Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Saturday 15 November 1902, page 5


WOMAN'S ? REALM.

[ "Thou art a woman,

And that is saying the best and worst of lice."

-Barley.

English papers are already beginning to talk of winter clothes and furs, and in a manner which appeals to any woman who was obliged to go out in the icy wind of Thursday, after the fierce heat of Wednesday. "M.A.P." says that all the little cato'-nine-t.iil affairs, with their glassy eyes, sharp cardboard noses, and wire claws, are doomed. These semi-lifelike trophies of the chase and no longer good form, and the woman who wears them must not be injured if she is counted out of date and oldfashioned. The news fins are on a large scale, and very expensive, and large many boys are made stole pattern, to fit over the shoulders in a manner which a little suggests the fur cape of some 15 years back-. With many there is an admixture of lace, real lace, or excellent imitation, and fluffy gathered chiffon and Oriental embroildenies. All this means that furs in possession will not be useless next year, but can be remade, and redecked. The sable necklet, with its many tails, can be flattened out, deprived of its unpleasant little claws, and transformed, with some other car and much lace and gold embroidery-, into a quaint and becoming afTer for the winter. But it must be borne in mind that all the fashion papers speak strongly against ruffles and boas. Whether they will succeed in ousting them is another thing; they are endeavouring to do so, and. after all, the ruffle, with its thousands of cheap imitations, lins more than had its day and few persons would be sorry to see the last of it. Anyone, therefore, who

owns a feather boa can have this flattened also, and given that new, beaten down. flat appearance which is required for the neck garniture of the coming season, and which is foreshadowed in the lace Collars or capes which the summer has shown us. There seems a prejudice against anything round, even the muffs are to be flat next year.

It is probable that a certain roundness will be permitted to hats, though many of the real felt shapes are shown flat and heart

shaped.

The woman who cares about clothes' in

Victoria has much to put up with. One of her chief trials is the fact that in the summer she may never put away her heavy coats, skirts, furs, and' mackintosh. They are quite as necessary for the' cold changes of November, December, and January as they are for any part of June or July Winter clothes never can have great, never be put away with the hope that"next'season they will come out nice and fresh and almost capable of deceiving onlookers into imagining they are quite new. On a woman who goes about a good deal her coat and skirt become so well known that if it is an ill! show. her friends become as tired of it as she does herself. Hut, as one victim complained, "The result is that everyone thinks you' have had your cloth costume even longer than you really have had it. Only the other day a friend remarked to me, 'How well that coat of yours is wearing. You've had it more than two years surely?" I only got it last autumn, but I have to wear it so continually." Sad to say the useful Coat and skirt is very widely spoken of in English journals. "The coat and skirt style is now played, and has become the property of that hopeless person known as' tile nondescript dresser." But we may trust that such a fiat is issued without due authority; for what would we all do summer and winter without the coat and skirt style? Where materials are spoken of there is much difference of opinion. One

magazine declares in favour of very rough, shaggy stuffs in light shades, giving one the appearance of a comfortable poodle or goat. Another declares that, the fashionable couturiers have definitely disowned these same rough materials. It is probable that both are right, that very rough and quite smooth cloths are to appear, but all say that black with startling touches of colour and queer eliibrtiitli-iic.s will be very much Worn. Also there is no difference of opinion As regards skirts. There are to be no more plain skirts, the skirt with a yoke, plain or shaped, making a strong bid for favour, while below the yoke there may appear crosswise or lengthwise tucks or any kind of strapping. One model is in pleats from the waist, and has a very old worn air about it. When a very neat skirt is desired, a plain fitting one, strapped, is permitted, and with this model we were all familiar last year.

So many letters have been received inquiring in what way assistance may be sent to the Mallee settlers that suggestions as to the form of help may be of Use. Clothes are needed, of course, but by no means so urgently as food. Large numbers of the settlers' have a fair stock of clothes, for the reason that only this year have times been so bad that they could not obtain them. In Melbourne, in times of distress, clothes are required urgently, for in a city clothes and articles of commerce, can be sold or pawned, and the money used for obtaining food. This is not so in the Mallee districts, and therefore, though clothes are required, They are by no means the first need. When the household larder contains only flour, sugar, tea, treacle, and rather uninviting mutton, and a sadly limited stock of these things, the children fare

badly, In home after home the children (billie tea without milk. The water is

nasty, and it is no uncommon thing to see an infant not able to walk drinking black tea out of a saucer. To feed a family of quite young children throughout the summer on a diet of bread and treacle and black tea is not satisfactory. There are neither fruit nor vegetables, if there are any eggs (and on many farms the fowls have had to be sold) those eggs must he bartered for flour. Food for man and beast is urgently needed, and anyone who has a large fruit

on ten men who could send some cases of

fruit to that drought shiel en district, would be doing a 1 redness indeed An)

one who (could send sacks of ] duties of onions would be helping vin i is indeed In one home where a few apples were given to the children the northern miners that no fruit had been seen by them for a real

1 hulk of that, any one who has fruit to spare Bank of that PI en townspeople, where for a couple of shillings ion cm tun as much fruit as em be timed home If flint or vegetables should be sent they could be distributed by the local state school minister to the schools or by the monster after service to his congregation there would be no difficulty in this dis-(vibration and the children who were sent bout with poet cfs full of (lines, and removing some vegetables for mother would be bilpin children indeed (gifts of (cloth me as before rein in eli will be most are still received but foul as we hinted last and for children and dear ite mothers any of the patent foods condensed soups, and milks are most necessary

It is timursally ill now lodged that in to idling afflicted persons to assist them selves the truest 1 badness is being done It has been suggested in connection with blind persons that their sense of touch being so acute and sensitive, they would made ideal missions Japan leads the way in this matter permitting only blind persons to enter the profession and excluding those who have eyesight on the ground that it is a matter where the blind oval and where they may have sole control of tin industry Japan in fact protects the business in favour of the blind and so far the results have been peculiar 1\ rood It is not suggested that the blind of A real ma should thus be given the monopoly but that they should be given the opportunity of hearing a profession for which they are peculiarly fitted to give afflicted persons an oppor

turn not only of occupying their time but also of em mug then living is the best aim of all philanthropic endeavour hills it is to be hoped that in this matter we will taken lead from our northern all)

I had a complexion once ' adorned and nglishivomiin but in two acres in Melbourne

has taught me that unless I take as minds cm of it as if it were a consumptive patient it would soon be only wrinkled parchment Tienc hint, clouds of dust a strong hot wind succeeded by bitter cold

more (his and more wind makes a cousin nail in of weather which would min max skin and makes it quite understandable why the aborigines or blacks The sun is not sufficient as it was the arrangement of an all wise Pi milliner who understood

the weather The only reason why I ever look even dean and why I am not one net work of whiskies is because [ get runs sights, and sprayed and treated with all kinds of electric di v lees I shudder to think what I might be like if I did not If I could not do this I should have my skin stained a deep brown, and mere) dust it like I do the furniture when I come into the house

is it is I must spend hours weekly merely having my face cleared I could have my whole house clubbed in the time it takes to get properly 'done, but I am gratefulvery grateful for the 'doing', it is the only alternative till we all become black, and what a blessing that will be and how delightfully reckless we will feel ot and, wind,

and dust."