For Women Folk

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11730, 21 June 1916, Page 7

For Women Folk

By "CHRYSSA."

"Ohryssa" will be glad to hear ffrom all | Interested !r» Women's Work and Life, and to rsoelw® I Items of interest and vaiuo to Woman "for I tlon, or roforonce in this winmn. |

Miss Frances Del Mar, a New York 1 artist, arrived at Wellington on Saturday by the Moan a for the purpose pf : closely studying Maori life and customs in order to carry out- tho mural decorations of tlio South Sea Islands Hall of the Natural History Museum of New York. Miss Del Mar, who has been , specially, commissioned by tlio New York Natural History Museum for this . purpose, I): 1.;! already visited some of the South Sea Islands for tlio study of the native customs. }Miss Del Mar ; stated time the work on tlio Maori section of tho decorations will occupy tliree 3 ' e£irs ; o. The following is an extract from a ' letter recently received from a - nurse in a military field hospital on the> north-west coast of 1< ranco: i Chtr latest oxcitement is a. largo whale, : o-lft long, which has been washed' up . on .tho >»horo near here. Everyone goes down to look at it on their orteinoon off. Yesterday they started to . cut it- up, and remove it bit by bit, as it was getting rather ' high/ and in its inside they found a Gin shell. There, had been'much speculation as to tlie ; cause of its death, as there was no , wound on it: so I suppose it swallowed ; the shell, and could not digest it. Anyway, tho shell is still ' ahve/ and the , whale is very much dead.' m • * * Miss Fabian, who has been engaged , as nurso at the Rarotongan hospital, returned to Wellington by the Moana ( on m # , Miss H. Burns, Chester Street W., ; will leave for Wellington to-morrow evening, where she will be the guest of Miss Marjori© Molineaux, Hobson ' Street, for some weeks. * » *- * * Mrs AY alter M'Fariane, of Kaiwara. is at present ia town. # # Mrs Phillips, of The Point, and the Misses Phillips, left Christohurch last : night for Wellington. i ° # * # * * Doctor and Mrs Chilton, of Here- , ford Street West, are spending a few , weeks' holiday at Springfield. ; s«# * * { Tlie Latimer Square branch of the , Red Cross are making a groat success : of their Friday work evenings, held m , the Y.M.C.A.. under the supervision , of several ladies, including Mrs Patter- , son and Miss La.ke. Members pay 6d, , which goes towards tho cost of tho material. The articles made are mostly bandages and swabs. , *.■»* ■ * * ( Mr and Mrs Kera, and their little . daughter Jane, who have been staying in Christchurch for some months, left, yesterday for tho ndrth, eiyrouto for their home in America,. # « « y » * v Miss K. Turner, of Timaru, is visiting f rends in Christchurch. , z *•»,*s * * » ' DOING MEN'S WORK. W. T. Stead's daughter, Estelle, has just taken the place of her brother, who joined tho army some time > ago, as editor of the " Review of Reviews." A girl in Fife, Scotland, is "doing extremely well," her father says, as ploughman in place of her soldier brother. On the Metropolitan tramways at Willesden, a. Mrs Bobbins works the points in place of her husband. At the Eton workhouse the barber's wife will shave th© inmates while her . husband fights for his country. In Birmingham parks women are such good gardeners that their wages have been raised from 10s a week to £1 sterling. « » ,» « » RECLAIMING DESERVED' VILLAGES. Those who drivo along country roads, seeing here and there neglected, abandoned farmhouses or empty cottages in remote little tewns, will be interested ' to hear'of tho work of Miss Mary Campbell.Smith who, several years ago, set. about reclaiming a. number of deserted English ( villages. She saw tho need of tho dozing liamlets.for fresh activitVj and thought of tho tnauy people living in crowded city tenements who could find work and a homo in these quiet places, and she determined to bring them together. Tumble-down cottages were restored, rough huts rehabilitated. Even abandoned barns and outhouses wero made clean and strong, and pressed into use. A bit of paint and chintz did the rest. Old furniture was rescued from sheds and attics and put into good condition, and all tlie dilapidation of the village turned into order an dbeauty. Tlio cottages are let for a. few .shillings a week and are never vacant. » » * • • FRENCH UNIFORMS NO LONGER TARGETS, * . In the midst of the great war Franco has succeeded in completely changing the uniforms of the various branches of the Army from the bright colours which made soldiers so conspicuous in previous wars, to shades that protect and render wearers comparatively inconspicuous. The question of a change from the bright red trousers? to a less brilliant shade was considered before tho war, but none was made, partjy because tho rod trousers had come to be associated with the military glory of the French Army. The red trousers actually came into the Army during tho reign of * Charles X. in 1830, the uniform of Napoleoii soldiers and tho soldiers of Franca for two centuries before him being hluo. The olive green uniforms were rejected because of, their ugliness. But tho losses before tho battle of the Marne convinced the military authorities that a change must be made. Blue being connected for so long with French military uniforms, it was considered first, and experiments showed that a pale skyblue shade made the soldiers inconspicuous and also wore for a surprisingly lone time if tho cloth were good. The troops of North Africa, whose summer uniforms were: of khaki, retained them, as did' chassours-a-pied their old dark blue uniforms, but the bulk of the armies adopted tho new and life-saving sky-blun uniforms. The collar patch of the now uniforms is dark blue for the cavalry, bright scarlet for the artillery am! black velvet to the engineer". The infantry | patch is the same colour as the uniform. ! j A WOMAN'S CLUB IN INDIA. I How the women of India are strivin r I to resell greater fro-;.' 1 cm and a. broader ! activity than they have ever known. I through organising and co-operating with each other, wis void in a lecture | recently delivered by a Airs I>. ,T. f - Ic !:i----j ins*. At Lahore, hula:, ilit* women ; have formed what ihey have named the j i Purdah CSnb, the word purdah J'oi\r- ! ring to the curtain or screen used to seclude women of r id-"., in tin.-- club I are to be found 'nigh caste Hindu wo- | men, Pa.rsoe. Muhammadan and Indian j Christian women, as well as v-lie j'.ng- • lish wivt's ar.d dam h'.ors ol («overnment officials ( the '-'colonel's lady 7 ' met wit it in Kipling). brought together in a great bond of sisterhood that sweeps awiiv all barriers of race, religion, language flud thought. The executive coirii mitt'eo of the club is composed of five members from each class, making it most representative body ot its kind in 'die world. Serial meeting.', IHd

onco a mouth, bring the women together for concerts, debates and refreshments. This strange club of women holds its meetings within e:\nvas walls, raised lifeo a great roofless tent in a garden. No man is ever permitted to go behind this purdah. Tho eagerness of tho women to know of tho new world or ideas and ideals outside the four walls of tho zenana., said Airs Fleming,, is most touching and calls for_ a. sympathetic response among emancipated women' everywhere. As wife of a college professor at Lahore, Mrs Fleming spent ten years in that city and becamo acquainted with many of the high caste women of India. The club at Lahore was the first of its kind, she declared, a lever placed under the rule of seclusion to help to lift Indian womanhood to m higher plane of thought and liberty. »», • * • FREEDOM FOR ORIENTAL WOMp;. " No Oriental political or social problem is so important as tho subject of woman's emancipation," asserts Hussin lvamel, Sultan of Egypt, in an interview in the " Temps." " Orientals understand too little tho great part women play in the world's progress. If wo could end the ignorance of our women and- give them a chnnco to assert themselves, all the other troublesome questions would come under their healthy influence. We can never ho wholly happy in. tho East until we free womon from the semi-slavery to which they aro subjected under Muhammadan laws." • • • * • FROM AN OLD BOOK. In a quaint old volume, entitled " Tho English Housewife," published threo centuries ago, there ocoiirs the following bit of advico which will probably bring a smilo to the housewife of to-day: "It restoth now that I Proceed unto Cookerio itself, which is tho dressing and ordering of meats in good' and wholesome manner, to which, when our, housewife shall address herself, she shall well understands that these qualities must ever accompany it: First, she must be cleanly both in body -and garments; sho must have a quick eye, a, curious nose, a sharp tasto and ready care. She must not be butter-fingered, sweet-toothed, nor fainti-hearted; for the first will let everything fall, the second' fc5.1l consume what it, should increase., a. r )d the last will lose time with too mu-cli nicojiess." #.*■ * * * VEGETABLES FOR AUSTRIA. Parade grounds and rifle ranges _in Austria and all other lands set aside for military use aro to bo devoted as far as possible to raising food. The war office has directed that such ground is to bo planted with oats, poas, beans, early potatoes and fresh vegetables. 'Throughout the country, tho military authorities are .warned that they must refrain from doing the least damage to crops, no matter how small the area. Every available plot of ground must ho used for increasing tho supply of food,and fodder. a « « a o HELPFUL HINTS. In every kitchen thero should be an indexed book or envelope on the shelf, containing houseMjJd hints, bits of information, gathered from all, available sources, having to do with kitchen or laundry work. Here are a few that may bo clipped and. add'ed to a collection, or, if there is no collection, they may serve as starters:— Heafc oranges- in the oven a utes before peeling them. If this is dono, the white inner skin will come off with the rind. If bacon js soaked in water a few minutes before it is fried, it will retain much more fat than if cooked in the ordinary way. When if/is done, sprinkle over it a few drops of lemon juice \ind a dash of pepper, which will much improve its taste. When boiling old potatoes, add', a littlo milk to the water. This will keep them from turning dark. llicc, if washed in hot- water instead of cold, is much more quickly cleanse*! and freed from all starch and dirt. To remove mildew from linen, wet the spot with, water, rub with laundry soap, sprinkle with salt and place in the sun; repeat several, times until spots have been completely removed. A package of medium-grained sandpaper will be found very useful in the kitchen. A small piece, soaped with kitchen soap, 'will quickly clean spots and burns from pots, pans and dishes. For olive oil bottles the new funnelcork will bo found valuable. It has a little- chain and cap to cover it when not in use. It prevents having to remove tho greasy cork every time tho oil is used, and so is much cleaner. ' If a strip of blotting paper is honed around th,e neclc of tho oil bottle, being often renewed, the shelf on which tho bottle stands ■ will not become greasy and discoloured. To clean copper utensils quickly, mix threo tablespoons of flour and one of salt to a paste with a. little Titiecrar; rub over the article with a soft cloth ,nnd then rinse with hoi water, polishing with a soft cloth when dry. r * if * * * MRS ROLLESTON, Hair Soeeialisi (Qua!. London and Paris' 1 , T3 RECOMMENDED for Hair Treatments, 1 Shampooing, UwdTCsamjr, l'*aco Massage, Manicuring and Permanent Removal of Superfluous Hair. Transformations, Switches and every description of hair work DOMINION BUILDINGS, CATHEDBAL SQUARE. X