MOTHER AND HOME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20058, 22 September 1920, Page 9

MOTHER AND HOME.

The true secret of health and long life lies in very simple things. Court the fresh air day and night. Sleep and rest abundantly. Sleep is Nature’s benediction. . Avoid passion and excitement-- a moment’s anger may he fatal. Associate with healthy people. Health is contagious os well as disease. Don’t 'carry the whole world on your shoulders, far less tho universe, and never despair. “ Lost hope is a fatal disease.” Nervous Children.—lVe aro apt to overlook the extreme nervousness that oiten venders life a perfect misery to a little child. This' nervousness is often 'treated as cowardice, and the elders endeavour to overcome it either hy ridicule or by forcing the child to no that'which brings abject misery to its life. But were we wiser we should remember that childishness is not lolly; it is only the inability to understand of what 'to bo afraid and what to dread; a child’s mind can grasp an argument as well as an adult’s, if that argument be brought before it with tender consideration. Care in Ironing.—When ironing fancy work, place a clean white sheeton a very thickly padded ironing-board, and lay tho work on the sheet, right side downward. Put a piece of thin muslin over tho back of tho work and press with a brisk movement, using a smartly hot iron. If tho work be too dry, damp the intervening muslin before running the iron over. New crochet, it may be mentioned here, is considerably improved if, before sew- ! ing it on, a well-damped cloth is laid , ov 9 r r hc lace and a hot iron* pressed .quickly along it. This “sets” the j work, and certainly tends greatly to i Improve its appearance. [ Ed Switches” for Ladies.— Though intermittently revived, walk-ing-sticks for women have never been really fashionable. Few ladies can, with grace, wield such unnecessary implements; and it is often by ‘those courting public notice that these superfluous adjuncts arc adopted. “Eel switches ” were at one time in vogue with American ladies. They aro made froiu largo cel-skins, very pliable, and with a beautiful surface. Of course many women, especially those of the younger generation, do carry sticks,

but with the majority the walkingstick is not an article ot fashion. When Choking.—lf tho child is choking badly, tickle the throat with a. finger or a feather, so as to induce vomiting, or make the child gulp down water. If these nleatts fail, try an emetic of mustard and water, and send f6r a doct6r. The white of an egg well beaten up is often effective in dislodging a fish-bone; or, indeed, anything, unless it is in the wind-pipe. Should a piece or meat or money stick in the throat, open the patient’s mouth, force the forefinger to the back of the throat, turn it downwards towards tho gullet, and try to hook up the body; This may have to be attempted several times, the while the patient sits with head well forward and is sharply smacked between the shoulders. A ( Useful. Hint.—A well-known and fashionable beauty says that comparatively few women trouble how they put on their coals and costumes. Some styles of dress never set right unless donned in a proper manner. The woman who shovels on her garments anyhow, and then spends hours in front of her minor pulling them into shape, never by any chanco 'looks really smart and neat. In putting on .a glove every lady knows that to merely push thi, hand into it and then trust to tugs and pulls to bring it into position, is to ruin its fit. Exactly the same thing applies to the whole of one’s" costume. . Fireproofing Fabrics.—Cotton and light wearing apparel may he easily prepared so that it will not burn with a blaze. The process is simple, and involves very little outlay of either money or skill. Though by no means a luxury confined to the wealthy, this has been done in many laundries by adding tungstate of soda to the starch. The same result may be obtained Ijy putting a tcaspoonful of powdered borax into a pint of starch after boiling water has been added to it. All this is posivitely harmless in its effect upon clothing fabrics and those who wear them.