AS SEEN THROUGH WOMAN’S EXES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVI, Issue I, 5 January 1901, Page 41

AS SEEN THROUGH WOMAN’S EXES.

Which is Braver in Face of Death. HOW SOME WOMEN CAN DIE. Heroism, courage and fortitude are human qualities belonging to the entire human race at large, and are not confined to any age, sex or condition. Nature is kind, and when the time eomes almost every one is ready io die. Yet the period of life at whieh death arrives, the form it takes, the time for preparation, the circumstances, the temperament of the person about to die, all have an influence and increase or decrease natural bravery.

“Execute this man first,’’ said the great Mme. Boland, pointing to a friend, “for he has not courage sufficient to see me die.’’ Her wish was gratified, and when her own head fell into the basket the executioner relates that streams of blood gushed up like fountains from the large arteries in the neck, something that seldom happens, for terror slows the circulation and numbs the heart. Mme. Roland died as she had lived—bravely. Hers was sublime fortitude, a radiant courage in face of disaster. The time, the circumstance, the act of saving another pain and anguish, together with the strength of her mind and body, her temperament, made it posible for her to meet death as calmly as if it were a sleep of hours instead of ages. Women generally have a firmer faith in orthodox religion than men, and its teachings in regard to a future life naturally for them mitigate the sting of death to a greater degree. The rewards that the upright expect to receive in heaven make the transition as easy as stepping through an open door into another house.

One such woman showed quiet fortitude to a remarkable degree. Suffering

severe pain intermittently for years—pain due to an aggravated heart trouble—the time came when all forces tended to extinction, when “death came a-knocking at the door.” In turn each member of the family was called to listen to a brief farewell —the little children, husband, father, brothers and sisters —and to receive a loving message for the absent. Then, turning to a nurse she said quietly: “There is nothing more that can be said now, so I shall not speak again.” And turning her face to the wall, she rested with closed eyelids for nearly an hour, when “sweet, amiable death,” as Shakespeare calls it. stilled for ever the tired heart.

Eor many women it does not require much courage to die—just to stop breathing and be at rest —so haid for them is the strife and turmoil, the strain and struggle of daily living. “Why bother about dying?” said one such humble philosopher. “Either you’ve reached home or you’re nowhere. And both ways are better than this.”

The plight of being alive presses heavily upon women who have survived their loved ones and who have outlived their social position. Off the West Coast of Africa a ship suddenly struck a rock and began filling with water. An officer walked through the bright moonlight telling each passenger that the vessel was going down, that rescue would be impossible. Some of the men fainted at the thought of those dependent upon them.- their business liabilities and matters of personal honour. A rich woman suddenly bethought her that now she would never be obliged to give all her money to a poor little woman whose husband was dying of African fever—a kind deed she had originally planned—and was greatly consoled with the idea that her purse need not now be emptied. Another

woiuau. who had travelled all over the world, lamented in angrer that her life must end off the wretched West ('oast of Africa, the last place in the world to die in. An opera singrer began a little serenade. A mother sat in a state room with two sleeping children. “Will it be long before we go down?” she asked quietly.

“No: only a short time,” the officer answered. “Then I’ll not wake the children,” she said, and with a calm smile she awaited what seemed to be the inevitable.

Happily all were rescued. “Listen! 1 want to speak to you.” It is recorded that a woman spoke thus as she stood at the port hole of the Saale, one of the big ships that was burned in the terrible fire in New York harljour not long ago. She was penned in amid the flames that roared all about her. The face was so swollen in its horror of agony that rough men turned away from the lurid spectacle. “Listen! I have a message. Remember it. It is too late to save me. 1 am dying. it will soon be over. Send a message to my mother!” She gave the name and residence.

“Tell her that my last thought was of her. Tell her to take all my money from the bank; it is hers. God save us all!” She screamed out the words. A burst of flame, and the face disappeared. So died this steadfast daughter.

In the same terrible disaster, there were many acts of herosim. It is also upon record that a stevedore was equally brave, penned in the hold, gaining a |>orthole for air. He was quite calm, but aware that he was to die. His resignation, as he discussed his terrible surroundings, was an extraordinary exhibition of fortitude, and the men who heard him wept at the horror. Which are braver in face of death—-

men or women? Who can tell? Humanity is brave. I have never known but two absolutely unwilling to die when the summons came. One was a young girl, who lamented latterly as long breath lasted the injustice of her departure from the world before tasting all its joys and pleasures.

The other was a Iteautiful young woman, the mother of four sweet little children, the youngest but a few days old. It required all the fortitude of a faithful heart, all the dfacipline of a well-trained mind, to enable this lotel\ creature to retain her composure with a steadfast front. She kept re|>eating reassuring verses from the Bible ami from the poets.

“Death once dead, there’s po more dying then.” was quickly followed b\ this: •‘Though I walk through the valley of the shallow of death. I will fear no evil.”

The question of bravery dc|»eiids upon the age of the person and the manner of dying. Those who are for a. time ill in bed. with lowered vitality :ihd all the processes of life tending toward extinction, gradually become willing to go and die bravely. When well, strong, and walking about it is not so easy. As to which sex is braver when facing sudden and unwelcome death, our decision must always remain in doubt. There is no sex in courage. Suggestions for the Sick Room. Nothing is so exasperating to an invalid as to have attendants or members of the family whispering about something or other. The sick person is generally in more or less nervous excitement, and, even if it were otherwise, nervous excitement would be produced by the whispering. The mystery of it is irritating. No matter how weak or apparently unconscious the patient may be, in nine cases out of ten he is trying to hear what is being said.

A loud whisper, “Do you think he is going to live?” or even. “Hush; you mustn’t come in here!” is alarming, and lessens the chance of recovery. Whatever must be said should be in an ordinary tone of voice. There should be no mystery about the sick room.

Gas logs, or gas stoves, are now, for two reasons, used much in the sick room. Their use involves less noise, and they are always ready to light. Care must be taken, however, that there is no leak in the connections, for hardly anything is more insidious in its effect on a sick person than escaping gas. A vessel of water with a large surface should always be placed near the stove or hearth where the log is burning, to moisten the atmosphere of the apartment. A boiling kettle on a gas stove, when the stove is used, is even better. In sudden illness those who attend the sick are too much inclined to fly to stimulants, especially brandy. It is a principle of first aid to the injured that when there is bleeding, even when fainting has ensued, alcohol should never be given, for it causes increased heart action, with a consequent increased loss of blood. This is particularly important to remember in cases of bleeding from the lungs.

When a person faints he should lalaid flat on his back, and all articles of clothing that appear tight should be loosened. Fresh air should be admitted to the room, smelling salts or hartshorn should l»e applied to the nostrils, and the face and head bathed with cold water. If neither salts nor hartshorn can lx* found, a smouldering rag will often revive the patient. When the person has regained consciousness, if the fainting was not accompanied by bleeding or the result of bleeding, then a small quantity of brandy or other alcoholic stimulant may be safely’ administered. Many doctors still encourage the use of the old-fashioned mustard plasters or the flax-seed and bread and milk poultices of our grandmother’s time. When a mustard plaster or a hot poultice is removed, it is important to dry the parts quickly and cover with flannel of cotton wool. This is to prevent cold from exposure. The sick room should be a large and cheery apartment. The windows must be arranged so that the room can be

darkened when necessary. Often the glare of too much light in a large room is as depressing to a patient as the stuffiness of a small one. Once a day the |>atient should l»e well wra|e ped up, and the room aired, no matter what the weather may l»e. Hugs are l»etter than carpets, and a goo<l matting l»etter than either. Bentwood or wicker furniture is preferable to that which is upholstered. Every day. if possible, there should l»e a change in the general effect produced by rearranging chairs or In changing the place of pictures or In hanging new ones. But the value <*; this will t>e lost unless the changes are made when the patient is unconscious of them. Do not always have the bed dressed exactly the same. Change the white counterpane for one that has some colour.

If the health of the sick person permits it, shift the bed orasionally from one side of the room to another, o** change the head for the foot. All these things break the monotony of the sick room, and assist as much as medicine in bringing back the normal condition of health and spirits. Woman’s Pocket Guard. The first device by which a woman’s pocket may be found when wanted, and kept shut when piek-poekets are around, is the invention of a man, Mr Percy C. I). Blake, of Brookland's, Cheshire. It consists of a seissorsshaped spring, which is sewn inside the opening of the pocket. The upper jMirtion of the spring, which corres|K>nds to the handles of the scissors, remains open when the lower or blade portion is shut. The contrivance is so arranged that when the dress is in use it can only be opened by the wearer. But when the dress is hanging in the clothes closet, even a man. can find the pocket, and what is moreopen it. More Courtesy Wanted. Among the peculiarities of a busy age, a tendency to discourage the practice of the little courtesies which tend to make life sweeter and liner is noted. 1 n business circles someone has actually gone on record as favouring the abolishment of the time-honoured "Dear Sir” and “Yours very truly” from business letters, and has misapplied much valuable time and effort in an estimate of the time consumed in these little matters of courteous usage.

Not only in business, however, but in home and social life, there seems an inclination to omit many small attentions to others which were once coin sidered essential to good breediug. It is not a lack of kindly feeling which causes this condition, but it is rather the result of the high pressure undei which most of us are living. Innumerable interests and duties fill the days, and it is inevitable that sooner or later something must be crowded out. So absorbed do we become in the pursuit of various objects—something of supreme importance, it seems to us —that insensibly we drift into a state of carelessness and indifference as to those with whom we come in contacet,

and eventually we miss much of the beauty and charm of living, without realizing just what has brought about the change.

Was it not Emerson who said, “Life is never so short but there is time enough for courtesy?"’ And another said. “Is not the life more than meat?” (If what advantage are possessions, whether material or intellectual, if one has forfeited the love of those nearest or has failed to find in the great sea of human faces some which brighten with pleasure at his approach? Most of us are willing factors in the busy world, and desire to contribute in some degree to the sum total of human prugress, but is it necessary to sacrifice all that is best in life to that end? Better that some things should wait, to be performed perhaps by other hands, than that such should occur.

There is not too much of genuine courtesy, but too little. Its absence may be noted everywhere, in homes and schools, in the shops, on the cars, at the summer resorts, even in the churches, where of all places care and hurry should he left outside. We would resent the implication that we were remiss in any respect toward those bound to us by the ties of love and companionship, yet it is oftener the sin of omission than that of commission which is recorded against us by our dear ones. •

Example is contagious, especially among children. It is useless to attempt to teach a child “politeness,” as it is often called, unless the mother or teacher is herself an object lesson of the same. Unless one is himself courteous he cannot and will not inspire that quality in others. Yet there is nothing in life which so successfully smooths the sharp angles which so often confront us as genuine courtesy. We respect the man or woman who is civil to us. and their influence over us for good is incalculable. Very different emotions are roused by those who pursue the opposite course. Is it not worth while to cultivate more courtesy rather than allow it to relapse into oblivion?

The Servant Scored. A servant girl happened to lie engaged at a farmhouse where the mistress was known to have a rather hasty temper. On the first Saturday night the girl was told to elean the I mots and shoes for Sunday. Coming into the kitchen a short time afterwards. the mistress, seeing that the maid hail cleaned her own boots first, was so enraged that she lifted them and threw them into a tub of water which stood near. The servant made uo sign; but when all the Ixiots were cleaned she also lifted them and threw them into the tub of water. "Why. whatever possessed you to do that?” gasped the mistress, tn a fury. "Oh. I jist thoeht dt was the fashion o’ the house.” calmly replied the girl. Is Woman Over-Acting? That kaleidoscopic and incomparable creature, the modern woman, in her ambition to annex the cherished rights of man—his professions, his neckties, and everything that is his—is going a step too far. Her admirers, in the opinion of one of ’em, find occasion for shedding tears of regret over her latest excursion into a radical domain, dominated hitherto exclusively by men. The upsetting announcement comes to us from a prominent woman’s college that a female ’varsity crew awaits us in the too near future, the modern woman as stroke, and her sisters a<t the oars to appear in the atliletie outfit of jersey and knickerbockers. The century has done nothing better than its advancement of the independence and equality of women. Public, prejudice has capitulated to

the radiant charms of the athletic girl in tailor-made clothes, and the woman of to-day has proved that she can do pretty much as she pleases, and that no one has either the right or the disposition to protest. But the modern woman, “drunk with the dream of easy conquest,” courts her own downfall when she refuses to recognise a limit to her Alexander-like yearning for more worlds to aonquer. In the revolt against excessive feminity, the breaking away from the .lull confines of domesticity, women .re over-acting the part. The extremists among them who advocate football coiffures and exaggerated biceps are in a fair way to bring about a reaction in favour of the girl whose dignity and womanliness are not imperilled by a participation in double-scull races or an appearance in the tenacious jersey and the unanimous knickerbockers.

The twentieth century woman, provided with all the modern improvements. is drifting too far from her original moorings not to alarm the cold outsider who cherishes the tradition that women are feminine creatures in fascinating petticoats, and to whom her induction into masculine identity is the shock of finding things not what they seem. The wail of the Philistine is heard in the land that our too modern, sisters, and our cousins, and our aunts are missing the point of their individual existences in rushing into the arena in regatta clothes, and surrendering the sweet charm with which one’s fancy clothes them for the struggles of the boat training squad. The modern woman, I confess it

softly for my sins, is avowedly entitled to hold the ballot in her fair and dimpled hand. What mere man could claim that his soul was not hers, but his own, in the fact of the handicap she has set upon masculine prowess in art and in business? If she will but lend her intelligence and her sanity to the question of the things women may do and not strike us • unpleasantly with the conviction that they have ceased to be women Olympus will be stripped of laurel wreaths for the new woman’s adornment. Cooking Vegetables. Do not let your cook take too thick a rind off in paring potatoes. The best part of the potato is near the skin. On the other hand, turnips should have a thick rind pared off. The turnip has an outer part that destroys the flavour of the whole if not thoroughly removed. Onions should not be added to a stew or put in to cook with anything else until they have first been boiled for about ten minutes and the water thrown away. City cooks too frequently fail to properly "string” beans before cooking them. This is annoying at the table. Beans are vastly improved by a cream or milk and butter dressing. Cabbages are better if boiled with meat. Potatoes should always be boiled separately. Otherwise they are sodden and unpalatable. See that cucumbers are sliced as thin as possible and put cracked ice over them half an hour before they come to the table. To clean celery of the insects often found on it take a wineglassful of hot water in which a little bicarbonate

of soda has been dissolved. Plunge the celery into this after it has been washed. Then eool in ice water before serving.