AT HOME WITH THE LADY EDITOR.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 9, 27 February 1892, Page 210

AT HOME WITH THE LADY EDITOR.

Under this heading 1 am very pleased to reply to all queries that are genuine and helpfid to the querist and others. Kindly irrite on one side oj the paper only, and address to the Lady Editor.

Alh e E. —You want a design for ‘Night’ to be worn at a fancy dress ball ? You say it must be inexpensive. If you possess an old black silk skirt, cover it with black tarletan. First spread the tarletan (or grenadine) on the table, and arrange on it the Southern Cross cut out in silver paper. Fasten with paste or white of an egg. Then add any other constellations visible in this hemisphere. On your head wear a crescent moon made of a tinfoil. You can add a fringe of dew drops, made of oval glass beads, to your bodice. I Hack shoes, stockings and gloves. M.E. I). — I think these are your initials, but they were difficult to decipher. You must be aware that eating arsenic is a most dangerous and foolish plan. At first you may fancy it improves your complexion, but in a little while you will most bitterly regret, as you gaze at your now hopelessly ruined face in the glass, that you ever meddled with the harmful poison. I entreat you to use no more of it.

Alfred W. —Ye-, I am willing to answer your query, though this column is supposed to belong to the fair sex. What are you to give your fiancee for a birthday present? In return I should like to ask you three questions. \\ hat does she want? Are you anxious to give an expensive present ? Are you soon to be married ? If your Jian cee has all sorts of dainty knick-knacks, glove case, card-case, portable writing case, elegant little receptacle for holding her scissors, thimble, etc., then give her none of these. Has she plenty of jewellery, or are you rich enough to give her the latest design in earrings—if she wears them—a lovely brooch, bangle, or ring? If you do give anything of this kind let it be good. With respect to my third question, if you are to be married soon, why not give her something which will come in afterwards as a house decoration in the shape of a bewitching cup and saucer in a velvetlined case, a plaque, a bamboo easy chair for her own room, etc., etc. ? I can only say that, knowing so little of the circumstances, these are the only ideas I can give you. One gentleman gave his betrothed a large cookery-book as a delicate hint to begin studying domestic economy in the dinner line, but she mistook his meaning, declared she was not going to marry a ‘ greedy old glutton.’ who evidently only required a clever cook, and broke off the match forthwith. Verb. sap.

Meta. —At what age should you marry ? Vela depend. Princess Beatrice waited until she was getting on toward thirty before she decided on her husband. The unfortunate Princess Mary of Teck is twenty-four, and was to have been married this month. How would that age suit you? Really, it depends so much on the girl. Some are children at eighteen, others (piite experienced women of the world. Medical men advise girls not to marry before twenty-one, and young men before twenty five. The other day in an omnibus I saw a girl still wearing her hair down her back with an infant in arms and a tiny toddler by her side. As soon as she had left the vehicle I was exceedingly amused to hear two ladies promptly exclaim : ‘ Did yon evei ?’ ‘ Bah ! it s very wrong for a child like that to get married.’

. 1 propos of women’s work, I am very pleased to receive the following letter from an esteemed correspondent: —

In wit Lady Editor.—l believe the idea of your correspondent regarding an Exchange for Women’s Work would, as suggested, prove a boon to many in Auckland, even if commenced on simpler lines t han the one in Paris. But it needs active and influential ladies to take the initiative, and good business heads to carry it on. I would suggest that a donation of 2s 6(1 would entitle any woman to send suitable articles for sale at fair prices, including sm h things as china, brass-work, coins, curios, and drawings and paintings, wood-carving, etc. All articles sent should, of course, be fresh, clean, and uninjured, so as to make an attractive display of bric-a-brac to add to tin* show of needle work. Probably the shop would soon be resorted to for the purchase of small presents, and I have an idea that the exhibition of varied and well-exe-cuted needle work would be an incentive to many idle hands in

New Zealand, and till up many list less hours. 1 shall feel interested in the further ventilation of this useful scheme.—Yours faithfully. Ella E.

A Napier lady says : — ‘Servants are the topic of conversation just now. One gets pretty sick of it, but what are we to do? We must have some one to do the work, and we simply can t get anyone, and if we do manage to get them, oh dear, we were better tar without? lam speaking of my own experience just at present, but I hear all my fiiends complaining. We would willingly do the work, but it is utterly impossible to work and do the line lady too. That is where the rub is. We must be dressed and ready for visitors even if we don’t go out, and we must go out sometimes (it, is good for the liver if for nothing else), and if we have a late dinner to cook, ami a basket of ironing to do, ami a baby to nurse as often as not, what are we to do? I wonder if they have the same bother all over New Zealand ?’

Mi: Kipling, I am requested to tell Mr Rudyard Kipling that his remark in an Auckland paper to the effect that the New Zealand storytellers have yet to appear has given deep ollence. And no wonder! Had Mr Rudyard Kipling condescended to raise his eyes from his own pile of M.SS. and turn over the pages of the Christmas number of the New Zealand (Jkaphic, he would have seen that the young people, the settlers, the story-makers of New Zealand have already begun their work. Does this gentleman, who has so suddenly sprung up as a raconteur of Anglo Indian tales, imagine that the soil from which he sprang is the only soil which can produce authors whose works will be read ? Does he think with a self-complaisant smile, that unless he devotes a little of his valuable time to New Zealand yarns the literature of this country will never be adequately icpiesented ? He has already given us a few cheap, cynical lematks on harbours ami loans, etc remarks which aie too stale to be witty, too obviously tine to be a joke, too obnoxious to our tender and honouiable feelings to be in good taste. We do not appieciate those travellers who skim over the surface of our islands like birds of prey taking away literary material, which they say we do not know how to use ; hard cash, which they say we ought

thankfully to spare ; and our good name, which they say we do not value, or we would take better care of. This is all very hard, and I should like to be able in the course of the next few years to hurl volumes of excellent New Zealand stories ait the head of the particular offender who has stirred up these remarks, Ido not venture to say that everyone who has yet written tales descriptive of life in this colony has equalled the Anglo-Indian efforts of Mr Rudyard Kipling. This has not been the case exactly, but I do think that there is sufficient latent talent in our beloved land to rise up at once and confront in three, two, or one volumes the fatal accusation that for some years, at least, we can produce no very good writers. Being a gentleman, Mr Kipling did not say it in quite those terms, but he insinuates it, and you all kn-iw a lie that is half a truth is hardest of all to disprove.