The Ladies’ Magazine.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2361, 30 November 1908, Page 2

The Ladies’ Magazine.

CATCHING COLD. THE DANGERS (?) OF NIGHT AIR - (••Ladies 1 Home Journal.”) - The most costly delusion that has ever gripped a people is at last in a fair way of being brushed aside: that colds are contracted in the open air*. We have all believed this and wo have all suffered from it. And so deep-rooted is the delusion that thousands will doubtless not have the bravery to disbelieve -it, and will go on suffering. Rut for many of us, at least, the end has come.It is in a sense amusing, however, if we lose sight of the fatalities that the delusion has- cost us, that the v.ery air that we have sg. dreaded to go out into, and to allow into our Jiouses, is now ■the sumo air in which the greatest, curative elements are found. Not only that, but the very warmed-over air of our homes in which we have so tenaciously refused to allow—to go out of our windows, ns now discovered to be the very ail that has not only given us colds but is the direct cause of the dreaded tuberculosis, pneumonia .and diphtheria, all of which are now proved to be dirty-air diseases, and the., victims of which are deliberately put into the open air to be cured. fek> complete a reversal of long-accepted truths is naturally apt to cause wonderment and a hesitancy of ready adoption, yen the marvel of it is all that our minds have so long remained closed to a fact so plainly apparent. It would indeed be strange if ail element so wonderful in its nature as to have the power of keeping the human being alive should fail to possess the lessen power of keeping it well. It might have easily been borne in upon us that any air breathed over and ovei becomes poisonous, but the fact remains that it was not. Truly we saw with eyes that saw not. Lor yean, we have considered as a menace what God gave as the greatest curative to ’Uio human race: we laid the biamt for dreaded disease upon what He gave us instead of the air that we ourselves made. Of course, we cannot in .a day readjust ourselves to tbit new- way of thinking, logical and plausible though .it be, but' at least our eyes are seeing, our mind s arc believing, anti what is much more important, our loved ones are having their lungs healed by God’s fresh air.

The season is mow upon us when our common-sense must assert itself in this respect. AA r e have lived outdoors all summer: our faces have been browned by the sun: we have had health. Rut soon, with the vert' first suggestion of “autumn chill” wo will begin to hibernate: to go into our homes and close our windows and doors after us, and shut out the very air that has kept us healthy these four months. And. all because ‘‘it is getting cold’,’ wo say, forgetting that wo have all the greater need' of fresh air during the months when, perforce, wc cannot live so much in the open air. The positive -and simple rule to follow seems to be: never sit in any room unless some part ©f ! a window is open to let- in the fresh air, and never sleep in a room in which one window, at least, is not lowered fully tv foot, or better still, lowered as far a-s it can be. And thi s rule we must apply particularly to those days when stormy wcathe. comes. AYo must learn the great truth that the air is always fresher and dearer when the .rain or the snow gathers the particles of dust. We have all been too apt to fear what we call the “night air,’ : whereas the truth is that- this same dreaded night air' is a thousand times •le'.'u to be dreaded than the air which swo pollute with the poisons exhaled from our months and our bodies. To sleep in the open air is the -ideal condition i:n which we get the ideal sleep and ideal benefits, but this only a few of us are either in aposition to do or have the hardihood to brave. 'But what we can all do and should do is what comes .nearest to.it: to- let as much air -into our sleeping-rooms as wc possibly can. It is drnposoble to Jet too much air into a sleepingroom,” says the great 'Doctor Osier,

‘‘no matter ihow near to the ‘window a bed may be: the nearer the better. Cover up, and let the air blow over you or on you. Instead of harm it will do you incalculable good, for the simple reason tliat fresh air or night air.has never yet done any living sold a particle of harm.”

In other words, we should make friend of the fresh air and not regard it as wo have so long regarded it, and to our grievous cost, an enemy !

h'OUSEHOLD HINTS. „

Shirt Ironing.—When ironing a white shirt, the main, part is the starching. I have tried the following way, and found it excellent: Dissolve the starch in a little cold water, then pour hot (not boiling) water, ,say, half a pint, to two teaspoonfuls of starch. AVet the cull's and bosoms in this, roll them up, let them lie two or three hours, and iron in the usual way. Coffee tightly confined in tins can very soon gather dampness, after which all the skill of the best cook will fail to produce a perfect beverage. When the water is- poured on the coffee preparatory to making, tlio ground product should be so brittle as to snap easily between the teeth. Should this test find it leathery the coffee should be placed for a fe.w ini-

nutos in a hot oven, then allowed to cool before using. The result will be full-bodied, aromatic, clear coffee, with a life to it foreign, to much of the coffee with which it is often one’s lot to be served.

The secret of plump pillows and cushions does not consist in stuffing them .as full as possible, but in having tlie cover about two inches smaller than the pillow. It will then puff up prettily in the centre, and be soft and light. To Gut Hot -and New Bread. —The difficulty of cutting new bread is known to every one, but if a strong white thread is sharply and firmly drawn across the loaf, pushing it down equally, on both sides, The result will be clean, smooth slices. A strong linen thread is best. Don’t Throw Lemon Skins Away.— Summer coming brings thirsty people, thus many lemons are used to make drinks. The empty skins accumulate quickly, become mouldy., or are thoughtlessly cast away, which otherwise could bo manufactured into a wholesome and appetising pickle if the following directions are carried. After the juice has been extracted, fill the cases with salt, put into an cart-horn bowl or dish, and leave till the salt is well dissolved, turning occasionally. These can- be added to day by day as lemons are used. Then put out in sun to dry thoroughly, taking them in, of course, nightfall each day. When this is done, wash the lemons in vinegar to cleanse from all dust, and put into large-mouthed glass salt bottles or jars. Hare some good vinegar boil'd, into which put some allspice, and, i liked, a very small piece of garlic. V few chillies place in each bottle. Then pour in vinegar. Make sure .hat the lemons are well covered with lie vinegar. Stopper the bottles, tying paper over to keep-out air. When a fork can lie easily inserted, lie pickle is ready for use; This pickle will keep good for a couple of rears, is an addition, welcomed with !o curries, if cut up small, or, indeed,- , old meats, and a great improvement to anv kind of beef stews.

AVI icy i Magazines are Reid. —Tn big household -it is a good idea to arrange that each member shall .put liis or her initials on the .fly leaf of magazines and sixpenny editions when finished reading them. Thus the housemother can see at a glance when all have read them, and they can be set -aside, to be sent to some hospital or institution, where such tilings are always welcome. A. Very Handy Peg Bag.—This can be made out of an old water-bag or bag of any. kind l , by running a piece cf wire round the top to keep it open ; then bend two pieces of wire the shape of a book, fix one end to the vim of the bag, and the other ends to the clothesline. This can be pushed along before one as they spread the clothes on- the line.

Baked Potatoes. —If potatoes are put into boiling water and allowed to boil for three minutes (not longer), before being placed in the bakingdish, they will be, found. t° be ver - v much nicer than if done in the usual w a v.

WHY MARIE CORELLI IS READ. An English weekly offered a prize recently for the best postcard showing the reasons for Marie Corelli’s popularity as a writer. The opinion expressed on the-winning card "was: ‘‘She tells a straightforward story, which .interests the average mind, in simple (if somewhat ungrammatical) language, and usually based on a popular topic. She has the knack of giving an air of depth and penetration to shallow’and obvious reasonings, so that her readers, pleased to find that they agree with thoughts of such profundity, share with the writer the satisfaction they feel with themselves. She can describe with clever and vivid touches the exterior of men and things, and it is this aspect that appeals- to the general. She has the courage which never fears to rush in, another quality that appeals to the inany, and the skill to range herself with the majority, while posing as a champion of the oppressed.” Another writer believes that “Miss Corelli’s popularity is due to the fact that her stories contain nothing above the comprehension, of the average mind. Cleverer writers are much too clever and subtle for simple heads.” While other opinions given of the reason for her popularity are “because she puts into terse, understandable language thoughts which are moving the hearts of many who have not yet received the gift of expression.” “She is a literary siren, w'ho has the art of soothing her audiences to sleep.” “The majority of her readers are spinsters. . , . .who are flattered by the two principal characteristics of Miss Corelli’s work—animosity towards Man, and narrow sectarian feeling, aiid her inexperienced readers cannot realise the crude artificiality of her characters.” “She combines masculine courage and originality -with a charming flavor of feminine prejudice and exaggeration.”

THE IDEAL HEALTH CREED. Here is the ideal health creed, simple and' yet guaranteed to keep us- a LI well:— 1. Eat moderately: meat only once a day ; 2.- Drink all the pure water you can—-eight glasses a day is ideal—between meals: drink no water with meals. 3. Keep out in tlio fresh air as

much as possiblo and breathe deeply; if you can’t .walk, bundle up and go and sit in the sun.'

4. Let plenty of fresh air 'into a sleeping-room: in the room in which you are always sitting keep a window lowered at least a foot., 6. Bathe or wash the body every day with as cold water as you can ♦stand.

ABOUT PLAIN SPEAKING. / “I must object to your plain speaking,” writes a father, “ogg.su bjeots that may well be left to tli'c discretion and intelligence of parents.” Exactly. That is precisely where the failure of plain speaking has been : “left to the discretion and intelligence of parents,” and neither discretion oioi- intelligence has been used, with the present 'fearful evil results to society; But we are proud to bo placed within .the ranks where this objection would place us: with Paul, with Plutarch, with Emerson, with, in fact, all the early fathers and writers who despised prudery and knew it not, and who, whether with pen or voice, said what they meant when the need was felt and the time had como to say it. If this protesting father would road back to tho first ages of Christianity he would find words and messages coining from the greatest and purest teachers of those times that would throw him and othors of his sensitive temperament into convulsions. And ’twould have been infinitely better for the young people of to-day, and their knowledge of what they should know, if, in later times, we Iliad not departed from the plain speaking of those sages and seers of our early' Christian period. Fortunately there is- now a growing admission that the conservatism of the ptist one hundred years on vital topics has boon carried too far, with moral detriment to the young. This does not moan that liberty must-be confused with license, or plain speaking with coarseness, but it does moan that ignorance is no longer to bo confused with innocence, or a wise frankness with an unwise silence. Our “discreet” and “intelligent” father is, we fear, neither discreet nor intelligent. If he were ho would see the trend of thought, realise the wisdom of it, and instruct his own children accordingly.

TWO MORE BABIES. Such a familiar story is this, and yet with what pathos are two little lives yielded up through the crass and cruel ignorance of parents! Truly might we well ask: Is there nothing that can .stop this slaughter of little innocent lives at the hands of parents ? “The twin babies of Air and Airs — died early to-day of opiate poisoning superinduced bv the use of n wellknown brand of soothing syrup.” The pathetic story of the parents’ ignorance is this: “The children, only three months old, were normal, healthy children, and, save for the usual colics and other afflictions of infants, had iicvct been .ill a day. The mother had been in the habit of giving tho.bnbies the soothing syrup to quiet their restlessness at night, and last night, when the crying and restlessness of one of them awoke her, she arose and gave each of them some of the syrup, giving it to the quiet 'one, she says, to assure its remaining quiet. About 5 o’clock this morning she woke up, .and tliiiiking the children had been unusually still since she had given them the soothing-syrup, listened for their breathing. They seemed to be breathing normally and she went to sleep. Awakening again at 6 o’clock she went over to the babies and found one of them dead. A doctor was hastily summoned, as the parents feared for the other child. He hurried to the house as quickly as he could in his automobile, but when he arrived there the other child had succumbed.” ■ And then follows the most significant statement of all : “Only four or five drops of the syrup was given each child 1”