WOMEN’S NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 213, 9 August 1937, Page 11

WOMEN’S NOTES.

HEALTH. (By Bliss Blary Tallis.) Heart troubles.—Btany people are made miserable by the knowledge that their heart is affected. They do not realise the remarkable capacity of the heart muscles to counteract the effect of leaking heart valves if given a fair chance in the early stages. There is a peculiar condition of the heart in many young children that causes irregularity of the heart action and pulse, which is perfectly harmless, and is, indeed, rather evidence of a strong heart. This was not formerly recognised by the medical profession, and many a strong, healthy boy spent a miserable youth because all games were forbidden. This is not always known even now, and the forbidding of games is so tragic to youth that -it is wise to get a consultation in all cases where it is proposed to restrict activities. Even in cases of true heart disease, overrestriction of activities causes mental and physical harm. The great majority of heart eases can undertake any but strenuous work and can indulge in golf and other games. The great rule of life for those with leaky valves and healthy heart muscles is to forget about their heart unless the heart itself reminds them. They can have practically a normal existence and perform any work or exercise that does not give them palpitation of the heart or make them breathless, says an authority. Even a moderate degree of breathlessness will do no harm if it lasts only a few minutes after resting. Their best and only guide to their activities are their own sensations. Of course, anyone with heart disease should if possible take a clerical position and should avoid football, running races, and competition tennis and swimming. Tf there is increasing breathlessness, dropsy of the feet, spitting of blood, or other signs of distress they should consult a doctor and be prepared to : undertake a course of treatment and prolonged rest. Even after a breakdown of this nature it is ama.zing to what extent the heart can recover, and it is often possible to lead a practically normal life for many years, if rest and treatment have been sufficient. COOKING.

Rhubarb time.—With the coming of spring we can look forward to rhubarb as a pleasant change from the dried fruit and the apples and oranges of winter. Garden rhubarb is a good blood purifier, and those who do not care lor it stewed can find many recipes for other ways of using it. Here are a few novelties:—Rhubarb and walnut tart: Stew together 11b rhubarb and fib chopped walnuts, with sugar to taste, but adding no water. Instead, add the juice of two oranges and 1 lemon, and a few stoned chopped raisins. Make a pastry case and, when cooked, put in the fruit, spread whipped cream over the top and decorate with halves of walnuts. Spiced rhubarb jam : Wipe and cut up 61b rhubarb into a basin, sprinkle over slb‘ preserving sugar and allow to stand overnight. Put into your preserving pan with 2oz whole ginger, 2 cloves, a small piece of cinnamon tied in a muslin bag, and the juice and grated peel of one lemon. Boil until the jam sets when tested by putting a little on a cold plate—if it sets quickly it is done. Remove cinnamon and put into jars. American rhubarb: Take some good short-crust and line a pie-plate. Spread with thinly sliced rhubarb. Sprinkle with sugar and a dessertspoonful of honey and dust lightly over with ground cloves and cinnamon. Cover with a layer of pastry and sprinkle sugar and grated lemon on top. Bake in a fairly hot oven for half an hour. Rhubarb whip meringue: Wipe and cut up I flb rhubarb. Cook in a double boiler with lib sugar. Sprinkle this between the layers of rhubarb. When the fruit is soft, strain off the juice. Blix the juice with If dessertspoonsful of cornflour. Add the rhubarb, which should have been rubbed to a pulp, and the grated rind of a lemon. Put all in a double boiler and bring to the boil, stirring well. Put in a small piece of butter and allow the mixture to cook gently for a few minutes. Whip the whites of 2 eggs until stiff and fold in 2 tablespoonsful of castor sugar. Pile on top of the whip and set in a cool oven. HOBBIES'.

Leather-craft. A hobby T can strongly recommend for the mental worker is leather-craft. Naturally, a few lessons will make all the difference to your work, but it is quite possible for the amateur to start with a few tools, a suede skin, and make a success of many simple items, like purses, handbags, book-covers, shop-ping-bags, and bedroom slippers. For leather-work, however, a certain num her of tools are essential, though to begin with just a few will meet your needs. Later, as you grow more interested, you may wish to stencil or emboss your work, and then you will need a stencil outfit, fresh tools and possibly a staining outfit and paint brushes. It is possible to buy an amateur outfit containing 1 double-ended moddler, a tracing, tool, 1 incising knife, 1 hammer, 1 large brass rule, 1 piercer, 1' cutting punch, 1 plain punch, 1 fancy punch, 1 jiacket of press-studs, 4 sheets of designs and a book of instructions, all for about 10s. Some leathers are softer and easier to work than others. Calf and crocodile are not for the beginner, who will he wiser to start with suede. Obtainable in many attractive colours, the suede skins "have the additional advantage of being a little cheaper than calf. If you wish to make a number of small articles it is a good idea to avail yourself of some of the bargain bundles sometimes offered. The beginner would do well to start with items like purses, blotters, or book carriers. One of the easiest methods of sewing bags or carriers is by thonging. Holes are punched at regular intervals in the. leather, then long strips of leather, known as thongs are threaded in and out, and over and over. Press studs are used for purses, zip fasteners for larger artdoles. Once you have mastered the elementary stages you can, of course, go on to stencilling, embossing and painted forms of leather decoration. Then you can tackle more ambitious handbags, fire-screens, boxes or even a' small suitcase.

GENERAL. The discovery of silk.—Four thousand years ago. in the days of the sages, Yao and Shum, the. elected Emperors of the Golden Age in China, there was a great flood, and after it had subsided.it was found that the much-prized mulberry trees were covered with millions of ‘ yellowish-grey caterpillars. It was a woman, however, who saved them from extinction, because she noticed that the soft glossy cocoons from. which these caterpillars emerged yielded a lustrous fibre that was capable of being woven into a material. She asked for time to experiment, with the result that she was instrumental in bestowing a priceless gift upon her sex.- Chinese nicychants enhanced the beauty of their women and took specimens of it with them on their journeys to the Mediterranean. Its success was immediate. The introduction of the new fabric seemed to set the seal on the greatness of each successive. empire. The Iving of Syria clothed his queen in it; the women of Greece utilised it for their draperies; in Rome, Imperial Caesar sent ambassadors to the East with precious stones to barter for