The North Wales Weekly News

A DAINTY WEE FROCK. In addition to the distinctively party frocks, of which there are «o many to be seen just now, children's mitfitL-ers are show- ing some really delightful frocks that are simple enough for Sunday and similar best wear at home, and yet are smart enough for any but quite full dress party occasions, just the very thing, in fact, for a children's after- noon, a visit to the pantomime, etc. Our sketch pictures one of the very prettiest and newest of these frocks, a charming little garment, well calculated to show oh to per- fection the dimpled ijo aiiy of Molly or Joan. The original of this lit tie frock (which, by the way, was turned out by one of the most famous children's outfitters in town) was carried put in a very delicate and pretty shade of Sax blue, the materials being a thin, eoft crepe-de-chine and an equally soft and not very lustrous satin. The upper part of this little frock is cut straight across both the front and back, and is shaped out to a point on the top of each sleeve, the edge being finished by a broad band of the satin. On each shoulder back and front are caught together by narrow straps of the satin, which are fastened down at each end by small satin-covered buttons. A dainty semi- transparent chemisette of fine Irish guipure, which is mounted over two or three thick- nesses of chiffon, appears above the top of the dress. The crepe-de-chine (which, by A CHABMING GARMENT FOR A CHARMING CHILD. the way, is of precisely the same shade as the satin) is gathered across both front and back and set on to the lower edge of the satin band. The frock is again gathered at the natural waistline, the junction between bodice and skirt being concealed by a broad sash of the satin. The little skirt, too, is gathered round the waist and again a short distance from the bottom, where it is set into a broad band of the satin. This band is very much wider at the sides than in front or at the back, the upper edge being shaped in a pretty curve. Small satin straps, caught down at each end by satin-covered buttons, are carried from the satin to the crepe-de-cliine at intervals all round the upper edge of this band. The sleeves are gathered at the top and set into the 6atin bands which come down in a point on each shoulder, and are finished at the bottom by large turn back cuffs of the satin, the upper edge of which is caught down to the sleeve by two of the little buttoned straps. This frock, I need hardly say, is simply charming carried out in an alliance of white crepe-de- chine and satin, when it at once becomes a very smart and dressy model. The same idea may also be realised with great success in darker and more serviceable shades. A COMFORTABLE PYJAMA SUIT. Interest in our own feminine garments must not be allowed to make us completely oblivious to the fact that the male members of the family also require a certain amount of consideration, and though there are not many garments which can be made at home for one's men-folk, a substantial saving may be effected by making their 'underwear at hcme. The home-made garment usually weai-s twice as long as the ready-made article; then, too, when it actually does begin to wear out, there are plenty of pieces of material left over from the making which come in splendidly for repairs-a very im- if portant matter, as every housewife knows. Or sketch shows a very comfortable suit of pyjamas of excellent shape, and well within the power of the home worker, whilst the choice of material gives one plenty of oppor- tunity for individuality. The suit may be I WINTER GARMENTS IN VYELLA. carried out in flannel, flannelette, Oxford shilling, or vivella, the latter fabric being admirable for this purpose. Very effective designs are to be obtained in the special pyjama flannel, too. It is as well to choose fairly strong colouring, as the material has to be subjected to so much washing that it inevitably fades a little. Blues usually fade much more quickly than do greens, lilacs, and mixtures. The coat of the pyjama suit is loose- fitting, and comfortably covers the hips. A neat. little collar turns" back from the neck, this collar being of double material and machined all round the edge. The coat, fastens down the front with buttons of good size, these to be neatly covered with the material of which the suit is made. Usually large linen buttons serve well for the pur pose. Notice that buttons are sewn on the right side and buttonholes worked on the left. To negrlect to follow this rule in making- garments or our m«-folk is -a (r tlie ninau-ur winker. This pattern takes G1 yards of 36-inch material. THE POPULARITY OF FUR. Fur is having an enormous vogue as a trimming for evening gowns just now. Those of my readers who were present at any of the recent Christmas dances must have been struck by the great number of pretty frocks which showed a touch of fur somewhere or other. Even upon the most diaphanous materials, such for instance as ninon, gaure-de-soie, etc., fur is just as much in evidence as it is upon the heaTY, rich fabrics with which one is more accus- tomed to associate it. Nor is its use con- fined only to the older, or married woman, many of the prettiest debutantes' frocks showing a touch of pure-white fur some- where or other, often in the shape of a smart bow on the bodice.

The Winter Health Resorts of North Wales. (Th MR. D. McFALL IN THE North Western Some three hundred years ago Kichard Drayton published in his Polyalbion a map which pictured in a striking manner his conception of Wales. "judging by its inaccuracy, the materials upon which the map was based must have been drawn from a particularly vivid dream. But it was flattering enough, for all that. Its principal feature was a river bordered on either side by a flat country and fed by winding streams, with their tributaries so drawn as to look like leafless trees. But the flattery was suggested principally by the pictorial accompaniment. On either side of the main stream was a great throng of singers and harpers, apparently carrying on a keen but friendly rivalry in the art of music and scattered everywhere along the banks of the smaller rivers, and looking as though they were seated in ecstatic but un- comfortable attitudes on the slender boughs, were isolated singers, each adding his quota to the general harmony. Drayton seemed to think that Wales was simply the theatre of a perpetual Eisteddfod. Now this map, though crude and meagre enough in our eyes, really set lorth about all that was generally known or imagined about Wales at the time of its publication. At that time intercourse between the Prin- cipality and the rest of the kingdom was very limited and most irregular. The mass of the easv-going Englishmen thought there were too many Glemlowers, each able to call up spirits from the vasty deep, to make Welsh hills comfortable. And the roads were atrocious, the coaches were slow and cumbersome, the inns were bad. One could go from London to Rome as easily as he could go from London to Bangor and find more of his compatriots when he arrived there A LATTER-DAY DISCOVERY. As a matter of fact, the railway surveyor was the real discoverer of hidden Wales— at any rate, he made it possible for the rest of us tc penetrate that sea and mountain- rimmed land as easily as we could cross Salisbury Plain. As late as the days of the last of the Georges a Welsh tour was under- taken by not one pleasure-seeker in a thou- sand to-day thousands each year scatter themselves along the glorious sands that stretch almost without a break from Rhyl to Bangor, or thread the deep valleys that are all but crowded out of existence by Snowdon and his giant satellities. In viewr of the ease with which North Wales may be reached it is surprising that as a winter resort the attractions of that fascinating land are even yet but little known. It is too often supposed that only in the height of summer can the tourist find con- ditions agreeable in North Wales. Nothing could be further from the truth, and during the past few years all of the coast towns from Rhyl to Carnarvon have attracted a rapidly increasing number of winter visitors and a steadily growing permanent popula- tion. A CLIMATIC MELANGE. But it is the wonderful difference in climate found within the narrow compass of North Wales that gives the district half its attrac- tions as an all-the-vear-around rendezvous. The configuration of the land is such as to not only provide a succession of scenic sur- prises, but also to afford innumerable shel- tered sun-traps where autumn and spring conspire to dispossess winter. Even the coast, far north as it is, has a surprisingly mild climate. Llandudno, for instance, with a single exception, has the highest average annual temperature of any seaside town either in Wales or England. Although three fourths surrounded bv the sea, the Great Orme (that magnificent beacon from whose top a sweeping view brings into ken Lancashire, Cheshire, Flintshire, Den- bighshire, Carnarvonshire, and Anglesea, reduced by the distance into dim and level plains) shelters it from the keen north winds, and the porous nature of the soil prevents the accumulation of moisture after even the heaviest rainlalls, which are usually caught by the encompassing inland mountains. No one can fully appreciate either the beauty or the majesty of a mountain land unless he has seen it in the late autumn or winter, as well as in the spring or summer. Winter accentuates all the grander features in the landscape. The mists make the mountains look dim and spectral, and enor- mously increase their apparent size. The rocks seem higher, the clilts more precipi- tous. Even the sky is more inspiring when the clouds, no longer shepherded by the slow, unwilling winds," are driven bv the Furies. And the winter air, when not so cold and rough as to absolutely forbid ex- cursions, is doubly exhilarating. To spend a whole day in it is to become saturated with an astonishing vigour which it takes weeks to dissipate. Winter excursions into the heart of North Wales have lost whatever disadvantages may have attended them before these days cf perfected travel. The mountain roads, hewn out of the solid rock most of them, could not be surpassed. In every hamlet is at least one good hotel open throughout the year. And even the mgst retired snots— Bettws-v-Coed, KBeddgelert. Llanberis--are brought by the L. and N.-W. Railway into close touch with Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Rhvl, and the other coast towns. When the northern Ceres showers her silvery grain so thicklv as to make the mountain roads impassable a brief train journey will take one to the bracing, but mild and agreeable, air of the sea. A CHAIN OF CENTURIES. Even were North Wales shorn of half its scenic charm, this easy intercourse between the interior and its magnificent sea front- age would still make it the Empire's finest recreation ground. Nor does the coast offer as its onlv attraction its superb sands and its splendid air. Most of the towns which are thickly scattered along it have a charm and interest that nothing less than a stormy history of a thousand years could have given. Some of them have arisen with- in the present generation and still wear the gloss of new ness together they form a chain of centuries, placing side by side the noble castles and the wretched hovels of our rough forefathers and the imposing mansions and spacious hostelries by which posterity will judge us. When next you sit by your fireside and hear a rumbling in the chimney, remember that the ghostly voice bears a double inter- pretation. It conveys both a warning and an invitation. It presages a long, dull win- ter, but it also urges a brief respite before you are winter-bound. Act upon its suggestion and spend a brief season tilling your lungs with the sea air in North Wales/ If you have had a summer holiday let this be its aftermath. Its effects will be felt until spring is again at hand.

THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE. What they say about a Food-beverage. Almost every day brings fresh letters from old and new users of Dr. Tibbies' Vi-Cocoa saying how glad the writers are to have had this food-beverage brought to their notice. Some of them have been taking Vi-Cocoa for breakfast for years they would not on an-g account be deprived of it. Dr. Tibbies' Vi-Cocoa feeds them and keeps them well and liearty. They give it to their children Atifl tlbeir cTiii<ircn o w plump an^ rosy, thanks to the teeding, warming, strengthen- ing effects of the great British Food-Bever- age. BreaMast with Vi-Cocoa in it makes all the difference to the day's work-Vi-Cocoa feeds you and makes your other food feed you better than if there were no Vi-Cocoa with it. If you once realise the real health-value of Dr. Tibbies' Vi-Cocoa you will always say Vi-Cocoa to the grocer. 6d. packets, gd. and is 6d tins. Do not ask your grocer for cocoa. Ask for —it makes all the difference. Every grocer sells Vi-Cocoa in 6d. packets and gd. and is 6d tins.

[By A FAMILY DOCTOR.] ROUND THE HOSPITAL. Would you like to come round the hospital with me? I should be pleased to take you. Well, this is the out-patient department. You see those old ladies sitting in rows and rows; there is not much the matter with them, but the waiting hall is nice and warm and they meet their friends. They place Implicit faith in a bottle of stuff, and they love their doctor for giving it them. And their is always a certain amount of satisfac- tion in getting something for nothing. Count them; there are eighty in all. If the doctor gave three minutes to each, that would take four hours; if he gave five minutes to each it would take nearly seven hours. No wonder the doctor looks rushed and weary. Ah but think of all the money he gets for doing it. A man ought to work hard for nothing a year.

o: MEAN TRICKS. Do you know that the doctor would like to bundle out of the place the patients who have nothing the matter with them, and devote his attention to those who are really ill f "But surely a lot of these people wait- ing here could afford a shilling or eighteen pence to get their medicine from a doctor: Of course they could, only you cannot blame them if the doctor at the hospital is stupid enough to do the work for nothing. Of all the mean tricks that selfish persons can play, the meanest is to accept charity when they can aílord to pay. The mental and moral harm done to such people far out- weighs any physical benefit they derive from their medicine. What does it "profit a man it he has a healthy body but the soul of a sneakr

o: TWO DEPARTMENTS. Now t.his is the dental department, where I will only pause to remind you that we give gas so that no pain is felt, :0 you must not be cowards and keep your rotten teeth in your mouth. This is the room where ring- worm is cured by X-rays—the most satis- factory way of getting rid of a troublesome complaint. The lamp is expensive, but grateful patients contribute something to help.

-:0:- IN THE CHILDREN'S WARD. Perhaps you would like to see the child- ren's ward, as it is Christmas time; it is very pretty. Isn't it a lovely Christmas tree? The students and the nurses arranged it; they paid for the tree, and friends sent the toys. Speak to the little girl in No. 4 bed and ask her what she thinks of it. She has a bad back and cannot sit up. "I have been looking at the lovely fairy dolly with a wand in her hand and wings on her back, right at the top of the tree, and I have been wondering if Father Christmas will give it to me." Ah! I wonder; we must ask Sister. That young man in a white coat over tnere is a medical student take a good look at him; they are a brutal lot, medical students. I would bet anything that one is a sort of ogre. I expect he eats one of the children every night for his supper. It's a degrad- ing profession, torturing patients and animals all day long. However, for the moment, we will leave that medical student occupying his spare time amusing the little children who cluster round him; they eeem to love him.

-;0:- AIR, LIGHT, AND CLEANLINESS. Before you leave the ward, take a look round. It is a modern, up-to-date hospital, and we may learn something. First of all you see enormous windows OIl both sides of the ward, because we believe in the cura- tive power of light. You do not, I am afraid; your house is not always chosen for its bright aspect; you shroud your windows with heavy curtains, and you do all you can to keep the sunlight off the carpets, because it takes the colour out, forgetting that if you block out sunlight you take the colour out of your cheeks. Then pardon my calling your attention to the fact that the windows are wide open. Yes, that baby in the cot near the fire has broncho-pneumonia very badly; that is why we open the win- dows, so that the baby can have good air to breathe; if we shut the windows it would die. Look at the corners of the ward; fhev are rounded off so that the dust cannot hide in the old-fashioned corners, and the tops of the cupboards are covered with glass, which i« carefully wiped down once or twice a day. There is no dust on top of the cupboards here.

-:0:- CHEERFUL NURSES. Before you go, take a glance at the nuraes and sisters. They all look cheerful; they are overworked and underpaid; and to be surrounded by people in pain is rather de- pressing; but we must keep cheerful, not because we are heartless, but because to fill a hospital with a staff of dismal nurses would kill the patients in a week.

-0:- THE TRUTH ABOUT "NERVES." Many of you people who write to me are only suffering from nerves, and if you look up the word "nerves" in your dictionary you will find it means "the imaginary com- plaints of selfish people." You sit at home with the whole force of what you call your intellect concentrated on yourself. You feel slight discomfort inside and you call it terrible agony; you feel a tingling in the leg from sitting too long, and you describe it as paralysis of all the limbs. If only you would get up and bustle about, sweep the room out, or engage in some healthy employment, you would feel so much better. Above all, do something for others, hoping for no other re- ward than the joy of giving willing services.

-0:- NASAL TROUBLE. The nasal cavity is much larger than you think. A probe can be passed back through the nostril for several inches. This cavity cannot be explored thoroughly without a strong light and proper reflectors and mirrors. Stuffincss in the nose may be due to simple catarrh, for which no operation is done; but there may be a growth called adenoids, or perhaps a polypus is present on one side or the other. Nothing is of any use in such cases but a small operation. Hence the importance of being examined properly. And don't forget that the roof of the mouth is the floor of the nose, and that the teeth of the upper jaw, where they are decayed, or where there is nothing left but an or stump, may be the cause of a dis- charge from the nose.

o: ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Aperater (Germany).—The patient suffer- ing from hallucinations must be under medical observation you never know what euch patients will do next. Brown.—You are quite right to consider your health and that of your future wife. Speak to a doctor about it; don't be frightened; doctors are very kind. Pendle Hill.—You need more fresh air and exercise. Enquirer.—Will write on voice-production. Satchett.—It is called a ganglion. It is not dangerous, can be removed by a simple operation, and will not disappear of its own accord. Go to a doctor. H. R.—Nerer neglect tumour of the breast. Show it to a doctor at once.

Llanrhos Parish Charities. The following statement has been issued As churchwardens of Llanrhos and trustees of the parochial charities, we beg to state that we fully share with the vicar every responsibility which Mr. W. Thomas attributes to him alone. The present method of distributing the charities has been at work for many years in the parish, and the unenviable task of distribution has always been most conscientiously performed by the vicar and churchwardens. We fully consider every application, and act to the best of our judgment, without fear or favour. H. LI. MOSTYN, "J. WINTER, Churchwardens."

EDWARDS & SON'S Special Hew year Shou) OF Ladies' Furs in Coats and Sets, Blouses, Gloves, Scarves, Kerchiefs, Belts, &c., Suitable for New Year Presents. =======- ======-========= == Gentlemen's Overcoats, Suits, Fancy Vests, Gloves, &c., &c. L LLANFAIRFECHAN. I 111 A Wonderful Light! Speciality: P* 1* The A powerful artificial light, OlllipllClty Keynote Estimate. Given safe, odourless and clean at For Installations of any Less than a Quarter the P The number of Lights, from Cost of anyother Artificial LCOIlOIIiy Result. one upwards. The Petrol Gillet Light. C.ENERATOR. Our Generator has no Engine or other working parts to get out of order, and requires the Jminimum of attention. Can be used for LIGHTING, COOKING or HEATING. Agent:- DT I O r1 Electrical Engineers, 1J1 1 • 1. J0n6S <X \,0.j Russell Buildings, lUty!. JUST TO REMIND YOU THAT IJOHN A. VVOOD Still gives the public the greatest possible value for their money, and by closely acting up to this principle he has made his name a Household Word for his Fair Dealing throughout the District. When buying food he alway considers the best to be the cheapest ARRIVAL OF NEW FRUITS. A hough prices this year are very high, you cannot do better elsewhere. THE SATISFACTION NELSON HOUSE, ———————— GROCER. LLANDUDNO JUNCTION S TO BE AT YOUR BEST 3 W you must get rid of any touch of dyspepsia, liver trouble or constipation. C> that may be troabliog 70a. Fitness depends largely upon the healthy M activity of the digestive processes. If the function of digestion is con- Cj siderably disturbed, from whatever cause, general debility and depress- vi W jon will ensue. If, on the other band, your digestive organs are keptin C> good working order yon wiU experience all the good effects of sound, robust health. Your aim should be to bring the organs of digestion as M nearly to a pitch of perfect efficiency as possible. When they are at y> « their best yon will be at your best. EzeeUence of digestion is the M usual reward ot those who n TAKE S 3 BEECHAM'S g PILLS. H Sold everywhere in boxes, price 1 /1 i (56 Dills) & 2/9 (168 pills). LINEUX W. F. BOOTH & Co., MOIUSE, PHOTOGRAPHERS, ABERGELE ROAD, PICTURE FRAMERS. COLWYN BAY. 47

A Parliamentary Family. Sir Charles and Lady McLaren and family continue to occupy a unique position in re- lation to Parliament. Although Sir Charles has resigned his seat in the Bosworth divis- ion cf Leicestershire, it is still represented by a member of his family, for his son, Mr Harry D. McLaren, has retained it with an increased majority. Mr Francis McLaren, his youngest son, has again won the Spald- ing division of Lincolnshire, where, by the way, he had the invaluable support of Lord Carrington. Another McLaren in Parlia- ment, is Mr W. S. B. McLaren (the Squire of Bodnant's brother), whose magnificent success in Crewe has created delight throughout the country. Then there is Sir I Henry Norman, son-in-law of Sir Charles and Lady McL, the brilliant founder of the Budget League, who returned to Parlia. ment as one of the members for Blackburn. Thus it will be seen that a very strong con- nection exists between Bodnant Hall and St. Stephens.

THE PEOPLE STATE. M rs. A. Wilkinson, of Nelson. states :—" My sister. who suffered from weak kidneys, took one box, and it has done her more good than pounds spent on Medical Men." Mr.W. F. Warren, 38, Melbourne-road,Tilbury Docks, Essex, writes "I can assure you the first box I took did me more good than all the medicine I have bad from any club doctor for six weeks." HOLDROYD'S PILLS are a positive cure for Backache, Lumbago, Rheumatism, Dropsy, Wind, Bright s Kidney Disease, Gout, &c. is. lid. of all Chemists. Post free ia stamps, —HOLDROYD'S MEDICAL HALL. Cleckheaton.