WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 48, 15 July 1912, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen.") WEDDING BELLS. (From a Correspondent.) A very pretty wedding was solemnis by the Rev. Kempthorne at noon < Thursday, July 11, in St. John's Churei. Omata. the contracting parties being Miss Margaret McKee, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. McKee, of Omata, and Mr. Reginald Knapman, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Knapman, of New Plymouth, late of Exeter, England. The bride, who was given away by her father, looked charming in a dainty ailkstriped white voile, beautifully trimmed with silk insertion, and finished with a pretty silk fringe. She carried a shower bouquet and wore the orthodox veil and orange blossoms. Four bridesmaids were in attendance—Miss Annie McKee, sister of the bride, Miss Doris Shepherd, a cousin, both wearing cream cantona cloth dresses relieved witli rich silk insertion and picturesque pink hats, and bouquets of white daisies, snowdrops, and maiden hair fern; while two little flower-girls, Consitance Kemsel and Kathleen Morris, arrayed in blue voile dresses ! with hats and shoes to match, held artistically arranged flower baskets. The I bridegroom was attended by Mr. Ruiidle |as best man, while Mr. W. McKee, brother of the bride, acted as groomsman. As the procession passed up the. aisle, Mrs. G. Were, who presided at the organ, played ''The Voice That Breathed O'er Eden," which was sung bv the congregation. After the ceremony the wedding party drove to the residence of the bride's parents, where a sumptuous breakfast was partaken of. The toasts of the " Bride,'' "Bridegroom," "Bridesmaids," and "Host and Hostess," were duly honored, the last-named being acI companied by the singing of "For they I are jolly good fellows." The bride- | groom's present to the bride was a handjsome gold bracelet, and to the bridesmaids respectively a gold pendant, a gold brooch, and two smaller pendants. After the wedding breakfast, the bride having donned her travelling attire—a navy blue serge costume, with hat to match —the happy couple left for Lepperton, their future home, taking with them the best wishes of a!! present for their future happiness. The numerous and useful presents received bore testimony to the esteem in which the young couple are held.

HOME OF FLIRTATION AX ISLAND 1 ,;> v,Y CUyuJii'TES. Samoa is the "island .home of flirtation," says a traveller. The girls are noted for their beauty. They are coquettish in an artful manner that would grace a female product of the heart of civilisation. In fact, by their gentle ullurements they may be said to have an aggressive part in the courtship. A few glances and a no less bewitching smile often tell volumes for them. They could teach many a colonial girl how to win a man without making too obvious advances. They would even be equal to the task of "popping the question" in leap year. In Samoa the problem of courtship often depends on the number of fine mats which the girl can produce. These include the main part of her dowry. Unless a girl can get these mats she has as I'ti.lc chance to ne (■ourt.'.l as has a pcor girl to wed a title. But a young man must prove himself worthy of all these mats, and this he does by being tatooed, which is a long and painful operation, though a man of courage can always endure pain for the girl he loves. But all this splendid decoration does not win him the girl, for it is her parents that he must court. As soon as a girl's parents see that he is in earnest, the family, and, if necessary, all the relatives, get together and begin the important work of collecting fine mats and native cloth.

The young man must bear his part of the burden by getting together pigs, canoes, a home, etc. If he has not this wealth he asks his family and his relatives to assist him. If the families have wealth and social position, the wedding always takes place in an open place surrounded by fruit trees.

BATH AND BATHROOM One of the most difficult things to keep thoroughly clean is a hath, unless, indeed, it happens to he of porcelain,, hut these latter are expensive, and are seldom seen in ordinary households. If the usual kind of bath has become < much discolored, an excellent thing for cleaning it is a mixture of paraffin and a little salt, rubbed on carefully with a flannel, and when the paint is quite clean, flushed with hot water to take off the smell. If this is done once a year, a weekly cleaning with soap and water ought to be enough. Borne people recommend polishing the enamel with whitening. To keep a bath really nice and without stains it should be wiped dry each time after using ,and many people make this a rule for the household and even hang up a little placard near the bath to remind visitors of this duty, a cloth with '•bath" marked on it being hung beside it in a convenient place. If dirty and soapy water is allowed to adhere to the paint till it is dry, it is most difficult to get off, and it saves endless trouble if the rule above given is carried out, though I fear it is rather a counsel of perfection. Servants ought, of course, to do this, hut nearly always forget; and, indeed, if there is only a '•'general" she has hardly time. If the paint or enamel gets scratched off, nothing can be done but to have the bath re-painted or re-enamelled, and if this is done properly every bit of (lie old paint must be rubbed off first, so that it is rather a difficult husiness for an amateur. Bathrooms should he furnished with a good supply of towels and a small look-ing-glass. There need not be a carpet, but some warm, strong linoleum can cover the floor, and' there should certainly he either a cork mat or a rug to step upon when getting out of the bath, as anything slippery might cause a fall, besides being very cold to the feet. Drass laps should be kept bright, and the w whole room thoroughly clean and wholesome.

A WOMAN'S CRITICISM. In spite of any and every assertion to the contrary man it is. and not "woman, with whom three-fourths of the current supply of gossip originates (writes Cecil Hamilton in the English Review). Nay, I am inclined to think that three-fourths is an unduly moderate estimate; ninetenths or ninety-nine hundredths would probably be nearer the mark. Man is the collective (as opposed to the sequestered, the sociable, talkative animal; the person who cannot sit quietly at home, who is really unhappy unless he can gather in numbers and chatter. r hat docs he do but gossip when he assembles together in clubs? What does he do but gossip when he lounges at bars with' his mates? There are, of course, interludes in the flow of personalities for the discussion of politics and betting; but, on the whole, one gathers that, where man habitually meets with man, the conversation is of the stamp which we arc accustomed to call by the name of gossip, and that all

places where men chat sociably together are hotbeds of slander and scandal. And if it be true—as I have heard—that it » (or was) a rule in the army that a 'Oman's name should not be rmntioued t mess, it shows that in the army, at •ast, the fact has been frankly recng ised, and a praiseworthy attempt made o curb an unfortunate msaculino tenlency. Fancy an assemblage of women having to impose upon themselves a self-denying ordinance with regard to the mention of man during meals! Such an ordinance for women -is unthinkable — because so completely unnecessary.

I do not deny for an instant that there are womeu who disseminate gossip; my point is simply that men lay stress on their feelings in this direction because they themselves are accustomed to gossip, they themselves are past-masters in the art of personal chatter. If my theory be correct, such hearty and immediate recognition of their own weakness is natural and inevitable; but, on the other hand, I cannot see that it is either natural and inevitable that they should turn up their eyes to heaven over faults that are no worse in kind and lesser in degree 'than their own. . . ,

Woman to man, where scandal is concerned, stands in the position of the retail trader to the wholesale manufacturer. The gentleman who frequents his club or public-house passes on selections and suitable fragments of the converse there enjoyed by his wife; who, if she be expansive or amiably disposed, will proceed to admit to her confidence that unhappy remnant of womankind, who, being husbandlcss, can obtain no director access to the fountain head of gossip. SIMPLE EXERCISES FOR WOMEN

What can girls occupied all day at business, or with indoor pursuits, do to improve their health and physique, when athletic games and attendance at a gymnasium are out of the question? ■Everything depends on the nature of employment, and if a girl is engaged for long hours as a typist, telephone operator, bookkeeper or cashier, or in any other sedentary employment where she makes little use of her muscles and is continually breathing impure air, it is a matter of vital importance for her to take some form of exercise every day that gives her a chance to make vigorous use of her limbs, if not actually out of doors, by an open window. 'Xo exercise is better than dancing, and the primary movements of fancy dancing are very easily learned, and can be gone through in one's bedroom, as they take very little space.' If persevered with, they soon teach a girl to carry herself well and walk with "spring" and lightness, and to be graceful in her movements; they also develop the figure in the best way, and keep it youthful and flexible.

There are many other simple physical exercises which can be practised in one's bedroom, in light clothing and wearing no corsets—this is most important, remember—and if gone through for a few minutes regularly every morning, they keep a girl in the best of condition, fit for any kind of work or enjoyment.

WHEN A CHILD CRIES. "A mother cun seldom withstand the tears of her baby, especially if it is her first baby. And yet the fear that babies will cry, or the mother's softness of heart, accounts for much of the overindulgence of children. As soon as a child finds out that a mother is perfectly willing for him to cry if he likes, and as long as he likes, and that it doesn't disturb her in the least, but she just sits complacently (outwardly) by and reads or sews, crying loses its virtue, and life from that lesson on grows decidedly more sunshiny. For (says a writer in The Girl's Own Paper) most of the crying of a young child is done deliberately bemuse the child soon finds out that it is the way to get what he wants."