LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 1904, 18 May 1888, Page 33

LADIES' GOSSIP.

-rßome enjoys the advantage of an admirable professional or industrial school for girls over 10 years of age. They are instructed in the first principles of science, accurate knowledge of their own language, history, geography, book-keeping, &c, and in , uiany branches of woman's work, from wash- ' ing; and ironing up to the finest embroidery in silk and gold, lace-making after the old Venetian patterns, and artificial flowers, rivalling in beauty those of Parisian make. None but the freshest and loveliest flowers are-used as models, and the workers die their own materials to ensure the greater perfection. Four hundred scholar's belong o to' their, school, and an auxiliary one will soon "have' to be established. • ' '/ — Mrs E. P. Bailey has invented an apparatus which is' calculated to add' greatly to the comfort , of invalids. This ingenious arrangement, by means of screws arid poles, , can be fixed to the patient's bed, and by the' use of straps attached to it, enables the latter to lift and turn himself in bed as he pleases. A long-rest, a table, a curtaip, ice./ can be added to this apparatus, greatly adding to its utility. — The ladies of the aristocracy of St. Petersburg have organised a series of .sleigh races' in which they are to .be the drivers. Each will have her own colour, and the competitors must be not less tban 20 years of " age nor more than 40. Entries are limited to the aristocracy, and the prizes are very magnificent. — One afternoon in February the Queen of the Belgians was driving through the Place Eoyale at Brussels, when she noticed a man violently beating a dbg ' who was attempting to draw a heavily-loaded barrow. Queen Marie at once stopped her carriage, and despatched the footman td.a gendarme, who brought the offender up to 'the carriage, where he > was sharply rebuked by her Majesty, after which he was taken in charge for cruelty, and the Queen drove off amidst cheers from the croftd which had' collected. ' l — Cookery (writes the Home correspondent of the South Australian Chronicle) is only secondary in importance to dress in woman's. estimation ; and being so, I- believe my readers will be 'interested in the dcs- •' cription of certain dishes which are served in Turkish harems. The information comes from an authentic source, and is only lately furnished. The ladies of the harem dine at circular tables standing about l^ft above the ground. They sic round on cushions, and one dish at a time is handed round. The dish itself is of gold, silver, or brass, and is circular also. The women use their forefingers in lieu of knife and fork. The meal is cut in very small pieces, and if it be designed to show especial honour to a T gnest a piece of meat is fished out in the primitive and uncivilised manner described and put into the ..visitor's mouth,; who, .to avoid dire offence, must conceal the "disgust she naturally feels. , A great dish fora feast is one that" we will hot be likely to taste n

this country. It is a lamb roasted whole, and, after the manner of Chinese boxes, contains other dainties, each smaller than the other. The lamb is first stuffed with a whole turkey, the turkey with a chicken, the chicken with a pigeon, the pigeon with a quail, the quail with a becafico, the smallest bird known except the humming bird. It resembles our lark in taste, and makes just one mouthful. The lamb is roasted over a very slow fire until it is cooked into shreds, and melts into one, as it were. • When we consider the idle apathetic lives of Turkish women of the better classes 'tis no wonder they early become obese — mere mountains of flesh, such as we English people would starve rather than arrive at ; but fat "women are admired in the East. I like to see a nice plump figure, plumpness being certainly a feminine charm, so long as it is kept within bounds. But alas 1 adipose tissue is apt to ' get beyond .control. I knew a young German lady who was engaged to a London physician, and was just in that condition of plumpness that at her age is really attractive, but the keen eye of the husband-elect looked forward to the_ future, and he insisted on his fiancee taking gymnastic exercise to prevent undue development. This practice is a thousand times more efficacious, and there is less risk than in following " Banting's " method. — A touching little story is told of " poor Carlotta," the ex-Empress of Mexico, who has been hopelessly insane since the execution of her husband Maximilian. The other day the lady in attendance was utterly unable to rouse the Empress from a painful fit of melancholia, and in despair she at last sat down at the piano and struck up the Mexican national air. She had hardly played the first few bars before the unhappy Empress started up with an expression of terror in her face, and fled from the room. For days afterwards she could not be induced to enter the room, the sight of the piano sending her into hysterics. • — The latest thing at big dinner parties in New York is for the hostess to have each gentlemen as he leaves the dressing room receive a card bearing the name of the lady he is to take into dinner and a diagram of the dinner table, with his place and that of the lady picked out in red ink. — The Roman Catholic ladies of Brazil, presided over by the Imperial Princess, sent to the Pope a telegram stating that in honour of his jubilee they had liberated 250 slaves. —A tropical dinner given in Philadelphia was the height of luxury. Twenty courses were served, and a bouquet of 10 strawberries was placed before each guest. Roman punch was served in oranges hanging on natural trees, so that the guests could pluck their own fruit. The floral decorations were all tropical. — When at a dance or dinner party a glittering dewdrop seems suddenly to sparkle among the flowers on a lady's shoulder, or a diamond-light flare draws attention to her pretty coiffure ; she is simply pressing a tiny battery. Electric tears will be her next invention. — The Sultan of Turkey has commanded that the ladies of the harem shall henceforth appear decollete. The world moves. — There has been some idea' of the Princess Louise of Wales marrying Prince William of Nassau, who would have been an excellent match for her, as he is very rich, but the young lady, in full exercise of her right to choose a husband that pleases her, declines to look with favour on him as a suitor. — At a recent wedding in England the fair bevy of bridesmaids looked charming in their attire of white corah silk dresses, trimmed with white fur, yellow sashes, and white hats with yellow tips ; they carried posies of white lilies and yellow daffodils. At several fashionable weddings that have taken place lately the bride has been unattended by bridesmaids. No doubt wedding expenses are often very serious items and need curtailing, but it seems a pity to abolish the time-honoured custom of a bride being attended by one or more bridesmaids, whose office in the marriage ceremony is very probably a survival of the primitive practice of marriage by capture, when the bride's friends were supposed to resist the attempts made to carry her off. In the Anglo-Saxon days a bride had her attendant maidens ; a few centuries later the custom changed, the bridegroom's friends, called bridesmen, escorted the bride, the ladies taking charge oE the bridegroom ; but this fashion was soon rsversed, and the bridesmaids resumed their duties of looking after the bride. The head bridesmaid was mistress of the ceremonies, it being her especial duty to arrange the procession, seeing that the girls of a corresponding height walked together, and that all the tall ones preceded their shorter companions. It was she who dressed the bride, and saw that each' of her attendants were provided with a sprig of rosemary to pin in the bodice of their dresses, and to collect stockings to throw at the newly-married couple. In those days wedding festivities often extended several days, and the bridesmaids were expected to lend their aid in entertaining the guests assembled. About a century ago in middle class life one bridesmaid was deemed sufficient, and her bonnet and gown were provided by the bride, who also distributed gloves and wedding favours in the form of posies, real or artificial, tied with "love ribbon " to all the assembled guests. — Princess Marie Dolgorouki, a sister of the widow of Czar Alexander 11, has been made a lady of honour to the Czarina. Like all the Dolgoroukis, she is noted for her beauty and charming manner. — Two ladies at convocation of the University of Calcutta were warmly congratulated by the Viceroy on their being admitted to the B.A. degree. The Viceroy declared his conviction that upon the spread of education among the ladies of India the future advancement of t>>e country might largely depend. At Bombay another lady received the degree of B.A. — Madame Nilsson has a fine collection of fans. The Empress Eugenic presented her with a magnificent specimen which belonged to Madame Dubarry. It was painted by Boucher, and the sticks are of pearl studded with turquoises. Another was given her by a Russian prince during a visit to St. Petersburg, and is an exact cppy of the famous fan of the Queen of Oude, ' The leaf is of white

silk, embroidered in pearls and emeralds'; the mounts are of gold and ivory, set with rubies, and the monogram of the lucky owner is worked in diamonds. ThetThakore Sahib of Morvi gave her one made of the feathers of Indian birds with a golden handle 1 encrusted with gems. — Queen Christina of Spain is now 30. She has a pleasant smile, large eyes, and soft, dark-brown hair, which she wears high, with rather elaborate curls over her forehead. She carries herself with so much grace and stateliness that she looks taller than she really is. The Regent, being nearsighted, uses an eye-glass, which is raised to her eyes whenever she looks at anybody or anything. — The Earl of Arran, who is the latest member of the British peerage to arrive in America, is on a special visit to Mrs Marshall O. Roberts. Rumour hints at an engagement between the millionaire widow and the nobleman. — A very clever and talented woman from Baltimore comes to Washington every Saturday and gives two " news talks," one to a young ladies' school and one to a class of society women, who pay her 20dol each a term. This isn't a mere fad, but a genuine good thing. To keep in the social swim here requires an amount of time at the hands of a society woman, which leaves very little for newspaper and magazine reading — and even if she had ample opportunity, the average woman has so poor an idea of how to read current news, that it would be time thrown away. By joining this class she gets in an hoar or so each week, not simply a summary, but a digest, of what is going on — political, literary, scientific and all — through the eye and mind of an exceptionally keen observer and clever critic. — Washington letter. —There is quite a rage for fabrics in which gold is interwoven, and a lady at a distance often seems like a walking gold mine, one which any clever city man would make no end of money out of by bringing out a limited liability gold mining company to work it. —The Rev. E. D. Huntley, formerly of this city, lectured recently in Baltimore on " The Girl to Love, and How to Treat Pier." Among other things he said that the girl for the average American citizen to love mu^t keep herself abreast of the times, read the papers, and bo able to talk politics, in addition to putting up with the little weaknesses of her husband. If he wants to smoke she should let him smoke at home, and not drive him for that indulgence to the nearest saloon. She must know how to economise, and not illuminate the whole house with a full head of gas in each room. Men shouldn't tell their sweethearts they will give them precious stones ; they will probably have to come down to Rhine stones. Neither should they quote their mothers. Mother-quoting is the most fruitful source of domestic infelicity and must be avoided above all things. — Washington Critic. > —The following items are by the Paris I correspondent of the San Francisco News Letter : — " We have been very gay this winter. Our new President is just the man for us. He gives balls and receptions and dinners, which are a perfect treat after 'old [ Grevy's parsimony ; and his example is followed by his ministers, his ambassadors, and society in general. ■In a word, Paris is emerging into a new life, to everyone's delight. Madame Carnot also knows how to dress, and in this also gives a good example to the ladies who visit her. At one of her late receptions she wore a magnificent red velvet train robe and white lace, which would have done honour" to an Empress. — A namesake of mme — Madame H. de St. D s, has renewed ' this year here celebrated parties, at which all the I guests have ■ to wear animals' heads. It is the funniest thing in the world to see ladies and gentleman in full evening dress with a bifd's head or a quadruped's head above all. I wonder that this fun is not tried elsewhere. This same lady, by the way, has also introduced country dances into Parisian society. The dances danced in Auvergne are particularly in favour ; also the English " Sir Roger de Coverley," the Newcastle " Keel Row," the Irish and Scotch jig, \ &c. The minuet and gavotte are danced in other salons. The lower classes instead have taken to the waltz, polka, mazurka, &c." — It may not be uninteresting to recall the fact that the new Empress of Germany is the fifth English Princess who has borne that title. The first was Eadgyl h, daughter of King Eadward the Elder. King ./Ebhelstane sent two of his sisters to the court of the Emperor Henry the Fowler, that he might choose a bride for his son. Eadgyth became the wife of Otto I, and her sisfcer iElfgifu was bestowed on ?i prince near the Alps, whose identity is still a puzzle to genealogists. Gunhild, the daughter of Gnut, by Emma of Normandy, was married to the Emperor Henry 111. Matilda, the heiress of our last Norman king, was first the childless wife of 'the Emperor Henry V, and afterwards, by her marriage with the Count of Anjou, the mother of our first Plantagenet king. Isabella, daughter of King John, was the third wife of Frederick 11, the Wonder of the World ; her daughter Margaret married Albert the Degenerate, Markgrave of Meissen and Thuringia, and their son, Frederick with the Bitten Cheek, is the direct male ancestor of the late Prince Consort, and, therefore, of the Empress Victoria. I hastily opened my lips, And uttered a Word of disdain That wounded a friend, and for ever estranged A heart I would die to regain ; But; the bird once at liberty who can enthrall ? And th 3 word that's onoe spoken, O, who can recall? — Coronado. A correspondent of the Boston Herald thus describes the Empress of 'Russia's appearance in full dress : — " At last we entered the throne room, and there, surrounded by a sea of splendour, stood the Empress, herself a moving mass of diamonds. She was the mest dazzling sight of all. On her head was a crown once worn by the great Elizabeth. Describe ii ? No. I only saw millions of coloured rays and white sparks of light emitted from it at every motionof the royal person. The necklace was made from what was left over of the crown. It reached from her neck to her waist, and had rubies, sapphires, and diamonds enough in it to have supplied 1000 ordinary necklaces. The Imperial Orders worn on her breast contained all the gems of the East. They scintillated with light, and that is all I can say of them. The stuff of her gown was emerald velvet, with a train of white velvet embroidered with enough gold to stock a mine, and bordered with real

gold -balls. The front of the: gown was ornamented with' ropes' of linked pink cord, set in' diamonds and fastened at intervals. Never saw I human being thus arrayed. Solomon might have put on more, but I do not believe it." English Fashions. Just a brief summary of prevailing modes : — Bodices of gowns, whether cut high or low, are trimmed with distinctive fashion ; very rarely do we seethe same trimming on either side the corsage. Aprons are coming into general' use; they are rather more ornamental than useful, and velvet is used in their construction, also silk. Thin tissues are less used than one might expect. Gold braid is sown inside the necks and sleeves of dresses in lieu of lisse, ribbon, or linen, but tinsel braids tarnish, quickly, and then are most objectionable. Zouave jackets are much worn, so also straight jackets just coming to the waist, and fastened with a button at the throat, with full waistcoat beneath, or the vest may be folded diagonally. Leather vests are much worn with serge dresses; they are of tan suede kid, or of thick white leather, as preferred, and form a mere line down the corsage.' Coloured tulle veils have gone out of fashion, and only grey white or black are wdrnj and the fashion is for them to reach the tip of the nose and not lower. Bonnets are being worn less forward '; they often reach only half over the wearer's head. — " Faced cloth " — that is, a cloth with a smooth shiny surface, is a favourite material at the present time for tailor-made costumes; this make of woollen goods looks well when pinked out. Silk cord is much used for trimming bodices and skirts; the draperies of the latter are in nearly'every instance long, only just disclosing the edge of the underskirt. Many of the skirts are arranged in a wide box pleatings, and braided to simulate panels. The basques of the outdoor jackets intended to be worn with them are barely 4in in depth. A novel visite attracted my notice the other day. It was of grey cloth, fitting tightly to the figure ; the sling sleeves were made of velvet the same shade, the collar was of velvet also ; bonnet and muff to match. The latter was tied at the top with brocaded ribbons. Bonnet strings are wider and longer than we have been accustomed to see lately. Some of our head milliners are exhibiting lace bonnets, especially in black. — S.A. Chronicle's Home Correspondent. The Russian Peasant Women. The women in Russia do two-thirds of the work in the country. There are immense wheat, oat, and hay-fields everywhere, and in August there is great activity in the country. The large majority of persons at work are women. They were short dresses, plain and straight, and a long piece of cloth over their heads, like Arabs. The wheat is sown broadcast, and if not cut by the women with sickles, is harvested with the old-fashioned scythe, which is a two-pound snead and a broad, short blade. From the snead up to the handle there is a wooden bow, something like, in appearance, half of a heavy barrelhoop. This bow keeps the wheat, &c, from falling back over the scythehandle and scattering, I have never yet seen a man who would deign to gather up, bind, and stack the wheat or oats when once it was felled. The women must do this while the men do the " gentlemanly " work, although I have seen many women cutting grain with the scythe. The neighbours club together in harvest and help one another. A Russion harvesting rendezvous is quite lively, and is the scene of a motley crowd. The old men and young, boys and girls, with their mothers, grandmothers and aged women assemble at daybreak. There are a number of horses on which are carried water, food, and extra implements. The horses the boys and men ride, while the women walk. They always carry the scythes, forks, and rakes back and forth every day, and work as long as there is daylight ; and since it is daybreak at 3 a.m., and not dark until 9:30 p.m., the hours of labour are long. t— Moscow Letter. I/Amerieaine : An English View, with Some Comparisons and Contrasts?. The fact is the frivolity of American women is mostly on the surface ; but, owing to the radical difference there is between life in America and life in England, the women of the two countries have hardly anything in common. This may sound too sweeping an assertion, yet a little consideration will show that it is the truth. First of all, tfiere is no country life inAmerica as we understand it in England ; there is no aristocracy, or upper ten, and consequently no dependents, no old retainers, and very few of those duties towards their inferiors in rank which form a part of the education and after-life of many English women of the best kind, and gives them responsibility and a sphere of usefulness quite unknown in America. Of course, in olden times, in the slave States, something of the same kind existed; but it has practically died out now. Again, American girls are not accustomed to the active, outdoor life of their English sisters. They do not hunt, they never walk, and, as a race, they abominate outdoor exercise ; in fact, they are farmore French in their habits than English. I think the climate has a great deal to do with it ; but, certainly, what strikes a casual observer in America is' that they are far more foreign in all their habits and ideas than English. On the other hand, an American woman will look after her household duties much more minutely than an English woman. Servants are usually so bad in America that ■ladies are accustomed to do their many things which here are left entirely to servants. American women are much more the equals of men in America than they are considered in England. To begin with, they are more independent in every way. They share equally with their brothers in money or property, consequently there is no head of a family. They, are also accustomed to much more freedom in their education ; they read the same books, study the same subjects and hear them discussed precisely as their brothers do. They are used to women doctors, women editors ; in fact, women in every sphere, which hitherto have been kept entirely to men on this side of the " herring pond." Consequently when they come over here they charm us with their frankness, gaiety and spirits, as well as by the ease of manner, natural grace, and ability to shine in society -which they share in common with

Frenchwomen. l^ Like Frenchwomen, also, they are 1 essentially 'and entirely feminine in all their ways. They are usually very pretty, with their good complexions," small hands, and dainty feet, and always very well dressed ; so that, when to all these graces of mind and body they lay themselves put to please, no wonder they are thought charming, and have the success in society they appreciate so much and so well deserve. — Queen. The Origin of Hungarian Beauty. Of all the European capitals, Vienna is renowned ,for beautiful women. No little share o£ this beauty is traceable to the Hungarian and Bohemian element. A BudaPesth journal explains the origin of Hungarian good looks in a charming story. A Chinese Emperor found himself on his knees for peace before the Huns, and as a test of his good faith the Huns demanded the handsomest of his wives. The Emperor had 300 wives, and he directed that the portraits of all should be painted, and the court painter of the day had a famous commission. With the usual feminine amiable weakness, all the wives i but one bribed the painter, .to make them handsome. The Empress ,Bouta, the most lovely of all, was the; exception ; and out of revenge at not- getting a present from her,' the artist made her about as ugly as Kate Dalrymple. When the Emperor beheld her portrait, he ordered her to be sent to the Huns, as the most laide of his domestic • treasures. He found out his mistake afterwards, and so did the painter. HOME INTERESTS. Butter Scones. — Take a pint of thin cream, salt it to taste, and stir it into flour enough to make a dough of the proper consistency. Kneed well, roll out thin, and form into scones ; prick them with a fork, and bake over a clear fire on a griddle. Butter should be served with them. Biscuit Sops.— Break up some water biscuits, lay them in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar, 1 pour a little boiling wat6r on them and cover with a plate to steam. When the water is absorbed pour hot (not boiling) milk into the bowl and serve. This is a nice variety in children's food. Roast Beef Minced. — Put a spoonful of flour in a pan, and "brown it with some butter ; add about lib cold roast beef finely minced, some gravy, a glass of wine, and season with chopped herbs and salt and pepper. When nearly rea3y put in a little outfer and stir all together. Serve with pieces of bread fried crisp in butter. Cabinet Pudding. — Butter a plain smooth mould and strew it over lightly with fine ' white oreadcrumbs, ornament the bottom and sides with preserved strawberries, raspberries, or blanohed sweet almonds, alternate with fine strips of candid citron, then fill the mould with the alternate layers of slices of ' 3pongecake, lady fingers, and macaroons. Pour over this a custard made of one quart of milk, eight eggs, sugar to taste, and the grated rind of one lemon ; close the mould tightly, and steam the pudding for two hours. Turn it out carefully upon a dish, and serve it with fruit sauce. Baked Ox Tongue.— Wash a fresh oxtongue, put it into a saucepan with some carrots, turnips, a celery root, pepper, salt, and plenty 'of water ; boil it, removing the scum as it rises. When soft take it up, remove the skin, cut up an onion and a little lemon-peel very finely, brown, them in bacon fat, make holes in the tongue, and fill them with the mixture ; return it to the saucepan with part of the liquor in which it was boiled, steam it a few mintues ; then place it in a baking-dish, mix half a pint of cream with some of the liquor, bast the tongue with it, and bake it a nice brown. Cut it in slices, lay them in a dish, pour the sauce over, and serve with baked potatoes. Plain Buns. — One pound flour, 6oz good butter, £lb sugar, one egg, nearly a quarter of a pint of milk, two small teaspoonf uls of baking powder, a few drops of essence of lemon. Warm the butter without oiling it; > beat it with a wooden spoon ; stir the' flour in gradually with the sugar, and mix these ingredients well together. Make the milk lukewarm,*beat up with the yoke of the egg and the essence of lemon, and stir these to the flour, &c. Add the baking powder, beat the dough well for about 10 minutes, divide it into 24 pieces, put them into buttered tins or cups, and bake in a brisk oven from 20 to 30 minutes. Jugged Habe. — Skin, paunch, and wash the hare, cut it into pieces, dredge them with flour, and fry in boiling butter. Have ready a pint and a-half of gravy, made from l-£lb gravy beef and thickened with a little flour. Put this into a jar, add the pieces of fried hare, an onion stuck with six cloves, a lemon peeled and cut in halves, all the white skin removed, pepper, cayenne, and salt ; cover the jar down tightly, put it up to the neck in a stewpan of boiling water, and let it stew until the hare is quite tender, taking care to keep the;water boiling. When nearly done, pour in half a pint of wine, and add a few forcemeat balls ; these must be tried or baked in the oven for a few minutes before they are put to the gravy ; serve with red-currant jelly. Mutton Ham.— Choose a short, thick, fresh leg of mutton, weighing 101b or 121b, and cut it into the form of a ham. Pound in a mortar £lb of bay salt, loz of saltpetre, and o£ coarse brown sugar. Make the mixture hot in a saucepan, then rub it thoroughly into the meat. Turn the ham every morning for four days, and rub the pickle well into it. On the fifth day add 2oz more of common salt. Rub and turn it in the brine for 12 days more ; then drain and wipe dry ; rub it with dry salt and hang it up in wood smoke. No sorb of meat is more improved by smoking with aromatip woods than mutton. When once dried it will keep for some months. Mutton hams may be roasted or boiled ; but in either case they should be soaked, unless quite freshly done, when they will only require washing. As a breakfast dish, with eggs, mutton ham is commonly used in the North of the England and Scotland; it is cut in slices as required and broiled slightly. It will take a week to smoke.