LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2394, 18 January 1900, Page 59

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— The Queen, who is a staunch adherent to any tried and trusted thing, as a general rule, says "M.A.P.," has at last given up her favourite game of whist in favour of the popular and fascinating patience. The ■variety to which her Majesty is most devoted is that called Miss Milligan (which is the form of patience played by most people just now), but she is said to like some other kinds almost as well. The Princess of Wales has also been bitten by ths craze, which has " caught on " with both the Sovereign and her daughter to such an extent that their ladies-in-waiting complain that their royal mistresses never have a leisure moment in which they do not sit down to the patience board, and call upon the Indies then in attendance to watch their luck. — While there are several royal ladies each of whom has been called " the most beautiful princess of Europe," the foremost claimants of the title are probably the two Crown Princesses, Helene of Italy and Marie of Roumania. The former, a, daughter of the Prince" of .Montenegro, has the jet hair, black and dreamy eyes, and the statelihess of the Oriental belle ; the latter has the brighter colouring of her English and German ancesory. — Miss May Thome, M.D., who is lecturer on the " Theory and Practice of Vaccination," at the London School of Medicine for Women, has been appointed teacher of vaccination by the Local Government I Board, and is empowered to give certificates of proficiency to qualified pupils. -^A recent estimate states that there are in Great Britain some 540 women editors, authors, and journalists, and of these a well-known publisher has declared that five have an income of £4000 a year. In journalism women have met with immense success. At least one lady journalist receives a salary of £700 a year, and there are not a few who have no difficulty in making from £300 to £500. The last census in the United States showed that there were no fewer than 3000 women engaged in literary, as apart from journalistic vork. — Miss Alison Garland, who is well known in the north as a lecturer, has been appointed delegate for the British committee of the Indian National Congress, which will hold its annual meeting on December 26, at Lucknow. This will be the first^ time a lady has represented the British" committee. — Miss Jane Hoadley was trained at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, and has been a sister in the Army Nursing Service since September, 1893. — Miss Seliiia Isabella Snowdon was trained at the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, and entered the Army Nursing Service in June, 1894. — Miss Emma Martha Todd was trained at the Royal Free Hospital, Gray's Inn road. — Miss Mary Grenfell Hill was trained at Addenbroke's Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital, subsequently acting as staff nurse at the West, London Hospital until March, 1893, when she joined the Army Nursing. Service. — Miss Martha Mark was trained at the Jenny Lind Infirmary, Norwich. — Miss Mary Cecil F. K. Cole has been attached to the Army Nursing Service since January, 1893, and received the Royal Red Cross in 1885. — One of the largest West London tailors says he never remembers a winter in which he made up so many black dresses. — Miss Ferguson, lady principal of the Oamaru Girls' High School, in her annual report says : I have mentioned the work done by the girls as admirable, and since this is the case it is all the more to be regretted that anything should be allowed to interfere with it. A moderate amount of amusement is safe and salutary, but when a girl's whole mind is taken up by it, and her interest in school work quenched by a continual succession of exciting and enervating amusements, no good result may be expected. It is only the teachers who can adequately judge how ( very seriously school work is interfered with by parties and dances, kept up to late hours. The lessons may be learnt and school work done, though usually it is neglected, but the heart is gone out of it, and the craving for further excitement makes the restraints of school irksome, and wearisome, and dull. A girl's school life is a most precious time — to be jealously guarded from anything that would mar its full and perfect development. lam sorry when I see bright girls, who once took a keen interest in their work, slackening in their interest because their minds are being taken up with other things. My reason for speaking at such length about this is that during the year it has been brought most plainly before my notice in the case of several girls. Although Katharine Tynan retains her maiden name on the title-pages of her books, this lady, some years ago, became the wife of another writer, Mr H. A. Hinkson. She has her permanent home at Bayswater, but is wintering in her native county, Dublin. — Miss Laura Stephens has obtained the M.A. at the Royal University of Ireland, and four ladies the B.A. degree. Miss Nora Scott has gained the Stewart scholarship. — Miss E. C. Stubbs has been appointed by Government assistant examiner in cooking under the Education department. She has certainly excellent qualifications for the post, having had 15 years' practical work and training in cookery, domestic economy, hygiene, and physiology. For 10 years also she has been the practical examiner in domestic science for Ihc National Union of Women Workers, besides examining for tlie Liverpool School of Cookery, the Manchester School Board, and very many other institutions. ■ — Few people are aware of the horrors of the trade in sealskin. This is one of the most fashionable furs, but until we can

be satisfied that it has not been obtained at the terrible cost of wanton and barbarous cruelty to the seal, women ought tat forego the luxuries of fashion. The Humanitarian League has just published a pamphlet by Mr Joseph Collinson on this subject, entitled " The Cost of a Sealskin Cloak." Mr Collinson is striving to stir up those in .authority to make laws for the protection of these harmless "animals from wanton cruelty. It is harrowing to read that when seal-pikes are used the first blow does not kill the seal. The captors consider this better than a mortal blow, it being easier' to skin the creature when it is only half dead, for then the victim involuntary draws its muscles away from the flaying knife, and thus in the utmost agony assists at the parting with its own coat. Unnecessary cruelty is, indeed, practised in the procuration of sealskin. The story told bj Captain Borchgrevink (quoted in Mr Collinson's pamphlet) lends weighty support to the implication referable to Mrs Ormiston. Chant (in her denunciation of cruel fashions), that " a dark shadow hangs over the fascinating, beautiful (?) sealskin jacket — a shadow of unutterable cruelty, which ought to be cleared away."