Ladies' Column.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 232, 19 February 1876, Page 3

Ladies' Column.

High-heeled Shoes.—At a recent meeting of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society, Dr. Atlee referred to the "delicate girl" of the period, and pointed out some of the causes at work in the destruction of her health. Among these reference was made to the present style of high heels. " Her heel-mark," said the doctor, "is scarcely larger than the thumb nail. Look at her shoe with its narrow sole, a heel inches high shaved down to a point and placed almost under the instep. Instead of the points of support being on a level, the heel is tilted up two inches higher, the foot is crowded forward, the great toe is forced over the others. She is constantly walking down hill, and in health is going down hill all the time. All this forces her entire frame out of its proper line, and she is compelled, in order to maintain her perpendicular, to throw her hips back." He contrasted the real and the fashionable woman, and thus accounted for many of her ailments. He urged a change in dress, that woman should no longer be thus travestied and injured by fashion. He alluded to the fearful increase in the use by woman of tonics and stimulants, as partly the result of indisposition arising from her dress and fashions, and urged, very emphatically, a reform. — Arthur's Home Magazine. Let the Babies Dig in the Dirt.—We once asked an old Winnebago squaw how it was she cured her sick family by simply covering them every day with fresh earth, leaving only a breathing spot for their noses, and she said, " Earth our mother ; earth makes she, and earth takes good care to make the papoose strong : squaw mother make she papoose sick ; earth mother makes the papoose well again ; she can't tell white- squaw any more." Now this poor Indian woman was wise according to her light. Without knowing why she saw that the earth was a friend to her children, and therefore gave them to this healing embrace. If the mother be fortunate enough to live in the country, she has the cure for many of her children's ills quite at hand. Encourage baby to play in fresh earth, preparing it properly for its enjoyment and cure with as careful an eye to the comfort of the little thing as you would if it were to take any other sort of a bath. If it has no old dresses, make it a suit of cheap print, tie upon its head a light hat, that will protect its eyes from discomfort, and give it freedom to delve in the warm, soft earth where the sunshine can comfort and invigorate it. If it is a city childj and circumstances forbid a trip to the country for" the sake of the convalescent, have a sand heap made on the warm side of your yard. Instinct will teach it to dig, and digging hardens the muscles and brings strength to the bones, while from the heart of the earth rises a subtle and strong power of healing, that we can neither explain nor understand, though have both seen and felt its potency.— The Metropolitan. FASHIONS FROM PARIS AND LONDON. The Herzegovina question would seem a long way off from the Paris fashions, yet the threatened war has lent an interest to the marriage of Prince Milan, of Servia. Servia, as everybody knows, is a tributary province of Turkey, and the young prince has declared himself ready and anxious to take up arms in the cause of his oppressed neighbors and co-religionists in Herzegovina. He has just married a Russian heiress the daughter of Colonel Kescho, and the young lady has been to Paris to select her trousseau. M. Worth received the principal orders for dresses, and has had considerable difficulty in executing them, because the future princess desired to combine novelty and splendor with extreme simplicity, and lace was the only trimming she consented to wear. _ The wedding dress is white satin, and the tram, which measures considerably over three yards, is perfectly plain. The front of the skirt is trimmed with flounces of point d'Alencon of exquisite delicacy, but not of great width ; they, however, completely cover the satin, and are mounted in godet plaits ; garlands of orange blossom fall upon the lace. There are two bodices; as it is not decided whether a high or low one will be worn at the ceremony. There are three dresses for festive occasions—a sulphur-colored faille, with a train draped a la Veronese, the tabher ornamented with plaitings of crepe lisse and dark oak: leaves ; a Danube blue faille with plain tne front covered with Mechlin lace, and the low cuirass bodice likewise trimmed with narrow quillings ot similar lace. The third toilette is an exquisite silvery satin, a brocade of pink roses at the sides of the skirt, and crepe lisse plaitings in front. The travelling dress is chestnut-brown Sicilienne, with round tablier i bordered with feather trimming, the back breadths to I the waist covered with Sicilienne flounces edged with

velvet bands, and feather bordering on the Louis XIII. bodice. The robe de chambre is white Sicilienne lined with pink, ornamented with wide crossbands of pink faille, and a cascade of Mechlin lace with pink bows down the" front. The robe is close-fitting at the back, but loose in front. There are several other dresses, cut and made up in the most perfect style, but extremely simple to look at, and notably among them a black faille costume with a black velvet fourreau. The bride is a beautiful woman, quite regal in style ; she is tall, well-propor-tioned, has raven black hair .arranged as a coronet, and a delicate white skin. She never wears jewels of any description, and appears to court simplicity in her habits and manners. After inspecting this trousseau I took the opportunity of a further ramble through M. Worth's showrooms. The result. of my observations only confirmed what I have already stated ; figured and brocaded materials are the speciality of the season. There is broderie laine, and woollen damask and brocaded velvet, and damask silks of all descriptions, besides plush, and mixtures of silk and wool having somewhat the effect of plush. The materials are new, but the costumes offer no decided changes, except in a few minor details. The polonaise buttoned behind is the newest feature of the season, but will only be adopted by young ladies who affect extreme fashions. Every costume is made up of two, and in many instances of three, different materials, but one leading color is preserved throughout. There are no decided contrasts though there are often lines and threads of bright colors on sombre grounds. The new materials are manifold ; besides those already mentioned there are new Russian cloths like figured camel's hair ; ladies' habit cloths ; basket-woven cloths in plain, plaid, and striped patterns, and striped Algenennes. The brocaded and figured woollen materials, as a rule, are made up with faille. Stripes are considered .more distinguishedlooking than plaids, but they must be vague and indefinite, like the checks now in vogue. The greatest change is apparent in the over-skirts, which are still long and clinging, but are draped differently on the sides, and are so narrow that tournures or bustles must be abandoned. The tablier is wrinkled in careless looking folds; there is a row of buttons and button-holes down the left side, while the right side has square corners and a pocket, with loops and ends that loop up the back of the over-skirt. Some of these pockets are very large, three-cornered, and are drawn together at the top with an elastic band, while others are many-sided and flat. Blue plum is a favorite color, and bottle green is selected by those to whom it is becoming. • . The freaks of fashion are sometimes strange enough, and about the newest tablier, "the stonebreaker,' a good story is told:—A lady, belonging to the best society here, and known as an e~legante of the first water, though somewhat given to eccentricity, when driving along a country high-road, saw a man breaking stones by the wayside. He wore one of those huge leather aprons, such as workmen often affectsomething like that of a drayman—secured round his neck by a thong, also of leather. To the lady it was a novelty; and, attracted, perhaps, by its utter uncouthness, she hastily stopped her carriage, and asked the man how much he would sell his apron for Sell you my apron■" cried he, " and what for ! On the lady declaring that she would pay whatever sum he asked, the stonebreaker, thinking to drive a good bargain, told her that the apron was a heirloom—that he had inherited it from his grandfather, but that he would part with it for a consideration of £2. Without hesitation the money was paid, and the lady bore off the hideous garment in triumph, all coated with dust and weather-stained as it was. The horses were turned around, and back they all went to Pans, with the precious trophy on the satin cushions. They drove to the dres'smaker, and the lady herself carried her purchase upstairs, The astonishment of the faiseuse my be imagined. " What have you got ! what am Ito do with that!" " Copy it, said this modern incroyable ; "copy it in rich brocade ; trim it with lace or ribbon as you think fit—l leave that to you • but on no account change the shape. It is primitive— it pleases me." Of course the dressmaker did as she was bid, and of course the lady was complimented on her acuteness when she afterwards recounted her adventures with the stonebreaker to her friends and acquaintances.

To a London house of business we owe the idea of marking handkerchiefs with the photograph of the owner, the process " will wash," and has some advantages. We all remember the prominent part a handkerchief plays, in a famous tragedy. Greville tells us an amusing story of a handkerchief which led the Duke of Wellington into a duel; and in Miss Braddon's last novel, the evil genius of the story is betrayed by a handkerchief. We imagine the new fashion will be a boon to novelists as well as to lovers, " I gave you a handkerchief marked with my name," says the heroine of the old song, when she has discovered, like most of her sisters, that the mode of only reproaching her " Tom with a tear" met with negative results; what a far more precious gift to a lover would be a handkerchief marked with the portrait of his beloved. The same process is recommended for marking the handles of umbrellas as it may render our possession of them less transitory. A new writing paper, entitled "The Startling Note Paper," has just been issued, bearing colored effigies of lobsters and other quaint little creatures, which seem to be sprawling half oyer the sheet. The newest.tiling of the season in Paris was notepaper with colored borders, on which were printed facsimiles of the fashionable pocket handkerchiefs, and just the same colors. There are fifty different patterns, all of similar character, with envelopes to match, and they appear in England for the first time. Another series of novelties from Vienna are sold in neat little boxes, with envelopes to match, at quite a low price, and suitable for small presents. The paper is thinner than that in ordinary use, but smooth and pleasant to write upon. Some of the sets have bouquets of colored flowers on each sheet and envelope ; others, under the head of "Rococo," bewitching Watteau figures ; others of the sporting class—whips, hats, and hunting and shooting gear. One box, called the "PellMell," has every variety of pattern arranged in a sort of kaleidoscopic grouping. The Egyptian sets display tiny figures designed from the antique, and the naval show different items appertaining to a ship. The Bebe note-paper, coming under the head of "Papier de Fantasie," would delight a child, as well as grown-up people. It is in small boxes containing tiny sheets of paper, and tricorn envelopes to match, ornamented with colored butterflies, or with the kings and queens from the pack of cards ; or in the so-called toy set, with dolls, drums, tops, balls, &c. The invitation cards are another tempting novelty, sold in boxes, the cards and envelopes together bearing many of the designs I have described above. Some of them have the words Billet de Correspondence at the top ; and I was particularly charmed with some designs of harlequins and insects, and I am inclined to think they will find great favor for five o'clock tea invitations, and other feminine gatherings.