WOMEN'S WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 245, 16 October 1925, Page 12

WOMEN'S WORLD.

SOCIAL JOTTINGS. Dr. Duncan Cook, of Ohakune, is staying with his parents at St. Leonards, Dunedin. Mrs. Arnold F. Preston, of Wellington. is visiting Auckland, and is the guest of her mother, Mrs. J. il. F. Connelly. Bayswater. Lady Cooper and Mrs. Magnus Johnson, of Hamilton, are at present in t-"Auckland, and arc staying at -Glenal- ?•]" yon" for a few days. Mrs. Campbell, and Mrs. Fulton, who *> have been visiting Auckland and staying '- with Mrs. Athol Mills and Mrs. Cedric ■£ Herman, have returned to Wellington. t, Mrs. L. -T. Marsack, Weston Road. .'. returned to ChristehurcL after an ; extended holiday in Auckland, j Miss Farquhar, of Royalcourt. who Tia.s been on a month"s holiday visit to b> i>ydney, has returned to Auckland. '.'..- Mrs. J. C. Dickenson, delegate from the .';,. Auckland branch of the Young Women's gj Christian Association, is visiting ChristJJ church, to take part in the discussion «• of the new constitution for Xew Zealand, made necessary by the parting ■ from Australia. The League of Xew Zealand Pen- % -women are holding a reception to-morrow &', afternoon to enable the members to meet £~ Uγ. Julia Seton. the distinguished Ameri- ** can speaker and writer, at present visit*j ing Auckland. Dr. Seton is very outw standing amongst women visitors to Xew t- Zealand, and is a pronounced champion I* of the cause of women and the modern [:. woman movement. It is expected there &] vrill be a large gathering present.

§jj A welcome home was tendered to Mrs. jg Anderson, on Monday evening last, when j-* the guest's numerous friends welcomed ■A her after a trip to England. There were IS Several enjoyable items given during the $ evening, and dancing was also indulged JJJ in. The Xew Zealand Quartet gave a [•; rendering of popular songs. Mr. Binstead ►; and Miss Russel solos, and Mrs. Vera m Bartley two humorous monologues. t Miss B. Welch, of Wellington, lion. * treasurer of the National Council of ii, Women, who arrived in Auckland on £; has left for a motoring trip J£ to Wellington, via Arapuni and other '■-■ places of interest, in company with Mrs. X D. T. Cameron, Lower Hutt, and Mrs. tn G. Fulton, of Heretaunga. They expect Sγ! to be five days en route to Wellington. *." The Gardening Circle of the Lyceum *g Club paid a visit to the garden of Mr. Henry Brett, Takapuna, on Wednesday. £• There were between thirty and forty «n members present, and the visit was much s-i enjoyed. The carnation house was look£l ing very well, and had a very fine k{ promise. The bluebell corner under g the treee was in full beauty, and called (*| forth much admiration on the part of 3 the visitors. The gerberas are very fine, *;• also the early sweet peas and the early £» roses. Special attention was attracted to SI a bed of late daffodils, the fine nemesias £l and the delphiniums, which the gardener 5$ explained were treated alternately with J™ eulphur and lime. The rock garden was £< also very interesting, and the bank of <w pink geraniums was a full blaze of colour. jg Mrs. Alfred Kidd, convener, was in *o charge. 5 Last Monday a very enjoyable evening 5 was given to Mrs. Rickerby, chairman t! of the sub-committee of the Ever Ready ™ Committee of the Victoria League, at ™ the home of Miss Mowbray, Manukau g> Itoad, Parnell. The evening was spent g£ with musicaJ items and competitions* rat «nd Mrs. Rickerby was presented with in antique vase and tray as a token g! Of esteem from the members. SN ' Th e quarterly social of the Auckland »£ branch of the Women Teachers' Associam tion was held at the Business Women's j* Clubrooma on Monday evening. A large 3 gathering was presided over by the preS'Z dent (Miss Carnaehan), who welcomed g representatives of the Headmasters' g Association, Assistant Masters' Associa--6 tion, and the N.Z.E.I. executive present, jg and read an apology for absence from g Mr. Hill, president of the Auckland Disg tnct Educational Institute. A pleasing j« programme, arranged by Miss Barr, was I\< P resented - Songs were rendered by ™ Mrs Nash, Miss Poster, Miss Duffin, * >? i Soloman; recitations by Miss « Mahon and Miss Bell, a pianoforte solo 5 t.Vii- ISS C)are ' and violin solos °v Miss § Phillipg The items were .veil received, S encores being frequently demanded. An 5 amusing competition, followed by supper, I brought an enjoyable evening to a close. I wir J - the a ,T erage P prson realises I what a great walker is the Duke of 1 i.° rk . ( f s , ks "Gadabout" in the "Daily « Chron.de"). His Royal Highness ie I not so fond of horse-riding as either the I Prince of \\ ales or Prince Henry. and 4* when Ins public and social duties permit' I he puts in a lot of time "on Shanks'' |E pony. AVhile the Duke acknowledges $ the value of riding as an exercise, "he }g thinks that the healthiest of all forms *£ of exercise is walking, and he often £* slips away for a tramp round. It is jJj his great regret that he cannot spare ij time to have a long holiday "footing it" gin the country. If such a holiday could m be managed the Duke would find an al>le companion in his wife, who has been Jg used to tramping the Scottish hills since £ ghe was a bairn. Y.W.C.A. NEWS. H The monthly meeting of the board of £v directors-- was held last Friday, Mrs. yt G. H". Wilson (president) being in the £* chair. 'Mrs. J. C. Pickenson was apS pointed the official delegate to the quarf£ terly meeting of the Dominion Commifc--2 tee of the Y.W.C.A., to be held in g* Christchurch on October 21 . and 22. c* Special' announcement was made of a' j-j pageant to be held in the big Town Hall «3 on Wednesday, October 28. Miss'Steven--3 son (general secretary) reported that the s>s stage management was in the hands of a !-5 committee consisting of Mrs. Edgar i; Webb, Miss Newman, and Miss Stella is McLean, while the incidental music Jg would be provided by Dr. W. E. Thomas g and the W.E.A. choir of 100 voices. ENGAGEMENTS. : ] The engagement is announced of J* Lalla, elder daughter of Mrs. John * Duthie, of Wellington, to Eric, eldest V' son of Mrs. F. K. Reeves, of Wellington. »j The engagement is announced of Hazel, S eecond daughter of Mr. Geo. Hart, of *j Brooklyn, Wellington, to Norman, second £J son of Mr. and Mrs. H. Nelson, of *» Onehunga. a , '- ■ WEDDINGS. Bp^» C .- marriage was celebrated at St. sM ? hnT i\- on Ootobor 7 of ilr - -53 Brookv e . ldest son of Ml - and Mrs «Wakem ! i iL^ taroa ' to Miss Genevieve SThe bride v Street > A »<*land. S worked veil Th? P rett y hand- § Miss Margaret Wakem" d ?" ln * ™c S French crepe £ k * m > m a sliell pink g crepe de chine,"eadftUt ma " Ye French a^te moon there -the

AMONG OURSELVES,

A •WEEKI-γ BUDGET. (By CONSTANCE CLYDE.) i SOME AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. Miss Burford, an Adelaide girl, has the distinction of being the first Australian lady aviator. She has flown in the biplane, and her professional debut was made when she rose from Albert Park (S.A.) and flew over Adelaide to the Mt. Lofty Range and back. She is said to be also a skilled oarswoman. In another line is Miss Muriel lleagney, who is the woman delegate of the Australian Labour party's representation at the London Labour Conference. In 1023 she was sent to England iv connection with the distribution of the European Famine Fund, and she has remained in that country ever since. Dr. Pascoe. of Callan Park Asylum, Sydney, is described as the first woman practitioner in Australia to undertake the treatment and study of mental defectives. Also an Australian is Miss M. G. Fordham. M.S.c. •She was formerly lecturer in biology in Perth University. She has been in England, however, and comes from there to undertake important zoology work, for which she will need to visit all the States. MADAME MONTESSORI. Of course the most famous (modern) exponent ,, of mental deficiency treatment is Madame Montessori, of whose work in Italy has been issued a report by the Mussolini Government. As most of us remember, Madame Montessori, who is now about fifty years of age, was so pleased by her system's success as regards "backwards" that she was induced to try it on average children. She discovered that while the system made education possible for the former, for the latter it went further, and made self-education natural and easy. Madame Montessori had much opposition to face. Her ideal for the mother of the future is a very high one. "She shall wish to be loved for herself alone, and not as the giver of comfort and repose. She shall wish a love free of every form of servile labour. The goal of human love is not the egotistic end of assuring its own satisfaction. It'is the sublime goal of multiplying the forces of the free spirit, making it almost divine." The home of the future will be a place where

the mother will add to her own great maternal affection knowledge of training which is not yet hers. But before this can be effected she must be freer than now from sordid cares. WOMEN AT SEA. We hear so much lately of women pilots and engineers that we are inclined to forget the more conventional positions which the sea offers to women of ability and good health. These are by no means comprised in the one word stewardess. Thus some 'big liners have a lady conductress. She dines with the first-class passengers, and is supposed to

guide and assist the social side of life at sea—a side which, of course, is much more in evidence than on land. She is expected also to consider unattended lady passengers, and to show tact and discrimination if any disputes arise in connection with the various entertainments. A woman who does not feel competent for this rather indefinite yet trying position may apply for a post as stenographer. She does a good deal of work for the company, and may also typewrite for the passengers. Her hours are not defined, and of course this position also needs Eome tact. Sometimes a stenographer has a post with the thirdclass passengers, and then the surroundings of course are not so attractive. As what is called bookstall attendant in some ships a woman is often employed. She Teally does not lend many books, but rather superintends a little store. \Beauty parlours at sea must, of course, employ women, and sometimes also they are wanted for hairdressing saloons on board. BRITISH CHILD WELFARE ACT. ' It is often said that in matters of guardianship the Court usually leans to the side of the mother, and that therefore enactments -supporting her claims are unnecessary. Most of us, again, have a hazy idea that even under the old law an infant under seven years old belongs to the , mother, without any special legislation being needed. Both these beliefs, however, are shattered by a case now decided in the Scottish Court which had to do with this question. The circumstances "vvere certainly unusual. A man ivlio suffered severely from phthisis left his" home to undergo treatment. When he returned he found that his wife had left, taking the child, three years old. away with her. On her refusal to return the little girl, the man took the case to Court, and was awarded.

custody. During the proceedings it I came out that children of even lesser j age, in one case a baby of eighteen ■ month?, had been awarded to the guar- \ dianship of the father, merely on account ; of his sex alone. The Court in this case declared that the mother's reasons j for refusing to return to her husband did not come into the matte;* *.t all. Sympathisers regret greatly that the case was not kept out of Court until next year, when the new Child Welfare Act of 102") would come into force. Under this ' Act, when the parents' claims clash, it j is considered that the "welfare of th.c j child alone should be considered." I

THE AMBIGUOUS TURK. j Under the above heading the "Women's Leader" has a few very racy remarks to make concerning Kemal's divorce of his wife, which has Leen so much discussed. '"Recently from Tur- j key has come the news that the President (Mtistapha Xenial) lias divorced his enterprising and energetic wife, owing, it is said, 'to her .desire to mix in matters that do not concern her. and that are outside her own sphere.' Meanwhile almost simultaneously il is reported that all sumptuary dress regulations have been removed, the police being no longer authorised to interfere with the dress worn by Turkish women in public. We do not know whether to congratulate Mrs. Kemal on 'both points, but we are certainly in a position to congratulate her on the second, for she has herself played a prominent part in the movement of Turkish women towards freedom in dress design. And no Englishwoman whose memory goes back to the days of trailing skirts, puffed-out hair, erownless hats. etc.. will underrate the importance of dress reform upon the daily energy and health of this new generation." The "Women's Leader' , seems to think that the liberty to discard her veil should make up to Madame Kemal for being herself discarded by a somewhat trying husband.