NOTES FOR WOMEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18753, 5 January 1923, Page 8

NOTES FOR WOMEN.

■A NEW ZEALAND PIANIST. SOME RECENT ENGAGEMENTS, INTERESTING EXPERIENCES. - (Fbom Ottß Own Cobbesfondent.) LONDON, November 24. The many New Zealand friends of Miss Moore, the talented Dunedin pianist, will bo interested to hear of some of her reeer.t engagements. She • has lately had a very busy, interesting, and successful time. Her brother, Mr Frederick Moore, himself so well known in New Zealand musical circles and the holder of important musical positions in England, went to Scotland to lecture at St. Andrew's University before musical teachers assembled from nil parts of England and Scotland, and his sister wont with him to illustrate his lectures. For a fortnight she was playing nearly every evening before these critical audiences. During their stay Mr and Miss Moore lived at the University, and they had a very delightful time While in Scotland Miss Moore joined Miss Stella Murray (Christchurch contralto), and together they gave a very successful recital at Nairn. Since then Miss Moore has been assisting on rather a unique musical tour of Westmoreland and Suffolk. She has been travelling with Miss Mary M. Paget (daughter of the late Sir Jamies Paget, King Edward’s ismtgeon), ■who has been giving a series of lectures on “Music: Bad and Good,” and it has been the New Zealand pianist’s duty to illustrate her various points. Enthusiastic houses greeted them in every part of the tour, and the (people of Westmoreland were specially enthusiastic. Outspoken in her utterances, Miss Paget criticised the methods of those publishers who boomed a new song by paying a liberal fee to well known artists to introduce and popularise it. She said the only virtue most, of these drawing-room ballads hud was a commercial one. In them there was no sincerity. This remark served to provide her with a comparison of Chopin’s “Flowers of the Forest,” which, a local critic comments, “was delightfully played on the (piano by Miss Vera Moore, a young New Zealand lady, with an exquisite touch.” Dealing with children’s music, the lecturer relied on illustration. the assistance of Miss Moore and Miss Nancy Down ass (vocalist), she depicted children going to sleep and waking, their evening prayer, and “Babes in the Wood,” by suitable airs from Schumann, Jarnofaldt, and Moussorgsky. Dealing with the humour of music, Miss Paget said good music was infinitely funnier than bad music and again the New Zealand pianist was a valuable support to the lecturer in her depiction of humour in music. She maintained that if people degraded music they degraded the purest of the' arts. Music was a pure, high, spiritual art, and they must have the best of it whether it was funny, sacred, strong, or passionate. After her recital in London this evening with Miss Stella Murray. Miss Moore is going to Somerset to fulfil a week’s engagement, and this will be followed by another week on tour in Surrey. She will be playing at Holland House, Kensington, sarly in December. In the middle of February she is to play at an important concert in Northampton. She will probablv be taking part in the performance of a new concerto in the spring at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth.

GROWING GOOD TEETH. By a Woman Doctor, in the Daily Mail. Most people could have good, sound teeth, seldom requiring- dental repair. But an early start in growing such tooth is necessary. Six months of ago is the time to commence to lay the foundations for good grinders. Even at that tender age a baby ■will munch and crunch a chop bone, and bo highly pleased with himself. And after nine months, tough crusts, toast, and other firm, dry food should be gradually introduced to form the first part of every moal. For if baby is hungry he will eat this hard tack, and enjoy it too. If his hunger has been satisfied with milk, why should he work for his nourishment? And so, while still a cooing babe, one can learn the habit of chewing one’s food vigorously and thoroughly. This practice retained throughout life will cause better teeth to grow. If baby is given soft, mushy food, it is bolted, and the jaws and teeth get no work. My boy of 13 months much enjoys gnawing a raw apple, and soon consumes his (day’s ration of one-third of it. This cleanses the teeth as well as giving them, work to do. , All this exercise increases the flow of blood to the jaws and teeth, thus promoting their growth and' development. Teething would be a more calm time for baby and for the household also if the jaws had been prepared by being well exercised from the age of six months onward. This exercise is a sure preventive, too, against overcrowded and irregular teeth in either the first or the second set, unless the child has been the victim of a “ dummy.” The pernicious “ dummy ” often deforms the palate and jaws and causes the teeth to be of poor quality and to decay early. A set of first teeth secured with much exercise will be followed by a good, strong, enduring second set, provided thorough mastication of firm food- is continued. The teeth should be brushed night and morning, and these, our servants, should never be allowed a holiday from grinding An occasional inspection by the dentist is advisable. But if the teeth can be kept in good form until maturity they will probably last a lifetime. A friend 72 years of ago has an entirely sound sot of teeth which have never caused him a moment’s pain. He chews each mouthful of food thoroughly, and his diet includes whole-wheat bread. Alas, why should wo not all have such teeth—never a toothache, never a dentist’s bill 1 However, it is never too late to start to work our jaws and teeth overtime. They will not complain, but will be grateful for it. It is what they have been longing for all their lives. CARE OF LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT. Daundry utensils need to bo kept absolutely clean. Otherwise there is a great danger of iron-moulding the clothes. Troughs and washing-tuba should be rinsed after use,l and then scrubbed the way ct the grain of the wood with a scouring mixture of silver sand. Clean cold water must then be put in—just enough to cover—to prevent tho wood from shrinking. If this is not done, tho next time the tub is required it will be found to leak. Galvanised iron baths have a way of collecting the grease on the sides. Very hot soda water must be used to clean them. To keep them bright, use a mixture of powdered brickdust and turpentine, rubbed on with a small piece of flannel. All washing-tub stands, washing boards, stools, and any wooden utensils should bo scoured with a paste made with equal quantities of soft soap, sand, and whitening, dissolved with sullicient water to cover. This will keep them snow white. Clean the copper in the same way as the iron baths. To clean the mangle, get some paraffin Tags and work these round the cog-wheels and wherever machine dust collects. Then wash the whole framework with warm soapy water and rinse. Scrub tho rollers, di*y the parts well, and lubricate with a feather , dipped in oil wherever necessary. Bo sure ■ riot fo put too much oil on tho feather. I/oosen the tension screw before leaving tho mangle, WASHING SHETLAND “UNDIES.” There is a tremendous vogue for Shetland wool undies at Horne this winter, because not only is this wear the warmest possible, but at the same time it is dainty and delicate in appearance, and appeals to women who dislike wearing tho thicker makes of woollen clothes. But Shetland wool garments need very pareffil handling in the wash if they are not to shrink and if tho fine threads of wool are not to be broken. Soap jelly must be used instead of soap, and it must be made from good varieties. It is a good plan to use up tho tiny bits of toilet soap in this way, more particularly if it is an olive, oil soap. Hie water should' be just hot enough comfortably to bear tho hand in it, and sufficient ammonia should bo added to make it smell slightly. Squeeze the articles very i gently between the hands, taking care not to twist them. Rinse in warm water and add just a little blue and some hot-water starch, a breakfast cup of thick starch to half a gallon of water. Squeeze well and put through the wringer without twisting.

Do not hang up to dry. as tho weight of tho water will make the garment dry out of shape. Mak© a hammock with a towel or piece of old sheeting by attaching the four corners to chairs or something equally firm. Lay out the article in this till it is partly dry, when it can bo hung on a coat-hanger to finish without fear of spoiling. Of course, tho drying process should bo carried out as quickly as possible. MODERN SOCIETY GIRLS. CIGARETTES, COCKTAILS, AND LOSS OF SLEEP. “WORN OUT AT 20.” “Worn out at 20,” was the phrase applied by Dr Agnes Savill to modern society girls in a lecture at the Institute ct Hygiene, London. Dr Savill emphasised the unhealthiness of society life, even as compared with that of the business and university women. In business life a girl might not have an excessive amount of daily work, but usually had to make exhausting journeys to and fro to got to it. “Tho girl who goes to a university is liable to overstudy or to study all day and to indulge iff social functions till late at night, while the girl who con command the sources of her parents’ wealth leaves school for a life of continual hectic excitement, which results in mental and physical deterioration. “I have seen some of those girls after a few years of society life, aged by 10 years, and already, before the age cf 20. as worn out and nerve tired as it they were 40. “The heotio life of continual excitement, the absence of all repose, all time for meditation, the perpetual change, the cigarette smoking, irregular and unhealthy meals—no wonder these girls become the prey of disease. “Everyone knows that n, becomes more fatiguing to read a medley of disconnected phrases or short tales for a long period than it is to road a logical and connected history or story. Similarly, many people find a greater nerve strain involved in keeping up a conversation of small talk than in discussing a serious topic or in the more connected conversation of old, intimate friends. ’These society girls have their brains and mental equipment adjusted to this level of scrappy exclamations early in life, and it spoils their subsequent development and their capacity to reach a better stage of intellectual growth. “Society life is responsible for deficient sleep, and consequent deterioration of the entire nervous system. It encourages the pernicious habit of the too frequent cigarette, it encourages tho girls to take cocktails and whiskies and sodas which ruin their digestion, impair their livers, and upset the balance of the nervous system, and it encourages them to take rich foods which upset the rhythm of the body.” Miss Belle Harding, one of tho bestknown teachers of dancing to society people, told a Daily Chronicle representative that, to a largo extent, she is inclined to agree with Dr Savill. “Some of the young society girls of today,” she said, ‘Tire simply terrible. They have strident voices; they stamp upstairs and downstairs; repose is foreign to them. Some of them are very objectionable persons indeed. "There can be no doubt, too, that the whirl of gaiety has increased, and this is not to tho good. One of the chief evils of the day is late dances. If all dances ended at midnight there is no reason why a girl should not go to two or three a week and be none tho worse. “I know of society girls, however, who go to a dance every night, and none of them come to an end before 3 or 4 in the morning. The thing becomes an obsession and no girl can keep her health and beauty under these conditions. ]t simply wears her out, and she becomes permanently tired and irritable. ’'Parents and guardians are. of course, to blame for most of the things that young girls do. They allow them, for instance, to go off to dances without a chaperon. “Perhaps a young man whom a girl has met quite casually once or twice at the most is allowed to call for her and take her to dances where there is smoking and drinking and a general lack of restraint. Of course, it is all very fascinating, but it is unwise. ‘T know personally of a well-known dance place in London whore cocktails are given away after each dance, and I have seen boys and girls of 16 and 18 drinking them. “I do not like my own girls to smoke even, and I certainly do not allow them to go out to dances without a chaperon unless 1 know personally the man who is taking them. ‘The conditions of the times are, in my opinion, chiefly responsible for all this. “Ball-room manners to-day are shocking. Nowadays a girl has to thank a man for a dance. For partners to separate in the middle of the dancing floor and go their own ways back to their chairs is nothing uncommon. There appears to bo no time in these days for social amenities. I should like to make it clear, however, that what I have said by no means applies to nil girls who move in society circles. They don’t all drink whiskies and sodas and smoke cigarettes, but there are a lot who do.” MACKINTOSH RENOVATIONS. It is a great mistake to think that mackintoshes will not clean; they will. There is no need to allow a waterproof to remain in the dirty grubby state in which so many women see fit to leave their “macs.” They are quite easy to clean. Rain water if possible, should be collected for tho purpose, hut if this cannot be done, then ordinary water can bo softened with bran. Boil a small bagful of bran in a pan of water, and-use this with a small scrubbing brush, and if necessary a little soap. Spread the “mac” out on a wooden table and brush all over. Have a pail of clear soft water ready and plunge the mackintosh up and down in it until well rinsed. Do not attempt to squeeze or twist it, just hang the whole garment up to dry in the open, or, if this is impossible, in an airy room. Never dry any waterproofing before a fire, as the heat cracks the rubber. Waterproofs very often get torn, especially at tho seams. A tear of this description can be repaired with rubber cement, which should be smeared on each side of the slit; join this together, and hold in place until tho cement hardens. This can bo accomplished by putting a heavy weight over the tear, but be sure that tho weight is slightly damp, otherwise it may slick to the mackintosh. A large hole which cannot bo joined up can easily bo mended with a rubber patch and rubber cement. Smoftr the patch in tho above manner, and press it. on to the mackintosh, leaving it until hard. Old mackintoshes will cut up into splendid aprons for kitchen or nursery use. The edges may bo bound with bright braid or ribbon. If there is enough material, a circular mat for standing beneath baby's hath may be fashioned with very little trouble. A square piece with pockets stitched in front makes an excellent “hold-all” to hang beside the bath. If it is not required when travelling, the pockets may be stitched in place.—Daily Chronicle. WHEN CHOOSING CUSHIONS It is a great pity (observes an English writer) more people do not realise tho artistic value of cushions in a room. Badly chosen cushions can easily mar tho effect of an otherwise perfectly furnished apartment. Take, for instance, a man’s study or a library. Hero are rooms which are essentially backgrounds for the leather cushion. Lingerie cushion-covers, with needle point lace or Italian linen with drawn thread work, are admirably suited to the bedroom or boudoir. Satin cushions of various colours and sizes are eminently the thing for sitting-room chesterfields, provided there is no distinct scheme of decoration. The basket-chair looks well filled with chintz or pretty cretonne-covered cushions; but tho embroidered cushion witli handsome tassels belongs to the formal chairs in the drawing room. In choosing the colour for cushions it is best to take tho brightest colour in the room, and follow this out in either lighter or darker shades. A chesterfield requires at least five cushions to make a good effect, and these should bo in different colours if possible. It is a great mistake to stuff a cushion too full as it gives it a hard appearance, which is tfie reverse of what a cushion should look like. Never buy cheap silk or satin for making cushions, as it is not an economy; all cushions have a fair amount of hard wear, and unless made of unweighted materials they will soon crack and cut. If ornamentations are put on, these should be beyond reproach. Bettor to have a plain satin