LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3333, 30 January 1918, Page 51

LADIES' GOSSIP.

Lady Bying, •■ wife of General Bying, is an extrepiely handsome and attractive woman, fond of simple, open-air English life, and devoted to animals. She is the only daughter of Sir Richard Moreton. A novelist of some distinction, she wrote "Barriers" in 1912, and "Anne of the Marshlands," which made quite a stir in 'the following year. She spends most of her time at her home in Essex. Of all articles of apparel footwear has felt the pressure of war -conditions most. As the price of our boots and shoes increases the amount of leather used in them diminishes. Manufacturers - driven to find substitutes for it are producing some really beautiful shoes "for indoor wear from a variety of materials such as velvet, silk, and brocade. A pair of dress shoes made in the last-named fabric were really finished works of art. The rich, deep tones of the brocade were outlined in gold tinsel thread, even the heels being thus ornamented. This is one of the fashions borrowed from the day of the Regency, when high-born beauties flirted at Brighton or Bath under,,the patronage of Beau Brummel of the "First Gentleman in Europe." Miss Marion Cleveland, daughter of the late ex-President Cleveland, was married recently at Princeton, N.J., to William Stanley Dell, of New York. Mr Dell is a graduate of Princeton of the class of 1916, and has been engaged in ambulance service in France, where he was awarded the French Cross of the Legion of Honour. Miss Jane Morgan, daughter of Mr J. Pierpont Morgan, was married in New York the other day to Mr George Nicols, a well-known' yachtsman. Miss Morgan, who is in her twenty-fifth year, will inherit a large share of the £40,000,000 left to her father by the late Mr Pierpont Morgan, with whom she was always a great favourite. For some time Miss Morgan has been guarded as jealously as any Royal Princess, and before the outbreak of war spent most of her time at sea on the "Corsair," one of the largest private yachts in the world. for no wedding invitations to be sent out now. People seem to prefer to announce the event in the papers, and add that "all friends will be welcome at the church, and afterwards at " wherever the subsequent festivities take place. Possibly this is a result of the paper shortage, or that people are too busy these days to send out dozens of invitations. families the father's will is law, no son or daughter marries without his permission, and in choosing a wife for his son capacity for plenty of hard work is the principal consideration—no nonsence about love or compatibility of temperament. In most Russian villages there's an old woman who makes it her business to find out for inquiring fathers all about eligible candidates. You tell her your requirements in the way of a- wife for your son and she does the rest, charging a fee varying according to whether it's a good bargain or a rather bad one as soon as the wedding bells have been set ringing. " Small Talk." Can you talk small talk? If you can, be thankful. If you can't, suppose you learn to. It is splendid to be able to talk well on deep and important subjects, but that ability does not by any means do away

with the need of being able to talk lightly and easily on unimportant subjects. And the man or girl who considers that it does, and despises small talk, I think makes a great mistake. Small talk is the small coin of social intercourse, and as such no one can afford to be without it. To be able to talk witty and sparkling small talk is a fine art. One listens to people who can do that with the same enjoyment with which one watches a game at tennis between skilful players. That, however, is a gift. We cannot all possess it. But by conscientiously forcing ourselves to practise it whenevr occasion arises, we can all learn to talk small talk pleasantly.

The Children's Room.

Tho time is fast coming, it is sincerely to be hoped, when a room for the children's own use will be regarded as a necessity in every family. It is much better for the children to have a nursery where they can amuse themselves as they please without constant reminders "not to make a noise," "not to make a litter," and so forth—restrictions which so often rob childhood of most of its sunlight. A light cheerful room should be selected for the nursery, and a gay nursery paper should beautify the walls. A child brought up in bright surroundings stands amuch better chance of getting the best out of life. The imagination is stimulated and high, happy spirits are encouraged. The less furniture there is in the nursery the better. A round table, rather than a square one, will prevent many bruises. Chairs should be low, and the toy cupboard such that the children can tidy'it out regulaa-hy for themselves. A bright linoleum, which can be frequently washed makes the best floor-covering, with a rug in front of the fire. It is a good plan -to secure the corners with drawing pins so that they can't be tripped over. A safe-guard in front of the fire should be the very first item bought for the nursery. The older children should be provided with a book-shelf of their own—upon which to store school and other prizes. They should gradually grow up with the idea that a room without some books in it is not, in any complete sense, furnished. This will help to establish in their minds the value of the contents of books and develop whatever love of knowledge they possess. .' Nursery pictures should be very carefully chosen, both as to subjects and production. Animal and flower studies, scenes of naval life and pictures relating to the characters of famous books —all these are suitable. Such subjects as a dog in the 'act of killing a rat—a type of picture not infrequently seen—is calculated to accustom a child's mind to the ugly and cruel things in life, and even to incline it to take delight in them.

Hints and Sniraresfions. To wash red flannel successfully, mix a handful of flour in a quart of cold water and boil it for 10 minutes. To this add some soapsuds and wash the flannel gently, rinsing rather than rubbing it. Only castile or ivory soap should be used. Tablecloths should' be frequently changed in the folding for ironing, so greatly lengthening their durability. They should be ironed with the warp, otherwise they will "scallop." Iron them wrong side put, then fold back, so as to open easily. Fold the edges to the centre. . Clothes Spotted by Rain.—Wipe away the wet the way' of the nap of the cloth as soon as posible, using a handkerchief or soft brush or sponge for the purpose. By attention to this very simple method the cloth should be found free from spots and quite smooth when dry. When making spongecake or sandwich it is a good plan to put a tablespoonful of water, with the chill off it, in the cake mixture, directly after pouring in the eggs. This makes it beautifully light and spongy. Cleaning an Umbrella.—Place a tablespoonful of sugar in a basin, pour oyer it half a pint of boiling water, and stir till dissolved. Then open the umbrella, and, starting from the ferrule, sponge each gore down to the point. Leave the umbrella open till dry, when - the cover will look fresh and bright. Window Cleaning.—lnstead of using wet cloths, whiting, or paraffin, first remove the dust, then sprinkle a little liquid brass polish on a rag and rub over the glass. Let it dry, then polish with a soft dry duster. The windows will keep clean a long time, and flies will not settle on them. When making pastry with dripping, melt it slightly and beat to a cream before adding to the flour. The pastry will then be as light as if made with butter. The same applies to lard. When the oven becomes too hot place a basin of cold wtiter intoit, but do not leave the door open. This answers the purpose of cooling the oven, and the rising steam prevents the fdod from burning. Jellies and cold puddings will sometimes break when turning out on to a dish. To obviate this, wrine a cloth out in hot water and place tightly round the mould or basin; leave for about a minute before turning out. To preserve parsley place a small lump of charcoal in the water in which the parsley stands, and it will keep fresh a long time. The same applies to mint and other fresh herbs. Babv's flannel underwear will look much nicer if it is ironed in the following way : First take care that it is thoroughly dry; then wet a piece of coarse cheesecloth—say, a yard—put it over the flannel, and iron till the garment is dry. Front doormats should not be beaten, but rolled right side outside two or three times. The dirt will fall out quite readily, and a good brushing will complete the process. By this method doormats last

much longer. Old mats may be covered with the best part of an old carpet, thus making a pad to stand on while ironing, which is a great boon to the tired feet. One of these pads placed at the bottom of the cellar steps, on which to wipe the shoes, keeps the steps much cleaner than without, thus saving labour. All housewives make pastry of somo sort, and these hints cannot fail to bo of interest to many. Sieve all flour. Keep everything as cool as possible. The pastry should*be mixed with a knife. Use water sparingly when mixing the paste. When rolling, sprinkle the board with flour, rolling very lightly. Bake in a hot oven. Do not make a draught in the oven by constantly opening and shutting the door. Don't turn the pastry over when rolling } keep the same side always to the board. Allow the pastry to cool gradually when removed from the oven. Store in a cool larder.