CHIT CHAT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1191, 28 December 1894, Page 15

CHIT CHAT.

The the Chricitchurch Girls' High School cooked a beautiful luncheon last" wee^/= soups, salads, a mayonnaise* & galantine of sheep s tongues, and sheets/and it was eaten with great relish by; members of the board, Judge Denniston and the examiners.

Life of the Princess of Wales'' is 7 the title of a fully illustrated articledn'3&e Young Woman. "Only the other the writer, 'J that genial veteran:Bi£, MrW. P. Frith, told me, in his brightf'delightful way, of his experiences of {the; Princess of Wales as a sitter when she; "was a new-made bride. Mr Frith, as you know, painted that wonderful picture of the Prince of .Wales' wedding, re productions of which are to be found in -thousands. Of British homes. All the members of the Engh'sh Boyal Family, Mr Frith told me, were excellent sitters, and the Queen was the best of all. .They had bad some experience of this kind of thing, and helped the artist by posing exactly asie desired them to do. Not so thei most : important of all the sitters — the beautiful bride. During her nineteen summers, spent mostly in circumstances of anything but wealth and luxury, she had hot had opportunities of practising the fine art .of patience as an artist's models Hencevshe could not sit still. She flitted into brimming over with life, and most willing to oblige. But.it was lib good-r=. The graceful head was incesmoinhg about, until the artist was w^m^^S^ ea iP airi The . end v, '^ s that the Queeu found but his .difficulty,; and from that day forth the young Princess Was on her best behaviour, bringing into the studio Mrs Henry Woods' " The Shadow :of Ashlydyat," and still very cheerjlyiihut also very resolutely, resigning hf&rself' : 'to the ordeal of sitting still.

present Lord Carnarvon, in .a' greats measure, says a London paper, is the responsibility for brown leather boots coming into fashion. On taking to_ yachting, he ma,de it a rule that no ladies and no 'bl^ck-shoes were to be allowed on bpardirA.t every port where he put in, friendswho;wished to see him had first to with a pair of brown leather shoes.

- The to*&tie of charity is the one garmeDttheiiashion of which never changes, Aghnaore in the Ladies' Horrim years may go and comeV and yet she who cloaks herself in this mantle 'jJ£ once happy herself and the "-happiness. In cut it never changes." It is always large and full, fo that it can envelop those who are unhappy, and give them warmth and comfort. Likei tfie- cloak worn by the prince In the fairy ~."M©;; 4 £sji invisible to all but those whose clear by faith. It is the' garmeht-thaTl would like my girls to wear. It is true that much patience and., -much self-denial ire cloak is'put on, as it should be, for all time j'but once assumed the amount of joy - to be gotten from it, and the happy heartof "it, cannot possibly T: b"ejover-estimated. *■•; ~ ':.';;,

. There is ho doubt that to have pretty children's the - desire j of - every ; young mothef'sheart^yet,children-who-a're plain canbe wfthderfullyiiihproved appearance by the motner's; handi with a little and trouble. Thave seen really quite ugly babies turn into pretty chiidrenisißsply through the care expended upon them when tiny infants. No mother should cut her child's hair beyond now and then:-snipping or singeing the ends. Great harm is often done to children's hair by -unskilful hands. When they are older: it j|oes not so much matter. It is an excellent plan to frequently wash a baby's hair, and then while it is damp to Boftly brush it the wrong way. This is a first-rate; method of making the hair become curly and nicely waved —one of the;charms- of a pretty child —and will often preyent baby possessing that heavy, lank hair, so unbecoming. Mothers need not become anxious if, even at a year or twpi the locks are still quite straight. I have atiittle niece, who was two years old before there was the least indication that her chevelure would not for life remain hopelessly straight, and now, through the unfailing'Caie and attention of mother and nurse, the little one's hair is beautifully curly and as soft as down. Have the, baby's-locks ; frequently cut; do not for the first three. years allow them to get long and the-ends uneven. Half-an inch every month is enough, and always go to a good hairdresser—a man who understands his business--inexperienced hands will do no end of harm.

: Children's teeth, too, should be carefully looked to from their first-appearance. By | careful attention, much pam and

trouble will be prevented in after years, and, upon the first indication of decay, the tooth should be looked to by a dentist, and mothers should not, because their children are very young, ""refrain from having the teeth properly attended to. Unsound teeth, it is well known, even during babyhood, proper'mastication, and disordered digestion will quickly follow. Clean the child's teeth with water and a sprinkling of prepared charcoal upon the brush as soon as ever siHor seven teeth are through. Keeping them scrupulously clean will very often prevent the teeth decaying.

Now for a little hint about a baby's complexion. No amount of washing in tepid, and in summer, cold water can harm a little child's face. A good soaping, either With Pears' uhscented or plain yellow soap, once a day is quite sufficient; too much soap will cause the delicate skin to become rough and red, besides being very irritating. Fruit, unless forbidden by the doctor, is excellent for children's complexions. If eaten at breakfast, stewed, and given in moderation, rhubarb, figs, or prunes are most health-giving; and apples, toOj are good, but never allow pears or plums, however ripe they may be, for the nursery table.

The choice of clothes naturally, has a great deal to do with the pretty effect ofchildren. Little dresses, coats, and pina fores should be purchased to suit the wearejes^'' both in : colour n d. style. Mothers should bear this inmihdj is a safe rule to : match- dress and ribbons as much'; as possible with the little one's eyes. Naturally, one cannot always keep to one colour, but time and experience will quickly show what is most becoming to each child's colouring and figure. One last you' with pretty children, iiever let them know it; fori * however young they are,' children will so soon learn vanity, which is as unbecoming in a child as it in people of more advanced years.

Gossiping on the unplea-sant subject of wrinkles, a writer in the Princess says : According to a well-known complexion specialist, a few simple precautions in youth would* defer wrinkles: inany years. Women should avoid tears above all else. There is a lining to the membrane of the muscles around the eyes which contains water. By crying this water is lost. The supply is not equal .to*the exhaust, causing a dryness of skin "which produces, wrinkles. A passive expression of countenance should be cultivated; People who call into action the muscles of the face while speaking wrinkle early in life. Frowning and laughing also produce wrinkles. It is better never to sleep on 'theifaqiej use down pillows when possible. Gentle massage is. an excellent thing, buc one should be carefulsame way. Even the lines in the forehead can be rubbed away if- -one is; patient enough to do it. A good complexion powder lightly dusted on the skin is beneficial, and pure soap containing no alkali -is. non-injurious, and should be used daily. Excessively hot water dries the skin and wrinkles it, while cold water stimulates and refreshes. The first lines usually appear between the age of twenty-five arid twenty-eight years. If they come, before they are brought by illness or mental distress. At the period mentioned the natural secretions of the j&esh begin to. recede, leaving the skin too large for-the. space it covers. This is what causes wrinkles. - ~

. Very beautiful are some blithe... flower myths that were believed in by those'who lived in the days of yore, and traditions of which still linger among certain races. Norse children were taught that the flowers only grew when;Freya walked abroad; and that even in the midst of hard frost and deep snow, the air would become, warm, and the earth bring forth flowers if she came down and journeyed across the land. In Iceland the maidenhair fern is called Freya's hair. \ The Greeks held sacred the flowers that'grew in nooks and recesses of the forest, regarding them as the special property of the goddess Diana. ~-'"'.

.The Hindus believed that the gods arose out of the flowers, Brahma coming foit a from the lotus flower. The lotus was also the sacred- flower of the Egyptians. Both in this country and in Germany there are fairy legends attached to particular flowers. For instance, it was believed that if a certain blossom was stepped upon a fairy horse would and carry the careless walker about all night. Other flowers were held to have the power of

opening locks and doors if used instead of keys. But innumerable are the fairy fancies associated with flowers.

In an interesting article on the Duchess of Fife, by a writer in the Woman's World, there is an extraordinary evidence of the simplicity with which the daughters of the Prince of Wales were brought up. The writer tells us that the first ring ever worn by the Duchess of- Fife was that placed on her finger by the Earl of Fife on the day when their engagement was formerly notified. It was made of •diamonds and rubies, in as simple a form as possible.

A Paris authority on " make-up" discourses thus:—What do I think of cosmetiques ? Well, a. beautiful woman is beautiful enough without them, and, once commenced, thoir use must be continued, that is if an elaborate make-up is indulged in. There are, however, a few simple things which anyone may use to improve her appearance without harm. These I always recommend to young ladies. Should the eyebrows be required a little darkei or to appear a little thicker, hold a saucer over the flame of a candle or lamp, hollow side down.. Take a fine camel-hair brush, dip it in the lampblack accumulated," and "touch up the eyebrows carefully. What could be better for a temporary occasion ? Do the same with the lashes. The effect is good, even charming. To improve the colour of the lips, wet them with eau de and when dry touch the lips with a little vcreme or lip salve. Beetroot juice is ar. !excellent and innocuous substitute for rouge. Dip a rather thick camel-hair brush in the juice, then paint the cheek as desired. When quite dry, tone down with chamois leathery softening the edges of the colour, and dust with powder.

The ways in which a girl may help herself: —her future, if not her present self—are many, .and. each and all of them practical in the highest degree. The division of -her day. into a routine may seem a matter of but slight importance, but the best division of the busy day of a housekeeper, a'business women, or of the woman with large social duties, is of vast importance, and comfort or discomfort to its divider. A regular time for arising, which will permit the proper dressing of one's self, and the undressing of: one's bed and airing of one's room betore the breakfast hour, is a matter of habit which, when established in girlhood, becomes of the greatest use in later years. The apportionment of the morniug hours —as these are least liable.to interruption —to domestic duties, study, or practise, and to any church or .charitable work necessary'will leave the afternoon free for receiving or making calls, for outdoor exercise, arid for amusements •or duties which are only occasional. =