WOMAN'S PAGE

Hokitika Guardian, 2 January 1932, Page 2

WOMAN'S PAGE

THE SINGLE STATE. . A PRESENT DAY VIEW. Old maids are out of fashion. No longer have we that typical scraggj female with a high neck, clutching an umbrella and wearing an expression as though she had an acidulated drop clamped in the roof of her mouth. We seldom hear jokes now' about her parrot, and the affection lavished by married ladies of fashion on Persian cats and Pekingese dogs has replaced the old maid’s cat as a subject for jokes. To-day we have plenty of unmarried women (the war saw to that), but they .weal- their single status as though it were a privilege, call themselves women bachelors and take their part unhesitatingly in the world oi hustle. This is not a plea to women not to marry. It would be unintelligent to suggest that a movement should start to discourage women to enter the portals of self-expression that are naturally and best suited to them, but when-circumstances has deemed it necsome Womeh Should hot,, cannot* inal'ry, it is ohly right that he recognised with intelligence and be permitted to take their place as responsible human beings, accept' the .}'esponsibi|jiießj of: such and receive 'their privileges,, Consider the relative position of an elder, unmarried girl and; her young married sister. Parents are apt. to cling to the old idea that a girl is under their control until she marries. So they are apt to censure her behaviour, offer unwelcome advice and look upon her as their “cliiliV still. Her young sister on the other hand is free to come and go as mistress of her own actions, express opinions she would not have uttered had she still been , under the parental roof, and is encouraged'in her superiority over her unmarried sister by a pair °f admiring parents who think that she. has certainly developed a personality, sinco she. married. A more serious situation is the economic one'. The unmarried girl, generally contributes a certain amountinto the family fund for board ' and lodging. She ’.could have to pay it elsewhere, and if is better..to keep such profit in the -home. If, by the way, sHe wants to bq independent and “live her own life’’ (which term .is beginning to be somewhat abused these days), she is considered selfish, .without a spark of feeling for her old folks. Her sister, of course, on her marriage is not considered at all selfish'in being so eager to leave home. So the elder sister pays Iwr own v.a.i. and out of the slight remainder manages to save a littie by sheer force of frugality abd self-dohia),' (Then Comes, perhaps, a tififfi wlieil the home required urgently a lump sum of money. The house must he painted, or riltes and insurances must be met and the year has been a lean one, or, more important, money to pay a doctor’s bill is imperative. The single sister is expected to ccme to light with a cheerful face and ,a humorous quirk or her lips and foot the bill,, or part of it. There are very few - who would mind doing this. In a way it’s a privilege, but how.much more pleasant it would he if it were received as a gesture and not with such an amount of expectation, as is niore often than not the case. The point certainly is that the married daughter is still a .daughter no less. She receives wages in a' sense for her new status in life, and surely she as well should do her share, though if might be necessarily, very little.

FUR IN FAVOUR. FASHION FOR NEXT SEASON. LONDON, November 20.’ Fur is to be more fashionable than ever next winter,- .which 1 is welcome news since it is most becoming of all materials. As wb already know large lur collars must decorate our winter coats, but fur is also to be used a great deal for trimmings and accessories during the coining season. Hats made, entirely of fur will make a reappearance, while soft fur ties finished with, jaunty hows will be worn by'all well-dressed women. Tiny capes and tippets will also be seen a great deal; in fact, fur fashions are often used .' Ud many smart women are following the example set by hats, and returning to the styles of 60 years ago. Although nil shades of brown are the most fashionable' colours for furs this seoson, . other colours are wearing white fur accessories with a black ensemble. Brown seems to be one of fashion’s favourite corners this season since she had decreed that, besides wearing brown furs, nil shade's of brown from beige to the .deepest nigger are to be used for our evening gowns. Lace, tull(| and georgette are three of the most popular materials for ' brown evening frocks, while Beau d’Ange (Angel’s Skin) and satin arc* more popular for gowns of other shades. Brown is particularly suitable Illy designers with tightull skirts for is also being casions, and It is real I .'- MANCE. IYALTY. itussrA. [ for her eny Cambridge

CARMEL LEROY I- wm*

has shown a-preference for a jewel of decidedly “royal” renown. Few queens have been indifferent to the emerald’s wondrbus colour and lustre, some have even put this gem above ail others in the hierarchy of precious stones. The Empress Eugenie of France did so when the city oi Paris presented her with an emerald tiara soon after her marriage. And does not Queen Mary of England wear oitener than any other of her coloured jewels the parure of emeralds —diadem, necklace, earrings, and bracelets —that has been in her family for three generations? French royalties have always been partial to emerals, at least they were during the Napoleonic dynasty. Perhaps the first Emperor of the French started the cult when he showered emeralds upon his first Empress, though Josephine was outrivalled by Napoleon’s favourite sister Paulin© when it came to the way of wearing such gems. For Pauline specialised in jewelled girdles, a fashion that became her perfect flgul-e better tliatt it did the I&3P perfect form of Josephine. Not that all the emeralds Paulihe flaunted in that during style were real, one Of her most wonderful ceintures was composed of false emeralds surrounded by real diamonds, a piece of jewellery that cost her 13,000 francs and looked worth a million. Naturally that belt’s beauty and its wegrer’s -'extravagance set all Paris talking, nor did the talk lessen when,, the truth about the stones leaked out. Yet if anyone was chagrined it certainly was not Pauline. A hundred years later emeralds were all the rage at the Russian Court. A relic of bygone Imperial splendours, that emerald parure is now among the Soviet Government’s carefully guarded treasures, together with the finest known emerald in existence, a wonderful stone weighing 136 carats All sorts of attractive clothes are being planned for the winter parties ol the very youngest set in Mayfair by Lady Muriel. Willoughby, who .says that ecru and palest beige are going to be Very popular among 'the babies. Pure white does not make them look their best, and peach, or cafe-au-lait, are pronounced more flattering. Mrs Brian Guinness’s baby son is to have a beige lace-trimmed christening frock, and Lady' Bessborough took out with her to Canada a complete trousseau ui ecru for her tiny son born recently.

Old-fashioned honeycomb bed-quilts, which many people, preferring bedspreads, have jft’P6Hnto' i; excellent bathing-wraps, as they are both soft arid absorbent. After cutting off any fringe, ttirh down one side to a depth Of ten or twelve inches to form u collar, make a runner near the top, thread in a tape, and secure this at each end with buttons and loops or press studs, so that it may be removed to allow the garment to be opened out flat for drying or packing. Sew on any fasteners considered necessary.

A novel idea was introduced into a croquet gymkhana held in England recently. It was called “dumb croquet,” and every time a player spoke to her opponent, the latter had the option of either compelling her to pay a small fine Into the club funds, or forcing, her to place her clip back to the previous hoop, and thus lose a point. Several of the players, when on the rover hoop, preferred to pay the fine rather than lose the -hoop. The game, was played on the six-hoop and peg. principle. If the idea were introduced into New Zealand some players would never win a game, and could easily lose a small fortune, nq matter how tiny the fine might be, owing to their conversational powers.

There was a running fire of interruptions at the meeting of representatives of women’s organisations at the Adelaide Town Hall recently. At times the protesting section of the audience practically took charge of the meeting. Lady Hore-Ruthven, the wife of the Governor of South Australia, who presided, made an appeal at the close of the meeting, but her-words were drowned by a number of interjectors (states an exchange). “Our girls are out of work now,” said one woman, “and we would rather see that than see them used to reduced wages.” “And you would rather see your girls out of work than give thorn a chance to be trained in profitable occupations,” added Ladv Hore-Ruthven. In an address Ladv Hore-Ruthven said that the-only practical help that could be given to girls was to provide them with employment Hostility was shown when Miss A Miethke outlined the principles of a house cadet scheme which provided for standardised; training for girls aged from 15 yeafjs’ iii domestic science. The pay for the first six months was to he 5s a week, and later 10s. HINTS FOR THE HOUSEWIFE. When salt becomes caked add a pinch of ground arrowroot and the salt will remain dry and fine. ¥■ * * * A few drops of lemon juice in the water in which potatoes or cauliflowers are boiled will improve their flavour. ** * * A bread pan should ho well scalded, dried and put out of doors to air at least once a week. #* # * Tough 'strains may be made tender if soaked for half an hour each side in a mixture of 3 tablespoon fills of salad oil and l of vinegar.