WOMEN'S INTERESTS

Hokitika Guardian, 18 June 1932, Page 3

WOMEN'S INTERESTS

PAYING OF SOCIAL CALLS. THE FORMAL AND INFORMAL. The call, whose historic aspect we considered in a recent issue, is to-day divisible into a, multitude of subtle varieties. The strictly formal call, with its rigid observance of “days” and its fixed -rules and laws, haunts the feminine mind as “Her Tag” obsessed the pre-war German 1 mentality. Airs Brown’s “second Tuesday” and Airs Smith’s “third Thursday” are as tyrannical in their demands as is one’s own

relentlessly recurring day. It is the formal call made in conformity with established social rules and observed with a proper regard for set social rites that preserves the elements and essence of the ancient and historic aspect of call-making.

Oil these occasions the hostess holds regal levee. With something of the queenly air she receives the dutiful respects of her visitors and dispenses recognition j with precisely the correct degree of adjustment to social station. It is all very beauti ully balanced. Not in the least is her poise disturbed by the knowledge that the “second Tuesday’’ will be Mi's Brown’s day for ascending the .throne and, in her turn, appraising the hostess of to-day at her exact social worth a;s determined byruling convention. Though inclined to lie hypercritical in regal'd to many oi the rules governing the social conventions, J have never ceased to marvel at the genius of our race, often the subject of foreign eulogy, in matters of social procedure. The preservation of the niceties in social relationships by which the fine distinction is maintained between acquaintance and friendship, without the disturbing violences or rigid exclusiveness, is, in its way, an outstanding illustration of our traditional capacity for effective and satisfactory compromise.

} In our own day the business of call- ; making has come to he the strictly ex- , elusive province of the woman. Occasion. j ally, however, a male is dragged from his accustomed haunts to participate in the payment of the social debts of I the household. He comes unwillingly, of course. But, if he is happily married, he submits to that wise division o marital responsibility, which assigns the social side of the family life to the control oi’ his feminine partner. Sometimes, indeed, he may even take a pleasure in it But that is only in moments when he has forgotten that he is paying a call, i And at the height of these rare nv m ents of enjoyment he is sure to notice 1 | that someone is making signs that it is time to go home. If he is a wise manlie obeys. Yell, surely All’s Smith is ; following historic precedent when she brings and exhibits Mr Smith to, Mrs J Brown. After all, when Sheba visited ( Solomon, and Cleopatra went' to An- ! tony, they took their slaves with them. [ Apart, however, from the duty-call with its set days and rigid cites, which have us in more or less tyrannous rule, there is an infinite variety of calls aris-x ing from exigencies of friendship or convenience, or from more devious j causes not easily classified. Despite their informality they are quite definitely within the social connotations of the call.

there is the friendly call, undertaken in response to the wi.ely exhortation, “Let us go and see the Browns.’’ There is the compulsory call, made under imperative wifely command. “We certainly must go and sec the Browns.'’ There is the call convenient, a concession to wifely ennui. “J. a m bored stiff let us go and see the Browns.” There is the call inquisitive inspired by wifely curiosity, “i wonder if what I heard is tiuc about the Browns.’’ There is the prideful call, a further response 10 wifely urge, “suppose we get out the car (new) and call round at the Browns,’’ and so on! Hut, whatever the circumstances, the call is dearly dependent on feminine initiative.

Fortunately, however, once lie .is there little is expected of the male-—at any rate nothing that a man should not willingly do for his wife. His uses, for social purposes, are strictly limited. He is a lay figure probably taken along hv a fond wife to prove that he is still attached to her.

Bride of possession is still, and rightly, a dominant characteristic of wo women. But, whatever else the male does, or*.says, when making a call, there is one thing he must not do no matter how painful his ordeal. He must not break the rules of the game by sneaking off with Mr Brown—for a smoke.

THE VALUE OF SLEEP. MOTHER NATURE’S CHARM. I —• Dear old. Mother Nature, the greatest of heautv specialists, has preached for years the doctrine of sleep as nature’s HB'St aid to healltv. While' we have fol- , lowed her teachings an,] slept— more or i less—it has meant nothing to us. We have been taught from oilr childhood that our bodies needed sleep. Thprei fore we sleep, but it is generally more than nature requires—or less. Wo grow i lazy, or over-ambitious or we may perhaps. try to sleep on a schedule that failed to meet our individual needs. ■Fix hours’ sleep may he all that nature demands from one person, while f-oin {mother she will exact seven or eight in each twenty-four. Each individual must therefore, lind out exactly his . „r her own bodily needs in the matter lot sleep, and adhere to nature’s porsiinal demands. 1 Sleep that potent medicine that re )

Mints from Jiome and Mbroad.

builds an t j revives the body and keeps it in the pink of condition, is clcsoly associated with its two powerful allies, exercise and proper diet. Rest is a hand-maiden of the three combined, and comes willingly at <>ur beck and call, when all three have been well regulated.

Worry and care, unless cast off, cause fitful slumber, which in turn leaves the face lined with the wrinkles and furrows that leave no doubt as to their parentage. The lack of sleep, in its proper portion to the needs of the body, undermines the entire constitution, -while an over-abundance o'.' sleep leaves the brain dull and the face heavy and stupid. The right amount of sleep, and that amount to be determined by each individual, leaves the face with an expression of animation and the eyes clear and sparkling.

WEDDING RING MODE. Girls who imagine themselves to be ultra-modern by wearing their wedding rings on their right hands are only 1300 years behind the times! In 636 A.D. it is recorded that the ring was placed on the fourth finger of the right hand, counting the thumb as a finger. The reason for this was a superstition that from his finger “a certain vein flowed right to the heart.” Some women do not wear a wedding ring a t all nowadays, and, according to an official of the Victoria and Albert Museum, by doing so they are abandoning a custom that dates back to the early Christians, This official, who has made a special study of tlie history of rings, has traced the wedding ring back 2000 years. It is true. he declares, that the wedding ring was once an emblem of woman’s slavery to man; indeed, at one time it was inscribed with the word “Slavery,” but in these enlightened davs no one looks upon it as such.

HELP YOUR EYES. A beauty routine for the eyes is a ‘.necessity of modern life. All day long they are subject to the strain cf an ever-changing focus, while the dusty atmosphere of the streets is another enemy to their health and beauty. Eye-drill is splendid for tired eyes and often delays the wearing- o " glasses. Hold the head steady and turn the eyefe from left to right and up and down repeating the routine of the exer. jcise about half a dozen times. Follow with a massage given bv 'placing the tips of the - forefingers at the outer corners of the eyes, then moving them briskly with a rotary motion. This helps to relax the eyes and it is also a tonic for the skin and keeps “c'rowsfeet” at bay.

At least once a day give, the eyes a bath with a proper little glass eye cup. Plain tepid water may be used or if you prefer use a bofacic acid lotion. To make this dissolve a teaspoonful of the boraeic acid powder in a pint cf hot water. After the powder is thoroughly dissolved pour it off into a hot tie and use as required.

KITCHEN HINTS, Turn small cakes on to a wire tray or sieve as soon as they are baked ; rich mixtures may cool in the tin. Yolks of eggs left after the whites have been used will keep for several days, if covered with a little cold water. When stewing apples add a teaspoonful of golden syrup instead of sugar. This makes the juice thick and sweet. When boiling a cracked egg, add a teaspoonful of vinegar to the water, and the egg will not ooze out of the sheS. THIS WEEK’S RECIPES. Egg and Bacon Pie. Soak several thin rushers of bacon all night and next morning drain ami put into an unbreakable dish. Boat four eggs, add dessertspoon milk, season with salt and pepper and pour over bacon. Cover with a short crust and hake in a moderate over. This c: n he eaten cold.

Chocolate Rice Cake. Ingredients: 6oz flour, 2oz ground rice, jib margarine, 2oz Bournville cocoa, slb castor sugar, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon ul baking powder, milk, chocolate icing, silver balls (for decoration). Wet hod: Grease a cake tin and line with greased paper to stand above the sides. Mix the baking powder with a, spoon till of the Hour and p"t aside. Sieve the remainder of the Hour with the ground rice and cocoa. Whisk up the eggs. Boat the sugar and fat to a cream. Stir in the Hour, ground rice, and o< con alternately. with the beaten eggs, and mix all together, adding a little milk it required. When well mixed, beat the mixture for a few minutes. Stir in the baking powder, then put into (hi' prepared cake tin and bake in a moderate hot oven for about one hour. When cooked, put on to a sieve and leave until cold. To ice the cake: If it has risen much, cut off a slice and .turn the cake upside down and ire it. Stand it on a cake-rack over a dish, and pour th ( , chocolate icing over. coating it evenly. Decorn to Hie centre with silver balls. Leave until the icing is set, then move careluily on to a plate.