FIVE OXLOCK TEA CHAT.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume V, Issue 46, 15 November 1890, Page 15

FIVE OXLOCK TEA CHAT.

VLLY : ‘ 1 have an idea to *ugg«*t l>> ihow yoang people »b". having taken uion iheuiselves the nwpoaribility of fixing taeu weahiing- ■ ***F- ***■ * n •* ou * >< " hat to Jo with theiu’*ires after the ceremony which make* them free to roam where they list, all alone, yet with Mrs Grundy 's full cva-m, though the'day <*- * ore **** haxe reganied it as putting the t ' young lady outside the |«ale of civiluaxiom The idea which I hereby give without charge is this. Ge: a comfortable van, fit it up with requisites tor a tew weeks' travel, hire a deaf and dumb driver, with horses quiet, yet warranted not to break down, and then commence a ueiigbtfui kind of gipsy wandering, enjoying an immense amount of each other's company, and still le--erving a little attention for the beauties of the much vaunted New Zealand scenery.' Gladys : ‘ I kar Dally. your idea is charming, though I fear that some couples would in this way get enough of each other’s society to last them through life, and would, ever after, rather avoid a continusvus trtr-a-trfic.' Stella - • It would at least permit a husband and wife to become thoroughly acquainted with each other's temper, for in a honeymoon of that kind there must frequently be various inconveniences and shortcomings to put up with which would try anyone’s patience.’ Vera: • Yon forget the glamour which love casts over everything.' Gladys: ‘Whilst we are talking of sweet things, let me ask you all if you are fond oi bananas:' Chorus : ‘ V ery.' Gladys : ‘ Then enjoy them as fruit as much as you can n--w. tor their useful day has come. They are doomed. The i>anaaa plant contains a greater quantity of pure fibre than any other vegetable product employed in the manufacture of parser,’and for this purpose it is now to be Dolly ; * I wish they baa not found that out.' Gladys : • We live m a sternly practical age. my dear.' Stella : ‘ I thought bananas were exceptionally good as food.' Gladys: ‘So some people say, others hold other views. Some folks declare you should drink a great quantity of water an! eat only fruit : others object to this diet. The Pope attributes his wonderfully good health to the constant use of the water of a little spring at San Vito, concealed in a mountain twenty miles fr»ra Perugia. For thirty years he has drank this water, which is brought to His Holiness in bottles by a peasant.' Vera: ‘ There has lately been "liseovered what Gladys would cal! a new employment for women. A lady has just been convicted of stealing a diamond ring on loarxi the Atlantic liner Etruria. She was pronotuteed “ a travelling thief." and sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment, and to pay the cost of the prosecution out of the sum of £l6O which, with a quantity of jewellery, wss found on her.' Gladys: ‘I fail to see where the‘‘employment for women" comes in.' Vera: ‘ Did I not say that she was discovered to have made a regular prefession of going to and fro between Liverpool ami America, always with a first class ticket, and stealing valuables from the different passengeis T Gladys : ‘ Professional painters have to put up with a good deal. Miss Dorothy Tennant Mrs H. M. Stanley has been informed by the >anlight S-.<ap> Company that they have birught her picture “ Street Arabs a; Play.” which she says she n»e«sr to call “ Heads over Tails," as a pictorial ad'vertisement-' Dolly : ‘ D>es she object ?' Gladys: ‘lt would seem not, for she sent them a letter saying she is ” perfectly satisfied to have my ragamuffins .-•lone like that,” and thinks the “ public ought to be obliged to you tor giving them pleasant pictures to look at.” ’ Stella - ' 1 notice an English paper in a critique of Mr Bathgate s poems, entitled “ Far South Fancies," says : “ The chief value of the work lies, it appears to ms. in its truthful delineations and realisations.' T:ie reviewer generously adds. “we think the coming school of Antipodean poets deserves ail j«sssiWe encouragement. "' Gladys: ‘lf they only read some of the New Zealand poetry adiieh I have had iniiiete-i on me. they would not feel inclined to "‘ encourage local industry ' of that nature. Doily : • I was helping last week to decorate a church, and coald not overcome the feeling that we were just like children in our mole of action.' Vera : ‘As how ?'

Doily : ‘ Me ira»i quantities of perishable and transiently beautiful flowers, which were nset literally placed—minus water —all over the church- Even the evergreens were not all worthy of the name, for some were of the species that wilt an! curl up in two or three hours. Alas ! after all our trouble, the sight that next day met our eyes as we assembled for divine worship was shabby in the extreme- Dead and dying flowers hung their hea t- in mute protest a: our un-Cbristian treatment in ruthlessly plucking and leaving them without water. The seem was also very, very yeiassr.’ Stella : ‘ That is all very well. Dolly, but w bat are you to do? It is the correct thing in most places to “ stick I believe that is the technical word, for I have heard the remark frequently on such occasions, *• Oh, yes. stick those geraniums in that wreath, and, “ Where shall I stick these white Sower st” . it is. I regretfully repeat. the recognised procedure to “ stick " flowers, especially good ones for rapid withering, all over the festoons and devices. But wfiat can you do else ?’ Dolly : • I would make all wreaths, devices, etc., of real evergreens, and either have no flow <gs but what could be placed in water, or leave them in tne vestry in tuns all night, and put rberu. fresh an-1 sweet, into the decorations on the festal morn.' Vera : ‘ Is there any English news? I suppose the “ advanced women ” ate deeply lamenting the death of Miss Lydia Becker?" Gladys: ‘ Mis* Becker will be keenly missed by her col leagues. Git the impetus -he has given to the technical education of girlswill foreverproveof value to those whose interests she -ought to promote. Miss Becker wa- more of a debater than an orator, lent she generally has -ometbing to say worth listening to on every social and political matter, an-i -he knew how to say it with terseness and force, and when to slop—a valuable quality which is rare among speakers of

loth sexes. Uise of her last acts in counection with the loani was the ap, ointment of a lady superintemient to supervise the inslauctioa to be given to the girl- in the night schoads next winter in ssek-nui*ing. dresssmaking. cookery, and laundry work. Miss Becker was a well-known figure at the Briti-h’A--eiati< n • --ogre— at the meeting held last September in Newcastle -be i "xlared herself .n “ out-and-out defender of the corsets ” wit, x)t Mi s Stopes ha>i beendenouneingand-tated that ‘‘underprei:t ronditions.«be considered them alwdutely necessary for the health, comfort, and appearance of wor. en.” Mt-s Becker wasboin in Cooper--treet lite 2?th of February. 1827, and wa~ theeldest ■ f a family of fifteen children. >Le was a Liberal in polities although she declined to accept Mr Gladstone's Howe Bule policy. She was keenly interested in many branches of science, a great lover of nature, and devoted to the study of botany. Her vigorous health, up to the recent illness which injured her to go abroad, enabled her to get tho ugh a va-t atu .-unt of work, aal through her death the suffrage movement certainly !o-es its earliest and jerhaps its meet zealous supporter. Frien-l and foe alike mu-t feel there is something inexpressibly tragic that The las. scene of ax? That ends thi- strange eventful history should take place in a foreign lard, far away from her kith and kin. There was only a faithful servant at hand to sooth the last moments and to hear tire last wishes of the Lancashire lady who must ever le remembered as one of the representative women of the nineteenth century.' Vera : ‘ 1 fancied I read something about the disgraceful behaviour of th-oe ladies who were kindly admitted to ne» tLe trousseau of the Archduchess Margaret, who has married Prissce Altert <rf Thurn and Taxis. Did you see it. Gladys ?' Gladys: ‘Yes. the occasion upon which the w..men of Buda distinguished themselves in sueh a manner as to require restoring to order by forcible means was the day when the Archduchess's trousseau was on show, and in their anxiety to get a good view of the rAif-yHJ: these ladies be came so insolent and so violent towards each other, t hat the y-.diee and the Royal servants were powerless, and when the excited females were finally ejected from the premises it is said that it actually took time to sweep up the «Mru of broken parasols, hats and bonnets, ornaments, and other feminine belongings, which filled several leskets !' Stella : ‘ How horrid : Well, we do not behave like that when we see trousseaux, and I saw such a pretty one the other day.' Gladys: • The ',‘aeen is always greatly interested about ■iotnestic events, and we are told that she received with delight and relief the news that her granddaughter. Princess Sophia. Duehess of Sparta, an i daughter of the Empress F ederiek, had piesented her husband with a son. The Telegram sent conveying the news was promptly acknowledged in the most affeetis-aate terms, only to lie followed by the kindest autograph letter c-mceivaide. Apropos —

the Queen's writing retains its clearness and firmness wonderfully, and is quite remarkable caligraphv for a lady of seventy two.'