Heart and Home Chats

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1014, 3 July 1930, Page 6

Heart and Home Chats

Anne Rutledge

By

&J iss Anne Hutted ye will answer letters in this column every fhurs day An accomplished writer an nature and a wule traveller she is welt fitted tor the task Those tcho have proOieme ana tack c con Mante to heip in theis solution may • nth c'rnfldtmce write to Mist l .Hedge whose know led a* will b* placed at their disposal A sym pathetic woman she will assist those who stand m need of assist anre Communications for Miss F: tledge should he addressed tc THE SON office

READING FOR YOUNGSTERS Dear Miss Rutledge,— I have a little boy 5i years old who j dearlv loves a story of any kind, and on most evenings half an hour is spent reading stories to him. These are chiefly stories about fairies, animals, engines, etc., all the usual things that kiddies’ story-books contain. Sometimes when I see his absorbed look I feel I’m missing a great oppor-1 tunity, as educationists insist these early years of a child's life are the j most impressionable. 1 would like to tell him the stories of the great men in history who, by their search tor j knowledge or their service for others, have added to the world's health and happiness. Unfortunately my own knowledge of such biographies is very limited. Do you know of any books containing the sort of stories I am seeking, either in suitable form for reading to him or retailing after reading myself? MOTHER. ANSWER Wise woman! The mistake so many , parents make is in treating children merely as children, forgetting that from the age of 2 and on to 7 year®, youthful imagination is more plastic than that of an itdult, and impressions received then form the source of the River of Thought j whose winding current, overflowing, makes fertile the mind all through life, j There is very little written around the j lives of great men that would be suit- ; able for your child at present, and you will find a much better choice for him when he is about 10 years old. Just now, I advise the following list, having made it up after careful perusal and consideration as to what should form the right foundation for a studious boy's educa**The Children’s Bible,” “The Child- • ren’3 Encyclopaedia,’’ “Heroes of ; Modern Adventure, “Alice In Wonderland,” “In the Beginning” U'A First History for Little Children’), “Peter Pan.” “Wonder Tales from Greek and Roman M “The Arabian Nights,” “Aesop's i Ides,” “Little Lord Fauntleroy," Struwwelpeter,” “The Book of Epic Heroes,” “Heroes and Heroines Every Child Should Know,” “King Arthur and His Knights,” Kipling’s “Just So Stories,” “The Romance of Our Wonderful World,” “Children's Book of the Heavens.’ and anv of A. A. Milne’s books for children. ANNE RUTLEDGE. “WHAT SHALL WE DO?” Dear Miss Rutledge,— The unemployment problem seems to be ever uppermost in people’s minds, and it is difficult to know what to put our boy to. We are not well off and we know the value of the good apprenticeship system of the old days. Our son has had a high school education and is of good appearance, and has excellent manners. D. and M. ANSWER If your boy has a good personality or that enviable quality known as “It,” why not start him off on a career of salesmanship? A good salesman is always in demand, and I have not yet heard of any invention that is likely to threaten the possibilities of this profession. Engineering, too, offers much scope, and i f he has an interest for machinery, the good mechanic should seldom lack work. A play produced in New York a few years ago clearly exemplified this major problem of unemploy rn»*nt—Man versus Machinery—and the effect of the introduction of an adding-machine upon the temperament of a faithful ledger-keeper in a busy London office. At tbe present stage, man appears to be the hapless victim of the far-reaching effects of science and invention. Hitherto, in the manufacturing world, work that required the services of 50 men, had 50 on the job. Today, machines operated by one man can do the work of that same 50. Mid a new invention, ;• wrapping machine, managed by one girl, dispenses with the services of 100 hands. Farm labourers are being replaced by farming implements and harvesting machinery, and there is even a machine on the market for shoe-lasting, which does the work of six to eight men! But there must be a solution, especially when we recognise that human nature stands for so much more than robot mechanism. ANNE RUTLEDGE THE STAFF Dear Miss Rutledge.— I am a business woman and run some popular tea-rooms necessitating the employment of a staff. Now, m> problem is this —how to get the besl out of these people and keep them uj to the mark with regard to work hours, etc. I find at present that fai too much responsibility rests on irn shoulders, and at the end of the dai I seem to have ‘ muddled'’ througl without any satisfaction to anybody Can you tell me how to adjust such i situation? HILDA. A NSWEK The fault, dear lady, appears to lii within your own jurisdiction, and ther<

is only one way out if you would become ! C really efficient business woman. Take 1 my advice, and begin each day by know- i ing that it is going to serve you; that it i F is your servant instead of your master. I € • r.d . ' : . y< ; will find that you! > (l ive achU ved all and more than you first _ set out to accomplish. At the same j i time, give your staff a thorough overhauling; alh-t each one certain responsible I lusks for which she must be answerable I J it any time of the day. Study their! «. methods and find out if they are efficient l workers, and do not stand for jobs being . I done twice over. You must insist that ; a well-set schedule be strictly adhered ; 1 to each day and that there is not too j i ’i uch useless detail involved in the round : . of duties. Are you using up-to-date ; t equipment and labour-saving devices in 1 the kitchen? Is there a responsible ; person in charge of the stores? It Is \ impossible for you to be in every place at once, and it would be far better for 1 3 HOT customers with j \ fresh smiling' eyes r hat the harassed i r concern That stamps the not too success- : « ful business woman. i l ANNE RUTLEDGE. KISSES Dear Miss Rutledge,— Just recently I was introduced to a nice young man with whom I am deeply in love, and who is now taking me out. The first few times I was in his company, he never kissed me, but 1 began to encourage him a little, and now he always does so. Do you think ! i that I should have acted thus .or I waited? I wondered afterwards if he. j might think me cheap, but he is just j the same to me as before, and always wants to kiss me when we part. Do you think it is the proper thing to do? j Another thing, should I take him home to meet my parents, or would it be j better to wait until I know him better? j I am afraid that he might think me too i eager, and too sure. WORRIED. ANSWER You sound to be quite a well-balanced j and cautious young woman, therefore X} fail to see why you should be worried over the situation. It is apparent that - j you two young people are very much in ; love with each other, and with such mutual attraction it is perfectly natural ; to kiss and be kissed. ! As you became acquainted with the . young’ man under proper auspices, he must be wondering why you do not take him home and introduce him to your ! parents. Do not hesitate about this as * it Is only fair to all concerned, and men always have a much greater respect for the gir! they court with the full knowledge of the family. t b ANNE RUTLEDGE. j RATHER UNGALLANT Dear Miss Rutledge,— I am greatly puzzled over the be-. haviour of a young man who is a frei nuent visitor to our home, and who j |is treated as one of the family. We ! are all on very friendly terms with him, yet, when we meet at small j friendly dances where no one takes | a partner, he does not ask me to dance with him. I cannot under* - stand this as when he c to the house, he seems to be genuinely ; pleased to see me. My pepole con- j sider his actions at the dances an j j insult to us all. Should he not, j as an act of courtesy, dance with me? PEPLEXED. i ANSWER 1 “Have you thought of the possii bility of your friend being a poor dancer. I or affected by a form of shyness when ;in public with you? Although these failings are rare in this generation, they do occur, .so perhaps it would be as -well to allow things to run on a little longer until you are sure that this is not the case. In the event of the discourtesy continuing, it might teach the young man a lesson if you Ignored him altogether at the dances, and then at an opportune moment, tactfully “air” your feelings about his lack of manners. I do not wonder that your family criticises him for there must bo occasions when they find it most difficult to welcome his ANNE RUTLEDGE. HOME REMEDIES : Dear Miss Rutledge,.— I am suffering a great deal lately j through boils. As soon as one dies : away, another appears, causing much ! pain. Do please tell me what to do i at your convenience. - SUFFERER. | ANSWER The mail who said that VA boil in the : kettle is worth two on the neck.” muse have been a sufferer from your complaint, too. However, take heart, for . boils often save a very severe illness as the impurities from the blood gather in this form. Perhaps you are not taking sufficient outdoor exercise, or eating the right amount of fresh fruit and vegetables daily. It is a good plan to take a teaspoonful of fresh brewer’s yeast three j time a day just before meals for about j two weeks If you paint tincture of j iodine over the swelling in its early , stages, you will considerably check development. Follow this up, later, by > frequent boric acid fomentations to re- ’ lieve the inflammation. I have heard - that injection of antitoxin are now " used by leading doctors to ..eutralise the J poison caused by boils, and I recommend , you to consult a physician for this pur- - pose. ANNE RUTLEDGE. , j ANSWER TO NERVOUS i I can readily sympathise with your dread ' i of sea travelling if you suffer so terribly 1 from sea-sickness. Perhaps the following | old-fashioned remedy will help you. Take j .some lump sugar and a small bottle of iodine on board with you, and when ! you are comfortably settled in your 3 ! cabin, take two drops on a lump of s i sugar. Repeat if necessary.