LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3216, 3 November 1915, Page 67

LADIES' GOSSIP.

Most famous actresses confess to some disappointment. That of Miss Ellen Terry is that, during all the years she has played Portia, she has seldom had a Bassanio to her way of thinking. They were usually all too genteel. Of one Bassanio she has remarked: “In the love scenes he appeared to be taking orders for furniture.” Among the well-known ladies who are doing nursing work at the front is Miss M. Allan, Sir Hugh Allan’s only surviving daughter. Her two younger sisters lost their lives in the Lusitania outrage. Lady Allan escaped the death which came to her little girls, but she was badly injured. Miss Allan is now at a hospital in France.

One of the wittiest of society hostesses is Lady Crewe. At dinner, Lord Rosebery, her father, happened to he sitting between Mrs Asquith and the late Duchess of Cleveland. “Look at papa!” she exclaimed, “sitting between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries!”

Tim Duchess of Bedford is very fond of athletics, and among other things has mastered the intricacies of ju-jitsu. She loves all animals, and there is scarcely anything she does not know about birds, beasts, and fishes. Her only son, the Marquis of Tavistock, commonly known to his intimates as “Tavvy,” inherits his

mother’s simple tastes and passion for natural history. Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, it is stated, may contribute a volume of memoirs of her husband, the late Duke of Argyll. He was a man of wide accomplishment and a great correspondent, and both he and his Royal Consort kept an open door and frequent table for writers and painters and sculptors and musicians. The Princess has sincere friendships in the world of Bohemia, while the late Duke, outside of the artistic circle which he loved, was closely informed in politics and statecraft—far more so than most people supposed. His reminiscences, edited by her Royal Highness, should certainly be most welcome and entertain ing. A good story is told about the Countess of Warwick. On one occasion she was canvassing for votes- at a Parliamentary election, and stopped at a house the door of which was opened by a burly woman, who, eyed her none too graciously. "May I ask,” said the Countess in her sweetest manner, "to what party your husband belongs?” "Certainly,” answered the woman, as she made to shut the door again, "I’m the party to whom ’e belongs, and well ’e knows it!” The school children of Manitoba have contributed the sum of £7ll to the Canadian Rod Cross Fund. The children were permitted to contribute any amount from a halfpenny to a shilling, but no contribution exceeding the latter amountwas to he taken. The lists containing the names of the children and the amount of their contributions have been sent to the Canadian Bed Cross Society with a cheque for the amount given. The war has caused a martial revival of the jet indnstrv in Whitby. The Whitby jet trade, which in 1860 employed 1000 men, and a dozen years later was estimated at something approaching £IOO.OOO in value, had fallen to very small proportions (says The Times) owing to changes in fashion and to the introduction of foreign shoddy material. But the limitation of foreign trade owing to the war and the difficulty of obtaining sufficient black glass and other substitutes for bangles, brooches, hatpins, and dress

j ornaments, together with the prevalence I of mourning, has created a fresh demand, I and all the locM workers are now again j busily employed. Queen Amelia of Portugal, always to the fore -where charity is concerned, has provided a pair of artificial legs for a ! private of the 3rd Worcesters, who had both legs amputated in St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, owing to the injuries inflicted by shrapnel at the front. Her Majesty’s attention having been called to his case, she offered to provide the artificial : legs at a cost of ICO guineas. The private , had undergone no fewer than 15 opera- ; tions, and his courage through them all won the admiration of the hospital staff. An Australiaii idea. The Housewives’ Co-operative Association—although a comparatively new movej ment—is gaining much favour in the eyes jof careful housekeepers. Thirty women | have given their services voluntarily to j instruct housewives in the system of group 1 buying, and to distribute goods at suburi ban depots. Depots in nine suburbs are I affiliated with the central bureau. Of j these the Sandringham centre shows the j greatest activity. It has a membership I of 115, though established only one month. The honorary office-bearers there have devoted much time to propaganda work, and take turns to collect and distribute the goods at the depot, which probably accounts for its rapid progress. The collection of samples at the central depot is most interesting It includes home-made jams, pickles, dried fruits, herbs, dairy

produce, walnuts, flowers, flannel and cotton goods. One woman has sent in samples of eucalyptus oil, distilled by herself. It is hoped that the association may yet become a powerful factor in inducing women to take up rural industries. The general organiser recently received a

letter from a housewife in Papua, asking if it would be possible to simply women living in the north with fresh Victorian fruit. Women can join the association by taking a £1 share, payable at the rate of Is per month.

Hints ami "ugprestions

If you have a tiresome window that persists in rattling make a set of four little wooden wedges to fit into the looselyfitting frames. Paint these to match the other paint in the room. The little wedges will never be noticed, and yon will find them such a boon. To clean matting, cover any grease spots with prepared chalk damped with turpentine, then rub off and wash with weak borax and water. ' Brass bedsteads will keep in much belter condition if occasionally rubbed over with a little sweet oil ; afterwards well wipe with a dry duster and polish with a leather. Wh on jam assumes a “sugary” appearance, stand it in the oven until the sugar has melted, and when cool it will be ready for use. Wash sponges in water in which a little tartaric acid is dissolved ; they will be beautifully clean and white. Rinse in plenty of clean water. A letter which has been sealed with the white of an egg cannot be opened by the steam of boiling water, as the heat- only adds to its firmnessGrease Spots on Silk.—Take a lump of magnesia, and, having wetted it, rub it over the grease-marks. Let it dry, and then brush the powder off, when the spots will he found to have disappeared. New potatoes are most wholesome and extremely nice cooked French fashion. The -potatoes are carefully scraped, if quite small left whole, if larger cut- in two or three lengthwise. Dry each carefully with a perfectly clean cloth. Sprinkle with

salt, set in a wide pan over a slow fin. in a quantity of butler, turn constantly till nicely brown. Excellent stops can be made for the •doors by covering cotton reels with material to match the carpet in colouring, and nailing down through the centre with a long brass-headed nail. _ It the sink has been unused for a considerable time, through the non -c being ttnlet or the occupants away, r.,h mutton or beef tallow on it. The sink should be fiusho I every day with boiling water, and now and again soda should be added to the water. By this treatment a lot of unnecessary bother may be saved, as when sinks are never properly cleansed they become greasy. Slimy W ash-leather.—First thoroughly wash the leather in soap and hot water, then wring it out, lay it flat on a table, and sprinkle salt all over it. Now roll your leather up tightly, placing the salted side inwards, and lay it aside for about. 10 minutes. Repeat the process, putting tli3 salt on the other side of the leather, and lastly wash in warm water, rinse it well, and hang it up to dry. You will find that all sliminess has disappeared, ami the leather is almost equal to new. Never use a liniment near an open flame, for a liniment usually contains some substances of an inflammable nature. Inkstains on Books.—Tukstaius may bo removed from paper in the following manner. First wash the paper with warm water, using a camelVhair brush for the purpose. By this means the surface ink is removed, and the mark should then be moistened with oxalic acid, in the proportion of loz to half a pint of water. The inkstains will immediately disappear. Finally, again wash the stained place with clean water, and dry with white blottingpaper. Great care must be taken, however, in the use of oxalic acid, as it is a very dangerous poison. Nothing freshens up a house so much as the smell, of lemon or lavender. You can buy oil of lavender or oil of citronella, and add it to your furniture or floor polish. Oil of citronella is especially good to nse about the house in the summer, as flies hate the smell of it, and keep away. If you want your oilcloth to look bright, and yet last a long time, never use water on it. To clean it, rub it with a flannel, dipped in turpentine to get out stains. Then shave half an ounce of beeswax into a cup, and stand it in a cup of boiling water. Add a saucerful of turpentine, a little Castile soap (shaved upl, and a few drops of oil of citronella. Whip this until it begins to get stiff, and then put it in a not. A little of this rubbed into the oilcloth not only brightens, but preserves it, and freshens up a- stuffy room wonderfully. It is especially good in an invalid's room.

Removing Scorch Stains.—One of the host and quickest methods of removing scorch stains from a fine white tablecloth is to extract the juice of two onions by, pressing with a spoon, and mix this with 2o ■/. of fuller’s earth, afterwards shred ■■ ding about a tablespoonful of white soap and finally adding a cupful of white vinegar. Mix the ingredients together, and allow to gradually boil. When cool, spread a little of the compound on the scorched part and allow to dry. In some instances it will be found advisable to twice moisten the paste with vinegar and to leave it to dry again. When perfectly dry, wash the linen in the ordinary way. This method will remove the worst, traces of scorch if the linen has been greatly injured : but if only slightly injured no trace will be left at all. Exposure to the rays of strong sunlight for a long period is also effective for removing slightly scorched stains, and which method can be emploved first if desired. Of course, if the fibres have been broken through contact with hot iron, nothing can he expected to restore them.