THE LADIES’ WORLD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2773, 31 March 1910, Page 3

THE LADIES’ WORLD.

THE PLEASANT VOICE.

A VALUED POSSESSION

It is not only on the stage that a pleasant voice has a high market, ibut in business as well. An agreeable 'voice is in itself a good letter of recommendatioji, as many believe that it •shows poise and character. One employer said that he engaged a girl at a high salary because site had a pleasant voice. “I advertised for a competent typist, and I had nearly fifty applicants,” ho explained. ‘‘Out of this number there were but few wlio tould fill the bill, because I wanted a Capable girl .with a pleasant vioce. Alter talking with more than half the applicants I refused two whom I might have engaged because they_ had harsh voices. At last a timid girl appeared. Bhe was so timid I had my doubts if the could make .good, but she had such a pleasant voice I decided to give her a trial.”

Beautiful speaking voices are almost as rare as fine singing voices. But 1 every woman can acquire a pleasant Voice. The first step' is to train the ear by listening to one’s own voice. The harsh notes are easily detected. Then try many registers until one finds out where the voice belongs. A voice to be pleasant must be flexible and have a wide range. If it lacks this quality it is monotonous. Flexibility is acquired in many ways. The simplest exercise is to practise the vowels in different registers. Reading aloud is a splendid exercise >for the voice.’ It gives intelligence and makes the voice clear and limpid. >lf it is not possible to read to a group, one should read aloud to oneself at least ten minutes a day. Enunciation is also an important point. To enunciate carefully is a \self-conscious work at first, but it is isoon made a habit. If the tongue is Iheavy or the notes come from the back ■of the throat -they can be pushed forward. A splendid exercise is the trill. It should be done slowly at first and then accelerated.

A pleasant voice is certainly worth the price of any labour, for it is a joy and always has a market value.

WOMEN’S WORLD

The recumbent figure of Queen Victoria, which lies on her sarcophagus in the mausoleum is most beautifully carved in white marble, and represents her in full robes of State and crown. A similar figure of Prince Albert .lies beside it on the same sarcophagus, and represents him in his Field-Marshal’s uniform and the mantle of the Order of the Garter.. The sarcophagus itself is a massive affair of solid grey granite. It stands in the middle of the mausoleum, directh* under the dome, which is such a conspicious feature from the Long Walk. Great angels in bronze kneel at the corners of the tomb. Round it, hanging from the archways, are lamps of gold and bronze, which were given by the King, as Prince of Wales.

it is known that women in Turkey are so much under the control of men that it will be a surprise, to many to learn that a young Circassian should dare to repulse the advances of the Sultan ; but Abdul-Hamid had an experience, of tile kind which he must have been long in forgetting. The lady pleaded that she could not marry a man with a beard. The Sultan, precluded by etiquette from removing his, had to stand aside. Shortly afterwards the lady married one of liis suite, and Hamid, contriving as he thought, a humorous revenge, commanded Benedick to grow a beard. When, however, Beatrice next courtsey. ed to her Sovereign, it was with thanks for having taught her that, after all, a beard was a charming fashion!

The Queen of Italy is very fond of going amongst her people simply dressed and quite incognito. A certain woman applied for help at a charitable society’s, office and her story was listened to by a young lady there. The- woman told the story of her misfortune; how she was in the utmost want, her husband having died a few days before, leaving her to provide for several children. The -young woman in the office pressed a piece of gold into her hand and inquired her address. The next morning the woman was surprised to receive the visit of a well-dressed man, who handed her a note for £2. “That,” he said, “will pay your renL and for the future have no fear; the Queen will look after you.” “The Queen!” said the woman, “then it was the Queen whom I saw yesterday and who shook my hand. How should I have known ? She was so simply dressed.”

That not one woman in fifty takes sufficient rest is the verdict of a medical man, and there is nothing surprising in the statement. The majority of them are the hardest worked of the community, for their hours of actual labor are so irregular. Take the housekeeper, who performs her own domestic duties. Why, her work seems never ending, and probably she has also plenty of anxieties, all of which tell on the constitution in the long run. She is the woman—'who says she has no time for such luxuries as an extra hour in bed—in fact, she has always got on with only four or five hours’ real rest. “This,” says the doctor above, quoted, “is penny wise and pound foolish. Economy of the time which should be spent in sleep means in the end months of ill-health and long-standing doctors’ bills. The best remedy for headaches, irritability, and so on is a few extra hours in bed.’ The so often spoken “rest cure” amounts to this—no visitors, no amusements, no excitement, but bodily and mental tranquility, and it is wonderful liow the latter follows on til© former. Youth and freshness, both of appearance and« mind, are retained by getting as much sleep as possible, and half-an-hour lying down on a bed is worth two hours in an armchair.

The Sunday before Lent has always been a favorite day for weddings in Vienna, betrothed oouples selecting it for the performance, of the marriage ceremony. This year all previous records were surpassed (writes the Vienna correspondent of the “London Telegraph”). In the seventy-six parish churches of the cit-" 1000 weddings were celebrated. In the Favoriten district, which is populated principally by the working classes, seventy conples were married, and so that the regular services should' not be interrupted several pairs were married at the l same time. In one church twenty weddings took place simultaneously. Besides these, 250 silver veddihgs and 60 golden weddings were celebrated in Vienna one day recently. It.; was a profitable day for the churches. . ", PUDDINGS. Fig Pudding.— : Three-fourtbs pound of bread (stale preferred) chopped fine, one-lialf pound of best figs chopped ifine, six ounces brown sugar, one cup 'milk, one-lialf nutmeg, on e egg well beaten, then add milk, two ounces of

feweet almonds, chopped fine, and the •grated rind of one lemon. Put in a ]>an of dish and steam for four hours. Serve with the following hard sauce: —One cupful of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of butter, two tablespoon fills of water. Stir to a leream with the yolk of one egg. Add the whole white of the egg beaten to a froth just before serving. Flavour ‘with vanilla.

Prune Pudding.—One pound wellcooked prunes; remove .pits, mash prunes thoroughly with fork. Beat Cvhitcs of three eggs, add one-half cup of sugar and mix with prunes. Make a boiled custard of one quart mill:, yolks of .three eggs well beaten, onehalf cupful sugar, one' teaspoonful of fcornstarch or flour; flavor with vanilla, chill, and serve in glass cups. Put (prunes in dish first and pour custard 'around. Add nuts to custard if desired.

Mock Charlotte.—Two tablespoonfuls 'corn starch, one-third cupful of sugar, grated rind and juice of one-half lemon, one cupful of boiling water; cook and let cool while you heat the whites of two eggs, then stir together. Serve ice' cold with this dressing:— Volks of two eggs, four tablespoonfuls ■of sugar, one-half pint milk; cook and add one teaspoonful of vanilla. Set on ice.

Suet Pudding.—One cupful of finelychopped suet, one cupful of .molasses, (one cupful of milk, three cupfuls of (flour, one tablespoonful salt, one teaispoonful cinnamon, one-half tcaspoonful cloves, one-half teaspoonfnl“ nut>meg, one and one-half cupfuls of raisins, two tablespoonfuls flour, one tea(spoonful of soda. Mix and sift dry in!gred:ents, add'molasses and milk to the teue^; combine mixtures, add raisins, f\vh:ch .have previously been cut in email pieces and floured. Turn into buttered moulds_, cover and steam three hours. If steamed in one-half or one pound baking-powder cans, two hours is sufficient. Arrange neatly for serving and use one of the following sauces: —Hard Sauce.—One-third cupful of butter, one cupful pulverised sugar, one teaspoonful vanilla. Cream the butter, add the sugar gradually, and ifia.vor. The white of an egg may be added. Arrange neatly in a small dish, •and set away to chill or until ready to serve. For a yellow sauce use the yolk of an egg in place of the white of an egg.

Lemon or Liquid Sauce.—One-half fcupful of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of flour, .pinch of salt, one and one-half cupfuls boiling water, two tablespoonfuls butter, one tablespoonful lemon 'juice, grated .rind of one-half a lemon, or two teaspoonfuls of vanilla. Mix dry materials and pour in boiling water, stirring constantly. Boil three to •four minutes. Remove from the fire and add the butter and flavoring. Lemon Foam Pudding.—Two teaspoonfuls of water, one teacupful of •sugar, two large tablespoonfuls of cornstarch ; dissolve in a. little water. Boij •this well, then add the juice of two le!mons or oranges; have the whites of three eggs beaten stiff and add the boiled part slowly. Sauce:—Yolks of three eggs, two cups of milk, three tablespoonfuls of sugar; cook in double boiler until it thickens.

RECIPES. '

Potemkin Pie.—The hearts of whole cabbages parboiled and the water drained from them, a few thick slices of cold fat ham or bacon, cold meat of any feort, .game or fowl, To be all chopped very fine and seasoned with a little chopped onion, marjoram, parsley, half a nutmeg, pepper or cayenne. Place these ingredients in a dish, pour over •them a little melted butter and good gravy, but not enough to make it liquid. Cover with a good plain paste, ■and serve hot or cold.

Bobotee (a Curry).—Required: Two (pounds of meat, two onions, one large dice of white bread, one teacupful of 'milk, two eggs, two tablospoonfuls of curry powder, one dessert-spoonful of sugar, juice of one lemon, and two 'tablespoonfuls of vinegar, six or eight almonds, a- lump of butter. Mince the meat, soak the bread in milk, and ■squeeze dry. Fry the onions in butter. Mix all the ingredients together—curry. sugar, salt, etc.—with the fried onion ; now mix all with the meat. Mix one egg with the mixture : whisk the other with some milk, and pour over the whole, after being put into a buttered piedish, with lemon on top. Bake. •Serve with rice.

Date Salad.—Required: Two lettuces, one piece of endive, two ounces of Sweet almonds, half a- .pound of dates, two ounces of Parmesan cheese, one ounce of cream. Grate the cheese, and mix to a paste with the. cream. Stone Yhe dates, and.fill with the mixture. Separate the lettuce leaves, place the stuffed dates'on them, and sprinkle the (whole with chopped endive and almonds.

Angel PuddLig.—Required : Two tablespoo.nfuls of ground rice, one tabJespoonful of cornflour, one pint of miik, five eggs, a pinch of salt, two of castor sugar, a small of butter. Mix rice, - salt, sugar, and cornflour Uvith a little milk. Put the rest of the milk with the butter in a saucepan, bring to the boil; now add the ingredients which have first been mixed, and boil well for eight minutes. Let the ■mixture cool, then add the beaten, yolks, and lastly the whipped whites. •Hake at once for half an hour. Serve ■hot.

Austrian Pudding.—Required: Two ounces of butter, two dessertspoonfuls of two different jams, mixed, quarter of a toaspoonful of carbonate of soda, one egg, its weight in flour and breadcrumbs. Melt the butter, dredge in the dry ingredients, add the jam and the egg, well beaten, and lastly the soda. Have ready a pudding-basin well buttered, put in the mixture, and steam for an hour.