LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2676, 28 June 1905, Page 65

LADIES' GOSSIP.

■ — Many of the dress goods of to-dayi indicate by their names the ountries whence they first were brought to Europe. Cashmere took its name from the far-famed Yale of Cashmere ; but many persons who never heard of that beautiful valley use the material which bears its name. Nankeen was first made at Nanking, the southern capital of China ; calico was brought to Europe from Calicut, in India; muslin came from Mawsil, a city in Mesopotamia. Mohair was made by the Moors of Spain; cambric is cloth from Cambr-ai, in France ; worsted was made at Worsted, in Norfolk. Gingham and gimp were imported from) Guingamp, in Brittany; and before we had sweaters we used jerseys and guernseys, shirts made in the Channel Islands 1 whose names they bear. Many other familiar articles of household uso show their origin in their names, though these may be changed more or less from their first forms. Currants, for example, were once called Corinth grapes, because- they were brought to Europe from Corinth, the Greek city on the Isthmus. The meringue took its name from Mehringen, a German town ; the damson, which makes suchi excellent preserves, is scientifically the Damascus plum; and the damask that is used for table linen took its name also from the oldest of known cities. One of the most interesting names, historically, is that of ammonia, which is used so mucb> about the house. It was found in quantities in the Libyan desert, where the priests of Jupiter Ammon prepared it for use. They exported it to Egypt ; and we adopted its old name, 'sal ammoniac (the salt froir near the temple of Ammon). Some common words likewise have unexpected origins. A spruce person, for instance, originally was one dressed in the Prussian or Spruce manner. The horse's pace which we call a canter was first known as a Canterbury gallop — from Canterbury, fancifully said to be the easy amble of the pilgrims to the shrine o£ St. Thomas of Canterbury, which permitted them to tell tales one to the other to beguile their way. — The following despatch from Paris, dated April 7, headed "The Duty of a Queen," which appears in an English) paper, gives an account of a remarkable interview with King Edward's consort : — > The laulois announces that a gentleman who is one of its contributors was received yesterday by Queen Alexandra, who is stated to have spoken to him in the following terms :— " I never talk of politics. Queens have to train up their children to occupy exalted positions that are always full of difficulties, and to relieve the unfortunates and the miserable. It is the best and sweetest of roles, and I have no thought of playing any other. In the troublous times through which we are passing we sann^fc in truth fail tc be touched by the discontent, sometimes, natural, of the popular masses. Believe

Jne, if social questions can one day be Solved, it will be by the virtues practised by women, by mutual love, a mutual Respect, -and habits of justice and charity. >You gentlemen say ' War ' ; we women Bay ' Peace, peace, in every nation and between nations.' Brought up at the .court of a pre-eminently just King, I Shave, like hm\ sought only to preach love and charity. I have, always had a horror of warlike preparations, at which people 1 >york so indefatiga-bly — soldiers, guns, all those inflammable materials which they jpile up, and which provide terrible eonfiagrations thaj; on^earth will bring mourning upon humanity ' and in heaven will grieve the common Father of all men." jThe conversation then took a turn in the •direction of art. Her Majesty is stated to Slave ' said : — " In the environment of - 'Queens everything is factitious. Art and , [Nature are their consolation. It is my [delight to sit alone in the" evening on the .ship's- deck, thinking' 1 -, I am passionately -fona of "the sea. Whether it be blue, as only "it can 'be, -with that mystical blue 'lull -of haunting" fancies, or that dark green, lightened as it is this evening with to whole triumphal train of silvery flecks, tor light blue, with white plumes folding ' taid unfolding as they play on its surface ; vhether I see it from the deck of the ■yacht or from an infinite height embracing f>oth horizon and sky, there are hours when the 'grand bleue,' as you call it, fills my whole, soul, and this conquest of myself by charms once unknown leaves me all bewildered on the threshold of a new fatherland." — A curious incident showing the turns nf Fortune's wheel occurred recently in the Rue de Riv-oli. A tall lady, quietly dressed in black, was about to cross the Street when she was imperiously waved tack by a, sergeni-AJ-ville, who stopped the traffic, then at its height, to let a carriage a single occupant pass down towards the Champs Elysees. The lady in the carriage was Mine. Pellet an, wife *>f the Minister of- Marine ; the woman of no Importance standing on the'xkerb was Queen Marie Sophie of the T'wc Sicilies. —At the present niomeni- there is no more popular personage — in*-France lhan King Edward, "who is always- re- ; toembered as .the Prince "bon enfant." fiis Majesty first won the hearts of the Parisians when he was a very small hoy -in fact, in 1855. when ho accompanied Queen Victoria to France for a- week's visit. T3ie future King enjoyed Itfrnsrii so woll that at the -end of • the time lie begged the Empress Eugenic to keep him yet a little longer as her guest. When ' sh& pointed out that his parents would cer- , tainly miss thfir little son. the Prince exclaimed. '"Not do without me! Don't fnncy that, foi 1 there are sever more of us. pud they can, .spaie jne Quite well!"' j

A little story Avhich went the round of Paris and much delighted its hearer,?. — All over Germany the women of the country are busy preparing gifts suitable for the* young bride of the Crown Prince, 1 the" Grand Duchess Cecilia. One of the joint presents now being got ready by the women, of Rostock and Mecklenburg is a huge silver loving-cup, into which are wrought all the different coins of the country The Germans are much given to this custom of working the artistic old coins of the country into the decoration of the large bowls ox jugs they use for punc'i, hock-cup, or other summer beverages. The Grand Duchess has for some time been hard at work preparing herself for her high position. Amongst the various books on the history of the German Empire which she is reading is a life of Frederick the Great, sent her by the Crown Prince, with special annotations on the margin by his own hand. Another work sent by him ■ deals with " L'Education de l'Ame." One I of the bride's strongest characteristics is a keen sense of duty ; and, although she has a, 1 gentle, retiring nature, she quite realises the importance of the state to which she is called. —If anything, we women are in these days over scrupulous, principally owing to the fact tha* feminine honour has in the past been frequently tie subject of masculine gibes. Women were fomerly commonly supposed, and generally allowed, to cheat at croquet, a privilege they shared with curates ; and in games where money -changed hands,, while the winnings were invariably handed over to them, they were never expected to pay when they lost. Of course, we have changed all that to-day, says the Ladies' Field. — Dean Pigou tells this story : '• I was showing two American ladies over Bristol Cathedral, and after service I asked one of them what, they said in New York of Bishop Potter, at seventy years of age, marrying a widow, said to be worth fifteen hundred thousand dollars. 'I guess

they talk about it considerable,' was her

reply. 'I trust them for doing that,' »vas" my reply. 'But what do they say?' 'Oh, they say, that the Bishop took a fancy to the widow's mite, and the wido% took a fancy to the Bishop's mitre !' " "—Beauty is at the very soul of a woman, because it implies all that is essentially healthy, and it is by reason of her splend'd health (says a contemporary) that the typical English girl is so lovely, with her radiant complexion, her bright eye, her magnificent hair, her lissom limbs, her splendid figure, and glorious physique, tihe is learning now to pay strict' 1!'1 !' attention to her daiy routine of physical exercises at home, after having taken a course of breathing and physical exercises from an accredited teacher. Fresh air is cheap, and if we only knew how to imbibe it, and use it properly when it is

imbibed, we are possessed of one of the secrets of a fine figure. It is cheap, too, to extend the arms and to work them like a semaphore for definite ends, and die woman who is able to do so each day J .o proper purpose finds in this plan an excellent method of keeping her figure supple. She discovers the corset unnecessary in reducing the waist measurement, is able to develop her bust, and prevent a double chin, perfects the poise of her head, and models the shape of" her arms, all by means of the most readily learned system of exercises. Mr Sandow is one of those who are bringing into vogue the newest methods of beauty production, and the woman who means to keep age at bay will fiud that simple exercises and the old out-door life are more effective than any of the methods that are used to produce beauties of the Continental type.

— Two ladies at New Jersey engaged the other day in a wordy war in court, and instead of taking the gentle advice of the magistrate to end their dispute peacefully, became so violently abusive that the court was induced to arrive at the sensational decision that a woman's tongue may, in certain cases, be considered as a " concealed weapon," for the use of which the owner may be punished. Being fined £2 each, one of the ladies appealed to a judge, who, while admitting that the magistrate's decision was " not without reason," reversed the judgment as being contrary to the spirit of the Act. At the same time, it is advisable that ladies should note the tendency of the times. They might- bear in mind that ths laws are exclusively enacted by men, who may at any time decide that the tongue; the most cutting and damaging of all lethal weapons, shall henceforth be regarded in the same category as revolvers, hairpins, and daggers. I mean, of course, when this " concealed weapon " is used by women.

— Doctors are constantly telling us how much ...he veil worn by women has to answer for in affecting the eyesight, causing the eyelashes to grow inward ; but this is not the worst effect. Dr Rosenbach, who has given much time to the study of erythrorhinia, or a persistent redness of the tip of the nose, gives out the statement that it is due to the- use of a veil. This condition of the nose is seen frequently among women who have a delicate complexion, but never among peasants, whose skin is not so easily affected.

— The use of perfume is growing more and more common every day (says a lady writer in a Home paper), and with some it is # an art, with others an exaggerated habit*, which is most offensive. Some women, take strong objection to tobacco smoke, no matter how faint it may be, hence we have the smoking room in our houses and the smoking compartment in our trains. Now men may have quite as strong an objection to certain perfume?, and are either too good-natured to tell us, or think we wouls not pay much attention to their objections. Nor are they the- only ones who object to perfumes, many women are quite upset by it, so those who go in for a somewhat lavish perfumery of their handkerchiefs, hair, and other etceteras should be generous and bear this in mind, and sprinkle sparingly. The fasliion nowadays is to adopt a certain perfume as one's owpi, and have even one's notepaper scented 'with it, but, like many other fashions, this requires to be carried out with careful discrimination

— A scientific gentleman interested in the progress of the race has suggested that bride should produce to bridegroom a certificate- and vice-versa. On purely reasonable grounds there may be something to be said for this, but the romantic character of a proposal "subject, my darling, to your producing a clean bill of health,"' is worth a passing smile. One does not envy the medical man — a public official, it is understood — who will have the duty of telling an impassioned Komeo that his digestive arrangements are je* adequate for matrimony. —An authority on physical culture for women gives the following directions fox securing the best results, which naturally must be modified by individual characteristics and circumstances :— " Sleep nine hours out of twenty-four, bathe in cold water, exercise five minutes daily with light dumbbells, drink a cup of hot water before breakfast, spend half an hour every day in outdoor exercise, make the best of bad bargains, and always keep your temper." —An interesting romance took place- a good many years ago, in connection wilh the last Countess of Derby, -who died in 1900. The second Marquis of Salisbury — father of our great statesman — and the last Earl of Derby were both in love with the beautiful daughter of Earl De La Warr. Disclosing the fact to each other on the same day, they agreed that whosoever saw her first should have his chance. Lord Salisbury, in the fleetest hansom' to be found in London, and the promise of a heavy reward to the driver, got there first — and won. Lord Derby, taking his way by humble 'bus, came in, a bad second. But, through time's revenges, he, too, won the prize, and married the widowed Lady Salisbury in 1870.

— A good deal has been said of late as to the decay of country towns in England. But what can be expected when absenteeism, more or less, prevails to the degree it row does almost all over the country? •'The squire," said an old labourer^ "is r.ever at home, and still less is his wife." It is emphatically a gadabout age. Some years ago a grocer bought a business in a country town and put £10,000 into it, but only to give it up five years later, fearfully out of pocket. This sort of thing has now been, gping on for 30 years, and meantime London has commensurately extended its limits. What has much to do with the absenteeism is that few squires can now stand the expense of entertaining guests in the house, and that life undei these conditions is dull; while in London relaxations in the way of theatres, etc., can be had without the expense of entertaining. Dinner hospitality is now, as a rule, infrequent outside London,- Brighton, and Oxford.' Suburbs are but little given to it; and in the great commercial centres

a1!a 1 ! the elite live in suburbs. They giv? Christ mus and garden parties, and look for their chief iccrea+ion at Scarborough, Llandudno, etc. Half tho matches in the North 01 England date from Scarborough firtatior.s.

— When the shopman attempts to recommend his materials or his garments by the remark, " It will wear everlastingly !" we naturally reply, "But I don't want it to wear everlastingly ! It will be out of fashion next season." That is one of the difficulties of dress for those who wish to appear well-dressed, and, at the same time, study economy. It is very provoking to have a gown "of good — and, therefore, expensive — material obviously out of fashion (as it may very well be in a year's time) while it still looks not a whit the worse for wear. For many years I have been obliged to sell, or give away, my coats before they gave any sign of shabbiness, simply because there is an alteration in the length, or a new curve at the bottom of the sleeve, or at the top. Thus it is a very natural conclusion with some of us, that we will not indulge in high-priced goods. Why should not the cheaper serve ? It looks as well at first. But disappointment meets us here. For an unexpected shower "takes the face" off the cheap coat we were so proud of. It is a mistake to buy a cheap material for an every-day-at-home skirt. Ife does not look well many weeks, and proves very expensive in the end. Good serges and tweeds, and twilled flannels are always the best investment for home wear. The things to be avoided are the "newest," and all sorts of "fancy" stuffs. For blouses, whether coloured or not, something that will wash well. And, as regards coats, one need not buy the "cheap" while turning away from the "five-guinea" and upwards. In short, although fashions be passing brief, it is still doubtful economy to invest in cheap materials. — " Gretchen," in the Scottish Farmer.

— How To Be Popular.—

Be natural. People are quick to discern affectation of any kind and have, a contempt for it ; so give up affectation.

Be neat. There is great charm in neatness.

Be affectionate and sympathetic and don't be self conscious and ashamed to show either quality.

Be home-loving and land to all old people, poor people and children. These are womanly qualities, and all love and admire the womanly girl.

Don't have " moods." Avoid the blues. People like to know how to find a girl, not to have to renew their acquaintance every time they meet.

Be athletic, as that means health, and healthiness means wholesomeness. — The Woman Who Never Grows Old. —

Many women become middle-aged from the simple reason that they allow "middleaged habits to steal upon them, and relapse into a state of. physical indolence just at the time when they should fight against this tendency to give up exercise.

" The best preventives against growing middle-aged," says a charming woman of forty-five, whose unwrinkled face and slim figure give her the appearance of being at least fifteen years younger than her real age, " are cheerfulness, a strict determination not to worry over trifles, and a sense of humour that saves one from depression. A cold 1 tub every morning, a walk eveiy day in rain and sunshine, face- massage with cold cream at night, ten minutes' physical exercise immediately on rising, friction of the hair to stimulate its growth, will keep any woman free from wrinkles, and will preserve the contour of her figure." •>