WHAT WE WOMEN THINK

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 14, 17 October 1930, Page 31

WHAT WE WOMEN THINK

THE intimate lives: of the great have »- ever been the subject of song and drama, and it was inevitable that such. ‘ a beautiful love story as that of Bliza- ' beth Barrett. and Robert Brownin:. should become material for literature. Browning was attracted: first by the magic spell of the invalid’s poetry, and. later the: whole chivalrous nature: of the man was roused at thought of the. gloomy. background in which that poetry flowered. His ardent and tempestuous wooing did more for Elizabeth Barrett than all the skill of her doctors, and to her subsequent happiness and reviving interest in life we owe many: of her finest poems.. The dramatist Rudolf Besier has made. the most of his material-in "The Barretts ,of Wimpole Street," and the play was produced for the first time at a maduring the: Malvern Festival. The tender charm and béauty of the story form its chief appeal, but dramatic moments are not wanting, and the play seems assured of a successful run. ; * . * s t WHERE space is limited as it is in ‘ ‘""* most beach huts a good plan is to have folding tables and chairs, so that they can be stored flat againgt. the wall when’ not in use. The new synthetic china is ideal where therearé. children, as it is unbreakable, and can. be bought in pretty colourings. A couple of extendable clothes-hangers, made to fold flat against the wall when not required, will be: found..most: useful. for extra wet-weather coats. And: this good idea, for drying: bathing suits. and. towels, is a clothes-horse with Several arms--which also rests flat . against the wall if necessary. . ‘ ' * s * "A SPECIALLY-DEVISED cradle float has been adopted by Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children, London. ‘This is used for badly-paralysed children who are otherwise debarred from. the pleasure of enjoying a real sea bathe. It has also been proved. that frequently absolutely helpless cripples have been able to get some use from their defective limbs when in the water. ‘ALL who have read J. B. Priestley’s ' "The Good Companions" will be interested’ to know that the- author has. just dramatised it, thus making his‘debut as a playwright. An operetta vérsion is probably being made also. ‘A. DOMESTIO electric egg-beater is \ absolutely unbeatable. It’s great? in appearance, the whisk part is just like’ the manual one, but there is a small flat form on the top. On this sits'a neat little motor with hand rheostat control. The back portion is securely fixed on a stand, and all one has: to do is to place the basin with eggs, cream ot cake mixture undetneath, turn on the switch, and leave it to do its work while your attention can be diverted to other duties. It is invaluable on farms or in large families, and as it is inexpensive it is by no means beyond the purse of every housewife who has to do her own cooking. ‘ * » \ . A FRIEND has just installed a very cheap ‘and efficient gas caliphont and it is proving equally as good as the large, expensive ones. It costs only £4/15/-, is nickel-plated, and its ehief charm is a quick flow of waiter,

not a trickle, for its heating eapacity is, very great. There. is also. another on’ the market which is cheaper -still, and this cain be placed .over the: bath: with an.extending tap over the basin: When biiléing, it is well worth considering. * o WHEN ‘prick houses are first buiit it is advisable not to paper on the top of the plaster for a. year. Unfortunately, white is a trying colour for a room, "especially when' the -electrie light is. on; therefore, itis- an excellént idea to ‘paint the plaster any desired colour with a good flat paint. I was recently in a home where this had been done-and it was most effective, and although it had been painted, for six years, it hadn't a single mark of dirt, for'if it becomes. marked it can be cleaned with soap and water. ao

AN idea was suggested to me yes-. terday when I was: converting a. kitchen into a dining-room. Instead of scrimming and papering the wooden walls, use "beaver boarding with ‘batons. Not: only is it more" satisfactory, but it thoroughly ¢hanges the impression of its ever having been a kitchen. = +. s HBARD two women debating the ' possibility of an ideal dining-room being made out.of a room only 9 x 8; and whether six people could be comfortably seated. It. is: possible,- and. it has been. done and used in a very charming home. All the equipment is built in, even to the pedestal dining’ table, which is fixed to the floor. This is oval in shape, and. a semi-circular seat, which seats six people comfortably, is likewise built in. This seat is built up against one wall and part of two other walls; and the free end of the oval table is cut straight, and a chair is placed there and from that end all the serving is done. The sideboard is built in,and has four capacious cupboards, and above is a large mirror which not only improves the lighting but also gives. the illusion of: spaciousness. "The lighting is évenly distributed..by opaque . glass fittings at the four corners: of the toom with opal lamps.’ This gives the room a most cheerful and agreeable effect. (CHANDELIERS are the only cen- . tral lighting: fittings that look well in a period room, and even then the Hight they throw upon the room

strikes. too harsh a note. There is no doubt that thertidst satisfactory _ form of lighting to;msé'in any’ kind of . room is -concealed;‘lighting.or-.. brackets with severat-reading and standard lamps placed about the room, You will find, too, that this means of light- . ing tends to bring out the warmth and colour of old: .woods, while the central lighting killed all the soft tones, vga tS . . @ MISS JULIA ,CHATTERTON, the song composer, makes a hobby of collecting old folk-songs, and in ‘the_Jast eight years she has gathered over oné thousand from all over the world. She bas just returned from a trip to the. Balkans, bringing with her fifty new additions to her collection, as well as some quaint homewadeé a srry

instruments used -by:the peasants. She is planning an anthology of the folk--songs of the world and intends to visit China, Japan, India and Hast Africa in the near future. s ° * -@ 8 At the chocolate and confectionery ‘exhibition held at Olympia, London, last month an ‘Official.in charge of the stand of prominent. manufacturers told a reporter that more sweets ‘and chocolates are being eaten at present than at any time during: the past ten years, "Three or four years ago," he said, "the chocolate industry experienced its zero hour. It was due mainly to the drastic diets which women were adopting to acquire the boyishly slim figure then the fashion. Now the pendulum has swung the other way. The ultra-slim figure is no longer the prevailing mode, and chocolates are more popular than ever." * a e WHEN dyeing faded curtains it is a good plan to bleach them first, otherwise they will take the dye unevenly. If you are doing several pairs it is best to put each*pait in a separate bath, -in which’ the dye is of the same strength. If there is only one dye bath,.prepared the first pair of curtains will absorb most. of the dye, and the subsequent ones will be of a paler hue than the rest. t * * : NOW that Christmas is within sight housewives will he turning their thoughts to fare appropriate to the’ season, The following recipe for

mincemeat may be found useful :-Ingredients: 1lb, each of apples, suet, large raisins, sultands, currants and stigar; Hb. peel, 202, almonds, 2 small lemons, half a nutmeg (grated), 4 teaspoonful mixed spice, quarter pint of brandy or whisky. ~ Put into a large basin the apples (peeled, cored and sliced), the suet (free from skin and roughly cut), the raisins (stoned and cleaned), the currants (cleaned), thickly sliced peel, blanched almonds, and sugar. Mix all together and put in spoonfuls through a mincing machine. Return to the bowl and add the grated rind and juice of the lemons, the nutmeg, spice and brandy or whisAy. . Stir very.thoroughly. before putting intd clean dry jars and tie up.m s * D=®stRous of supporting all efforts: to introduce a new spirit into industry (says the "Alliance Record") an employer called his men together to place before them his plans for bettering working conditions. "Now, whenever I enter the workshop," he said, "I want to sée every man cheerfully performing his task, and therefore I invite you to place in this box . any suggestions as to how that can be brought about." A few days-later he opened the box and took out a slip of paper on which was written: "Take the rubbers off your shoes!’ . = ¥* * ON’T you dislike the look of egg--stains on your egg-spoons? By chance: the’ other day -I found ‘that when the spoons. are washed if ‘one rubs a little salt on the egg-stain it is remnoved at once and the salt does not even scratch the spoon. ; * = s LATELY we have been buying shell.ed walnuts, because of the difficulty. of excavating, the: nuts, but they are never so fresh as the ones taken directly from the shell. However, we have now been told to pour bolling water over the. nuts and let them stand until cold; then crack the end of the shell with a hammer, and thé nyts will come out whole, = * B BzRa4S8s plates and all brassware can be cleaned easily if one has no brass polish by rubbing on a little whiting and then squeezing a lemon on this, and the use the lemon as a sponge on the ware. Ps * * AVE you ever tried putting brown paper or blotting paper under material when using benzine to remove grease stains? This is an excellent idea, as the pad underneath helps to absorb the grease. But, be careful to saturate your material round the stem, and work inwards, otherwise you ar apt to leave a water mark. * % * . HE tennis seasonis here, and one of the chief trials a girl must undergo is sunburn. To avoid it try washing your face in milk, and let it dry on. You'll find it a little uncomfortable for a few minutes, but it is absolutely infallible. * * * [¥ your skin and colour are not what you would choose, and if your hair looks lank and mousey in ¢olour, try the effect of a violet ray apparatus everyday. There are different electrodes, and a special comb electrode for the. hair. The chief virtue of violet ray is that it stimulates circulation, thus nourishing the tissues and cells, and after a short time of using it a woman will

Thought For The Week, "We receive, each one of us, the Magic Bean, and if we plant it, it will undoubtedly grow ‘and. become our ladder to the stars and the cloud castles. Arthur Machen in "Far Off Things." Te MSs MUS Ss SS Te We :

find that a healthy and natural colour will return to her cheeks, and all facial blemishes quickly disppear. Personally, I am of the belief that a good walk every day will be even more advantageous, but more strenuous than this easy and simple method, which, because it is a lazy way of keeping well, is soothing to the nerves... * * * ARDENING is an excellent: tonic for the nerves, excepting when it becomes so fascinating that one loses all sense of time, and suddenly discovers she is left with only half an hour to dress and keep her appointment in town, and then the strain of rushing undoes all the good the playing with mother earth did. Talking of gardens -have you ever tried burning a few pieces of newspaper on top of the earth, where seeds have just been planted? Do so next time, and you'll find they’ll germinate much quicker. bd s * HOUGH this is "We Women’s" page we don’t want to use it to boast about the brains of our sex, but we do like to give credit where it is due. Miss Honey Harris, daughter, of Sir Austin Harris, deputy-chairman of Lloyd’s Bank in London, and Mrs. Mareconi, two well-known artists, have recently been employed to carry out the decorative scheme of the new head office of Lloyd’s Bank in London. Miss Honey Harris has ‘designed twenty marble plaques, representing coins from 461 B.C. to the present day, and Mrs. Marconi has been engaged on two marble bas-reliefs in the banking halls.

~rourS;

ALISON