LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2286, 23 December 1897, Page 52

LADIES' GOSSIP.

.-4' New York has received a unique addition to the small parks and open spaces in

the crowded and poorer parts of the city. - At the foot of Third street, on the beautiful

, East Riverj there is a large pier belonging to * the city, used only for the landing of garden and farm produce on its way from .Long island to the city markets. This pier was

decked over with a substantial floor, Jauilt on ft framework of steel, and at the begißning of the summer tbe uppw pier was

thrown open as a riverside resort. Part of it is used for promenading, and part of it is f urniehed with seats. It is open night and day, as all the parks in New York are in the summer month?; and when the hot nights came the pier was 'thronged with working psople who preferred to sleep on mate and rugs in the open air to sleeping in the small, close, and ill-ventilated rooms of the tenement houses. In many of the large cities there is much sleeping out of doors during the excessively hot months. Many people eleep in their gardens and on their roofV, and people who have comfortable but not roomy homes i oftentimes, when tbe summer heat is at its worst, take blankets with them and spend the night on the grass in the public parks. Daring tho intensely hot season of 1896 whole families spent the nights in this fashion in the parks in Brooklyn. • . • When deciding upon any combination of colours in hats or costumes, it is well to remember that complementary colours look best together. Yellow goes well with violet, red with green, and orange with blue. Silver, likewise, goes best with blue and gold with green. ••• "I have never travelled with such well-behaved children before. How do you manage to keep them so qoiet in the train ? " ■ remarked a spinster aunt to the mother of several children. "If they are good and , quiet I leave them alone," was the mother's sensible ° reply. Much of the restlessness of .children when travelling is caused by people , constantly calling their attention to some- , thing fresh. Florence Nightingale wisely \ said : " Never distract a child's attention. If ■ it is looking at one thing, don't show it j another." * , * There is one place in the world where more gold is to be found than has so far come out of the Elondyke. And, stranger still, in the same place there are more diamonds and other gems than the total output of tbe Sauth African diamond fields. This spot, rich as the mythical wealth of Aladdin's Palace, is tbe home of a childless old man, whose feeble life is creeping daily to its imminent close. Who can he be, this solitary man, whose possessions are as vast and valuable as those of Monte Cristo ? He is no less a person than Pope Leo XIII. born Giaoomo Pecci, of a noble but poor family of Carpineto, Italy, who entered upon his Pontificate with almost nothing of worldly possession?, and still lives the life of a recluse, eating sparsely, and whose bedroom is furnished more humbly than the home of many a labourer. His borne, however, is in the Vatican, a palace that contains 7000 rooms, and within which are stored treasures that eclipse the wealth of the Klondyke. It would be difficult to estimate precisely the total weight of gold in the Vatican, but it is safe to say that there are at least 30 tons of it, worth in the neighbourhood of £4,000,000 at the present market price of the unwrcught metal. Of this huge amount of gold there is probably not a single pouad of the metal that remains in its virgin .state. Nearly every ounce of it has passed through the hands of skilled artisans, who hare .worked it into countless tor me, thus adding perhaps a third or a quarter more to its valu«. Nor does the alloy that is .usually employed by tbe goldsmith to give a durable quality to 'objects made of the precious metal -enter at all into the composition of the treasures of the Vatican, which, being almost entirely .native offerings to tbe Sovereign Pontiff, ate literally of solid gold. Here, therefore, is an isolated corner of the City of Rome, about 10 acres of land, which is, perhap?, richer than any similar amount of territory in as much of the universe as bag ever been explored. The Vatican treasures may be practically considered as the personal estate of the Pope. He inherited many of them when he was elected to the Holy >3ae. He is required to give an account of bis stewardship at his pleasure. To a large propoition of these treasures his personal right is indisputable, for to him, Leo XIII, were presented at various times, and more particularly on the occasion of his jubilee in 1888, enough gifts of pure gold to ransom a kingdom. At the Jubilee Mass alone £600,000 in gold, the most part in coined money, were presented to his Holiness. There were audiences of pilgrims from the various countries, and those from France alone presented to tbe ,Pope £20,000 in gold coin, besides many other objects in wrought gold. The Duke of Norfolk, envoy extraordinary from Quean Victoria, presented to his Holiness, on bq-' half of the Catholics of Eogland, a massive ' basin and ewer of < solid gold. The Queen herself presented an altar ornament of gold worth many hundreds of pounds. The ■ Emperor of Ruteia sent a mammoth crozier of solid gold inlaid with precious stones, and the Emperor William of Germany a gold mitre that blazed with diamonds and rabies. The Emperors of Austria, Turkey, China, and Japan, and tbe lesser monarebs ox chiefs of States of Europe, America, Asia, ' and Africa, paid tribute to the venerable Pontiff in priceless articles wrought of tbe rare metal. Dom Pedro of Brazil sent a pectoral cross 16in long of the purest gold, and huge diamonds added to the weight. There were statues of the metal that weighed as much as the average-siz-ed man ; pontifical j rings made of gold of all shades of colour, i studded with tbe papal gem of a size that made its worth incalculable, and vestments embroidered in spun gold of the most exqoi- j site workmanship. Ooe oE these seta of vestments was said to have co3t £4000. The , total value of the golden jubilee gifts to the Pope was estimated at £2,960,000, of which £5G0,000 were in gold coin. • . • And the very latest thing in bicycling fashioDS is the " bicyclir g fringe." No more hair out of curl, no more diecomfort, no more untidiness 1 You don a bicycling hat with a fringe of hair attached. You pin your own unwelcome locks inside, and probably -pray all your bicycling time for a kind fate to prevent that hat from being blown aside or away altogether. • . • Tbesupremacy of purple as the colour of the day is, says a writer in a Home paper, nearly at an end. Red ran a very close race with it last winter, and thi3 winter a rather crude shade of blue which has already appeared in summer costumes will be greatly favoured. Perhaps purple has run riot rather too long amongst ua. With its interminable jshadinga from darkest royal to palest heliotrope it appeared every where, *nd

the soul of the artist delighted in its splendid combinations with green and black. But like everything elss nearly that is strikingly fine to begin with, purples were overdone in the end. Even our conversation became tinged, and the heroine of the very modern novel thought "purple thoughts," we were told. Whatever they may have been is rather difficult to imagine, but if the modern novelist wants to keep his heroines fashionable, blue shall have to be the colour of their thoughts this year. ' . * Girls inhabiting the Island of Himla, near Rhodes, are not allowed to marry until they have brought up a certain number of sponge?, each taken from a certain depth. The people of the island earn their living by the sponge fishery. • . ■ One of the results of the advanced ideas of the present King of Siam has baen the abolition of the crawling indulged in by courtiera in the monarch's presence. It used to be the custom at Bangkok for no one to advance towards the King except on all-fours, : and when, 40 years ago, the Siamese ambassadors were received by our QaeeD, it was in this ridiculous fashion that they came, bearing presents jn what hands they could spare j from the difficult process of peregrination. j ' . * It is fitting that the wealthiest man in the world should also be the most lavish dispenser. of charity. This dual distinction belongs to Mr John D. Bockefeller, the oil king and multimillionaire of America, whose in- j come is estimated at £*,000,0Cto sterling a year. Forty ysars ago Mr Rockefeller counted himself rich on a salary of £10 a month. Out of this meagre allowance;, as a dearly-prized old account book shows, he never devoted less than £2 a month to charity. As his wealth grew his benefactions grew in equal proportion ; and those : who are in a position to speak with authority assert that, in ascertained amounts alone, Mr Rockefeller has given away more than £5,000,000 sterling during the last ; 20 years ; whilst his charitable gifts for the j past 10 years are calculated at £50 an hour, night and day, throughout the year, or an j [ average yearly outlay of over £400,000. His j gifts to the Chicago University alone account for £1,200,000 out of this colossal total. As much of Mr Rockefeller's charitable work is done by stealth and anonymously, a considerable sum must be added even to the &vb millions of ascertained outlay. The Baptise connection, of which this munificent millionaire is a member, has benefited very largely from his generosity, and he has contributed to almost every educational institute in the United States. In spite of his immense wealth, Mr R >ckefeller is a man of the simplest habits and most unaffected manners, and conducts his Bible class at the Baptist church which he attends as devotedly and regularly as when he was in receipt of one- j thousandth part of his present income. ■ j •-. • The Princess of Monaco to a rare beauty and grace allies the still rarer charms of. a tender sympathy for the poor and afflicted and an absolate freedom from affectation. She is not only unwearied in administering to the needy herself, but has aleo organised an army of willing helpers. She is tall and fragile, with a sweet fape crowned by golden hair of matchless beauty. She has has trained her children to be as simple and sympathetic rb herself, and with this. object sent them to one of the viliago schools to learn their lessons with the children of her humblest subjects. • . • This is said to be an excellent wash for the girl who will ride a wheel and get freckles on her no3e :— Dissolve 20 grains of borax and 30 grains of sugar candy in two tablespoonfuls of artificial lemon juics. Sponge the freckled nose or cheeks freely and frequently with this beauty lotion, and the result will be highly satisfactory. To make the artificial lemon juice take lcz fresh lemon peel and grate it. Pour over it 4oz alcohol. Let it soak for a week, shaking it several times a day. Filter it through filter paper when the week is ended. Drop a tablespoonful in a glass of water, and you j have a refreshing, healthful drink as Veil as a face lotion. Tincture of orange peel may be made the same way, dissolving six drops of essential oil of orange peel in £oz ot the tincture, and adding to a solution of loz citric acid dropped in a quart of water. This j makes a refreshing drink. • . • The Prices of Wales is said to have ; learned in his youth to make stockings. The Duke of York learned the trade of ropemaking ; the Czar can plough, sow, and ; reap ; the German Emperor is a practical i typesetter ; King Humbert of Italy is an excellent shoemaker; King Odcar of Sweden bandies the nxe with no little dexterity. ■ . • " Dress bookp," in which were pasted jieat patterne of each material from which the owner had a costume made, have lately been superseded by collections of photographic reproductions of the "creations" themselves. Erery time a new gown is worn the lady goes to a photographer'^ and has her portrait taken, and in this way aoquires a record of how she looked in each fashion that came out. Sometimes these ! pictures are accurately tinted in the correct : colours. • . • In her possession of a collection of magnificent personal ornaments the American society queen, Mrs Bradley-Martin, may be said to vie with any empress. Her latest acquisition is a necklace formed of the choicest rubies to b^fcund in the world. • . • H.R.H. the Duchess of York baa a re- j markably accurate memory, and is said never , to have forgotten or fors§ken the humblest i friend. It was a matter of amused public comment when she insisted upon writicg herself in answer to all the letters congratulating her upon her marriage ; but few people know how many of " Princess May's " hours are daily spent in pentcanßbip, owine: partly to her nnfailiDg loyalty to the friends an 3 acquaintances of her girlhood. The Duchess i« also a model sister, and keeps up a constant and lengthy correspond&nce with her brother*. Neither does she Forget nor neglect her former neighbours — chiefly poor — at Richmond. "Many are the persons who have been privileged to receive photographs of her children (sent by the proud mother herself). Tho.-e acquainted with the details of the Duchess's home life say that, while she is an exoelleafa hostess aed housekeeper, when romping in the nursery with her babies she is just the game simple-hearted, merry girl as when, she was her brothers' playmate at the White House. ■ . • The Tricycle in Germany is giving place to the MI. The fencing school of Berlin ia

now crowded by the ladies of high life, and the wife of the university fencing masker is there to show them how it iff done. Frau j Teege, the lady professor of the new movement, has already given her proofs : she has a scar on the chin to the good and two front teeth to the bad — wounds inflicted iq lawful combat by her lord and fencing 1 master. Fencing has also entered the English and American boarding schools which young ladies frequent in the Fatherland. The ladies of the Garmaa Court, we learn, still hold alpof from tfcte pastime, for the Empress is in favour of riding, but not of the new sport. Two, Three, and Thirteen : Three Breatleil Numbers. The superstition that 13 is unlucky, which is traced back to a sacred source, meets with as many contradictions as confirmations. The fact that the horrible fire in the Paris Bazaar started at booth 13 was telegraphed all around the world, whereas little notice is attracted by Nansen'a success with 13 men. At one time two was a dreaded number in England owing to the dynastic disasters to all monarchs second of their name from Ethelred II to George 11. Yet Napoleon's number through all bis life was two, and who could wish for better luck than that which came to Gjody Two Shoes, or which results at times from having two strings to your bow?^ Three, which since the days tf Pythagoras has been the divine number, "is not invariably fortunate, for, though the fates are three, so alao are the furies. The graces are three, but so also are the judges in Hades and the heads -of Oerberu?. Then there are the records of the three disloyal tribes in Welsh history ; there are the three robbers in Orion's belt ; there were the three tyrants ab Athene, and three in mythology is as unlucky as it is ' divine. It has been shown that the unlucky two can be lucky and that the p'eaaant three can be unpleasant. — Detroit Free Press. | Look in a mirror. ' No doubt the human race would consider it little short of a universal tragedy if there were no looking-glasses. Yet, in spite of their widespread use, it is an astonishing fact that none of us have ever seen ourselves as others see us. In the first place, the reflection in the mirror does not portray our likeness vith any attempt at accuracy. The hair is wrong in tone, tbe eyes are not correct in colour, and our complexions are hopelesely libelled by this specious household deceiver. It is certain that if the locking-glasses spoke tbe truth the sale of various complexion washes would decrease to half, for any fair skin looks grey and pallid in the glass, and numbers of ladiea who have splendid complexions ruin them by trying to improve them because they look bad in the mirror. You may be oertaiu that, however plain your face seems, it is by no meaus so plain as it appears in the tell-tale mirror. Secondly, ycu cannot assume your natural expression while peering in the lookingglass. .Tbe eye must be in a certain position before you can see it all, and the eye, so far as expression is concerned, govercs the face. The consequence is that you can only see, one of your expressions in the glass, and that;' expression is one of attentive examination. /- All the other expressions by which your Mends know yoa, favourable or unfavourable, you have never seen, and probably ! never will see. i Furniture Out of Paper. This is an age of dummies and shams. Paper is responsible for a desl of the wickeduees of artificiality. Tona and tons of it are used regularly in the fashioning of bogus furniture. Jast as the libraries of many upstarts are nothing more or less than blocks of wood with fluted strips of cloth in lieu of volume?, bo many of the majestic fatniirtiiugs of some public buildings, restaurants, hotels, and even private houses are built of paper palp. A large hotel recently had a huge room divided in a unique manner. The partition answered as a cupboard, and was filled with glasses, bottlec, !ci , but except for the glass sheeting on both sides, the structure was entirely made of paper, utaiaed and marked to represent the finest mahogany. Dummy pianos that don't play and cannot be" opened are much in demand, private people buying these to give an air of'gentility to their parlours. itsataHrants, lodging house?, &c, also furnish vacant corners .with them. Trie price is nominal, but the appearance is pleasing. Cornices lend themselves happily to this sort of treatment ; old oak, walnut with the smoke wreathe perfectly imitated, mahogany in all its rarity of ruddy tint?, and other woods are bo carefully copied that from below they defy detection. Fancy cabinets and ornamental furoiture of every description are fashioned out of paper, and unsightly crevicas are turned into nooks of beauty through its use. There is a certain titled gontlemao, whose purge is not fathomless, who has bis halls and corridor? partly furnished with tbfcse ornamental dummies. Furthermore, the old oak panels that were dropping out are replaced by papar ones, and the difference is so slight that he is at a loss to pick oat the new lot himself. Household Hints For cleaning tinware, there is nothing better than dry Hour applied with a newspaper. Firat wash the tin in hot soap-suds, wipe thoroughly dry, "and then scour with flour and well-crumpled newspaper. To prevent a braise from becoming discoloured, apply water as hot as can be borne comfortably, changing the cloth as soon as it loses its beat. If hot water is not to be bad at once, moisten some dry starch with cold water and cover the bruised "part with it. A very convenient article to have in a house is a smooth, strong Btick about forty inchea long, with a deep notch in one end. With this pictures may be lifted from their books, brushed and replaced, thus saving the climbing up and down onja. stepladder, which is so tiresome to a woman.

An experienced ocalist Bays that a great many people injure their eyesight by not keeping their glasses bright and highly polished. They allow dust and perspiration to upon ; then they are dim and semi-opaque, and the eyes are strained with trying to look through them.

If anyone doubts the nourishing properties of milk, let a. toil; be made ol,the following

preparation of it. When very weary or weak from exhaustion, heat some milk to scalding point until a thin skim begins to wrinkle .upon the surface, and th.en drink it as hot as possible. It refreshes almost instantly, and restores the exhausted vitality to a surprising extent. Browned flour is almost as necessary to keep on band in the store cupboard as white. To brown flour put a thick layer into a baking pan and place it in a hot oven. Watchit and stir with a ' spoon until the flour is well-browned all through. When it becomes cold put it into empty preserve jare, and cover them closely. It will then be ready to ase in making gravies and sauces, or whatever it is needed for. Parsley is used in many dishes for seasoning as well as garnishing. An easy way of chopping parsley is to dip the sprigs into boiling water in which a piece of soda the siz» of a pea has bean dissolved, aad let them stay there for a moment, when they will turn a bright green ; place them upon board, and with a sharp knife cut the leaves qaickly into particles. When powdered parsley ia desired, place the sprigs, after taking them from the boiling water, on a plate in a hot: oven for a few moments ; when the parsley is dry it can readily, be made into powder by rubbing it through a sieve. 0y Dtsorlptlou.i onj»lla, &c, must be eadoMo'l by either the Witness correspondent far the district or by (he eegrotarj to tb« bill aominittee. Tho MS. or any corre^pondcuts who do not comply with this rule will be seat to the sSoreUrjr for endorsement prior to appearing.- RM.MBLIXE. To ensure publication in the forthcoming issue, letters fhoald reach the WUntsaoQlce l( possible on Stturdir night, but on a» •ecount Inter tlinn Bloml r'nl.ht. WEDDING 'AT QUBEiNSTOWN. * Dear Bbmeline,- On Thursday morning at 8 o'clock the little church of St. Peter's was the scene of great attraction, the occasion being the marriage of our esteemed townsman llr H. Firth's second daughter, Ka(e, to Mr F. V. Raymond, of Invercargill. Notwithstanding the ; early hour quite a crowd gathered to witness the I ceremony— young girls eager to see the last of | their schoolfellow, and .others to have a peep at the pretty frocks or.see how the bri^e looked, etc. Punctually at the appointed hour the weddinj; party arrived in^four wnstgonetfces — the bride's carriage, drawn by a" pair of beautiful greys, exciting no end of admiration, followed by a pair each of chestnuts, blacks, and roans. The turnoat was supplied by Mr G. D. T>agg. of M'Bride'« livery stables. The bride looked very fresh and pretty as she advanced up the aisle leaning upon the arm of her father. She was met at the altar by the bridegroom, attended by his brother Marcus, while two youuger sisters, Misses Vida and Myra 3?inh, supported the liride. The church was very prettily decorated with white roses and marguerites, the archway lending to the altar forming quite a canopy over the heads of the haivy couple. The service was conducted by the Rsv. Mr Mitchell, vicar, in his usual impressive style. The bride wore a very becoming travelling dress of navy blue, with a white atlk vest, white tulle hafc, and carried a beautiful white bouquet. It is quite unusual -to mention the bridegroom— for why I know not — but for onco I will break (lie rule, and toll you that the gentlemau quite ciine up to the standard of what a bridegroom should b», posse.-sing a good-)o >kiDg, honest, kindly face, evidently happy and very proud of his pretty bride. The little bridesmaids wore frocks of cresm figured French serge daintily trim me J with cream satin lilibons, and held lovely bouquets lied with pink ribbons. Mrs Firth wdre a handsome black jtierwilleux dre*s, a pretty "black bonnet tastofnlly trimmed with pink silfc and cowslips. Mis Halliwell, .sister of tbe bride, looked even prettier than 'inual 'n this occasion, bjer datn'ty costume of pale green checked muslin delicately printed wiß\ fche vale--t of pink flowers and relieve I by Vuleucfehnes lace' suiting her style to nerfoction~dh<} carried* a 'boUqwet of .choice creaarros s. Mi« Klla Firth looked very nice Tn a sweetly pvtlty chocked muslin, white grourid, with pale heliotrope flowers, 1 trimmyd with heliotrope ribbon, a very becoming hat nicely trimmed with white lace, heliotrope wings, and barley — Bhe also carried a Ja-ge bouquet of white carnations and lilac rhododendron"". TVliss NicoiT, cousin of the bridegiooiu.wore a suitable costume of pale blue lustre, sleeveless bodice with white silk blouse and pash, a pretty straw hat trimmed with pink rOEes and forget-me-nots. After the ceremony the bridal party departed in their carriages for the home of the bride's parent?, where a sumptuous bicakfabt awaited them, the commodious dining room being tastefully decorated and the arrangement of tbe table perfect. The beautiful tbr«e-lier biide'scake, with a handsome floral top, formed the centrepiece, and numberless dainties of all kinds weie invitingly strewn around. Dr Doupla", in a neat and suitable speech, proposed iha health of the bride and bridegroom, dwelling upon the many good qualities of the bride,, whom he had £ad the pleasure of knowing from her infancy. The bridegroom, iv responding, proposed the health of the little bridesmaids, the response being ably handledbyMrM. Uaymond. The Kev.WrMitchelT, in proposing the health of Bffr and Mrs Firlh, made an effective littlu speecli, adding a few valuable aud very suitable remarks in reference to the bride and biidegroom. Time and tide wait for no maw, and soon, amidst the merry-making, tbe warning whistle of the old Antrim resounded. Very shortly afterwards tb.e bridal party left amidst showers of rice and old shoes for tbe jetty, where a goodly number of people had congregated ,'to •witness their departure, aud I guarantee the Antrim never carried such a lo.'Ee cargo of lice and strewn joae "leaves since she first cro-.sed the lake. Many were the goodbyes, close the handclasps, and hcart-fplt the Eoo'd wiches accorded the youthful p»ir*s they left for their 1 future home, evidently happy in each other's love and willing to undertake t)ie rugged journey through life together. in the afternoon Mr And Mrs Firth entertained a large number of friends at their home. Same pretty costumes were worn by the Jadies, but space will not permit of a description. The house decorations were exquisite, the drawing room especially, a striking feature of which excited mnch admiration— viz , two large fox-gloves quite sft high in full bloom, which were placed roots and all in pots on the mantelpiece. Mrs Firth, assisted by Mrs Halliwell, received the guests ou the verandah, Avhich was carpeted and daintily draped for the occasion. During the afternoon tea was served in the drawing room and music and dancing on the lawn indulged in by the young folks. The bride was the recipient of many costly presents, which were laid out in the sitting room for th-e inspection of the guests. One can sca«c«ly do justice to these articles on p»pev, and as your rule against the publication of lists of wedding pr«sents must not be infiinged I need not send in the list. Willow Wand.