LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2929, 4 May 1910, Page 73

LADIES' GOSSIP.

Women of all classes of society show a preference for lighter forms of food. "Something on the tray" is the ideal of the majority. They hate set meals and ponderous menus.—Gentlewoman. Even in the land of millionaires, America, the fact of a woman possessing enormous wealth leads to unending comment and curiosity. Mrs Currie inherited her wealth from, her father while she was still only a. child, and has made generous ■use of it, having already endowed seven cancer hospitals. She spends most of her time in France, where she continues to do good by stealth. The secret of smartness in dress lies in understanding one's appearance. Hundreds of women have only the faintest idea of what they really look like; they simply go on cherishing illusions instead of battling against facts.—Daily Sketch. The tendency of modern times is to shorten the period of betrothal. A six (months' engagement is considered quite a long one; indeed, it is by no means unusual to announce the engagement and an approximate date for the wedding at one and the same time. —Daily Mirror. A-most versatile woman is Mrs A. E. Bradshaw, who" is being awarded the first gold medal struck by Our Dumb Friends' League. Not only does she take an active part in the work of the league, which has for its object the betterment of conditions of dumb animals, but she is well known as a reciter, a writer of dramatic sketches, and a novelist. She has been writing for 20 years, and can boast that her first story was published when she was only 13 yeairs of age. The Duchess of Roxburgh, who for the next five years will be chatelaine of Chesterfield House, is one of the youngest and richest of American peeresses. Unlike most modern women, she is short rather than tall, and has a small face, dark hair, and a pleasant, smiling expression. • She is clever and cultured,- as aTe most Americans, reads a great deal, talks- well, and has fine taste in dress and house decoration. Also, she likes' the sea and yachting. The Duchess of Roxburgh is joint-heir with her brother, Mr Ogden Goelet, to the millions of their late father, which were derived from ground rents in New York. Women are the amusement seekers nowadays. The gentler sex fill the pits and the galleries of the theatres to the extent of something like 75 per Cent. It is to meet the feminine demand that in all pleasure centres have sprung up flourishing tea and luncheon shops that mark a stream of girls and women passing in and out from morning till night. Even the proprietors' of the new cinematograph shows, which are making a revolution in the world's amusement; centres, frankly own that in England their unprecedented success would not be half so assured were it not for the hordes of women and girls, who, seeking popular amusement at a cheap rate, constitute the large majority of their patrons.—Home Notes.

One of the most interesting social events of the Lenten season in Boston is, the Manchester Guardian tells, the xnnual display and sale of flowering' bulbs by Mrs Margaret Deland', known as the writer of "John Ward, Preacher," and many other delightful tales. About 16 , years ago Mrs Deland felt dissatisfied with the conventional methods—fancy fairs and the like —of raising money for charity, and the thought occurred to her that she might do. something by selling among her friends the results of her labours in the garden. The first year she disposed of about half a dozen bulbs. Now she grows and sells from four to five thousand. The sale takes place in her own house in the Back Bay district. It is not advertised, but the initiated understand what is meant when they read in the papers a. "personal item" announcing that "Mrs Deland hopes to have heir jonquils blossom next Monday." —As the English girl wears a ring when she is engaged to be married, so the Ibp girl wears necklaces in proportion to the number of lovers she has. The clothing is not profuse. The men are content with a straight piece of cloth, which falls from their waists to their ankles, whale the cloth worn by the •women Teaches only half-way to the knee. On occasions of . festival the women, like their sex in other parts of the world, love to adorn themselves with gaudy ribbons of blue and orange, fastened in a bow to the right side of their waists. Both sexes paint their bodies on fete days, while when they are in mourning they"mark white rings round their eyes.

Good Dressing Defined

In reply to the question—What is your idea of a well-dressed person? Mrs Patrick Campbell said : A man or woman who can wear well-fitting clothes without looknn</ as if tbev had' stepped out of a, show -window or fallen off a Christmas tree, If women could only realise that they looked best in the gowns which they • felt easiest there would be less feminine/suffering Overdressing on the part of men and women jam me. Above a, certain amount which must be paad for good rlothes the cost cuts no figure whatever. A shop girl with good taste- will present

a nicer appearance than a woman, who has unlimited credit and no judgment, and who proceeds to rig herslf up as for a coronation ceremony. It is the same way with men. One man out of 20 will wear a silk hat as if it .grew on him. The other 19 will' go along as if they expected the real owner of the hat to come along and grab it.

Fashion : Its Moods and Tenses.

Fashion comes from without; we wake in the morning and find the shops alive with it; soon it is abroad in the streets, lit travels all over the body ceaselessly. Now the skirt begins to grow, until it trails for 6ft upon the ground ; suddenly the spirit leaps to the throat, and creates a gigantic ruff there, while the skirt shrinks to the knees; then it enters the hair, which immediately rises in the pinnacles of Salisbury Cathedral; a slight swelling appears beneath the skirt; it grows, alarmingly; at last a frame has to support the flounces; next the arms are attacked; they imitate Chinese pagodas; steel hoops do what they can to relieve them. The hair, meanwhile, has subsided. The lady has outgrown all cloaks, and only a vast shawl can encompass her. Suddenly, without warning, the entire fabric is pricked; the spirit moves the Empress Eugenie one night (January, 1859) to reject her crinoline. In an instant the skirts of Europe melt away, and wiith pursed lips and acrimonious manners the ladies mince.about the streets clasped tightly round the knees, instead of swimming. It is from the crinoline, no doubt, that Meredith got his favourite "she swam." Fashion has dealt more discreetly with men than with women, and has chiefly haunted their legs. Nevertheless, there has always been a great sympathy between the sexes. When, her skirts ballooned his trousers swelled; when she dwindled away, he wore stays ; when her hair was Gothic, his was . romantic ; when she dragged a train, his cloak swept the ground. About 1820 his waistcoat was more uncontrollable than, any garment ,of hers; five times within eight months it changed its shape; for a long time the cravat preserved a space for jewellery where the necklaces were rivalled.

The only parts of men that survived the stark , years of the thirties and forties were the hat and the beard ; they still felt the sway of political changes. The democratic spirit required felt hats that dropped; in 1848 they dissolved' about the ears; stiffening again as reaction set in. The same principle ruled the beard; to be clean shaven was a sign of unflinching respectability; a ragged beard, or even a beard alone, showed that one's opinions were out of control. At the present time only at home does the gentleman indulge in coloured . goldlaced. velvet, silk, or cashmere; when he appears in public he may only venture by the superior cut of his. garments to. aimi at any distinction; if the male attire thereby loses in effect, it gains in tone. — ■ Times.

The Gliantecler Hat in Melbourne.

According to the Age the advent of the Chantecler hat in Melbourne caused a sensation. That paper says -. "On© single bird caused! more of a sensation on the Collins street blooik on Saturday morning than a whole crowd of ostriches might have done had they stalked solemnly down the same thoroughfare. The cause of the commotion was a whole rooster on a lady's head, perched up aloft as if ready to fly ait the slightest cause for alarm. With beautiful long white plumage, head crowned_ by a huge red comb, and its beak poinf ing towards the lady beneath, the spectacle was at least a striking one. The wearer of this remarkable headgear was Miss Ethel Forsyth, one of the 'show girls' in the Clarke and Meynell production of 'The Arcadians' at the Theatre Royal. The hat was one of the 'Ghanteclers' worn, in the racecourse scene in that play. Miss Forsyth's venture into public in such unwonted circumstances was due in a measure to a challenge thrown out by a member of the Theatre Royal management that she would not be game enough to wear the hat in the street, and partly out of curiosity as to whether the Chantecler fashion, which is now rife in London and Paris, could be introduced into Melbourne.

"At the most fashionable hour on the block on Saturday morning, when the thoroughfare was crowded with pedestrians, Miss Forsyth sauntered casually along, to the amazement of the people. At first they stared curiously, then gradually a crowd commenced to gather,' which increased as Miss Forsyth progressed', and in a few moments she was surrounded by hundreds of people. From all sides came the crowing of roosters, emitted from, the throats of small boys. Hemmed in on all sides, the girl with the Chantecler had made for a shop in which she had intended to make a purchase, and after a wait of fully a quarter of an hour, seeing that it would be hopeless to make her way through the seething crowd outside, Miss Foirsyth made her exit by a back door and returned to the theatre. Tam simply astonished at the curiosity of the Melbourne people,' remarked Miss Forsyth. 'ln ' London or Paris the passers-by would merely look at the hat, and perhaps make a comment to each other, but I would not be surrounded by such a seething mob, who crushed against me on all sides, whilst some women endeavoured to pull feathers out of the hat. An attempt was also made by someone in the crowd to snatch my handbag.' "

Bubbling- and Babbles.

—New Game and Competition, for , Parties,.-: — ... ~..; i "Will you ;soap-bubble w|ith_ us tomorrow?" "Wliat is your bubbling handicap?'-' This is the kind of conversation which will probably be heard shortly on all sides. Soap-bubbling is a game with any number of partners. It oan be made into a competition. Skill is neceeeairy,

luck •com.es into it a good deal, practice certainly helps, and it is, moreover, not quite so damaging to old china, window panes, and pictures as ping-pong. Is it any wonder that bubbling is already a favourite game in America? A bubbling party is easily arranged. .All that is required: on the part of the hostess is her dining-room table, a bowl of suds, straAvs, and a clay pipe with I a long stem for each of her guests. The first prize of the evening is offered for the person who raises the best bubble inside another. This sounds to the uninitiated an impossible feat. Everyone knows that bubbles to amuse the children have a knack of collapsing before they can be induced to wobble unsteadily off the. rim of the pipe. A competitive bubble is, however, far more staid. A small sheet of glass with a straw and a cigarette is handed to each player. An old photographic plate is ideal for the purpose. A little- of the soapy mixture is spooned on to each piece of glass. The competitors fill their straws with soap, and blow gently a bubble on the sheet of glass. A whiff of a lighted cigarette is taken while the straw- is dipped once more into the soap. Cigarette smoke and soap froth together are then blown into the inside of the bubble, the point of the straw being delicately insinuated into the side, when a white bubble should appear within the first. For the best and' the longest afloat a prize is awarded.

The next award is offered for the beet ■show-piece. Here the* competitors ~ are left to themselves. They are allowed to use anything they may choose for their centre-piece. For the purpose a choice of small objects may, however, be provided by the hostess, such as one or two little statutettes which are* found in crackers, tiny vases, ornamental buttons, miniature toys, and flowers. Many people prefer, on the contrary, to select their own centre-pieces, and use their own watches or scarf pins impaled oh a cork, brooches, and rings, or a rose or other flower cut out of.paper. : 'Once the articles are all placed on the glass slab before each person the work begins. Tf the competitors are wise, and wish to' run a chance of winning the prize, they carefully coat the object over with a little soap as a preliminary by blowing some from a straw, at least on the outstanding parts. A bubble will then stick when blown wherever it touches. The prettiest effects can be secured in the case of a little flower or a small figure, the great transparent balls hanging from the centre of pistils and petals, and reflecting every ray of light like a highly coloured rainbow. A clever blubblist can make, however, a more imposing erection still. She may blow a cigarette bubble first of all on to! the head of the little figurette which she has chosen. This will look cloudy and white. Over this she blows a. big bubble, or she may make the large one first and ,puff the white ball through the fabric of the larger one. To make the diving-bell bubble, a large funnel is necessary, such as is! used in decanting wine. This is placed over the object, and a bubble blown gently down it, the rim of the funnel lying in a saucerful of soap-suds, or on a sheet of glass on which a spoonful of the soap-mixture has been spread. To detach the bubble from the funnel, all that is necessary is to slightly lift it up, inclining it on one side, and, holding the finger of one hand on the narrow end, it will be found easy to pull away the rim from the saucer below. Bubbles are blown over paper wheels and tops, and the latter made to revolve by carefully inserting the straw and blowing gently through the bubble itself. A good soap solution is, of course, the first consideration. The best method of making it is to rub a piece of soap in. a bowl of warm water until a lather forms. This must be very strong, and the froth lifted off carefully. The solution should never be stirred after it has once been made. If a bubble, when blown, will not stand touching with the finger, the soap is not stifneiently strong.

A Bird Sanctuary in Northamptonshire.

Thinking that your readers might like to hear something of what is being done here for feeding and caring for the -wild birds, I write to tell you about it. Some time ago I took in about four acres of parkland and' planted it with every imaginable hardy shrub and tree which bear fruits or berries beloved of the birds. It is now a fascinating tangle of leaves, fruit, berries, seeds, and cones in their season, with wild trails and natural paths leading here and there in dell bank knoll, or wilderness. I got the carpenter to build a little feeding pavilion of oak on oak posts, with a sloping shingle. roof to keep off the snow and rain., Inside there are three tiers of oaken trays, in which I h>»,ve placed every morning a mixture of chopped fat, suet, seeds, oats-, cracked Indian maize, meal, and grit Ovei this mixture we pour boiling water, and when it cools a little the trays are filled with it. On the ground beneath the pavilion we place a large, very shallow earthen-

ware pan of fresh water. This is renewed twice a diay in the frosty •veather and every morning otherwise. Fresh water is an necessary as food to our bird friends, especially in cold weather. On the crossbars that support or uphold this structure I hang cocoaunts, etuffed with suet Our acrobatic friends, the tits, when regaling themselves or these '>er form wondrous antics. This bird-feeding pavilion itandis in front of our dining-roon windows, and it is quite delightful to see the joy and surprise of the many varieties of birds which visit it I have also invented feeding troughs for the birds, which are roofed over so as to protect them whilst feeding from the snow and rain These troughs are placed in sheltered corners of the gardens On almost every tree I have hung up great feeding sticks, with deep, round holes which are filled with fat and seeds regularly. In the wilderness I hang ap meaty bones on the branches and other edibles a + which the birds I ike to peck. Outside each of the Dedroom windows I have had oak trays qut up on supports of iron. On these trays food and fresh water are placed svery morning for the birds. I have also put several hundreds of nesting-boxes in the trees and in many quiet retreats all over the grounds so I think and hope the birds are happy here. In America we always give the' birds, a Christmas tree, and I have tried to keep up the custom in my adopted home. Our servants are very good tc the birds, and outside the windows many birds feed without fear, 01 chatter gossip and. sing while the maids are sewing' close by. Often when I am walking in the garden the birds come so near that I can touch them. They sing to me, and I learn many beautiful secretr from them. IRENE OSQOOD. Guilsborough Hall, Northampton.

Figure Culture,

What Its Victims Have to Suffer.—

The thinning process has grown into nothing short of a mania with Parisian women. Beauty culture is the subject of conversation wherever two or three are gathered together The Parisienne has ceased to find satisfaction in the fact that she is the most elegant as well as the most fascinating woman in the world? she is determined to be the thinnest. Probably Directoire gowns have something to do with this, ar well as a growing taste for athletic exercise. Whatever be the reason the Parisienne. has thrown herself into the culture of her figure, and her craze has already spread to London. From Paris came certain methods of treatment by means of which ladies of fashion are convinced that they may modify and alter their figures to suit the dresses they wear. Adipose tissue is easily got rid of ; even the chin may be modified, and should the nose show a tendency to anything elsethan a delicate aquilme it is guided and directed by a series of rubbings. A rapidly increasing number of women are placing themselves under the hands of the experts. "If I had known what agony I should have to suffer," said one of these victims to fashion the other day, "I should certainly have left my figure as nature intended ,it to be." She then, described the process to which she had been subjected, finding her sole consolation in the fact that she believed henself i-o be a trifle more slim than she had been before spending her guineas 'on a * cure through which she hoped to secure a slim and elegant form. As she was .a small and somewhat dumpy woman,- the marvel was that she had ever been persuaded into the endeavour. She had been twice rubbed with some lotion that smelt strongly of turpentine, then she was left exhausted under the impression that improvement would shortly be apparent. Next morning she was not merely seriously ill, but her skin bad broken out into a. series of lump's and bruises. After a few days this passed away, and the rubbing was resumed. Her masseuse laughed at her, telling her that was to be expected of the process, and that it was nothing to what some of her clients underwent. One beauty had had her face entirely skinned in order that the wrinkles might be taken off, and the result was a complexion as soft as a, child's. Another one had every inch of superfluous flesh rubbed off until her figure emerged graceful and slim. Women have always exercised themselves over their forms, but this rubbing off of adipose tissue is the latest method adopted. At one time a certain soap was recommended for the purpose, but this strong .solution of turpentine and other medicaments is a trifle more drastic. It is quite customary for a masseuse to be told 1 to rub a little off here and to induce a, soupcon more flesh there, women actually believing that they can be kept in perfect proportions by those skilled manipulations. Probably the present-day craze for dancing in the lightest of garments has something to do with this figure culture, for it is said that some-of the women who study these solo dances are inclined l to make balance, poise, lines,

and the genera] appearance of their figures the subject of endless conversation, nauseating to commonsenise people.—Telegraph.

Hints ami Suggestions.

It is not generally known that jaim should always be warmed before spreading sponge pastry, Swiss rolls, etc. If the jam is put on cold, it is apt to make the sponge or roll heavy. To stop a leak in a cask or gas or waterpipe, beat some whiting up with, common yellow soap. Well rubbed into the leak, this will be found to stop it. after everything else has failed. To ( clean mud stains from an umbrella . open, the umbrella, and with a soft cloth dipped in methylated spirit rub the mud stains gently, but persistently. . Repeat, if first process is not sufficient. .Keep the inside wrappers from youi soap, and use them on ironing days.-. They are effective in keeping the iron from sticking if the iron be rubbed over the soapy side before being applied to the clothes. When it is necessary to measure out drops, cut a notch on the sidr of the ccirk, and put it into the bottle. This will answer the same purpose as a phial with a lip. Reverse the cork when not in use to keep in the strength of the con* tents of the bottle. When a. . whitewashed . ceiling has be* come blackened, apply a layer of starch and, water to it with a piece of soft flannel. Allow it to dry, then brush ofl lightly with a brush. The blackness will have disappeared, leaving no marks whatever. Moth-eaten carpets aw often the result' of covering the floors while they are still damp after scrubbing. The floor should be absolutely dry before the carpet is relaid, and it is a good plan to sprinkle a lit/tie insect powder between, the carpet and the boards by way of protection. The most delicate fabric can be successfully washed at home by using soap jelly with a little ammonia and rainwater. A clear day must be chosen for this operation, and coloured articles must be dried in the shade to prevent fading. Looking-glasses may be cleaned by first washing the glass all oven with clean lukewarm soapsuds and a sponge. When dry, rub it bright with a buckskin and a little prepared chalk finely powdered. - The mistake is often made of cleaning white painted lintels, doors, and wainscoting with hot soap- and water. The heat of the water has the effect of destroying the outer coating of varnish, the result being that the paint soon wears away. For this reason a lather should be made with hot water, and the suds then allowed . to cool till just lukewarm, when it may; be safely used. £&T Descriptions of bails, &c, must be endorsed by either the Witness correspondent for tbm district or by the secretary of the ball committee. The MS. of any correspondents who do not comply with this rule will be sent to the secretary 6» (indorsement prior to appearing.—EMMELINE. ! To ensure,, publication in the forthcoming is«na letters should reach the Witness office if possible on Saturday, night, but on no account later Mud Monday night. WEDDING AT KAKANUI. A. very pretty and elaborate wedding toole place *t the residence of Mr -Matheson, Kakanui, on April 13, the .contracting parties j being Miss Sissie Matheson, fifth daughter • of Mr Kenneth Matheson, and Mr Alexander 5 Joseph Crcoke,, of Livingstone. 'The bride, ; who was given away by her father, lcoke*! ; charming in a handsome cream silk dress, beautifully embroidered, and finished with v tulle and orange sprays, with the usuaj • veil and orange' blossoms. She wore * lovely gold brooch, the gift of the bride*, j groom. . The bridesmaid, Miss Mary Miathe-', ;. son, looked very sweet in a- lovely white muslin, the best man being the brother io> the bridegroom. After the ceremony, whicli was performed by the Rev. P. C. Rennie, of • Herbert, the wedding party and friends were ... . photographed, and adjourned to a marques, where a sumptuous wedding breakfast was partaken of, at the close of which the usual toasts were proposed and replied to. The speeches were pleasant features of the gathering, being both numerous and interesting. The wedding presents were numerous, and included a number of very valuable; articles. There was quite «• large number of guests from near and far. The happy couple left amid showers of rice for the: honeymoon, en route for the Lakes. The bride's travelling dress and hat were of a rich and comfortable brown. ■ The horn© where they will settle is in Livingstone.—A! Guest. .-.■ wedding at south dunedin. A very pretty wedding took place - ; t tbe South Dunedin Presbyterian Manse on April ; 12. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. R. Fairmaid, the contracting parlies being Henry, youngest son of Mr James Beighton, Rae's Junction, and Jane Lindsay, eldest daughter oif Mr James Bennet, also of Rae's Junction. The bride, who was given :a.way by her father, looked very nice in % white silk empire dress with tucked panel front. She wore the usual veil and orange blossoms, and carried a lovely bouquet. Miss Alice Beighton, sister of the bridegroom, attended as bridesmaid, - and*- wore a dre&s of heliotrope crystalline, with hat of th« same shade, and carried a bouquet. Mr J. M'Pherson acted as best man. After tb« ceremony the wedding party drove to th« home of Mrs D. M. Beath, Duncan street, Dunedin, where a nice breakfast was taste* fully laid out. After the ,x*sual toasts tha baopy couple left .by the afternoon express for the south, amidst showers of confetti and rice.— Daphne.