A CORNER FOR WOMEN READERS CONDUCTED BY NINA VIVIAN

In the history of women, jewels and jewellery have played a unique part. Way back in Bible days one reads of the extreme prominence placed by woman upon her possessions in this line. Jewels were her special adornment for her bridal, and the word jewel signified "precious treasure." For jewels and gold women have sinned and sold their virtue, their honor and their happiness. It has been said,
"God begets in brethren, hate;
Gold in families, debate;
Gold does friendship separate;
Gold does evil wars create."
and truly. This arrangement of gold may be enlarged to include jewels also. If it had not been for her love of jewels in the affair of the Diamond Necklace--the incident immortalized by Carlyle, Marie Antoinette might never have lost her ill-starred head. With what wit and subtlety; yea, and with what knowledge of woman nature did Mephistopheles teach Faust to tempt successfully the soul of pure young Marguerite with jewels. Jewels have served as offering at shrines, as pledges between plighted lovers and absent friends; jewels serve, and have long served, as talismans and mascots. Stones are lucky or unlucky; have healthful properties or the reverse of health as tradition dictates. The traditions attached to certain stones--such as ill-luck to the opal--appear to us to be utterly without reason, and must be the result of some ancient legend or story. The opal may have been called unlucky because of a rather bad habit which it has contracted of crumbling to pieces, apparently without rhyme or reason. Its changing hues may have made it unfit in the eyes of a lover to symbolize his love for his "ladye." While the deeper hues of the ruby and garnet instantly suggest the warmth and depth of passionate attachments. "A ruby, drop of my heart's blood." The diamond commends itself because it always was an emblem of faithfulness, as lasting and undimmed as the ever-brilliant lust of the gem. Pearls, with their soft beauty, are said to be symbolic of love's sorrow. "Pearls bring tears," and so on through the category of gems one might go. Fashions in gems change with other changing fashions. The immense filigree brooches, set with tiny iridescent aquamarines, and earrings to match, which were the delight of our grandmothers--we are willing to dispose of as old gold. In the past few years the jeweller has seen fit to bring the gem itself into all possible prominence, and has studied to make their settings invisible. To such an extent has this fashion been carried that in some cases holes are bored through the pure gems themselves, and they are strung on invisible gold or silver wire till they are literal ropes of gems. Now a reaction is setting in, and the jewels themselves are of secondary importance. All must be subservient to the craft of the artist in working out harmonies of form and color, symbol and fancies with the stone not the principal feature, but only as a useful accessory. Which is really returning again in form and style to the jewels of our grandmothers.

Madam Harland gives a very bright idea for a combination party and bazaar alone, if you do so prefer it. [Make] it a week in the 20th century, and arrange seven tables, each presided over by a girl representing a day in the week. Monday is clad in working clothes, and sells everything pertaining to wash day, mops, wash-clothes, clothes pins, wash mittens, towels, etc. Tuesday is mending day. Work-bags needle books, pin-cushions etc., are for sale here. Wednesday is the baker [?] rolling pins, etc. [six lines illegible] behind an afternoon tea equipage. She dispenses tea and cake, while an assistant sells all manner of tea-table devices--cups and saucers, little cream jugs, tea cosies, tea pot handles, sugar tongs, afternoon tea spoons, etc. Friday is sweeping day and is arrayed in cap and apron. Brooms of all sorts, from a whisk to colored broom sweeping caps, dusters and the like are to be found in her stock. For Saturday, market day is the character chosen, of course. She has for sale things a housekeeper should lay in for Sunday, and the continuing week. Groceries, cake, confectionery and fruit with home-made pies and cakes and whatever else is needed for the larder. Sunday is arrayed as a sister of charity, and sells books for Sunday schools, and all kinds of literature suitable for Sunday. She may also take subscriptions for some good Sunday magazine.

This idea seems to be an excellent one, and could be carried out with very little expenditure and considerable profit. Besides being a novel entertainment, and novelties always take well in the line of entertaining.

Already across the line the daintiest and finest of fabrics for wear in "the lang lang days o' summer," are being displayed, and beforehand folk are beginning, even though the first real fall of snow is on the ground--to think about and plan for their summer sewing. In fabrics we are to have a rich and luxurious spring--gold is to be rivalled in the field by silver and they will probably have a joint reign. Satin foulards head the list for popularity among the finer materials. These are to be of a soft glossy richness. Two foulards are going to be the thing for the wardrobe of the well-dressed girl, a light and a dark one. The colors and designs are said to be charming-pinkish reds being the most popular. In fact, it is to be a "red" season. So the brunette may congratulate herself-in advance. The color is to be popular in hat trimmings for spring, and also in dress trimmings. Red waistcoats will also be much worn. Dimities and other wash fabrics show prettily satanic touches of red and black, on white and cream grounds. Linen ginghams zephyrs and silk ginghams, mostly stripes (for it is to be a season of stripes and corded effects), are to be the popular materials for shirt waists. Linen canvas, double width in pinks, blues and tans, promises to be much worn for whole wash gowns. Oriental effects in colors and patterns--Persian and Moorish designs, made is ornate as lieth in the brain of the Oriental designers, will be much worn. Silk grenadines are indeed things of beauty, with their lace stripes and floral appliques. In fact, luxury and beauty are to run riot, and it will be a surprising thing if some husbands do not find three readings of the Riot Act necessary to put an end to the lightening of their purses.

Montreal promises to be the banner city of the Dominion as far as women's sports are concerned, Ladies' hockey teams are not unknown there, and now they are making fine headway with auld Scotia's favourite pastime-curling. Toronto has plenty of ladies who "curl," but not quite in the Scotch acceptation of the term--they have so far not distinguished themselves as "cuplers." The Montreal lady curlers are practising hard for future matches. They met the ladies of the Lachine Club at half-past ten this morning to defend the Challenge cup; but the result has not yet reached us. One part of the game at least, the fair sex should excel in, that is the sweeping part. It has always been an amusing thing to the writer to see a man body--probably frantically puffing a cigar and sweeping vigorously and earnestly the path of the curling stone. Sweeping being (ostensibly at least) one of her natural attributes, the woman curler will very likely wield the broom with even more dexterity than the man.

Ever little odd piece of ribbon now a days is clipped and tagged. One would imagine from this sudden craze for order and neatness that we had lately indulged in a superfluity of strayed ends of ribbon and chiffon coasting about our persons. I do not remember that we have been especially untidy. But no one could ever account for the vagaries of fashion. Nevertheless the fact remains that all the smartest gowns have these quaint tags and clips tied at the ends of the plain little bows and negligee rosettes that adorn them. For instance, an old world bow of black velvet--just one of these stiff little bows that were in vogue during the early part of the seventeenth century--will have the two ends finished with silver tags. Then a knot of gold tinted ribbon will have the ends completed with a couple of gilt tags, and a large rosette of chiffon or tulle, adorning the side of a decollete bodies, will have two pendant ends, clasped with, perhaps, long oxidized silver tags.

The clips are used for exactly the same purposes, only, of course, the ends of the ribbon remain flat, the fancy clip fastening onto the ribbon after the manner in a way, of a miniature paper clip. Those little clips are pretty, and the designs are charming but of the two--the tags and the clips--most people prefer the former.

A special meeting of the Toronto Auxiliary of the McCall Association was held this afternoon at the residence of Prof. Wrong, 460 Jarvis street, Mrs. Don Clark, the president, in the chair. Twenty-six years ago on the 17th of January, Dr. McCall held his first meeting in Paris, France, and the Toronto Auxiliary made to-day's meeting a commemoration of that event. The meeting opened with prayer, followed by the reading of the same passages of Scripture and the singing of the same hymns used by Dr. McCall at his first meeting. Mrs. Gibbs gave a comprehensive talk on the general work of the association and after a delightful solo by Miss Lola Ronan, Mrs. Laird spoke on "Our Special Works." The work of the Toronto Auxiliary is the support of missions in Rochfort and La Rocholle, France, but this year they wish to make special effort toward assisting the immediate work of Dr. Gregg, now occupying the place of Dr. McCall.

Invitations are being issued announcing the marriage of Miss Jessie Vail Benson, fourth daughter of Rev. Manly Benson, D.D., of Gananoque, to Mr.Joseph Farnham Eastmond, of New York. The ceremony will be in Grace Methodist church next month (February.)

Mrs. W. H. Blake and her little daughter, Miss. Helen Blake returned home yesterday from a three-weeks' visit with Mrs. Blake's mother, Mrs. Law, in Montreal.

Mr. George Gooderham with his daughter, Miss Violet Gooderham, leave town on Friday night for Nassau.

Miss Edith Wilkes of Bloor street has gone to New York on a visit.

Miss Ethel Mathews, who has been visiting Mrs. T. G. Shaughnessy, of Montreal, has returned home.

The Executive meeting of the Methodist Women's Mission Board resumed its adjourned session this morning, and will continue till evening. Dr. Maude Killam, a returned medical missionary from Chen-tu, China, gave an interesting account of her work and the past Chinese riots. Dr. Killam stopped at Japan on her way home, and was able to bring news of the Methodist mission work and its progress there also.

Fanny Kemble Johnson