Heart and Home Chats

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 890, 6 February 1930, Page 5

Heart and Home Chats

By

Anne Rutledge

Alisa Anne Rutledge will answer letters in this colum?i every Thursday accomplished writer, an ardent feminist , a student of human nature and a wide traveller she is well fitted for the task. Those who have problems and tack a confidante to help in their solution mag with confidence write to Miss Rutledje, whose knowledge will be placed at their disposal. A sympathetic woman . she will assist those who stand in need of assistance. Communications for Miss Rutledge should be addressed to THE SUN office.

BEACH PYJAMAS

Dear Miss Rutledge,— Though I read your advice every Thursday I never thought I would have to write to you. By a most innocent act 1 have brought disgrace and grief to myself. I have always been a shy and modest girl, but not a modern flapper. This year some one sent me a pair of beach pyjamas, and I have dared to wear them at the beach because so many people seem to have them. Outsiders have said how well they looked, but my family were in a great state. They are very old-fashioned, and so is my boy friend. I have been friendly with him for two years now. and he refused to have any more to do with me if I persist in wearing this new beach attire. As for my family, they have all been most unreasonable about it. What should I do? MODEST. AXSWEft Beacli, pyjamas are popular in a great many countries, and if they are worn

indecent or immodest about them, especially as they are mostly worn bv young Kiris with the “carnival” spirit. ction to beach pyjamas is that actually they often do not present a graceful appearance, and some of the colour schemes are atrocious. Beach pyjamas are just another milestone in the whir! and medley of fashion. Present day short skirts would have been labelled positively indecent before, the war. j>o not let such a trivial thine: upset your family life, or disrupt love’s sweet dream. Clive the pyjamas away', or send them to the “favoured one” with an appropriate note. Then all will be “quiet on the western front.” lam sorry that C a J 1 . n °t visit you in your “disgrace and grief.”. ANNE RUTLEDGE.

“HELLO, PROSPERITY!”

Dear Miss Rutledge,— Candidly, my husband and I have differed in opinion over the advisability of spending money now on the home and clothes, etc. He says that times I are not good and that things will he j worse, so it would be better just to scrape along on bare necessities and invest any surplus money. I do not agree with my husband and we have decided to get your advice, as we don’t like the idea of confiding our private affairs to any friend we know. M.G.B. I Y.s ir Just view the problem as widely as is reasonable. Supposing every family in New Zealand thought like your husband, then bad times would really come with a vengeance. The theatres and cinemas would run at a loss; drapers, clothiers and tailors would do, perhaps, half their normal business. Motor-car agencies and assembly plants would close down or nearly so. Wholesale merchants would Ibe transacting only skeleton trade. And

stances, all of which would mean no I end of people losing their jobs and your husband might be one of these! You can ! easily carry on with the vicious circle I* and arrive at much the same result as will other readers. To go to the other extreme, it is bad gant. You might be well advised to live ; reasonably within your income, budget- ! ing for your living expenses and also for i the margin that should be “salted away” • for the rainv dav. Why not. he moderate ! in your ideas of thrift, and live and let live? Gloomy pessimism, which is a class of 1 fear, together with the widespread popu- ; lar topic of bad times, should be stamped out as a vicious plague. Many well filled : pockets are “tight” owing to the spread ! of this contagious disease. ANNE RUTLEDGE.

A CHOICE OF READING

Dear Miss Rutledge,— I am rearing a growing family. One of those problems that burden every mother now confronts me. My eldest child—there are seven—learnt to read at an early age. I determined that she should have only the best literary fare available. I bought her Arthur Mee’s gift books, and A. A. Milne’s books. I saw with growing pride that she appeared to enjoy them. Yesterday I came home unexpectedly and found her reading a sixpenny publication entitled ‘‘Tim the Tattooed Tec. ’ Can you help me in my trouble? A v>s . WER DISTRESSED. You will be always frettinc and fii*;appointecl if you expect 100 pe? cent, perl lection from your children. Your re--the cl ; il ' lr , £n should read good ? certainly to their best interests, but be careful not to overload their young brains. Much good literali mi S ht be regarded as “dry” bv SSiJi? 1 '! 11 ’ J SO l f they are surfeited with such books, they might hanker after a change even the stuff that you mention. lIIdu 01 ?, of V l .’ 11 S' is the result of talkin & x\ith other children at school, and the old story of “forbidden fruit.” To counteract tills, understand that children love to feel important and gain eonfifience when taken on terms with their elders. Then enjoy the permission of intimate moments with mother, and feel proud when father shares their interests and pleasures upon his return from business. It should not be difficult to influence children when you have their confidence, so treat your daughter's ideas with respect and dignity, and you should find it possible to foster a real love for beautiful literature. Be patient. ANNE RUTLEDGE.

SALESMANSHIP

Dear Miss Rutledge,— I am a salesman and travel right j through the country. Somehow or other I am not the.success that I feel I ought to be, and my best efforts and intentions frequently lead to no business and argument. I believe I have personality, but there is something lacking in my sales talk apparently. Have you any suggestions to offer? If so, I would ask you to use valuable space, as your answer might be helpful to others who are not natural star salesmen, and yet like me, want to earn sufficient to keep the familv going comfortably. A.D. .1 NSW EH VS'hUel am not an expert in the art of selling, I wiJ l mention a few constructive suggestions which are gleaned from a study of human nature. Salesmen must remember the fundamental truth that goodwill leads to sales, and that arguncf n busfnes« ently brins about 111 will and* Study your selling talk and make sure that it contains sufficient answer to the usual objections raised by would-be customers. NVhen a prospect raises objections at the end of a selling talk, these are harder to combat than if vou can, by pre-study, anticipate and nip them in the bud, for persons, as a rule, accept reasonable statements and ideas more readily during the earlier stages of a selling talk than they will when they feel themselves being pressed to sign the “dotted line” as the result of argument. The same answer or statement that carries assent and conviction early in the interview may be contested later on. Arguments mostly start when the salesman is tryjng to answer criticism, so lie must not be drawn into one if he can avoid it. for it is only natural for the prospective buyer to defend his point of It does not pay the salesman, as a rule, to “know everything,” for the customer sometimes dearly likes his place in the limelight, and must be permitted to know something, even although you may actually think he is “lacking” on the particular subject under discussion. If you are not naturally endowed with a “goodnatured” personality, just get down to it and cultivate a good-natured and cheery manner, for it means £. s. d. Of course, some men have a quiet dignity which stands them in good stead with many business men, and dignity is a great asset and protection. Don’t talk yourself out of a sale, and it is generally good policy to say good-bye as soon as possible after the sale is effected. You can often detect how your prospect is shaping by different remarks or questions, such as: “What delivery can you make?” In this respect, always avoid rash promises, and only undertake to do what you know can be done, barring unforeseen circumstances. Above all, a salesman needs a stout heart and needs ■to keep smiling despite the rain. The world likes and admires a trier. Good, luck! ANNE RUTLEDGE.

SANDWICH BISCUITS

A TEA TIME DELICACY Dredge together half a pound of flour, a quarter of a pound of castor sugar and half a teaspoonful of ground cinnamon. Rub in a quarter of a pound of butter. Well beat an egg, add it to the other ingredients and beat to a paste. Knead till it is quite smooth, roll out thinly, and cut into biscuits with a round or fancy cutter. Have an oven shelf buttered (it should be just warm enough to melt the butter). Put the biscuits on it, and bake in a gentle oven for about half an hour, or until the biscuits are a pale golden colour. Remove from the oven, cool on a wire tray, and stick two biscuits together with a little jam between them. These can be made still more delicious by icing them; in any case, they should be dusted with iciug sugar.