THE LADIES’ WORLD

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2548, 8 July 1909, Page 3

THE LADIES’ WORLD

HOW SHE KEEPS UP. (From tho “Ladies’ Homo Journal.”) A Avoman Avho is knoAvn for having passed through enough sorrOAV and trouble to positively floor any six AA’omen is also known for her cheerfulness of spirit and her contentment of mind, and it is the wonder of her friends “hoAA r she keeps up !” Not long ago slio confessed that the secret of her reputed courage and cheerfulness was her capacity for silliness. She had found that when she Avas too tired to be clever, too Aveary and saddened and too uncertain of her nerves*, and voice to talk seriously, she brought out her “foolish self” and Avas “just plain silly.” And in her indulgence in jests and delicious follies she finds the severest strain groAving gradually less, the screAA’ at the brain relaxing its tension, the familiar tight band that seems to encircle the throat loosening, and in fifteen minutes slie restores herself to a normal state. And she adds laughingly : “If this doesn’t Avork do you knoAV Avhat I do? I go off by myself somewhere and just deliberately drop my jaAv. You may laugh, but try it once and you Avill be convinced, that you can’t be keyed up if you relax your jaw. With letting go of the jaAv the whole body relaxes. That .simple little trick and my silliness have saved me, I know, from many a breakdoAvn.” Wise little woman! USEFUL HINTS. The flavor of ham can be very greatly improved by adding a tablespoon of sugar Avben boiling. Also Avhen frying a slice of ham, sprinkle a little sugar on each side, as it is cooking, for the same improvement in flavor. Use a ruching made of fino wash batiste, AA’hich may be Avashed often and ahvays come out fresh and dainty, lake a double fold of the material about one inch high, gathered to bands the right length for collar and cuffs. They should be slightly stiffened Avhen done up. Slip a AA’ooden knitting needlo through the ruche, and push the ruffle tight together. When the needlo is pulled out, the ruche looks like the crape ones in the. shops, hut is much more durable. To restore color to ivory knife-hand-les Avhen they have turned yelloAv, rub them with turpentine. If, in packing a trunk, an ordinary white bed sheet is spread open in the bottom of the trunk, allowing the sides of the sheet to hang over, and then the clothes are folded and laid smoothly in the sheet, and the sides brought over tightly, and securely pinned with safety pins, the trunk Avill stand any amount of knocking about, and the garments come out fresh and uuwrinkled. An eiderdown quilt AA’ashed in the. regular Avay becomes lumpy and ugly and pulled out of shape, but if put out in a hard rain and turned first on one side, then on the other, and allowed to remain out iu the Avmd and the sunshine, until thoroughly dry, Avill look as new and clean as Avhen just bought, and Avill not he draAvn out of shape. The rather tedious task of running ribbons in underclothes is much simplified by the folloAving device: —When sending to the laundry,, tack a piece of white tape to the end of the ribbon, and draw out the ribbon, leaving the tape - its place. Reverse this process Avhen the clothes are- brought back, and you AA'ill find the ribbon is restored to its place in a feAV seconds. The. beading or insertion Avashes better Avith the tape in it. To Clean Baby’s Kid Shoes. —Do not Avait till baby’s shoes are black, but dip a soft cloth in gasoline and wipe all spots of dirt off; then put the shoes aside to dry. Be very careful not to let the child Avear them until at least twenty-four hours after they have been cleaned, as the gasoline makes them very inflammable at first. CLOTHES AND THE WOMAN. The real occupation at the moment is clothes, remarks tho “Sydney Morning Herald’s” London lady correspondent, Avriting on May 21st. Toilettes cannot be turned out quickly enough. We have by no means seen the end of the Directoire modes. They will last right through the season, but there is steadily coming under consideration the Merovingian or Moyen Age style of goAA’n. I saAV recently at the. dinner of the Stage Society a’sister of the late Aubrey Beardsley in a green cuirass of net and beads made to fit tightly over tho hips, Avorn Avith a soft crape, skirt made Avitli a good deal of drapery, her auburn hair and soft pale skin making her look just as if she had stepped out of the pages of a child’s fairy tale. And at St. James’ Theatre a girl Avas wearing a cuirass of silver sequins with long flat medieval sash Avorked on silver in sparkling pailettes, the skirt being of purple net heavily embroidered in silver, worn over a green skirt; it was almost like a nautch dress. Miss Irene Van burgh in tho same play, “The Thief,” recently revived, wore a curious gown of soft pink damask made with a square, tunic trimmed Avitli old silver galon. There Avas a silver' belt worn hardly above the usual waist line, and some more silver and pink gauze on tlve bodice. There is no doubt that these picture. gowns are fast coming in; the only thing is that yon want many gowns if you go iu for this kind of dressing, as the eye soon tires of a costume effect, and if it becomes as common as the Directoire all Avomen will seem dressed alike. .. Tho writer then proceeds to describe the Parisian model gowns, which Mrs Asquith allowed to he. exhibited at her residence, bringing doAvn the wrath of the press upon her. The models, .three in number, Avere extremely simple, and Avere almost' fourteenth century styles. One Avas copied almost entirely from a religious habit, made like, a nun’s robe, with a high-Avaisted girdle tying the habit at the waist. The girdle, instead of being made of a knotted rope, Avas of silken cord, finished with heavy tassels. Another gown was made with a draped tunic of spotted material, folded across the figure at the Avaist, and fastened with three ornaments of cord, rather like fern-leaves, a thick cord and tassel at the waist, and the gown opening over a guimpc of drawn silk, with a turn-down lawn collar. The third-gown was like a Gretchcn, with a short high-Avaisted bodice, and skirt finely gathered on to this bodice, Avorn over a lawn (loAv-ncckod) guimpc and half sleeves. The front of the goAvn was laced with cords, and had tassels.