LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3385, 29 January 1919, Page 50

LADIES' GOSSIP.

Miss Opha M. Johnson, of Washington, U.S.A., has made a record for herself by enrolling in the Marine Corps Reserve as a private, being the first American woman to be regularly sworn - a member of the United States Forces.

The four daughters of the King and Queen of. Italy are great favourites with the public. The eldest, Princess Yolanda, helps her mother a great deal, and has even done a little nursing, one part of the Quirinal Palace having been transformed into a sick, ward for refugee children ; in fact, rooms. originally belonging to the Royal children have been put aside for that purpose, and it was in these that the Princess got her first insight into the routine of caring for patients. The other Royal daughters are Princess Mafalda, Princess Giovanna, and the baby, Princess Maria. Princess Mafalda is credited with having said upon one occasion that her mother was the comfort of everyone in trouble." Ella Wheeler Wilcox, America's most successful poetess, recently gave some very successful talks with American soldiers in France. She says the secret of her success lies in the fact that she understands the sentimental side of the human heart, and endeavours at all times to preach the way a to happiness. "If you would be happy," she said, "get something out of everything. Get the best out of every hour. Live." Her first guinea was received for the set of verses beginning, "Laugh, and the world laughs with youj weep, and you weep alone." THE WORK WOMEN DO. The war has opened up new avenues of employment for women (writes a North Island correspondent), and there is no doubt that many of the positions are being filled with distinct success. At Hawera one young lady is giving a very efficient service in a motor garage, and reports indicate that as a mechanic she is hard to beat. It is, however, on the farm that so many of them have made good, and to quite a number the call of the. land will always appeal. It has been recorded that within 30 miles of there is a farmer's daughter who is cultivating 200 acres of her mother's property and 80 acres of her own, and making it pay, too. She looks after 200 sheep and 12 cows, besides having a bee and poultry farm. A few energetic women like the one in question would help farming along to a wonderful extent, besides assisting to*remove tho old-ia.shioned idea that all women are good for ' is to stay in the home and bring up a family. MONEY MAKES MONEY. The hardest lesson the modern business girl has to learn is to save. Yet no lesson brings as much recompense in its train. It is difficult for youth, with its enthusiasms and ambitions and rose-coloured view of life, to. anticipate want. Whereas for age —isn't' there a Prince Charming coming some day who will take care of . her ? But, nevertheless, a girl should resolutely make herself save. And if she once gets "the habit, if she acquired ever so small a bank account, this in itself helps. Planning in one form or another is the keynote to saving. Hasty buying and thoughtless spending are its death-knell. The girl who wants to save should plan carefully her expenditures, her r&julgr weekly expenses, as well as the twice-a-year expenditure for clothes. The girl who wants to save should not buy her clothes thoughtlessly. She should not buv on impulse. She should deliberately plan her clothes campaign, know beforehand what she wants, buy that, and that only. She will be dressed with bettor taste, and get better worth for her money. This may be tiresome and boresome to do. But it will pay a girl to set herself to the task resolutely. It puts a different aspect on life to have a few pounds put by, and it may put you in a position to grasp opportunities which will mean much to a happy and useful future, bub which you might be afraid to venture on without some money to your credit to fall back upon. "- HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. One way to lengthen the life of linoleum is to mix the warm suds and cooked starch that are left over on wash day and use them to mop up the linoleum. This not only preserves it, but gives it a gloss as when new. Add just a little vinegar to the water in which old potatoes that turn dark in cooking are boiling. The acid of the vinegar helps to keep the potatoes white. Rub the kitchen grate every day with a pad covered with an old piece si velvet. If you do this it will very seldom seed a good cleaning. A little soot rubbed on to a greasy stove after frying potatoes or fish will make shorter work afterwards of the business of polishing, and will economise the blacklead. If your hair is very soft and won t keep In curl moisten It with a thin preparation of tragacanth before you put it In whatever curlers you generally use. This often

has a most wonderful effect, keeping the hair nice and stiff, no matter what the weather may be. When sewing buttons on, if a narrow piece of tape is threaded through the button, a. small hole pierced through the article, the tape drawn through, and the ends of the tape stitched flat and firmly down on the wrong side, the button will be found to last almost as long as the article. . ~. ~ Children will walk in every puddle they meet, but this will not.do much harm if their boots are well rubbed with the following mixture: Take two paTts of beeswax to one part of mutton fat, mix well together, and apply to the boots overnight. This is a splendid hint for children's boots, as it will resist wet and snow. • To prevent a new shoe squeaking, stand the shoe on end with the toe up; pour castor oil into the seam, letting it run all along the seam of the sole. Leave in the sun in this position for about, half an hour. If once is not sufficient, repeat it. You will-usually find that one application will rectify the trouble and will tend to strengthen the shoe. Wasto is often incurred by frying fish badly. First wash the fish well, dry with a cloth, and rub it with flour to ensure its being thoroughly dry. Use a stewpan, not a frying-pan, so that there may be sufficient fat (or, better still, oil) to cover the fish. The fat must be almost, not quite, boiling. To test it, throw, # in a small piece of bread; if it browns immediately, the fat is ready. Never fry more than two or three pieces at a time, otherwise the heat will be lowered too much. Drain on soft paper, and cover the fish with soft paper till ready to serve.