LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 1856, 17 June 1887, Page 34

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— The Archbishop of Canterbury confirmed the Princess Maud of Wales on Maundy Thursday in the parish church of St. Mary Magdalene, Sandringharri, in the presence of the Prince and Princess of Wales and her sisters, the members of the household, and a few privileged friends. The Eev. F. J. Heryey, the rector, and several of the neighbouring clergy were likewise present. — The Empress Eugenic is untiring in her attention to the wounded soldiers from Africa in the Hospital at' Naples'. "Who knows," gays the '"Queen," "what thoughts of her own boy, killed by ah African spear-thrust, pass through the mind of the bereaved Empress as she sits by the beside of some wounded lad — perhaps a mere Neapolitan peasant ? . Eecently the Olympia was honoured by the presence of the Queen, who was accompanied by the P.rincess Beatrice, Prince Henry 'of Battenberg, the children of the Duke of Connaught, and the Duchess of Albany. The entertainment was specially arranged for the occasion, and no one excepting the royal party and a ' few of the directors were present. At the close of, the entertainment her Majesty traversed the range of buildings on foot. At the elephant's den she paused to converse with the trainer, fed the animals, and took^ajlittle 10 days' old lion in her arms.

— In Germany everybody, from prince to peasant, from duke to dustman, has his title, and insists upon its recognition ; and in illustration the following advertisement from a recant issue of a leading Berlin journal may be quoted : — "Yesterday afternoon fell asleep softly in the Lord the widowed Mrs ' Master Chimney-sweep Pumpkin, born Rosalia Snipe. Her end was peace. — The mourning ones who are left behind." The daughters of the Princess of Wales, as a rule, when they appear in public, wear the same kind of dress, the only difference generally being that the Princess Louise occasionally affects a bonnet, while her sisters are attired in hate. This similarity of costume is a reminiscence of their mother's early days. The Queen of Denmark made a point of dressing her daughters in precisely the same mode. And even now, although the Princess of Wales and the Empress of Russia have grown-up families of their own, they still occasionally, although separated by many a long league, agree, on certain home festivals, to wear precisely the same costume, even to selecting a 1 similar shade" for their gloves. • — Prince Alexander of Battenberg's good looks have not been impaired by the attack' of smallpox from which he has been suffering. The Queen during his illness* manifested more anxiety respecting his condition than his brother Henry did. I hear .that the Birmingham ladies admire Prince Henry of Battenberg immensely — that is, his 1 good looks— and say they_ do not wonder at the Princess Beatrice falling in love with [such" a handsome man. — English ladies in India seem to be going in for big game. Mrs Martelli, " wife of Major Martelli, political agent at Bundelkund, recently accompanied her husband on a tiger shooting expedition to Kewah. When one.of these beasts appeared, she fired first, and hit him in one of the legs. The animal then advanced towards them, and when only fifty yards off, Major Martelli aimed at him', .but missed fire. His wife then followedsuit, and brought the beast down. Very soon after this, another English lady, a, Mrs Trimmel, shot _ a tigress at Raipur, in the Central Provinces. , —Mrs J. W. Smith, of Orange, New Jersey, rode 2228 miles during the past 12 months on a tandem tricycle with her husband, and 415 miles alone. "This does not look as if the proverbial gray mare retained her superiority when yoked to a tricycle —An operation for cancer has been performed upon the Queen of Sweden at Stockholm. The Queen, who is an aunt of the Duchess of Albany, is in a very dangerous condition, and fears are entertained that she ' will not live many weeks. — The Queen's gift on her marriage to her royal bridesmaids was a brooch in the shape of a bird, the body being of. turquoises, the eyes of rabies, the beak a diamond, and

the claws of gold resting 'on pearls of great size ( and value. ' ' ,'.'"'"_ ■ X —"Blue-stocking," once so frequent as a contemptuous term for a 'v^pman with a taste for learning, though now' almost' abandoned, originated, we are told, 'fin connection with ; reunions held in London about 1750, at the houses of Mrs Montague, Mfa' Vesey, and Mrs Ord, 'who exerted themselves to substitute for the card-playing, which then formed the chief recreation at evening parties, more intellectual modes of spending^ the time, including conversation on literary, subjects,. in which eminent men of letters' often took part." From the latteir' frequently eschewing " full dress," and one of them, habitually' wearing blue worsted stockings, '.the coterie' was derisively dubbed *• the Blue Stocking Society," 'and the ladies who supported the reform became known as "Blue Stockingers," and later or as ' " Blue ' Stockings " or "Blues." • ' ' . \k — Lady Randolph Churchill has, Court and Society says, been writing some ,clever and amusing letters on English society to some of her American friends. In one of them she says: "In spite of 'the scientific influences now brought to bear on women we still like admiration,' for which ,1 thank urichanging Mother Nature. ' For, what would life be without ' admiration, flirtation, and love ? Why should poor human nature, especially its tenderer portion, be worried and worn by this everlasting race after cujture, display, and effect ?' After all, we are nothing but poor weak mortals ; and if we become dissatisfied with Nature and' human nature, as thousands of us are, we shall, indeed, have to acknowledge our wretchedness; There is, I am sorry to say, a terrible straining after the emotional. We are not satisfied with ourselves ; lots of us wish to be other people, and other .people want to be other' things. The Tree of Knowledge is in full' bearing,' but the fruit is not satisfying." . ( — " This is indeed a peculiar [world," saida, mining expert at the Planters' House (Missouri) the other day. ,Here I picked up the papers and read of Mrs Mackay's. doings in Paris— how she receives the scions of royalty, how she entertains, how she appears at the opera, how she dresses, and how she does a .thousand other , things ; , and then . I can scarcely conceive that 18 years ago she kept a boardinghouse in Virginia city and that I was one of her boarders. She was a' >oung. widow then with an interesting child, who has since matured into a.you'rig lady and, was recently married to an Italian prince. Even in her days of distress Mrs M'Kay was a good woman. She personally superintended affairs and made her boarders as comfortable as possible. M'Kay was already a millionaire. . . . . ,He took a shine to the widow, and .being reputed one of the wealthiest men .in the camp, he • found smooth sailing. He couldn't win on his shape nor' his beauty, for everybody that has seen M'Kay knows that he wouldn't take a prize in a congress of beauty. They , were married. T,he great Oomstock lode continued to pour forth its richness, and M'Kay and his partner became immensely wealthy. , Although reared in poor circumstances, Mrs MlKay showed her good sense By securing, a private tutor, by whom she was drilled and educated for five years. The little daughter was put through the same course and , fitted to shine in the most cultured society of the Old World. A year ago I was in Paris, and one evening attended a performance at the Grand Opera House. It was a first night, and prominent in a private box were two ladies, bedecked with diamonds and festooned with flowers. They were the cynosure of all eyes,' and, levelling my glasses, I discovered behind the silks, flowers, and diamonds the face' of my' former landlady in' Virginia City. The outlines were the same, but time had wrought its changes. The young lady with her was the little girl who used to play on my knee. She had grown out of my recollection. As I stood looking at them midst the flashing lights, the incense of flowers, and the delicious music, I could not help 'recalling something Of some one who breasted high water, And swam to the Worth Fork, and all that, Just to dance with old Polingbee's daughter, The lily of Poverty Flat. The Beautiful Octoroon nought by Plymouth Church. In 1860 or 1861 a beautiful octoroon girl, raised and owned by a prominent citizen of Virginia, John Churchman, attempted to make her escape North. She was arrested and brought back. Her master then determined to sell her, and ' found a ready purchaser in another citizen, Fred ScheflEer. Shortly after this the last owner was impressed with the belief that the, girl intended to make another effort to go North the first opportunity that presented.- To meet the emergency and save trouble Mr Scheffer proposed to Sarah that she should go North and raise enough money from the Abolitionists to purchase herself.' This proposition she eagerly accepted, and being furnished with, means by Mrs Scheffer to pay her fare, she started: A few days after her arrival in 'New York she was taken to Mr Beecher, and bn the. following Sabbath morning was escorted to his pulpit in Brooklyn. She was a woman of commanding presence, ' rounded features, and winning face, and long, jet-black hair, and, of course, under the circumstances attracted most eager attention and interest from the large and wealthy congregation assembled. She was requested to unloosen her hair, and as she did so it fell in glistening waves over her shoulders and below her waist. Robed in spotless white,' her face crimsoned and form heaving under the ' excitement of the .occasion, she stood in that' august presence a very .Venus iri form and feature. For a moment Mr' Beecher remained by her side without uttering 1 a word, until the audience was wrought up to. a high pitch of I curiosity and excitement. • Arid then in his impressive way he related her story arid and her missioa. Before he concluded his pathetic recital the vast audience 1 wns a- sea of commotion. Tears ran down cheeks unused to the melting mood; 'eager curiosity and excitement pervaded the whole congregation, and as- the pastor announced that he wanted 2000dol for the girl before him to redeem her promise to pay for her freedom, costly, jewellery and- trinkets and notes and' specie piled-. in in snoix rapid

succession that in less time than it takes to write this down j enough and much 'more' was contributed than was ' necessary to meet the call that had been, made. What became of Sarah after this remarkable introduction to the Plymouth 'congregation' and the sensational incidents connected <with it we never learned.: sßut the incident itself illustrated the broad humanity of -the great, preacher and the ,tender sympathy he' felt for the humble and oppressed. — Staunton .Virginian. ' , Sarah Churchman, the , beautiful, slave w,ho was/ freed before the war by Plymouth < Church, /under Mr Beecher's , efforts, ,np,w. 'lives on a little farm at P,eekskill, where she, has sold' fowls, eggs, and butter for a living. 4-Boston Journal. < , , Night Gloves.— Devices for Beautifying „ | ■ tbe Hands-Old Fashions. : ] The remarkable discovery " has recently been made that " white hands ■ are coming into fashion again." It would seem' that hands have been growing less ; white than they used to be, and have suffered from ssto t great attachment •in ladies to lawn tennis' and ' other masculine accomplishments. " Chapped arid red hands are never pretty, and these, of course, invariably follow an outdoor exercise. The evil is, happily, not beyond remedy, and to effect this purpose the' daughters of fashion, as many of them will learn' with supris'e, now have dishes of hot .water shaped like a flower-leaf- on their toilet '.tables, in which they steep their hands for a while before' going to bed, then anoint them with vaseline, and put on gloves lined witha preparation of cold cream. ' These gloves should be of wash-leather, and several -sizes too large for the hand." Before this paragraph has gone its tardy round in print these night gloves will surelybe made an instance of the amazing luxury of our degenerating days, and point, we may be sure, a very doleful moral.' In the absence of any general knowledge on this point; the ladies of fashion will be looked upon as having originated' a pernicious practice, which, taken together with the toilet-masks of which ,we recently heard so much and saw so little, might indicate a lamentable degree of overreiinement, such, as we should certainly be reminded, has invariably preceded the decay of empires. One old recipe for perfuming gloves runs : Take amber grease a dram, civet the like quantity, orange-flower butter a quarter of an ounce, and with these well mixed and ordered daub them over gently with fine .cotton wool and so press the perfume into them. Other devices for making them "richly redolent", point generally to the use of oil of fats as being the best available and most largely employed means to secure a good and lasting perfume. As fpr such gloves being con-, sidered excellent for night use, we have the lines in- Swift's poem on the Dress-ing-room," showing on the table : There night gloves made of Tripaey's hide, Bequeath 'd by Tripsey when she died. Where a lady's maid is reassuring her mistress, in a poem of 1790, as to her superiority over a rival, the maid says : I know the arts she labors to disguiae, I know whence all her boasted graces rise ; These charms which gained the creature such renown ' ' Are cull'd from every quarter of the town ; She buys her beauties at a price immense, • Her breath from Warren and. her teeth from Spence ; Each night her face is wrapped in greasy bands ; And Chinese gloves enfold her arms and hands ; If Buch a made-up thing can rival thee, - Let park canals strive with the foaming sea ; 1 Let Oxford hacks with Pegasus compare, And broad St. Giles vie with Portland square. There would be some suspicion of chemical treatment about such gloves. Although a Erench philosopher some time ago asserted that glovers, of all artisans, were the most mild and amiable, owing to the soothing influence of leather upon temperament, this discovery had not been made when Chinese , gloves were in vo^ue, and ,more direct agencies acting upon the outer man or woman were all that were sought after. "Medicated" gloves are used by Dr Johnson's born beauty in the 130 th Rambler, the doctor probably not knowing much of toilet mysteries. This young lady is represented as always most carefully: tended, and put under rigid cosmetic .discipline at night, never permitted to sleep until thoroughly anointed with " bean flour water and May dews," her hair perfumed and oiled, and the softness of her hands secured by medicated gloves. — London Queen. Wo < th's "Inspirations" for Mrs BrownPotter. Mrs James Brown-Potter, who made her, debut at the Haymarket, is a niece of a New York bishop and granddaughter-in-law of the founder of the famous shipping firm of Brown, Shipley, and Co. My lady friends will doubtless be interested to read a description, which I take from the Paris correspondent of the New York Herald, of three of her dresses, which were jnade by Worth of Paris.Worth calls them Hn<pirations." Inspiration number one is of lilac crepbn,' a soft clinging material admirably suited to Mrs Potter's beauty j over a plain skirt minutely pleated down the front. ■ A Greek \ tunic floats gracefully over the petticoat-, and is rather full in front and loose behind. The waist is outlined by a soft black sash tied ■ negligently in front. The back of the corsage is finely pleated and set into a Louis XIII ; collar of bise guipure, forming several points in <front. The sleeves are artistic and full to the elbow, thence to the wrists exceedingly tight-fitting and covered with guipure similar to that on the ' neck. A large hat, of course black straw, turned up on the •side, is to be worn with this dress. It is ornamented with a huge bow of black" silk gauze. ' ■ ■ •

Inspiration number two is a morning costume of brown woollen material, also soft and clinging. The very long tunic is slightly draped and lifted in graceful folds over a petticoat to match. The corsage is shirred ■at the neck and at the waisfc.' The collar is formed of three rows of narrow golden loop fringe, while the waist is girded by a broad -band of fancy metallic braid, edged with golden fringe, that ties once in front and hangs down in two short ends. A perfectly charming little Henry II toquet of brown lain'age has a large bow of Suede corded ribbon on the left side for its sole ornament. j With this gown is to be worn a brown mantle of the same material as the dress. The collar

and the points at' the^ back and front are of 1 Havana' cloth. ' ' ■ • ' ' ' .The third inspiration is composed of light mignonette .or reseda bengaline, outlined into squares by^nairrowdark green and cream stripes, The'jiqw falls in, broad flat pleats all -around, while' a short tunic, taken far back behind,' is slightly picked up. This gown has a JDvrectoire corsage, with a tiny Garrick collar turned back from the chest, with- large revers over a full-pleated jabot of , cream silk and India muslin. A broad cream moire sash passes round the waist, crosses behind,- returns; and is .tied in a full bow in front.. A large Kate Greeriaway, or " poke," of coarse black straw, is tied beneath the chin with- narrow black velvet strings. The crown is simply ( cov,ered by a.large knot of cream, silk. '■''_//.> ' - ' • , , j ' ' ■' -HOME INTERESTS. j Do not put salt into soup untiL you have done 'skimming' it, as salt will stop the rising of the scum. ' „ ' Put a t piece of charcoal in' the pot when 'boiling 'cabbage, to prevent it filling the .house with the smell. ' Two apples kept in the cake box will keep moderately rich cake 1 moist for a great length' 'of time, if the apples are renewed .when withered. ■ \ Calf's . Liver Bkoilbd.— Cut the liver into thin slices, wash it, and let 1 it stand in salt-and-water for half an hour, to draw out all the blood.- Season with salt and pepper, and broil, basting frequently with butter, 'llither fried or broiled liver is more delicate, if, after it is cut into slices for cooking, it is parboiled'in salt-and-Nvater. _ j Feench Pancakes. — Two eggs, half-pint toilk, 2oz granulated sugar, 2oz butter, flour, 'ahd-jelly. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream'; beat' the eggs separately, the yolks to a; cream and the whites to a froth, and* add the yolks to the butter and sugar ; stir the milk into' these ingredients ; ■ butter six tin pie plates ; sift,2oz of flour with a teaspoonful of baking powder, and stir it quickly into • the abovenamed mixture, with the whites of the eggs ; put the butter quickly .upon the buttered plates, and b"ake the pancakes''brown in a quick- oven ; dust them with powdered sugar, lay them one over the other, with a little jelly between ; dust the top with sugari and serve them hot. 1 Eice Cups. — Sweet a pint of milk, and flavour with cinnamon or lemon rmd. Mix fpur.tablespoonfuls of ground rice smoothly with a little cold milk, add the well-beaten whites 1 of three eggs, and' mix in the boiling milk. Stir the preparation over, the fire until it is thick and smooth, then pour it into teacups which . have been soaked in , cold water. Turn., the rice out of these, when cold, and pour round the little shapes a custard, made with the yolks of the eggs. Put,, a spoonful of bright-coloured jam or jelly upon each mould by way of ornament. If .eaten cold,, any fruit syrup may be used instead of sauce. Time, three or four minutes •to boil the rice. Sufficient for, three or four persons.

- Golden Buck. — A golden buck is simply a' Welsh rarebit with a poached egg placed upon it. Take fresh but rather rich cheese and cut into small even-sized pieces, the quantity to be regulated by the size or number of rarebits needed, and melt, upon a rather slow fire. If the cheese be dry, add a small quantity of butter. A little (say a sherryglass to each- rarebit) sour ale, or in its absence ordinary bitter or fresh ale, should be .added as • the cheese melts. After the cheese is thoroughly melted and the above ingredients stirred in, add a small quantity of celery salt, and immediately pour upon a piece of- toast previously placed upon a hot plate.. By placing a poached egg upon this it becomes a golden buck. The further addition of a slice of boiled bacon renders it a' Yorkshire buck. ,