LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 72

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— Princess Sophie Duleep Singh is tho young half-sister of Prince Victor Duleep Singh. She is small, bright-faced, and graceful, with only a touch of olive in her skin as a sign of her Eastern origin. H«r education has been wide and good, and phe is, to all intents and purposes, an Englishwoman. She ride© well, plays golf and hockey, is fond of society and fond of Scotland, and — strange taste fox an Indian prinoees — is reckoned one of our best reel dancers. King Edward has granted h«r Faraday House, Hampton Court, as a residence, and there she spends much of the year. — Some Japanese women adopt the singular method of gilding their teeth, and those of the Indians paint them red. In some parts of India the pear} of the tooth must be dyed black before a woman can be beautiful.' -The Hottentot women paint the entire body in compartments of red and black. In Greenland the women colour their faces with blue and yellow, and frequently tattoo their bodies by saturating threads in coot, inserting them beneath the skin, and then drawing the*through. ; — The great want of the age writes Lady Violet Greville in Black and White is a rule of life and perfect consistency. Even our statesmen drift, and it is easier to adopt the policy of " laissez-faire " than to carry out a definite scheme. Woman, once so consistent in her affections and prejudices, has now become the tool of every adventurer, the prey of every fad, every sect, every fanatic, and every quack. One day she is a vegetarian, a suffragette, an athlete, a sportswoman, an oculist, j fashion plate, a gambler, a credulous fool* and the next day she is something eke. — Dentists among women have ceased to be uncommon, and the Nev York directory, points to the fact that as pharmacists also they are on the road to success. One woman in New York has three dental establishments all owned by herself, and owing their patronage to her own skill andr personality, while numerous others have secured each a clientele sufficient to main"tai#a single one and to derive profit therefrom. As yet the number of practising druggists is more limited, but there seems no reason it should not increase. The technical knowledge is readily mastered; and the actual practice entails far less fatigue and exposure than does thajt of & physician ; so that no difficulties greater chan those already overcome stand in the way. — Much has been written on Princess Patricia of Connaught ; but everyone may not know that .she is .'aid to possess a sort of eixth sense, called the odic force. This power tells it.'? owner when he or sfe«.

is in the near neighbourhood of wafer of minerals, .and is a rare gift, the reality of which has, in several cases, been properly attested. Princess Patricia travels a good deal, and goes much into society, but she has several quiet pursuits, and fyids fair to become a good artist. For instance, a year or two ago, a charming flower-picture of hers was on" view at the jSew^Gattery. Writing of pictures recalls to mind Sargent's lovely portrait of the young princess, which does justice to her pretty face and figure, but hardly to the goldJbrown hair, that is one of her chief attractions. - — Mrs "Lulu" Harcouri is one of the-best-liked of Americans. She is a niece of the multi-millionaire, Mr Pierpont Morgan. Mrs- Harcourt is tall and good to look at, with dark hair, bright eyes, and a face of keen, intelligence. And, like most American women, she talks well and dresses to perfection. Then she has the social sense highly developed, gives amusing dinners at her house in Berkeley Square, and has also started the custom of a weekly " day," when she is "at home" to, her intimates — a style that recalls to mind t-he " jour " as known on the Continent. On the occasion of a weekend party the lovely Nuneham reaches of the- river ate a great resource, as they afford safe boating; and the boathouse on the' banjk has, on its. upper storey j a charming tearoom, with a wide verandah. — Lady Derby is fair and slight and neat, and looks well in her tailor-made dresses. She is a good hostess, plays a clever game of bridge, is keen on racing — in fact, a worthy daughter of her famous mother, Louise, Duchess of Devonshire. Poultry-keeping is one of her chief Robbies, and she has won many prizes with her black Orpingtons. Lord Derby is a blunt, plain Englishman. At school he was called "Puppy Stanley" — is now seventeenth of bis line, and, thanks to mines and ground rents, is one cf the richest men in the three kingdoms. He knows the points of a horse, is a keeD sportsman, and in old days used to give sporting tips to Irish Nationalists in the House of Commons. He seems to have inherited his father's spirit, and, also like his father, keeps Irish black-brown horses that- meet with much admiration. He and Lady Derby still look young, but next year their only daughter, Lady Victoria Stanley, will make her debut, as she will be 18. — The new Machioness of Ripon is one of the best musical critics in London, and artistes making their debut at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, are almost as eager for her approval as for that of the journalists representing the important dailies ; indeed, her good word has helped to build musical reputations. - Tall, well-propor-tioned, with classical features, brilliant eyes, and masses of soft grey hair, Lady Rapon is still a handsome woman, and, as Gladys Countess of Lorsdale, was the most beautiful and sought-after widow of the 'eighties. A sister of the Earl of Pembroke, and daughter of Lady 'Elizabeth Herbert of Lea, she grew up in a cultured atmosphere, has finished manners, and cares little for sport. She is seldom absent from her box (next the stage) at the Royal Opera, motoring from Coombe, near Kingston, where she resides throughout the season, her Sunday parties there being a feature. It was from Coombe that M. Jean de Reszke, missing his train, rnshed to town on a fire engine in order to sing that evening. — Mrs Roosevelt has left America for Europe, and although the fact that her husband is no longer President will allow her a little more privacy than she has lately beeu accustomed to, it is certain that she will be much sought after whereever she may go, 1 and she has already had to go through the ordeal of evading countless interviews and refusing to be photographed on nxum>erous occasions. While she was at the White House, Mrs Roosevelt made herself immensely popular, and a leading diplomat once spoke of her as "A woman of tremendous power and force." As most people are aware, Mrs Roosevelt is the ex-President's second •wife, and she had known him many years before his previous marriage. After the sad death of his first wife, after only a year of married lifty New York was one day electrified by Bearing that she was engaged to her old playmate. Mrs Roosevelt is an ardent collector of old china, and under her supervision, 1 one of the most valuable collections in America was placed in the White House. The collection was composed of remnants of the dinner-seta which were used by former Presidential families, and is naturally of great historical interest. — Mrs Howard Gould, wife of the American millionaire, has won her suit for judicial separation from her husband. Mr Justice Dowling, in^ giving his decision, awarding her £70,000 per annum alimony, in lieu of the £5000 hitherto allowed her by her husband, Mr Howard Gould, eince his abandonment of her nearly three years asp. The judge said the testimony of 130 witnesses showed no gross oi habitual intoxication on Mrs Gould's part, and therefore there was no justification for desertion. As to her meeting* with the actor, Dustin Farman, they all occurred after the abandonment, without objection on tho part of the husband, and, apparently, with his*kmowledge. While pleased with her separation decree, Mrs Gould is disappointed with the amount of the allowance. She had asked for a quarter of a million sterling per annum. — Mrs George Cornwallis West has passed from her experiments as a chronicler of social gossip, in which she has recently had much success, to the more difficult business of writing for the stage. Her first effort in this new arena is a three-act comedy, with an episode of literary plagiarism as its central feature. The chief characters are a Major Stunner, a retired army man, who writes indifferent plays ; Fabia, his wife, a novelist of fame ; and Mrs Granfield, a siren of modern English society — a divorcee whose character recalls one of the principal figures in a matrimonial case which recently occupied an abnormal Amount of time in. the Scot-

biibject — a man — says the mania has taken the place of self-preservation as the first law of life. Now all they want to preserve is the bony structure with just enough subcutaneous upholstery to prevent them clanking when jostled. I saw, he says, a young girl of about 15 down at summer resort" who was «> thin that when she jumped down from her horse it mounded like someone bouncing a golf bag with one mashie, a niblick, and a putter in it, and a- trained nurse was with her to prevent her from actually starving hers-elf to death. Think of it, at 15 ! A mere kid having the mania for boniness as bad as that ! Serenity in Sitting 1 . " Learn to sit ' serenely ' if you would acquire distinction of manner,' is the advice of a young grandmother "It may seem an unimportant matter, but nevertheless comparatively few young girls know how to pioperly s-eat themselves, look* comfortable when they are seated, or get up gracefully from a seat. One reason for this awkwardness is due to teachers who are not themselves fastidious in regard to physical poise. " Many girls look awkward and uneasy when seated because they flide into a chair from its side instead of from its front edge, and do not allow themselves jsufficient space to turn in when approaching a seat. When ready to sit down one foot should be slightly in advance of the other, so that by pivoting on the toes, bending the hips and tneei», the body will swing easily on to the chair. Can; should be taken to place the hips as far to^aid the back of the teat as it U possible to get them. "The girl who cits on the edge of a chair and leans far backward is in as awkward an altitude as .-he can po>fiibly assume, and one that will not only impel her to cro.-s her knee* but help to injure h-er spine. She should remember that when seated the hips must invariably be further back than, the thouldeis, otherwi'^e it will be impossible to fcit erectly, gracefully, or comfortaby — which, of course, means serenely. This attitude will bring

the commoner the girl.' And the most hardened men of the world will denounce the way girls appear in offices and public vehicles in these vulgarly suggestive garments." A Mew Profession for Women. Woman has invaded another of man's provinces, writes the Daily Telegraph. House agency is to be addfed to the professions open to the female wage-earner. In the letting of furnished houses in the country, one woman lias been able to make a Tair income. She relieves the owners of a house from all irksome duties, such as making an inventory of plate and linen, having the house put into " applepie" order, and showing the premises to intending tenants. As a rule she lives in the house while it is to let, and thus ensures that the rooms are properly aired and the furniture dusted. When acting as caretaker, the receives an extra allowance for living expenses. If servants are left in the house, she is responsible for them, and exercises some .supervision as to the j amount of gas or electric light used, ! guarding against waste in that respect. i When intending tenants call, the lady ] agent shows them the house, pointing out ( any advantages likely to be overlooked. I She draws attention to the condition of j blankets, curtains, and chair-coveis, the. incoming tenant being required to give j them up in the same condition as they j are received. A woman is better suited j for this part of the wotk than a man, her knowledge of household matters giving her an advantage in this respect. When one house id let, the owner often recommends her lady agent to friends* on acquaintances desirous of letting their ' houses, and in this way a connection is J built up. I In a city the lady house agent acts- on diffeient lines. She usually hrf& an office, where sli3 inteiviews clients, and where she keeps her list of properties to bo let, etc- She must employ one or more assistants for office routine, as her business requires, &nd someone to act as outdoor asei&tant, for the inspection of houses.

ployed thousands of years ago to obtain fragrant odours. The frankincense of the . Scripture is obtained to-day from a variety of trees that exude a fragrant gum. This gum is gathered from young trees . that have bsen purposely wounded, and in "recent years it has- been obtained from treea found in the temperate as well as in the tropical zone. I The different aromatic substances used | for incense purposes in the past are produced to-day in great quantities for the perfumer. These include the balsam of Tolu, tho olibanum of Java, the benzoin or gum of benjamin, .the camphor laurel of China rind Japan, the elemi reran of trece in the Philippine Islands, Mexico, and Brazil, the star anise of certain trees in South-Western China, the sweet flagroot, much used for incense in India', and even aromatic earths found on the coast . of Cutch. - - I But naturally the greatest supply of j raw material for perfumery comes from j flowers, berries, and aromatic plants. The ( liit of these is very extensive, and' the gathering and manipulation of them to j extract " illeir fragrance represents a widely extended and important industry in many parts of the earth. _ [ The great flower gardens near the little town of 'Grasse in South-East France have frequently been described. It is the perfume centre of France and of the world. Ten thousind million, pounds of flowers are there anuaily converted into essences and extracts. Roses, jasmines, violetf, tuberose, and cawas are raised by the common people,- and then converted into extract-- and e.-sences by the process of maceration. Square glass trays are in- ( closed in wooden frames and spread over with lia'f an inch of fat or pure grease. • The fre.-hly gathered flowers are spread over tl'e layer of greaee, and renewed every morning. The power of grease to absorb odours enables .manufacturers to becuie most of the fragrance of flowers, pnd then when soaked <n alcohol the giea.se separates from its odours. The alcohol Tetains the fragrance and makes the manufacture of perfumes simple and efficient. Many woods, such as aloe, santal, and cedar, are used for manufacturing per- .

fumery, and also barks of trees, such a* the cinnamon and cascarilla, and fchi leaves of others. One of Russia's Women Martyrs* - —Twenty Years in Prison. — "Vera Figner, one of the most herofo figures of the Russian revolutionary movement, and a- prisoner for twenty-three years in the fortress prison of Schlusselburg, was -welcomed to London at rmeeting in South Place Institute. Mr Felix Volfchowsk} presided, and among the speakers- were Prince Kropotkin and MM. Tcherkosoff, Soskice and Aladin. In the' following lines fsays the Daily News) Mime. Kropotkin recalls something of the tragic life story of , this.- not, ■ the least remarkable of the Russia© guests now; among 1 us. " The number of women -martyrs in "tito Russian Liberation movement is enormousThousands of them remain unknown, even by name, even to those who take an activa part in the movement or closely follow, it,, but therfi are names deeply engrafted ,in the heart of every lover of freedom, in, Russia, and' one of - these women's names : — the , dearest - and most - venerated— is that of Vera, Nikolaevna Pigner. - » I Vera Signer was born in ,1852 in a- [ well-to-do noble family.' She ' received her education in a high school for noblemen's daughters, and cams out with the highest | honours. The strong movement which ] was going on then in Russia for the right j of women to higher education and the ' other ereat movement — " To the people '." — carried her away. In 1872 she went to Switzerland to study medicine with the intention of going afterwards to' the people as a village doctor But ther came, in 1875, an order from th>3 -Russian Government to all Russian, students in Switzerland to return at once to Russia. — otherwise they would be considered as exiles. This was the first personal encounter' of Vera Figner with -the despotic Government of her own country. She returned home, passed hei examinations as a trained nurse, and went as such among the peasants; — A Fascinating Personality. — Upon her fellow-prisonero the fascinating personality of Vera Figner had the most beneficial effect. They did not see her, but her very presence among them and her courage were enough to exercise a high moral influence upon them. At liberty she was ready tc die fox her people. In prison she was ready for th« same sacrifice for the sake of her comrades. . t In 1902, when the authorities wanted to deprive the Schlusselburg prisoners of the privilege of having 7 'books and some manuaf work— a privilege they, had won by" a long series of efforts, , by hunger strikes, and by the .self-sacrifice of jsome of them who had committed suicide, saying that they did it for the sake of their oomradeii— when these privileges were taken away by the omnipotent \on Plehve, Vera Figner saw that this would 'be equal to a death sentence upon all her comrades. They would end in madners, die from scurvy, or commit suicide— as so many had done during the first tea years when no work or books were allowed. . She then decided to sacrifice herself in order to save them, to commit some* breach of the -fortress discipline which would mean for her the scaffold, bub would bring her before a Court-martial where she could* tell at least all that was coing-on behind these -impermeable walls • When the Governor of the prison, a colonel, entered W" cell she tore away, his epaulette. She knew it meant ai death sentence, and die prepared for it —.Eccentricities of Russian Law.— But in Russia things happen quit* otherwise than elsewhere. . One may ba hanced by a local Governor without any, form 5 of trial— they do it ofterf enough— and one may not be executed even when the military penal code is quite explwit. 1 A strong agitation had begun just atf j tha> time all over Russia, after nearly} ' 200 students had been ,ordered to b» transported as soldiers to Port Arthur as a ■punishment for insignificant University disorders. To hang a^. woman at that{ moment would have beeta risky- and Vera I Figner" was not tried. ■ I However, her experience there as x peaceful ' work who tried to help tha people oat of their misery and darkness brought her to the baane result -us it had already brought many other peaceful reformers in Russia. She saw that no work, however peaceful, for the benefit of the people is possible in Russia- under the autocratic regime. She became an ardenti advocate of a Constitutional change. i'outh, beauty— she was a very beautiful woman— all tliat wealth and privilege I promised her in life, was thrown away, i for the sake of her country. She took J part in the most daring revolutionary, work of the 'eighties, and especially m the propaganda in the army. ! She was arrested in 1882, betrayed by a 'traitor— the Azeff of those times— Degaeflv For two years she was kept In solitary, ( confinement in the fortress of St. Peter and St. Paul, and at last, in 1884, , she was tried with thirteen others under "the, accusation of revolutionary acts and propaganda in the army. She was condemned to death, but tha d»ath sentence was commuted into one 08 hard labour for life. However, this lasti s»nt»nce was rendered still -more cruel by' immuring Vera Figner for life m ai solitary* «dl in- the fortress of Schlussel-bur«'--the fortress of which its Governor 1 said' to' the ' inmates, " Nobody has yet walked out of this fortress ; all have been carried out." ' "* * n There' she spent 'twenty years. No voice from the outside reached her until 1904. For thirteen .years not a. single letter was allowed to reach her, or allowed to be written by .her to her old mother. - - - — A Blink.,! of Hope.— Two years later she benefited by S manifesto issued on the occasion of tho . birth of an heir Jo the Russian throne.;

tish courts. In tHe course of a flirtation with Major Sunmer, Mrs Cranfield steals the manuscript of a novel just completed by his wife, appropriates the plot, and induces the major (who is unaware of the theft) to turn it into a play The play is accepted by a London theatre, and, J though the wife becomes aware of the fraud committed by her rival, she decides to leave her husband in undisturbed enjoyment of his success. But the facts come to his knowledge before the production of the play, and this leads to the discomfiture of the siren on the one hand and tite reconciliation of the major and his wife on the other Mrs Cornwallis West!s first venture in comedy won her .cordial applause from an audience of peeresses and othei London society people. She starts as a writer for the theatre with an advantage similar to that which . her son, Mr Churchill, enjoyed as a be- i ginner on the stage of the House of ■ Commons. The pTaise of her society friends is not, however, unanimously reflected in the comments of the professional critics. Some of them have many faults to find with the play They suggest thatj the authoress ought to attempt to writs j something more nearly approaching pure farce, as in that hsr powers of plausibility, which aa-e not strong at present, would be less tried, and her humour given I greater play. j The Passion for Slenderness. | Aaiglemania is the title given to the ( passion for thinness at present obtaining among American women. A writer on the ,

both feet in their correct" positionsquarely upon the floor and partly covered by the skirts The consciousness that one has small, prettily-shaped feet is not an excuse for thrusting them forward, and in my younger days every gentlewoman's ankles were solely a matter of supposition so far as the public was concerned." The Transparent Blouse. Discussing the dTess of business girls a writer in the Girls' Own Papei and Women's Magazine says : — "I must allude to a style of dress that is far more objectionable than anything | I have mentioned so far, and that is the | transparent blouse, which permits the onlooker to study the cut and make of a girl's underwear. Of course this style of blouse is by n< means peculiar to the office girl ; it is worn by girls and' women of all grades of society — and all of them vulgar. "To speak quite plainly: Is it nice or refined for a girl to give opportunity to all and sundry who may come into her office — possibly, men for the most part, and not necessarily all gentlemen a.t that • — to study the trimming of her underwear, which she has emphasised by adding coloured ribbons that specially attract the eye when white might pass unnoticed. The girl wro dresses in this way is fast losing- one of the greatest assets and charms of her girlhood — her personal reticence. Men have a saying among themselves, which it would be well to bear in mind, 'The thinner the blouse, J

Usually the lady agent also undertakes the* letting of rooms, chambers, and offices, ! and procures paying guests for private families - - During the summer months a good business can be done in this last-mentioned branch, but judicious advertising is needed. Before entering any house on her list as a suitable place for the reception of i visitors, the lady agent personally inspects , the premises, and makes strict inquiries as to the accommodation provided, the catering, and the habits of the household. An agent is always responsible for the j visitors she introduces, and therefore it j behoves her to be very careful to secure j references from intending guests before she places their names on her books. The Perfumer's Art. Tbo modern „ perfume manufacturer ', brings all the resources of the world to his work, and every country is laid under ] tribute. It is commonly supposed that most of our perfumery is made from ' flowers ; but the manufacturer does not ] hesitate to use such animal products as ' ambergris, -castor, - civet, and musk, as ' well p& the chemical bodies derived from j various minerals, refuse, and by-products of factories. There is a long list of | odoriferous gum resins, barks, and berries, I such as benzoin or gum benjamin, the ' camphor laurel of whioh .forms part of , this equipment. ' ' 1 Ingenious processes of obtaining many ' of these are tfesorted to, such as. wounding ' treea and ©hrubs or distilling them chexni- I i cally. Recourse is had to methods em- I

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Her imprisonment for life was commute^ intQ a twenty years' imprisonment, and in 1904, as she lad already spent twenty years in the fortress of Scnlusselburg. she was liberated and exiled to the province of Archangel. Then came the eventful year of 1905. In October her heart was throbbing with j joy when- the cry — " Long live the Constitution!" resounded ia the. streets and nobody was put in prison for that — but that lasted a few days only The old regime was restored with swordj rope and fire. The old nightmare that Russia ihad lived through under the CzaT's rule came back, and Vera Figner's heart is full again of the old (borrow. "I almost regret," so she said the other day at a meeting, "that I am not in my lonely cell in the fortress. There I was dead to the outside world. In my ignorance of it I suffered less." Hints and Suggestions. Brass bedsteads can be kept bright by simply rubbing them now and then with a cloth moistened with sweet oil. Polish off with a dry leather. A squeeze of lemon-juice, added to sauces, soups, gravies, and etews after cooking, will bring out the flavour wonderfttliy and is a palatable improvement. Before washing new curtains, if a fairly ■wide tape is stitched on, instead of making a hem at the top, the curtain will keep quite straight, and also holes made by ' hooks will be prevented. Few people apparently think of washing their polished furniture. Yet, if the dirt were removed by washing it with a little vinegar and water, or even plain warm water, the cream used to obtain a polish would have a much better and more lasting effect. Should the knob come off the lid of a pan or kettle, a scraw should be slipped through the hole with the head to the inside of the lid, and a coTk screwed on the protruding end. This will make a knob that will not get hot and that can be removed when it is dirty. Before cooking, tie the cauliflower in a piece of clean muslin. When cooked it can then be easily lifted out of the pan into the colander. Untie the muslin, and then the cauliflower will be whole. It can l>e turned into a dish without breaking. This will also keep it free from any scum that may arise. When a can rusts through where the 1 sides join the 'bottom it is not necessary to throw it away, as the holes may be ! effectually stopped by covering them mii side with a small piece of linen dipped in copal varnish., the tin being previously thoroughly dried. When the varnish hardens by drying, the can will be perfectly water-tight. In summer, housewives often have difficulty in keeping butter from oiling, and so the following hint as to keeping it firm, even in the hottest day in summer, will !be appreciated. Put the butter into a bowl ; stand it in a soup plate in which some water has been put.' Then take an ordiniary flower-pot and scrub it clean. Place, it over the butter so that the edge will be in the water, and you have a very simple and inexpensive butter cooler If this is kept in the coolest place in the house, preferably where there is a draught, the butter will be quite firm and nice. If a bodice having steel buttons or trimming is put away with camphor rolled in it, this will keep the steel parts from •ta.ro isliixvg. To restore painted woodwork, clean with weak soapy warm water and fullers' earth. | Wash off with clean warm water and a leather. A prominent French physician has declared that, " any woman who practises fencing for twenty minutes every day will remain in full health." ' To clean ink-stained floor-boards, apply strong hydrochloric acid (spirit of salts) to the stain?, and wash all acid away with clean water. To renovale wa^l-paper, remove loose dust with a soft brush. Then rub with thick slices of stale breadcrumb, working from the ceiling downwards in circular sweeps. "To have a good complexion," says a specialist, "exercise and keep' healthy, but also carefully study what simple toilet remedies best suit your individual requirements." - A vast amount of dusting is saved if damp cloths axe spread over each register just before the furnace fire is eliaken. The dust arising from the ashes is thus prevented from sifting over the entire house. A handful of oyster shells thrown into the furnace fire occasionally will prevent an accumulation of clinkers, as the lime in the oyster shells will dissolve the minerals in the coal which form the clinker. Clean flannel dipped in paraffin oil will satisfactorily remove fingei- marks on polished or painted wood if rubbed on for a few minutes. Wipe w ith a clean cloth wrung from hot water to remove the odour. An easy way to soften water delightfully is to throw orange peel into it just before the water is used. The peel will not only prove agreeable to the skin, but will give a fragrance like that which follows 'the use of toilet paper. Here are several recipes for removing mildew stains, all of which are claimed to be good : — 1. Mix well togethei a spoonful of table salt, two of soft soap. i two of powdered starch, and the juice of 9 lemon. Lay this mixture on both sides of the stain with a painter's brush, and then lay the article on the grass, day and [ night, until the stain disappears. 2. Get ! a piece of lannel, dip it into whisky, and well rub the place marked, then iron 1 on the wrong side, taking care to put a piece of damp cotton cloth between the iron and silk, and iron on the cotton cloth, which wjll prevent the silk assuming a shiny glazed appearance. 3. Wash clean, and take every particle of soap off, then put the linen into a galvanised I bath or tub of clean, cold water, procure a little chloride of lime, and tie up in a piece of muslin, dissolve the lime in luke [ -warm water fej squeezing the bag, then

' pour the wair? cri^ong the clothes. Stir, and leave them for 24 hours, but do not put too much lime, or you will rot the clothes ; then well rinee* in clean, cold water. KST Descriptions ot baiJs, &c, must be endorsed by either the Witness correspondent for the district or by the secretary of the ball committee. The MS. of any correspondents who do not comply with this rule will be sent to the secretary for endorsement prior to appearing. — EMMELINE. To ensure publication in the forthcoming issue letters should reach the Witness office if possible on Saturday night, but on no account later than lfonday night. A WEDDING IN WELLINGTON. A most interesting marriage took place in Wellington on September 1, at St. Paul's pro-Cathedral, when Mr P. J. Scantlebury, • solicitor, of Dunedin, eldest son of Mr E. J. Scantlebury, of Eeefton, was married fo Miss Annie J. Child, only daughter of tlie late Mr J. and Mrs Child, of Karori road, Wellington. The bride, who was given away by her brother, Mir James Child, wor© a handsome trained gown of creme satin duchess, made in Princess Empire style, with corsage of creme Irish lace and' net, a cexonet of orange blossoms and handsome embroidered veil, with a lovely shower bouquet, oompleted a very, handsome costume. The bridegroom's gift to the "bride was a handsome jewelled snake bangle. The bride was attended by four bridesmaids, Miss Sk-eet, Miss Commerford, Miss Stella Aston, and Miss Doreen M. ScahUebuTy. AH' the maids wore lovely dresses of creme Jap silk made in Empire robe styles, tjimrhed with ] handsome creaie silk lace, with" shepherdess hats of creme crinoline with long black velvet ties, and carried pretty floral shepherdess crooks. Tlie two elder wore handsomo enamelled and pearl chains and pendants, and the two younger gold and enamel bangles, the gifts of the bridegroom. The duties of the bast man were most ably carried out by Mr T. E. Y. Seddon, M.P., while Mr L. £tout, solicitor, attended as groomsman. Mrs Child (bride's mother) wore a, handsome gown of silver grey chiffon taffetas, with purple toque, bouquet of pu-rple violets. Mrs Scantlebury, the bridegroom's mother, wore a lovely Empire Tobe of black silk, chiffon taffetas, hat of black with black and creme ijlumes, creme feather boa, with bouquet of white and purple anemones. Mrs Lee, Invercargill (bride's aunt) wore a handsome creme embroidered robe with lace furnishings, hat of vieu rose crinoline with roses. .The ceremony was solemnised by the Rev. Mr Sprott, the wedding hymn and March being rendered on the lovely organ. There were a large number of guests present, who were entertained later at the Hotel Windsor at a sumptuous wedding breakfast, where tEe usual tcasts were duly honoured, the bridie and bridegroom leaving by the s.s. Maori for Christchurch and Dunedin, their future home. The bride's travelling dress was a tailor saxe blue costume with trimmings of black silk braid, with hat) of black crinoline with black tulle and feathers. x The young couple were the recipients of sfie-afs "of telegr«ams and good wishes, and numerous and valuable wedding gifts. WEDDING AT BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS. Tho following account of a wedding of interest -to many New Zealanders appears in the Barbados Agricultural Beporter of Friday, July 2: — A very pretty wedding took place at St. Michael's Cathedral at half-past 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, when there was celebrated ths marriage of Mir Alan Mair Jackson, C.E., of New Zealand, son of Mr John Howard Jackson, C.8., and Miss Dorothy Gray Bathgatc, daughter of Mr Alexander Bathgate, solicitor. The church I wa-s very tastefully decorated for the occasion with palms and flowers. The service was choral, Mr C. P. Bowen presiding at the organ. The ceremony was performed by Rev. P. A. Farrar. The bride, who looked most b3autiful in 'a robe of white crepa de chene, mado in princess Empire style trimmed with lace, was given in marriage by Mr J. J. Law. She also wore the regulation tulle veil, pearl ornaments, and a wreath of real orange blossoms, and carried a shower bouquet of oichids, fern leaves, and roses. She was attended by two bridesmaids, the Mieses Law. Mi F. R. M'Mahon acted as best man. Following were the guests: — Mr and Mrs J. J. Law,. Mr and Mrs R. B. Roden, M<r and Mrs Joseph Connell, Mrs O'Cunnov. Miss Millie Howell, Mr and Mrs ! J. H. Murray, MH=9 Annie Murray, the Misses Law (2) Mrs Young, and Messrs L. Gioanetti and Gordon Miwray. At the conclusion of the ceremony the wedding party left the church »mi ■ the sweet strains of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" and a ha,ppy peal of bells, and drove to Ambleside, Belleville, the residerce of Mr Law, where a reception was-heM. Later in the evening Mr and Mrs Jackson proceeded to the Bay Mansion, where the honeymoon is being spent The bride, who waa conveyed to and from the church in Mr Law's motor car, arrived here from England on the B.^d.fa. Orinoco on June 21, and has been the guest of Mr and Mrs Law during her stay in Barbadoes. The bridgeroom arrived m this inland on the R.M..S. Esk, from St. Vincent, on Ti.esday last.