LADIES' TOPICS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1403, 19 January 1899, Page 11

LADIES' TOPICS.

[Edited by Erie.|

WeUingtonians have indulged themselves in a hldst liberal manner in tho pleasure of seeing the good contpahy now playing at the Opera House. Each night it is full in all parts, and the various pieces are so well staged and dressed that the public find much enjoyment in going to them. Then the excellent acting, which is so conspicuously refined and artistic, draws many who fully appreciate 1 its variety, and they avail themselves of ! it while such pleasure is to bo had. I "Under the Red Robe'' is evidently one 'of the niost popular pieces. On Wednesday evening there" was a record house and the company were all in most capital form notwithstanding the excessive* heat. Amongst the audience were Mrs Collins wearing a black merveilleux gown trimmed with lace alid diamond ornaments, a soft white opera cloak; Mrs T. C. Williams wore a handsome black gown and a steel and grey opera wrap; Mrs A. Russell (Palmerston) cream silk and lace trimming; Miss Hilda Williams, a red silk blouse trimmed with chiffon of the same colour; Mrs Kember was wearing a handsome blouse of yellow silk and chiffon; Miss Kembdr, white muslin and iafce; Miss Moorhouse wore a pretty blouse of light chine silk attd a blaek skirt; Mrs E. Lowe wore a handsome black silk drtfsd with cream laCe; Mrs W. S. Reid had a blaek gown relieved with pink and handsome lOiig brown opera cloak; Mrs M'Tavish wore a black merveilleux skirt and a very pretty blue blouse ; Miss Fancourt wore a black satin evening dress trimmed with lade, and jet ornaments ; Mis (Dr) RaWson was wearing a protty pink silk evening dress ; 'Miss Scully blaek silk and cream lace ; Mi»s Hales, Cream silk and lace trimming; Miss Edwards wore a handsome white silk dress with lace insertion trimmings; Miss I. Coleridge, cream silk and lace; Miss Salmon, handsome fawn opera wrap with pink silk collar and trimmings; Miss Buller wore .a (black movveiilenx »""> /n with lace; Miss Elliot had a black miin blous© with yellow trimmings veiled with black net' Miss W. Eliiot wore white muslin and lace; Mrs Ohatfield in black merveilleux gown trimmed with chiffon; Miss E. Chatfic'd wore a pale green muslin trimmed villi white lacs: Mrs Macdougall wore a handsome black featin dress trimmed with coral pink; Mrs >'<U>on wore a black dress and pretty epexii Wrfcp. Mrs Macpherson gave a most charming afternoon tea at her residence Tinakori road on Thursday afternoon. i it** Mrs Duncan also gave a large farewell tea for Mr and Miss Pearce. '/ '■ On Friday afternoon Mrs T. C. Williams entertained a large number of friends. Mr and Miss Pearce were there and finally bid many of their friends ! good-bye. Miss Amy Hadfield is in town as the guest of Mrs W. Pharazyn, Hobson street. Mrs and Miss Fancourt are on a visit to Wanganui. Mrs Tilly (Wanganui) is on a visit to her sister Mrs A. Brandon. There' are a very large number of invitations out for Miss Ross' wedding. Also for Miss E. Rose's marriage. We are having quite an epidemic of weddings , since the New Year, and there are eeveral more looming in the near future*

We live and learn—to minimise labour. One of the sorrows of the average housekeeper is the trouble and labour of having tho linoleums of her floors kept in polished order. The venerable recipe of beeswax and turpentine (and much elbowgrease) has become almost impossible with the array of " fine lady " housemaids who condescend to fill the position under protest, in very many houses. The following simple mixture is easily applied and very excellent in its results. Cut up a parafin candle into a pickle bottle and fill with turpentine, and let it stand 12 hours. Shake and apply to the oil cloth with a soft rag. This mixture gives a nice polish without being slippery. For cleaning varnished doors or woodwork of any sort, equal proportions of boiled linseed oil and vinegar, prove most efficacious. Two tablespoonfuls of each make a useful quantity. The style of dressing our hair is in a transition stage, and women scarcely have decided whether they must wear it on the top of the head or low on the neck. A high Parisian authority decrees that " it is to be worn high in the afternoon because as yet we have no hats to suit the low coiffure. It can be worn massed on tho neck at night because it is so becoming to a white neck and shoulders." It is to be feared that the picturesque "Mary Anderson" knobs are doomed, even though they suit so many styles of beauty. Until the reformation of our streets and pavoments is an accomplished fact wo sincorcly trust wo may continue to wear our short skirts in comfort. There is a dismal bogey threatened in the revival of long trains for street wear. We' trust our tyrants will think better of, this order and be considerate to our cleanliness. But many West-end houses arc showing long voluminous skirts already. The delightfully feminine quality of indecision has been displayed in the matter of sleeves this season. Now, however, there are to be no more games of see-saw. Tho stern edict has gone forth wear sleeves set in without gather or pleat. The distant followers of Pharoah's lean kine will feel aggrieved—but it's only fair to have them turn and turn about. Now the enbonpoint woman will feel she can wear a suitable sleeve once more. That suffering Sirdar, besides having greatness thrust upon him in the shape of invitations to Windsor and delightful swords, etc., has the seamy side of popularity to experience. He may see and day advertised " Sirdar baby's food," also "Kitchener Mouse Traps" and "Lord Kitchener polishing paste" ! He must feel sometimes as if there ought to be a law against taking names in vain. London society has had the Sirdar fever badly, and dinners and parties have been given to him and his officers without limit, On dit, while far from being ungrateful, the hero was thankful to get back to hia more congenial military life. When some Irish girls were enthusing about " our brave countryman," seme one near disagreeably remarked. " Ireland can only lay a step-mother's claim to Kitchener." "It's all the same," said the lady, " he was born where bravery is in the air, and drew in the Irish microbe with his first breath ! " Next season tho cycling fashionable world are to carry Japanese umbrellas (of paper). The reasons for doing so are that in addition to being picturesque, tbtfy Will act as a parasol and as a sail when the wind is behind the rider. These Japanese paper ginghams will i give a very gay and oriental appearance to our streets, always supposing riders are clever enough to manage them gracefully. A scientific crank has written a long article in a German paper asserting that the outbreak of the plaguo in Vienna is indirectly due to the spread to o-:r:iiri</. His tedious-' reasoning when '•'bm.cd down" simply, means that it's bad for the pores of the I skin to be open so freely, and consequently flying about "unemployed" microbes get in uninvited, and so find! work to do. It reads a bit thin, not to say far-fetched and eccentric. The latest engineering enterprise contemplated is to tunnel under the Straits of Gibralter. It is only twenty miles across, consequently quite feasible and now, quite probable. Such a connecting ling between Europe and Africa will lead to many undreamt of possibilities in the future. For many seasons there has been much bitterness of feeling in the society ' world at the very selfish position taken up by many married women at balls and parties. They are now dubbed the "Marauders," and in self-defence many charming parties have been given where no married ladies were invited except a as a chaperon. Whistling matches are a new diversion for girls. When it is well done by girls with good clear notes j one taking the ggpond &$ an air it sounds very charmingj. It Jf »ai4 to need a great deal of

practice to keep an even sound and also to keep in tune. A number of girl friends of an American bride banded together and whistled the Wedding March very effectively—our American cousins love a novelty of any sort. Of all the lady mayoresses in England, why should the mayoress of York be tho only lady who holds this position, entitled to wear the chain of office t Possibly the other ladies do not covet the honour, as these chains, though handsome, are generally heavy and ugly, but its the "it aint fair" principle in it which we object to. Even Mrs KingFarlow, tho daughter of the Lord Mayor of London, and acting mayoress, is out in the cold in the matter of a chain of office. What has the old city of York done to earn this distinction for tho wives of their mayors ?