LADIES'S GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3278, 10 January 1917, Page 51

LADIES'S GOSSIP.

Tho first ladv to be sworn in as a magistrate in Canada is Mrs Arthur Murphy, "Janev Canuck," who has recently been appointed Police Magistrate for the city of Edmonton, having jurisdiction of all cases in which women and girls are the principals. "Janey Canuck" is a well-known writer, and her books have been read all over the Dominion, 'n 1914 sho was decorated by King George as a Lady of Grace of the Order of St. John'of Jerusalem. During her residence in Edmonton for the last eight years she has taken a prominent part in the social work of tho community. L. George in the Atlantic Monthly, the witty author mentions a few "things to be done" in order to make marriage successful. One is:—"Once a day say to a wife, 'I love you.' To a husband, 'How strong you are!' If the latter remark is ridiculous, say 'How clever you are!' for everybody believes that." Another iniunction is:—"Do not open each other's letters. . . . And try not to look liberal if you don't even glance at the address or the postmark." What with helping in the organisation of sailors' flag days, superintending the work of her hospital ship Sheilah, and interesting herself generally in the raising of funds for the different charities for sailors' wives and children, Lady Beatty has had her hands pretty full since the war. In times of peace she did a great deal of entertaining on her handsome yacht, which has now been turned over to works of mercy, and invitations <o cruises were eagerly sought after. It was on one of these cruises, it will be remembered, that Milhccnt Duchess of Sutherland was taken ill and had to be landed at Gibraltar. She is a splendid hostess, abundantly gifted with that gracious charm which is so characteristic of the best type of American woman. On many occasions she has thrown open the rooms and grounds of her London residence, Hanover Lodge, llegent's Park, to functions in aid of the sacred cause of charity, and the same may be said in regard to Aberdour House, Fife, which she makes her chief headquarters these days. The Beattys are well known as being one of the handsomest couples in society. Their little sons, David and Peter, are fine healthy lads. Both are going into the navy, and they never tire of talking of their father's splendid achievements in the North Sea. The sailors' wives have an intense admiration for the Admiral's lady, who knows what it is to have to watch and wait for a husband who is in danger. At the time of the battle of Horn Reef, on May 31, she shared an all-night vigil with many of them on the lonely pier cf a remote coast town, waiting for the news which was all too long in coming. The shortage of servants at Buckingham Palace has necessitated a shortage in their annual holidays. In pre-war days the servants' holidays at Buckingham Palace began when the Court went to Balmoral in August, and they got from a month to a couple of weeks each, according to the standing of the servant and his or her period of service in Royal employ. The King and Queen this year, at some pergonal inconvenience to themselves, have arranged for all the servants in turn to get at least a week's holiday, and some who have been particularly hard worked will get a fortnight. Short holidays seem to be the rule everywhere.

It was only the other day that 1 suddenly realised what a lesson there is in St. Peter's words quoted in the last chapter of St. John: "I go a-fishing." > The disciples had just experienced a most terrible bereavement, and were probably anxious and troubled about the future, just as so many of us are at present. But St. Peter evidently felt that merely to sit down and think about it was to make things worse instead of better, so he announced his intention of going back to work, thus setting a good example to the rest.

I think that nowadays a good many of us are doing likewise. Wo have realised that in work, especially if it be for others lies our own salvation.

Trniirnir tlir lA'tle Ones. Few parents realise how readily ideas are implanted in the children's minds, and how easily a lasting impression is created Take the German way of training small boys to glory in soldiers! A love of warfare—and incidentally horrible cruelty—is thereby intentionally implanted. From their earliest days children should bo taught to liato cruelty in any and every form. They can be interested only in what thev like.

Tho toys they love, the people they love, and the games they love must grip their interests first.

the child s welfare is an all-important factor m life nowadays ; everything tends to his well-being, education, health, and recreation ; and in the present-day boy and girl wo look for the greater promise of the to-morrow and its advancement. But the child can never be entirely lovable find childlike if ho is not taught how to love, to be merciful, gentle, patient, and sweet-tempered ; and one of the best aids in this direction is certainly the keeping of pets. The child who is not taught to be fond of animals will grow up naturally thoughtless of his dumb friends' sufferings; he will bo the loser of so much that is beautiful and strong and manly and ho can never know the delight of" a dog s companionship, or the affection for a pet bird or cat.

Children need to be influenced in a hundred little ways, and the teaching of humane treatment to animals fs one that should be taught at all hours. Says Kuskin:—"He who is not actively kind is cruel." Children are not cruel' from intention usually, but simply from lack of imagination. Cultivate the child's

imagination, interest him in the lives >f Others and the ways of the animal-world. "Teach him all day long, in season and | out of season, "to stand in the other chap's shoes' as well as in his own. His own especial point of view will take care of itself, and surely it is the possession of only, one point of view that makes the j selfish or cruel man or woman."

German Women Their Bitter War Spirit. — According to Mr Thomas Curtin, the American journalist who, in the columns of The Times, has been giving the world the impressions of Germany he gained during two months' recent residence there, the venom of th» German women in regard to the war is quite in contrast with the feeling expressed by English ladies. German women have read a great deal about English and American women, and they cordially detest them. Their point of view, says Mr Curtin, is very difficult to explain. When I have told German women that in many States 4 n my country women have votes, their reply is, "How vulgar!" Their attitude towards tho whole qnestion of women's franchise is that it is a form of American lack of culture and lack of authority The freedom accorded to English and American girls is misunderstood. It is regarded as a form of laxity of morals. Many of the older-fashioned German folk forbid their daughters piaying lawn-tennis because they regard it as indecent. A Dutch girl who, in the presence of some German ladies, expressed admiration

for certain aspects of English feminine life, was fiercely and venomously attacked by that never-failing weapon, the German woman's tongue. The poor thing, who mildly expressed the view that hockev was a good game for girls, and the fine complexions and elegant walk of English women were due to outdoor sports, was reduced almost to tears. The intolerance of German women ;s almost impossible to express. I know a case of one young girl, a German-Ameri can, whose parents returned to Hamburg, who declined to repeat the ridiculous German formula, "Gott strafe England,'' and stuck to her point, with the result that she was not invited to that circle again.

There is a notion in England that tho "Gott strafe England" cry has ceased in Germany. I found no sign of its lessening, and to it has been added "Gott strafe Amcrika," the latter being eyen more popular with the German women than the German men. The pastors, professors, and the press have told the German women that their nusbands and sons and lovers are being killed. by American shells. A man who ought to know better, like Prince Rupert of Bavaria, made a public statement that half of the Allies' ammunition is American. At cue not far distant moment, the feeling against America on tho part of German women became so intense that tho American flag had to be withdrawn from the American hospital at Munich, although that hospital, supported by German-American funds, has done wonderful work for the German wounded.

Arguments with German women about tho war are absolutely futile. The Allies have just scored successes on the Western front and on the Carso ; The German women, who, after their own method follow the Avar very closely, will blindly believe that these defeats are tactical rearrangements of positions, dictated by the wisdom of the General Staff, and so long as no Allied troops are upon German soil, so long will the German populace believe in the invincibility of its army. I am speaking always of the middle and unner classes, who ara mi the whole, but

with increasing exceptions, as intensely pro-war as the lower classes are anti-war. The neglect, and in some case, refusal, to attend the English wounded by German nurses are a sign both of their own intensity of feeling in regard to the war and their entirely different mentality. Again and again i have heard German women say, " In the event of a successful German invasion of England the women will accompany the men, and teach tho women of England that Avar is war." Their remarks m regard to the women of my own country are equally offensive. Indeed States that Germany regards as neutral, and who are treated by the officially controlled German press with a certain amount of respect, are loathed uy German women. Their attitude is that all who aro not on their side are their enemies. American women, who are making shells for the British, French, and Russians, are just as much the enemies of Germany as the Allied soldiers and sailors. One argument often used is that to be strictly neutral America should make no munitions at all. but it would not bo so bad, say the Germans, if half the American ammunition went to Germany and half to the Allies. I lost my temper once bv saying to one elderly, red-faced frau, " Since you have beaten the English at sea, why don't you send your ships to fetch it?" "Our Meet," she said, "is too busy choking the English fleet in its safe hiding-places to afford time to go to America. You will see enough of our fleet one day, young man." Summing up this brief and very sketchy analysis of German feminity in the war,

I reiterate views expressed on previous visits to Germany, that German women are not standing the anxiety of the war as well as those of France and England. They have done noble work for the Fatherland, but the grumblings of the lower third of the population are now such as have not been heard since 1848. German officials in the Press department of the- Foreign Office try and explain the unrest away to neutral correspondents like myself, but many thinking Germans are surprised and troubled by this unexpected manifestation on the part of those who for generations have been almost as docile and* easily managed as children.

JSiuts anil When boiling a ham the flavour will be greatly improved if a teacup of vinegar and 'six cloves are added to each gallon of water. Let the ham in the water in which it is boiled, and it will be deliciously moist and nice.

To sharpen scissors that have become blunt, open them and move backwards and forwards on a piece of gla-ss. To make pretty glassware look sparkling and clear, put a few drops of blue into some soapsuds and wash in the ordinary way.

A few drops of paraffin added to boot polish will enable you to give quite a good shine to damp boots. Apple and blackberry, equal parts, is a delicious jam mixture, and fib of sugar to lib of fruit makes it quite sweet enough.

To clean alabaster, soap well, and wash with hot water. If stained, apply fuller's earth, pipe-clay, or whiting for three or four hours, then wash off. If very dirty and stained, first wash with nitre acid diluted with water.

Casement curtains will hang more evenly and without sagging if they axe threaded on thin wire, attached to the windowframe by hooks screwed firmly into the woodwork. To remove the smell of fish from a. saucepan, put some tea leaves into it. fill with cold water, and stir with a stick till it boils; then simmer for from 10 to

15 minutes, pour out, and wipe with paper, when all traces of fishy smell will have disappeared. A little flavouring is a tremendous improvement to a junket, and coffee makes : a delicious flavouring. Save your table-linen bill by using instead a sheet of good white American cloth, cut the same size as your usual tablecloth, and rolled round a stick after each meal. When the war is over, go | brick to your dainty linen if you like. | To make a good brass polish for small I articles, add one part of sulphuric acid 'to one part of nitric acid. Dip the article ! to be cleaned first into the acid and then | into water, and dry with clean sawdust. i No matter how tarnished the brass may i be, this process will brighten it almost j instantaneously. Metal utensils that have I copper in them may be brightened by | rubbing them with a strong solution of ; oxalic acid applied with a cloth. Tho bread pan should be washed and ! thoroughly scalded out every week. Don't leave small scraps of bread to accumulate in the pan, cut them into finger-shaped pieces, dip in milk, and bake in the oven till dry and crisp. They can be eaten lin place of biscuits, with cheese. Brown I all crusts and roll out with the rolling--1 pin. Store in a tin, for raspings for cooki fish, cutlets, and so on. To Save Butter.—An excellent plan by I which to reduce tho butter bill is by I addition of a little milk. To every pound i of butter take half a pint of milk, put I the butter in a basin, warm the milk I and add a pinch of salt, beat it well ! into the butter for about 15 or 20 minutes.

You will then find that you have a nice creamy butter, and you will also find that it will go almost twice as far. The more you beat it, the better it will be.