FASHIONS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 776, 14 January 1887, Page 4

FASHIONS OF THE DAY.

Ab yet, nothing striking in the way of dress has appeared. Londoners have hardly settled down to winter ways. The shops are fall of people getting clothes of all kinds, and the streets are gay with carriages and pedestrians. Autumn jackets and mantles, hats and gowns, still linger, as if loth to take their departure. The recent wet weather has no doubt a good deal to say to this state of thinge, and if some bright, clear, ‘ seasonable ’ days were to come, then fashions and materials would appear in all' their novelty.

Plush, either black or dark brown, is the mantle material par excellence for the winter, and smart short mantles, trimmed with jet and fur, are more fashionable than the long ones. The long mantles and cloaks are of fancy woollen materials, trimmed with plush or fur. The short ones are more useful on the whole, as they serve as afternoon and evening entertainment wraps, as well as for day wear and for weddings. Some are profusely embroidered in jet or gold. Black fox and skunk seem to be the popular furs, but a new shade of silver or blue t fox, with a mauve tint, and a soft, feathery appearance,:is making its way, both as boas (very becoming to the complexion) and as mantle trimming. Round sable boas of considerable length are also worn. Clusters of fur balls are made up for putting in hats and bonnets, and can be had in chinchilla and light and dark brown fur, to match that on the mantle. Some of the jaunty-looking hats of black plush have the brims of black Astrakan, with a cluster of small Astrakan balls in front, intermixed with bows of grey check plush ribbon or red wings. Notwithstanding the great opposition, birds’ wings are most freely and profusely used, especially white ones, as many as eight being frequently arranged among velvet aad plush folds, placed upright, but inclining slightly towards the front. The natural sized wing is behind each other. Most of them are white duck wings. Bands of duck and pheasant feathers are arranged ud the sides of some bonnets, especially the flat-crowned, plush colored ones, cut up high at the back ; a smart, high bow of harmonising ribbon is placed quite in the front. Black plush is mnch used for bonnets, and the puffed crowns are very popular, especially when pushed up towards the front.

Possessors of gauze fans are renovating them by arranging delicate lace of about 3 inches as a cascade along the top, carrying it down the outer stick (if possible), and finishing off with two bows of ribbon, placed at the top and at the base of the side cascade. The lace and bow end where the mounts begin. In black and white this is equally done, and sometimes the lace is a fancy tinsel one, and if anything very chic is desired, diamond ornaments are added on the loops. Many a well-worn fan may be successfully renovated for a winter campaign in this way. Gauze and crepe de Chine fans are fetill - the most popular, and some new ones of painted silk, with fairylike gauze stretched over them, in the style of the photograph frames of last season, are novel. Pale pink fans, with pale pink imitation coral mounts . (stained ivory), are to be fashionable for young girls. One favorite design for a black gauze fan is a large spider’s web in silver, with flies of varied .kind and size and colored tinsel paints entangled in it; and another is a flight of sprites in pale shades of silver and neutral tints, the foremost one carrying a lighted lantern, 1 from which emanate golden and red rays. For day, wear, amethysts are being worn on dark gowns, and silken pocket-handker-chiefs.of the same shade as the mauve glints or lights of * the stone, are pushed into the front of theffiodice, to forma crumpled-look-ing waistcoat. Carbuncles are also popular, and handkerchiefs corresponding in the same manner as the above. Buttons in the forms of jockey caps, with the crowns in mother o’ pearl, and the peaks in gold, are to be-seen in two sizes. Fancy buttons of all kinds appear to be as popular as.last season. ;Clear , [amber .beads cut in facets, and mounted on gold hairpins and as combs, are novel. Foi* bridesmaids’presents and really good souvenirs, the moonstone set with small brilliants'is one of the fashions, of the day. The facsimile of the signature of a friend is now reduced to a suitable size,.and engraved across a band ring or ; bangle, and sometimes carried put in .very small diamonds. For an engagement ring this is often done. It is carrying out in the jeweller’s art what has been so. popular in fancy work during the past season. I allude to the enlarged signatures traced on to the backs of blotters and albums* also across the corners of rugs and quilts, and worked in raised silks... Two guarded pins - in gold, with initial letter of the Christian name on one and that of the surname on the other, in pearls, are worn to one side 6f the dress collar, placed one above the other.

Pleated colored satin is a good deal worn in dress bodices instead of linen collars and cuffs. Sets are sold in various colors. Only a small piece is shown, and the pleating is very close. A plain length of satin is sometimes seen above a not very high white linen collar, finished off in a dainty little how in front, peeping out from between the turned back corner. Colored satin, ending in a bow, is also put into evening sleeves and bodices, instead of any frilliDg or tucker. A bright color in a black dress enlivens it considerably. It is quite the exception now to see anything worn round the throat in the evening. Sometimes a string of pearls or a jewelled necklet, but, as a rule, the neck is left unadorned. Smart velvet bows are occasionally worn in the hair ; or a spray of real maidenhair, secured by a diamond fly, beetle, or butterfly. The fashionable flower of the day is at present the white-chrysanthemum. It i 3 worn as a buttonhole, massed as a bouquet,

and nestled among mass for table decoration, lightly veiled with maidenhair fern. Tinted ivy leaves very often form a background for it. On tables clusters of chrysanthemums of various colors and kinds are to be seen, rich and beautiful in their individual tints. For room deooration, clusters of the brown, dried-up looking ‘ comas and brushes ’ or * teasers ’ from ditches, bunches of red hips and haws, the black berries of the privet, brown grasses from marshlands are placed with the still favorite bullrushes and feathery pampas grass. The glistening white * honesty ’ is now seen towering aloft in vases, mixed with pampas and black-berried privet. The trailing stag-horn moss from Scotch moorlands is arranged on dinner tables, laid flat, in and out of flower reoeptacles and china bonbon plates ; and lycopodium moss, studded with flowers is also utilised in the same way. The Crotons with their richly tinted leaves are very popular for dinner table decoration.—Queen.

A REMARKABLE GOLD WATCHThe Edinburgh police authorities hold in their possession at present a gold watch whieh would seem to have rather a remarkable history. The watch is of the usual lady’s size, but it bears this inscription : ‘H. C., from W. Wordsworth, Poet-Lau-reate, in memory of his daughter Dora, who died the 9th of July, 1847- Rydal Mount, March, 1850.’ Assuming the inscription to be genuine, and there is no reason to doubt it, this watch was presented by the poet within about a month of his death, which occur/ed on the 23rd of April, 1850. It was his daughter Dora, otherwise known as Mrs Quillinan, who accompanied him on his memorable visit to Sir Walter Scott at Abbotsford. This visit was made iu the autumn of 1831, when Scott, broken in health and spirit, was about to start for Italy. Before the visitors left, the Laird of Abbotsford wrote some stanzas in an album belonging to Wordsworth’s daughter, and in presenting them said, ‘ I should not have done anything of this kind but for your father's sake; they are probably the last verses I shall ever write. It is difficult to say to whom the ‘H. C.’ on the watch refers. In his collection of poems Wordsworth has some verses addressed ‘ To H. C., six years old,’ and:it is possible they refer to the same individual. One of the verses runs thus :

Oh, blessed vision ! happy child, Thou art so exquisitely wild, I think of ye with many fears For what may be thy lot in future years. The watch came to the hands of the police through the usual medium of the pawn office, the ticket having been found in the possession of a woman charged with complicity in a series of railroad thefts. —Pall Mall Gazette.

THE PARIS ROTHSCHILDS. On the occasion of the death of the Baroness James de .Rothschild, widow of Baron James, founder of the Paris house, ‘Chapelle,’ the chroniqueur of The Sport gives some interesting details of this branch of the famous family of bankers : Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, eldest son of Baroness James, resides with his wife, who is the daughter of Baron Lionel of London, in the splendid Hotel Talleyrand, at the corner of the Rue St. Florentin and Place de la Concorde, which was the residence of the Emperor Alexander in 1815. The eldest daughter of Baron Alphonse, Mile. Bettina, married her cousin, Baron Albert de Rothschild of Vienna ; the second, Mile. Juliette, has become Mme. Maurice Ephrussi. This young couple purchased in the Rue de Berry the hotel occupied successively by the beautiful Conntess Ville* neuve Albeuquerque during her short stay in Paris, and by the Duke de Nemours before he went to reside in the Avenue de Bois de Boulogne. Baron Gustave, her second son, and the Baroness Marigny, in the sumptuous residence recently rebuilt by them on ground depending on the former mansion of the financier Debrousse. All Parisians must remember the fairly-hke aspect of that vast garden, By marvels of -transplantation superb groves of shady trees were improvised in a few months. The salon of the Baroness Gustave was the first in which Rose Caron was heard. Her eldest daughter married Mr Lambert, who represents the house of Rothschild in Brussels, but the young couple pass a great part of the year in. Paris. Her younger daughter, Mile. Aline de Rothschild, came out in society last year, and was remarked for her grace and beauty. The third son of the Baroness James, Baron Edmond, who married one of his cousins, purchased three years back the celebrated Hotel Poutalba, tile garden of which, looking on the Avenue Gabriel, is one of the finest in Paris. The house that formerly stood in the grounds was levelled to the .ground, and in its place has been raised a splendid edifice, in which have been assembled artistic treasures and all' the refinement of modern comfort. Only a few intimate friends have yet penetrated into, the interior, and the inauguration was to have taken place in the coming season. But alas ! Baroness Nathaniel, daughter of Baron. James, possesses in the Faubourg St’ Honors, at a few steps from the residence of her brother, the magnificent hotel adjoining that occupied so long by the Su'ohet, Duchess d’Albufera, and which has been entirely rebuilt by the present owner, Count Pillet-Will. The Baroness Nathaniel, who is one of our most talented aquarelists, lives there in almost absolute retirement with her son, Baron Arthur, whose steam yacht Eros is one of the finest vessels of the kind afloat. She passes a part of the year on her domain of the Abbey of Vaux-de-Cernay. Her daughter-in-law, the Baroness James Edouard, has scarcely left her residence m the Avenue de Friedland since the death of her husband. The Baroneps Salomon, widow of the fourth son of the Baroness James, is proprietress of the vast mansion in the Rue Berryer which formerly belongedfto the fipancier Beaujon. Her only daughter, Mile. Helene, resembles her for her grace and charity. . . Alone of all the Rothschilds in Pans, Baron Adolphe, who belongs to the Napoleon branch, is not a descendant, of .the Bareness James. His residence in the Rue./Mopceau

is, therefore, the only one that may be open to society next season.—Galignani’s Messenger.

THE SELECTION OF EMPLOYMENT. One of the practical subjects of life, upon which a more scientific habit of thought is destined to throw great light, is the selection of employment with reference to the special fitness of the individual. At present the selection is generally made from a confused mixture of circumstances, chances, ambitions and whims. Some people drift into their occupations with the current of events that happens to flow in that direction at that particular time ; Borne eagerly grasp what they think a lucky chance ; some follow the dictates of parental ambition; some choose what promises an easy time, or speedy gains. This ought not so to be. People should consider what it is they are capable of doing best. BLOWS OiTtHE EARS. Corporal punishment of some sort may occasionally be found necessary in schools, but, if so, it should be administered with due regard to the safety of the culprit. In a case recently reported, where a child of ten was slapped about the ears and shortly after showed distinct signs of chorea, we are not convinced that any serious injury was done. The muscular jerking so characteristic of chorea was markedly noticeable, it is true, after the chastisement, bub similar signs are said to have been present in a slight degree before its infliction. The child was restless and had let her book fall. These are not necessarily proofs of disease, but they are somewhat characteristic premonitory signs of the nervous disorder which afterwards appeared in this case, and it is not improbable that such was their real meaning. Be that as it may, however, the mode of punishment was certainly irregular ; and if it is_ in a measure excused by its lightness—for it was inflicted with the open hand—it were clearly better not repeated. Teachers and others would do well to remember that permanent deafness has been caused by such a homely reproof as a box on the ear. A GUINEA WELL INVESTED. A story is told of a poor soldier having one day called at the shop of a hairdresser who was busy with his customers, and asked relief, stating that he had staid beyond his leave of absence, and unless he could get a lift on the coach* fatigue and severe punishment awaited him. Thehairdresser listened to his story, respectfully, and gave him a guinea. 1 ‘ God bless you, sir !’ exclaimed the soldier, astonished at the amount. ‘ How can I repay you? I have nothing in the world but this,’ pulling out a dirty piece of paper from his pocket. ‘lt is a recipe for making blacking. It is the best that ever was seen ; many a half-guinea have I had for it from the officers, and many bottles have I Bold. May you be able to get something for it to repay you for your kindness to a poor soldier.’ Oddly enough that dirty piece of paper proved worth half a million of money to the hairdresser. It was no less than the recipe for a famous blackiug, the hairdresser being a wealthy gentleman, lately deceased, whose manufactory is bihe of the notabilities of the city of London.

TO GET RID OF WARTS. The arsenic treatment is well adapted for warts. The top of the wart should either be sliced off with a sharp knife, cut off with a pair of scissors, or destroyed with a drop of some caustic, such as nitric acid. It is then to be painted with the arsenic solution two or three times a day. In a short time it undergoes a change and appears to break up into a number of pieces. It may then be removed or turned out without the slightest pain or difficulty. There are several other means of getting rid of warts. Their vitality .is low, and they are usually readily destroyed by the application of the caustic or astringent. The strong, acetic acid known as the:* glacial' acetic acid, is often used for this purpose. It should be applied with a glass rod until the wart i 8 Sretty well sodden with the acid. It may ave to be applied more than once, and care should be taken to prevent it from coming in contact with the surrounding skin, or it may cause a blister. Small warts occurring in numbers may usually be got rid of certainly and painlessly by keeping them constantly moist by:ia lotion made by adding .two drams of dilute nitric acid to a pot of ,■water. Lunar caustic is sometimes used for warts, but its action is, as a rule, too superficial to be of much service. When the warts or warty growths occur on the nose, lips, or any’ part besides the hands, chromic 1 acid may be used. The solution is made by dissolving a hundred grains of crystallized chromic acid in an ounce, of water. The solution is best applied by the aid of a pointed glass rod, or when a large quantity is required, by means of a small glass tube drawn to a point. Only so much should be applied as will saturate' the diseased growth, and it should not be brought in contact with the surrounding Any superfluous acid is to be removed by a piece of blotting-paper or wet lint. ■■■ The application usually produces only a little temporary smarting, unless, indeed, the part is ulcerated, when the pain is more severe and of longer duration. After the application of the chromic acid it is agood plan to dress the part with lint, dressed in lead lotion, as it relieves the soreness and restrains the inflammation. Under the influence of this treatment the growth usually rapidly wastes, in some cases being thrown off altogether and in others undergoing a partial, though distinct diminution in size. In the majority of cases one application suffices, the cure being complete in from four to eight days. When, however, the warts are very large, repeated applications may be necessary,—Family Physician.

The Journal of Education says : The reports of the training colleges are depressing. The examination papers—to judge from the extracts teem with bad grammar, bad reasoning, and bad sense. Want of culture seems to be their prevailing feature. One examiner fervently hopes that very few of those whom he examined in French may ever teach that subject. Such mistakes as ‘afflicting punishment,’ *untruthness,’ ‘ wrongs-’.for ‘wrong doing,’ speak volumes. Some of the answers from candidates for

training colleges are very grotesque. Thus, the Duke of Wellington was frequently confounded with Nelson. Clive, John Wesley, and Marlborough. One candidate stated that thb ‘ Iron Duke ’ won the battles of Blenheim, Ramillies, Ondenarde, and Maiplaquet (giving in each case the correct date), and also the battle of Waterloo in 1815. The Five Mile Act limited the pace of walking, or the extortion of cabmen, or excess of luggage. Still more amusing are the answers m geography. A water parting is equivalent to a watering-party. * Degrees of longitude are not the same length all over the world, because the world is not flat; and as some meridians in going from pole to pole have to pass over high mountains and others have to go over flat level parts of the country or else down deep valleys or lakes.’ Amongst the native animals of the Scandinavian peninsula are enrolled ‘kangaroos, boomerangs, and Peccadillos;’ and amongst the birds of Australia, ‘ nightingales, flamingoes, and larkspurs.’ Mr Howarth, in the Bicycling News, gives a curious account of the achievements of the Emperor of Morocco as a cyclist upon a track which he has had specially laid down in the gardens of his palace. At first he rode a single tricyle under the tuition of the English officer who holds the chief military command in Morocco. Soon, however, he tired of the task of working the pedals, as also, perhaps, of the falls which he encountered in riding too near the edge of the gardens, which are unprotected by any wall or parapet. A brilliant idea then occurred to him. He had a large velocipede constructed which could be driven by slave labor. In the centre is a handsome embossed couch with gold and silvei drapery, upon which he sits like a good Moor, cross-legged. Overhead is an umbrella or Imperial fnrnished with side curtains of crimson

silk, and enriched with fringes of gold. The most characteristic things among the other fittings of this strange machine are a clock and a magnetic compass fitted upon two brackets, the one on the right and the other on the left of the seat. Latterly the tricycle has been worked by the ladies of the palace, although it is pointed out that as Moorish women are prized not so mnch for their beauty as for their weight, the new condition is not favorable to speed.