LADIES' GOSSIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5257, 13 May 1895, Page 1

LADIES' GOSSIP.

Canterbury Times.)

There can be no excuse of ignorance in these days for those women who persist in ruining their health by a slavish obedience to the decrees of the fashionable dressmaker. Women's magazines, and even the daily prints themselves,, are unanimous in declaring against this evil. Among other sources of trustworthy information on this Bubject are the useful little pamphlets emanating from the National Health Society, giving brief and simple hints on sensible clothing for women and girls. They insist on the imperative necessity for wearing clothes tbat are light in weight, vjarm, and loose. As to warm clothes, most of us are alive by this time to thiß want, and woven underwear is being so generally adopted that I need say little on the eubject. Weight of clothing is, however, another thing, and now that velveteen is to be the - fashionable material for the coming winter, perhaps a word or two on the subject may happen to be in season. This fabric is so heavy that it Bhould never be worn by delicate girle, or when intending to take along walk, and if it is worn, the other clothing Bhould be lighter than usual. Imagine a skirt weighing some five or Bix pound* for a growing and slender girl with a delicate spine ! It is not wonderful by any means that so many fashionably dressed women complain of weariness if they walk a short distance, the wonder is that they can walk at all beneath the load of velvet, bugles, and furs that they must carry if they are quite H la mode. Spinal disease and worse, are sooner or later the reward of eucb. Doctors themselves are becoming alarmed at the ravages committed by the costumier on the health of their victims. In his book on the "Evolution of Women's Diseases," recently published by Dr Balls- Headley, of London, he comments very strongly on this widespread evil. With laudable plainness he exposes the folly of thoso women who inflict immense injury upon themselves by their blind submission to "that deformed thief, fashion." If the harm touched do one but themselves then one might be content to leave these fanatical worshippers at Fashion's Bhrine to work out their salvation in suffering. But the evil doea not end in them; it affects the generations to come, and for their sake, if not for tbat of self, Dr Ball-Hoadley's book ought to be studied by all women, especially by all mothers. The doctor emphasises once more a matter that cannot be too often preached, so long ss the corset obtains among the majority of civilised women. It is that- the most vital and delicate organs cf the human body are subjected by certain absurdities of our dresa to a compreesion that displaces them, and impaira their natural functions. A whole train of diseases are thus induced, while the figure becomes fearfully and wonderfully deformed. Such anfnl results following on fashionable drefßing should be sufficient to make women calculate whether the game is worth tha candle. Surely they 'will decide that it is not ! We are very apt to regard cur eyea aB baing quite apart from the rest of our anatomy, and having no relation with it. This is entirely a mistake, gays a spacialist, and it would be well if thos4 who suffer with their eye 3 would look first to their general health before flying to the oculis*. Sufficient rest, together with open-air exercise, often work wonders in strengthening the ej- b. Above all things, reading in bed ehould be given up at once, for the strain on the eyes is accentuated

by a reclining, or Eemi-reclining, position. Again, it should be remembered that to atop reading or writing and engage in a brain-stimulating conversation keeps up the strain on the optio nerve. B troD freighted pereona often abuse their eyea moat culpably by working-in a croaa light, which should always be from behind if possible, or from the left side alone. A green ehade helps materially in pereietenfr, close work, and cold water syringed over the. closed lida is a useful tonic

At last we are on the eve of the inevitable reaction against elaborate dressing, Not that the fashion papers say co • they tell us that Blurts and bodices are 'to be more richly ornamented than ever, but newspapers tell a different tale, and flimplicity in dresH is largely obtaining among the smart brigade in London. It ia to be white nmalin and a single rose once more, and a very pretty simple and becoming fashion it is. At a recent important " firsb night" at a theatre many of th« pmart set pre£Ont vrore a single pink rose [ in the hair, and though the gowns were not white nvislin, they were more simple in character than has lately been the rule, Oa the stage, one of the chief actreases in a dressy soene a white gown-with »eprsj of Ibluah toecb at tha waist, Lot

us hope that this will be quite enough to make simplicity in dress our watchword for the next season or two.

In one respect the Russian is a long way ahead of ue. We are apt to think that the admission of women to serve on school hoards is very American and progressive. But benighted Bussia, on the contrary, has women not only on her echool boards, but they are serving, too, as principals and poor law guardians. la one small province last year there were forty-five women in office as superintendents of workhouses, 125 as poor law guardians, and 283 as members of school boards.

Apparently the New Woman of to-day ia another example of the way in which hißtory repeats itself. We are led to form this conclusion on reading in an English paper the account of a lecture on Greek Educational Theories by Professor Mehaffy. From this it would seem that there were New Women in ancient Greece, women who ' went in for high education in the island of Lesbos in the days of the poeteßß Sappho, and whose writings showed the very highest art. It ia certain, too, that there were associations of young women for the purpose of study, and that these young ladies affected a freedom of speeoh and action that caused much scandal among the Greek Societies favouring the seclusion of women. And further, Xenophon, in his famous tract upon the training of a young woman to be the efficient mistresß of her house, assumed that she came to her husband ignorant of all arts, save those of dyeing her hair, painting her face and otherwise improving her appearance. In this respect, however, there ia a vaat difference between the Greek new woman and her of the nineteenth century, for it is the latter's exceeding pride that she is an allround woman, and 88 well able to grill a beofsteak.make her own dresses, and play a game of cricket, as to construe Homer or write a book.

Mothers will be interested in a recent utterance of Dr Felix Oawald concerning the relation in children of play and rest. " For city children/ says he, "the rough-and-tumble play is the main thing ; it will strengthen their limbs, lungs and livers, and prevent more ailments than all the medicines that could be given them." Besides thie, it will keep the youngsters quiet in the places where they are apt to be reßtlesß— the home and school. Bcbool teachers have noticed that the country boy is more quiet in the classroom than his city brother, and argue that it is because he has bad all the exercise he needs, and is content to sit etill. "After an hour or two of Swedish gymnastics," goes on Dr Oawald, "combined with wood chopping and water carrying, if you like, the wildest: boy will prefer a chair to a flying trapeze, for, if the tonic development of the organism ia not grossly neglected, sedentary employments are by no means contrary to nature. In their interval of play, the young of frolicsome animals will sit motionless for hours j even kittens and young monkey, not to mention colts, have their off days, when they won't stir a foot if they can help it."

From this we may infer that the child who ia restless and fretful indoors, is the child who haa not been well treated in the matter of ezeroise, and mothers and' nurses should note this and act accordingly. For city children one of the best safety valves for stored up energy is pillow fighting. All children delight in it, and it ehoiild always be' permitted in the town or on wet day 8 when children are confined to the house. . Plain pillows in strong casings should be given them, and they will soon become s proficients, while the exercise is one to be commended on account of its bringing into play every nerve and muscle in the body, setting the blood tingling from head to heel.

American women certainly know how to organiEe, and the presence of three of 'their great national organisations in Washington at once 13 a noteworthy event in the history of women's work. The White Ribbon Army of the Women's Christian Temperance UnioD, with their polyglot petition, had not closed the week's session when the second triennial meeting of the National Council of Women was called to order for a fortnight's session, and on the following day the fourth Continental Congreßs of the Daughters of the Revolution was convened. These are all distinctly separate bodies, though the members find expression in the National Council, and to prove how great has been the increase of members t&l work since the first triennial meeting, we are told that while the first lasted only three days, had eight sessions and comprised nine national organisations, the one that has just met eat for a fortnight, had thirty-two sassione, and comprised twenty national organisations.

Each of these twenty sends a president and two delegates to tho Council, beeidea these aro fraternal delegates from as many more bodies not yet in the Council, thus making up nearly four hundred delegates joining in the proceedings and representing a membership of between 4,000,000 and 5,000,000 women ! In addition, there are about dixty persons who by the payment of J620 become life patrons, and includo men and women distinguished in the literary, scientific and educational world. All kinds of work aiming at the highest good of all are represented in this great Council ; for the organisations represented by the different delegates include those occupied with educational, veligiou?, philanthropic, economic, political, patriotic and anti-vivisectional work. Ai a contemporary says, it is a great council of womon, and may with equal truthfulness be termed a council of great women.

Mrs Mary Wright Sewell, of Indianapolis, the president of the Council, is a noble woman, whose grey hair and stately mien make her a striking figure. Her abili'y and tact, ber thorough knowledge of parliamentary law, and hearty, wholesouled manners moke her an almost perfect presiding officer. Mrs Susan B. Anthony, the leader of the National Woman Suffrage Association, has but recently colebrated her seventy-fifth birthday, but her hair is not pray nor her eye dim, nor ia her natural force abated. A kind motherly heart, clear-ringing voice' and sweet face with an expression of reel) and sweet serenity, show that she has passed over the rough places, and that, though the promised land is not here, it may be seen frcm the mountain topa. Then there are Mies Frances E. Willard and Lady Henry Somerset, the great leaders of the temperance forces in two worlds. Mies Willard fecored a point at this meeting by proposing the names of Mrs Frances Cleveland* wife of the President of the United State?, and Mra Carlisle, wife of the Secretary of the United States Treasury, for membership. Both these ladisß are total abstainers, and it is a well known fact that the latter allows do wine on her table on the cccaaioo of State or Cabinet dinners even. She eeta cod water before ber gueate, and makeß no apology for doing so.