LADIES’ GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3556, 9 May 1922, Page 56

LADIES’ GOSSIP.

WIDOWS AT FIFTEEN. Sixteen hundred boys and 12,634 girls of the age of fifteen were registered in the United States as married in 1920, states the Westminster Gazette. This is according to an announcement by the Census Bureau in a statement presenting a special analysis of marital statistics. Eighty-two boys and 499 girls of the same age were recorded as widowed or divorced. SELF-HELP IN CLUBS. One London ladies’ club contrives to dispense with waitresses bv arranging for the members to fetch their own meals from the well-organised kitchen, which is on the same floor as the dining rooms. The bill of fare is displayed at the kitchen door, the members make their Aioice and bear away their trays, the contents of which are checked as they pass the paydesk. At another mixed club the serving of afternoon teas and of morning or evening coffee is entirely undertaken by a staff of voluntary helpers, recruited from among the members of the club. TO THE THIRD CENERATION. A striking instance of the passing on to the third generation of literary powers has come to light in a first novel by a grandson of Mrs Gaskell, famous as the author of “Cranford.” This is Mr Bryan T. Holland, who has written a book to be called “The Vagrant Tune.” As his story is of charming and humerous personalities living in a small country village, there was an opportunity for him to develop the characteristics of the work of his grandmother. He has done this and more, and those who have read the early proofs of the hook, which is to be published this spring, declare that the power and tenderness of Mrs Gaskell have descended to her grandson. THE INTERRUPTING HABIT. There are two sorts of people with whom interrupting comes very natural—-light-headed individuals who find it difficult to fix their mental focus long on any one subject, and egotistical people who are unwilling to listen to any conversation that does not relate directly to themselves. But with care and attention even these people can break the habit of interrupting. Some very clever people are egotists. But if they are wise they break themselves of the interrupting habit. Some men and women who hold very high positions owe much of their success to their ability to hear another person out. They may be full of their own subjects, and immensely interested m themselves, but they know that they must give other persons a chance to express themselves. Interrupting does not always consist in cutting directly into another woman’s remarks. Sometimes .t simply amounts to diverting the subject of conversation away from the subject under discussion. Some people take the merest pretext to_ divert the conversation when it does not interest them. WARMTH IN COLOURS. Some interesting experiments have been carried out to test the of heat absorption evidenced by the various colours. Small squares of cloth of exactly the same thickness were selected. These were placed on level snow in bright sunshine. At the end of an hour the positions occupied by the squares of cloth were examined with the following results: — It was found that the piece of black cloth had absorbed heat to so great an extent that it had melted the snow and sunk right out of the

sunlight altogether. A square of red cloth had gone down to a considerable depth though not quite so far as the black. 1 ellow cloth absorbed less heat than the red, for it had melted its way down to only about half the distance. Dark blue gave almost the same results as yellow, but, on the other hand, light blue had only just settled into the snow to about the depth of the material—a mere fraction of an inch. Last of all in the row was a square of white cloth which was in exactly the same position in which it was placed at the start. This showed that the power of heat absorption in the case of white material is practically nil. CURE -FOR SORROW. How many stricken persons obtain “curcease of sorrow”? Travel is the first resort of those' who can afford it; yet recently a well-known judge said that change of scene and loneliness in a foreign country merely accentuates one’s unhappiness by giving the mind more leisure for dwelling on its troubles. While 1 do not think that travelling is the best cure for sorrow, I do believe that for certain temperaments it is often efficacious. New faces, new and interesting acquaintances, the novel customs and modes of life in a foreign land claim the attention and fill the mind with thoughts which would never occur if the sorrowing one had stayed at home among old associations. But for others the beauty’ of new and more sublime scenery would fill the mind" with memgries of a greater beauty that has been lost; the happiness of the people in a sunny clime, such as Italy, would accentuate the secret sorrow* which would be rendered less bearajple by the lack of true companionship and mental occupation. —Diokens gives the Clue. —* Other people, in their efforts to forget, resort to a life of unceasing movement and excitement and amusement. They are continually at theatres, restaurants, and social functions. But of all methods this, I think is the least satisfactory. At best it is a hollow satisfaction that is obtained. Excitement creates a craving for more excitement, and the sufferer, in the moments of idleness which are inevitable, feels the sorrow all the more keenly, because it is allied with the dissatisfactionthat comes from unappeased longings for more distraction. Perhaps the experiences of famous men may teach us. Byron once tried to forget himself by leading a life akin to that pictured above. Keats could not find much true happiness in travelling. Dickens gives us the clue. He worked. To his sorrowful emotions he gave an outlet in his writing. He used them to portray the sorrows of others, and in this way he alleviated his own sufferings. That is the true and only effective cure for sorrow—working to help others. Thought for others brings a greater reward than any act done for one’s own benefit. Many have not the opportunity to work for the happiness of others. They perhaps do not know anybody who needs their help. But even so there are many small opportunities every day that are waiting to be taken by those who seek for them. Lady Ashfield, in the Weekly Dispatch. DRESSES ON CREDIT. The process of enlightening judges as to the customs of the fashionable world continues. Mr Justice Rowlatt has been called on to adjudicate in another case, wherein a wife pledged her husband’s credit for dresses. The husband, Major E. T. Kingscote, the King’s cellarman, living in St. James’s Palace, pleaded that his wife had an allowance, and he was not responsible. Mr Justice Rowlatt doselv inquired into the credit system, and said : “If goods cannot be paid for money down, it is an extravagance. But I am afraid I’m an old-fashioned humdrum person.” Counsel: It depends on the style in which one lives in society, and where one moves. Mr Justice Rowlatt; I should have been in other society. The judge was surprised to learn that men accompanied women when buying gowns. He asked a young saleswoman ; “Don’t gentlemen feel "awkward when they come to these shops?” Witness: Not a bit. Mr Juestice Rowlatt: Aren’t they shy ! Witness: Oh, no! Judgment was reserved in the case. [Mr Justice Rowlatt (Sir Sydney A. T. Rowlatt) has been a Judge of the High Court, King’s Bench Division, since 1912. He was Recorder of Windsor from 1905 to 1912.) HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. The way to clean mackintoshes. —If your coat is of fairly good quality you should clean it yourself. By following the proved hints given here success is certain. First dissolve a tablet of good soap in a -bucketful of warm water. If the, water is hard, soften it by adding sufficient dry powder. The water should not be too warm and the suds not too thick, otherwise you may have difficulty when vou rinse the coat. Place the garment full length upon a table, and with a hard scrubbing brush apply the suds. Start at the front of the coat and work completely round it, scrubbing both sides of the arms and the collar. When this is finished treat the inside of the coat in a similar manner. Scrub vigorously, and if the coat is very dirty repeat the operation, giving special attention to the foiled portions. The coat is now ready for rinsing. This should be done as quickly as possible. Do not leave it a moment. Rinse two or three times—in fact, rinse until all trace of the soap is entirely removed. Should you leave any soap in the mackintosh a very dingy and streaked appearance will result when dry. The whole secret of success lies in this operation. The first two rinsing waters should be lukewarm and the second one cold.

To the first water add a handful of soda, which will assist in removing the soap. To the final water add a little acetic acid to set the colour and freshen the appearance. A teaspoonful of acid to two gallons of water is the correct proportion to use. Now wring out the coat by hand and hang in a cool place to dry. Never use heat in drying rubber goods nor place in direct sunlight. Take care that there is no water in the pockets, otherwise unsightly rings will appear and the whole operation of rinsing will have to be performed again. This method of cleaning can be recommended as being thoroughly reliable. ' An infant’s sponge with the frequent rubbing with soap often gets sticky and requires a special washing. Usually warm water with a little coarse salt in it will remove this, followed by rinsing in warm water, but if this fails add a teaspoonful of borax to a pint of warm water, and squeeze the sponge in it, lettinn* it soak if necessary. A little vinegar or ammonia may bo used in place of borax; in all cases thoroughly rinse the sponge in warm water. Never a sponge, as it breaks it and spoils its elasticity.