Women's World

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 251, 21 October 1921, Page 8

Women's World

SOCIAL JOTTINGS. Miss Gertrude Cooper has arrived from Elthani to attend her sister's wedding, and is accompanied by Dr. Cooper's little daughter. Tbelma. The engagement is announced in "The Press" of Miss Moa Andrews, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Andrews, Cashmere, to Mr. R. O. C. McNab, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. D. McNab, Remuera, Auckland. Last Tuesday afternoon a gift afternoon in aid o. the sale of work for the Milford Hall was given by Mrs. Grant, Milford. (Many pretty and useful articles were collected for the sale ol •work. Mrs. Gilray, of Napier, has arrived in Auckland to attend th ewedding of Miss elena Cooper, which takes place next week, and is staying with her parents, the on. Sir Theo. and Lady Cooper, at "Araruiro." An entertainment was given at the Auckland Hospital on Tuesday evening to the nursing staff hy Mrs. Arthur Griffiths' concert party. The lounge was prettily decorated with fruit, flowers, and streamers, and the audience was large and enthusiastic throughout. A lecture was given on Mondny evening hy Dr. Buckingham to the members of the National Reserve and Auckland Nursing Division of the St. John Ambulance Brigade on the subject of venereal disease. There was a good attendance of members, and much interest was taken in the lecture. An enjoyaible evening was held on Wednesday at the residence of Mrs. Ranch, Kensington Avenue. Mt. Eden, to assist the forthcoming "fancy fair" in aid of the G-ood Shepherd Church. Amongst the guests present were: — Mesdames Davison, Booth. McCarthy, Litten, Cullen, Misses M. Monk, M. Avey, M. Hall, T. Bradley, M. Booth, P. Johnston. A general meeting of the members of the Mayoress' "War Memorial Committee was held on Tuesday last for the purpose of arranging plans to overtake the very great quantity of work to be accomplished before Christmas. The members entered into their undertakings in an enthusiastic spirit. In regard to the bookbinding, it was decided that tlie work be pushed ahead to enable the next demonstration to be given on Saturday, October 29. On Wednesday evening the committee and members ot the Amateur Operatic Co. ("The Country Girl") held a dance. The hall was decorated with coloured streamers. Coloured lights were thrown during the evening on the dancers. Presentations were made to Mr. W. Crowther, M.. Colin Muston, and Miss Rossel, who were greeted with cheers. Regret was passed that Mr. Theo Trezise, the producer, was not present, as he had left for Wellington. Among those present were Mesdames Archdale Tayler, Patrick Cole, Misses E. Lynch, Beryl Nettleton, Nora McManus, Cccii Hall, E. Skeates, B. Edwards. The marriage took place recently at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Khyber Pass, of Miss Queenie Keay, youngest daughter of Mrs. Keay, of Willesden, Gillies Avenue, Epsom, to Mr. Harold Page, second son of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Page, of Rosemont, Mt. Albert. The bride, who was given away by her brother-in-law, Mr. Ingram, wore cream charmeuse satin -with a handsome brocaded silk train, lined with a delicate sßad_"iof pink georgette. A net veil and grange blossoms, and a lovely bouquet completed a charmingly simple toilette. The bridesmaid was Miss lima Page. Little Winifred Clements was a flower girl, and Mr. M. Abel best man. The Taikapuna Musical Society gave a drawing room concert for Mrs. P. E. N. Gaudin (the croquet queen) at Mrs. Drawer's residence, Takapuna, last Tuesday afternoon. There was a large gathering of the Society and its friends, and a very interesting programme, arranged by Mesdames Bull and Lewins, was gone through. Hie performers were:—Song, Miss Webb; vocal duet, Mesdames Albert and Lewins; musical monologue, [Mrs. Bull; vocal duet, the Misses Buchanan and Mills; vocal trio, Mesdames Lewins, 'Edmonds, and Miss Mactier; ipiano solos, Mesdames Clarke, Ashwin, and Howie; piano duet, Mrs. Howie and 'Miss M'actier; two instrumental trios (violin) Mrs. Edmonds, ('cello) Miss Reid; piano, Miss iMactier. -irfrlrCrir!r{rtr& WAIKATO NOTES. Mrs. A. E. Manning is visiting Auckland. Miss Provis has recently spent a few days in Auckland. Mrs. A. Bond is the guest of her mother, Mrs. Ring, at Hinuera. Miss Halliday has been up north for a holiday. Mrs. Stonex, of Auckland, has been staying with Mrs. F. T. Jolly. Mrs. and Miss Atkinson have been on a visit to Hamilton. Mrs. D. Cooper has been on a short visit to Hamilton, and was staying with her daughter at Opoia. Mrs. H. Greenslade has returned to her home after her holiday in Raglan. Mrs. Mathews, of Hamilton, is visiting Cambridge. Mrs. and Miss Hejadley, of Cambridge, are spending a holiday in Auckland. The second ladies' night given by the Orphans' Club, of Hamilton, took place in Alexandra Hall on Saturday. During the evening musical items were given. Amongst those present were: Mesdames " Waddell, H. Ferguson. Vickery, Gower, Cowie, Fowler, D. Hay, P. Austin, Newton, H. Stevens, P. Stewart, McNicol, Young, Gilbert, Hamlin, WilBon, O'Mera, Hall, Faville, Mitchell, Cook, H. B. North, Itoss, P. Norman, Absolum, Cowles, Armstrong, Mears, Askew, Harris, Storey, Gilbert, Kino-, D. Wilson, Johnston, Austin, and Misses Yorke, Whyte, M. Roche. Hopkins, Cairns, Nathan, McDougall, and Smythe. A very successful little dance took place in the Frankton Town Hall on Tuesday evening, as a wind-up to the seriee of euchre parties held the winter months. The stage was arranged as a drawing-room and as a card room During the evening Mr. Johnston, president, thanked all those who had worked so hard to make the evening a success and presented the prizes given by Aire' Frazer Smith for the best aggregate" Mrs. Laurie gave the ladies a cakestand as a prize, and Mr. Frost the men a walkingstick mounted in silver. Mrs Douglae and Mr. Lafferty won the euehr. prizes of the evening. A return golf match was played on St. Andrews hnk s recently between the Cambridge and Hamilton lady members which was won by Hamilton. Afternoon tea was then served. The Cambridge representatives were Mesdames Slack Peake, A. Nieoll, Sutherland, Stanley' and Misses Cornaga, Hally, Lewis, McLaughlin, Lundon, Cox (2), and Swavne. The Hamilton players were Mesdames S? U , S i as ' J?" _? a - v ' H - Gi «ies, F. Bond, Walshe E. Stewart, Blyth, Bray, and Misses Provis, York, MeCarter, Douglas Harrison, Wilkinson, Nathan. Cladmck jtu4 Steyejjs. g____. .... m v..- '

AMONG OURSELVES. A WEEKLY REVIEW. A DUSTBIN DELICACY. (By CONSTANCE CLYDE.) "For reading new hooks is like eating new bread, One van hear it at first but by gradual steps he Is brought to death's door by a mental Uyspeji sy." So writes J. R. Lowell, prophesying comfort, maybe, to the New Zealanders who are threatened with a law that will allow no bread on the table—or in the dustbin, its other favourite landing place—till it is at least twelve hours old. The law is for industrial not hygienic reasons, nevertheless hygiene will benefit. Unlike the French, the Saxon race cannot make bread that is really ready when newly baked. The French succeed, perhaps, because they begin their consideration of bread making not merely in the wheat field, but in the tree avenue, and travellers in France are J shown specially grown slender poplars that alone will give the intense heat producing the thick crust that that nation has the sense to enjoy. The Chinese also have this Idea of special fuel for their complicated arshes. Miss Ella MaeNcil, of the Y.W.C.A. Chinese Mission, mentions tbe use of rice straw coal and gas fuel to give the intense quick heat desired, but when she used the straw she found that she could cook as well as a Celestial. The Japanese do not use bread at all, preferring rice or biscuits. Eating fresh bread is only one of New Zealand's many sins, but it is the favourite, and when the new lawcomes in I am afraid the old loaf (20 hours out of the oven is old) will become a dustbin delicacy even more than usual. GOING BACK TO SCHOOL. For 220 years Yale University, Connecticut, has been a man's college. Now it has opened its gates to a Women's Citizenship School, which is having a crowded week this October. Other States have already such centres and scholars from countryside and town have thronged to them. They have displayed so much longing to know, so much almost religious fervour, that Pressmen sent to write "funny stories" about "women going back to school" have declined to do so. At this Yale women's citizenship school many notable men, including ex-President Taft, are giving lectures, on such subjects as Government history, party caucuses, social service, city welfare, including a know-your-town address. This school is in connection with a very large organisation, the League of Women Voters. Besides arranging the school, this league is sending out to the women's organisations in every centre a list of 112 questions to be answered. Very varied are the queries thus put. Each centre must tell, if possible, something as to the number of houses mortgaged in that district, the average rentals> the highest price at which coal was sold during the year, the extent to which there is co-operative purchasing, and other such matters. Amongst the social questiohs asked are the number of (ttvorces and the apparent moral effect on the community, the status of the negro in that particular district, and health and education generally. From the answers to these questions the league will draft legislation to be put before Government. There are two women's organisations that have considerable power in America. First this particular league of women voters which specialises in legislation of import to women and children, and second, the General Federation of Women's Clubs, which deals with education in citizenship. If the enthusiasts of any district are anxious for a reform they write to the first-named body, which sends down workers to organise the matter locally, and also to start a school of citizenship. One cannot but admire these American women. They are not content merely to sing their national anthem; they live up to it. MENTAL DEFECTIVES. Some correspondents have been writing on this subject in the "Star" and elsewhere. Before one can get much reform one must realise what a mental defective is. The general notion or such a type is a heavy child crooning to herself in a corner. Far commoner in this Dominion, however, is the boisterous affectionate girl, often with a queer intelligence of her own and ako physically capable. In the mental hospitals such girls are put in the quieter wards where the rational patients make pets of them. They pick up bad language, it Is true, but the food is good, and there is a rale against beating or flogging. Where inmates have a chance of getting out, as in such asylums, treatment is always proportionately fair. Now it sounds well

to "segregate" those sub-normal girls in special homes, but it must be remembered that then they no longer have grown-up rational patients among them who can inform upon the attendants if they ill-treat the children. The girls themselves usually cannot speak, or would not be believed if they did. It is pleasant for the visitor to see the open space in which the children sometimes play, but they do-not know of the long hours in which they are made to sit still thirsty and cowed on backless benches because the running about of some thirty girls disturbs the domestic stall. One of the most pathetic sights in such so-called homes is to sec the big laundry girls after a hard day's work compelled to sing childish action songs with the little ones when they would rather read or play draughts, as they can well do. But it is no o#e's interests to give them their rights, or to see that they have at least as easy a time as the women in gaol. Now. supposing New Zealand women had lhe Americanised system, how would a reformer act in order to change the tragedy of the mentally defective girl into a pretty drama? First of all, he would consider the two great organisations already mentioned, and probably decide that the league was the one for his purpose. He would then "put a twopenny stamp to work," and the league would do the rest. Representatives would come to Auckland, give lectures on the subject of mental deficiency, and investigate present conditions and future possibilities. They would then return to headquarters with their report, and the women would lay before Parliament their proposals for complete reform. And our members would have to do considerably more than "give the matter their fullest consideration." So far as New Zealand is concerned, I am not in favour of too much State interference in family matters. The New Zealanders have so little natural resentment against injustice per se that it is not safe for us to give officials much power. It is interesting to note, however that Sweden has passed a law concerning another unfortunate tyoe of child—the illegitimate. Such children are given the right to nurture and education at the cost of both parents, and there is also a State-appointed guardian. Some British legislators are supporting a measure which will allow the father to legitimatise a child, but this patri potestas will not receive the support of many women. The Roman father had' the right of life and death over his infant, but that, is no reason why the modern father should be given theright of social life or death. Responsibility in such cases should be his, but not power.

HON. A. MYERS' DEPARTURE. > PUBLIC FAREWELL TO BE GIVEN. A proposal to tender a public farewell in Auckland to the Hon. A. M. Myers, prior to his forthcoming departure to take up residence permanently in London, was made to the City Council last night by the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Guns On. It would, he said, he most appropriate to honour Mr. Myers in this way, and he suggested that a representative committee of ten prominent citizens, including five city councillors, be set up and empowered to act in furtherance of the ibject. The committee named consisted of the mover, Miss K. Melville, Messrs. H. D. Heather. Ernest Davis, T. Bloodworth, G. H. Wilson, T. H. Macky, J. F. Ewen, Oliver Nicholson, and Geo. Elliot. The committee will be called together probably on Monday.