AT HOME WITH THE LADY EDITOR.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume X, Issue 22, 3 June 1893, Page 526

AT HOME WITH THE LADY EDITOR.

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

In answer to the question—Should women preserve their good looks artificially ? Mrs Belton, writes :—• Most assuredly they should. There are many good women, moving in the best circles, who do not hesitate to avail themselves of every possible means of beautifying themselves. A lady I know every morning splashes about in a warm bath, laving herself with a small bag filled with almond meal, fine soap in powder, and sometimes some grated roots. This produces a perfumed lather, and imparts a soft milkiness to the water, and a flexibility and whiteness to the skin. Brisk rubbing removes the moisture, and then Madame goes to work, pummelling, kneading, and pinching, with perfumed hands, until she is a mass of delicate pink, and as fresh as a rose. The art of removing superfluous hair, of preventing and concealing wrinkles, of tightening up flaccid muscles and imparting plumpness to thin necks and arms, is in daily request in Mayfair, and some of the dodges for effecting these purposes are anything but pleasant. The Jersey Lily’s discovered that fresh beef steaks placed over the face at night serve to ward off wrinkles has beeu tried in several cases, but whether with satisfactory results I do not know. A pretty burlesque actress retains her fresh complexion by performing her ablutions in warm milk and glycerine mixed. Her rosy lips are the envy of her sisters, and the admiration of her male friends. How she maintains her freshness is a mystery. She doesn’t paint nor apply those terrible poisons such as were used by the famous Ninon de I’Enclos, who was beautiful almost until her last moments.’ *#* * * * I fancy that Mrs Langtry’s beefsteaks were not a success, for I read in an English paper some time ago that her complexion is nothing like what it used to be, and is quite a source of trouble to her. ‘ Bessie ’ says :—* Do please agree with me that a little powder and a little rouge are quite allowable? I live in Auckland where it is very warm, and I am really obliged to use a little colouring when Igo out. My fiiends say it is a great improvement, and that I 3m quite right to make myself look as nice as possible. A girl I know always powders before she goes to a dance, as she gets flushed and does not look at all nice then. How I should like to know what cosmetics that wonderful “ She ” in Mr Haggard’s book used ? I suppose it was all fiction, though. ’

‘ Old Maid ’is very emphatic. She writes : * Certainly not I Woman is as the Greater made her, and He never intended her to use anything but clean water for her complexion or skin. Those filthy abominations of paints and powder and creams and oils are just delusions of the men who work on weak women’s minds and try to sell their own goods at anv cost to the purchaser. Pray do not lend the countenance of such a sensible paper as the Graphic to any nonsense about beautifying women by artificial or false means. It makes me sick to read of singers who “ only wash their faces on a long journey with a little drop of eaude Cologne, or wipe them over with a little salve.” Ugh !' • Miss Fun ’ says : * Why should we not be as beautiful as possible in every possible way ? If I were a Maori I’d tattoo tremendously, because that is awfully becoming to them. As lam a white girl I don’t mind confessing Ido a little in the civilised way of improving my, ahem ! good looks myself. These things were given for us to use, and I think we should be extremely stupid if we didn’t avail ourselves of them.’ ♦** * * * • Home Lovers.’—Thank you very much. You are splendid ! • Inattentive Bill.’—l am sorry, but really I cannot print your verses. They are very complimentary, but they are not particularly poetical. This one, for instance, is not built in accordance with the lines laid down by true poets. • Dear heart that lives on the blue Waitemata, My love that I’m always a’ter, A smile won’t you throw (Captain Edwin’s right, it does blow) To your most admiring Graphic reader I I think I am doing right in advising you to refrain from any further attempts at poetry. The other verses are in the waste-paper basket. They are even worse. * * » * * ■» ‘ Molly Bawn.’—Your story is fair, but the spelling and the punctuation would disgrace a child in the first standard. You write: * She sat in a tring possition with the head throwen back and a cruell branch, caching her golden hair with a tinte of sunlite in its folds. Waveing litely in the breaze.’ It would take me six months to correct it for you. Your writing is also bad. ♦*♦ ♦ * ♦ Apropos of the recent articles in this paper on the folly of tight-lacing, I should like to call the attention of all fair readers to a sad case which has just occurred in Australia. A young lady there died in a railway-carriage quite suddenly, a direct victim, so said the doctor who conducted the inquest, to tight-lacing. Her poor lungs were so compiessed that she could not breathe. Verb. sap. * - * ♦ * * * *- * * ’ ‘ Henrietta Maitland.’ —I trust this will catch your eye. Thank you for your article. I regret that after consultation we have decided the subject is one of which for the present at least, we have had sufficient. Your article is also rather long, though well-written. You see it does not answer to have too much about one subject, and I recollect thanking you some little time ago for an essay on a similar subject. How shall I return it to you ? Do you know anyone in Auckland who would call for it? And shall I put Miss H. Maitland on it? Will that be sufficient? Many thanks for the offer of it.

To an unknown correspondent: A very neatly-written note reached me this morning containing neither name nor address. lam always very pleased to receive any genuine account of social festivities, but, unless I know the writer, they must always be accompanied by the real name of the sender. I can assure you that this will be kept strictly to myself, and on no account disclosed to anyone. The little paragraph is nicely worded, too, and so delightfully clearly written. Many thanks for it,- fair unknown, though, as you would see, it is exactly three days too late. All society news must reach me on Monday, and as early as possible. Of course anything happening on Monday night is received early on Tuesday morning. To ensure this, I have usually to make special arrangements for someone who has brothers in town to report for me, though all other reports, coming in time, will be added if they contain any fresh items.

‘ Daisy Diddle.’ —A good wedding-dress, with good lace, always comes in afterwards, so it is money well-spent. Yes, I quite agree with you, silk will be more useful, it will always dye. Do not skimp your skirt; they are being worn so very much fuller, and if they are again reduced, you have always a spare breadth with which to make a fresh bodice, or add new sleeves. I like your ideas very much. Why should you ‘ feel obliged to go away for a honeymoon ?’ If you wish to make some change, go off by train after the ceremony, take dinner and sleep at some place, within thirty miles, then come back quietly next day, and take possession of your new home. Your husband need only lose a day and a. half from his business in this way. No, correspondents asking questions need not give their full names unless they like. Write again if I can help you at all. I wish you every happiness. My advice to newly-married people always is, 1 Bear and forbear.’