LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 56

LADIES' GOSSIP.

—The death has occurred at Windsor Cottage, Baliater, of Miss Elizabeth Stewart, an old and valued servant of the late Queen Victoria. She was a daughter of the late Mr Alexander Stewart, farmer, Toldhu, Glenmuick, and in early life entered the royal service as a house maid at Balmoral. "She served in that and as wardrobe maid until her appointment to the important post of dresser and personal attendant to Her Majesty. Since her retirement she has resided with her brother. Miss Stewart was 70 years of age. —lf evidence were wanted of the development of a new world, so to speak, and the part that women are likely to play in it, the role of a Labour champioa in the person of an earl's sister affords testimony that is conclusive. The lady referred to is Lady Mabel Smith, sister of Earl Fitzwilliam, who was returned unopposed in the Labour interest as the member for Ecclesfield, near Sheffield, on the West Biding County Council, her opponent, Mr George Harvey, of Chapeltown, withdrawing from the contest. Lady Smith is not a mere titled seeker after political adventure, but is a capable and practical woman, who, as her record demonstrates, has as much right as most women of education to represent the Labour side. When the demand for women to work on the land was most urgent she promptly hired herself out as an agricultural labourer, but she was not so successful when, later on, slie tendered as a contractor for road-mending on a local council near home, the offer being declined on account of her sex.

—The etiquette observed in tea drinking in China is very curious. If a lady asks to drink tea with her—and especially if the tea be sweetened —you can count yourself as well received and much liked. If she - does not like you, the tea is bitter, and report has it that in cases, of this sort drainings are osten used. After one sip of Buch tea the unliked visitor makes a p"rompt exitl When paying a call, if the servant should bring in a cup of tea there is no need to take any particular notice of it. Allow the servant to place it where he likes near you, and continue your conversation as though nothing had happened. If your business is pleasant and agreeable to the mistress or the master of the house, he or she will pass the beverage to you; if not, you are expected to leave it untouched, otherwise you are likely to have a quarrel on hand, and a Chinese quarrel —either with a man or a woman —is unpleasant... —America's woman voters s#em _ more concerned about Mrs Wilson's Paris hat than the? League of Nations or anything else which the Presidential party brought back with them, writes the New York correspondent of the Daily Express. The hat caused a profound impression in Boston, and -already imitations > are appearing in the windows of millinery shops. Its turban effect and its baffling colour are the -principal causes of the sensation that has been created. Mr A. A. Allendorff, president of the _ NewEngland Retail Milliners' Association, declares that the colour is not-rose and is not maroon, but it is a new shade between these two. Mr Allendorff adds—- " Mrs Wilson certainly started a fad" both in the colour and design of the turban. This is "confirmed by telegram* from Boston in the New York papers, and by the haste of milliners, to display the new Wilson model to their- customers. The newspapers are trying hard to secure a statement from Mrs Wilson concerning her impressions of her trip abroad, but the only words credited to her are—"lt was lots of fun. I enjoyed every minute of it. We - we're on the go constantly, but I did not seem to get tired. Our reception everywhere was most cordial. It was wonderful." HOUSEMAIDS' MAGNA CHARTA. , A Berlin telegram in the Daily Mail gives a new form of agreement for the engagement of maid-servants, drawn up by the Central Committee of the Berlin Labour Bureau. "The maidservants Magna Charta" is more moderate than most people expected. The principal conditions of employment aTe as follows: ' Servants' rooms must be provided with a lock and not to be used as passages. ' Each servant must have her own clothes' cupboard or chest of drawers, with ft lock, and a single bed. They may be on duty 13 hours, of which two hours must be free for meals. . No special duties after 7 p.m. Additional work caused by parties or visitors after eight to be paid for at 6d an hour extra, and after 10 o'clock at 9d. Every second Sunday from 3 p.m. free, and one afternoon per week off at least four hours after four o'clock. No deductions for breakages except where they are proved to have been deliberate. HIGHEST SALARIED WOMAN IN THE UNITED STATES. The Bush Terminal Company of New York owns not only one of the tallest skyscrapers, but also pays the highest salary to a woman employee in. America. The lady is Miss Henrita F. T. H. Reid, and she is one of the three executives of the concern, her position being even more important than that of the president of the company when it comes to the selection of employees, which is her special task. The exact amount of her salary has not been made public, but it is known to be not less than £SOOO, and may ,be anything up to £IO,OOO. Miss Reid was born in Kentucky, entered the service of the company 20 years ago, and has worked her way up to her present position. Even wherl thft president, Mr Jrving T. Bush, is a* home no person Is engaged for a position

of responsibility without Miss Keid's approval. She seems to have an instinctive faculty for judging an individual's capabilities and potentialities, which she has developed through study and experience, though she confesses she has not studied psychology, and has no hard and fast rule by which she judges. Mr Bush said to her—" Miss Reid is our guarantee of efficiency, and is, therefore, worth every cent we pay her. When anything, goes wrong our first thought is Miss Reid. Every one of us goes to her. We are rather like a big family, and she is our mother." HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. Many like tea served Russian fashion, with a slice of, lemon in lieu of milk. Try a thick slice of orange instead one day, and you will never go back to the former fruit. Puddings are always better steamed than boiled. They should stand after being cooked for 10 minutes before turning out. Over-dosing with spring medicine is bad for children, but they will love these hovel baked apples, which serve the same purpose. Peel and core some nice-sized apples, And fill the centres with brown sugar and butter well blended. Place a very little water in the bottom of a tin, cover the tin with an old plate, and bake until the fruit is tender. If the waxy variety of potato is disliked, try boiling them for 10 minutes first and then baking, having previously pricked each potato at both ends with a fork. A good filling for the city girl's luncheon sandwich is haricot paste. Soak a breakfast cup of haricot beans, and then simmer until tender. Drain them, put them through the mincer, and add the yolk of a hard-boiled egg. Season well, adding a dash of nutmeg, and store the mixture In small jars. You need never waste a particle of a good head of celery. The tender tips of the leaves can be chopped up for sauce, or used as a garnish, and the root and outside leaves, after a good scrub, can be popped in the stewing jar. Outside leaves can also be dried very gradually in an oven, and stored in a tin box for future use. Their flavour is preserved if the drying process is / slow. Use a piece of rough tweed for applying polish to brass if you want to get the tarnish off as easily as With a bit of rough Donegal tweed it is wonderful how easily one can clean, it, and lots of people must have little bits by them that have been left over when a coat and skirt have been made.

When one is long waisted J;he skirt must always be gathered at the top—never' tip 1 .- iitting round the hips. If you are Blight, and your -waist long in proportion to your legs, you will find that by putting your skirt on to a five-inch Petersham band you will greatly improve your appearance. If you are unable to purchase so wide a Petersham buy two lengths, and stitch them together to get the required width. A really splendid home-made furniture cream that works out much cheaper than the bought varieties, and ' does better work: Shred one ounce, beeswax, one ounce white wax, and one ounce Castile soap into a two-pound stone jar. Cover with a quarter of a pint of turpentine, and add half a pint of boiling water. Stand the Jar by the side of the fire, stirring now and again until the mixture thickens. A well-made sauce adds a fillip to the most monotonous joint. When you get tired of plain roast mutton pour the following over the meat before serving: Heat half a pint of milk in a saucepan and season with pepper and salt. When \t boils drop in half a dozen shallots, finely chopped, and a little chopped parsley. Cook gently until the shallots are tender. A small quantity of vinegar may be added finally for those who like a "sharp" flavour.

Beautiful hands are more rare than they used to be when -women did nothing but fine needlework, but fine nails can be possessed by nearly every girl if she takes a little trouble. Five minutes each day is all that is necessary to give the nails that well-oared-for look. Every night a little cuticle cream should be applied with an orange stick, so as to keep the cuticle loosej and every morning the polishing pad should be tised, so as to give the nails a good polish. Once a week half an hour should be devoted to manicure. Use a good file —never the scissors—then soak the fingers m warm, soapy water untilthe cuticle is soft. Apply cuticle cream with the invaluable orange stick,. trim the upper edge with an emery board, then polish well, using any paste or polish pi'eferred.