Ladies' Column.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 366, 15 February 1879, Page 3

Ladies' Column.

Eight hundred young women are at work in the London post office,all of them in one room, all looking comfortable, most of them looking pretty, earning fair wages at easy work, work fit for women to do—work at which they can sit and rest —and not be weary, with a kitchen at hand and a hot dinner in the middle of the day, with leave of absence without stoppage of pay every year, with a doctor for sickness and a pension for old age—for the young women as years roll on will become old—with only eight hours of work, never before 8 o’clock in the morning and never after 8 o’clock at night, with female superintendents, and the chance of being a superintendent open to each girl. This is a Government office under Government surveillance, and all this has sprung into existence during the last eight years. A romantic life has just come to an end in New Orleans, Sister Celeste, who had with untiring courage and kindness nursed the sickthrough the dreadful epidemic of yellow fever that recently devastated this district of the United States, was, itappears, under theassumed name of Annie M’Keene, the wife of a quasi soldier. The band of which M’Keene was a member rode up on a certain occasion in the year 1562 to the farm of a man named Harris, and proceeded to make themselves at home there. Harris had no objection and his daughter, Annie, regarded the proceedings of the band with admiration and sympathy. But the penalty which Harris paid for - harboring such men was severe. He was shot, and his farm burnt ; whereupon M’Keene returned to the spot, and heard the story of his death by Annie Harris. “ The two pledged their vows of eternal vengeance. There was more than that. She said she would go with him and deal the blows of death as he did. On horseback they went to a humble preacher’s house, and, without alighting, had him make them

man and wife. She threw away her woman’s dress and donned a male attire. She put on a belt besides and two revolvers, and her long hair she tucked up under her hat. She looked as much like a soldier a 3 many a young boy that went out with Quantrell” —the leader of the troop. But their union did not last long. On a dune morning, in 1863, as they, with half-a-dozen others, were riding along over the prairie, near where now stands the little town of Lee’s Summit, they were met by a detachment of the Seventh Missouri State militia. There was a desperate encounter, in which Mr. John M’Keene was shot, and Annie M’Keene was shot through the shoulder, and would have perished with her husband had she not proclaimed her sex. She was taken to Memphis, joined the Church, and resolved to devote her life to the care of the sick and distressed, pursuing which noble design she lately came to her death. LATEST FASHIONS. The popularity of short dresses has increased, and many toilettes de visite, and even some home day dresses, are now made of walking length in handsome materials. With costumes of rich materials the leaders of fashion order a loose train of the same or one of the materials of the toilettes. This addition enables them to transform their costumes courts into a robe a traine at will. These trains are either sown to a waistband and worn under the basques, or plaited to a band, which is fastened by patent hooks and eyes under, the pouff, or whatever the ornament at the back may be, at the ordinary height of a traine rapportee. The admirable plan of wearing a large and warm wrap over the toilette in the carriage, and leaving it in the antechambre, permittiug .the wearer to enter the salon with her toilette de visite displayed to its full advantage, is tres a la mode again this season in Paris. These confections are of satin, faille, velvet, and cashmere, lined with plush, fur, or quilted satin ; the shapes preferred are long loose paletots, with hanging sleeves easily slipped off and on, pelisses with simulated sleeves, or large circular cloaks. They are sometimes bordered with fur, or, if lined with plush or quilted satin, the lining is turned up on the outside. These confections are fastened at the throat by handsome clasps, or tied with ribbon. A space is left in the lining down the front, into which the hands can be put ; this serves the purpose of a muff, and helps to keep the cloak closed. The velvet broches on satin grounds are excessively rich in appearance, and are very fashionably employed for coat habits, cuirasses, tunics, and scarf draperies, over velvet or satin dresses. Moire is much used for trains, gilets, plastrons, revers, quilles, and side breadths, but is not worn as a complete dress. Black velvet is excessively grande mode for toilettes de visite and dinner dress. White moire or watered silk waistcoats fastened by jewelled buttons are a very elegant addition.; in fact, a black velvet dress may, with tact and taste, be transformed in a myriad ways, each representing a different toilette. The corsage, to be the height of fashion, should have a coat-tail basque and a waistcoat. All the best styles of velvet trains are cut with a pouff and small paniers, the whole train and paniers ; these describing a square or rounded opening in front, edged with a thick cord covered with velvet. If this train is worn over a tablier of different material, a plisse of satin, the same shade, can be lightly fastened in under the cord, so as to be removable at will ; but this addition is by no means necessary. The velvet rouleau is quite sufficient ornament, and looks very distinguee and grand genre. Eur-lined cloaks are just now very abundant and fashionable in London. The skins used for this purpose are of various kinds. The commonest of all is that of the white rabbit, imported from Lissa, in Poland, where they are dressed by the furriers, and manufactured into linings for cloaks. Besides rabbit skins, many cloaks are lined with what are called “ squirrel bellies.” These are literally bellies of squirrels. These animals are skinned in a peculiar manner so as to make the most of the fur. The squirrels used for this purpose are of various kinds and prices. The most expensive squirrel is the Siberian squirrel. The general color of this is blue, some light blue, some dark blue ; the dark blue are the most valuable, particularly if it is void of the red stripe down, the back. These squirrels are killed by thousands in Siberia ; they are mostly shot with a small bullet. Those from Sweden and Norway are caught in traps. Squirrels are also imported in large numbers, especially from Kasan, in Russia, but they are rather inferior to other sorts. Cats are largely cultivated in Holland, especially for their skins. The fur of the Dutch cat is very long and soft as compared to the English cat, the fur of which is hard and wiry. The best Dutch cats are black. A good skin of jet-black color is worth half-a-guinea. It is very remarkable how fashions set by English ladies influence wild and tame animals even in the most distant parts of the world.

WASP-WAISTED WOMEN. If the truth be fairly stated, women have many excuses for their infatuation regarding small waists. It is Mrs. Hawie who says, “ The reason why a small waist is a beauty is because, when it is natural, it goes together with the peculiar litheness and activity of a. slenderly-built figure. All the bones are small, the shoulders and arms petite , and the general look is dainty and youthful.” In other words, a small waist is only a beauty when it is in proportion to the rest of the figure. The common mistake lies in considering it a beauty in a large woman of massive proportions. A few centuries ago women did not take a scientificview of things, and fell into delusions which in this age are a disgrace to the sex. They knew nothing of anatomy, and the law of proportion or the curve of beauty, and they misunderstood the language of admiration. The latter X suspect to be the root of the whole matter. Poets were everlastingly praising small waists, and women fell into the error of supposing that a small waist was, in the abstract, a beauty and an abtraction.

In view of all this is there any wonder that it is hard to persuade women that men do not admire “ wasp” waists ? How are they to know the “ jimp-middle” of the ballads was in its jimpness in proportion to the shoulders ? The trouble is, that the early rhvmster3 have used up the only side of the question capable of poetical treatment. One cannot sing of the reverse ; no poet could seriously lift up his voice in praise of her “ ample waist” or “ graceless portliness.” In order to reach a woman’s ear, modern writers must adopt a different course, and it is curious to contrast their utterances with those of the ballad-makers. Place Charles Reade by the side of Douglas, and then what becomes of the “ waist ye weel might span ?” After showing how the liver, lungs, heart, stomach, and spleen are packed by nature, the novelist asks : “Is it a small thing for the creature (who uses a corset), to say to her Creator, c I can pack all this egg-china better than you can,’ and thereupon to jam all those vital organs close by a powerful, a very powerful, and ingenious machine ?” Every lady should read “A Simpleton,” and learn something of the monstrous wrong she inflicts upon herself by trying to compass an artificially-produced “ middle sae jimp.” It wll prepare her for Mrs. Hawie’s lesson upon the “ Art of Beauty.” One or two passages will give a hint of their flavor : “ Nothing is so ugly as a pinched waist : it puts the hips and shoulders invariably out of proportion in width. , In deforming the waist almost all the vital organs are affected by the pressure, and the ribs are pushed out of their proper shape.” “ Tight-lacing is ugly, because it distorts the natural lines of the figure, and gives an appearance of uncertainty and unsafeness. . . Men seldom take to wife a girl who has too small a waist, whether natural or artificial.” In architecture, a pillar or support of any kind is called debased and bad in art if what is supported be too heavy for the thing supporting, and if a base be abnormally heavy and large for what it upholds. The laws of proportion and balance must be understood. In a waist 15in. both are destroyed, and the corresponding effect is unpleasant to the eye. The curve of the waist is coarse and immoderate, utterly opposed to what Ruskin has shown to be beauty in a curve. Real or artificial, such a waist is always ugly ; if real, it is a deformity chat should be disguised ; if artificial, it is culpable, and nasty to boot.”—Lappineott's Magazine for November.

TRUE IN OUR WORDS. But the root and the life of all real courage —courage that is not a mere brilliant flash, like a firework let off at occasional times just for amusement, and enly lasting a moment, but courage that is like a steady fire, lasting and useful, as well as bright and dazzling—the root of all such courage is the love of truth, uprightness, righteousness —that is, th 6 right. And if you wish, as I have no doubt most of you do, that you also may perform some great and worthy deeds, may be brave and courageous, then you must begin and cultivate the root of the thing, you must learn to be true —true in all things, true in words and deeds and thought. True in your words ! It requires a great deal of courage sometimes to speak the truth; When we have done anything of which we are ashamed, or for which we fear we may be punished, how difficult we find it to say out boldly that we did it. And if we do not get the truth out on the first spur of the moment, it becomes more and more hard to do so every moment afterwards. That is the mean way in which the Evil Spirit acts. He first asks us to do wrong, and when we have foolishly yielded, he does all he can to make us afraid ; and when we give way to fear, then we say or do the false thing, tell the lie, perhaps, and so get further into the mire. But do not listen, do not yield ; try to be true in word ; own the fault and bear the punishment, if it has to come, quietly, bravely. Sometimes even your own sense will admit that it is a just thing that the punishment should come ; sometimes you will feel that it is not a just thing, but a wrong, sinful, cruel thiDg. But never mind ; speak the truth, and bear the pain. You have often read how brave men and bravewomen have borne pain to the very uttermost sooner than speak the thing they knew to be false. Eully do admire them, strive then heart and soul, to be like them. Speak the truth, whatever it may cost you, and speak it because you feel that to be true is the grandest and first duty given you to do. It is by no means an easy thing to keep all our words strictly true. Words want watching ; they are slippery things and pass “ the breastwork of our teeth” before we have thought about them. Do not let your words go round about the truth, so to speak ; let. them go in a straight line to it. A straight line, as many of you know, is the shortest way between two points, and is generally the best way in all things. Let your words fit the facts as neatly as you can. Exaggeration is one form of untruth —the words do not fit, and in relating anything, any incident, it is necessary to be careful, for though we may not exactly say the false thing, we shall, unless we are on our guard, very likely say more than belongs to the actual truth. Then, if you have made a promise, Tceep it. Let your “ given word ’be a sacred thing, so sacred that you feel you dare not, could not break it. But just because it is such a sacred thing, do not give a promise hastily, lightly, thoughtlessly, much less in the heat of temper. A promise made in a passion must sometimes be broken, or weshould, perhaps, commit a great wrong, and cause much trouble and evil to some one or other ; but it is a grievous thing to have to do. Thereforebe very careful how, and when, and what you promise, for when your word is once given, it belongs no more to you.