Ladies' Column

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 115, 26 March 1892, Page 3

Ladies' Column

By Huia.

I keep his house, I wash, wring, brew, * bake, scour, dress meat, make the beds, and do all myself. — Shakespeare.

In Edinburgh they have lately started a company for turning out a constant supply of good wives, perfectly trained m every branch of domestic work, and guaranteed, as far as a diploma can guarantee them, to accomplish it in an unimpeachable mauner. A school of cookery there, has developed into this grand scheme. What a rush there would be for a lot of girls warranted to wash well, to cook to perfection, to clean silver and glass, to make their own dresses, to knit, patch, mend, construct their own bonnets, trim their own hats, keep accounts, nurse invalids, and work church embroidery. These various attainments comprise the curriculum, and the oompany undertake to turn out the perfect article in twenty weeks. A clergyman, travelling through the village of Kettle, in Fifeshire, was called into an inn to officiate at a marriage, instead of the parish minister, who, from some accident, was unable to attend^ and had caused the company to wait for a considerable time. While the reyorend gentleman was pronouncing the admonition and just as he had told the bridegroom to "love and honour his wife, the bridegroom interjected the words 41 and obey," which he thought had been omitted from over sight, though that is part of the rule laid down solely to the wife. The minister surprised to find a husband willing to be henpecked by aiifaczpaHon. did nofc take advantage of the proposed amendment, on which the bridegroom again reminded him of the omission, "Ay, and obey, sir — love, honour, and obey, ye hen !" and he seemed seriously discomposed at finding that his hint was not taken./ Some years after the same clergyman was riding through the village, when the same man came out and stopped him, addressing him m the following : " D'ye mmd > sir > you the day when ye married me, and when I wad insist upon bowing to obey my wife ? Weel, ye may now see that I was in the ncht, Whether ye wad or no, I hae obeyed my wife ; and behold, lam now the only man that has a twa- story house in the hale town !" FASHION NOTES. One of the most popular of the novelties for winter wear seem to be the double sleeve, an under sleeve of one material, and an over-sleeve of another. Ornamental pocket holes are considered a prominent feature of the dress, some of these are only a row of buttons and buttonholes, while others are embroidered in different shapes. Bodices are nearly all cut in one, and the basques put on are no longer worn, the gathered basques are worn with corselet " bodices " but fringes are the moßt popular trimming. Some of the new sleeves are made in the gigot style, with a small puff of velvet round the elbow, the lower part of the sleeve is tight- fitting to the wrist. In many cases the seam of the gored skirts are covered the whole length with narrow trimmings, either embroidery or flat galous. Some of the newest mantles are made double-breasted, with a hood at the back, when they have no hood they haye a deep- fur collar. Very long cloaks are not worn, those of three-quarter length are much fuller, bufc not longer than a little below the knees. Moreen is a renewed material for petticoats, many people lino lfc with flannel to give it extra warmth.