Woman's World

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 270, 15 April 1914, Page 6

Woman's World

DO MEN GOSSIP? 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. Nay, I am inclined to think that three-fourths is an unduly moderate estimate; nine-tenths 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. What does 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 are accustomed to call by the name of gossip, and that all places where men chat sociably together are hotbeds of slander j and scandal. And if it be a rule in the j Army that a woman's name should not be mentioned at mess, it shows that in the Army, at least, the fact has been frankly recognised, and a praiseworthy attempt made to curb an unfortunate masculine tendency. 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 lor an instant that there are women who disseminate gossip. My point is simply that men lay stress on their failings 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 to his wife, who, if she be expansive or' amiably > disposed, will proceed to admit to her confidence that unhappy remnant of woman-kind, who, being husbandless, can obtain no direct access to the fountain head of gossip.—Cecily Hamil-. ! ton, in the English Review.

HOUSEHOLD HINTS To Keep Milk. —It is a wise plan to scald milk which has to be kept any length of time in slimmer weather. Tp do this, stand the jug of milk in a large saucepan of water and heat almosst to boiling point. Some housewives add a. pinch of carbonate of soda or borax to fresh milk, but this only injures the flavor. A lump of sugar may help to keep mil£ from turning. Heat for Toothache.—Most pains can be eased by the application of heat, which is one of the safest remedies available for the treatment of slight complaints. For toothache, the simplest and best method of applying heat it in the form of a salt bag. Make a bag of flannel with sides measuring about six inches. trrind about a pound of salt very finely, and place it in the oven until it is very hot; fill the bag with the hot salt, sew up the opening, and apply the bag to the painful part. To Wash a Macintosh.—To wash a macintosh, dip the garment in soft cold water, then, with scrubbing brush and plain yellow soap, proceed to brush it all over. When the dirt is removed, dip the cloak in several waters, to rid it of the suds, but be careful not to wring. Hang up to dry, not before the lire, j Paint or grease spots can be removed by turpentine, Hot water should not be used.

Fresh Mustard.—Mustard keeps t'resli much longer if it ia mixed with water which lias been previously boiled and allowed to get cold. A pinch of salt or a teaspoonful of vinegar likewise add to its keeping qualities, and the addition of a teaspoonful of sug.-.r helps the mustard to overcome the grossness of pork or wild birds. On the Continent, various herbs and spices are added to mustard to give variety, and mustard mixed with a little chopped tarragon is particularly relishing. Urease Spots.—To remove grease spots from wall paper sprinkle a piece of blotting paper with carbonate of soda, and press it against the wall with a moderately hot iron. The blotting-paper will .absorb the grease, while the soda preserves the color of, the paper. Onion Water.—The water in which onions have been boiled is excellent for cleaning gilt picture frames. It not only removes specks and dirt, but brightens up the frames in a wonderful way. But it should not be used until finite I cold.

Milky Tumblers.—Tumblers that have contained milk should be rinsed in cold water before being washed in hot. Cutting the milky glass into hot water has the clfect of clouding the glass permanently.

Burnt Saucepans.—Use hearthstone for removing burnt marks from saucepans and dishes, and also for scouring discolored earthenware, sinks, etc. It is cheaper than pumice stone, and answers the purpose equally well. Woollen Socks.—Wash woollen socks quickly in luke-warm lather, and do not let them lie in the water to soak. If they are very much soiled, a little hora.v in the water will quickly draw out the dirt. Rinse in tepid water. .When washing real lace, rinse finally in skimmed milk. This will give it !i soft, creamy tint. liadly-soiied handkerchiefs should he soaked in strong salt water the night before they sire washed. Lemon-juice will whiten a plain wooden kitchen tahle that has become discolored. Wash and scrub the boards first with scouring sand, then rub well with cut lemon, leave for a few minutes, and afterwards well rinse. To I'oach an Egg Round.—Nearly till small enamel saucepan with hot water. Salt it well, and when it comes to the boil stir vigorously until the water move* round and round like a miniature whirlpool. Have the egg readv broken in a cup. and before the water settlers down again quickly drop the egg into the centre of the swirling water."' When cooked the egg will be found to be beaiitifnly round and an even color. Discolored Silver.—Silver or plate that has been lying by for some lime, or lias not been properly cleaned, is often so discolored that it is impossible to remove the stains with ordinary whiting or palte powder. lint if the whiting or powder is mixed to a rather thin paste, with salad oil well rubbed or brushed info every crevice, left for a few hours, and the silver then washed and

cleaned in the ordinary way, every ves-l tige of stain will have vanished. | To Clean Paintwork, Doors, Wains-1 cotings, etc.—Try wetting all the lowers portion of the door, etc., before washing the top part. Then the dirty water, as it runs down, will not mark the paint. This is a very simple remedy, but a very effectual one. To Remove Labels from Jars.—Before placing the jars to soak, rub a little wet soap over the labels. This will soften them, and they will peel off quite quickly and with very little trouble. Ink Stains. —By immersing an inkstained handkerchief in milk immediately after it has been stained and allowing it to soak, the ink will invariably disappear. ,

Washing Glass. —When washing glass or earthenware, place the articles in warm salted water. They will clean more quickly. Shoe Laces. —When the metal tips come off shoe-laces, dip the ends in household glue to the length'of half an inch, twirl them between linger and thumb into the shape of a tip. let the glue dry, ] and you wil have a tip that will outlast the strongest shoe-string. If a package or envelope is sealed with white, of egg instead of gum it cannot be steamed open. When making mustard, add a tiny drop of salad oil to it while it is being mixed. It will greatly improve the flavor.

A cup of moderately strong tea, in which two or three slices of lemon have been infused, will frequently cure a nervous headache.

Fingers stained with fresh fruit, walnuts, etc., should be dipped in strong tea, rubbed with nail-brush, and then washed in warm water.

Always add a small piece of butter to milk puddings when cooking them, as this not only improves the taste, but prevents the pudding from boiling Over. To soften paint brushes which have become dry and hard, heat as much vinegar as required to boiling point, immerse the brushes, and allow them to simmer for ten minutes; then wash in strong soapsuds. To improve the flavor of an apple pie, sprinkle the fruit with lemon juice after it is filled into the crust, and cover with tiny pieces of butter, then add the sugar anil nutmeg or cinnamon. To Keep Enamel Baths Like New.— Hake a thin paste composed of a little paraffin or turpentine and whiting; then take a piece of coarse flannel, dip it in the paste, and well rub the bath or any enamel vessel or porcelain sinks. You will be surprised at the result. To Give a Baby Castor Oil. —Most mothers find it trying to give their children castor oil. If they will first put a few drops of pure glycerine on the spoon, then the oil and a few more drops of glycerine, they will have no more trouble. Children nil like the sweet taste .of the glycerine. To renovate black velvet, rub a little butter over it, using a black cloth to rub it in with. ' New tin should be rubbed over with lard and thoroughly heated in the oven. It will then never rust.

A few drops of methylated spirit added to the polish used for brasses will prevent them, from tarnishing as quickly as they otherwise would. Over-tired women who retire at night or lie down for a few minutes during the afternoon vainly seeking to sleep, which refuses to come, should try the hot-water remedy. Simply bathe the face and temples, the wrists and behind the ears with water as hot as can bo borne. This will often induce sleep. To prevent silver from tarnishing rub with .a few drqps of olive oil before putting away. When required, wash in warm soapy water and it will look quite bright. When cleaning furniture wipe it over with tepid, soapy water, and dry it before polishing it with beeswax and turpentine. Turpentine is an excellent cleanser for many things. It, will remove the marks i of blacklead from a marble mantlepieee, amongst other things. Young housekeepers will find it a good plan to keep an account book and cnier, with regularity, all housekeping expenses, adding up accounts every evening and making a weekly summary. Scratches on tables are very annoying. Keep a supply of rounds or dark green felt on which to stand china jars, flower vases, and so on. These will not be noticeable, and will vastly save polished surfaces.

Thick blotting papi»r innler d'oylevs will keep hot dishes from nm rkiiig'a polished table. The blotting paper should lie cut, the same size as the various d'ovleys. It takes the place of asbestos mats.

Small pieces of llsh left over from a meal can be turned to account in preparing a breakfast savory. Freed from skill ami bones, the llesh should be very finely minced, preferably through a mincing machine, llnvored with salt, pepper and powdered mace, and made into a paste with creamed butter and a dash of essence of anchovy. If pressed into a pot and covered with crailieil fat, the paste will keep -rood for several days.

Clean linen, when placed in a linen cupboard or in drawers, should be. sorted and stored in piles of similar garments. When a clean garment is required for use it should be taken from the bottom of the pile, and if all the clean garments are added at the top each will have a proper proportion of wear, and sets will not be spoilt by having some garments nearly worn out and others practically new.

A little Unseed oil rubbed on spots that deface the kitchen linoleums will, it is said, remove them. Some housekeepers rub their kitchen linoleums once a month or so with the oil to preserve their varnish. A cloth wrung out of milk will also restore the color of linoleum. Skimmed milk is best. It is less oily than the entire milk. Nothing revives the color of a blue serge gown better than a mixture of blue dye and water. To make the solution all you have to do is to procure a cake of blue dye and squeeze it into a kasin of water until a deep due is obtained. Tbfin lay the gown on the table and brush it well with a still nail brush that has been dipped in the blue water solution. Iron on the wrong side with a moderately hot iron, and bang out to dry.

When cream is only slightly sour, it can be made quite delicious to serve with puddings, etc., in the following way: 'Put it into a basin with the juice of a lemon and a tablespoon fill of sugar, and whip it until it is quite stiff. This method makes it excellent and increases the quantity at the same time. Scorch marks, unless very bad, can be removed from linen by cutting an onion in half and rubbing the scorched part with it. Then soak in cold water, and the marks will soon disappear.

USEFUL HINTS Hang a slate outside the backdoor every morning with the order 3 for each tradesman clearly written on it./ This saves much time to both. To remove inkstains from linen, put melted tallow on the mark; then wash it out. When cake tins are worn thin scatter a little sand over the oven shelf before putting <3own the cake tin, and it will not burn in the baking. ' If when making brown bread a tablespoonful of treacle is added, it will be found that the loaves will cut quite easily without crumbling. When cutting up jelly squares, use a pair of perfectly clean scissors dipped in cold water. The jolly can then be cut up into much smaller pieces than when a knife is used, and dissolves quicker. When making a pie, the juice from the fruit, very often soaks through the under crust, and spoils the appearance of it. This can be prevented by brushing the crust over with the white of an egg. Tea kettle should be turned upside down every time, after use. It is generally the little drop of water that is allowed to. stand in the 'bottom of the kettle that causes rust, and once rust I makes its appearance, a hole soon follows.

To stop the ravages of moths.—When they have made their appearance, wrap the articles in thin cloths, then cover with wet Turkish towels, and put them in the oven to steam. This will always rout moths. Many a man could hide his light under a thimble. Tact dots not remove ail difficultiesit sidesteps them. A man never realises how many faults 1 he has until he gets married—then his wife tells him. The good die young. This applies Specially to resolutions. I The more they are neglected the happier some husbands are.