LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3327, 19 December 1917, Page 56

LADIES' GOSSIP.

The heads of a new Government deparment, in which numerous temporary women clerks are employed, have summed up sufficient courage to issue a ukase against cigarette-smoking during official hours. In two of the offices (says the Daily Sketch) this daring action resulted in a 50 per cent, increase in work for the first day. In-another it had the opposite effect —probably due to the resentment of a few of the leading smokers. Now the antidote of weeding out those who have been raising smoke :'s being tried. A Canadian sister, says a writer in the Globe, Miss Eoberta Mac Adams, M.P., of the Canadian Military Nursing Service, holds the rank of lieutenant, the rank carrying pay equal to that of a commissioned man. Many congratulations have been received by the new M.P. on the announcement of her success in the Alberta Parliamentary election. She has the distinction of being the first woman to be elected on British soil. The position of member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly carries no salary, but there is an annual sessional allowance of £3OO, to compensate for time devoted to attendances. This allowance, in view of the high cost of living in Canada, and the salaries usually paid, hardly' tempts anyone to enter politics as a means of livelihood.

MaKe the B»st of Your Holiday. When on holiday, map out the day so wisely that you get the maximum of pleasure "with the minimum of strain. Avoid exercise during the hot part of the day in the blazing sun. Take food regularly, and give up heavy diet, which is not r>ecessary in hot weather, when the body heat is easily maintained. So_ take good fruit, salads, egg-and-milk dishes in preference to butchers' meat, rich food, and thick soups. Try to avTsid rapid cooling after exercise, and remember to change the cloth-

ing when perspiration is excessive, and thus avoid a.chill;

Never on any account eat food that is tainted. .Meat and fish spoil rapidly in hot weather, and headaches and sickness are the penalties for those who eat them. If, after a week's holiday, you do not feel better than at the beginning, ask yourself the.reason why. Investigate carefully your diet. Find out if your bedroom is properly ventilated, and ask yourself if you are getting enough sleep. Plan your day so that you have sufficient moderate exercise, and yet enough rest to give your system a chance of recuperation after the strain and work of the last six months.

Give your eyes as much rest as possible, unless your sight is undeniably good, and reading novels is one of the recreations you love. Many people suffer from eyestrain during holiday-time from the combined glare of the sun and the excessive use of the eyes. Also, at the beginning of a holiday the eyes are generally over 1 - j-trained and fagged by the lowered "vitality of the whole system. When it can be achieved, it is much the wisest possible measure for the brain-worker to give the eyes a complete rest. Wear clothing as light in texture <md colour as possible, as heavy clothes increase the tendency to heat exhaustion. Light clothes also are more suitable to the holiday spirit, and prevent a great deal of the excessive heat and discomfort of which so many people complain. Children's. Holiday Troubles. Running barefoot is one of the special joys of a seaside holiday, but there is always a danger of running upon splintered glass, rusty nails, etc. The smallest injury due to such causes • should be promptly treated to a thorough bathing in cold water and boracic powder applied. Insect Bites.—The bites of gnats, mosquitoes, etc., are most annoying to children, especially when they run about barefoot-or in sandals, as, the insects seem specially apt to attack the ankles. There is nothing so good for insect bites or stings, as ammonia. The strong liquid ammonia should be used, and just a drop applied. If you have no ammonia by you, eau-de-Cologne may be used. Sprains.—Slight sprains are sometimes caused by rock-climbing and so on. The strained part, usually the ankle, should be bathed with cold water, or, better still, . bandages soaked in cold water should be applied. The child should be made to . rest the injured part at first. No amount of rest will answer the same purpose later. Sunburn.—Children with a sensitive skin which has been exposed to a very hot sun will sometimes suffer from painful sunburn. To treat this, and to prevent the skin from breaking out into sun- ( - sores, bathe the face with hot water when the child goes to bed, then rub some good cold cream in quite thickly. In the morning gently, but thoroughly, wipe off the cream, dust the face Avith fuller's earth, and wipe off again. Midsummer live. , It is always a night of charms and enchantment, and all connected with the old, old story. And one of the prettiest of these fancies was ( that of the midsummer rose. By its kindly help the maiden could find out her future lover. The rose was gathered on Midsummer Eve, the gatherer walking backward to the bush on which it grew. Once gathered,- it was wrapped in white paper, without its owner looking at it. Then it was put away carefully until Christmas morning, when she wore it to church, feeling sure that the—man she was .to marry would take it from her on her way home. f Another midsummer custom was to write the letters of the alphabet on separate bits of paper, and put them, face downwards, into a bowl of water on going to bed. If any of the letters had turned over by the morning, they were the initials of the future bridegroom. By the way, was any ' harmless deception ever used to help' Fate's decision? Hints and Susraestioiis. Have a.dish of hot mince-pies and one of cold on tHe table, as some people prefer one, some the other. No matter whetifer there are children present or not, it is a good plan to "set the pudding alight," for this ensures it being kept "piping hot." The usual sauce for Christmas Day pudding consists of flaming brandy. To make this satisfactorily, the pudding must be served on a very hot dish, some brandy poured round. A spoonful of brandy should be warmed over a taper, a match will then be applied to the brandy in the spoon, and, as soon as* it is alight, it should be poured into the brandy in the dish. The effect is excellent. Candied Peel.—This is a cheap way of making your own candied peel for Christmas. Cover the peel of oranges and lemons (cut them in half first) with cold water, and boil till soft. Boil two cupfuls of sugsr in one and a-half of water until it threads , when dropped from the spoon. Cook the peel in the syrup for 10 minutes, drain, and coat with granulated sugar ! This will keep for any length of time in a dry place. Packing Christmas Puddings for Abroad. —Make a stiff dough of flour and -water. Roll and lay the pieces over the tops of the puddings, completely covering them, and over the paste put a pieco of buttered paper. Cover each pudding with a dry cloth, tie securely, and plunge into boiling water. When cooked, leave on their side to thoroughly drain. When cold, remove cloths and paper . let dry, and tie up again with dry cloths: Wrap the pudding in white paper, and pack in a square biscuit tin. Pieces of newspaper crushed up make the best packing. The box should be spidered all round when the lid is put ori. .

A tiny spray of the Christmas tree fir tied -with red "baby ribbon, and placed in

each serviette makes the dinner table look bright and effective. Fir is the old Norse emblem of eternal friendship, so the sentiment is a charming one. to make known amongst your guests. Make everything look as Christmassy as possible. Stick a piece of holly in the pudding and on the mince-pie dish, and put some small national flags on the cake.

- When making mince-pies and similar pastries, brush over the top with cold water, and sprinkle with fine castor sugar. Their appearance will be improved; they will look beautifully brown, and will also be more tasty and crisp. The art of carving turkey is to get as many fine slices from the breast as possible. Commence cutting slices close to the wing lengthways, going upwards towards the ridge'of the breast-bone. When sending cake 3 away, do not peel off the greased paper round and under them, as it helps to keep cakes fresh and moist.

To Line a Cake-tin. —Take a sheet of kitchen or ordinary wrapping paper. Fold it so as to form two thicknesses. Stand the cake-tin you are going- to use on it, and with a pencil mark its size round on the paper. Remove the tin, and cut round this mark so that you have rounds of paper which fit inside the tin. Brush these with warm dripping, and lay aside. Fold another paper into a band of two thicknesses, long enough to go right round the tin, and leave ends to wrap well over and deep enough to stand up above the top of the tin three inches. Crease down one edge of the band to depth half an inch, notch this flap, and grease the band all over. Fit it inside the tin, so that the notched flap comes at the bottom of tin. Slip in the rounds first, and then put in the strip round the sides.