The Ladies' Magazine.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2657, 12 November 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Ladies' Magazine.

little luxuries of a FASHIONABLE WOMAN 2000 YEARS AGO.

The intimate, the boudoir life of the Latin girl of fashion who lived 500 years before Christ has been revealed at last. Through excavations made on the site of an ancient Italian city, it is now possible to actually see her at her toilet, on the streets, at the feasts, or climbing the terraces to the magnificent Temple of Eortuna, there to beg the faver of the fickle goddess. There has been unearthed the most remarkable collection of women’s ornaments, iier little articles of luxury, and even her toilet articles, that ever rewarded archaeological research. It was as though the seekers had stumbled upon the innermost chambers of some Latin princess or lady of great rank. There were her golden cases, long cylinders, and little boxes that had held the feminine trifles of the time. There were wonderfully carved ivory cups from which she could drink while undergoing the fatiguing services of her maids; wonderfully golden caskets, carved with scenes from the adventures of the gods and wrought exquisitely, were there. These have held her jewels. The very jewels, the golden clasp, that held her girdle, necklaces, brooches, and curios, finely carved hands of ivory, used to scratch her ladyship’s white back to soothe her after a day of tiring fashionable effort; even the wonderful bronze perfume burner in which delicate scents were consumed to please her were found. Almost it was as if one had been transported backwards 25 centuries, and could look into the homes of these luxurious Latins, now that these treasures of that age and place have been acquired by the Italian Government for its museums.

The girl of fashion of the fifth century B.C. had at her command all of the luxuries that Asia, Africa, and Europe could offer, and the artists of Greece and Home vied with each other in the perfecting of her ornaments and adornments. Gold and silver were like stones in the streets, and ivory carvings in ever}’ home with the least pretensions to elegance. When she made her toilet, her maids brought forth magnificent gold or ivory caskets, topped with beautifully carved figures of Apollo or Cupids, and engraved with scenes from Greek and Homan mythology. In one of these caskets were all the jewels with which my lady was to be adorned for the feast. Here was her gold collar, worked out in lions’ heads; her bracelets, and any number of stickpins set with gems, or curiously carved. The very mirror that was held up before her to reflect the glowing features was a triumph of the engraver’s art. In another ca.sket were the precious ointments and unguents with which she smoothed her complexion and scented her person. Here, too, were the combs, the pencils for the cy ebrows, the dyes for the hair —all the luxuries that could be devised to add to the charms of the Princess who was soon to go forth to the feast. Unlike the Greeks, the Latin matrons took part in the feasts with tho men, and theirs was no small part oT the conversation and charm of the festal board. At three o’clock—the eighth hour, as the Romans called it —all domestic cares were put aside, and preparations for the event of the day—dinner —were begun. The woman of fashion was bathed and perfumed, her hair was dressed, and her jewels brought forth, so that she could be ready for the Prince to take her to the dinner between four and five o’clock. And there was a convivial gathering indeed. The viands were of the choicest —there was the peacock in full plumage, tongues of nightingales, fishes from the farthest seas. And the flowers—roses, roses, roses on all sides, wound about the tables, filling the magnificent vases, twined with crowns for the feasters. And the conversation — was of all things in heaven and earth, of art, of science as they knew it then,' of love, and of fortune.

PINEAPPLE DELICACIES.

The pineapple is not used .so much perhaps as it might be, but those who are fond of it may like to try some of the following recipes. Pineapple Pancakes. —Make a batter of half a pound of sifted flour, three? large eggs, and a cup of milk. Have ready a well-buttered sheet-iron fryingpan, and pour in about three tablespoonfuls of the batter. As .soon as brown on one side, reverse and brown. Take up carefully, put on a hot service plate, and cover with pineapple preserves. Over this put a second cake, then more pineapple, and so on until all the batter has been used. Cut in segments like a pie. Pineapple Marmalade. —'Peel, core, and chop-the pine. Weigh, and allow a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. Mix well and let stand in the preserving kettle over night. In the morning cook about half an hour, then run through a sieve. Return to the preserving kettle and simmer, stirring almost constantly for half or threequarters of an hour until a clear, am-ber-colored paste results that will be firm "when -cooled. Pack in .small jars. Pineapple Sponge.—For this you will require three cups full of the crushed or shredded pineapple, one small cupful of sugar, a half package of gelatine soaked an hour in a half cupful of cold water, and the whites of four eggs. Put the pineapple and sugar in a saucepan with a cupful of water and simmer 10 or 15, minutes if the fresh pine is used. All that the canned requires is simply heating. Add the soaked gelatine, take at once from" the fire, and strain into a dish set in a pan of chipped ice. Where the canned crushed pineapple is used it does not require straining. When partly cooled add the wellwhipped whites of the eggs and beat, until the entire mixture is pongy and thickened. Pour into a mould and set away to harden. Serve with whipped arid sweetened cream, or a soft custard made from the yolks of four eggs, a quart of milk, and four tablespoonfuls of sugar. Pineapple Charlotte. —Make as directed above for the pineapple sponge, but instead of pouring into a large mould, pour into little individual cups made from hotlowed-out sponge cake or lady fingers. If preferred, you can use the regular charlotte- russe paper cups or split the lady fingers or . slice the sponge cakes to fit little cups or saucers, putting a spoonful of the sponge in the centre of each and pressing the cakes against it. —From the “Delineator.”

OUR BABIES.

(By “Hygeia.”)

Published under the auspices of the Society for the Promotion of the Health of Women and Children.

THE WELLINGTON CONFERENCE.

LADY PLUNIvET’S SPEECH

Lady Plunket, who opened the conference, spoke of the great encouragement afforded by the-progress of the Society. In two years nine centres had been formed, and in the larger cities the committees have been obliged to engage and train second nurses, as the number of oases calling for attention, had been far more than one nurse could cope with; The promptness which mothers have shown in asking for the services and advice of the Plunket nurses must be a deep satisfaction to the founder and hardest worker in the movement—Dr. Truby King—whose skill, energy, and enthusiasm in the cause of the mothers and their infants was now known and appreciated from one end of New Zealand to the other. Speaking of the qualifications necessary for a Plunket nurse, Lady Plunket said that she would like to urge that, in considering the nurses' salaries-, the delegates must not lose sight of the fact that they must have the very best material, and therefore pay a reliable price. A Plunket nurse must be specially reliable, as she is not under constant supervision. She must have unusual tact; she must be ready to work long houre, and in all sorts' of weather. In fact she must be a particularly superior woman. In conclusion, Lady Plunket expressed -her satisfaction that so many delegates had shown their enthusiasm in the cause by journeying here for the conference, and she took the opportunity of resigning her position as president, as she was shortly leaving those shores. She was sure that it was unnecessary for her to mention the deep regret she felt at parting with a work which she loved, but she assured them that her connection with the movement would always be a pride to her, and she hoped never to lose touch with the Society. DR. TRUBY KING’S ADDRESS. The Chairman (Dr. Truby King) referred with deep regret to the announcement of Lady Plunket that her approaching departure from New Zealand must entail her retirement from the presidency of the Society, with whose foundation and work she had been so intimately associated and identified. Her Excellency had explained what were some of the leading objects and' aims of the Society, and lie did not think that it- was necessary for him to add much, if anything, in that- direction. It might be more profitable if he were to say a few words concerning what the Society was not, rather than what it was, seeing liow. perversely a small section of the public still continued to misrepresent from time to time what was being done. —A Broad Aim.— Referring to the general scope of the Voiety, Dr. King said its name conveyed at once the broad aim which the members had in view. It was a Health Society, founded to deal specially with the admitted ignorance and disabilities of women in matters vitally concerning them, their progeny, and the race generally. It was a society on lines of. mutual helpfulness for securing the health of the rising generation from the start, and not a society for the treatment of disease which came within the province of the physician. It was not a society, as some absurdly supposed, for advocating the use. of humanised milk. It did all in its power to do away with all bottle feeding, s. —Not a Fad.—

' However, he continued, provided a baby could not be fed by its mother, the Society would certainly advocate the use of food which approached as nearly as possible to Nature. It was ahsurb that humanity should try to force its offspring to adapt itself to the digestion and assimilation of cows’ milk, which was formed and adapted for the nourishment of a totally different being. The most ordinary common-sense should suggest that the proper thing to do .was not. to try to compel the baby to adapt itself to the rise, of cow’s milk but to adapt and modify the cow’s milk in such a way as to fit iti for building up the young human being. Humanised milk was desirable, not alone for . what were called a-rtiricially- ' fed babies, but also for all babies for a time after they were weaned; The work of the Society was not a modern fad; it was a conservative attempt to try to get mothers to conform to the laws of Nature as closely' as possible, and to cease from further ignorant and hopeless experimentation with their offspring. So far as the feeding of young infants %vas concerned, the ordinary use of cow’s milk, cane sugar, and barley water was had enough, but the extensive use of condensed milk and patent foods was even worse. —A PROFITABLE POLICY.— It was not a society which pandered to vice, as some persons most foolishly supposed, or wliich made things more easy for the vicious. The vicious woman wanted to get rid of her child. She desired it to die, or she was careless whether it .died' or lived a healthy or unhealthy life—slie- abandoned it. The Society held that as practically every baby was born healthy, it should be maintained healthy, even from an economic point of view. Even the socalled unfortunate children did not die for the most part under maltreatment. They lived on and became miserable stunted specimens. They tended to develop into charges on the community, and were a menace to society. However, generally speaking, it was not this class of babies that the Society Had to deal with; such infants contributed gnly a small fraction of the clientele. The nurses attended the mothers and babies of all .classes, without discrimination. Their mission was an educative one, and education was not for one class more than another, nor for tlie poor and the ignorant than for the ignorant land well-to-do. In regard to. the matter of keeping "themselves “fit”’ and safeguarding the Health of their offspring, modern women, as a wholCj had been placed in an unfortunate position. No effort had been made to give them the chance of education in this most important aspect of national life. The mothers were not to blame—the -fault lay with our social system, _ Tlie mothers showed themselves willing to learn, and anxious to do what was right, now that practical aid was ayail-