LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2924, 30 March 1910, Page 73

LADIES' GOSSIP.

There is as yet no movement in Japan with regard to the question of th© suffrage. I am not quite sure whether that fact is altogether a matter for congratulation; but, at all events, the Japanese woman has always had a very honourable position in the con»luct of the nation.—Count Hiroldchi Mutsu. A striking novelty in evening shoes

this season-is the highly-decorated heel. Ornamentation of the dancing slipper has generally been confined to the front, 1 leaving a plainness at'the back that has now, for the first : time, struck the as being quite unnecessary. Jewels arid precious metals are brought into play, so that the heels of dancers are now a blaze of glittering light. ~ Have we not our eyelids tatooed and slit to make our eyes larger? We paint our lips red as pomegranate blossom, and kiss each faces cautiously, lest we should "come off." Our highheeled shoes caus'e us torture ivhen walking, but v. 3 brave it all like Spartans. Have we not allowed ourselves to be skinned, and have "tucks'" taken up in our forehead, under the hair, to efface the. deep lines of thought ?—Paris Letter in "Madame."

Discussing the servant problem, an American writer says : —Treat her kindly, but teach lier thoroughly. Never let hey shirk, but do not nag. Show her ■ just how each department of her work should be canned out. Tell her, in private, when she makes mistakes, and do nob reprove her in the presence of outsiders or other servants. That only.rattles her and does no good when the mistake has already been made. Teach her how to address you, insist that she always be neat, but through "it all show her that you are really interested in her, arid are trying to help her to proficiency in her line of work. The attitude of respect for yom character . and your superior knowledge will quickly come, and this is the ground upon which all respect should be .based; this is the only real mark of equality and inequality The Queen of Sweden, who under-

went an operation the other day, is one of the best amateur actresses in the world, and when she was a girl her one ambition

was to go upon the stage. Some time ago, she indulged her passion for theatricals in the cause for charity, 'and the best critics declared her performance to be remarkable. A certain home for waifs was sadly lacking in funds, so the Queen, then the Crown Princess, organised an entertainment to raise them. She chose a

fairy play called Holy Elizabeth, and the Stock Exchange at Stockholm was turned into a temporary theatre. Many members of the Swedish Royal Family took part in this play, among them being the Crown Prince, now King Gustaf. Apart from her artistic accomplishments the Queen of Sweden has earned the reputation of being the best-dressed Queen in Europe. Also, she is said to be the richest. Alexandra has received a bequest from a subject, but there is little doubt she will greatly value the diamond and ruby bracelet left to her in the will of Consuelo Dowager Duchess of Manchester, who was a close friend of both the King and Queen. The will states :—"I bequeath, free of all

duties, to her Majesty Queen Alexandra my diamond and ruby bracelet, which I

would ask her to be graciously pleased to accept as a token of my respectful affection and regard for her Majesty." The ladies who play a ieading part in Washington 'society confess themselves; enchanted with Mr Taft's aefcion in attending the annual ball of the Southern Relief Organisation of Women for the Benefit of Needy Confederate Warriors. The President chose as a partner one of the most beautiful women in the ballroom, Mrs Pearce Home, who in the columns of the New York/ American furnishes a magnificent testimonial to the "terpsichorean prowess of America's fattest President." "The President," she says; "is an ideal dancer-—really fairylike on his feet, but a little short-winded. Mrs Home intimates that the shortness of breath from which he suffers did not diminish the boyish abandon of the President, "who, seeing, how tired I was. suggested stopping-, though he looked as though he wanted .to costsnue." The unanimous verdict of the Southern ladies is that the (President is "a dear."

There is some likelihood., of the youthful Mrs Robert Goalet becoming a. hostaea in London, this Reason, and as she is as beautiful as she is wealthy and talented (remarks the Daily Chronicle), her arrival would be a welcome one. As the wife of the Duchess of Roxburgho's only brother who, before his marriage, was regarded as the richest bachelor, in the whole Western hemisphere. Mrs Goelet was last season a visitor at Floors Castle with.her little son. It will be recalled that Mrs Goeiet as ■ Mies Elsie Whelan, one of two nandsome sisters of Irish parentage, !. was -acclaimed the most beautiful • girl in New York. —lt is far easier to be prettily dressed nowadays than it was some years ago, when materials, were more expensive and fewer women knew something of the art of dressmaking. It is an art quite a® essential to a woman as some technical knowledge- of cooking. Even if she doea not put it to practical account, it makes her far more, capable in choosing her clothes. Without it she is helpless in the hands of her dressmaker. With it she can frequently • guide her dressmaker to achieve wonderful results at an absurd cost..

—lt is the worshipped daughter, who hais been taught that her whims and wishes are supreme in a househld, who (says the Family Doctor) makes marriage a failure all her life. She has had her way in things great and small; and when she desired dresses, pleasures, or journeys, which were beyond the family purse she carried . the day with tears or sulks, or posing as a martyr. The parent® sacrificed and suffered for her sake hoping finally to see her well married. The average man think* her little pettish ways are mere girlish moods; but when she becomes his wife and reveals -'her selfish and cruel nature, he is grieved' and hurt to think fate has been, so unkind to him. Madame Blanche Marchesi is one of the many foreign artists who have made their home in England and who have had no occasion to regret doing so. "1 left France," said Madame Marchesi on one occasion, "because there is. no career there open to a singer except; in opera.. I declare I will be eternally, grateful to England, for it has made a concert singer out of one who would otherwise have been nothing but. a." teacher of others. England has understood the heart that beats in my songs, and I shall never cease to be grateful." Madame Marchesi is very much of a cosmopolitan by birth, and antecedents. Bom in Paris herself, her father was an Italian, from Palermo, her mother came from Frankfort-on-the-Main; and her early life was spent at Cologne, where both her parents were at that time teachers at the Conservatoire. Madame Marchesi's mother is the famous singing teacher who, though now eightysix years old, is still actively engaged in the practice of her profession. Meibawas only one of her many notable pupils, Madame Eames and .Madame Nevada being others. In spite of her great age she paid a visit to London to hear one of her pupils a year or so ago.

Like many another successful novelist, Mrs Flora Annie Steel took to writing as the average child takes to toys. Her first venture was a hymn, which found favour with one of her aunts, who eagerly inquired for the composer, but shyness prevented the young author from acknowledging her identity. Then she took to writing stories; the manuscripts she would affectionately treasure in her pocket, finally, common sense prevailing, consigning them to the flames. It was while in India, however, that Mrs Steel took to authorship in real earnest, and this came about in a somewhat peculiar way. A hard-worked editor, constantly down with fever, sought, her assistance. She was then only twenty-seven, and it frequently happened that a whole issue—■ ''leaders" and all—came from her pen. All this time, it should be remembered, Mrs Steel was filling the responsible post of provincial inspectress of Government schools in the Punjab, arid was also a member of the educational committee. Curiously enough, Mrs Steel first gained fame in India not as a~^writer of fiction, but as a compiler of a cookery book, which has had an enormous circulation among housekeepers in the East. Few authors have more passion for accuracy than Mrs Steel. She studies her plots for months, sometimes years, before she outs pen to paper Even then it is laborious work, for she has also a passion for neatness. Three erasures mean a. fresh wage, and so it frequently occurs that chapters are written four and five tinies,over. "■

Heioic 'Woman"Doctor

Writes a correspondent from Geneva: —A pathetic tragedy, in which a young woman doctor sacrificed her life, to save that of her patient, is reported from St Gall. Mile. Hughentobler, aged 26, who has only recently taken her medical degree and begun to practise as a physician and surgeon at St. Gall, was

suddenly called upon to perform a serious operation on a woman in a village near by. In order to save the woman's life, Mlle.Hughentobler did not wait to put on the rubber gloves which all surgeons use when operating. On returlning home, Mile. Hughentobler became- ill, and she found that she had contracted bloodpoisoning through a slight scratch on one of her fingers. Although physicians were called in immediately, it was impossible to save her life, and she died the next day.

A Topsy Tuny Ball

l Brilliant success is claimed for a social innovation described as a 'Bellamy dance," .held it Pittsburg, U.S. From the beginning to the end of the programme everything was done backwards. When the dancers,.numbering several hundreds, assembled they found the ball-room surrounded with* "magic mirrors/' On . the back of each guest was pinned hip name written backwards. With his supper. partner he danced backwards to tne banqueting tables, on which the guests sat, while supper was. served on the chairs. The meal'began With black aoffea and ended with soup. It was served by waiters who wore false faces on the back of their heads and walked. backwards, with their coats buttoned the reverse way up the back. Dancing opened with the "home Waltz" and closed with & grand march Despite the severe headiiches,. dizziness, and indigestion from which all the participants were suffering the following day, . Pittsburg society, according to the news- ; papery, has pronounced the "Bellamy . dance" a fascinating innovation.

The ' Aeroplane Coiffure.'

Have you seen i the 'aeroplane coiffure ?'* It Is likely to come floating before your vision any moment. The aeroplane coifture, a* its name signifies, is. built after the fashion of the latest craft in aviation —more on the lines of the biplane, however, than the monoplane. The hair is arranged to extend to the right and left of the wearer instead of projecting backwards like the Psyche knot. The coiffure is bigger than any seen for some time.

It is said that the lines, extending out on the side of the wearer, give her dignity, and that for the slender woman who affects the •'princess" there is nothing i more appropriate. How the little women will look upon the new style of doing the hair, and what the millinerj' artists will do about it i remains to be seen.

Life's Little Worries.

Even a wise man, says the Latin poet, is grumpy* : when "his cold is troublesome. It is in the nature of a. summing-up" of all the ways of mankind- Your wise man will bear with equanimity and even i cheerful and genial manner disasters that strike at his most, important interests and his deepest affections, but give him a cold in the head and all the neighbourhood resounds with his complaints. You approach him at your peril, and if you want him -to do anything,;you might as well apply to an inmate of the Zoo.; No man, we know, is as wise, as a ; woman, much less is good tempered. but take a woman when ; she has some- small, and ■particularly " some undignified, ailment, ami- yoo will "find her a* thousand times more ancertain And hard to please than if she were in agonies of body and soul. What is true of the small physical discomforts is true of all the minor woes of life. It is not our tragedies that make us unhappy, but our burnt toast and our late trains: '- ,

The Bridal Veil

The bridal veii is evidently of Eastern origin, being a relic of the bridal canopy held over the heads of the bride and •bridegroom. Among the Anglo-Saxons a similar custom existed, but if the bride was a widow it. was dispensed with.. According to the Sarum usage, a fine linen cloth was laid on the heads of the bride bridegroom, and not removed till the benediction had been said The old British custom was to use Nature's veil unadorned —that, is, the long hair of the bride, which was so worn by all brides, royal, noble, and simple. Only then did all behold the tresses of maidenhood in their entirety, and for the last time. After marriage this badge. of virginity was neatly dressed on the head. Among some the tresses were cut and carefully stowed away on a woman becoming a wife. It is customary in Russia for village brides to excise their locks on returning from church. The peasantry of that country have a pretty song, the gist being the lamentation of a newly nierried wife' over her golden curls, just ;ut off, ere she laid them low,

Should Married Women Earn Money.

Replying to this question, Mrs Carrie Chapman Catt, a well-known American lady, says:—"li sh-a hasn't any children, and not enough horns duties to occupy her, she ought. The woman who eits idly in a boarding-house- or furnished room, is an indolent creature and a. parasite. When there are children someone must 'look after them, and nature has made woman the natural person to do it. When she does that, she is working for herself, heir husband, and her children, and is absolved from wage earning. Besides, that is the nearest duty. Public opinion in regard to a married woman being a wage-earner has changed wonderfully in the last ten. years Once it was thought, a disgrace to a man if the wife contributed to the family income, but it is not bo now. And when a woman is* unusually talented and hasstarted on a career before she marries, it ie wrong for her to abandon it after marriage. There are several simple reasons, for this change of opinion. In the first place a woman doesn't have one-

third* of the work to do about the house she had' formerly. In the second place the cost of 'iving has. increased so frightfully that more money has to be brought into the family to keep it going. In the third place, the character of American women, has' changed astonishingly with the }ast generation.

Women in Shops.

Twenty years ago the public attitude towards the shop counter for women as- a means of earning a living was one of distrust and suspicion. To-day all that is altered, and' it is recognised that the shop countei as a means of livelihood offers a wide opportunity for .women who have acquired business habits and have learned the value of that branch to which they have attached themselves. In a great many houses throughout London the buyers in important departments we women. Such an appointment is an excellent -one, but it is not obtained haphazard. The woman with the making o f purchases for a good house must know her subject thoroughly, she must, gauge the taste of >he public for whom her employer caters and she musfc ; be clever enough L o seize a chance of a .bargain should one offer itself Now that feminine education is supposed to comprise something in-the way of business' training there are a few women who venture to risk their capital m little shops. The idea "ȣ a shop, small and dainty, ia alluring, such a business as a bonnet shop, a bric-a-brac store, or a tea-room -suggests itself. There are many instances of success in which a comfortable livelihood is earned, although there are many failures due to lack ; <>f knowledge of business methods, or merely for want of a pleasant, manner.

A Girl's Pocket Money.

No matter how small her allowance may be, 'every girl who is given her owiir span-ding money for car- fares, little dress accessories, aind occasional sweets"," will be fa more content than if ehe is forced to a.sk her parents for every sixpence or shilling that she may require. Until a girl has her own little sum to manage, she can never - hope to learn either economy or generosity. When she -is given the money for each pair of gloves or hair ribbon which she wants there is no opportunity of trying just how far the money will go. .. ■■:.?.*■■ -.'..-'

Character Reading by the Forehead.

The m<ethod of reading character Jn vogue in Pams is not by the'lines of the hand, but by the lines in one's forehead. The "new" science is known as metoposcopic, and four centuries ago was in high favour. Seven principal lines traverse the forehead- anidv ; like the lines in the hand, are influenced by Saturh, Jupiter, 'Miaris, Venus, Mercury, the sun, and the moon. If a certain line takes the form of an M that -signifies happiness; if it ia shaped like an X and is surmounted by a kind of U, that means infidelity. -" ; ' : " ;

Pocket Money >Vaffes

There are many young women who, though they may have .a comfortable home for the moment, cannot look forward with certainty to more than the most exiguous provisio>rb. They may for the moment be able to treat all they earn as pocket money. But in the ; future, that pocket money "wage may be all that stands between them and penury;ls Who can say that they have mo right. vto make their position secure betimes? It is no answer to say that there are honorary positions in which a. girl can train, herself for the necessity of earning her own' living. The progress from unpaid to paid work is often exceedingly difficult. Everyone may fairly protect herself as weU acshe can! But there are cases which are not jso well justified. The woman who goes out into the world to earn pocket money just for the fun of the thing may wall ask herself twice 'arid-; thrice how much harder she is rnakiiig; the lot of some other woman already iti much worse case than herself. Mild ; if", because the money is merely a luxury to'her, she consents to take less than the fair market rate for her work, she ought to tell •herself frankly that she is doing all in her power to degrade her jex.

A Curious Charity

It would appear that/ Germainy offers many novelties in the form of charity offerings. In the town of Haschmann, for example, prizes are given yearly for the men who will marry the homeliest and most unattractive'*' women, and to those who will take; linfco themeelv.es women above the age of forty who are so unfortunate in their marital experiences as to have been jilted more than once. These prizes are the result of an endowment by "an ecoentoic German who died a few years ago. He evidently realised that beauty was an attraction that t» the average man was hard to overcome, inasmuch a,s his will contained a provision to the effect that out of the income of the fund left by him not lees than ninety

dollars should go the plainest girl to be found in any year. The unfortunate woman of forty who has been jilted more than Jice by her lovers receives, when. the funds permit, fifty dollars; but, the trustee can vary this amount, and, at his own discretion, offer a larger prize to someone who will marry an unusually, unprepossessing girl.

Look After Your Teeth.

"Treat your teeth as tenderly as you would treat air infant, and your reward will probably be a healthy and happy old age. A perfectly-shaped set is a gift which nature rarely bestows, but as the average young girl s teeth aire sound, by thoroughly brushing them at night, morning, and after each- meal,' she may at least keep them looking white and wholesome. If' she loses many of her teeth before reaching middle age it is usually because an unwillingness to endure a little pain prevents her from having them repaired until only mere shells remain to be worked upon."

Are Fat I'eople Good-Tempered ?

"Let me have men about me that are fat." So Csesp-r, who plainly" believed that fatness was a question "if tempera 1 ment and soul. It is, Indeed, me of' the things which the most of mankind. vaguely believe—that fat people are, on the whole, easy-going, comfortable, aind good to live with. If we are to follow Professor Lyde, however, it is all a mistake to suppose that fatness and temperament are connected. What makes people ; fat is not, as the adage has it, laughter or good temper, but climate. "From one end of Denmark to the other," says" Professor Lyde, "you would' not find a really thin man," which seems-rather a huge generalisation, even for a professor. But it is supported by pagans..;"'The people, we are to!d 2 live in warm buildings, and feed on milk and "cereals. " Moreover, the vclimate of the country, has not the wedghtreducing influence of Warmer and drier lands. So tliat : the' men "get so laky that they will not take the trouble even to cut up-their" food." We have an idyllic picture of Denmark as a country where everyone spends all his time eating sandwich esi It sounds cloying and thirsty.'" ■ :; - x:■-■■

When Hats, Mere Taxed

Hats' have in England been subject to vary severe protective enactments. The blocked beaver bat, foivJus'tanee, imported by Sir Walter Kaleigh from the Low Countries, won its way-so ra.pidly that in 1571 Queen Elizabeth „rpas&ed an Act to protect the making f 4 '•thrummed" caps,, made, from wool, for the advantage of the landed proprietors, whose., sheep fur-: mished the material. ,The statute provided that "every person,,; except ladies ; and. Jews (why were,■i^w&iexcused?,): i shall on. Sundays and holidays.wear on his bead a cap ..of velvet; wool made in England; " Penalty, 3s 6d -per day. - \, About a century- later the: law, for which there is. nothing too high or too low, having taxed 'men's shoes, tunned its attention once more to their hats, and soon put a <:heck-Qn all improvements in the trade.J>y every, vendor of hats to take out a'license under a heavy .penalty.- • > Subsequently a stamp duty was imposed on all 'hats,- which were- officially marked inside, where 1 the maker's name now appears. The penalty for selling a hat without a stamp was £lO, and the penalty for forging > a hat stamp was—death'! -tfisoJ Ik < . Whence, no douhtr.i'the modern custom of the man- who goes'j^o-church, sits down, looks into Jtus-Vhat—to read his maker's name!—Chronicle;-" --fS ■

A Sinffiii4;|«!|itf' , a(? , ettfi.

Mdme. Lydia Iripfeowska, Russian prima donna, now in has joined the National Progressive; Woman Suffrage Union, and will take an active part in the "Votes for Women' \. Jjattle in the United States. ( -* ■-,, r : - Her. sympathies : ..are. with the militant franchise, she is ready, and ■willing, to help all even to makr ing a. speech /on ?; at.street qprner when jperched on a soap box. ... Mme. Ldpkowska will not stop.at etump speaking for the cause,.but she has suggested organising.a Suffrage Study Club at the Metropolitan Opera. House, New York, for the chorus, and offered to instruct the girls and men in the movement as well as to distrißu'te suffrage literature and answer questions*."' 1

The ETeiiinr Dress Netik.

The care of the .fteek (says a writer on women's topics),. is;iinportant at this, time of the year, with;, .many dances in iprospect. The neck should be well rubbed at bedtime with, a.,mixture of two spoonfuls of glycerine and the juice of a lemon after a thorough washing in a lather of soap and hot water and a good rinsing in cold. In the morning wash the face and neck with rain water in which a muslin bag of oatmeal has been left overnight. Gentle massage with the tips of the fingers dipped in' cold cream once or twice a week should be tried after the glycerine and lemon have whitened the skin.

Beauty .a'Moral Inheritance.

Physical beauty gives little pleasure to a person of intelligence (says a "beauty doctor"),-unless it is illumined by beauty of soul and strength of intellect. - -You have to have' intelligence, -too, : "to show off beauty, and character will betray itself in the way you dress and arrange your hair in" spite ! of everything you can do. Further, you ' wouldn't even have your well-shaped bones or your beautiful soul unless your forebears had been, more favourably situated than the majority of

people, and they won't wail yon very much, either, unless you yourself are so situated that you .can. take proper care of your body and cultivate your soul.. So, you see, beauty in .the last analysis rests upon the constitution of society.. . We would al 1 be Venuses and Apollos if circumstances had permitted us to be so, and some day we will be.

Frenchwomen as Postmen

The indomitable spirit of the French woman has never, perhaps, been more practically demonstrated than in the case of Mdme. Rosine Bleuze, who for the past three years has discharged the work of a postman at Ligny, ! in the department of the Meuse. For fifteen years her husband had performed the duty, but there came a day when he found his strength failing. "My poor- wife," said he, on returning from his round one evening; "I don't know what will become of us. My legs do not seem able to carry me, and I shall never be able to do duty to-morrow.". His fears proved, correct, and the administration granted him a small pension in recognition of his good record. But Mdme. Rosine thought of the three, little ones, and went-to the '.'receveur des postes" and pleaded to be allowed to take her husband's place. ',' The official was touched by the appeal, and agreed tc allow her to make a trial. "It is only fair to let you make theexperiment," he said, "and if you satisfy us, well and good."

The inconstancy of the wind The timidity of the hare. The vanity of the peacock. The hardness of the diamond. The cruelty of the tiger. The chill of the snow. The cackling of the parrot. The cooing of the turtle-dove. All these he mixed together and formed a woman.

The Up-to-date American Woman.

*■*- A Drummer.—* I was lunching one day during my stay in New York at an, old-fashioned restaurant in the newspaper region of the Empire City. A smartly dressed woman of about thirty seated herself opposite to me. She was uncommonly well groomed, comely, quick, graceful, and had dainty table manners. She ordered a luncheon such as a masculine epicure might have selected, leaving out wines. : ' . It turned out she was a commercial traveller. She "carried"—to quote her own words —"collar fasteners, cases for. blouses, bodice girdles, veil fasteners, and special hatpins." . ■ • . =- All this she confided to me, with that absence of reticence which, is sometimes a droll kind of charm. She admitted she wanted "to go to Europe" to introduce her goods to English dealers.

Suddenly she isked—"What line do yo~

carry?" "Newspapers," I replied casually. ... "Oh, I see." she said. "Picturesque ads. Not a bad lime if" you strike the aright firms, bu* window-dressing beats it sometimes."

I hastened to correct her impression of my "line," and she as once proceeded to interview me.

From now on she had the floor. She flipped out a tiny notebook from, her silver monogrammed Russia. leather wrist-bag. and made notes of how and where to live in London, the expenses, the probable results—in fact, all &he wanted to know; and when she left me, she smiled brightly, thanked me appreciatively, jnd I actually felt myself her debtor for a most agreeable hour. This busy little woman was in earnest, proud of her work, sincere in her ambitions, and withal a clear, fresh, unconventional character.— Annie Wakeman inthe Express.

Hints and Suggestions.

Thus it is that an the road from Ligny to Velaines the bu .m. figure of Mdme. Bosirie Bleuzo (she ia 47 years old) may be seen, in wet. weather or-fine, with a bag strapped across her shoulders and umbrella in hand. For her services she receives the modest remuneration of £l4 a year,"with allowance of 12/'.for shoes and £1 4/ for clothing. Only once has she known fear in her s ,daily journey, of eight miles, and. that was when her bag contained some, packets of coin. Two or three sinister looking individuals followed, her for a time, and for the first time Mdme. Bleuze felt some apprehension. "If I had, been robbed by them," she explained tp an interviewer, "I should have lost my place, and we should have been almost without means." She was, however, left unmolested, and in general, she has to face nothing more serious than adverse weather. Froissy, in France, also boasts of a female postman, as-well as a female station master, barber and telegraph "boy."

"Europe" spells only Great Britain to many commercial Americans. "But," she added, "I really wasafo to go over because it is such an education to travel. You see, I married when; • I was sixteen, and I never went to college. Well, I was a widow in a few years, without a cent, so I just had to hustle. I've done well and now I want to learn something on my own. I do. not quite remember bow we fell into conversation, but I think she made the advance. Incidentally, she exploited her line of goods with such magnetic enthusiasm that I wondered how I had managed to exist without annexing the entire lot. , ..-.;.„• But through it ail her eager hunger for knowledge, a larger point of view, new mental suaToundings, and the drinking in of the culture of centuries in an older world than America. There was in this a certain ingenious pathos.

Marble is made- to look as bright as new by two parts common soda, one of pumice powder, and one of whiting, sifted fine, and made into paste with water. Apply with flannel, rub well, and wash pff with soap and water. -* To remove mildew wet the cloth in soft water and then rub on plenty of soap and salt. Hang on the line in the sun and air for a day or two. This "is j ah infallible recipe. ..V-

To w-ash chiffon (make a lather of soap powder and warm water. Let the chiffon float in this for about ten minutes. Do not rub at all, but fold carefully between the hands, and squeeze gently two or three times. Then place it between the folds of a clean towel, and press it till most the moisture is absorbed. Iron it on the wrong side while still damp, and your chiffon will look as ™ood as new.

Boiled potatoes are an excellent substitute for soap when the hands have become soiled by contact with blackened pots and pans.' Potato s water should besides, be kept for renovating silk. To clean a japanned tray, by far the best plan is to rub the surface with a little olive oil, and then polish it with a piece of flannel. Boiling water should never be need. If this is done the japanning will wear off or crack. Steep a new broom, before using it, in warm water for a few minutes. The dry fibres of a broom are brittle, ant- likely to snap. It is advisable to repeat the process about once a Aveek. Always keep brushes and brooms hanging up; they oon spoil if left standing on the floor ... If the boiler is rusty the best method of cleaning it is to rub it with a piece of coarse kitchen flannel, dipped in ashes. Should this method fail -o succeed, the experiment should be tried of scouring the surface of the boiler with 9 mixture of paraffin and ashes. To make a polish for. old oak mix together two ounces of boiled linseed-oil, three ounces of turpentine, one ounce of vinegar, and ia quarter of a pint of methylated spirit. A little of this should be applied to the oak ond rubbed well in. Give the wood a final nolish with a soft cloth. Plenty of rubbing and very little polish is required to keep it in good condition. ■•,-,■: • .

i Should ink happen to haye, fallen upon the piano keys it may , be ; -removed with pure lemon-juice, but yery obstinate blots will require the addition of a little salt dissolved in the juice. If washing tubs are scoured well inside—about once in three months—with fine sand, they .will keep beautifully clean -%nd white, and no scum will be found

on the clothes. A coat of paint applied about once a year to the outside of washing tubs will preserve them for a long time. After washing, a little clean watr.r should be left In the tub to preterit the wocd'from shrinking. Silver that-has become tarnished- with damp ? andfog,,,can be easily cleaned and made equalHo new, by mixing thoroughly together one pennyworth of jewefier's rouge," and' one,' halfpenny worth of whiting into a smooth paste with cold water... Apply, with a piece of, chamois, leather,. and polish with a clean soft duster, when" the-fitains will soon disappear. = Glared chintz curtains never look the &ame s after they have been washed, and the proper process of "dressing" is ao'ex--pensive as to be put off as long as. possible.. ;This may be achieved by clean-, ing the rcurtains, from time .to time with' warm dry bran, rubbed well in with a piece of flannel, and left for some hourp before it is brushed out. Silk curtains may also be kept clean by this process," though, if they, are once allowed to become thoroughly soiled, it is hot efficacy OILS. ■

To wash neck frilling ..double it twice and tack along. Dissolve a little soap in a basin and when 'ukewarm put the frillsi in and leave them for half-an-hour. Then take them out and rinse through some clean water (warm),'"■■Hold them by the tacked side and shake slightly, put them on a plak in the oven to dry. and th«y, will be like new.

When the steels on the oven door oi the kitchen grate turn black with the heaty; it is surprising how soon the stain will, disappear if lightly; rubbed over with i cloth; dipped in vinegar. The steel can.' afterwards be polished in the usual way. When blackleading tfoe grate, ii cold strong tea is "used, ;it will be found to, polish beautifully. ■ Never throw away broken gar mantles, as they make an excellent silver polish. Have a small piece of moist flannel, put a little of the powdered mantle on, and rub the article to be cleaned • afterwards.polish with a nice soft duster, and it. will be found to give a brilliant and lasting polish. One mantle will clean quite 3 numb.er of articles, as. it only takes a very little of the powdered mantle if rubbed well in. To wash black lace, make some strong tea, and strain enough into & basin to quite cover the length of lace to be washed and revived. Shake the lace carefully, then steep it in the tea for twelve hours. On taking it out, squeeze through the hands, but do not rub in any way. Continue dipping it in the tea for about three minutes, or longer if the lace is very dirty,. Then prepare some wea'"' gumwaterl. Dip in the lace, squeeze : *. nwrnly between the hands, hang up to dry "or a quarter of an hour, and then pin it out on to a. towel in its proper shape. When nearly dry, lay another towel over it, an** press with a cool iron.

The Creation of Woman.

According to a Hindu legend this is the proper origin of a woriian. Twashtri, the god Vulcan of the Hindu mythology, created the world, but on his commencing to create. woman he discovered that for man he had exhausted all his creative materials, and that not one solid element had been left. This, of course, greatly perplexed Twashtri, and caused him to fall into a profound meditation. When he arose from it he proceeded as follows. He took : The roundness of the moon. The undulating curve of the serpent. The graceful twist of the creeping plant. . . The light shivering of the grass-blade and the sienderness of the willow.' > The velvet of the flowers. The lightness of the feather. The gentle gaze. of the doe. The frolicsomenoss of the dancing, sunbeam. < The tears of the cloud.,.

EA SV FR EXCH COOK ERT.

Messrs ' Gassed ' and Co. are the'pufo*! 1 Jsh er.s of -. a beautifully printed book entitles "Easy French Cooking," by August© Mario, containing' ■ -yer 300 a'ecipes h'oin chef's note book, for Which .the claim is made-that ;tfeey are economical "and attractive- - The belief xa said to be commonly held ; that . French cooking is expensive, .andi.one-.object of this book is to show .that many , housewives can 'prepare without;. any; trouble, those appetising dishes' , which, except in France, are to be obtained only, at the best hotels and restaurants. » As' a preliminary M. Mario gives a few hints foi? shopping, some hint® for; the kitchen, and a short chapter on table decoration and service. Beginning with relishes or appetisers, there follow recipes for soups, fish,l eggs, entrees, sauces, ' roasts, vegetables, saladsr sweets, ices, savouries, etc. In addition directions are given for making , French and Turkey coffee, and how to deal with wines, liqueurs, etc.

A glance through the book shows that the claims made or its behalf are well founded. Most of the recipes are simple, and the ingredients! as "Y. rule are easily, procurable. The book will be valued by those who like to depart a little from the beaten track. Those who give . little dinners on' lunches to. friends will appreciate the selection of menus for dinners', for. short dinners, and for hot and coldi lunches, given in both English and" French.. ,