LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2572, 8 July 1903, Page 70

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— Kissing (>ays the Family DodoO is out of style. Nobody does it now bac sweethearts, young children, and ttadiers. In families -where proper respect i*. pa:d to hygiene, children aie cautioned against promiscuous kissing. In society a woman is not kissed twice in a season. When an old friend is greeted and she advances with her lips, the victim tin us her face, and the caress falls askance. Possibly the veiy woman who is oppv-ed to the piactice takes the initiative, but her lips never meet, lips. She may ki>s within a fraction of your mouth— ki<s' your chin, your cheek, or yo.ur forehead, kiss your "eyelid in repo.»e, v or kiss your hair — but if she has any training socially she will never kis* your mouth. The repugnance to kissing is due largely to academic training. In nearly all the famous colleges" for women there is a special teacher, or doctress, in physiology ; and in the so-called oral recitations the" prenicious effects of osculation are considered at great length. By way of tolerating what seems to be a nece->-sury evil, various theories are advanced, various piovisiuns advocated. An American correspondent says: — "TLe girl who comes from Smith College, Northampton, kisses on the oblique line that falls from the left corner of your mouth, but when kissed is so adroit in the way she jeiks her head that the point of salutation may be found on a radius from the right of her demure little mouth. The Vassar gin dual:kisses more than her Smith College frond, but the chin is" her choice, as you w ill observe in an^t tempt to a-alute her. Th« seniors from Wesley press their kisses high up on the face, almost under the sweep of the eyelash, and the Lake Forest and Harvard Annex maidens kiss at a point tqually distant from the nose and ear." — The fact that the Duke and Duchess of Tecli have been granted a suite of rooms in Henry Ill's Tower has given considerable gratification to the royal borough, and the fact is a noteworthy one, for hitherto the several charming residences which form part of the castle have only been granted for the use of members of the Royal Household, and not to his Majesty's relations. The Duke of Peck is one of the most agreeable members of tbe Royal Family ; he is good-looking, genial, and generous, and in some ways very like his popular mother, the late Princess Mary. His- pretty Duchess is an aunt of thß present Duke of Wes-tminster, and as Lady , "Meg"' flrosvenor was considered an exceptionally attractive and charming "oldfashioned girl." Henry Ill's Tower waa occupied for many years by the fate Lady Biddulph, and the rooms are very curious and picturesque, with au agreeable outlook. — A German lady has just obtained a separation fiom, her husband on the exceedingly novel ground that he had deceived 'her as to his personal attractions (says the Lady's Pictorial), his luxuriant and' wellgroomed locks proving to be, after all, a mere triumph of the perruquier's skill. It mus-t be owned that it would be a little disconcerting- to find that one's bridegroom was absolutely and hredeenubly bald when he had always presented the appearance of being very well coifl'e ; but that the lady in question was able to rid herself of her husband after three weeks' marriage on this ground opens up dangerous possibilities on the other side. What if messieurs took exception to ''transformations" and "coils' ;iml "coverettes," 1 and the many other now indispensable adjuncts to Beauty's toilette? — The art of making pillow "lace is one which is growing daily "more fashionable. In the Midlands of England almost every cottage has its lace pillow and stand, and it ie a curious fact that the most illiterate -women turn out the best lace. There is no end to the lovely things one can make after the piehm.in.uy difficulties of the various lace stitches aie mastered. Lace ties, collars, edging, or insertion, trimming for blouses, skirts, or underclothing can all he made at home from piicked patterns, or, if one i« able to draw one's own designs, a larger field io open, and the lace Is, of I course, moie valuable. There is simply no , end to hi uses and wearing qualities. When I

' cut it does not "ran" as docs crochet, nor does it wear out so soon as drawn-thread woik. Anyone who knows real lace al*o , knows how strong and duiable even the most delicate cobweb pattern is. Some people look upon lace-making as a, .Taste of time, quite forgetting its value as real handmade lace. But pillow lace, lake most other beautiful fanry work, has quite a , fascination for those who once begin it, and generally ends by encroaching upon, the whole of their leisure time. — Queen Alexandra, the Dowager-Em-press of Russia, and the Danish Crown Prince paid a long visit the other day to Piofessor Fmsen's Institute at Copenhagen for the light cure of lupus. Her Majesty, who was much interested in the progiess of the hospital and laboratory, had a long talk n:th Professor Finsen. The Queen is most anxious that all the latest developments of the system shall be introduced into the sister institute in London. — Mrs F. E. Lemon, the hon. secretary of the Society for the Protection of Birds, recalls the correspondence that' appeared some years ago in the papers with reference to the use of o«prey feathers in women's headgear. At that time, she says, plumassiers, drapers, and milliners declared that ,the plumes were artificial, though the late Sir William Flower pointed out that they were "unquestionab.y genuine.'' Mrs Lemon states that representatives of the society now find that the genuine article is still being supplied, though to overcome the scruples of tender-hearted women the plumes are declared to be artificial. "Apart,"' she adds, "from, the aspect of the maxter which especially concerns vs — the continued cruel war of extermination against beautiful and innocent bird life— it is melancholy to think that truth and honesty are so little regarded by the trade." — Shams can never bring sunshine into life. There is entiiely too much shamming now. There used to be a time when a girl w«5 not ashamed to be seen in house dress and' apron helping her mother in the doing of the household duties. Many girls do not care to have anyone think they have to help to do the work at home. In fact, ■n ork seems to have taken on some repulM\e meaning that prevent it from being , mentioned any more. All this is false refinement, mixing up the facts of life with the opinions of foolish friends. Evei}one really respects the girl who is not afraid to do the work her mother does. Every good girl believes that the work of her mother should be made less heavy as the years go by. To go on dress parade in the morning k bad taste ; to go on dress parade through life while somebody is policing hard at home is worse. There is need of more strength of character, more independence, and less regard for what others think. Nobody need be afraid of being considered eccentric or odd so long as he or she is doin^j what is right in their own position of Lie. Fine dretses, fin© talk, fine feathers will never make a girl happy when she knows that there is someone at home who needs kind words and cheerful assistance. — The Irish debutantes at the Vire-regal Court have a crow to pluck with Lady Cadogin, since they seriously believe she was iesponsib!e for the abolition of the i presentation kiss at drawing roomß. This was omitted' foi the first time in February of last year by Lord Cadogan ; and it is not likely to be revived, unless, as an Irishman once put it, a young and handsome—and unmarried — monarch were to hold Couit at the Castle in the coming time. For centuries the Viceroys kissed all the ladies who cune to Court; but in the reign of the late Duke of Murlborough the kiss of fealty was dropped, except in the case of first presentations. — Lady Maud Warrender is one of the most popular personages in society. Xhe youngest daughter of the -eighth Earl of Shaftesbury, and sister of the present Earl, she married Sir George Warrender in 1894. Sir George, as a young naval officer, saw service with the Naval Brigade in the Zulu War, in 1896 was commander of the Royal yacht, and distinguished himself in China in the late war. Lady Maud 1 is one of the best amateur singers in society, and is always ready to use her beautiful contralto voice for the benefit of charity *and to -delight her numerous friends. Indeed, it is said that to this charming gift she owes in some degree her favour with their Majesties, for she is a valued member of Sandringham house parties. — The Duchess of Fife belongs to the practical order of. Royalties. She is said to have herself designed the interiors of many of the rooms at Mar Lodge, her residence in Aberdeenshire. The Duchess, as the eldest daughter of the King and Queen, seemed at one time not distantly removed from the Throne, but her Royal Highness has not sought to emphasise her Royal rank since her marriage. There are two Royal Duchesses in England. Both bear the same name. King Edward's sister, Princess Louise, became Duchess of Argyll, and his own daughter, also Princess Louise, married the Duke of Fife. The Princess might to-day have been Duchess of Inverness, had the Duke not declined the title on his wedding day. It has never happened before (says the St. James's Gazette) that a Princess of the Royal House has married a man who sat in the House of Commons as a Liberal, but the Duke of Fife at the time of his marriage was a pronounced Liberal Unionist. The Duke had been for many years an intimate friend of the Royal House, and on his taking his seat in the House of Lords the Prince of Wales, as the King then was, introduced him to the Lord Chancellor. His seat in Scotland waa the only bachelor's house at which Queen Alexandra bad ever been entertained at the time the marriage took place. Keep it Dark.— The New Idea for April hat the following sound bit of advice: During the recent visit of Mr John R. Mott, the famous secretary of the World's Student Federation, to Australia, a gTeat gatheiing of students was held in the Melbourne University, and one of the speakers voiced a little bit of advice that mothers would do well to take to heart. He was gi v ing some sketches, of great missionaries

and referring to the celebrated Adoniram Judson, of America, said : "He was an infant prodigy, but unfortunately his mother told him about it. Now, if any one of you ever become fathers or mothers of prodigies, whatever you do, don't tell them about it ; it will spoil them. You just keep it dark!" How many really smart, intelligent children are turned into positive nuisances through the folly of their mothers, who praise them to their faces and encourage them by repeating in their presence their marvellous sayings! It is a wise provision of nature that every father should think his latest-born "the finest child ever brought into the world" ; but it is wise to avoid a policy that will make the child a conceited little prig, and the parent an insufferable bore. If your child is a prodigy, keep ifc dark !

— Ihe dance is a growlh, an evolution. A century ago the dance was the minuet, wherein men and women walked stiffly to nnd fro, occasionally touching fingers. Late it was the lancers, which afforded rather more personal contact. Then came the waltz. The waltz is an embrace. In these days no dance is popular unless it is an embrace. Dancing is about the only thing our young people really enjoy. Prefc*y much everything else is stupid. When tha embrace becomes stupid, what- will be the next form of the dance? It is not easy to say. But we may rest a«ured that human ingenuity will be equal to devising something. -- l'he Earl of Yarmouth and Miss Alico Cornelia Thaw, daughter of the late Mr William Thaw, railway magnate and multimillionaire, were married on April 27 at Pittsburg, in the presence of about 600 invited guests. The bridegroom's father and mother (the Marquis and Marchioness of Hertford), and his brother and sister (Lord Edward and Lady Jane Seymour). went specially from England to attend th* wedding, and" among others who witnessed the ceremony were representatives of the richest families- in Pittsburg. A special force of 30 policemen kept order in the vicinity of the chnrch, where a large crowd assembled. Dignified simplicity marked the occasion. The floral decorations employed in the interior of. the church were extremely beautiful, the colour scheme being blue and white. Miss Thaw's bridal gown was of white satin and duchesse lace, with a tulle veil. She wore no jewels. The Earl an dhis bride will.it is said, make a long stay at Ragley Ha?), Warwickshire. This wedding is Hie most important social event Pittsburg has ever witnessed. The Earl's connection with the stage brought him prominently before the American public for several years. The interest was recently intensified by the romantic stories of how he won his bride after a most spirited and strenuous courtship. Miss Thaw has been regarded as one of. the most beautiful and accomplished of American heiresses. She has a fouune of over £200,000 in her own right. —As the mistress of the Speaker'a House, Westminster, Mrs Gully holds a unique position. It is "her pleasant duty to entertain with equal cordieJity and grace the members of both great parties; and on the occasion of world-famous debates she has more than once acted as hostess to royalty in that quaint but comfortable corner the Speaker's gallery, which, unlike th» ladies' gallery, commands a perfect and uninterrupted view of the House of Commons. The privilege of being present on all the more interesting occasions and at tht principal debates is. one highly valued by Mrs Gully, for, though she has never prominently identified herself wiih any of the feminine political movements, she is keenly interested in politics, and was so long before she can have dreamed that her popular husband would be called' upon to fill the great position he now occupies.