LADIES' GOSSIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6128, 15 March 1898, Page 4

LADIES' GOSSIP.

m " Canterbury Times."] " A plea for dress reform." Nine people out of ten, seeing this phrase, would conclude that women's dress was meant, not men's. This does not follow, however, and a contributor to the Sydney Morning Herald actually takes upon himself to censure the irrational, unhygienic and highly uncomfortable attire worn by the superior sex throughout the Australian summer. Thus, when the mercury is at 95deg in the shade, the respectable citizen appears in a thick black coat, which the tailor has doublelined, padded and stiffened to make it " set" well. Underneath is the waistcoat, also lined and stiffened, and next this is the white shirt, "the hall-mark of respectability of this centuryj" the front of which is composed of thick linen, so treated by the laundress that in more turbulent times it would have answered the purpose of a cuirass," and to increase the wearer's discomfort a "collar of three or four folds of linen, and stiff as steel, is wrapped tightly around it. Beneath is another garment, and the lower limbs are swathed in similar fashion beneath the cloth trousers." Then on his head "he carries that monstrosity popularly known as a * tile,' his feet are covered by thick black boots," and he probably wears ,kid gloves ! Is this the attire of a sensible man? His face suggests apoplexy, and he must have recourse to frequent pick-me-ups or he could not get through the day. Compared with such attire, that of women is sensible and rational in the •extreme. Imagine a lady donning her tweed tailor-made on . such a day ! She would think it the height of folly. No, she wears a print or muslin gown with large cool sleeves, blouse bodice and a shady hat while she carries a parasol and a fan. Women's dress irrational ? It is far more rational, more adaptable to tbe seasons than that of men. " The white shirt must go/ continues our Sydney reformer. "It i 3 an abomination. For it substitute a thin flannel shirt (Jaeger or cellular), with, dare I add, a soft collar. Trousers and a button-up jacket of duck will complete the outfit. :Qv, as white clothes mean a big washing bill, some coloured -stuff may be used. There are kharki, Assam silk, and light cotton materials, which make up into admirable suits, and do not require the constant washing needed by white clothes. , And these suits are 1 cheap. They can be bought I ready- made for a few shillings. The head should be protected by a pith or cork helmet, or by a straw hat with a puggaree. Those who fear chills can carry a light overcoat to town with thorn on the days a southerly is expected, and we can almost anticipate with certainty when this will happen." A sensible method of dressing such as this would, the writer adds, preprevent tha great exhaustion or "knockedup" feeling that attacks busy men at the end of thesuinmer,andthey wouldbe enabled to do their work in ease and comfort, instead of being cramped and prisoned simply through obedience to an absurd conventionality. The " prize for •virtue " awarded periodically by'- the Academic -Frangaise for the

noblest service !to •humanity perform^ by ; a poor irom«n,ihaß just been giv«ntoMdlle Bounefoia. Asa travolling Aowlomaa at [fairs she had for many years been struck by the failure of the schools to reach the phildven of lier- wandering companions. These .grew up m utter ignorance, and when Mdlle Bonnefoia was sixty-one ■years old «he determined to see what she could do to educate these ignorant little vagrants. She was able to emlist the sympathy of the Archbishop of Rouen, and iassisted by iimand a Municipal Councillor of Paris she bought the material for a portable schoolroom, as well as a blackboard and a few books. With these, this large.heanted woman, aged as she was, has followed the fair men and their families in their journeys over France for the last eiylit years, teaching the children whereeverthey may happen to pitch their tents. It is by no means wonderful that she is greatly loved by her halfVneglected pupils, of whom the names of about two hundred and fifty appear in her books. Economy is very well in its way— in these times there are few families in which it must not be practised — so long as it is done with wisdom. It is very easy to be penny-wise and pound-foolish in this respect, and to deny oneself the necessaries, instead of the luxuries, of life, under the false impression that one is economising. The experiment is one that is sure to end in grief and vexation of spirit, hence the woman who can economise wisely is a treasure in her household and an honour to her sex. She does not cut down the bill of the butcher or greengrocer in order to save money for a new drawing-room carpet or a plate-glass sideboard, and end by reducing herself to invalidism and undermining her children's constitutions in the attempt. Edna Lyall, in one. of her books, makes one of her characters say: "We must have good, comfortable beds, for we shall have to work very hard, and without proper rest we shall break down." So they went without chairs and used boxes, so that they might ensure sound sleep by comfortable bedrooms. This is the right and sensible poiut of view to take. How many a young couple, just entering upon housekeeping, will furnish the parlour before the kitchen ! Then there is the woman ■ who half starves herself in order to display her person in a silk dress or a fashionable bonnet ; another, too, appears to be richly gowned so far as her outside is concerned, but no further. The worshippers at the shrine of make-believe are many, aDd they are too frequently the very women who pride themselves on their economical management. Another sad example of these perverted views is frequently to be seen in the mother who dresses herself dowdily in order to array her children in silks and satins ? It is her motherly pride, says someone. It does not matter what anyone chooses to call it, it is wrong and foolish. She risks the loss of her husband's interest in her, for who does not weary of the sight of the frumpy-looking woman ? Her friends do the same, and her children come to adopt this view also, nor do they feel any gratitude to her for her selfdenial. They may understand some time, but the day is far distant, and so the mother defeats her own ends because she neglected her duty to herself first of all. It is bad enough to be bankrupt in health and purse, but to be bankrupt in love is the cruellest of all misfortunes, and against t he § c three, the woman who gets herself to economise must guard with a far-seeing eye. ' Tt is interesting to note that the Englishwoman's Review of January calls attention to a number of women's appointments to important posts that have been made recently. Among these is that of Miss Marion Hunter, a niece of Sir William' Hunter. This lady was sent out to India last October, as one of the thirteen special doctors sent at the request of the Indian Government to assist in connection with the plague at Bombay, a large proportion of the regular medical and nursing staff of that town having been- dispatched to Tirah in order to arrest the spread of the plague. With this lady doctor went twelve specially trained nurses, all of them accustomed to fever cases. • The Daily News says of Miss Hunter that her medical degree is the highest possessed by any woman in the world. Hers is, moreover, a .special appointment, and it is to the credit of the Biitish Government that she is to be paid at exactly the same rate as the men doctors. Another department of medical work in which women are in demand in Great Britain is as assistant medical officers in the asylums for the insane. In this department we undoubtedly have a field for our own medical women. With properly-trained nurses for our mental invalids, and with women on the staff of doctors, our asylums would without doubt become more efficient agencies for the restoration of the insane than they are at present. May the day that sees these altered conditions be not far distant. In the same Review I note that the London "University list of Englishwomen who obtained the Bachelor of Arts degree in the last examination contains no less than seventy-three names. The greater number of these are from Holloway, Bedford and University Colleges, none being from Girton or Newnham. There are besides these fourteen lady Bachelors of Science, seven Bachelors of Medicine, one lady only graduating with third class honours in Obstetric and Forensic Medicine, and three taking the full M.D. degree — a very good record for one year, as all i must allow . ]