AS SEEN THROUGH WOMAN’S EYES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue XIV, 6 October 1900, Page 657

AS SEEN THROUGH WOMAN’S EYES.

Lady Travellers in China. There, have of course, been numberless women missionaries scattered throughout the Celestial Empire, but it is their duty to remain more or less stationary; and, owing to the great suspicion and dislike felt by the Chinese populace for those holuiug different religious views from themselves, it is more difficult for a lady missionary to find out anything about the country in which she has cast her lot than even the ordinary globe trotter, who is there to - day and gone to - morrow. But two English ladies have penetrated into the very heart of China, and have made themselves conversant, as few even of their travelled countrymen have done, with the language, the thoughts and the habits of the Children of the Sun.

Mrs Bishop, who, fortunately for herself, is now in England, is, notwithstanding her feminine appearance, a wonderfully courageous woman. But it is significant of how she regards the Chinese people that though she never carried arms even when going through Persia and Kurdistan, she goes nowhere in China without A SIX-CHAMBERED REVOLVER, which ready loaded, is securely placed about her person. Airs Bishop is not one of those who have a thoroughly bad opinion of the Chinese nation. She realises how much many of our customs and ways must shock the population. Chinese women are on the whole modest and well conducted in their dress and deportment, and Mrs Bishop would like to see European lady missionaries wearing a kind of uniform approximating to the very decent and becoming costume worn by the Chinese themselves. This garment, which is not unlike a tea gown, is always worn by Mrs Bishop during her journeys in China, and very often when living in her own quiet English home. No woman living knows more about China than does this remarkable woman traveller, and she is personally acquainted with many of the unfortunate Europeans who are now in Pekin. Mrs Archibald Little is the wife of a distinguished traveller and man of science. She has both trayelled and had her home in various little known parts of China, and she has often gone through moments of great peril, some of which are described in AN INTERESTING NOVEL written by her some years ago, and entitled “A Marriage in China.” During the last few years Mrs Little’s home in Chung-king has been situated fifteen hundred miles up the Yangtse, but it is feared she was in Pekin when the outbreak occurred. o o o o o On the Writing of Notes. Letter-writing in the sense in which our grandmothers understood it is quite a thing' of the past. But all the same there is as much art in a well-written note now as there was in the long epistles of a bygone day. Many smart women have their own especial style, which is generally clear, concise and well-expressed. Some people experience a good deal of difficulty in condensing their ideas. Let them cultivate the art; it is worthy of their best attention. As to materials, writing-paper should be plain and of good quality, with the address stamped on it, and in some cases the crest. One point is apt to be overlooked by women, and that is the date. No letter or note should ever be despatched without the day, month and year being clearly written. A letter should always have a margin on either side of the paper, and paragraphs should not be, as they are only too often, conspicuous by their absence. When our grandmothers were young and the fine Italian writing was in vogue, it was quite permissible to cross a letter. To-day this is an economy which is not tolerated. There is a great difference, too, in the business note of to-day and that of twenty years ago. Formerly people “presented their compliments,” or "begged to inform”; now one goes straight to the point, and begins “Sir”

or "Dear Sir," and ends "Yours faith fully.”

Here, again, women are apt to be unbusinesslike, and omit the name of the person to whom the letter is written, which should appear after the signature of the writer.

The typical woman’s writing of this end of the century is somewhat masculine, though small and neat, and varies greatly from the elegance and grace of the forties. Some people may think that this is much-ado-about-nothing, but there is much character to be found in the writing of notes. For Refreshing Sleep. Many people, even those accustomed to being out of doors all day, think it necessary when night comes to shut every window. This is a very erroneous idea. During the long hours of the night, when all doors are necessarily obliged to be shut, surely fresh air is needed through the window. Some people say that they sleep more soundly if the window is shut. There is no doubt that their sleep is heavier, but, at the same time, it is not so refreshing as if they slept in purer air. So much carbonic acid gas being evolved from the lungs acts like a narcotic in a close room. We all know how sleepy and heavy we feel in a crowded church, theatre, or concert-room. Some people would be afraid to make a change in the winter, but. as spring advances, the change may be made with impunity. Open the window at the top Once the habit is acquired, it will certainly be continued. Accustomed to sleeping in a fresh room, one feels suffocated if the window is closed. Royal Proposals. Without proposals there could be no marriages, for from time immemorial men of all nationalities, from the most untutored savage to the most refined European, have, accordtheir several customs and individual methods, “popped the question. ’ 1 This applies equally to the highest as to the lowest, though the' idea genet ally obtains that manv matches among European royalties, being mere matters of State convenience and utterly lacking those elements wdnch we term “love,” are brought about without any actual proposal being made by the gentleman to the lady. How erroneous this is can readily be proved by taking' a few notable examples.

It was in a certain Continental cathedral that the Prince of Wales first saw his wife, and it is an open secret that on that occasion he was much struck with her beauty. It was at Rosenthal, the palace of the Danish royal family, that His Royal Highness had the tete-a-tete with ‘the Princess Alexandra, in the course of which he asked the "Daughter of the Sea Kings” to be his wife; nor did he plead in vain.

The Prince’s younger brother, the late Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wooed and won his Russian bride in one of the magnificent salons of the palace at St. Petersburg: and it is recorded in this connection that the “Sailor Prince” had to ask the daughter of the Great White Czar more than once ere she accepted him. The story of how the Queen’s marriage came about is at once one of the most unique and prettiest in the annals of royal matches. Though widely known, it is so charming that it can scarce be repeated too often. According to court etiquette Prince Albert could not propose to Her Majesty: and thus it came about that the young Queen took the initiative, in an essentially maiden way, during a dance with the Prince at Windsor Castle. She was wearing a spray of white lilac, and with a blush she took it from her breast and handed it to her royal suitor. Prince Albert wore a military uniform: but he did not let the lack of a buttonhole stand in the way; for he made a slit in his coat with his pocket-knife and fastened the flower in it. Then the royal couple slipped into an adjoining apartment, and a day or two after the engagement of the Queen was announced. The gardens around White Lodge were the scene of the Duke of York’s proposal to Princess Mary of Teck.

111 “Leaves From the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands." the Queen wrote as follows with regard to the engagement of Princess Louise to the present Duke of Argyll: “I’his was an eventful day. Our dear Louise was engaged to Lord Lome. The event took place during a walk from the Glassalt Shiel to Loch Dhu. We got home by 7. Louise, who returned some time after, told me that Lome had spoken of his devotion to her, and proposed to her, and that she had accepted him, knowing that 1 should approve.”

It was in Scotland also that another of the Queen’s daughters became engaged. The two Loyal lovers wandered on a moor from the rest of the party with whom they had been. Espying some white heather, the Crown Prince of Germany plucked a spray and offered it to the Princess Loyal, who accepted it. and with it the hand of the Prince. The betrothal was shortly afterwards announced.

It was during a family party at Copenhagen that the present Czar of All the Lussias proposed to Princess Alix of Hesse. It is understood that he first made known his devotion to Princess Alix while strolling with her among the flowers in the palace garden. Imitative Tendencies of Children. It is very noticeable how. in some families, folks expect from the children what is not forthcoming from the older people. For instance, the children are cautioned and expected always to be polite, always to be pleasant, always to be good-natured, never to get into a temper, never to do this, and never to do that. Again and again do we hear parents scoldingly admonishing their children, and complaining most fretfully to each othei' that the children behave so badly. Perhaps their prents wonder at it: other people, however, do not. Not being of the family group, others can look on with unbiassed eyes and see wherein the trouble lies. Too frequently parents are careless as regards their own personal habits; they fail to keep up the little courtesies of life between themselves and their children: thev scold continually and lose their temper at trifles; they unreasonably place the blame for some thing on the nearest one; they forget to give praise when praise is due. and many times indulgently overlook what is really culpable. Thus they place before their children the example of an undisciplined home life, and unconsciously, though naturally, the children copy their parents’ behaviour; it is a ease of “like master, like man." There are too many homes where there is no real discipline, and it stands to reason that the children of such homes must grow up in an untrained manner, must be little, hot-tempered, unruly scamps

and vixens, beyond the management of parents or others. When all these things are taken into consideration, the children in such cases are not so much to blame, because of the example set before them by their elders; and many times when parents find occasion to so frequently scold and wonder at their children’s general misbehaviour it might be weil for them to consider fairly their own attitude in the family and their own a'tions <»n similar occasions, which their children have witnessed. Self-rule of parents in the home and before the children will go far towards improving the behaviour of the children and tar towards raising the tenor of the whole home life. Novel Hair Ornaments. . At the present time it is almost de rigueur to have some kind of ornament in the hair for evening wear. \\ hen the hair is dressed low at the back of the neck a. single large rose tucked in the coils of hair behind the left ear is very attractive. Some people, again, find two roses—one on either side higher on the head—becoming. \\ hen the hair is worn a la Pompadour a tiny wreath of flowers with an aigrette on one side is popular. To the blonde a black jetted butterfly or butterfly bow is generally becoming. Many and various are the pins that are stuck into the hair, not only for evening but for general wear. A Pink Wedding. Many people think that pink is the ideal bridesmaid colour. It shows up so well en masse. A charming idea for a dress of this kind is one composed of ivory white voile over pale pink silk. There should be a vest of white chiffon very finely tucked, a bolero trimmed with lace insertion showing the pink silk through, and the sleeves would look pretty' carried out in the same way, the lower part being of chiffon without any lining. Of course, the skirt should 'be made separately from the foundation, and it might have, transparent lace insertions let into it in bars or big irregular designs. and the waistband would look pretty made of pink silk, and might be drawn up in front to outline the bolero. A picture hat should accompany this toilette trimmed with pink roses and foliage, and a bouquet to match them would be carried. When children are bridesmaids thev never look prettier than in soft white or iwgn China silk, with trimmings and insei bions of lace, and large hats made of the same material, with perhaps just the relief of a few tiny pink roses to form a wreath. Of course, if pink was not liked these models would look equally well carried out with blue relief.