LADIES' COLUMN.

Waikato Argus, Volume VI, Issue 400, 18 February 1899, Page 2 (Supplement)

LADIES' COLUMN.

HOW TO WASH HAIR-BRUSHES. Hair-brushes need to be washed frequently, because of the perspirat ; on of the head, which readily retains dust in the hair. The best brushes may be ruined by careless washing, and if the bristles are allowed to become soft, a hair-brush becomes practically useless for its intended purposes. Many people cleanse hair, brushes by coveting them with wheaten flour, and simply rubbing the bristles together. This method, however, is not thoroughly satisfaotory. To keep your brushes in good condition, proceed in the following manner : Have two dishes of cold—not hot—water. To the first dish, which contains say a quart of water, add a dessertspoonful of ammonia. Now take your brushes one by one, and keep dipping the bristles up and down in the water (being careful not to wet the backs), and in a minute or two the dirt and dust will come out of them as if by magic, leaving them beautifully white. Now dip up and down several times in the second dish, containing the clear wat r, to rinse them ; shake well, and place to drain across a rack or towel-horse. No soap is needed and no rubbing with the hands. If you adopt this method of cleansing your brushes you will fiud that they will last three times us long as if cleaned with hot water and soap, and that the bristles will preserve their stiffness. SCRAPS. The latest craze of the leaning society women of New Vork, born of their deßire for physical culture, is ballet dancing. The old fashioned gavotte and minuet are to be among the popular dances of the present season in the United Spates. One of by no means the least witty repartees gathered together in that genial happy book, Collections and Recollections, was one of a girl who hi d just been chosen by the Queen to be one of her Maids of Honour. She was telling some friends of hers that one of the conditions of the office was that she should not keep a diary of what went on at Court. A cynical man of the world who was present said : " What a tiresome rule; I think I should keep my diary all the same." Then," replied the young lady, " I am afraid you would be not a Maid o' Honour." In the same chapter doe 3 the author give Mr Motley as having, in Boston, happily given this deservedly famous parody : '■• Give me the luxuries of life, and I care not who has the necessaries." Byron must have been a delightful thing in sweethearts, tor he, as everyone knows, copied the love-letters he had written to one woman over again for the benefit of the second. Browning, Wordsworth, and Tennyson, it would seem, are about the only great men who may be quoted as devoted husbands. We must not, however, foiget Tom Hood, who was, to use his own phrase,'" a unitarian in love." Here is a beautiful little passuge which Mr Hardy quotes from a letter of Hood's, written to his wife : " Bless you, bless you again and again, my dear one, my only one, my one as good as a thousand to your old unitarian in love?—T.H." It is comforting so know from this that it is possible, though rare, for a great man to make a respectable butband as well as a constant lover. The young Queen of Holland rare'y indulges in a fit of " temper " ; but force of circumstances proved too strong for her self- command the other day. It was all on account of a bicycle. The Queen, during her recent visit to Vienua (incognita), bought a magnificent bicycle, but when she carried it home in triumph. her ministers informed her that bicycle riding was one of those risks which they must respectfully beg Her Majesty the Queen of Holland to avoid. Thereupon Her Majesty flew into a violent passion, and declared that there were many royal ladies who rode bicycles Her counsellors replied that, among all the illustrious riders she could mention, there was not a single one who had the privilege of ruling over such a vast number of subjects as the Queen of Holland ; and with this answer the poor Queen had to be content. At Newcastle on Tyne, rcceutly. Earl Grey laid the foundation stone of a new high school for girls. Subsequently Countess Grey presented the prizes to the succeseful pupils of the high school, and Earl Grey addressed the gathering. He said the time had loug gone by when the summit of a girl's ambition was to be a painted doll and to be admired by everybody. The new girl, like the new woman, wishes to have a principal hand in making the top of the world spin round. In order to do that she must be properly equipped, and she required to equip herseif a good character, high spirits, and mental alertness. They might eay that education could not make an ugly face into a pretty one. But the connection between pleasing and attractive looks and a well-instructed, happy and contented mind was far more intimate than many people supposed. Therefore a cheerful character and an alert mind gave the pleasint countenance which made the society that gathered round it happy and contented. He advised girls to cultivate cheerfulness and mental alertness, and to remember that the woman who got success in this world was one who had the knack of making people round about her happy and contented—the woman who had the habit of healthy cheerfulness, and who did not think anything worth troubliug abont so far as it concerned herself unless it left an ngly weight on her mind and conscience when she came to die. RECIPES. Pork Duck.—This is a very economical dainty known to only a few, and is composed of pig's fry, liver, and onions. Take two pounds of pig's fry, cut a pound of liver into thin slices j then the heart, lights and kidney. Pepper them, and lay aside while you slice a couple of onions. Place the onions in two shallow tins sprinkled with salt, pepper, anddrbd bagc leaves crushed. Lay the slices of liver on top, then another layer of onions and dried sage. Spread the caul, or fat, on the top to cover the whole. Place the tins in a hot oven for an hour. Before removing, pour into the tins a teacupful of boiling water, and let it remain five minutes ; the gravy will be quite rich onough. Have ready a dish of boiled, mealy potatoes. Cold Fish with Brown Sauce.— Free cold fish from skin and bones, and tear it apart in flakas. Make the brown sauce as follows : Put in a saucepan over a fire a heapiDg teaspoonful each of butter and flour, and stir them until they begin to brown, then stir in gradually a piiit of boiling water until the sauce is quite smooth, season with salt and pepper let it boil for a moment, then beat the fish into it, serve it on toast. French Turnips.—Method : Parboil and drain the turnips, and put them in a stew pan with one ouuee (or more) of butter ; stew well. Add a little minced shallot, salt, pepper, and a few spoonfuls of stock ; stir until the mixture forms a creamy pulp, then put through a sieve, re-heat, and serve. Stone Cream. —Materials: Half a pint of milk, half an ounce of arrowroot, one ounce of sugar, vinilla essence, jam. Method : Make the arrowroot thick by stiring the boiling milk on to it after mixing it with a very little cold milk. Return to the saucepan and let it boil, sweeten and flavour it with a few drops of vanilla, and when cool pour it over some jam that has been put at the bottom of a glass dish. When cold, and just before serving, sprinkle it with hundreds and thousands, Apple Custard.—Required : 3 large apples, 2 eggs, nutmeg and sugar to taste, a breakfastcupful of milk, ilb of

butter, puff paste. Method: Line a dish with puff paste or short crust, grate the apples, warm the milk with the sugar and lmtter. mix in the apples, eggs, and a dash of nutmeg, pour the mixture over the pastry, and bake for about threequarters of an hour.