LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3383, 15 January 1919, Page 50

LADIES' GOSSIP.

The arrangements made at the beginning of last winter in London—a little late in the day ? it would seem—to provide properly organised subscription dances to counteract the evils brought about through young officers being driven to undesirable places for their amusement is an innovation in modern times—leaving aside charity entertainments —but really it is a throw-back a century or so to the famous Almack's dances, directed and ruled by certain noble ladies with an iron hand. In the new dances the possession of his Majesty's commission and decent behaviour will be the passports, which, a cynic might say, is even a higher test than that which was demanded by the older Georgian hostesses —the test of birth. In its best days no parvenu danced at Almack's, and its autocratic rulers made their own laws and exacted their own penalties. Even rank had to conform; even glory was not exempt; and the great Duke himself was turned away for appearing in trousers, instead of in the regulation continuations of the period!

Apropos of the influence of women in English politics, a writer in a London newspaper inquired the age of the famous Duchess of Devonshire when she took to politics, and the answer was "Seventeen!" Spencer was born in 1757, and in 1774 she was married at Wimbledon Church to William Cavendish, fifth Duke of Devonshire. In the late autumn of that year she and her husband were visiting Lord Rockingham at Wentworth Castle, and in the morning walks across the fields she received at the hands of the owner of Wentworth "himself her initiation into the political world, then mainly concerned with the rebellion of the American Colonies. The famous Westminster election, at which the duchess bought votes with kisses, took place in 1784, when she was 27 years of age, or three years younger than the age at which women may now. cast the vote. There is a story told of a visit paid by Queen Mary some time ago to one of the communal kitchens started by the London Wesleyan Mission in the East End. The Queen delighted the customers by serving at the counter, and one youngster, thrown off his balance, per haps, by the occasion, presented a three-, penny ticket for a twopenny pie. The Queen asked him what he would like for the penny, "Oh, you can have it for yourself, lidy," was the ready response. It is interesting to note that it was the success of the mission's communal kitchen in the East End that furnished the scheme for the National Kitchen movement.

GROWING WHITE FLOWERS.

It sometimes happens that a certain neighbourhood seems to be a particularly "churchy" one, and any girl who lives in such a district and is fond of gardening may be able to add to her pocket-money by growing white flowers for sale. This refers especially to Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. At such churches many flowers are used regularly and at all festivals. Here is a list that will give white blooms all the year round. White flowering bulbs such as single and double narcissus; white tulips, "The Cottage," give extra long 6talks; double white pyrethrums, white snapdragons, white lupins, double white stocks, and Mrs Simpkins and His Majesty's white pinks, tall white campanulas, and Madonna lilies. For autumn and winter there ;are many beautiful white asters and chrysanthemums, and if there is a, tiny cool glass house many white lilies can be grown that need only a little protection from bad weather.

"WASTE."

The British are often accused of being a careless and thriftless race, but the shortage of raw materials for munitions and so on has turned the attention of the nation to the value of much that has hitherto been regarded as rubbish, and the National Salvage Association has been impressing upon English housewives the necessity of saving all they can of various materials. It is simply extraordinary what

use can be made of things that the New Zealand housewife at present consigns to the dust-bin.

"Paper, for instance. Every scrap that can be salvaged counts for the Allies and against the Huns. Repulped, it is made into all sorts of cases for the front—shellcases, cartridge-cases, detonators, paper collars" for fuses, powder-charge containers, and so on. No gun can be fired without a cardboard cartridge-case, because the powder corrodes the metal shell. The high importance of waste paper, even including old wallpaper stripped from the walls, is therefore understandable. Paper should never be tossed into the dust-bin or burnt. To do that is criminal. Old cardboard is remilled, and is used instead of -wooden boarding for lining soldiers' huts at the front. Tiny scraps of string go to strengthen repulped paper. Metal, from ah old key to a disused curtain-ring, make munitions, while clean tins of all kinds, from sardine tins to jelly moulds, are cub open and turned again into tin sheet. Rusty tins aro not lost, for they are melted down and the solder and good metal used. The cracked pair of goloshes you discarded last winter and the hot-water bottle which leaks—they, 'too, are treasures, for old rubber of all kinds is simply melted down and used again. Large pieces of cork are used in the making of lifebuoys, and even the old corks from bottles gd for making cork lino. As to disused clothes, rags, snippings of cloth, old dusters, and such things, which will accumlate in every house, they are utilised by the Government for the making of khaki cloth." HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. Put a small bit of. sugar or a few grains of carbonate of soda in the teapot. Less tea will be needed. Bracken strewed about is said to be a sure way of getting rid of beetles. They eat it ravenously, and then die. . Other methods are cucumber rind, and phosphorus paste spread on bread and butter. Use a tablespoonful of very thick sauce —half an ounce of flour to a gill of liquid —to bind croquettes or a rissoles, instead of an egg. A small quantity of sago or tapioca well boiled in a little water will do just as well. To turn out a cold pudding or jelly, wrap a hot cloth round the outside of the mould for a minute or two. To remove a hot pudding, wrap a cold cloth around it. To Thread a Darning-needle Quickly.— Take a piece of white cotton, put the two ends together, and through the loop which will be formed by the process place the darning wool. Thread the needle with the cotton, pull, and it will be found that the -wool will come through without any trouble. Cut onions quickly absorb impurities in the air, and therefore they are excellent as a disinfectant. The impurities they take up, however, make them unfit for food, so a cut onion should be used at once or thrown away, and never saved for flavouring something at a later date. To Clean Water Bottles.—Water bottles often get to look quite brown when in constant use. A simple but effective way to remove this is to put into the bottle a handful of common salt, cover salt with' vinegar, and shake well. Leave a short time. When thoroughly rinsed it will be found quite clear. To brighten a carpet take five or six large potatoes and scrape them finely into a pail of water. Stir, tljen strain. Wring out a cloth in the water, and rub the carpet. Rinse the cloth as soon as soiled. Should soot fall on a carpet, sprinkle dry salt thickly over it, leave it for a few minutes,- then brash up. No trace of the soot will remain. Home-made Baking Powder.—Four ounces of cream of tartar, six ounces of rice flour, two ounces of bicarbonate of soda. These ingredients must be very thoroughly mixed together, and even the smallest lumps removed. It is best to mix the three, and then rub theni through a fine sieve two or three times, crashing up any lumps. Store the -powder in *a tin with a closely fitting lid, and in a dry place. As a rule, two heaped teaspoonfuls of the powder will be sufficient to raise a pound of flour. The secret of making good biscuits is in getting the dough of exactly the right consistency. It should be.': just moist enough to be rolled out on a* floured board, but it must not be too dry, or the biscuit will bake hard, and be unpalatable. You will need a little practice before you can get just the happy medium. Always have a very cool oven for biscuit-making. If you get it too hot, the biscuits may burn, and they will cer-

tainly bo very tough. Also you "will not get them thoroughly cooked through. Always take great pains to mix your butter well in with the sugar or flour. It should be rubbed together with tho tips of the fingers or the butter and sugar should be creamed together and the flour added later. far Descriptions or balls, &0., must be en florsed by either the Witneßs correspondent tor the district or by the secretary of tho hall committee. The MS. of any correspondents who do not comply with this rule will be sent to the seoretary for indorsement prior to appearing.—ELlZAßETH. To ensure publication in the forthoommg issne letters should reach tho Witness office if possibli on Saturday night, but on no account later thua Monday night. WEDDING AT GORE. A very pretty -wedding was celebrated at tho 'Gore Presbyterian Church, the contracting parties being. Miss O. Sproat, youngest daughter of Mr and Mrs H. Sproat fWaikaia), and Mr G. G.'Menzies (Invercargill), second sou of Mr Q-. Menzies (Dunedin). The bride, who was given awiay by her father, was charmingly gowned in white crepe de chine trimmed with 3atin, and wore a lovely cap and veil. Miss Bell (Gore) attended the bride, and Mr Nelson was groomsman. The bridle's present to the bridegroom was a gentleman's dressing case, and the groom's present to the bride was «. gold wristlet watch. The breakfast was held at Mr Hoffman's 'Tea Booms. The bride's travelling dress was grey crepe de chine, and a pretty grey hat trimmed with pink. The happy ooupl© received many handsome present* and cheques. ,