LADIES COLUMN.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13811, 23 January 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

LADIES COLUMN.

Social Doings j (for the Week.

C'By Ghellie.")

Miss Margaret Clothier, of _ "Strathearlie," Kaiapoi, is visiting.Timaru. Mrs Westmacott, of Waimate, came into town for a~few days this week. Dr. Davies and the Misses Davies, of Kaiapoi, are staying at the Empire Hotel. ,„ , ix o- *i Miss Ritchie, of Palmerston South, was the guest of Mrs Dr. Gabites for a few days last week. Miss Fisher, of Kaiapoi, who has been-the guest of Mrs Lillicoe, Latter street, for some weeks, returned home to Mr y : and Mrs A. E. G Rhodes (ChristchurcW, and Mr and Mrs G. ' E. ; Rhodes (Ellesmere), left Mr the north on Friday, Jan. 15th. . Miss Ml Stuart Seddon, accompanied bv : her sister, Mrs Dr. Morice, of Greymouth;" returned to Wellington on Tuesday, after spending a short holiday on the Coast. _ .-, . , ■-: Mrs Tytheridge, of Opawa, Christchurch, and her son, are staying Sefton House. Mr, and Miss More- ' land, of Moeraki, are also staying at Sefton/House. J- , WT .An. important social event in Welintrton at the end of this will bSe marriage of Miss Una Williams MVS..T.C. Williams) to Mr'Hoare of England. - ' The Misses Craigie returned to • Timaru from Stewart, Island on Tuesday week : last, after spending a very • delightful holiday, and including visits : to Tiverton, Mataura and Gore. ; -slvllafweU known ladies assisted at ; luncheon on Thursday, Jan- ° Ve , r ,Jwas ■ yokTof.whitenet; the train skirt was Ada was the guest of Mrs Donne, during her stay in weiin her honour on last Monday, (Ihe particulars of which, are not to hand yet). Mrs Donne gave a.hrn- . cheon party, the guests incluling Mad..S: Crossley, Lady and Miss Ward MissM. Stuart Seddon and Miss Rubi ; Seddon. _ , -„ •'., B havfe noticed Mrs Egerton Reid wearing a.very becoming,toilette of, sea . blue linen,-black silk girdle, her wide blue'lat matching the gown. -. Mrs ' Arthur Elworthy -has been wearing a - lovely, gown of willow green ;shantung, inserted with ecru . lace, bretelles of lace and yoke of the same. Mrs Kempthorne black satin striped voile black aiid white picture hat. Miss Barker (Woodbury) levres blue cloth. : The theatre-goers have a great treat - in store for Tuesday and Wednesday, : January 26 an J 27, when William Andersons Dramatic Company will present two verv interesting plays "When Lon- - don Sleeps" and "The Face at the Window." It is some considerable time since a dramatic company has visited- Timaru,' and William Anderson's will be sure of a warm welcome and large houses. The Maskelyne and Devant mysteries attracted large audiences at the Theatre Royal, on Jan. 14, 15 and 16. Amongst those present on the first night were:—Mr and Mrs Hole, Miss ' Hole. Mr and Mrs E.-'M. Arthur, Miss " Jonas. Mr and Miss Burns, Mr and Mrs Gresson, Miss Rhodes, Miss LaidTaw, Dr. and Mrs Talbot. Miss Grant, Mr and Mrs Grimes, Mr and Mrs Pratt, Miss Mahony, Miss afara, Miss Glover. - On the second night I no- ' ticed Dr. and Mrs. Thomas, Miss - Timaru was en fete on Thursday, * January 14th for the Jubilee of South Canterbury. The weather was ideally ; fine, which was very fortunate, on account of the great procession which, if required to be seen to advantage, * must be blessed with sunshine. The Singer Company had a very attrctive display, a lady working at a machine under cover of a gaily decorated canopy. '■- The bakers' displays were very pleasing, principally of floral decorations; The luncheon given in the Drill * Hall;was very largely attended, and the -guests included several hundred's of-the early settlers, Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, Lady and Miss Ward, His Worship tile Mayor and the lady Mayoress (Mrs' Craigie), Miss Craigie, Mr and Mrs A.'E. G. Rhodes, Christcliurch, Mr arid Mrs G. E. Rhodes, Meadowbank, Ellesmere, and the Commander of H.M.S. Pioneer and his staff..Lady Ward was tastefully gowned in blue

cloth, with cream lace vest, white ostrich feather boa, shaded blue hat. Miss Ward dark blue coat and skirt costunie, white ruffle, wide brown and blue hat. Mrs Craigie looked very well in a£ pale heliotrope gown, with strappings of taffeta,, shaded toque of Neapolitan violets arid green foliage. Miss Craigie, smart-coat, and skirt costume of light grey checked tweed, Tvide black and white "hat: Mrs Arthur Rhodes, mist-grey cloth,, cream and pink hat. Mrs i.George Rhodes, heliotrope cloth, smart Llack picture hat. Miss Ola Humphrey, . the distinguished American actress, was the guest of honour at a large afternoon "at home" given at the Kelbourhc Kiosk, "Wellington, on Monday by Mrs Kndx Gilmer (daughter of the late Mr Seddon); Miss Humphrey and her mother, since their arrival in "Wellington, hare been the guests of Mrs Knox Gilmer, at her residence in Boulcott street. -The floral decorations were very pretty, being carried out in pink and white carnations, and sweet peas. The dressing was extremely smart, the Directorie style being specially favoured, by many of the guests. M rs Knox Gilmer "was well suited in a black Bouple cloth costume, the coat handsomely braided. Her wide hat of green straw was massed with berries and foliage, and finished with shaded green feathers: Miss Ola Humphrey was smartly gowned in Champagne cloth, beautifnlly embroidered, the sleeveless coat opening over a vest of filet lace. Her black picture hat was relieved with green. Mrs Humphrey wore black chiffon.taffetas, coat of black satin, white chiffon ruffle, black hat. Mrs Seddori. was present, and assisted her daughter in "doing the honours." Her trained gown of black chiffon taffeta was trimmed 1 with lat'e, and worn with a black chiffon toque, with ostrich feathers. Mrs Seddon was accompanied by two of her daughters, Mrs Frank Dyer and Miss Rubi Seddon.Mrs Dver wore a becoming gown of hvacinth blue cloth, black picture hat Miss Seddon, very graceful gown of voile iti the new hay colour, and strapped with glace. A ruffle of brown net, and bEOwn and blue hat completed her toilette. Lady Ward, nattier hlue cloth, white erindinc hat massed with roses. . Miss Ward, blue cloth, black picture hat. Mrs and Miss Prouse, Mrs Kennedy Macdonal.l, Mrs Hales, Miss Myers, Mrs and Miss Hennah were amongst those .. present. Miss Miles wore cream voile, hat en suite.

THE JUPE-PANTALON. That verv extraordinary-; garment, the jupe-pantalon, has,, caught on m Paris; "and snap shots at smart race meetings and .elsewhere; show, some strange effects. A'lady crossing a paddock in great haste exhibits' the sewn np skirt in,a manner , which would make her feel uncomfortable could she see herself. Another, resting m.a careless attitude on a , bench on-the. lawn, looks just as if she had beneath her.skirt, rather-full m^ shape it it true,, but still; trousers. One-won-ders when -the jupe r pantak>n,-wdl be worn in the Colonies;; it is said that scome American ladies have taken the idea home with them.

ABSENCE OF WAIST-LINE To be truly smart and up to date, any sbVht suggestion of the waist-line must be avoided. Those who-are fortunate enough -to be slim are. in love with' the present • trend of . /'.shions which' are altogether.minus-the suggestion of a waist. ■> The French corsets, which are but bands of some soft material, are often made'of a special material that resembles elastic in "appearance, hue is more resisting than;elastic. It is expected that;they will suit; Colonial figures admirably. On the other hand, there certainly are indications of- the : return of ' the waist-line, ;: and even many of the new coats and wraps seem to be "designed expressly to emphasise its existence. "UP-TO-DATE SHOES. _ High-strapped evening shoes is 'one of the novelties of the season; made usually of satin,- it has four straps which" reach quite high up the leg, each strap being fastened with a jewel. Shoes to match every gown are still regarded as a necessity; some are made •of'sheepskin, others are of. goatskin, and a new discovery;has made impossible ; to:'apply a dye of any colour to these 'skins,. If the-shoe does hot acJcord with the colour of .the dress it certainly must with that of the trimming, alike for day and evening -wear. New boots have cloth uppers attached to a foot portion of black patent leather; the cloth of the uppers ought to be of the same . colour as ,the -dress; the fastenings consist of a mother of pearl buttons to accord with;the" cloth, while black pearl buttons are used when the uppers are of shepherd's plaid,

MANLY MEN. An Irishman writing to an English paper about women's franchise in Australia says that he has-heard "there is a marked increase in .politeness and refinement among men on the.day of an election, which used-to be made an excuse, as. I fear it is too often- in these our home countries, for roughness' and rudeness.- The, .Australian men, feeling that they ■ have, amongst them women. at the polling-booths, feeV too that there.is a restraint-de-manded of them, and their natural sense of chivalry shows itself in absence of disorder,,and roughness, and they gallantly extend' to-'women's influence, a gentleness and politeness,'on this .day of natural excitement, which shows itself not only in their .intercourse with women, but in their conduct with one another." HELPING. HERSELF. The lady Who was seonrby- the Collingwood '(Vic.) police picking ■ the pocket of a man as he reclined at his ease in a sylvan shade of the Victoria parade reserves,' turned out to be the slumbering man's wife, and, as such, she claimed to have the right to "go through his pockets." As a wife is allowed this little privilege she was nlso allowed -to go free, "and A .he affair, was treated as a joke. The lady remarked, "Every wife does it," and it is one of the standing charges against the sex, shown by many an oldtime jest- One well-known story is ! of the ■ man who -was awakened by a burglar in bis room. "What are you doing?" he called out. ! "G6ing through your pockets," cooly replied the burglar "You'll be clever if you find airy money. My-wife's been there," was the relieved exclamation as the burgled person turned round and went off to sleep again. Such jokes show that the practice is a common one. A contemporary suggests that ,it would be a good, topic to start a silly season discussion on —"Is a wife justified in picking her husband's pockets?"

WASHABLE FROCKS. The really simple and washable fmck of the moment is always rather a difficulty when the matter of finishing off the hem of the skirt has to Le considered: " The three'large tucks ore certainly, a;good idea, but an idea 'at least, three summers old, :md a very deep hem of "quite small tiicks set qlose together may be suggester :is an' alternative. ■■ -Also the'hem of ' another colour, though still worn, has been done to death! Arid the washing frocks with their short skirts, . want some finish, and do- not look elegant left completely plain, as the trailing afters noon jude will do.. : Wide, bands of lace or embroidery/ set knee nigh ar? still worn/arid a hand' : 6£ this sort r-.sy have adeephemberie'ath it'of a pattern ed .or stripped material.. A good deal of the trimming composed of crosscut bands or stripes is worn. These v>?'l (for skirts) very wide for a change, and not cut on the cross unless the wearer prefers it are to be recommended. NAME THIS CHILD. Choosine a name for a child often leads to differences between those concerned. In some places this is obviated by set formula. Thus, the Mohammedan father and mother each write the choice of a name on a slip of paper, and place both in the Koran. Whichever slip is drawn first is the name given to the child. Egyptian parents frequently, when a new baby needs naming, light three candles naming each after a pod or some exalted personage. The child is called after the candle which burns longest. Hindu mothers namo their children, . paterfamilie<= not having a snv in th" ™~'-- tcr. The naming ceremony usually takes place when the baby is about twelve days old, and a flower namo is usually chosen. Chinese girls are similarly "numbered one, two, and three,until they reach years of discretion, when +hey are allowed +o choose a name for themselves. Tho boys however arc given a temporary namo until they arc twenty, when pa decides what magnificent appellation thev shall rejoice in for the rest of their lives*

THE AMERICAN AND HIS DAUGHTER.

Here is a striking estimate of the American man and his charming daughter, which will bo r«ad with intrust in connection with the article on "The American Man and His Trusts." It is taken from "Love in the T'nited States," a new estimate of tlm Status by Hugues Leroux, and quoted in tho New York Times.

" Whatever the speed of a whirlwind Kav be, its centre h immobile. The immobile centre of this intense agitation which characterises American life is the American man. Obsprve him. Have you ever contemplated a calmer mask, a nmre fixed expression? One would sav th.it he has no eyes for the external "world. Of a truth he is ontjrclv self-centred. He ruminates his

thought in silence. If he speaks, it is in monosyllablesi- . -.... t . ' " With-- its 'every,: well-bred mail possesses general culture. A man of the world has ideas about everything. The American business man displays a sovereign disdain for this superficial universality of knowledge. The important thing, he says, is- not to know many things, but to know # one thing thoroughly, and/to be able to make use of;it. The gisb of the matter is that these two' .men. have;;totally aims. Ours has always desired to please, -to" tfin affection:. : -.- The" American wishes to act-and; amass gold. He declares,. 'Business is like oil, it mixes with nothing.?- : And-when the big business man; pronounces this aphorism it is not only at the distractions of love that he .is■■ frowning;. it is at all the preoccupations of., society—philosophical, scientific, political, literary, artistic, etc. all the speculations which divert a man from the unique fixed passion to • which he desires to consecrate all his energies. ... "This American man who has put forth frenzied eftorts, who has. earned with ■his'''toil the civilisation of which the woman reaps all .the advantages, does not ■ encounter•• in his country, today a woman' of ;his species. . ... , • '.' Thus -we find -ourselves in the presence of two'distinct ; human categories. The one,-the : masculihe:, c is a'product 'of convulsive' efforts,'.of imperious decisions', >'of 'commercial violences,' of; un-heard-of i intensities, followed by sentimental timidities •'■ and psychic prostrations.: The other, the' feminine, is a field of leisure,, of culture, of refine- . ment, where in economic and social independence, and with a total absence of all responsibility, flourish exceptional knowledge and a passion for luxury.

i "The American man, so ambitious, so democratic,-lifts-.made of his. daughter an aristocrat without a Court,; 'a goddess without an Olympus, an energy without a jewel without-a setting, apiotur'e without a frame, a raffinee without .a. milieu; _ And what pray, are all ■ the perfections of - the world worth if they remain scattered, isolated,, if they do -not find-a^milieu to group thoni,. to set .them, off? . . . • "In the American- democracy, every man has his chance,'. every man is esteemed for. hi£ individual - capacity. This 'scliemel'is! superior to any other in a new'country. It has produced men of affairs who are certainly without peers, each in his speciality. It. does riot suewfd ;ih -forming a society, that : harmonious concert in which the mail and the woman," reared ■ in x conformitv with traditional rites, complete each other like the notes of a perfect chord. , "Toward' what ideal, then, would you have this young: American woman who- has evolved alone and who has truly become what Alexander Dumas pere called 'a great lady—a very great lady'? . ..■*,.,She knows very well what she warifs'; • It is, > first of ■•.a11,, one of the men of leisure created by the old a- mail who will have the time to . occupy himself-with-her, who will listen to her. who will understand her. . ; ..And this is-why we sec a. great white procession of ■- American girls pass tlie 'Sccau, under the crown and under the veil, to establish themselys .in nur. old European countries, liv. firesides whose paling cinders please them more ..than the flaming illuminations of i'ldnstrial cities, the artificial orgies of light which they left behind them.'.- ■. '•- • -i - ■ ■