LADIES' GOSSIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5274, 3 June 1895, Page 4

LADIES' GOSSIP.

(CanWtlury Ttmss.i

Should bachelors be taxed ? In Illinois people are evidently of the opinion that they should be, and a Bill has been introduced into the Legislature to this effect. The theory on which it is based is that the man who fails by his own negligence, intention, or anything you please, to do hie part in the preservation of society and the propagation of the race, deserves to be punished, and the best way of punishing him ib by making him pay a fine. The fine is to be levied according to a man's posaeeeiona, so that a millionaire bachelor would very materially add to the public treasury when hauled up and punished for his crime. If the fine is not paid, the man may be imprisoned for a term of not less than three months, nor more than a year. If, however, he proves to the satisfaction of the Court that he haß made no fewer than three attempts to become possessed of a wife, the fine or imprisonment may be remitted. The Bill has yet to become law, and may never do so, but its presentation aho^B the trend of public opinion in that State at least. It is said that there was a brief discussion concerning the Bill on the day of its introduction, and a bachelor member of the Legislature was rallied somewhat by hia fellow members, who said that if the measure became law he would probably be the firdt victim of it. He replied that he would cheerfully comply with its provisions, as he considered bachelorhood a luxury, the same as the possession of a yacht or a fine house.

Here are two simple and pretty methods of decorating a window that has a depressing or unpleasant outlook. The first of these has beoome very popular in Paris, and is being largely adopted in English houses. The whole window iB fitted in the inside with a lattice of white wood. On a shelf are arranged pots of ivy or other trailing greenery which is then trained over the lattice work, and gives a very cool effect for a summer room. A method of decorating the window, and of giving it the appearance of stained glass is simplicity itself. A geometrical deaign is drawn in pencil on drawing paper, and coloured with water oolours. Then the design is transferred to the glass itself, and painted in with oil colour and a hog's hair brush. The imaginary leaded divisions on the window should be painted with ivory blaok. Care must be taken not to use flake white on any account, and the paint must be kept sufficiently thin by the nee of turpentine. The effect ia said to be remarkably good if ttfe colours and design are well chosen, and the black lines carefully and cleanly denoted.

I chanced the other day on such a good definition of the word " hospitality " that I must repeat it here, and I do it the more readily since it was given by a woman. "I take the word in itß moat liberal sense," she said. "I try to make my family my guests three times a day." This is exactly what the daily meeting of the family at mealtime should be—an opportunity for exchanging the gentle courtesies and solicitous attentions that add so greatly to the refined amenities of life. This ia, of course, impossible if the food is badly prepared, or the table' appointments are soiled and stained, or oarelesaly arranged. A table, even the plainest, should alwayo hare spotless linen, Bparkling glass and a few flowers ; and if a bit of dainty embroidery can be added, the house-mother haa done much towards raising the standard of behaviour, to say nothing of the good taste of her family. All this should not be reserved merely for Btate occasions' when "company" is expected, but should be in evidence every | day. And this shonld be carried out even in the poorest home; the little girls should be taught early to arrange the flowers and j to take pride in helping the mother to make the family table as pretty as the simple means at her disposal will permit. Table manners are the next thing, and every thoughtful mother will agree as to the importance of this part of their children's education. New Zealand children have much to learn in this respect, and they cannot be taught too young. Silence in'eating and drinking, deftness in passing dishes, and attention to the needs of one's neighbours can always be insisted on, and would effect a great improvement in the habits of colonial children.

Everlasting scrap-books give a good deal of pleasure to the little folks, both in the homeß, aohoola, and hospitals, bo a few suggestions for making theße during the long winter evenings maybe useful:— First procure some pieoea of glazed calico in various colours, which are likely to blend with ordinary coloured scraps, &c. Cut these lengths of calioo into a convenient size to form a book when folded in half. Arrange the book bo that no two consecutive leaves are of one colour, and stitoh firmly together. Make the covers of two pieces of cardboard, the same size as the leaves of the book, and paste with coloured calioo on each side, so as to make it very durable. , Sew the cover on to the book, ÜBing fine string. With paste or ataroh cover the pages as far as possible with pictures, oards, and colour scraps. Ornament the cover with b trips of coloured paper, scraps, &c.,. and, when it ia dry, varnish. If these scrap-books are kept till Christmas, and then given away, they will afford infinite pleasure to the maker aa well as to- the recipient;" '. •-..'■■'. ; ■

Some philosopher has been disoussing the shape of women's mouths recently, and has endeavoured to classify them. He finds that no woman with a email or redlipped mouth is ever remarkable for any* thing pave intellectual dulneea and an ungenerous disposition. "Give me," he says, "the woman that is sot fashion's slave, and I will show yon a wide mouth, with rather full and pink lipa covering square, strong teeth;" and if she is hospitably inclined there will be little semi-circular lines about the corners of the lips that curl up when their owner laughs. It is the fashion just at present for young women to hold their lips ever so lightly apart. This is supposed to give a wondering, wistful expression, youthful as well : but your thin-lipped woman, who is always a self-centred creature, can never teach her lipß this trick. Women who are much given to fads and Budden friendships always show the middle of the upper lip lengthened to a little point. Beautiful mouths, this pessimistic man believes, are rarer than formerly; while among women the intellectual mouth is frequently noted 3 andltouching the question of the kissable mouth, he asserts it is a temptation seldom brought in one's way.

There is a delightful irony about a short article in the Gentlewoman which will, I am Bure, amuse many. It is an account of the latest development among men. According to its writer, darning parties for men have been started at Home, and— have been found successful. A certain lady noticed, or found out, that quantities of men in London throw away their stockiDgs and socks directly a hole appears in the toe or heel, merely because they have nobody at hand to do a bit of darning for them. And thiß philanthropist, cut to the heart at such woeful waste of good material, promptly set to work to remedy matters. She organised these darning parties, and on the card of invitation she wrote, "Ye who attend bring all your old socks with you." When the men arrived they were ranged in a neat and expectant row around the room, provided with darning needles and yarn, and set busily to work to learn the whole art of darning. It is said that they took very kindly to their new occupation, and that they made rapid progress. After this we may expect men to emulate each other in their use of the needle in a way that will be touching to Bee. How they will preside over the mending basket after the evening lamp has been lit, or sit peacefully down to their embroidery, or bend moustaches and beards over the delicate mysteries of tatting, crochet or knitting ! At first the Bight will appear strange to üb, bub we will soon gei; accustomed to it, nay, we may even come at last to see its appropriate pictureaqueneßß. Dv MauriorV' Trilby" is answorablefor a new craze that has Bprung up among Parisian and London women. They have awakened to the fact that a real live human foot may be a charming object to look at, so they are actually having their

foot modelled in marble for the edification of their frienda-bat only, of coatee, if | that member happena to be a beautiful j one. Afew well-known actresses, are already j exhibiting caetß of their feet m the ! windows of the art shopa, and it is quite probable that the portrait painter Ly aoon find a formidable rival in the foot sculptor. Yet after all, he need not greatly fear that hia occupation may go. i for the modeller haa brought home a truth j that will be startling enough to these j ladies It * B thftt fche wo ™ an of to-day does not POBBP6B good-looking feet. It wouldbe » wonder if she had, and though , we have long suspected that this was the caee, yet a moie concUuive proof, waa \ required. This the modeller giveß, and ; the ungainly excrescences and perverted \ outlines that too often reveal themselves I under bis art, ought to convince their owners better than any amount of argu- j ment of the folly of wearing shoes that are built on conventional rather than on j natural lines of beauty.

Not only is the foot, when unspoiled by tight or badly fitting shoes, a beautiful tbW, but it also indicates the character of it* owner. Among the Arabs of South Persia, for instance, a people that usually wear sandals, the feet are found to play a very significant part in character-reading. A palmist who has reduced the result of his observations to a kind of science, haß a great deal to say on this Bubject. A few of the leading points that determine temperament may be given. For instance, if the big toe is elevated or raised above the others when the foot is placed flat on the ground, it is generally accepted asj a sign of ambition, and desire for power and position. Both Sarah Bernhardt and Louise Michel have this sign. If, however, the big toe clings to the others, it denotes submission to authority, and the owner is usually too indolent mentally to assert herself. If the second toe is longer than the others, it denotes an artistic temperament, with sentimentalism, romance, and imagination. If, however, the large toe is broad and strong, the tendency towards idealism will be checked by a large amount of practical sense. In the purely artiitio foot, the little member of the five should ourl upward, the arching upwards denoting a passionate nature. Host mothers, I suppose, have discovered how difficult it ia to train the appetites of their children. Very often they will persistently refuse certain wholesome dishes, and no amount of persuasion will induce them to overcome their scruples. Sometimes, however, if denied these dishes they actually can be made to change their mind and come round to their mother's way of thinking. We generally desire the thing that seems beyond our reach. And with children this tendency is even stronger than amongst adults. As an instance of her snacees when working on this plan , one mother, writing to a contemporary, tells how her little daughter, a strongwilled, sweet-tempered obild of two and a half years, began to refuse her porridge, over which there was a daily struggle. She was brought to the family table for breakfast, and, as usual, would take but a taste of the objectionable food. She was then told that she could not have it the next day, and, childlike, she wanted it. This met with positive refusal, and so on for a few days. Each time she wished for it the more, and at last was allowed to have it. When she grew tired of it again the Bame plan was adopted. Bread-and-butter suppers were refused in the same way, but a compromise of toast was made witli bread-and-butter when there, was no fire. \ A little tact in giving new artibles of food will of ten, make them a treat,. whereas *' sensitive, nervous child will not even taste of them if they are urged upon it without previous words of preparation.