NOTES FOR WOMEN

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6593, 8 August 1908, Page 12

NOTES FOR WOMEN

HOW TO KEEP YOUNG. SOME GOLDEN RULES, Nobody likes to grow old, ©ml women, I/i particular, arc must aaxiouH to put Hu* clock back- At the flainc time d is extraordinary that no one scorns willing to submit to those little laws of common Rcrifo* ami hygiene which aro iicc<*H«ary to the prrecrval ion of a juvenile appearance. Tim beauty KpnrinkriH. mushrooms nl't-r a wet <lay, are, costly luxuries. an<l their treatment is onlv within reach of Hi oho to whom time f»ml money i H no object. What intelluo nt people should do when, as is the ease now-a-days. a ppe-i ruriC'* is a «erif)US inatler. wlndher in business or so© inly, L.s to kenf) young by means of tin* many iicicnlifie met hods which progress has put. at their disposal. DANOBRS OF OVEREATING. ! One nf the greatest evils of modern tuuc« is love of the luxuries of the table. Nothing is so conducive to a net•!r<l. elderly look on a woman’s face ns the habit of eating too much; and there is no doubt that, in this country at all .’.vents, it is universally Acknowledged, Hid. poorde do not like to leave thoj table until they havo completely satisfied their appetites. j After one has reached the age of thirty, this should novor be the case, Not only does repletion spoil the outline of a liracoful figure, but it weakens tho character to such an extent that energy too frequently becomes a thing of the p*wt. When such Is the case, tho favourite remedy is even more food, or what is much worse, stimulants. It is hardly necessary to dwell upon the fact that the* good health of tho Queen is awing to frugal and scientific living. PHYSICAL EXERCISES. Necessary as physical exorcises ar© to the well being and good looks of women, they are of little us© if carried out me-! ohanicully and without mental effort. They should be followed with interest And pleasure, yet thoroughly. Thus, while remembering to ©at not too much nor too quickly, and tho fact that physical exercises arc requisite, Also bear in mind that one must cultivate good temper. A bad complexion ia tho reflex of an unhappy soul, and seldom or ever is a strong moral character tho possession of « pnlo or aallowfao*d individual. Lack of freah air and Lad diet, want of oxerciwo, and faulty breathing are responsible to a great extent for these, and a strong character would quickly ©ot about remedying them. BREATHE DEEPLY, Chaang-ten, a Chinese philosopher, who lived 500 years before Christ, wrote these words: ''Our old men sloop without bad dreams and wake up with strength and a peaceful mind. They, weigh their food in scales and breathe from the bottom of their lungs, tho weaklings from thoir lips." Tt has been said a strong moral character is a necessary cosmetic for a beautiful complexion, and this fact must be emphasised. What would be the use of submitting to careful diet, exercises, and the rest, if a fit of the blues, bad temper, nerves, jealousy, criticism, intolerance. etc., were indulged in. The result would bo the same. When the .eyes have lost their youthful brilliancy, only the fire of hope and the energy of | in hour can give them tho attractive beauty desired, and that should be softened by the love of one's kind. Here are tho ten commandments of "eternal youth," taken from a French paper:•— 1. Get up early. Go to bod early after a good day's work. 3. If bread and water keep up life, pure air and sunshine are quite as necessary to health. 3. Cleanliness keeps rust out; it is well kept * machines that Inst longest. 4. The best cordial for long life is composed, of frugality and temperance. 5. Enough sleep is good and strenthenmg; too much is weakening. 6. Clothes should be light and warm, and allow freedom of movement. 7. Bright, clean surrounding© are conducive to health and goad temper. o. ’Amusements and pastimes are o-ood for the brain, but their abuse leads to dissipation. 9. Brightness of character induces love of life, and this is half the battle anminst ill-health. 10. Keep up an ©ren balance between the brain and tho body; but don't let one do too much work at tho exopnse of the other. WASHING SILK BLOUSES. SOME TRADE SECRETS, It is a generally acknowledged fact that tho washing of silks and chiffons ie on art in itself, and in no way ro~ sornblos tho washing of other fabrics. For white articles a warm lather should be prepared, not hot. or tho silk will turn yellow. Have plenty of water in your bowl, as well as a good quantity ready for rinsing purposes. Silk should bo got out of the way quickly, and not loft lying about. New silk will naturally require two or three fresh lathers before it becomes clean, and you will find that stiff vilks and glaoos do not wash nearly so well os the soft kinds. When placed in the lather the article must be shaken gently, pressed and squeezed, especially about the soiled parts, but never rubbed. Particular attention khould be paid to the neckbands and wristbands of blouses, and tho rinsing should first be in tepid water, then cold. Be sure to get tho soap thoroughly out of the silk, or the effect will bo ruined. White silk will bear the faintest tinge of blueing in the rinse; bat cream never. TO GIVE THE SILK A NEW APPEARANCE. There are many methods of giving a new appearance to washed silk, but perhaps the best is, after careful rinsing, to put the silk, if one blouse only, into & pint and a half of water in which a tablespoonful of methylated spirits has been mixed. Soak the silk well, then squeeze it out—never wring silk—and having laid it between tho folds of a clean oloth, put through tho wringer, or beat between the hands. It should not be dried, iron at once. Coloured silks are washed in like manner, and, should the colours be inclined to run, vinegar or salt can be put in the rinsing water. Perhaps vinegar ia beet for natives, blues, and pinks. A few drops if ammonia will restore black or brown lilks. THE BEST WAY TO STIFFEN SILKS. ■When necessary to stiffen silks, put a tablespoonful of gum into a pint of rinsing water. A good way is to make yuur own for tho purpose, and it can be done by placing one ounce of gum arabic into a glass jar, and pouring a pint of hot water on it; cover, and stand on the oven until tho gum is dissolved, then strain through a piece of muslin and put in a cool place. Children’s silk-wear keeps clean much longer when slightly stiffened. TO IRON SILKS. Silk should always be ironed wet, and, m case any part should havo dried with the heat of tho kitchen before, being ironed, cover with a piece of wet cloth, and leave it to moisten. Never use an iron that is too hot, as scorch marks cannot be got out of silk; on the other band, an over cool iron loaves an ugly mark, and one difficult to get out. Smooth tho silk well out before beginning to iron, then iron on the right side until nearly dry, finishing on the wrong side. When done, tho silk should be as soft and bright as new.

JU3X 831W35-J OUK3SLVES TO-MORROW. The reason, it in said, that som countries have* fallen behind in civilisation, enterprise, and development is that thev are tho homo of "ta-niorroiv" the haunt of proerast illation. For, as the old proverb has it “To-monow pevor comes, and thus most of the achievements end in ialk and not in action. And as it is with nations, so is it with individuals. All should lead a strenuous life, the ufo of endeavour. All cioinot. alas succeed, but all can at least try. Am * o all would were it not for the fatal mbit of pull-ins off—this leaning to-; wards to-morrow. One should never postpone till to-morrow what can bo done to- • dav. but this knowledge is not. enough to j prevent many letting tliinss slide to that to-morrow, 'which, haply, may never | come "The rwul of by-and-by leads to the ’town of Never.” It is a pleasant primrose path of dalliance, hut bnnffsj ouo nowhere, and then, in following it, j one is wauling Umo and opportunity, tab; cnU and character-yes, especially charac-; ter. lotlirw it. as it were, run to seed in- , stead of bringing it to 1 ruit-beuimb by constant cure and Primms. the proeoss mnv ho Urine and painful withal, but "the end crown all,” uad one Rains the reward not only m the thuip we accomplish, but also in tho strciißtheiunit oi one s wuoie being. 1 THE SPEAKING ACCENT. I Have you over listened to voices and compared the timbre of them in speakiuK? It is rather an mtercstiiiß storv. and from it much may lie learnt. Ana what is a flood accent.'' It is, 1 think the absence of accent, which may sound a contradiction in terms, and yet the truui underlies it. To speak well one should be trained vouncr; a (jood address may be pained biter in life, hut it will then bo at the risk of affectation. I’or an accent that I b Studied and thoupht about will be certainly much more in damper of alu ctatjon than one learnt earlier and nalui--1 ally, as it wore. The world is olion , blamed for judpinp from the outside, uni justly blumed because what else is tlieie, I us a rule, from which it can judpei I Much, then, hanps on the personal appearance. the nuuuiers, and tho wav a man or woman talks whether a good or : bad effect is produced, and posts and advuntapos may bo lost or won by just such j outside details us these. It is worth i studvinp them, therefore, details thouph they lie. It is also worth while having soniethiiip to say, but saying it m the right way is important, too. HOW BABY SHOULD GET ON, Most mothers know the average rate at which the weight of a healthy baby should increase; hem are a few thoughts as to its general development. At first ho is a very helpless little mortal indeed, but at tho end of three months he should be sufficiently strong to hold his head ■ erect. This Is an advance, to be followed in tho middle of the sixth month, or even at the beginning of it. by his sitting up •straight, though it is always dangerous to make him do it —let it come from himself first. At this time, too, he should be able to hold a light thing. The spine is very weak in infancy, and the head is much heavier than the body; he is thus top heavy. But when the little back grows strong enough to do its work, baby will be up and will not lie unless it pleases him. There is a great difference at the time various children walk and talk, though most' of them will crawl .at from eight to ten months old. If at 18 months baby has made no effort in this I way. it is well to have medical advice, as something- may be wrong. But, on the other hand, do not teach or force a babv to walk; when it feels it is able to do so it will make some effort after it of its own accord. One can, of course, guide it and help it, but to do more may bring on bow-legs. It is quite a pitiable thing to see a child on legs that obviously are not strong enough for its weight, just to please an ignorant older, labouring probably under the idea that the best way to strengthen those weak legs is to use them. Use them, but only by allowing baby plenty of kicking without the weight of the body. Rubbing with salt and water will strengthen them too. KEEPING ONE'S WORD. There are many people who keep their word simply and solely because no on© will take It (says a lady writer). But it , is a very different ideal I would 'bring bofor you to-day, and yet not an ideal at all, but practical reality—the man or woman whose word is their bond. Promises are so easily to make, but they are often a very difficult thing to keep; we are always promising something, too often with a wilful disregard for the carrying of it into effect. This is hardly as it should be. We acknowledge that, but this does not prevent us going on promising some utterly impossible affair, or something which our own inclination err our laziness prevents us ever trying to carry into effect when the time for payment comes. Some parents will promise their children anything to obtain a few moment's quietude, or even to make themselves appear powerful to their offspring, and then they are surprised and aggrieved later on when they find their implicit trust in their word has gone, never to return. And its the same thing as regards punishments. Some children are threatened so often with this or that pain and penalty, which never com© to pass, that they calmly go on doing just as they like, sure that those are piecrust promises. And it is often the same with our dealings with other people, who, however. being more learned in the ways of the world do not expect so much of us os our children once did. They take our promises with a grain or more of salt, and find too often that this is needed. Much promise-making with little fulfilment is a kind of lying, and is very far removed from the word and the bond which is the example of what we should strive after. This will, I know, make things now and again not a little inconvenient and uncomfortable for us, but surely it is worth this, and more, in an age which has grown somewhat shifty, to stand for truth and good faith, even though it may be to our own hurt. NOT UP TO THE MARK. This is a stage of things which too manv know about by experience, especially at this time of year, when many feel below par and run down, without much apparent cause. There may not be much wrong ns far as one can tell, but there is enough to take the zest out of life, to make everything, even one's pleasure. seem a trouble, and not worth doing. This is only too often the state of affairs in these days, when nil suffer in a greater or less degree from the rush of life. And if one is wise one will go a little slower when feeling like this, and atop aside from tho rush to rest a while, taking thought how to alter life's regime, at least for a time, until tone and zest are recovered. Some will say that such a season thev need more exercise and fresh air, and that these have a wonderful recuperative effect, but on the other hand, this may be quite wrong advice, and it may be rest, not exercise, that ie needed. One mustn't run away with the very general idea of the moment that exercise is tli© the cure-all of modern life, which it certainly is not. It may be that the rest cure, at any rate some modified form of it, together with a very careful diet is what is. wanted, for when the system is run down, the digestive organs are run down, too, and need as little work as possible compatible with excellent nourishment. Fresh air in bed and sitting room is vital, while a course of tonic may also greatly assist, and one medicine of this kind not to be despised is tincture of red cinchona bark, half a teaspoonful three times a day after meals, and sweetened with water. BAD TEMPER TRAINING. Some people are extremely good tempered as long as thev can have all their own wav. but let the least thing go amiss, lot them be crossed in any way, and gone

is all their amiability: they fly into n ra «e, nud make themselves iinp.cmsaiit all round. This kind of temper js a bad one, and forms, as a rule, the foundation for much domestic tyranny, because it i« felt bv those around that peace must bf* purchased at almost any price, and that the will of the bad-tempered must rule the household. Isn’t this putting a premium on bad temper? showing that it pays to be tyrannical and disagreeable. Letter far risk some storms in the earlier days, and fight for the peace that should reign at home rather than make it impossible in later days bv a weak and cowardly .submission. In f these days wlien a nice excuse is sought for every | evil thing, it is held that physical trou- ’ bios lie at the root of most bad temper, and that mistakes in diet are followed by ‘ general unpleasantness of temper. Thi» I may bo. but it is little excuse, when one 1 notices that some of the martyrs of the 1 world aro the best and sunniest people one can meet, though racked with pain; ■, and as regards diet tempers, a little • wholesome medicine would bo bettor tiian ! an outburst of passion, and should teach ione to avoid thi* or that toothsome dish ’: which produced such evil effects. Of course. ; | ■ j if. people are natur-iHv better temp*'rod than others, and for those it ia l*ttl© ’ effort tc keep their calmness under cir--1 cum stance© that would arouse anger in 1 others less good tempered; but after mak--1 i j jet due allowance for this, one will find ’ that the majority of tempers improve considerably under judicious training, and this certainly docs not consist in letting bad temper find out its power bv giving it all its own way. Peace is usually • U>o dear at this price.

CHARM OF THE REEFER COSTUME. It is a well-known fact that out of all the different costumes designed for girls, oicturesquo, quaint, dainty, or practical, fho most favoured by parents and ch i,dren is the reefer costume. A wellcut little skirt in box-pleats or with wnich ihe now universal jersey can be worn in tho morning and a pretty, dainty blouse in the afternoon, appeals to ail on account of its wearing capabilities, especially if made in navy blue serge. Art linen has many supporters for summer wear, as it washes so well, and for best wear looks very clean and neat. For hard wear, however, 1 pin my faith to serge, the double collar on the reefer offering many suggestions, which can bo carried out in an unlimited number of materials, from the simple duck or twill to the costly Irish lace. THE HOUSEHOLD. TWO HOUSEHOLD IDEAS. It is said that women do not think of many new things, or at least thej do not take tho initiative, being content to follow man. even in regard to their own dress, tho chief originators of women’s fashions being men. This will b© disputed by some readers, but at anyrate here aro two improvements for tho household thought of by women. Tho first concerns a new oven at least an improved oven, which is much used in certain parts of This is provided with a glass door, instead of the usual impenetrable one of cast iron. The reasons for this and the improvement it effects are obvious, as it is ever so much more convenient to see how your cooking* is getting on by a mere glance than having to open an iron door and thus maybe disturb some dish at its most critical stage. Of course, plate-glass of a good thickness must be need to withstand the heat; but it is said that the cost of it is soon mad© up by the convenience. Another woman has found out that there is no need nowadays to have a silver cleaning day, she has a silvci boiling day instead, having discovered that the very best way to make silver things look like new is to put them into a tin wash boiler half full of water, in which a handful of washing soda has been dissolved, and to let them boil for a few minutes or longer, according to their condition. Then remove them and polish with a chamois leather, and the result is said to be splendid. A GOOD COOK. Let no one say that cooking is not worth the time it costs and tho trouble it necessitates. Of course, a thing is made only to be eaten, but that is its best recommendation. A dish that no on© will touch has something radically wrong with it. No one wants a woman to spend all her life in the kitchen, to be a slave to the commissariat, but at the same moment the growing idea that cooking does not much matter is one that should be strongly combated, especially when we consider the truth which underlies that German annunciation of science. "Man is what he eats," in conjunction with, that wise though severely cynical advice about the best treatment of a husband, "Feed him"; with a thought also to the way supposed to be the high road to a man's heart. GOOD COOKING. Much good food is ruined by bad cooking, and some bad food is rendered almost good by being in the hands of one who knows her business. It is said there ar© five good reasons for cooking our food—to make it pleasant to taste, to render mastication easy, to aid digestion, to combine foods, and to economise them by eating them warm. Take the first reason. Tasteless food is not only unpleasant, it is not healthful, and the same food taken day after day, though it may give the proper chemical combination of elements, does not give the same sustaining power as a varied diet does. The second is almost obvious, and with it is concerned the third reason, as by cooking the food is divided and subdivided, the fibre is softened, the (Chemical properties altered, and much indigestible matter removed, so that half,the digestive work, as it were, is done in the kitchen. But the.action of heat upon food is one of the most important results of cooking, as though this does not niter the chemical construction of food it may utterly change its value, turning the indigestible into the digestible, as well as rendering it pleasant to, the taste. Tho fourth reason L the combination of foods, which, if carefully done in the right proportion, wilj supply thebody with all its" needs; while in regarding the economic value of cooking, one must first consider that food serves two purposes—part of it is heat-giving, to keen the heat of the body at a certain point; the other is for sustaining life, and one can easily see by this illustration why it is better to eat warm food than cold:—When fresh coals are put on the fire, the temperature of the room is lowered at once, because some of the heat from the live coal is absorbed into the fresh coal. This is just the case with cold food, for some of the heat of the body must be employed to heat it. Therefore, though hot food is not wholesome, warm food is not only more nourishing than cold, but it goes farther, and is more economical. SCOTS SCONES. Take 31b flour, a salt-spoonful of salt, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Dissolve a teaspoonfnl of carbonate of soda in a teacupful of buttermilk or sour milk, and mix all the ingredients together, with as much buttermilk ns will bring it to the consistency of dough. Knend well, then roll out Jin in thickness, cut into round shapes, and cook on a girdle. A quite clean frying-pan may do as a substitute. CREAM SCONES. One lb flour, a large teaspoonful of baking powder, teaspoonful of castor sugar, 2oz butter, a tencupful of sweet milk, and proceed as before. This re-

cipe is n.'l th<- hotter, of course, if mad of cream instead of milk. SCOTS CAKE OR SHORTBREAD. Tal« 1-loz flour, Doz rice flour, £lb butter, fcoz castor suy i.r, 1 teaspoonsful of baking powder (not heaped). Mis tho sugar and butter together, then add flour and baking powder, and knead all well together. Thnn take a «heet of white baking and place it on an oven tin, and roll or knead the paste into cake#*; place them on thi* 9 , and bake in brLk oven. l>t tho cake© got firm and cool before raking them off the paper, and dust a little sugar over each. A TASTY DISH, Take tho remain© of cold ham—about half n pound—pa«? it through a mincing machine: then take a thick slice of broad, ecald it in half a pint of milk. When cooled bent it to a fine pulp, and add a whipped egg. Mix the ham in thifi with some cayenne pepper, a pint of ground mace, and a little allspice. Grease a dLh, preep the mixture into it, cover thickly with greased paper, and bake in a very hot oven for about half an hour. Turn out, sprinkle with chop ped parsley, and serve. FISH PYRAMIDS. Finely shred half a pound of cooked dried fish, and add to it one tablespoonful of tomato sauce, pepper to taste. Melt one ounce of butter in a saucepan, stir into it the fish mixture; keep burring until boiling hot, then nil© high in pyramid fash.on on little rounds of cither fried bread or buttered toast; sprinkle a finoly-chopoed haid boiled egg over, and garnish" with fried parsley. HAM CROQUETTES. Mix two ounces of grated ham with half a pound of mashed potatoes, t\vo hard-boiied eggs chopped finely, butter, pepper, and salt. Make into uip m egg and bieadcruiiius, and fry in ootiiug iac tiii urowa.

WORKSHOP

Varnish for Coloured Drawings.— Cuiiauu ualoam, loz; opirils of turpentine, zoz. axix tuem logttlier. Lciore the coin position is applmu, tue drawing or print suouid oe sized with a solution of itoiiigiebs in water, and when ury apply the varnisn wu.ii a camei-nair i brush. Softening Leather.—Mis one pint of] boiled jii.seed oil, 2oz of beeswax, loz 1 of Burgundy pitch, 2oz turpentine, and melt them together over a Slow fire. The mixture should be well rubbed into the leather. (2) A little castor oil rubbed in serves the purpose admiraoly if applied hot to a boot when it is. almost dry after being soaked in warm, ‘water. | Rust on Nickel.—When the nickel deposit is worn away and moisture at-| tacks the iron or steel un.lorneath rust is the consequence; therefore, the omy way to get rid of the rust is either to grind, buff, or glaze the part rusted again, and send it to bo replated. Emery paper in two or three grades of aneness may be used of the rust is not deeply eaten in. Pnnt for Blackboards.—The following will b© found of great service:—! pint of methylat'd spirits, 3oz shellac, loz best ivory black, £oz fine emery flour, loz ultramarine blue. Dissolve the shellac in the spirits before adding tho other, ingredients; mix well, and kem> in a corked bottle. To apply see that the board is free from grease, and only pour out as much as you require.

Shaving Paste.—White soft soap, 4oz; finest honey soap. 2oz; olive oil, loz; water, 1 or 2 tabiespoonfuls; carbonate or soda, I drachm. Melt together and form a paste, adding a little proof spirit and scent at will. Some melt with the soap about one drachm of spermaceti. This produces a good lather with either hot or cold water, which dries slowly on the face. Waterproof Black for Funnel.—Procure 3Hhs of lampblack, 2lbs of blacklead, and 11b of black oxide of manganese. Powder the hlacklead and mix all well together and pass throws’ll a fine sieve. Now mix to the consistency of paint with of gold-size. 4-nint of turpentine, and a small quantity of terebine. The above blacks may also be mix«d with silicate of soda 5 parts, and water 2 nnrts. Aordv as ordinary‘paint, siring the chimneys two coats. SOME BREAKFAST DISHES To begin the day well, a breakfast which to tR* nMnte i<? almost a necessity, and tlm recines apneneded ©an be recommended ps. anneH«ing, and will appeal to lovers of variety. TOMATO TOAST. Take three tomatoes, clip them in boiling water, and peel them, cut up into slice© and put them in a saucepan Mdth a niece of butter, some finelychopped ham, pepper and salt, and, if liked, a shallot chopped very finely. Let all cook for a few minutes, then add two raw eggs beaten up, stir all till the eggs dlt, serve on buttered toast, with finely-chopped parsley sprinkled over. i KEBOBBS. , This is an Indian dish. Pass about half a pound of lean mutton through a mincing machine, .then season it with a teaspoouful of curry powder or paste, a teaspoonful of mixed herbs, a grate of nutmeg, and salt. Mix all well together' with an egg beaten up; make into small, flat cakes, dip in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, fry a nice light brown in boiling fat. Serve with a lemon cut into quarters. EGG SAUSAGE. For this breakfast dish boil some eggs hard, and shell them. Gel some sausages and press the meat out of the skins, Roll the eggs up in. the sausage meat, retaining the egg shape as muon as possible. Dip these in flour, brush with egg, and cover with fresh breadcrumbs. Fry a light brown, and serve up on fried bread, either whole or cut in halves.