ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVIII, Issue XII, 20 March 1897, Page 347

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Notice-to contributors. —Any letters or MSS. received by the Editor of the New Zealand Graphic will be immediately acknowledged in this column. Poi.ly-puT-thh-KeTTLE-On.’—You do not, I conclude, want me to congratulate you on the brevity of your pseudonym ? In a shipping office the length or brevity of a vessel's name makes nearly the difference of one clerk’s work a year—so many times has it to be written. I am very sorry about your cold-taking propensities. Always keep your feet warm and dry, if possible. A cork sole in your shoes is a great help, and a half-rubber shoe, that is a new kind of galoshe, which has no heel and is most easily slipped on and off, is a great preventive of damp feet. I had a pair last winter, and found them an immense saving of trouble, as I never had to change my shoes when running out in the wet. Here are one or two hints for colds : —White of egg beaten with loaf sugar and lemon relieves hoarseness —a teaspoouful taken once every hour. Nine cases out of ten of ordinary colds can be cured in this early stage by a hot bath, and drinking a glass of hot lemonade before going to bed. ‘ Napier.’—Many thanks for kind offer. I should like any household hints that are good, as I am pleased that so much interest is taken in that department. We have plenty of funny bits, thank you. Yes, of course the personals, etc., count. Much obliged for those sent. We do not receive any except through our regular correspondent unless authenticated by the name and address of the sender. We do not publish the name, but it is necessary as a proof that what is sent is correct. ‘ Mrs B.’—l heard of a most useful dinner-waggon the other day which I think would exactly suit you, but you will have to get it made, as I do not think you are at all likely to meet with one in New Zealand in this style. It comprises long drawers for fancy tea-cloths and sundries of that kind, upper and lower shelf for dessert, teakettles, biscuit boxes, etc., and a commodious cupboard beneath for cake, preserves, etc. You had better have this latter made in two separate divisions, with distinct keys, so that one can at will be kept locked up independently of the other. The top is flat, ready for the dinnerdishes. You must have good castors for it. ‘ Master P.Q.R. ’ —l am really sorry for the fate of your MSS. It reminds me of a certain scientist who left the door of his sanctum open one afternoon while he took a meditative pipe in the garden. In marched a pet goat and devoured the labour of months ! If your story is really good, re-write it. Probably you will make it shorter and generally greatly improve on your first attempt. I will give you two bits of advice. Do not again put the MSS. on the stove to dry ; and do not be at all afraid of the trouble of consulting a dictionary whilst you write. Of course I quite understand that, as you say, your letter to me was dashed off in a ‘ taring rage and hurey,’ but as it contains several other spelling faults, I am a little apprehensive about your MSS. You will still be in time for the competition. ‘Miss Slim.’—Asa rule in the colony people do not complain of being too thin. I will tell you how a very thin girl grew nice and cheerful and plump. ‘ I gave up ■worrying to begin with,’ said she, ‘ and then I began to grow fat. I drank milk and cream whenever and whereever I could get it. At breakfast, lunch, and supper, when I went to a tea, it didn't matter where. I devoured all the sweets and starchy desserts that came within reach. I slept twelve hours, and never hurried or got excited, or ran or walked more than was absolutely necessary for my health and exercise. I ate nothing bitter or sour, lived on oatmeal, chicken, potatoes and vegetables.’ * Maggie.’—Many thanks for contribution. It was quite in our style. I shall be glad to hear from you again. 1 Picton.’ —Nothing of the nature of a letter must come in an envelope with the flap turned in. We had to payfine and extra postage on yours. No ‘ Press Correspondence ’ letter even can come for a half-penny unless it is delivered in the same town in which it is posted. ‘ Reggie R.’ —Yes, you are quite right. All sorts of queries are, as far as possible, answered in these columns, so I will now devote myself to your question. Catching crayfish is delightfully simple, always provided they do not catch your fingers by mistake. This is the modus ojvrandi (I am sure a bright boy like yourself knows Latin) Not even the angler's rod is needed, a peg to stick into the bank, a yard or two of strings, with a piece of raw meat at the end, and your paraphernalia is complete. You throw in three or four bails and wait patiently for a few minutes; then a lobster-like head, and a diminutive, but villainous-looking, pair of claws appear from under a stone, and soon several of the queer

little creatures catch hold of the bait; then comes a moment for the display of the watcher's skill; make but too sudden a movement and the fish drop off and scuttle away backwards at a wonderful pace ; the thing is to raise the string gently until it is possible to slip a landing-net below, and then your crayfish are secure, only, as you lift them out, beware of the claws. ‘King John.’ —The next letter I take up refers to a very different subject than fishing. I like the tone of your letter, ‘King John,’ very much, and am quite prepared to congratulate the girl you have it in your heart to propose to. Before answering your question, ‘ When should a young man m arry ?’ let me point out that material interests ought not to be wholly ignored in matrimony. A man should carefully consider his temporal prospects —his ability to maintain in respectability her whom he will solemnly vow to love —before committing himself. General experience by no means confirms the dictum that ‘ Two can live cheaper than one.’ A thrifty wife can do wonders in the way of domestic economy, but this does not justify a man in taking a maiden from a comfortable home, and socially lowering her. Again, the matter of health should not be forgotten by any young man bent on matrimony. Considering that he is to be the future bread-winner, and that upon his sound health depends his ability to provide for his family, it behoves him to secure a thoroughly good physical condition. For a woman to find herself allied to an invalid husband all her days is terrible to contemplate. More important still is the matter of health as it concerns the sacred honour of parenthood. John Ruskin says : ‘ No man should marry under four-and-twenty ; no girl under eighteen. No man should marry till he has made himself worthy of a good wife, and able to maintain her and her children in comfort. And he should choose her as he would choose his destiny, with range of choice from earth to heaven.’ ‘ Sunburnt Dolly.’—lt is very difficult to avoid getting sunburnt this hot weather if you go out to picnics either on land or on the sea. When you return home from one of these expeditions, on no account bathe your face with water. Get a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda (what you use for baking powder), mix well with two tablespoonfuls of oatmeal in sufficient water to make a good paste, add a squeeze of lemon juice. Well cover your face with the mixture, and in about an hour add another coat, moistening again with lemon juice. I can vouch for this as most efficacious. Go to sleep with the paste on. In the morning wash well.