THE LADIES’ WORLD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2626, 7 October 1909, Page 3

THE LADIES’ WORLD.

RATIONAL REST FOR WOMEN

The following extracts from an ivtide in the London “Dail y Tclegra, .t” are not without their lesson for Now Zealand women: When a rest-cure is ordered for one member of a ramify of women, it. is startling to nee the invalid iiutn. led o : a couch or sofa, and then to that at least one rioter will fettle .self down to talk and amuse her. The room of the invalid generally becomes the centre of family life; everything is discussed, the family squabbles are brought to her, the family worries, its makeshifts for the management of appearances, and all the little tittle-tattle tiiat composes the sum of life for so many women. It is a generation of rest-cures simply for the reason that so many women have forgotten how to rest. They live at a tension that strains every nerve, and if the tension is relaxed even for a short spell the results are disastrous, because the woman has an opportunity of realising how tired she is. “Time to rest, to think, and to listen to what goes on around” is seldom taken into account when the day’s programme is mapped out. Many women fail utterly to understand that the human mind and eyes are capable- of absorbing and grasping only a limited amount, and that after that amount lias been duly placed all else is waste.

In vain rest is prescribed; the wisest doctor gets scant hearing when he advocates an hour’s repose during an alternoon or a mere pause from ordinary occupations. The average woman has not- time to rest, until she gets herself into such a condition that she is compelled to lie aside in a hospital and permit nurses to look after her and impose on her the much-needed silence and composure a little of which might have spared her. Rest from a shopping expedition with many women takes the form ot d'splayi'ng their purchases and arranging what is to be done with them, planning costumes, and so on. It is sometimes amusing to see a woman lay herself on a sofa and declare that she must rest,; straightway she begins to wonder whether she did right to choose certain wares on which she has spent her money. “Mrs So-and-So talked me into it,” was an excuse made the other day by a woman with fever-bright eyes who had bought absurdities instead of solid necessaries. Her shopping expedition lasted from ten m the morning till six at night. She wandered from one place to another, walked through several great stores, noted this and that, lunched on a bun and a cup of tea, and slia and her friend kept up a ceaseless stream of comment, small talk, and comparison all through the day. Sim lay down for an hour and talked over the day’s outing; then she dressed and dined, and went afterwards to a theatre and to supper with a party. The strenuous life may be all very well for a time, but there comes an hour m which its marks are too plainly written, and the woman has perforce to accept the fact that she looks old. "Women look old much sooner than men, partly because of this exhausting habit of incessant restlessness and chatter. Many women hate to he alone; they must live in a turmoil. Life is “slow” when there is no triviality to talk about, or when they -ire not rushing here or there in a .curry. The lack of restfulness has grown so serious that we might well take into consideration principles that are -ample enough. It is impossible for any human being to enjoy more than a me a sured portion of the day. Work, if reasonably done, has not the effect of this extravagant seeking for amusement, this endless talk. At some part of the day every woman who is restless should lie down in a quiet room, with scant furnishing and decoration. She should allow every limb to relax, she should exclude light, but have all the air possible. Then she ought to compel her mind to inactivity, no matter what cause she may have ior worry. Into too many lives to-day the problem comes as to whether the woman is to kill the nerves or the nerves the woman, and rational rest is the solution. NURSES FOR THE BUSH.

Madame Melba has initiated a scheme for the provision of district nurses and medical attention for the outlying country districts of the Commonwealth. Lady Dudley has enthusiastically taken up the proposal, which she advocated at the Women’s'Congress at Brisbane as a special call for Australian women. For some years Madame Melba had made a study <f t:ie life cl the Australian pioneer in the spnr.-ely-populat-ed outlying districts, and, impressed with the hardships with which illness was almost always attended there, she formulated schemes identical with Lady Dudley’s suggestion, though the vastness of the area to be covered always rose m> as an insuperable difficulty and stayed definite action. On August 30th Madame Melba wrote to Lady Dudley, offering her help to raise money for the purpose,, and saying that before she left Australia" she proposed to give a concert, the proceeds to be devoted to inaugurating a country district nursing scheme, winch shall be formulated for the benefit of country districts in Australia. Madame Melba further showed her enthusiasm for and practical sympathy with the scheme by drafting, a special appeal to’ every woman hearing the name of Nellie (her own name) iri each State of the Commonwealth, to become a collector of at least a dozen subscriptions for the fund, which will be federal in administration. “The shillings collected, the circular states, . “by the ‘Nellies’ or limitel? means will be as welcome as the pounds collected by their richer namesakes.” The most successful collector in each State will be presented with a prize commemorative of the inauguration of the fund. The movement was to be launched this week at a public meet in" in the Town Hall, at which Lady Gibson-Carmichael was to preside. Lady. Dudley was expected to he present, and Madame Melba was to be the principal speaker. FOR THE LITTLE ONES.

Soap bubbles are always a famous amusement for children, and especially on wet daySj when they cannot get out of doors. Take a piece of strong brown laundry soap, and shave it into a pint of warm water. When it is dissolved add a tablespoonful of gum arable to it and stir it until it is melted. Now add to it a teaspoonful of glycerine and a quart of cold water. This makes big soap bubbles, and tho water may be colored if liked, and made pink by adding to it strawberry or currant juice.