OUGHT WOMEN TO SMOKE!

Otago Witness, Issue 2745, 24 October 1906, Page 65

OUGHT WOMEN TO SMOKE!

"Rita," in Ideas, says: — Decidedly not! The habit is dirty, senseless, and ungraceful. It began with- the idea of imitating man; of being "fast" and advanced; of doing as he did in all things while abusing him for being what he is. In their innermost hearts, -women don't really love tobacco, and assuredly their teeth, their breath, an<i their feminine graces are in no way improved by its use. But they Lave taken it into their heads that it's "chic"' ; ite modish, it's the thing to do, and so they do it, as they do many other things better left alone. To my mind the smoking room of a women's club is an absolute affront to all nice-minded and delicate womanhood. To see them lounging in chairs or on couches, their legs crossed, their cigarettes between their lips, their cigarette cases hanging from ■ their chatelaine chains or produced from their pockets, the whole atmosphere pungent with Turkish or Virginian, is a eight at once degrading and horrible. I Igo occasionally to big dinners*, such a3 the Vagabond's, the Author's Society, or the. Women Journalists. I never hear the words,. ''Ladies and gen.tlemen, you may now smoke !" without a feeling of disgust, I will also say that when my fellow man has offered me his cigarette-case, and I have declined the courtesy, saying, "I am not sufficiently advanced yet for its use," be has invariably said, "Thank God for that !'" For whatever women allege to the contrary, men do not like to see their women friends and relatives smoking. They confess it's a bad habit for themselves ; what mast it be for tlie other sex 2

A dear old Scotchman used to say to me : • "Oh, weemen, weemen, be "weemen, as God meant ye to be ! liaise men to higher things, don't debase him by your am debasement !" Had he lived to* see these days of the smoker, the golfer, the motoress, and the platform orator, I -wonder what he would have said! In conclusion, I have often wondered whether the tremendous increase in that awful disease — cancer — may not be attributed to the increased use of tobacco (and its attendant cvil — stimulants) amongst women?

HOME INTERESTS. JULIENXE SOUP. A carrot, one onion, a turnip, celery, one tomato, chopped parsley, three pints of stock, a tfcblespoonful cf gravy or meat essence, pepper, and salt. This soup has the great advantage of being quickly prepared. Cut the vegetables into shreds, having equal quantities of each. Throw them into the boiling stock. Season with salt and pepper, boil steadily till the vegetables are tender. Stir into it a tablespoonful of meat essence of some strong gravy. Let the soup boil up for a few minutes, and' pour into the hot tnreen ; scatter chopped parsley on the soup, and serve at once. COFFEE ROLLS. One pint of hot milk, half a cupful of butter and lard mixed, one teaspoonful of sa.lt, half a cupful of yeast, one «gg, flour to mix. Mix with a knife as softly us possible, and cover with flour. In the morning knead well, make into large balls, then roll each ball between tho hands into rolls 6m long. Place them so that they will not touch in the pan after lising. When light bake in a Lot oven. TAPIOCA CREAM. j One quart of milk, half of a lemon rind. I 2oz of sugar, ljoz crushed tapioca, four egg?, and two tabespoonfuls of cream. If a small mould is required, half the above ingredients will be needed only. Boil the milk and lemon rind, sweeten, and when quite boiling, stir in the crushed tapioca, and let all cook gent'y for three-quarters of an hour. Beat the yolks of eggs and gradually mix with the tapioca, etc. Let the mixture cool a little, whip the cream, and add it care* fully. Fill a border mould 1 with this, and' turn out to serve. Fill the inside with a compote of fruit. BOSTON" CREAM. One ounce of tartaric acid, one breakfastcupful ,of sugar, two and a-half breakfastcupfula boiling water, two teaspoonfuls of essence of lemon, white of one egg. Pour the boiling water over the sugar, stirring it occasionally. When it is cold add the acid and essence and the well-whisked white of egg. Bottle. For a drink, put two tablespoonfuls to- a tumbler of water, addin^ a pinch of carbonate of soda. .. PtUSSIAN TOFFEE. Two pounds of brown sugar,, 2oz of sale butter, one small tin of condensed milk, half a pint of sweet milk, on© tablespoonful of golden syrup, one tablespoonful of essence of vanilla; warm milk Put all into a pan except ike vanilla, and boil 30 minutes, then add vanilla. Test the toffee by dropping a little into cold water. It should be crisp when done. SPONGE CHEESECAKES. One sponge cake, Joz of butter, loz nl sugar, one egg, Joz of currants, a little lemon juice, a gill of milk, some short pastry. Take the sponge cake, crumble it finely, and scak it in the milk. Beat the butter to a cream with the sugar, add one egg, and beat the mixture for three or four minutes, add a pinch of baking powder and three drops of lemon juice, the currants, and finally the soaked sponge cake. Have some patty-pans lined with short crust, almost fill wit.li the mixture, and bake for about 20 minutes in a steady oven. Dust castor sugar over. FIG- PUDDING. Add a handful of flour to 6oz of beef, suet, and chop finely; mix with Jib of breadcrumbs, a. scanty lib of sugar and 41b

of chopped figs; ado? on© beaten egg and sufficient milk to moisten. Press into a greased pudding basin and steam for three hours. Serve with lemon sauce made thus: Melt loz of butter in a pan, and stir in' a teaspoonful of cornflour or arrowroot; add gradually half a pint of milk, stirring all the time; boil for two minutes, add a tablespoonful of sugar. Remove from, tho fire, and add the juice of a quarter or half a lemon. A DELICIOUS SWEET. The following recipe makes a delicious sweet, and one which might be served, at a small dinner party. Two ounces of butter, 3oz of flour, half a pint of mill?, four eggs, 3oz of castor sugar, 3oz of glace cherries. Melt the butter in a small pan, stir the flour into it. Then add the milk, and mix the ingredients in what is called a "panada." Cook thi3 mixture well over the fire> then add the yolks of three of the eggs one by

I one, also fhe sugar, and the cherries cat into small dice. Whip the whites o£ the'foui eggs to a very stiff froth, then stir light]} into the mixture. . Have ready a souffie< mould. It should be first thoroughly greased, then have a wide band of buttered pape? fastened round it coming 4in above the top. Pour th» mixture into tie tin. Lay a piece of gretfsed paper lightly across the top, and steam it gently for one and a-half hours. , For the fiist 10 minutes be careful not to uncover the saucepan. When it is cooked turn it on to a hot dish, and arrange little heaps of glace cherries cut in halves rounds A request from Mornington for certain alterations and repairs, including the shifting of the school gate so as to avoid danger of accident on the new tram line was acceded to, the committee to pay half* cost of fencing.