NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9118, 10 April 1908, Page 7

NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST.

A SLANDERING BEE. A new method of putting a stop to gossip and scandal has been adopted by an American evangelist (says a writer in the Daily Chronicle). •'All the gossips m the neighbourhood are invited to his home one day in the week for a sort of slandering hee, the idea being that if they are allowed to hammer away at their neighbour’s foibles to their hearts’ content they will use up all the available material and have nothing else to gossip about. It would be interesting to know what they say about the evangelist on returning from the weekly meeting. SAVED BY AN UMBRELLA. Paris, February 17. A woman’s forethought and presence of mind resulted in the saving of two lives this afternoon. A young girl named Marcelle Jalline, while walking along the banks of the Seine slipped and fell into the water. A hospital attendant, named Guillotean, who witnessed the accident, plunged t into the water to rescue the girl. Being a poor swimmer, he was unable to reach the girl, and both were in danger of being drowned, when Mme. Dupret arrived on the scene. gShe is not an expert swimmer, but this did not daunt her. Opening a large umbrella, which she carried, she took a firm hold of the handle, and then jumped into the water. The buoyancy of the open umbrella kept her from sinking. Striking out with her disengaged hand, she succeeded in reaching the struggling couple, and kept them afloat until a boat put off, when all three were rescued. On being brought ashore, the rescuer was warmly congratulated by a crowd on her plucky^behaviour. QUAINT FASHIONS IN MILLINERY. London, February 17. Horsehair hats, flowers, made of feathers, and feathers made of blossoms are among the fashions predicted for this year’s summer millinery. “No secrets are more jealously guarded than the latest creations in frocks and hats,” a French milliner told an Express representative on Saturday, “but I have heard of two new modes of which fashion experts have approved. “The very finest horsehair —like that used in the seats of our grandmothers’ chairs—will he employed for making hats. It is lightly woven and amost resembles a web, its texture is so fine.

“Trausparant gauze flowers, and also imitation [blossoms made of feathers will be worn as trimming with the new hats. These flowers are made of hundreds of tiny feathers, and some very pretty shaded effects can he carried out.”

Trimming of real flowers are not uncommon, but this year the conventional methods of adorning a hat will be stimulated by sweetly perfumed blossoms. Rosettes will be made of Parna violets, while twists and bowls of ribbon will be clevrely copied in small;] flowers, such as forget-me-nots, primrose, or garden daisies.

“It is even possible now to copy the ostrich feather,” said Mr Shearu the Tottenham Court road florist. “The most beautiful sweeping plumes cau be imitated with lilies-of-the-valley. “We recently made a large black crinoline picture hat, round the crown of which swept a fine long feather entirely fashioned of these pretty flowers. The making of the feathers“is a long task, as each spray has to be wired on separately.” •