to secure its owner as an ornament for his domestic hearth,' because he wants something" more durable- and useful than mere prettiness in his wife. So the pretty', doll-like blonde gets overlooked /when marriage is 'uppermost in a man's mind, and her dark, oftentimes : really plain, sister/ is chosen' instead. I . But, quite apart -from' ■ the question of Idpks there is a ' widespread .conviction among men generally- that a dark/woman's capacity for faithfulness is infinitely ' the greater. "And really there 'is something to be said in support of the argument, for fair | women all the world over are; the; greatest, flirts, and, therefore, in ,many" men's minds the dark girl is the safest wife, became, unused to meaningless flattery before marriage, she will not be' likely to seek after. " \ '' . . Again, dark women are the most capable. Under stress of strained circumstances, they willl buckle to and put their hands to the. plough to help a harassed husband, whereas under similar ; circumstances, the fair, doll-wife will wring her hands* in impotent • misery, her ," eyes but, land -then forget; all about her husband's difficulties, 'as ' though,he ; had never told her that retrenchment was absolutely necessary.' ' , In the home,.too, the dark girl is'something of a leaning-post. .She can be relied upon for household management, and if domestic help fails will turn to and unaided mil the house herself.. -A "cheery meal will, wait her husband's -return; and he won't'have to listen to a tirade- on the hardness of her lot, as would probably -be the case where a blonde the presiding genius of his home. •' -■.-.>-■■, ,/■-.„ ■ ;■ Neither willthe dark girl, when the first warm blush of youth's heyday begins to fade, assume the pose of a chronic .invalid to ensure sympathy for her • supposed J martyrdom. ■ She will accept the inroads:of age as. inevitable; and be, as nappy in middle life as ever she was in the heedless days of her girlhood. ,■: , • She can endure because she loves with, a love : that defies time to weaken.' .She can be 'strong:.; because in her strength ,;.to,; will and do / lies the secret ; of .".her, own happiness and the happiness -of those best and .dearest to her. : ' ; ;., The man' who is essentially ~'ii being .dependent, for his moods upon the way.in which hi« creature comforts are ministered to knows - full ' well;' that Jie' is '''doing' the right thing for. himself /when he chooses a dark, girl to ; be his wife. ~ . ...,

POLISHING STOCKINGS WITH A ;• . GLASS ROLLING-PIN. , . ~ Silk stockings are by no means indicative of a. high. rent-roll nowadays, and a. girl with' considerably less than £60 a. year ; to dress on thinks nothing of a wardrobe which ['■ does not boast, two or three pairs of silken evening hose, however meekly she may ac- ; quiesce in a belief in thread or cotton for ! day wear. Sixty years ago a pair of 'eilk stockings was a' treasured possession,»' and although no debutante would have cared to dance her first quadrille in cotton or thread hoee,. the > few "heirlooms which she? had inherited in the form of exnuisitely fine ; ballroom stockings were tended and cared for ■by her. own hands in a painstaking manner, which certainly was responsible for the 'patriarchal' age of the faded examples in their Scented wrappings which have descended to us to-day. According to an old recipe, the washing. of white stockings was considered ~ to .warrant the preparation of three soap liquors, the first two being lukewarm, and the, third as hot as could be borne by the- hands. Each pair was dipped in the first soap,; and well squeezed so as to remove the dust, then rinsed in ' clean water, arid finally washed once more in the second lather. The hose were then rapidly plunged into the third ; soap liquor/ to which blueing had been added; and. again well squeezed, when they were next wrung carefully and dried. To contemplate travelling about with a stocking • stretcher seems almost as ridiculous nowadays as it would, be to peal the bell at a foreign hotel, and in the language of the old-fashioned phrasebook demand the loan ; ;: of ; a :bootjack. Wooden " trees " were, however, as indispensable to the maid of * century ago as is the dress-stand nowadays, and whenever stockings were partially .dried -they j were stretched by being drawn on over the dummy, the, two right sides being face to face. Having reached this statue, the polisher was brought, info play. Failing a glass . rolling-pbir-whioli-ig;: ideal 7 for the. purpose—an, empty' bottle was- used, and the silk rubbed and burnished Until it shone like spun glas^;itself.. As M alternative to the wooden stand, which ; would be - difficult to. procure, in these- daye; silk stockings may bemuled on over the. arm and .polish- 5 i ed on the right : side With a , smooth piece of glass. An almost magicaleffect may in that way be.produced, ■■•'the' friction of the glass on the silk; iiqla* otunouslv .enough, : as a bleach in. the, case of pure white hose, i

A COMPLEXION HINT. , ' When, on holiday, especially if : you are at the seaside, and are fortunate in having hot sunshine, do not neglect your complexion, or,, on your return, you; are: almost sure to find a few more tiny wrinkles; or the tiny ones developed - into really noticeable ones. Spend a few minutes every other night on the face and neck, and you will ■ be amply rewarded. . First steam the face for a minute or two,; and wipe gently with a soft towel; then massage gently with the tips of the fingers, using a little good 'cold cream';' This Helps to fill up the wasted tissues beneath the skin.- ' Then apply -the following lotion .--—lnto a ten-ounce bottle put the: juice c£ fresh cucumber; add to this sufficient: elder- r flower water and two tablespoonfuls of eau-de-Cologne to half • fill the - bottle./ Shake this well together and add half an ounce of simple tincture of benzoin. Now fill up with elder flower water? shake WeU, and it is ready for use, This solution; if applied night and morning, has';' a. most wonderful • effect on the''skin, making 'ft soft and smooth. ...:::;..