Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 7, 14 February 1907, Page 33

Domestic

By • Maureen ?- • -

' ' How to Wash- Muslins.' . " The great trouble with muslins is that lhe~ color is so apt to run in the washing,- and bnce ; they enter the wash tub their daintiness is gone for " ever. , Aix experienced laundress says that if before washing, the inuslin garment, curtain, or whatever it ..may, be, ; salt is sprinkled liberally over. it. there will be no; cause for regret. Boiling water may then be safely ', poured over it and left on till it -is cool. Even Wie.;"im>s;t delicate muslins come through this process satisfactorily.

An Excellent Way for Cleaning Brass.

When brass furnishings are allowed to get tarnished they spoil the appearance of the article • they were intended- .to ornament. . The following is. a" - most satisfactory method to brighten brass. First clean the brass in the ordinary way, either with a ready-made ' polish or with paraffin and finely powdered bathbricft, mixed to a rather soft "consistency. Polish with dry, finely-powdered bathbrick, then rub quickly over -with a little petrel, and afterwards polish" with dry whitening and 'a leather, using a brush for any parts into .which the leather will « not go. -,Be .sure, that . all stains are removed before polishing. Stains -of -long standing will always yield to a vigorous treatment with bathbrick and paraffin. " .

Symptoms of Illness in Children.

It frequently happens that what are considered outbursts of naughtiness in children are really indications of weakness, or of coming illness, and should be considered and treated as such. When a ' child . shows any sudden outbursts of specially bad" temper \or naughtiness the fact- should not be forgotten- that this may be entirely due to some physical disturbance which foreruns illness. Peevish temper is often an indicatipn of weak nerves, and shows that the child needs more sleep, more fresh air, and probably "more exercise, or, perhaps, lrss and bettor nourishment. When a child loses weight it is always a' sign • that something is wrong. The safest thing under the circumstances is to consult a doctor. When a cWLld's appetite falls off the cause should be at once" carefully investigated. A child with a persistent cough should not go to school, but should be seen by a doctor, whose advice should be carefully followed. Headaches in children should never be neglected, but the 'cause carefully sought for and removed.

A Ripe 'Old Age

According to Sir Lauder Brunton,- there arc three common things to be avoided if we wish to attain a ripe old age— dust, chills, and improper mastication of food. He, says :— ' At the time when I used my' consulting room as a . library, I found ' .very frequently that if I had occasion to consult a book from ■ the top ■ shelves I was apt to - get a cold in my head. This recurred with such regularity that at last I took

to sponging the top of the book with a solution of carbolic acid before using it.' > _~ -

' Chills, and particularly local chills, are to. 'be guarded against. Wind which comes fairly in one's face is little to be dreaded, but if wind catches one at the back of the neck, behind the ear, or even at the side of the head, it is much more dangerous. Largely open windows, are comparatively safe, but a chink through which the air blows with force is carefully to be avoided. -One reason of this is that wind

blowing through a chink causes a more rapid' - of air, and -thus chills the " part of . the body against which' it impinges - much more rapidjy than air moving slowly, and still more' than air which is not "moving .at all.'«p& „ _ - ' Improper mastication of food is" also to be guarded against, as .it is a fruitful cause of organic disease in middle life. The practice of gobbling may to a certain extent at least be - responsible for; the larger proportion of cancer of the" stomach which-oc-curs in more men than women at the age of 55 years, the numbers being. 3244 and 2867, while at (55 years the," numbers are nearly equal, being 2985 and -2917, "and at" higher ages they are reversed.'