June 26, 1915 
LAND AND WATER 
FROM a feminine point of view there are few things 
more interesting than finishing touches. Speaking 
broadly, women may be divided into two classes — 
those who deal in etceteras and those who disdain 
them. And the latter, as a general rule, can 
hardly be counted amongst the decorative portion o the 
community. Soldiers' wives are frequently past mistresses 
in the art, anyhow where th ir habitation is concerned. 
Many a woman has arrived in a garrison town and been 
confronted wi h the inevitable furnished house or lodgings 
of hideous aspect. At first the sight is apt to appal, later on 
it is taken as all part of the day's work and simply as a call 
for immediate transformation. And here is where the finish ng 
touch comes in. Clump of attractively coloured cushions, 
bowls and pots of flowers, a few readable books, and a judicious 
collect on of photographs have converted many a room to 
civilization. That, and a careful weeding out of existing 
hor ors. 
This weeding out, however, essential though it is, is not 
the principal factor in the creation of a temporary home. 
It is the addition of trifles that seem inseparably mingled with 
the personality of certain people. There are a few gifted 
women who have the enviable knack of creating a home-like 
atmosphere anywhere. One may be very certain that they 
would succeed in this object in a tent in the Sahara or a hut in 
Labrador. It is a special faculty, just as it is the special 
faculty of a cheeky little midinette in Paris to buy a hat for 
one franc fifty, trim it scantily, or not at all, slant it on her 
head to the psychological angle, and at once be well-hatted. 
At this time numbers of women are concentrating their energies 
on making a home far from their usual quarters. The creation 
of the new army, and the turning of the civiUan into the soldier, 
has made many a woman "follow ihe drum' who never 
dreamt of such a possibil ty. For the first time she has 
realised what being moved from pillar to pos' really means, 
and that the process, amusing though it often is, is yet an 
exacting one. It demands adaptability and the intelligent 
use of the nsignificant trifle. 
The Small Accessory 
Where clothe are concerned, of course, accessories are an 
all-important matter. Just at this time, perhaps, they are 
more important than ever, for most people now-a-days are 
s udying the principles of economy. It is wonderful what 
can be imparted to a gown by just the right waistbelt, and the 
latest idea in spotlessly white lawn collars. Something 
that is a 1 ttle ou of the ordinary in the way of a veil will 
bring a moderate hat into Hne once again ; a clever note of 
colour given by a parasol, a pendant, or a corsage bouquet, 
deliver a toilet from insignificance. 
The woman who has a keen eye to detail is bound to 
present an attractive appearance. She can hardly do other- 
wise. It is not a matter of pounds, shillings, and pence alone, 
as many things are in this work-a-day world, but a question 
of taste and discernment. There are some fortunate mortals 
who have a knack of imparting distinction to everything 
they wear. They pos?ess uncommon things, things which 
have often been picked up at odd moments in unexpected 
places, and are unhke anything owned by anybody else. It 
may be a handbag of some uncommon bead or leather work, 
a pair of quaint o iginal hatpins, a long neck chain of beads 
in some exquisite colour or modelling. It may be some other 
trifle of the sort, sometimes of intrinsic value, sometimes 
worth nothing beyond its beauty in the eye of the beho'der. 
At any rate, there they are, and by their claim to more than 
ordinary distinction, they ticket their owner with the same 
hall mark. 
On Gardens and Gardeners 
The small details in a garden also are deUghtful to study. 
The interest over a new cutting, the gain of a fresh carnation, 
or the latest ype of rose, the continual fight against green fly 
and a myriad other pests, is a ceaseless entertainment. 
And here again individuality makes itself felt. There are 
some people with acres of gardens, and, even n these days 
of war, an army of gardeners. Yet their gardens are 
stereotyped, and give the beholder no particular pleasure, 
on the contrary, often a feeling of positive dislike. And then 
there are the people who manage o create a thing of beauty 
out of nothing. In a garden hardly larger than the palm of 
your hand they will have something of interest and charm, 
something unusual and attractive in the way of bedding-out, 
just the right kind of garden chairs, chairs that invite the weary 
visitor to sink into them with a sigh of content, and not the 
knobby, uncomfortable sort that greet one on many a palatial 
lawn. Once again it is a question of the all-important detail 
— minor matter though it be. 
Quite one of the most successful gardeners for creating 
somefhing out of nothing lived in a London flat, and her 
medium was a roof -garden. She had green painted boxes 
filled with geraniums and daisies, and what is more astonishing, 
some standardroses, which had unexpectedly taken it into their 
beautiful but obstinate heads to thrive in London. On sunny 
days she rigged up a green and white striped awning, and with 
a couple of white enamelled wicker chairs and a table to 
match, the garden was as comfortable and shady a spot as 
could be desired. It was at any rate an infinite delight to the 
owner and her friends, and through its means one of the hottest 
summers ever known to London was made tolerable. 
The Things That Tell 
If we are honest with ourselves, most of us will admit 
that it is the extra things in life we appreciate, not the mere 
bread and butter of every-day existence. It is dull work 
paying the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker for 
the bare necessities of life ; the money we appreciate spending 
goes on far less mundane considerations than these. It goes, 
in fact, on the tiny extras which mean so much and yet so 
little, and make life worth living to a greater proportion 
than the severely practical party would have us beUeve. 
Our wounded soldiers and sailors are a case in point. 
Any visitor to any hospital will tell us that the things the 
men delight in are not those falling to their lot as a regular - 
rule, but the tiny extras that come their way. Even the most 
taciturn Tommy finds words of thanks for a bunch of roses, 
newspapers, or games. As for the jig-saw puzzle, it is a com- 
plete passport to favour, inconsiderable trifle though it is. 
The care of the wounded, therefore, though it certainly 
begins, does not end with housing, food, and nursing. These 
are the big things, of course, but the little things count as 
well, in the way they always have and always will to the end 
of time unless human nature fundamentally alters. So the 
people with stores of magazines, books, puzzles, and such like 
distractions cannot do better than make a big bundle of ^ 
them at once, and dispatch them to the nearest military 
hospital. Several of these in various parts of the country 
would be grateful for gifts of the kind, and it is quite certain 
this want needs but to be known to be immediately answered. 
As for the inventive genius with a special facility for thinking 
of new games suitable for convalescents, the chance of a life- 
time has arrived. For there are many claimants for his wares 
in every direction, and a ready-made market to his hand. 
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