WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 89, 23 July 1910, Page 9

WOMAN'S WORLD.

TETRAZZINI'S RECIPE FOR BEAUTY. J am afraid I have not given very much thought to the subject of beauty at any time of niy life (writes Madame Tetrazzini, the famous prima donna, in i an English paper). All niy thoughts and ' ambitions have been centred on my voice, I though, of course, 1 must confess that 1' like to look nice, as every woman does,! be she professional, society woman, or I humblest worker. To look pretty and to be admired is the natural instinct of! every woman, and no matter how inter- ] esting she may be in any career,artistic or j otherwise, hidden away somewhere the natural instincts of the real woman are always to be found. "Well, 1 don't know that 1 have very many words of wisdom to impart, but any little hints which 1 may be able to give on the cultivation of an attractive appearance 1 give with pleasure; but, at the same time, 1 would remind you that the treatment which may be most successful with one complexion may not succeed with another. For my face I use lukewarm water and soap, but never one with a strong scent. All very strong scents, whether tor soap or perfume, 1 strictly bar, as 1 rather fancy that strong scents are not good for the voice. Before I wash with soap and water, I generally rub into the skin a very little cold cream, as this softens and whitens it, and keeps it clear. After drying it, I use a dash of powder, but, except for stage purposes, I never use any cosmetiques or other ''aids" to beautify the complexion. For my hair I use an ordinary shampoo, and to dry it 1 have a hot-air machine, which is an American invention, and infinitely superior to the old-fashion-ed way of drying with hot towels or hot brushes. When dry my hair is given a good brushing, and it receives the same night and morning from my maid. I believe in about eight hours' sleep—if one can get that during the night or early morning hours, but i never take a nap in the afternoon, as so many, other professionals do. I know of many singers who say they can sing better after a short nap, but for my own part, a rest, however short, would spoil my voice for the evening, as I find it is never as clear and strong just after I have had a little sleep as it is before. Personally, I don't take very mucu exercise, as motoring is my xavorite mode of transit, and you cannot call that exercise j but I do not think that it would be wise to advocate such laziness. Walking is essential for the average man's or woman's health, and as a child and very young girl I had plenty of exercise. Perhaps that is why 1 can do without very much now. There is an old adage, beloved of our grandmothers, which runs, "Be good, fair . maid, and let who will be pretty," but 1 I would alter it a little and say, "Be happy < (if you can) and then you will be pretty," for there is no beautih'er like happiness—nothing which will give the same brilliancy to the eyes and youthful elasticity to the step as happiness, and, of course, a great factor in feminine.' beauty is tasteful and becoming dress., No woman who wishes to appear at her I .best can afford to despise the art of dress. I am very fond of pretty clothes and ■beautiful flowers, and I believe that being surrounded always by beautiful things helps in some subtle and unconscious way in adding to one's own physical attractions. WHY WIVES ENVY THEIR HUSBANDS. (By Frances Mary Curzon in Pearson's). , Sometimes, when the husband has departed for his morning train, the wife! in the little house thinks of the day> work before her. He has gone to his work—and the day in front of her suddenly becomes a tremendously dull, monotonous catalogue - of-things-to-be-done. It is then that she envies her husband. Why? The answer is interesting to work out, for after the first glow ol wonder and delight that young married people feel (this cannot, in the nature of things, last very long) nine-tenths of married happiness depend on the proper understanding by a wife of her husband's worries and difficulties in life, and in the proper understanding by a husbana oi the troubles and perplexities of the little woman left at home for so many hours together. In this article I hold no brief for either as against the other. An independent income smooths many difficulties, but, for the most part, in this working world, the path through the years, either of wife or husband, is not at all an easy path. The wife feels that her work is confined within such narrow and. monotonous limits. The husband's work is monotonous, too, but to nothing like the same extent. He puts in certain hours at his office. But, unless he is the sort of man that his fellow-men dislike, he can and does have some pleasant breaks in the routine of the day. ' He can linger after lunch in the comfortable smoke-room of a restaurant j or of his club, for an enjoyable talk with . a chum. Or even with a mere business acquaintance—it would be interesting to | know just why those many "business talks" of the average city man are conducted, nine times out of ten, In tar more comfortable surroundings than the office affords. But the answer is easy. It is simply because the restaurant and club smoking-room are so much more comfortable than his office that the manworker has gradually made it a recognised custom to transact business in these places. And small blame to him. At home, now, there are very few breaks in the day like that for the working wife. The work goes on all the time. Certainly a friend or two may drop in, and are welcomed,'for afternoon tea. Many even small houses now manage an "at home" afternoon. That is very nice and pleasant; but the point is that, unless there are servants, for the wife such a diversion means absolute extra work. And when there is a baby? How often can a woman with children get a quiet hour really to herself? His friends, too. How she envies her husband in his relation to the question of friends. Think for a minute. How many women do you know who are fortunate enough to possess real pals f Very few. In his ordinary business work the husband meets a man for about ten minutes, and a little talk .or friend ar-1 gument in that time is a pleasant remembrance throughout the day, even if the man is only an acquaintance by chance. . The husband can continue to lighten his business day with many little divercions of the kind indicated. The wife seldom can. ~,i.' I know a good many husbands who would be surprised if they were suddenly told the total number of games of billiards they have played in, say, six months. A large number of men manage to get in"an almost regular game of billiards after lunch or at some slack time in the day. Thev would be still more surprised at the total time aggregate of that elastic lunch hour. That is another point of great dillerence—games; and this the wife often feels very much, and envies the luckier male partner. What games are there for the average wife to play? There was the tennis or croquet clubbefore she married—after marriage the baby problem swiftly causes her to lose hold of these. Often she looks forward (nobody but herself could tell you how much) to .a half-promised Saturday afternoon walk. And Saturday comes. And Mr. (wives can ii'll in the blank with the j familiar name that is on every one of f their visiting cards) looks out of the , window and says, "Perfectly ripping day for a round. ... If you're not very

keen on that walk, old girl, I should like to give X a beating. It was- a perIfect fluke the way he took my number down last week. . . ."

And what can the wife do then but say she really i* not particular about the walk? But the wife envies him most of aii when he conies home in the evening with the air of having been tremendously busy all the day. He has earned the right to be tired. He actually expects u comment of sympathy from her.

And he sits down to read the library book (in which is her bookmark) with a sight of content.

But for her .... there is the baby to be put to bed, and afterwards tiny clothes to be mended or made—this and that worrying thing to be done. For woman's work is never done. Never!

HINTS FOR THE HOME,

Use borax in the laundry, for it makes the clothes white and saves the soap. To keep eggs fresh, wash over with thin gum, and when quite dry pack in dry salt. When arranging children's rooms, put the books on shelves low enough to be reached by the little people. Floors which are to be stained should be first prepared by painting with a very thin coating of size evenly applied. Drawers that will not run easily should have the bottoms and sides rubbed with dry yellow soap. Tar on a cloth suit may be removed by successive applications of turpentine, naptha and benzine. Solid linen should never be kept in bedrooms. A place for the linen basket should be found in an airy position. Moths may be kept out of stuffed furniture when stored by applying oil of sassafras under the stuffed seats of the chairs or sofas. i Never iron lace curtain after washing. Spread a clean sheat over the carpet, and then lay the curtain on it, pulling it into shape. Stretch it by pinning it out carefully, and leave till quite dry. When hung, it will look like new. i Damaged wall paper which has been scratched or torn slightly, and which cannot be matched, may be repaired in a great measure by ordinary water-color paints. Mix the color to the shade required, and carefully touch up the injured part. I An old iron bedstead may be done up in this way: Rub off all the rust with paraffin and emery powder. Wipe thoroughly and leave for three days for the paraffin to dry out. Then apply a thin coat of enamel, and leave till dry. Two or three coats may be required. ,' Discolored silver may be easily clean-: ed in this way: Crush a teasponful oi i rock ammonia and pour over it half a I pint of boiling water. When cold bottle,' and use to moisten the plate powder.' Leave the plate powder on the silver for ; half an hour, and then brush off. | Tablecloths and sheets which show j signs of wear at the folds, should have two or three inches cut from one side, and at one end. This will alter the ; place of all the folds and give quite a new lease of life. Huckaback towels which begin to get thin in the centre, ■ may have sides turned to middle, and can then still be used for quite a long time. I

When greenery is beginning to look shabby and faded, secure a second supply, immerse the old in a pail of hot •water, and let it stay there for a few days, putting it right under the water. This freshens it up in a most surprising manner, and it comes out looking as good as new, and ready to replace the other lot, which, in turn, goes into hot water. By this means it is possible to keep decoration for weeks at very littl'e expense. A use for old gas mantles.—Have you ever tried using old mantles as a silver polish? Powder the mantles and dip a clean damp cloth in the mixture, thoroughly rubbing the article to be cleansed. A very little of the powder is needed, and you will find that a very bright polish results, The silver should be afterwards rubbed well with a chamois or soft cloth.

When lining a basin with paste for a beefsteak pudding, cut a piece of paste away from the bottom about the size of a two-shilling piece. Then put in the meat as usual, and it will be found that the pudding will take an hour less to cook than if lined in the ordinary way.

To clean slimy sponges.—First put the sponge into a basin of water to which has been added a handful of salt; let it stand for two or three hours, then rinse. Now put it into a basin of h«t water with a tablespoonfnul of ammonia. Let this stand for ten minutes; then rub the sponge well together, keeping it still in the ammonia. Rinse well, and dry. The sponge will be like new 7. Beetroot coloring.—A good red coloring for confectionery may be made by pouring very hot water over beetroot which has been chopped fine. This must be carefully strained for use. Washing Roman satin.—Make a lather of warm water and soap, and wash the. blouse in this, afterwards rinsing in clean water. Then hang the blouse on the line and when quite dry damp very slighty and iron it with a moderately hot iron. iNever iron a satin blouse when really wet, as it will stiffen at once, and so spoil.

DAtNTY DISHES. Almond cheesecakes. —Line some patty pans with short paste and fill with this mixture: Pound four ounces of sweet almonds, six bitter almonds, and four ounces of castor sugar; mix to a soft paste with a beaten egg, and flavor with rose-water. Put some thin bars of paste across and bake in a quick oven. Cream of onions.—Boil two Spanish onions in water till nearly tender, then pour away the water, and let all cook to a pulp, stirring to prevent burning. Pass all through a sieve, and return to the saucepan with one" ounce of butter and sufficient milk and water to make the soup of the consistency of cream. Season with pepper and. salt, and serve with croutons of fried bread. Scatter a little chopped parsley over the soup when it is in the tureen.

Pork pies.—Make a short crust with three-quarters of a pound of flour and six ounces of lard. Knead into a stiff dough with cold water. Roll out the pastry about a quarter of an inch thick, line the tins with it, and fill them with pork prepared thus: Cut up a pound of pork, fat and lean, in small, square pieces, season with a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, and the same quantity of allspice. Cover the pvss with paste, wet the edges, and press firmly together. Ornament the top and make a hole in the centre. Brush over with egg, and bake in a moderate oven.