BOOKS BY MAIL

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 83, 29 June 1927, Page 4

BOOKS BY MAIL

HELPING THE FARM WIFE A PROGRESSIVE MOVE Living away in the backblocks, seldom coming to town—gramophones, pianos and wireless sets denied them so that every available penny may go toward the ever-present interest bill —for most women on farms the only diversion from the isolation and the drudgery of the country is to be found in a good book. Many are so handicapped for finance, however, that even this pleasure is denied them. In the cities, in fact, everywhere where men and women congregate in numbers sufficient to support a community club, libraries are formed where books can be obtained for a nominal subscription. This privilege is largely denied those living away in the backblocks. At last the women’s division of the Farmers’ Union has brought forward a proposal which aims to meet this need and a postal book club has been formed with headquarters at Marton. For a subscription of 2s 6d a year families living in the country districts can be placed on the roster and parcels of 10 books sent them through the mail at regular intervals. These, in turn, have to be passed on to the next family on the roster. Already the club has a membership of over 1,000, and the movement is reported to be spreading rapidly.

BRIGHTER CURTAINS By JOAN ROSSITER There is no doub.t that the present vogue for unusual colourings will affect curtains quite as drastically as furniture and upholstery. Filet net is being dyed to every shade of every colour, so that one is ensured of perfect harmony in all schemes. Many pieces of plain, coarse filet net shown in a big furnishing establishment in town are of cream, bordered with a design in orange, rose, and delicate jades. Giving altogether a different effect are net curtains of deep tones, say blue or nigger, printed with horizontal and vertical lines of light orange, tan, or some other contrasting colour The darker colours are the more fashionable. Black is making a marked appeal to owners of well-furnished homes, perhaps because it is such an excellent ground for a variety of brightlycoloured • applique work. SUNNY MATERIALS Silk gauze is another delightful hanging for the windows, and many town houses are showing golden tints. Some of these “sunshine” curtain shade from the palest to the deepest yellow. Purple and green gauze is shaded in the same way. Beautiful taffetas, shot with contrasting colours, show some pretty speckled effects, tiny streaks of golden threads running across the rich fabrics. For the cottage type of decoration there are pretty nets in white and cream, worked with bold patternings. The definite designs, rather than a mass of little floral patterns, or striped effects, are the most favoured of the new stocks. Cretonne in its usual brilliant colourings, is marked with big flowers, and but little foliage. If lines run down these cotton fabrics, they are set widely apart, so that they never dazzle. STAR-SPANGLED I have seen a very luxurious pair of velvet-velour curtains which are drawn across the windows at night. These' are a rich, deep blue colour, and at regular intervals little circles of mirror are inset, giving a glittering star-lit effect when the electric light shines on them. In a daintily-furnished bungalow, I saw some novel curtains which had a border of embroidered flowers. The design was so arranged that when the curtains were pulled together, they gave the effect of a row of flowers which might have sprung up from the window-ledge itself!