Health-All Round The Clock.

In our last issue we briefly outlined a general plan for health guidance covering the routine for the average day, and we now propose to elaborate our remarks a little more fully.

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Rising. —A regular time must be adhered to for rising, and it is most important that this be arranged so that ample time is allowed not only for toilet, dressing and breakfast, but also for a few minutes’ leisure for reading the paper. The day is well started by drinking a glass of either hot or cold water immediately on rising, the teeth must be well brushed and the mouth cleansed, and the body refreshed by either hot or cold bath. After this, five or ten minutes should be spent in carrying out some simple physical exercises before dressing. If you prefer, this may be done before having your bath. A regular time must be set aside for the evacuation of the bowel either before or after breakfast, and this time must be observed even though there be no inclination at that time. This is a most important part of the toilet which should not be hastened, nor should it be postponed until arrival at the office, at which time something might occur to demand one's immediate attention, thus necessitating suppression of desire and encouraging one of the commonest causes of constipation. Remember that, in a normal person, there should be absolutely no need for laxatives which, most unfortunately, are so much in vogue today as to be looked upon almost as an article of diet. If you lead a normal, regular life, you will enjoy that wonderful feeling of good health without having daily resort to something laxative out of a bottle, tin, or carton.

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Breakfast. —This should not be a heavy meal, and should consist of slewed fruit, or cereal, lightly boiled or poached eggs, toast and butter, with tea or coffee as desired. Do not drink during the meal, but after. Should the standard breakfast of bacon and eggs be desired, this is in order, but bear in mind that fried dishes are more difficult to digest and therefore grilled bacon and poached eggs are more easily dealt with. Hot buttered toast is also indigestible. Now, having finished breakfast, do not bolt off immediately. Pause for a few minutes to read the paper, thus allowing time for the digestive juices of the stomach to mix with the food, thus commencing the process of digestion in a normal, healthy manner.

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Work. —Now to work. Whatever your occupation may be, the care of the body is just as important as is the care of your business. If working out of doors, clothing must be suited not only to occupation but also to climate, ensuring that the body be neither chilled nor overheated. If in doors, then it is essential that a free circulation of fresh air be provided, and that the temperature of the room be such that the same normal conditions for the body prevail. A chilled temperature will assuredly inhibit the proper working of the functions of your body which must carry on continuously, while an overheated atmosphere will cause a feeling of oppression and over-activity of the skin glands. It will also stultify your mental activity. Now, although a free circulation of fresh air is essential, draughts must be avoided as they cause increased evaporation from the skin surface with consequent chilling of the body.

Lunch. —Now for lunch. Unfortunately, in many cases, this is the most, rushed time of the day, the customary hour allowing too little time for partaking of what should be a more or less light meal. We would very much like to see embodied in the Forty Hour Week legislation, provision for a luncheon interval of at least one hour and a quarter. It is just as unwise to rush home and sit down immediately to a meal as it is to rush away immediately after a meal.

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Dinner. —Unless advised to the contrary, it is well to leave the so-called “heavy” meal until the evening, as there should then be more time and leisure to partake of this meal and to allow the digestive functions to perform their task more thoroughly. Masticate slowly, and again, do not drink during this process.

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Leisure. —Pause for a while after dinner to give the gastric juices a chance, then indulge in the recreation or exercise of your pleasure.

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Supper. —Ordinarily, this should not be necessary, but for those who wish it a cup of milk or tea and a biscuit will do no harm.

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Bed. —“And so to bed.” Do not sit up too late, and above all, avoid that unhealthy, pernicious habit of sitting “mooning” half asleep in front of the fire just doing nothing till all hours. Before retiring, brush the teeth well and cleanse the mouth, as particles of food remaining in the mouth overnight decompose and give rise to that unpleasant thick taste in the morning. Let your hour for retiring be page 58 as regular as possible, and see to it that your bedroom is well ventilated, and that you are not exposed to draughts. Your bed covering should be light in weight but warm in texture, as heavy covering will oppress you, interfere with free respiration and the normal action of your skin, and further, will induce those weird nightmares which deprive you of full benefit of a night's repose.

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“Blow Out.” —For the benefit of those who did not read our notes in the last issue of this magazine, we repeat our opinion that “an occasional ‘blow out,’ judiciously arranged, does us all good.”

In our next issue, we will probably have something to say about food and clothing.

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Fashion Jottings.

Here we are, almost in mid-season, with the fashion surprises all exhausted save for adaptations of the mode which draw our interest.

Top-coats have a definite surface weave—for instance, knap cloths, bouclés, tree-bark coatings, chevron and diagonal finishes. Furs give a luxury finish to necklines and sometimes to upper sleeves. Among a recent collection were noticed fox, imitation squirrel, dyed musquash, skunk, Persian lamb, pointed fox, opossum. Collars are mostly convertible. Waistlines are nipped in. Skirts have a slight flare.

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For house and street, cosy comfort is supplied by knitwear, which is definitely smart this year. Colours and styles are manifold. At the beginning of the season, indeed, most of the large stores had a wider selection of these garments, one-, two- and threepiece, than of material frocks.

Wool frocks are neatly fitting smartly pleated in front or with gores. Neckwear gives the touch of originality and decides the occasion for which the frock is suitable. By a quick change from, let us say, a turndown collar in piqué, to a three-tiered effort in organdie, to an impertinent neck-ruff or to a glittering lamé neck finish with a sparkling belt to match, one may skip straight from the office to a five o'clock party, or to the home of a friend who has asked some interesting people to dinner.

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Buttons and belts, of course, you studied at the beginning of the season. If a frock looks tired, change these accessories. Cut out its neckline a little and tuck a gay scarf round your neck and into the front of your frock. Try velvet collar and cuffs or a velvet choker. Satin collar and cuffs on a wool frock brighten it. A new idea is to braid in a scroll design, the collar and pockets. The front of the frock may be cut out and a vest substituted; form the spare material into tabs, passing through gilt buckles.

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I must recapitulate materials for evening wear. One's eye is always drawn to velvet—how the light, falling upon its graceful folds, breaks up its colour into many tones. Here, indeed, is complete colour harmony. Shot velvets, ring velvets, uncrushable velvets, tinsel fancy velvets—a wealth of beauty.

The come-back staged by taffeta seems to be permanent. Cloque taffeta in a crinkled finish is charming for evenings. Shot taffeta in subdued shades gleams and glints by the fireside during an afternoon “at home.” Woven spots on shot taffeta add to its colour tones. A short swagger evening jacket in taffeta is crisp and dashing.

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Tinsel cloque fashions smart gowns and bridge coats.

Printed georgette is graceful for afternoon or evening.

A gown of metallic crepe owed everything to correct cut and the material.

To be noted is satin grano, a dull fabric with lacquer satin reversible back.

A charming deb. frock had imitation flowers bunched under the projecting shoulder capes.

A frock in figured satin, slimly cut, had an overdress of black net, high to the neckline and with cape sleeves. Over a plain slip, the net itself may carry the decoration. Shirred silk gloves are showing for evenings.

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The renaissance mode calls for jewelled belts. We read of them, months ago, without much interest, but here they are in our shops, and how our eyes sparkle! Each to her taste, but I want my jewelled belt to hold in the filmy folds of pleated georgette.

As regards afternoon gowns, don't forget “feminine frills” and the interest of sleeves, particularly the three-quarter length bishop affair and the slit variety.

Suits form the basis of the wardrobe, whatever the season. Will we have linen suits again next summer? I think so! For now, however, we envy the friend with the man-tailored suit in what we used to call exclusively men's suitings. Our own suit in rough woollen is smart, but not quite so smart. For the country holiday, however, it is definitely superior.

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Blouses are mostly made to be seen, judging by the attention paid to sleeves. A combination of raglan shoulders and bishop sleeves appealed to me. All varieties of neck finishes are seen, neat or frilly. It seems not a matter of what type of suit you are wearing but of what you prefer.

Beauty In Bathrooms.

In 1886, “Come and see the Conservatory”; in 1936, “Come and see the Bathroom.” The show-room of the luxury home is, nowadays, the bathroom. The lucky owner, descending by shallow steps into his miniature marble swimming pool, is faced by a formidable array of faucets and gadgets, all adding to the pleasure and cleansing capacity of the bath. Aesthetic pleasure is added by the harmonious tinting of walls, floor, fitments, towels and even water.

Opal glass, tiles, marble panelling form the walls of bathrooms of the rich. The merely “well to do” may have the lower part of the walls tiled, and the upper enamelled. Cheaper than tiling is wood with an imitation tile finish.

If the tiles in your bathroom are coloured, your colour scheme is ordained for you. A pleasing colour contrast may be added in bits and pieces, such as a stool or mirror frame. If the bath is set in, the outside of the bath can add to the contrast note. But don't let the joy of enamelling outweigh discretion—leave the water-pipes matching the walls and fading into their background. Remember that good quality enamel, impervious to moisture, is required for a bathroom.

If space allows, have a separate shower compartment.

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Bath towels, face towels, guest towels, should, of course, harmonize with the bathroom colour scheme. (I won't suggest buying a bathrobe and sponge bag en suite). Towels are no longer conservative. From among plain towels with a raised pattern, bordered towels in two or more shades with, designs scenic, geometric or floral, “all-over” shadings and fadings of pastel tones, fringed towels, knotted fringed towels, chenille towels, strident towels, dull towels, good old Admiralty towels, we can surely choose something for the dual purpose of absorbing surface moisture, and accentuating the beauty of the bathroom.

For the perfect contemplation of beauty I suggest lying in the bath, lapped in warm water, surveying the results of two tins of enamel and the pennants of the rest of the family draped on the rails.

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Care Of The Hair.

On Sharing A Letter.

Such words as you would like to hear

I cannot give from my soul's self
Buried, inchoate, are, my dear
Such words as you would like to hear.
Yet take what came from one as near
As I to you, sweet friendship's pelf.
Such words as you would like to hear
I cannot give from my soul's self.

—E.W.

A Variety Of Cheese Recipes.
Cheese Capers.

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Panorama of the Playground —