LADIES’ LETTER.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 308, 18 September 1875, Page 2

LADIES’ LETTER.

0 I (prom .pip qyys . Ta)|lB, July 12. -“Now’s flic day and now’s tfic hour,” for tlie “ umbrella foilli society ” to place its shares iu the market, and wares, whether 1 after the'types’6f Paul Pry’si, or Sally .Gamp’s, in tho suggested depots—the tdbaciiqi shops; and srhere uujirotected ladies can call with as much confidence as travelling in the sntoking compartment of a railway carriage. Floods seem to be -the oi’dcFbf‘tfie day, differing only in intensity; the Garonne has roared, but the'Benre looks sullen, and Paris you know is France; the rain Spoils everything} eyen to the,harvest; strawberries arrive on the table, smothered in water, instead of in cream, and ladies set out for racing parties and picnics, with the devotion and taciturnity of pilgrims. A dustchat used to be an essential article in every lady’s wardrobe, but we fiavp changed all that for waterproofs; every lady now proteets.lier toilette with a houppelaude, in thd forni of the delicious Russian t’uuiq; these mantles or costume-preservers are njade-up. in 'impermeable English cloth; no more allowing a drop of-water to enter, than Captain Boyton’s mummy apparel; tlie rain .over, and all. th® beauties, of the April glory, the tuuic is thrown off, and dlle lady emerges front the chrysalis state into the full blown butterfly, or like a columbine, or Solomon arrayed in all his glory. The wet weather has forced numerous silken sons and daughters of pleasure to defer their annual flight to the sea side, or the spa, much to the benefit'of the city trade, and in presence of the windows of heaven remaining unshut, those invalids who are dying to go to Vichy, Trouville or Dieppe, feel themselves slightly better; their malady, of a nervous nature, and therefore, as changing as incurable, disappears a little in presence of the merry sunshine. Pic nics under present circumstances are not impossible, but very inconvenient, and are thus managed ; a dinner is ordered at a country restaurant and guests rail or drive there; dancing takes place on the lawn, wind.and weather permitting, and excursions to some forest, or gondola life on a lake or a river, are also voted excellent. . Political jupons are banished from these parties as worthlessly as would be an infidel dog from a mosque. The chronic state of humidity of the sky, and of moisture of flie earth* has nipped in the bud an excellent .innovation, that of superseding hot dinners in gas lit rooms of a summer’s evening between seven and eight, by a substantial lunche at four p.m., without ceremony, the invited amusing themselves as they please afterwards, till the hour comes to dress for the opera, or almost midnight drive, as the Bois de Boulogne is thronged witfi carriages till past elcverrand is the occasion for ladies displaying evpry variety of mantle, and every new invention in head gear. But

the floods at Toulouse ; yes these did at the moment cause ns to attune our lyres to melancholy, but after making donations, consciences became tranquil, and like the soldier’s funeral, the dead march has been followed by lively airs. Much complimentary conversation is taking place, and justly so, respecting an actor who gave the proceeds of his handsome benefit, to the inundated, but what I do not see mentioned, is the sacrifice made on the altar of her country, by the young and handsome Comtesse de C , who presented her trousseau to the general relief .fund, and bet-luadeamaids their gala toilettes, arid never was a wedding party more beauiifully.-simple, because heaven smiled and the Crowd applauded. Nor ought school J's and girls to be over, looked, they gave out of their limited allowance, and I am aWare of collegians, that some good fairy replaced by double, what thejrbad spontaneously given to the distressed in mind, body, and estate, in tin? hrtpe of their being relieved according to their several necessities. Boys and

girls merit an addition to their .vocation, _ find a reduced quantity of Latin and I Scales Ihumqiing. The theatres and 1 public places of amusement were above J all cdnspicuolis for the sums raised and* the manner of their collection; during the interludes, ,thp prettiest actrices, chaperoned by'an actor, inade the tour of the house witli ffiGaoniA’is; at one theatre where flie play dr the " Tower of London ” is being acted, the two chief characters therein are the tw,o executioners, wearing masks, and long red robes; each of them followed an actress during her round of Collection, giving a rose to the female portion of the spectators, and illustrating pow one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. The amateut- hrftsfCs by some misunderstanding failed to secure .a bumper house for the benefit of the sufferers ; the reciipts did not even pay half price, for. the gas and rent .; but then it’ is an axiom in’French law, old style of course, that where there is nothing, the King loses his rights ; the good natured effort is remembered all the same, and its ocigiaaterssmcrit first class wicker coffins when the occasion comes. Henceforth speak softly about cabmcim they have tho milk of human kindness in their veins, ns they subscribed a' day’s earnings, pourbaires included; the Minister of Police ought to- bestow the new good conduct stripe on all their coats, recommending those who hare the most dreadful complaints from single ladies to their account, to go to sin no more. The theatres, always a sole, guide for judging 6f the prosperity of business, continue to be crowded, despite the moist heat that reigns in the houses, and tho absence of any marked novelties as to pieces; tho principal establishments generally close for six or eight weeks during the summer, wlien the members of the company are free to go to where glory waits them ; the greater number of them mostly remain in Paris at their off business, for actors have two strings to their bow, they have some light occupation that brings in a sure revenue ; well, this season jho companies instead of breaking up, have in several instances formed themselves into a co-partnership, and paying house expenses, conduct the spectacles at their own risks and perils ; the experiment has succeeded ; a few innovations have been introduced, in tho employment of tiny playing perfumed fountains in the pit, bordering . the box seats in front with flowers, giving play bills gratis, and registering your place on the same terms. We would fiavelaiighed longer at tho tribulations of the spirit world, only the calamity of Toulouse cut short broad grins, and tho precarious health of the Republic is said to cause some anxiety to its sponsors aud medical attendants. The manufacture of ‘spirit photographs is permanently closed in France, and ’the pasteboard figures of departed ancestors, with their winding &c., have been deposited in the police museum, while the manufacturers themselves are passing the season in .prison; it is one lucrative delusion less in France, and (he deceived can occupy themselves competing for the additional prizes for virtue, to be awarded by tho academy, oue is for the sum of 10,tXM)fr., ' the fund for paying which has been bequeathed by a lady ;jit is clear that it can pay to be good, only it is found that in the of minor recompenses for model lives, once received, the honored lapses into original rin’ ’ and becomes unsuitable for a tract.