WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 77, 9 July 1910, Page 10

WOMAN'S WORLD

- HIS " PEOPLE. (By Frances Mary C'urzon). "His people" may mean all sorts of things in the mind of the engaged girlgenerally "they" become to her a worrying nightmare. "They" are, probably, the most awkward and the most feared obstacles in the engaged girl's path—especially "his" mother. Why is it? Why, in so many cases, does the engaged girl dread those conventional Sunday evenings spent with her sweet-1 heart's family? The man takes it too \ much for granted that the regular Sun- ; day meeting in the evening at his home; is bound to be the most pleasing way, from the girl's point of view, of finishing up, say, the pleasant afternoon in the country, the trip up the river, the little expedition to the gardens. He does not notice her hesitation, which is sometimes so evident, or the

relief with which she hears of any change

in those family evenings, when, in spite of all her efforts to please, she feels that she is an unapproved-of stranger, who is being diligently criticised by '"his" mother and "his" sisters, and even by Rover, the collie on the hearthrug. The engaged girl, in '"his" household •irele, is too often conscious that she is playing a one-handed game against heavy odds. '-His" father, perhaps, is different, because, say what you will, men have finer natures, and a far finer spirit of good fellowship to the guest of their house; and he is generally a .perfect dear to the lonely engaged girl. In most cases, if it were not for lather's efforts, if it were not for his bighearted welcome, expressed in many beautiful little ways, I am sure that any number of engaged girls would revolt against the custom of frequent visits to "his" family. Do you know what the engaged girl would say to the man to whom she has so gladly engaged herself—the man she loves—if she really spoke her mind? She would say, "I don't in the least mind your criticising me, your telling me little points where, perhaps, I go wrong. You're the man I love, and if we cannot be perfectly honest with one another before we get married, why, it's a poor look-out for the time to come after marriage. But your mother and your sisters—l can't bear too much criticism from them. Don't think I'm unduly sensitive; you understand, dear, don't you?" And if he were a sensible m«m he would understand quite well. I think that in most cases it is "his" mother who is responsible for that dreadful feeling of irritation in the mind of the girl her son has chosen. | One thing I do know—that the engaged girl, so happy in her engagement, so proud of that new dainty ring, comes to "his" home determined to ibe nice to everybody at "Ms" home, determined to be at her best. But—was there ever a mother who thought the girl "he" had chosen to be his wife quite good enough for her Sever a one—e&cept in the story books. Father, in the easy-chair, chooses a moment when he is unobserved to take a good look at his son's choice, and, nine times out of ten, decides that his son is a lucky chap. He's generally right. But mother, her mind always made up, in the beginning at least, that her boy might have done a good deal better, meets her daughter-to-be with perhaps the faintest trace of criticising suspicion, inclined to find fault rather than good. She tells the girl, with a superior air that she has assumed, all about her wonderful boy. She implies that the girl who has secured "him" is a surpassingly lucky young woman. May I tell you a secret, engaged girl, in case you are not wise enough to work it out for vourself? It is really only jealousy that makes "his" mother critical of your speech and yourself—it is only a kind of jealousy that makes her unconsciously assume that irritatingly superior atmosphere. Jealousy—and the instinct of the mo-ther-hen. For so long, you see, since "he- crowed in the cradle and gave mother so much trouble and anxiety, mother has filled the undoubted chief place in Ins life. And now he does not want her any more, .Soon, even, he will be leaving the roof-tree where mother and he have spent so very many hours. It is you* who have supplanted her. That is why she deliberately does her best to shut her eyes to the charms that did the supplanting—and to pretend they are not there. But it is only pretence, after all. I know it is very difficult, engaged girl, but be patient. Keep your charming self, and don't get angry about it, beeause it is so natural, and not worth anger. Mother will come round in time—sjie will absolutely surrender—and you will have solved your most difficult problem. And you will find that "his" mother will love you, just because "he" chose you, and you are "his."

"MY RECIPE FOR BEAUTY." Miss Marie Illington, the beautiful comedy actress, when asked for her recipe for beauty, said:— I possess no* special recipe for beauty. Neither do I figure as a walking advertisement for this cream or that lotion. I believed in leaving Nature to take care of what undoubtedly should be her own affair.

"Rest as you go," should be the motto of every woman who can possibly put that maxim into practice, and most wo.men could do so if they tried. And now for my few simple rules. First, I always use warm water for washing, and a good soap to my face in the mornings. At night I do not wash it # but rub a little cold cream into the skin and o ff the superfluous grease afterwards, and the rest of my night toilet consists chiefly in vigorously brushing my hair and cleaning my teeth. This is one of the little details I never neglect, no matter how tired I may be. For my hair, besides the nightly brushing, I have an occasional shampoo, which is°done by my hairdresser, bnt I never allow him to attempt a dry shampoo, and I strongly object to the use of petroleum to the hair, for various reasons, one being the extreme danger which is always connected with its use. I do not believe in scalp massage, and am far too "nervy" a subject to submit to any treatment of that sort.

For exercise, a most important factor in the cultivation of both beauty and health, >I advocate walking, which is infinitely superior to riding or playing any games. Walk a? much as you can without undue fatigue, in fresh air, and as early in the day as you can manage to take vour constitutional. Sleep at least eight hours out of the twenty-four, and when obliged to retire exceptionally late, make up for the loss of hours before twelve by adding an hour to your allotted time. Also be regular in your meal-times. I am very particular' on this point, and although it may sound somewhat strange, I can always tell the luncheon hour without looking at the clock. Only the other day while I was rehearsing for a play th6-author came up to me and asked whether I were feeling tired or cross. J' J N4%£- frtyjt it is now one

Wlq looked at his. watcli and it was fiv&. minutes to one. I had not seen a clock for hours, but I knew, for I wanted ray! lunch.

DO WOMEN TALK TOO MUCH? The great American humorist, Mark Twain, whose death was recently announced, once had to respond at a dinner to the toast of "The Ladies." In the course of his speech he casually let fall the observation that he himself had never spoken to his wife for ten years "because," he added to his horrified audi-

once, "1 have never had the courage to interrupt her." It was a favorite of Mark Twain'*,

I this joke about the conversational powers of women; but it was only a joke. In his famous satire, 'Adam's Diary; the ancestor of all mankind is made to complain that Eve talks too much. But Adam winds up his diary with the final conclusion: "After all these years, I sec I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; it is 'better to live outside th« Garden with her than inside it without her. At first I thought she talked too much, but now I shall he sorry to have that voice fall silent and pass out of my life."

J Of course, the simple truth about this i popular male notion that women talk ) too much is that it is only a half-truth. ■' Some women talk a great deal too little. The husband who talks too much is generally a far greater nuisance in a house-' hold than the wife who talks too much. You can recognise the reason of the habitually silent woman's silence when you know her menfolk. They are the talkers who can't bear to be interrupted; they are the twaddlers; amazed at a woman having anything worth saying. The masculine chatterbox is generally far worse than the feminine. He is called a bore; and you rarely encounter a woman, however talkative, whom the world calls a bore. The word "bore" is entirely a male appellation. We hear of si'lly women, frivolous women, emptyheaded women; but, in spite of this, they are rarely positively dull—and a bore ?s the essence of dulness. Moreover, the bore doesn't know he's dull; it is a peculiarity of the bore that he thinks himself rather wiser than his fellows. The talkative woman may be a bother, but she doesn't flatter herself thtit it is profound wisdom.

She may floe silly, but it is a pleasant er silliness than that of the male bore.

The chief complaint against, feminine talkers is that they talk about nothing; and the male theory is that to ta'i'k about nothing is to talk nonsense. This is a -mistake; for to talk about nothing, agreeably, needs a good deal of brains. The French are the best conversationalists in Europe, because they can talk rapidly and cleverly about nothing At a French family dinner-table there is a continuous cross-fire of swift conversation, very different from the grumpy silence which often characterises an English meal, where the family feed in unison, but do not interchange their thoughts. The English woman who can chat.wittily about nothing has the true social instinct—though she may irritate her husband sometimes because he » too slow to follow her. HIXTS FOR THE HOME.

Boiled beetroot cut into fancy shapes makes a pretty garnish for boiled mutton and fowl.

When washing windows put a little ammonia in the water. It economises labor, and gives brilliance to the glass. When beating eggs be sure that the whisk is clean, for any grease on it will prevent the eggs from frothing. Glaze a meat pie by brushing over lightly with milk instead of egg. . This answers quite well, and is more ecenomical. Keep the kerosene tin .plugged for two reasons—to prevent evaporation, and to ensure the oil giving a good light, which it will not do if exposed to the air. Dirty ovens spoil the flavor of custards and all delicate puddings. All ovens should be washed out with hot water and soda at least once a week. Before cooking a steak dust it with pepper and salt, and (brush over with sweet oil. You will be surprised what an improvement this treatment will make. Young hares and rabbits are easily distinguished. Their ears are tender and tear easily, while those of old ones are tough. Young feet, too, are tender and pliable. When the rubber rollers of a wringer become sticky, as they often do after wringing flannels, rub them with a ragmoistened with paraffin, wipe dry, and they will be a 9 good as new again. Small fires which require constant remaking are no economy. Far better is it to make up a good fire thnt,.wiJl last several hours \vithoufc~pt)k7ng. More ■ heat is <riveii out and less coal burnt, j A useful cement.—Fill a small bottle with crushed isinglass, and pour in as , much gin as the bottle will hold. The isinglass will dissolve, and with the gin j will become a jelly. When required lor j use put the' bottle in hot water and j make it liquid. To clean carved ivory.—Make a paste of sawdust damped with water and a few drops of lemon-juice; lay it thickly on to the carving. Let tlys dry thoroughly, and then brush it off with a soft but firm brush. cleans ivory very effectually. : To whiten lace—lron the lace slightly, fold it verv flat, and sew it in a piece of cleaned white linen. Steep in salid oil for twenty-four hours, and afterwards boil the packet in soap and water for twenty minutes. Rinse in plenty of warm water, lastly in water which is very slightly starched. Then remove the laee c from its covering, and dry it on something soft, well pinned out. The simplest manner of tinting white lace deep cream or pale brown is to dip it, after it has been washed and rinsed, in weak tea or coffee, squeezing it gently and taking care that the tint is evenly distributed. Remove it from the bath and hang it over a rail to dry. In damp houses wall papers are very often ruined by the dampness of the j walls, which causes an ineradicable, stain to appear in patches everyhere., The remedy lies in having the wall papered first with tar paper, which will prevent the damp coming through to the | second paper, and so keep the walls per- _ feet. I

I When it is necessary to re-paint a bath it should be rubbed all over with ' sand-paper or pumice stone. After this apply two or three coats of bath enamel, which will adhere much better when the surface is roughened. In order to preserve the paint when the bath is in use, be careful to turn on the cold tap before letting hot water run into it. One of the difficulties of the home laundress in many parts of the country is the extreme hardness of the water. When rain-water is not obtainable, a little borax or ammonia will prove good softeners, although some experts pin their faith in anticalcaire. The mistake should never be made, however, of usiug soda in the water in which white articles are to be washed.

When purchasing stair carpet it is wise to buy half a yard more than is actually needed. This extra length can be folded in at either end. Every month or so the carpet should be moved up or down, so that the piece that was trodden on one month will now be against the back of the stair. In this way the carpet gets worn evenly, and not just on the tread of the stair.

When making washing blouses, muslin or print dresses, sew the hooks and eyes firmly on a tape; tack the latter lightly down the centre front, or wherever the fastenings are to be. The tape is easily unpicked when the blouse or dress is sent to the wash; there will be no more bother with crushed, broken hooks and eyes, nor any unsightly rust-marks left after the washing. Ma'ny people do not know that chiffon can he made to look equal to new if washed in. warm water and afterwards rinsed. make some very thin, clear staivh 'ft." plit it through. Care must be taken not to twist it in any way; it should be enclosed in the folds of a towel, and beaten with the hands until quite dry. Chiffon must be hwed almost immediately after it iv"washed, as it dries so quickly. r Grease the upper inside edge of a stewpau with a piece of butter to prevent the contents of the pau boiling over, whether milk, chocolate, syrup or cereals. , ~" v ' Add a f( o v.' slices 0 f raw potato if soup prove-irtW.-salty ) then cook a few minutes lohger. will absorb the salt. ' .