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 wise to wear in the evening a scarf of fine real lace, draped on her soft grey hair, and brought round under the chin Ukc the lappets of days gone by. Beautiful old laces, fine of texture and mellow of tone, are the greatest friends of the middle- aged woman, because there are a thousand and one ways in which they can be draped and arranged so that they make a fitting framework for the face. Soft lace ruffles for the wrists are not to be despised either, for even the hands which have once been lovely show wrinkles sometimes with advancing years. Heavy and bulky cloaks and wraps should never be worn by those who wish to grow old gracefully. A cloak of substantial material which entirely obliterates the waist-line adds to the apparent age of the wearer. On the other hand, it is quite possible for an elderly woman to attire herself in a very becoming day or evening coat of chiffon, or of transparent lace arranged with long flowing lines which, while they give height to the figure, help also to soften or conceal any defect in the general outline. Lace fichus and shoulder scarves are useful in the same way. They can be worn on all occasions, and with any sort of gown. They 25 BEAUTY will be found equally becoming in black or in a soft tone of cream colour, and deserve a place of honour in every woman's wardrobe. With an afternoon gowii of grey cashmere there is no accessory more charming than a fichu of cream Alen^on or Brussels lace, and there arc infinite possibilities of graceful arrangement in the case of an evening gown in black crepe de Chine or satin if the square-cut bodice is draped with a black Chantiily lace scarf. Inspiration from the Old Masters Inspirations of the most valuable kind may always be found also in pictures by old masters or in the engravings after their works. Among the famous portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Gainsborough, and Romney there are canvases innumerable which offer suggestions for afternoon and evening toilettes for the woman who is no longer young. The large hat, with its waving plumes, the folded fichu caught with a single rose, the wide flowing skirts in soft satins and rich brocades are all fashions which will help u* to grow old gracefully. Their grace of design is beyond all question. Fashions such as these, immortalised by great painters, are not for an age but for all time. ^^^m THE HAIR r^S^ No. .—WHAT TO DO TO KEEP IT PERFECT Hair Should be Cleansed^ not by Frequent Washing, but by Frequent Brushing — Hair Oils — Hot Irons for Curling the Hair — The Physiology of the Hair A- I LTHOUGH the health, vigour, and beauty of the hair depend largely upon careful and constant attention to its needs, its physiology has, until recently, been very imperfectly understood. The growth and structure of the hair form a most interesting study. Each hair con- sists of a root and shaft. The former is situated in the skin, the latter projects from it. The hair-sac, or depression in the skin from which the hair grows, consists of two layers, the inner layer being cellular and epidermic, and the outer layer fibrous. Within this sac the hair takes root, forming at its lower end a bulb. At the bottom of the hair-sac, or follicle, there is a little projection called the papilla, supplied with blood- vessels and nerves, which enters the hair-bulb and forms, really, the germ of the hair. The hair therefore grows entirely from, the root, from this minute papilla. The hair itself is of fibrous substance. Outside it has a thin, scaly surface (termed the hair- cuticle), and in the centre is the core, or medulla. The outside g. oii.gi.mds r ■, r ■ O.K. Fat-cells surface consists of mmute flat scales, which overlap each Figure I A. Epidermis B. Bulb of hair C. Shaft of hair F. Globular bulbs of perspiratory apparatus G. Openings of these tubts on the skin called pcros other somewhat after the manner of roof- tiles. This explains the well-known phenome- non of the hair feeling rough when drawn between the fingers in one direction, and smooth when drawn in the opposite direction. The medullary substance of the hair is a kind of pith composed of loosely formed cells and air-spaces. These air-spaces, however, though numerous in white hairs, are almost entirely absent in black hairs. Nutriment, gloss, and pliancy are furnished to each hair by means of sebaceous oil-glands situated on each side of the hair- bulb, which secrete a greasy fluid. The oily matter which is formed in the sebaceous gland is discharged into the hair- follicle, and thus upon the surface of the hair. Some of the secretion extends over the skin, making it .soft, and thus preventing it from becoming hard and dry. Qoose Skin Another interesting fact may be noted in connection with the structure of the hair. Minute muscles, consisting of slender bands of contractile tissue, are fastened to the lower part of the hair-sac, and extend obliquely upwards. The muscle is arranged at an