NOTES BY "THE DUCMES"

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 54, 24 September 1881, Page 24

NOTES BY "THE DUCMES"

£"The Duchess" will be glad to receive from lady contributors descriptions of new walking costumes, ball dresses, &c, which, are worn in Queen-street or at social re-unions ; also particulars of any very striking dresses worn in the Waikato, at the Thames, or in other towns where the Observer circulates. All communications considered strictly confidential. Address — " The Duchess," Observer office, Auckland.]

— Cords and tassels are still greatly in demand. — Dark shades in spring goods will be much worn. — A pretty design in leghorn bonnets of the jockey style was seen in Queen-street last week. — Several small netted silk fichus have already appeared in Queen-street. — Miss D. of Ponsonby, is preparing a very recherche dress for the nest " At Home." — No, ladies, you should not go (R) oystering in St. George's Bay on Sunday afternoon. It's naughty. — White satin hats and bonnets, trimmed with leaves and flowers, and with crimped edges, will be much worn this spring. —Large brocaded silks and satins are much sought after, but are scarcely suitable for la premiere jeunesse. — So early and genial is the present spring weather that there wore actually strawberries and cream at Mrs Whitaker's party last week. ■ — Some pretty satin serges in new and varied colours, including sang de boetif&n&rose de thehnrro arrived in Auckland from Worth's establishment, Paris. — An evening dress of sang de boeiif satin trimmed with with light brocM satin and Duchess point lace, one of Worth's favourite combinations, is now in hand for the next Mount Albert dance. — There is a pretty walking dress which has not yet been seen in town, but will be : Black and white silk basque bodice, black satin trimmed skirt, black cords and tassels. A very becoming costume for half mourning. Look out for it ! — What a very pains-taking and graceful little actress Miss Maggie Knight is. Ido not think she received half enough praise during the late season of the Speciality company. Her dual conception of little N ell, and the Marchioness, in " Quilp " was the best bit of acting on the stage, bar of course Mr Marshall. Her voice, too, is pleasant, clear, and fresh and her enunciation natural and distinct. She never rants. Miss Knight has had sad troubles in domestic life, poor girl, but has come out of them all unscathed. I should not wonder if, in her own particular line, she turns out in a year or two a first-class actress. — Let me warn the ladies of this community against the action taken by the Board of Health in importing vaccine matter from Sydney, taken from a calf inoculated with small-pox virus ! The action is simply suicidal. Like must produce like, and small-pox virus, taken perhaps from a patient fatally affected (who can tell ?) must produce small-pox of the most virulent kind. I appeal to mothers and wives not to allow their families to be protected in this manner. Better to leave things alone, and (if the disease does come here) to let people take it in a natural way. But there is the only reliable protection here ready for the arms of the people of Axxckland. A calf inoculated with pure lymph is now in possession of J. A. Pond, chemist. This is the only safe method of procuring proper vaccination matter, and great credit is due to him for having taken the precaution. Gret your families vaccinated there as fast as you like. Remember, seven years is the period for which vaccination protects you, and no longer. N.B. — I am not a friend of Mr Pond's, and only write in the cause and service of humanity. — The above is a warning. Now let me give a strong recommendation. A series of lectures on " Nurseries, and the Care of the Sick " have been advertised to be held in the Young Womens' Institute, by a lady from England, under the auspices of Miss Smith. Ido not think the ladies of Auckland have responded as they should to this advertisement. Most of them have leisure time' at their disposal which they could not spend in a better manner than by listening to these lectures. A first class nurse certainly nrast have a vocation, and is born, not made, but all women of every class should have a thorough understanding of the best methods of nursing. There is a particular way- of making a helpless patient's bed, of even turning him in bed, and of keeping away bed-sores, which might save hours of pain to many a suffering invalid. Very few women know this way, and serious illness may invade our houses at any moment. Ah, then, how invaluable would be the trained and educated nurse ! — From a private hand I have received some particulars re San Francisco ladies which may amuse myreaders. She says : "Every ladyin 'Friseoof any pretension at all wears a sealskin sacque or coat down to the edge of the dress, not the short cut affairs we see in Queen-street. Their millenery is in bad taste, while the shape and cut of their dresses is almost perfect. One of the handsomest dresses I saw there was of ombre cardinal satin, cut with a V bodice and elbow sleeves. The neck and sleeves were richly trimmed with Duchess lace. The front of the dress was of yellow satin embroidered with wreaths of cardinal roses. All /;fche ladies, both old and young, paint and powder //to a fearful extent, even girls of fourteen years of //' age, and nearly all, fco the smallest, wear ten- '< buttoned kid gloves. They tie down their frizzed hair with invisible veils, which are made of every shade, to suit the hair, and can scarcely be defected. The girls walk rapidly, like men, and not /■rfith the easy, negligent, degagee air of an English //lady. They can promenade the streets at any hour of the day or night alone in perfect safety, such a thing as an insult to an unprotected woman ,'j being unknown. Ladies go by themselves to the theatres. They eat candy like children. There are candy shops in every street, and daily purchases are made. Chaperones are beings unknown. Flowers, as decorations, are used in all the houses, wired in devices

and bedded in moss, not placed in water as with us. The San Franciscans are very fond of domino parties. The dominos are made of black, white, pink, and yellow paper muslin; and these and masks are worn till twelve o'clock, wheneveryone takes off the mask and domino and appears in some gorgeous fancy dress. The ball opens about nine o'clock with a grand march round of all the guests, which march terminates in a waltz. The most popular dance in 'Frisco is the racquet, which is something between a mazurka and a waltz, and is very jumpy and ungraceful.