LADIES' COLUMN.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12480, 17 September 1904, Page 1 (Supplement)

LADIES' COLUMN.

The youthful Princess Victoria of Wale is being taught to rid# "astride." Thfact is not astonishing, for, although th ancient prejudice in favour of the sidi saddle for ladies has been an uncommon!;, long while dying, the- " ride-astride-style' has made a bold bid for popularity in recent years. . , The columns of the fashion papers con tain hundreds of advertisements . setting foith the advantages of the new "astride' skirt, and many of the best known ladies tailors have found it necessary to .make special arrangements to cope with the de mands which are being made upon then, in this direction. The little Princess Victoria's costiunincludes a kiited skirt and a doublt 1 breasted reefer. Since January, 1898, a law for the tax ation of bachelors has been in force in th. Argentine Republic. A monthly assess neiit mlist be paid by every unmanie. iian between the age of twenty and twenty eight 7 years. The payment, of course, .eas-es on the day of marriage. This law. except for the wea'thy, amounts to a com pulsory mmifige act. The second para graph in this law has to do with bread of promise cases. Any person who with draws from a given engagement to marry is fined the sum of 300 piastres. Many a gill puts on little faults when she would strive to make herself attiactive in men's eyes, and it needs only a litle commonsense to free her from these brambles and let her own natural attractro-ns have full play. Affectation of speech or manner is asilly little failing that makes many an otherwise charming girl look ridiculous. The girl who caries her endeavours to smarten herself up too Jar and looks over-dressed quite spoils her appearance and the attractiveness of her dress. No one realises these things or sees throngn them so quickly as does a man, and no one lias less patience with these little girlish failings. An instance of early preparation for ai marriage was told at the Donald-Mills wedding (North Island). When Mr V. E. Donald was born, twenty-seven or twenty-eight yeais ago, his father, Major Donald, buried a bottle of wine and planted a tree over it, with the intention of removing it on the occasion of the boy's marriage. Considerable difficulty was experienced in removing the tree last week, so fiimly had its roots embedded themselves; however, the bottle was sound when taken from its hiding place, and the wine was used to drink the bride and bridegroom's health on Saturday. Afterwards the bottle was refilled, and "will be buried again until the next marriage in the family. An obvious fact about habit frequently noted, is that, though we gain no pleasure from doing a thing, yet .we suffer great discomfort Irom not "doing it. And so great is the force of habit that this is applicable to good, bad, and indifferent practices. The formation of a habit becomes a great tyranny if the habit is bad ; and. on the other hand, a great prop to virtue if the habit is good and desirable. A Nebraska ranchman, Mr. James Snell, who, after years of life on the plains, has become a millionaire, lately developed a desire for matrimony, and consulted the Rev. Dr. Savidge, of Omaha, asking him to find him a wife. Preaching on marriage the following Sunday, the clergyman told his congregation of the ranchman's desire. The story got into scores of papers the next morning, and twenty-four hours afterwards letters began to pour in. Within a week over a thousand women offered themeslves as candidates—2l7 of them had been divorced. Matrimonial agencies were active, and bombarded Mr Snell. He has not yet chosen his bride. Applications are still coming in—lso a day being the average. Dr. Savidge, struck with the result of'his sermon, is thinking of inaugurating a matrimonial bureau for Christian men and women. Lady Morgan had one rule on the education of children which cannot be too often • repeated—" Give to. every girl, no matter what her rank, a trade—a profession, if the word suits you better. Cultivate all things in moderation, but one thing in perfection, for which she has talent —no matter what it is—drawing, music, embroidery, housekeeping even; let her feel this will carry her through life without , dependence."

MOTHERS-IN-LAW. In " Letters of a Self-Made Merchant to his Son," now appearing in " Pearson's Magazine," Old Gordon Graham is very amusing because he is. very outspoken. In the July number he has got his knife into motliers-in-law. He writes: A man can often pet the best of one woman, or ten men, but not of two women, when one oT the two is his mother-in-law. When a young wife starts housekeeping with her mother too handy, it's like running a business with a new manager and keeping the old one along to .see how tilings go. You -start a wr.msn with sense to making mistakes, and you've staiterl her to learning common-sense; but you let someone e'se shoulder her natural responsibilities and keep her from exercising her brain, and she'll be fat-witted before she is forty. A. lot of girls find it mighty handy to start with mother to look after the housekeeping, and later, to raise the baby but by-and-by, when mamma, has to cinit",'they don't understand that the butcher has to be called down regularly for leaving those heavy ends on the steak, or running in the shoulder chops on you, and

that when Willie has the croup she must'nt give the litle darling a stiff hot Scotch, and try to remove the phlegm from his throat with a button-hook. There are a lot of women in this world who think that there's only one side to the married relation, and that's their side. When one of them marries, she starts light out to train her husband into-a nice old Carlo who'll go down town for her every morning and come home every ;night, fetching a snug little hasketful of mouth and wagging has tail as he lays it at her feet. Then it's a pat on the head and "Nice doggie." And he's taught to stand around [ evenings retrieving her gloves and handkerchief, and snapping up with a pleased licking, of his chops any little word that she may have to throw him. But you let him start in to have a little fun scratching and stretching himself, or pawing her,, and it's " Charge, Carlo!" and " Bad doggie!" • ' Of course, no man ever believes wben he marries that he's going to wind up as kind Carlo who droops his head so that the children can pull his ears, and who sticks up his paw so as to make it easier for his wife to pull his leg. But it's simpler than you think

A CLUB FOR BABIES. The idea of forming a club for -babies has been carried out by a well-known Parisian journalist. It is called the Casino des Enfants, aijd is in the heart <*f the fashionable playground for children bf the better class in Paris —the Champs Elysees. It is daily thronged with crowds of merry faced children, while on Sunday they are there in hundreds. It is select, too, for the membership entails the expenditure of ten cents, per day, so it is only the children of the well to do who are to be found tbero. One enters the club room through a carpeted corridor, lined with palms, the main room of which is a beautiful large hall with a roof of stained glass. Large mirrors are ranged along the walls, and these on dull days, when the electric lights in the chandeliers are turned on, convert the place into a very good imitatiou of fairy land. It is light, airy, and cool, a great comparison to the heat and glare outside when the days are warm . 11 Its purpose being to give pleasure, the i club is equipped with all kinds' of games and amusements. In the centre of the hall there is a small merry-go-round of bicycles. There aio also several swings enclosed for safety with a railing of bamboo, low seesaws and rocking horses. Shuttlecock is a favourite game, and tE?re are other pastimes played with rings, swinging balls and spinning wheels. Between flower stalls, stalls for confectionery, jee creams and cool drinks, there are set rll kinds of automatic machines whose games give great pleasure to the little ones. Without doubt the most attractive in the club for members as well as visitors is the lake, where scores of goldfish dart about in frantic efforts to escape the club members, who are armed witli nets to catch them. The lake looks very real, with its surroundings of rockery and bamboo railings.

THE CHEERLESS MEAL.

The cult of cheerfulness is deservedly receiving much attention nowadays. It may, in fact, be regarded as a special feature of the age. The individual who giumbles at this and loses his temper at the other is no longer - treated with unlimited patience, unless there is something big to justify her conduct. Things are laughed at now which a few years back were only spoken of with batacl breath. " Grin and bear it" is the tacit motto of thousands of good people, arid they certainly are. none the worse for living up to it. It does not take the weakest intellect long to recognise the fact that if you give worry an inch it. will take an ell," while the curative power of laughter is simultaneously being recognised as a really important social factor. In the- circumstances, it is curious that in spite of Solomon the doctrine of eating in cheerfulness has only recently received due scientific recognition. An eminent authority in dietetics in a London contemporary maintains .that it is practically useless to expect nourishment from food eaten when the eater is worried or angry. On the other hand, the plainest food eaten in congenialsociety and in a happy frame of mind i-: issimiliated to an almost unbelievable extent. "Viola," whose contributions to the Melbourne "Age" are always interesting •nd invariably instructive, says that i' hese things be true, and there is hardly a doctor who will fail to endorse them, many and various are the reforms for which our tables are waiting. "Viola" asserts that in far too many houses even yet the breakfast table is selected for unpleasant prophesies, while dinner time is regarded an occasion for grumbling at all things ir> heaven and earth, from the condition of the kitchen sink to the foreign policy of the Patagonians. In other words, the baby i.« looked upon as a convenient dumping ground for half the family troubles.s In les extreme cares the family sits more or less silently through an uninteresting breakfast and solemnly through an equally uninteresting dinner. The woman who presides over this type of "board" has strong views on the subject of what things it is proper and what things it is not proper to talk about at meal times. The poowoman, as a matter of fact, belongs to the type of. house mother who regards " proper behaviour" as the one thine needful at table. The children are hardly allowe'd to speak, and their elders are by no means encouraged to. In after life those children either cany out the maternal doctrine or they spend long weary years cultivating the art of eating cheerfully. N<> 1 one who has had extensive dealing with them will ever envy them their either - situation. —(Exchange.)

ECONOMY IN DRESS. From the fashionable dressmakers of the West End of London 'says a writer in the " Daily Telegraph") a complaint is heard that ladies are beginning to demand economy in the price of their costumes. The order for the five-and-twenty-guinea go\v.' is becoming a larity, and for half that price greater elaboration than of yore is now expected. Shop-window prices are cited tribe modiste of the French name, and her customers are asking her how it is that she cannot make at similar rates. There is, of couise, no doubt that during the past decade the cost of dress has been steadily increasing, but for its specially inflated and, indeed, in many cases, preposterous rates the modern fashionable lady has no one but herself to blame. She wants practically unlimited credit, and to be able to pay three, five, or even seven years from the time she orders a dress. The dressmaker fixes, therefore, a scale of charges to meet the contingencies of long-deferred payment. It may well be asked why women who would pay their bills within a reasonable time patronise modistes where such rates obtain, but the fact that they are known to make for ladies who are celebrated for their costly toiletes is in it-self an inducement to customers. The average woman is, however, profoundly ignorant of the underlying conditions of this branch o; trade, and she cannot at all understand why she must pay £2O for her custume when her friend dealing at a shop or with, a 'dressmaker of no particular notoriety, is no whit less well turned out in a gown that has cost exactly half. Another cause that in recent days has enhanced the price of dress has been the immense amount of hand work put into it. Never were materials cheaper, and even silks of good quality cost far less than they did in the days when they stood for the utmost extravagance in wear. But a crepe-de-chine or a voile which may be about 5s a yard is only the basis demanding first a silk foundation, and then chiffon, lace, and embroideries, involving hours of patient stitchery. The chiffon will be tucked, gauged, shrirred, and frilled as nesded; the lace will be used as insertions, as motifs over color, or threaded through and through with bebe ribbons; there will probably be yards of the transparent "hairpin" or trellis stitching; and cuffs, revers, and medallions will be worked in Louis XV. garlands or other devices with daintiest finish? Hand-painting, even, may be requisitioned to be inlet or draped, and iu countless other details there is scope for skilled work. Naturally those who are competent to do any of these or a dozen other specialised branches of the work can demand high wages, and thus it comes about that ihs fabrics used in making a dress bear a relatively very small proportion to the price of ' the finished whole. There are,however, 'signs of some reaction against this exreeding elaboration of handicraft. Velvet, fc-r example, which is only suited to a severe simplicity of treatment, is again winning its way into favour after many years of neglect. More significant, perhaps, is the immense prominence now given in the shops to beautiful trimmings and garnitures which do not- involve so great a. degree of technical skill on the part of the dressmaker. When these made their ap-

pearance about two years ago there were many who predicted that their reign wou'd be a short one, and that they would soc-n be vulgarised by cheap imitations. That these latter have come into the market is undoubted, but, on the other hand, the better varieties are being continually improved in design, scope, and colouring, though even with the best the price is very much in their favour as compared with the hand work that would give to a gown an equal appearance of finish.

. MAN'S HIGHER EDUCATION. WOMAN'S TASK IN THIS MANMARRED WORLD. (By Sarah Grand.) There is a theory that in certain of their attributes the sexes are changing places ; but this is not really the case. The sexes are beginning.to understand each other and their lelative positions better, that is what is happening. That men are not where they were in the estimation of women is a fact that must be obvious to any intelligent observer at the present time. It is in vain that St. Paul is quoted. Women can account for St. Paul. They understand the human nature of the man. His disappointment with regard to the High Priest'B daughter alone would explain his attitude I —that and the naive standpoint inevitable in the son of a Greek mother of his day, | unaccustomed to consider feminine trifles," who spent their time for the most part in apathetic contentment sitting about on the floor, except in so far as the ordering of their lives should make for his own pleasure, profit, and praise. If the man ever weTe the head of the woman in potential energy other than muscular, she is decapitated now. But to say that is not to say that it is better so. Nor does it mean that the good, the great, and the attractive among men have censed to receive from women their due meed of appreciation; to say .that would be to brand my sex incapable of the'refining emotion which is se'. vibrating by the sentiment of reverence. What I do mean is that women do not respect a man nowadays simply because he is a man; in order to win their esteem he must be a particular kind of man—he must deserve it.

It was during the nineteenth century that woman began to grow up out of her intellectual infancy and to ask questions. Like other infants, she has questioned all things and everybody out of all patience; but the transient iiritation caused by her questions has done no harm; and she "has profited by such answers as she has been able to extract. And she has also profited by the inarticulate attitude into which man has been driven in his own defence by some ol her inquiries, the attitude which is on all answers to the unanswerable t-lie most signi ficant.

Man has had the ordering of the -world, and it is to be presumed that lie has done his best to make it a pleasant place to live in". Woman considers that best as shown in the effect of his endeavours. Happiness is the one thing in life worth having; yet, by his divergence in practice from his o\vi> precepts, man has made happiness oi all tilings the most unattainable. All his religions have for object to be consolatory; yet he has managed to make of each in turn an instrument of torture. And there is no vital force in any of them to compel him irresistibly in the conduct of life, no motive pfe'wer to be reckoned on, except such as in poignant disputes gives strength to a quarrel. His patriotism, is a sort of affection for his own eountry, which is apt to breed acute dislike of every other. History is one long record of man's mistakes; the world is ful of them. All Christian nations, womar has observed, pin their faith to peace ano goodwill; the first principle of their creed is to love one another, the first- principle oi their practise is to hate; and why ? Why these inconsistencies? j The reason is obvious. The inconsisten- | cies of the mass of men are not the inconsistencies of the rare sort, who see no shame in any change of mind that has its origin in an increase of wisdom; they are the in consistencies of the raw material of thi mind, the mind of the mob. all mood swayed by emotion, incapable of holding > principle, because it cannot remember fron one sensation to another the principles i' professed. Bnt it is a mean intellect thn exults in the discoverv of flaws in its fe' low creatures; and the perception of th< failings of man has been no jcy to wcniar A generous nature may not be blind to thi faults of a friend, but it must- regiet them: and that woman suffers for the short com ings of man is evident both in the si.rrowiiv of some women and in the antidotal laughte with which otheis seek to alleviate the paiof their disallusionment-. The laugute: comes in whiffs from the smoking rooms c the women's clubs. There they say that man is a nice thing; one can't do withoti him. What would a ball be without men? One knows what a dinnei-party is! Why, even at bridge or croquet withou! a spice of masculinity the quarrelling foi quality is not worth retailing. Socially, every sort of a man may be turned to account—the innocent curate, the precious antique, the dowager general, or any other offering from the whisky "and water works. So say the women at their clubs. But their levity is only of the lips ; their hearts are st>re. The finer spirit sits apart and and sighs, yearning for Jier mate, the complement of her nature, and its completion. Where is he? Alas ! still down among the dogmas, disputing, or messing with the muddles —the political muddle, the religious muddle, the marriage muddle, the social muddle; trying to set wrong right by old, worn clumsy methods all his own. Man insisted that woman should do as he told her, and it is hardly her fault that his telling has not resulted in heaven upon earth; yet now, when criticism is rife m her in view of calm acceptance, she blames herself. It'was her duty to keep man abreast of her. She had let lnm drop behind her and below. Mans pride of intellect proves his poverty of intuition, and leaves him for the most part at the mercy of his fallible lopand his refutable reason. Like the action of machinery, the action of the intellect is circumscribed; the action of intuition is in the infinite. Man himself feels that theie is something wrong. He docs not know where he is himself or where woman is ; when he wante her, lie looks down for her, and loo* Fin vain. He tries all the old tricks, but they are unavailing. lie conceals from one woman that he tliuik.* another women lovely, and is unab.e to explain the irritation caused by this proof that he is out-of-date. Every evidence of inferiority in man adds to the aching loneliness of woman. She does not want lnm on a pedestal; she wants him with wings like herself. Without woman the measure of a man is always and only a half measure, because without her he is only half a human being with half an intelligence. This may be seen in all this man-marred world, where all his best efforts, the outcome of his highest perceptions, are for ever thwarted for want of the balancing feminine force to bring them to perfection. Out of the old myth of Egeria this truth shines. In matters of the mind the rule of the sexes is reversed ; it is the woman who fertilises the mind of the man. But there is a further faculty than mind. Men and women of to-day belong to different epochs of human evolution; the men, for the most part, are still in the age of physical force; the women are nigh upon the period which has been dimly foreseen as a possibility by the finer philosophers in all ages since philosophers were — | the period for which we have as yet no comprehensive word, nothing nearer than j the assertion that—Thoughts are things, thought is creative —the age of psychical attributes. Woman is within sight of the further faculty, and she calls on man to come up, too, and behold. Man answers to expectation. He will come at her call, to her teaching.—("Daily Chronicle. ) HOME HINTS. When making icing try milk in the place of white of egg'. Physical training strengthens the imiscus and makes them less liable to fatigue. It also develops a sense of strength and selfconfidence. If the eyes ache or are sore from dust, open them in a basin oi tepid water in which a teaspoonful of salt has been dissolved. . Many a headache is due to tight boots. When "the feet, which are exceedingly sensitive. are compressed, the nervous system is soon irritated into complaining. It is often thought that whitewashing over dirt will restore the clean appearance. This is a mistake, and the walls will nevsr look nice unless they are cleaned before whitewashing. When washing flannel no soda should he used. The water must be lukewarm and well-lathered with soap. Again, it is most important that good flannel should be neither mangled nor ironed. When purchasing tinned meat, notice the tin. If it bulges out in any part, the ijaeat is probably unfit to eat, an out-

ward bulge being a sign that tlie tin was not properly scaled. I The most recent claim made for apples is that they improve the disposition and make you good tempered. Further advantages claimed for them are that they not only drive away all disagreeable feelings, but they cure the drink and tobacco habit. The evils arising from insufficient mastication are among the gravest with which we are afflicted. The jaws are undeveloped and the teeth are overcrowded' and decay prematurely. We meet this by providing soft food, whereas we should cure it by providing harder food that would compel more complete chewing. Devonshire cream is an excellent substitute for cod liver oil, and much pleasanter to take. For this reason it is specially suitable for children with a consumptive tendencv, who very often cannot take the oil.

Muscle workers Rliould be fed heartily; not so brain workers, as in their case a too hearty diet puts a dangerous strain upon their digestive organs. If a man will eat hearty foods, let him exercise vigorously. The juice of a lemon, mixed with honey in a breakfastcupful of hot water, is an invaluable specific for sore throat and that hacking cough which is so troublesome to many in damp weather. To Cure Hiccoughs.—Fill a glass tumbler with clear, cold water, and place on a table. Then have the patient stand where he or she can look directly into the glass, and fix the attention about the centre of the bottom of the glass for about a minute, when the patient will find the hiccoughs have entirely disappeared. This has been known to cure the most violent cases of this uncomfortable disorder, when all other remedies have failed. • .

Cold bathing is not for everyone a healthful proceeding. Many people have too little vitality to stand the shock consequent on a cold plunge;' it chills them to the heart, and they do not easily recover their normal temperature. Cold baths stimulate and harden people who are robust, so that they do not readily take cold; but they are "positively dangerous for persons with weak hearts, and are taken by such at great cost to vitality. While the kitchen is the worst room in the house and the drawing-room the best, we may hope in vain for the maximum of good from the dining-room. . Everything waits on good digestion, and good digestion will, according to scientists, never be the universal lot till we eat cheerfully of good and varied food in the best surroundings we can provide ourselves with.

At an entertaining demonstration on cookery given by a Melbourne expert a few davs ago the demonstrator, herself .an Australian, boldly attacked two flaws in ' domestic administration. One of these was extravagance, the other sameness. " There lire two unforgivable things," she remarked, in speaking of housekeepers, " ignorance and laziness." Extravagance and sameness can always be traced to one or the other of these things. Putting the question of extravagance aside, variety is something Australian housewives might well cultivate. RECIPES. Here is a new way to prepare an egg for an invalid:—First separate the yolk from the white and beat the latter tf a stiff froth. Beat the yolk and add to it a little sugar and a teaspoonful o' lemon juice, slierrv, or brandy. Tlier pour on, stirring ail the time, a teacupful of scalded milk, and lastly, gently stir ir the white. Serve as quickly as possible. Loaf Cake.—Take three cupfuls of sugar, two of butter, one of sour milk, five' eggs, one tablespoonful of soda, three tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, half a nutmeg, grated, and two breakfast-cupfuls of raisins, one "f currants, and four of sifted flour. ML* well, and Rtir the fruit in at the last, -hedged in flour. Line the cake-pans with paper well buttered. This cake will take •wo hours to bake; the heat of the oven must be kept at an even temperature. Lemon Curd.—This recipe, which was sent recently by an Edinburgh correspondent. "Constant Reader." reads most attractive. Put together in a sQall ja: one tablespnonfnl of butter, three spoonfuls of sng.ir. tnj well-b«atcn cjfe-.

uid the juke and grated rind of on§ lemon 'tand the jar in a saucepan of boilinc -inter. and stir one way until it thickens. Vou mrst be careful not to let it boil. A Supper Dish.—Poached Cfjgs aiV v-ions make a good supper dish. On •p finely three or four good-sized oniors •n:d fry to a light brown in a little pork >r beef dripping. Spread this on a deep J isli, season with pepper and salt, over nV: put a layer of fried breadcrumbs and ;• few Rpoonfuls of good gravy. Poach some eggs, lay them on the onions, etc., set iu the oven for a minute or two.

USES OF STALE BREAD. In this day of expensive breadstuff* i' behoves the careful housekeeper to utilise the scraps of stale bread that will somehow accumulate. These, by the exercise of a little ingenuity, may be converted intr a variety of appetising dishes. Toasts ire as a rule disappointing as a means of using up small pieces, but one kind is especially adapted to the use of such. Milk Toast.—Toast until nicely browned an ordinary plateful of stale yeast bread scraps. Heat to the boiling point two quarts of sweet milk, and have ready one heaping tablespoonful of flour beat ur with half a cup of milk and one egg. Add to this sufficient salt and pepper to season. When the milk boils drop in the toasted bread and stir in between the pieces the nrepared thickening. As soon as it boils up again serve. Nice for breakfast instead of pancakes. Bread Griddle-cakes. —Soak in milk until soft, then squeeze with the hands until dry as possible. Pull into flakes, and to" each cup of bread take one of buttermilk and flour enouch to make a suitable batter. To this add salt, one beaten egff and one level teaspoonful of soda dissolved in water. Bake as usual and serve with butter and honey or syrup.

Mock Dressing.—Soak and squeeze as above, and add if at hand any scraps of meat, chopped fine. Season wit.lv salt, pepper, sap?, butter, and if liked a rin;; of onion choped very fine. Bake in a m!o«- oven one hour. Fried Bread. —Prepare as above and fry ike hash in-butter or pork fat. Or packfirst in a basin and cook slowly in tup oven or on the back of the stove until firm, then slice and fry until brown. Another way is to dip the pieces in milk or beaten egg and fry. Bread Custard. —Soak in sweet milk, squeeze and shred. To each cup of crumbs take two cups milk, two eggs, sugar and seasoning to taste. Bake slowly until firm and serve with cream and sugar. -Floating Island.—Toast until nicely browned neat slices of bread, and butter generously while hot. Make a thin boiled custard with two cups of milk and yolks of three eggs, sweetened to suit the taste. Lav the buttered toast in a deep disli and pour over them the hot custard. Make a meringue with the reserved white and 511 rend smoothly over the top. Set on the oven long enough to set the meringue, and serve either warm or cold, as liked. Bread soaked and squeezed as above, or simply shredded up dry, is nice for taking up the jjuic's of fruit in pies, especially with rhubarb. Mix witli the frvit before filling into the pies. But while one may in such ways manage to use a considerable quantity of bread that-is r.o longer fit to use in the usual manner, it is nevertheless the better way to prevent as far as possible its accumulation. To prevent drying, nothing gives better satisfaction as n receptacle for bread than a large jar.