WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 133, 14 September 1910, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

BOW; CHILDREN OP THE WEALTHY ARE ILL-TREATED.

There never was a period when the I ' babies of the very wealthy were reared i 1 amid such luxurious surroundings as they j are to-day, and yet, in spite of this, there | ] never was a time when the real welfare ,' of the rich was so much neglected (says : a Home paper). I The amount of money spent by fash-1 ■ ionable wealthy people on luxuries for the nursery is almost incredible. For ' example, cot blankets made of the finest wool, and dyed in various colors by a highly expensive process, run from five to twenty guineas a pair, and silken cotsheets almost double that figure. In many luxurious nurseries baby has its 1 morning wash, in a bath lined with the finest porcelain ornamented with quaint designs. There are, however, harmless luxuries; not so are the costly tions put into baby's bath to k.eep his skin soft, and give it an entirely artificial smoothness and glossiness. Some of these preparations are poison- ! ous and highly injurious to the health ' of the unhappy little victims upon whom they are used. | One of the worst of the miseries which : the child of well-to-do parents often has to suffer is that of being over-burdened | with clothes,' which is almost as great an evil as being insufficiently clad: Almost from the day of 'his birth the child of wealth is often literally halfsmothered in silk and lace at a time , when it is of the .utmost importance to | ihis physical well-being that he should have perfect freedom in the use of his limbs, and, above all, of his respiratory I organs, which he cannot exercise properly ! when over-loaded with these costly garments. A well-known physician recently stated that he had attended many infanta whose health had been seriously, if not permanently, affected Iby the insane desire on the part of their parents to put a weight of costly clothing on their luckless Ibabies which must have caused them a very considerable amount of discomj fort, and, in some cases, a great deal of I suffering. . I He cited the case of an infant wno ! was brought to him in a of semiconvulsions ; the child lay in his nurse s ' arms wearing a heavy satin robe (buttoned round the throat, the weight of which, hanging from the unfortunate child s neck, was half choking it, and had brought on the attack of convulsions; : the little mite was convulsively gripping a rattle made of ivory and gold which must have cost at least ten or fifteen

pounds. ; "There are many babies," said the physician, "whose parents cannot afford I to spend more than a penny on a rattle, > whom this child of wealth might well

: have envied." _ ! The primary cause of all the ills which beset so many of the children of wealthy parents is that they are left practically together in the charge of their-nurses, and are rarely seen by their mothers. The Duchess of Hamilton recently said

that a woman of the leisured classes

nowaday® thinks that she has fulfilled all her obligations as a mother when she hires a well-trained nurse to look after her children.

Of course, there are many wealthy women in society of whom this certainly could not be said. The Duchess of Norfolk, for example, is a most devoted mother, and so, too, is the Duchess of Portland. "When her Grace's children were in the nursery, the Duchess renounced' many of her social engagements, and was constantly with them. . But it is undoubtedly true that the majority of wealthy women nowadays shift as much as they can of the burden and responsibility of motherhood on to the shoulders of a paid hireling, who, in spite of her many credentials and certificates, is rarely, if ever, fitted to have complete charge of a child without the mother's supervision. The nurses, however, who are engaged by fashionable and wealthy women, like to have complete control of the nursery, and often stipulate that it will not be visited by their mistress except at stated times, when, of course, the nurse takes care to have her charge looking bright and happy, often by administering some sweet and pleasant-tasting, but sometimes very deleterious, mixture to baby before its'mother's visit.

Many nurses adopt what a well-known physician stated some time ago to be the "criminal practice" of administering drugs to a child to send it to sleep when it is troublesome or fretful. There is not the least doubt that the health of many children of well-to-do parents has been permanently ruined by this appalling practice. A mother who gives proper attention to her child can always detect if it is being drugged, and the nurse can be got rid of before she has had time to do her charge much harm; but, if the practice is carried on for any length of time, it is certain to result in permanent injury to the child's health.

Queen Mary, when the Roya i children were infants, used to make a point of visiting the nursery at lfast twice a day, and often would remain for several hours at a time with her children; and the good health which the Princess Mary and the Princes happily enjoy, is largely due to the unceasing and ever-watchful care of their devoted mother. THE CONSOLATIONS OF WOMANHOOD. ; (By a Mere Man). One would really imagine, judging them from any books on the subject of "Women's rights" and women whose aim in life seems to me to acquaint the world of the hardships and wrongs of women in general, that "feminines" simply have not the ghost of a compensation, and I • have often wondered why, in the face of • nil the unpleasantness, they have to put ■up with, that women condescend to live at all. Mention this subject to any woman

with "advanced views," and she will inform you with a most desperate air of finality that you hear thousands of women wishing they were men, but you never hear one man say he would like to change places with a woman. "A sire sign that men get the best of it, and, what is more, know it," you are finally enlightened. All this seems to strike one as rather pitiful —that women should be so concerned with their wrongs that they haven't time or inclinations to consider their many compensations. They miss so much that is simple, sweet, and true in their lives and a good deal of that delicious air of femininity which has never waned in its power over men. One almost laughs when women complain of their lack of power in the world; as if there were anything more powerful in the world than the influence of a good and noble woman, and as if every woman doesn't hold in her little hands secret of a man's career, be he her husband or sweetheart.

Then do women, I wonder, realise what a compensation they have in their beauty? Have not poets and artists made it their everlasting theme since the beginning of the world? And surely the knowledge that a woman is good to look upon is no small compensation for a few handicaps. People are under the impression that women dress to please men and to "cut out" other women, but I am firmly convinced that women find as great a satisfaction in dressing only for themselves. For them alone is given the privilege to wear pretty and dainty clothing and decking themselves in jewels and all those other fascinating objects with which women make themselves doubly entrancing. But perhaps the greatest compensation of them all is that of motherhood.

It is a woman's divine right, and however many legal disadvantages she may have, nothing can take away that peculiar possession of her children. The fact that she has borne the child gives her an infinitely sweeter claim, and one which makes the name of "Mother" sweeter and more hallowed than that of "Father." However much a man may love his children he can only look on, as it were; he can never really enter those realms of bliss which make a Madonna out of a peasant girl and place a halo round her womanhood. TOILET HINTS. A useful complexion wash for summer use is made by adding one tablespoonful of tincture of benzoin to one pint of rosewater, or elder flower water. Before cutting the finger-nails, soak the finger-tips in a lather of soap and water with a little almond oil in it. The ! nails thus softened are easily cut into I a round shape, without leaving ugly corners.

An orange stick for the nails is a| necessity. With it the nails can be cleaned without beinpf roughened. Again, after washing, gently push down the! cuticle round the nails with the stick, | so that the "half-moon" will show. Moist, hands are indeed an infliction to their owners. Keep a jar of powdered alum on the washstand, and put a little ■into the water when washing the hands. After drying them well, dust with a little talcum powder. Cold water is a wonderful purifier of the system, and consequently of the complexion. Drink a glass just before retiring and again before rising. This is such a simple health remedy that it is not valued as it should be.

Glycerine, though considered by some] to be an emollient, is often an irritant j to a delicate skin, if used pure. If used] with an (jqual part of olive oil, it is good for the hands, but it should never be applied to the complexion. - To cure dandruff, wash the hair once a week. Procure some green soap of a chemist, and make a lather with it in warm water. To a pint of lather add ten drops of spirit of rosemary. Rinse the hair thoroughly. Twicd a weok rub a very little vaseline into the roots of the hair.

A delicious sachet powder is what mos_t, women desire. That bought of the chemist is apt to be too strong and overpowering. Try mixing it in equal parts with powdered orris root, and you will find it delightful. Wearing cotton gloves at night is very giood for the hands. Cut off the tops of the fingers so as to give plenty of ventilation. When this habit is acquired the gloves will not be found in any way uncomfortable.

To those who have to do much household work this hint will be useful. Before putting the hands into soda water rub the finger-tips and round the nails with vaseline. The water will not then touch them and make them crack. Sufferers from freckles will find this lotion useful: Strain the juice of three lemons into a bottle and add to it three ounces of alcohol and then three ounces of the best rosewater. Apply this gently to the freckled part and let it dry. Some people are naturally inclined to sore lips, and get into the habit of biting them to get rid of the bits of skin. This is a most fruitful cause of thick litis. Better far is it to find a lip salve that suits, and use it every night.

A delicious cream for the hands is made tlms: Put into a gallipot half an ounce each of pure white wax and spermaceti, and two ounces and a-half of oil of almonds. Stand the pot in a pan of hot water, and stir constantly with a stick, and until the ingredients are perfectly amalgamated, without toeing very hot. Xow stir in very gradually four tablespoonfuls of the best rosewater. Beat till the whole js a cream. HINTS FOE THE HOME. Save 'gravies, sauces and soups, as all are valuable to a good cook in re-cooking fish and meat. Stubborn stains on linen may be removed 'by repeated applications of salt and lemon-juice. To clean earthenware sinks, rub the

stained parts with a mixture of powdered hearthstone and paraffin. To varnish maps, brush them over on both sides with a thin solution of gutta pirchii. This is quite transparent.

When loaves are baked too brown, do not cut off the burnt crush, but, when cold, rub the loaf with a coarse grater. To destroy black beetles nothing is so good for this as borax scattered freely in their haunts.

To keep a French-polished table in good condition, wipe off finger marks with as lightly moistened duster, then polish with a chamois leather or silk duster.

A igood washing fluid. —Mix together equal parts of liquid ammonia and turpentine. Add a tablespoonful of the mixture to the copper when boiling clothes.

To blacken brown boots.—First remove all dirt, then lighly rub with a flannel moistened with ammonia. Then black in the usual way. Leather seats are apt to become very dry in a warm room. Rub them with a good white boot cream, and then polish with a soft cloth. This will nourish as well as clean the leather.

•Save vinegar from pickles, as it is a very useful addition to many things. The vinegar from walnuts greatly improves hashes and stews, that from mixed pickles can be added to pickled fish. A small oven is apt to get over-lieated. When this occurs, put in a pan or jar of cold water, and the temperature will quickly fall. A good grate polish.—Boil two ounces of best blacklead with half a pint of beer and a piece of yellow soap the size of a! walnut. When cold, bottle and oork tightly. Use sparingly, and polish vigorously with a nice clean brush. To polish a steel grate which has been neglected Will require a good deal of "elbow grease." Cover the steel parts with sweet oil and leave for forty-eight hours, then rub with unslaked lime till the rust disappears.