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THE COLBORNE EXPRESS, COLBORNE, ONT. JAN. 6, 1955 "Dear Anne Hirst: What can 1 do with a mother-in-law who tries to run the whole family? She loves her grandchildren, but must have her own way despite their ordered routine. She deliberately wakes my baby up when it is obvious she wants to sleep. She tells me what to feed her (thought she is under our doctor's guidance) and dictates what she must wear. "She complained lately to my husband that I was stingy with our baby. I let her have the baby for an afternoon -- with the result that she had an accident. "She insists we spend every holiday with the whole family, regardless of what we have planned. If I want to enjoy the day quietly at home, she accuses me of trying to take her son away! Yet when I am sick she comes over and helps out, even takes me to the doctor. "The situation is especially involved because my husband owns a business with his father and brothers. Their home is nearby, and he lunches there every day. . . I don't know what to do about all this. Do you? MRS. T. R. * Your mother-in-law is the * true matriarch, loving, kind, * possessive, domineering. She * considers herself the rightful * head of the family, entirely * competent (and chosen) to * run their private affairs. Hav- * ing raised a family herself, Easy! Use Scraps! Just ONE main pattern part for each garment! Quickly sew a complete wardrobe for daughter's favorite doll! Picture her happy face when she sees the blouse, jerkins, suspenders, skirt, beanie, sack-dress, elastic cinch-belt and nightgown, peignoir, petticoat, panties. Pattern 4576 fits dolls from 14 to 22 inches! Be thrifty, use scraps! Send now! This pattern easy to use, simple to sew, is tested for fit. Has complet illustrated instructions. Send THIRTY-FIVE CENTS (35#) in joins (stamps cannot be accepted^ for this pattern. Print plainlv SIZE, NAME, ADDRESS, STYLE NUMBER. Send order to Box 1, 123 Eighteenth St., New Toronto, Ont. * she laughts at modern practic- * es of diet and training, and im- * poses her old-fashioned ideas * upon her grandchildren in * such a high-handed manner * that it is almost impossible * for their parents to interfere. * She considers this her duty, * born of love for them all. Her * deliberate planning of your * personal life is annoying * enough. But when she inter- * feres with the raising of your * baby, you must protest. Whose * baby is it, after all ? If a moth- * er has any rights, the first one * is to bring up her child in the * way she thinks he should go. * If you are ever to escape from * your mother-in-law's domina- * tion, you will have to have * your husband's cooperation. ♦Explain to him that you and * he are responsible for the wel- * fare of the baby. You have * enlisted the best medical acV * vice, and it is your duty to fol- * low it. Tell him that from now * on you intend to, and you de- * pend upon him to back j^ou * up. * Also, remind him that you * and he must have greater pri- * vacy. Husband and wife can- * not enjoy a full life together * and grow closer with the years * if they share all their leisure * hours with either family. You * will join the reunions occa- * sionally, but you and he need * times alone with your baby; * this is your right and his. * Once he realizes how essential * it is. he will discover how * much happier he, and you, * fcan be. To convince him may * require all your courage, de- * termination and tact; he is * accustomed to his mother's * management and has accepted * it without question. But he * must be fair to you and his * child. I hope he will realize * that. * When you two talk this over * with his mother, be calm and * kind. Emphasize your appre- * ciation of her helpful kind- * nesses, but remind her that it * is you and your husband who * must decide what is best for * your baby, and for yourselves. * Good luck! Your mother-in-law should have your respect and, if possible, your affection. But when she interferes with your children's training, you have to take a stand. Anne Hirst can advise you how to handle the situation tactfully. Write her at Box 1, 123 Eighteenth St., New Toronto, Ont. Talking Color "If you like the name of a color, you're half sold on the color itself! claims Wilfred H. Sinclair, color conditioning supervisor of the paint and varnish division of Canadian Industries (1954) Limited. He is one man who doesn't believe that "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Mr. Sinclair should know. For many years he has been dreaming up tantalizing color names like "taffy tan" and "pink mist" and waching the response of people who buy the paint. "Whether she realizes it or not, a woman choosing a color for a room picks a name which suggests the atmosphere she wants to create," Mr. Sinclair said. If she wants a lively room for a bustling family, names like "sprite green" "colleen" or "gaiety red" attract her. On the other hand, if she is decorating a room for more formal use, she will lean toward such designations as "dignity blue," "castle grey", "cameo ivory" or' "court chartreuse". Names with happy associations always have appeal, according to this color consultant. In the dead of winter, a wall paint with a name like "holiday tan" seems to bring the warmth of a sunny beach into a frostbound living room. Or a color called, "wine glow" might revive warm memories of festive occasions. "Seashell" or "Cabot smoke" or "ocean green" stimulate the imagination with visions of faraway places; "honey gold" and "bud green' arouse nostalgic thoughts of life on the farm. "The meaning of a name is important, but the sound must be satisfactory, too," Mr. Sinclair maintains. "People like words they can roll their tongues around -- names like 'parasol' and 'afterglow'." But all the tempting sards in the English language will not sell colors unless they are the hues which people want. Color fashions in homes change from year to year just as colors do in clothing. Today, for instance, the browns and orangy shades are high-style and pink is very popular, but blue is a color to watch for the future, he predicts. Every shift in decorating fashion means new colors must be designed. And every new color is a fresh challenge to the poet-psychologist who puts, the names on the paint cans. Gun-Totin' Lady Any week-end during hunting season is likely to find an automobile piloted by a woman streaking north from St. Catharines, Ontario, toward the woodlands, where game abounds. There is nothing strange in this -- Many Canadian women hunt and shoot for recreation. But this particular hunter is unusual. At sportsmen's shows all across the country she is introduced as "the woman who knows all about guns." She is June Pinder, proprietress of Pinder's Sportman's Centre in St. Catharines. Miss Pinder literally does know everything about guns and ammunition. She can discuss the ballistics of a shot-gun shell or rifle cartridge with authority. The people of the Niagara peninsula have come to know that if they have a gun problem, the thing to do is take it to June. Time was, though, when this was not the case. The store was established by June's grandfather and carried on by her father. When he died a number of years ago, June decided to stay in the business. She knew, of course, that she might have an up-hill battle because a man doesn't usually want to talk guns, rifles or fishing tackle with a woman. A woman, it was reasonable to suppose, could not possibly know as much about such matters as a man. For a while business wasn't too brisk. But it didn't take the sportsmen of the district long to find that she was a woman who could talk their language and at the same time add a little to their knowledge. June's knowledge doesn't come merely from books, although she is an avid student and has read widely on outdoor subjects. She was brought up with guns and fishing rods and finds it difficult to remember a time when she was not using one or the other. One Song Caused Twenty Suicides From the songs of Francois Villon, King of the Vagabonds, to the "Ballad of Reading Gaol," song and ballad have continually appeared in connection with law breakers. Italy has a whole collection of traditional criminal songs in praise of prison, and there is one British ballad on the same subject which describes all H.M. prisons with feeling and precision. It ends: "Portland is worst of the lot to joke in. For fetching a lagging there's no place like Woking!" But what eerie effect is it which is exerted by certain types of music? A Hungarian government official wrote a piece of music and then shot himself. By some morbid attraction the composition became popular and the police attributed twenty suicides to its influ- The tune was banned in Hungary. But some little time later a man was found hanged in America with the name of the tune mentioned on a note in his pocket. In 1937 a woman was found dead in London, apparently her own hand. In the room was a gramaphone which had run down and appeared to have been playing as she died. On the turntable was record of the ill-omened Hungarian tune. Several murderers have been fond of music. Eugene de Vere, who killed a girl in 1926, was a competent performer on the accordion. Thurtell, who murdered Weare at Elstree in 1823, came home from the deed and insisted on a sing-song. "Brides in the Bath" Smith insured a woman he had "married" and on the day that she made her will in his favour he decreed that she must take a bath. That evening there was heard a splashing in the bathroom followed by a long sigh. A few minutes later there was the sound of the harmonium downstairs. Smith was playing a hymn. He was not the only one who liked hymns. Peace used to play them on a one-stringed fiddle and Robert Butler, whose crimes shocked Australia and New Zealand, played hymns on the prison organ on the day before he was executed. Two other men who took their love of music to the gallows were John Stewart, who murdered an Edinburgh merchant and sang on the scaffold, and that engaging rogue who asked as a last request that at his passing would play "The Wearing of the Green." WE WERE FIRST The first railway post office car was introduced in North America on the Grand Trunk Railway, now part of the Canadian National Railways, in 1854. The experimental car ran between Niagara Falls and London, Ont., seven years before a similar unit was introduced in the United States, and was designed to speed mail delivery (Chronicles Can you believe it . . the time has really come to wish you, one and all, a happy 1955. It just seems no sooner do we get used to one set of figures for a date-line than we have to change it again. Maybe I have a special affinity for some figures as I enjoyed writing 1954. It was a nice, even, adaptable date, easily divisible by two. But you take 1955 -- nothing will divide into it until you get to five. What difference does that make? Actually, none at all -- except that I like even numbers better than odd. They look tidier, if you know what I mean. However, odd or even, I suppose most of us will welcome the New Year. It gives you a sort of lift, doesn't it? Here is a new year; twelve whole months, fifty-two weeks, three , hundred and sixty-five days -- and each day, week and month a new beginning. Just think what we can do with all that time! But then maybe we remember -- we had that same thought last year. And now the old year has past we can look back and assess the value of what we did and how we spent our time. Are you satisfied with your findings? I am not -- far from it. For that reason I am glad of another new year . . a new start; another opportunity to get done the things I didn't accomplish in '54. Whether that is possible remains to be seen. However, I would like to start the New Year by thanking all those who sent cards, letters and good wishes at Christmas time. I appreciate all your kind remarks. And believe me your interest and understanding helps ■ me to keep this column going week after week. As you know, I write about anything that has interested me during the preceding week, even though I relaize that what interests one person may not interest an-' other. You remember one week I wrote about my Christmas cactus. That brought forth quite a few letters as other folk were also having trouble with plants blooming too soon; buds dropping off and so on. There is only one thing that will hold back the bloom of a Christmas cactus and prevent the buds from dropping off, and that is to keep the plant in a cool place. The best luck I ever had with a Christmas cactus was during the years when we didn't have a furnace. It was easy enough then to find a cool room! In fact the cactus eventually got frozen so badly it never recovered. We got frozen too -- more or less -- but we managed to go on living. The plant I have now was given me by a friend who moved away and had no room for the plant in her new home. Each year, after the cactus has bloomed it is a good idea to encourage a little new growth. Don't worry if roots come through the bottom of the pot. The cactus is one plant that likes to be pot-bound. It is also a good idea at this time to pot a few slips for giving away to friends. Another subject often mentioned in this column which I find is a sure-fire hit with my reader-friends is any little item in connection with the Women's Institute. I think about seventy-five percent Of my readers must be W.I. members. And you know how it is -- every W.I. member likes to know what Other branches are doing; what sort of programmes they have; how they raise money, and what to do when no one wants to take office. And' then there is that little problem of when, and to whom, should life-memberships be given. At our last meeting, being still in the mood for giving, we presented two of our senior members with a life-membership pin. They were both taken completely by surprise. We were all very happy to see how pleased they were with our token of appreciation for the years of faithful service they had given our branch. Really, I am constantly amazed at the amount of good work that is done all over Ontario by W.I. members. But maybe you wonder sometimes why 1 don't mention Farm Forums, Agricultural Societies, Federation of Agriculture and other farm groups, all of whom do good work. That I realize but I limit my social activities to the W.I. I find that is all I have time for and it happens to interest me the most. I often wonder how people who belong to so many organizations keep up the pace. Life must be one con tinual round of meetings . . . and lunches! And lunches and slimming never yet went together. Well, friends, there is another thought in my mind. While the year is in its infancy how about Income Tax returns? You know it really * isn't much of a job when you get down to business. And with declining farm prices plenty of farmers will have very little to pay. The point is you have to prove it. And the only way you can prove it to the satisfaction of the Finance Department is by filing your returns. The receipt you get is your protection against future inquiries. So ... a word to the wise -- get it done and off your And again -- Best Wishes for A Happy New Year. "Twister" Of Fate--Prudent owners of this house in West London, England, have kept their portable air-raid water pump (circled) ready for use all these years, but they never dreamed a freak windstorm would slice off the side of their dwelling. No one was injured by the strange "twister" of fate. Army Takes WACS From "Wives"--The Women's Army Corps really believes in its theme: "Don't Fish Around for a Future, Join the WAC." Here, Recruiter Betty J. Clayton signs up Theda Wood, un-4mr water at Rainbow Springs, Fla. Hunt And Peck--Miss P. C. Wang, deputy commissioner of education in Formosa, watches a student learning the use of a Chinese typewriter duririg a commercial class at Chungtung Pilot Community School in Taiwan. The Foreign Operations Administration has provided five Chinese and six English typewriters for the school. ^