WOMEN’S TOPICS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1061, 30 June 1892, Page 14

WOMEN’S TOPICS.

BY AUNT ELLEN. THE COLONIAL LADY-HELP. Miss Weston writes on the above subject in Woman for May 13. She thinks there is a good future in Australia for imported 1 lady-helps from Great Britain, but they must be very willing and possess several qualifications which I fear are not very common among English ladyhelps.’ According to Miss Weston, they mnst have a thorough knowledge of sewing and light housework, and some acquaintance with dressmaking. In discoursing of the many odds and ends of work to which a Colonial help must turn her hand, Miss Weston is very amusing. Oar ladyhelp, she says :— ‘ May have to nail a loose paling in the fence, or bake a batch of bread, or drive a buggy, or saddle a horse, and" do fifty things she would never dream of doing at Home. But if she is young she soon accommodates herself to new circumstances, and enjoys the freedom and unconventionality of colonial life as much as the native-born. . . . The demand for lady-helps of an active useful type is growing, and, for some time to come, the ranks are likely to be recruited from abroad. • . With a definite aim, accurate information, good sense and

courage, there is nothing a woman may not accomplish. Sue may begin as a ladyhelp nnd end as the wife of some squatter or merchant millionaire, as hundreds have done in early days.’ EARLY MARRIAGES. In a recent Mail, I refered to an article by Miss Collet in the Nineteenth Century on the marriage prospects of English women. The Daily Chronicle, a leading London paper, commenting upon the article, points out the real reason why young men of the working-class at Home marry young ; whilst in the middle and upper classes the contrary is the case. The Chronicle says:—The workman marries young because he is then at the zenith of his wage-earning power, and it is apt to be an advantage to have grown-up children to help him when he gets up in years. But there is another reason. The economic va ! ue of a married woman is higher among the working class than among the middle class. A rich man can hire a housekeeper or live in his club, and engage servants to look after his home. A wife is not absolutely necessary to him. It is otherwise with an artisan. To him a wife means comfort and well being, which in the long run mean working and wage-earning power. She needs no dowry ; but her sound physique, her good looks, her intelligence and kindliness as a housewife, make her a prize of great value in her class. But in the above her a girl does need a dowry, before she can attain the same economic value as a wife. Hence, though young women of the working class find no difficulty in getting married—indeed, they mnrry too young—it is just the other way about with women of the middle class.

THE SPREAD OF VEGETARIANISM. Two or three weeks ago I quoted an article on the virtues of a vegetarian diet from a Home paper. Since then I have seen other English by which it would seem the use of meat is getting quite of fashion with many people. Of course, it would be a very bad thing for our farmers if everyone were to cease eating meat, for what on earth should we do without the froz-n meat trade, but it will be a very long time, I thiuk, before such a state of things comes to pass. In the meantime, however, it 13 claimed by the vegetarians that a very tasty meal may be enjoyed without meat. The Bread and Food Reform League recently gave _ a dinner to their friends, and it may interest the lady readers of the Mail to know what the dinner was composed of, and how the dishes were cooked. The menu was cheese soup, curried lentils, and haricot cutlets —it sounds funny, doesn’t it 1 Mrs Knight, the expert, who prepared the repast, began with the curried lentils, which she said required a little butter to soften them. When this was done more butter was put into a fry-ing-pan, an onion was finely chopped and fried, to it was added a toaspoonful of curry-powder and a little chopped apple. Then the lentils which had been previously cooked, wore mixed with the other ingredients. The rice was boiled in a seperate saucepan, and when dished it formed a wall around the curry. The haricot cutlets were just as easily made. One pint of haricots were bo led with a chopped onion and half an ounce of butter. As soon as they were well mashed together, a tablespoonful of bread crumbs, the same quantity of whole meal, and two teaspoonfuls of chopped parsley, with pepper and salt, were added ; and the process of mixing and mashing performed again. The mixture was formed into cutlets, which were dipped in bread ) crumbs and brushed ov. r with the yolk of ao egg. Then a piece of macaroni was inserted to represent the bone, and they were fried in fat heated to a very high temperature. A young lady present was quite sure she would not like the cheese soup, but she changed her mind after she had tasted it. Mrs Knight put one pint of milk on ro boil, and thickened it with a teaspoonful of cori.fl ur. Two or three ounces of Cheddar cheese were then gra'ed into a cup, a little of tke cornflour was mixed with it ; all \va3 emptied back into the saucepan, some boiled rice was added. And the soup was ready for tasting. Who will bo curious enough to try a vegetarian, dinner ?

WHAT WE DO WANT. That little ‘ matrimonial touch ’ at the end should prove prove a rather tempting bait. But I do hate that term ‘lady-help. Everybody with any sense knows that a ‘ lady-help ’ is not what some silly girls would like her to be—namely, a sort of superior person, with little to do and lots of time to do it in. The lady-helps we want in the colonies are good, sensible English lassies, who are not too proud to be called * servants ’ straight out. _ The ‘squatter’ or ‘merchant millionaire of the past, of whom Miss Weston talks, didn’t marry an idle, useless creature, who sat down and worked doylies and mantledrapes whilst the beds went unmade and; the rooms were half swept, but a gooa hard-working lass, who was not above work, and called herself a servant, and what is more —wasn’t ashamed to be called so by others. CRUELTY TO CHILDREN. The Mother Country certainly does possess its share of human brutes, and no wonder there is need for the existence of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The records of the sooiety contain some truly heartrending cases of the horrors from which they are rescuing children. Quite recently a, man named

Coley was brought up before the Dudley magistrates for deliberately rubbing the hands of his little boy of eight upon the hot bars of a fire grate, because the child had picked up a potato ! Medical evidence was given to the effect that the skin on the back of one of the boy’s hands was destroyed. A police inspector testified that the father told him he did it to 4 torture the boy a bit ; ’ and the prisoner himself only pleaded in court that ‘he was in a temper when he did it.’ Only fancy —this brute of a father only got two months. Surely this was inadequate. The lash is the only proper punishment for such a wretch. At least, that is my opinion.

RUSSIAN APRONS. We have heard a'great deal of the Russian blouses, which are said to bo so popular in England, and of which a description appeared in these columns some weeks ago. Now let me reproduce what an English writer says of the Russian apron :—Have my readers ever seen a Russian apron 1 It is a most elaborate piece of fancy work, and will certainly fill up any idle hours that may fall to the lot of the busy English girl. The material required is red, dark blue, and white twill ; one yard of Penelope canvas ; embroidery cotton, the colours of which should be blue in two shades, yellow, red, white, and black ; one yard of insertion ; tho same ilength of lace; and an embroidery needle. Out the twill into bands from twenty to thirty inches long acro33, and about five inches long, gradually increasing in width as you get towards the bottom ; sew them together, putting the red first, blue next, and the white last until you have the skirt of the apron complete, and a perfect.shape. Then cut jour canvas into strips the same length and width, tack them on to the twill, arid ornament with a pretty pattern of the cross Btilch formerly so much in favour. Do not bring any of tho stitches through the threads of the canvas, as each thread will have to be drawn carefully out, leaving the cros3 stitch pattern firmly sown upon the twill. Put the insertion and lace at the bottom of the apron, and work the bib in the same way as the

skirt. women’s franchise. The woman’s franchise movement is, I am glad to hear, making great headway down south. At a meeting held at Gore last week, and attended by over 400 people, a branch of the Women’s Franchise League was established, the president of the Dunedin League in the chair. Resolutions were moved and seconded by Mesdames Lakeman, Abernethy, Clayton, Forbes (the secretary), and Misses Morgan, Tracey, and Mitchell. This movement ought to be taken up enthusiastically in Wellington. The Empire City should not lag behind in thegoodcause. All the world over the women’s franchise subject is exciting interesting. The Canadian Parliament has been memorialized by 18,000 wamen who wish to vote for members of that body. Minister Abbott has promised that the women shall have the vote. This will be very sad news to that elegant and gentlemanly legislator who bears the name of H. S. Fish, but it is true for all that It will be interesting to notice what sort a reception that famous petition of his—at 7s per 100 names—-gets when it comes before the House, and how many members will dare to follow him into the ‘no i s’ lobby when the Women’s Franchise Bill comes up for a division. Not miny. I trust.

MODERN LONDON SOCIETY. Lady Joune, the wife of an English judge, and a well known member of L mdon society, Ins creat<-d quite a-sensa-tion at Homo by an exceedingly outspoken article from her pen, which was published in tho last issue of the N irth Ainsricm Riview. She denounces follies and vices of the so called 4 smart ’ set, who at present rule in society and deplores the decadence in morality consequent upon the luxuries and relaxed restraints of the day. Tho English y mug ladies of to-day ‘are as different from those of their grandmothers as light from darkness,’ for ‘ til-' respect for parents, the self-denial and self-abnegation, and the modest reserve ’ which used to prevail have disappeared : Parents and children now meet nearly oa an equality, but where there is any inferiority ij is on the parental side. The young lady of to day r-*ads the newspapers, what books she choos* a, and discusses with equa 1 frankness the last seindal and the latest French mode ; she rides in the park unattended by a groom, hut always with a cavalier ; she drives unattend id in hansoms; she dances with partners who do not cape to be presented to her mother, and she leaves her chaperon, not to dance, wi*h the real enjoyment of girlhood, but to retire to some leafy corner of the ball room, where she can, to use the modern phrase, 4 sit out-,’ instead of dancing. She spends her own money, and dresses as she likes, and more often than not spends more than she can afford. Her stay in London is one round of pleasure from morning to night, varied during the autumn and winter by country visits, which are only a repetition of London on a small scale ; and in her life there is no question of aught but pleasure. And no more curious change is to be observed than that, while some years ago would go anywhere for a dance, now they only desire to go to the best balls and to be with the smartest people. THE MODERN YOUNG MAN. Lady Jeune is very severe upon the selfishness and conceit of the modern

young man. The girls of to-day, she says, are terribly handicapped in the matter of marrying, and still more in that of marrying. She says : —Nothing is more sad than to see the devices to which ballgivers resort to get men to come to their houses and when there to dance. Everything is done to tempt them. Balls begin at midnight, because the jeunesso doree of England will not dance early ; a recherche supper and the best of wines are provided ; and long before midnight patient rows of sleepy chaperons and anxious girls await the arrivalof the young Adonis, who after surveying _ tho serried ranks scornfully through his eye-glass from the end of the ball room retires below to partake of the hospitality provided by his thoughtful host, and having thus done his duty goes back to his club. And what is true of dancing is even more so of marrying. Men who are poor are afraid to marry, knowing the life of ease and comfort which is the lot of most girls, and that marriage wil entail an amount of denial and self-sacrifice they are not willing to undertake. All this is very sad, but it is well to remember that the society people of whom Lady Jeune writes, are only a small minority. The vast majority of English girls are, I trust, untainted by the whirl of modern fashion, frivolity and vice.