WOMEN'S WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 134, 8 June 1926, Page 19

WOMEN'S WORLD.

SOCIAL JOTTINGS

Mrs. Gillman has returned to Wellington from Auckland. Mrs. Culford Bell (of Wellington) and her two children are spending the winter at Russell, Bay of Islands.

Mr. and Mrs. Nello Porter left Auckland to-day by the Aorangi for the United States, where they are spending some months' holiday. Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Sheath, who have been in Australia for some months, are returning to Auckland by the Maunganui on June IS. Mrs. White, widow of the late Rev. W. White, of Waihi, accompanied by Miss M. White, who have been living in Christchurch for the past two years, are staying at Cargen and intend to take up residence at Mount Eden shortly, where they will in future reside.

Miss Olive G. Loate, of Hamilton, Victoria, i= a recent recruit to the legal ranks of Melbourne. She was the only woman among 23 law graduates admitted Its month to practise as barristere and solicitors. Miss Loate's success is rendered the more notable by the fact that all her study was done by correspondence. Miss Anderson, organising secretary of the Australian Young Women's Christian Association, is relinquishing her work in Australia, and is returning to New York (states "The Age"). Her work will be carried on by Miss Griffin, who has just arrived from New Zealand. The Federal headquarters of the Y.Vf.C.A. are now established in Melbourne.

Dame Nellie Mclba received fifty-one cabled birthday greetings from Australia. She gave a big birthday dinner party at her country house, Hatfield. She sang herself, as also did Mr. John Brownlee. Australia sent three delegates to the International Congress, held in Paris. They are—Mrs. T. J. Ley, J.P., nominated by the Women's League, N.S.W.; Miss Frances Taylor, editor of "The Woman's World," nominated by the Victorian Women Citizens' League; and Miss Overell, nominated by the Tasmanian Women's Non-Party Association. They were met by local representatives of the Australian Equal Citizenship Movement in Perth, and supplied with letters of introduction to international quarters.

The International Congrees of the Suffrage Alliance has opened at the Sorbonne, Paris. Prior to leaving for Paris the members of the Australian delegation were entertained in London. At this reception the point was stressed that Australian women would have to watch more closely what women were doing in other parts of the world, and would have to keep well abreast of movements, because the compulsory vote in the Commonwealth was making suffrage a much more serious and important question for women. It would seem that the compulsory vote has had the effect of making women take a much keener interest in political events, and perhaps there will be - greater support forthcoming for efforts made by different societies to have more suitable legislation introduced for the benefit of women and children, and also for the advantage of the homes _ __. . On Friday evening Mr." Proctor, the well-known artist, gave some criticism upon the work of the members of the art section of the League of New Zealand Penwomen. Unsigned sketches in all mediums, oils, water colour, pen and ink, pencil, etc., were submitted, and Mr. Proctor not only pointed out the merits of the several exhibits, but gave helpful criticism and hints regarding improvements in tone, style and composition. A framed study in oils of a child's head attracted attention, tne critic commenting upon the successful treatment of the flesh, and lifelike expression in the eyes. A pencil sketch of trees was praised for its delicate portrayal of natural growth in branch and foliage. Some unfinished water-colour sketches of trees and water came in for favourable mention. Mr. Proctor said that the prevalence of blues and greens in all New Zealand scenery made it difficult to paint with warmth and vigour, as these two colours were apt to give rather a cold atmosphere to the picture unless handled with extreme skill. A number of sketches were pronounced excellent, but gave too much attention to detail. The spirit of a picture is sometimes lost when detail is too highly stressed —a case of "painting the feather and missing the flight." Mr. Proctor was heartily thanked by the members present for his helpful and expert criticism. At the conclusion of the evening supper was served. The Begum of Bhopal, India's only •woman ruler, has been in London some time, and has been living in Portman Square and thoroughly enjoying herself with her family. Now she has taken the enormous residence occupied by the Maharajah of Jodhpur and his suite at Wimbledon Park, W. It is known as Belmont House, and i* a very beautiful old Georgian residence with twelve acres of grounds. It is owned by the Due de Vendome, a brother-in-law of the King of the Belgians, and it has thirty bedrooms and ten reception rooms, and the exquisite furniture is antique, with some priceless bite amongst it. Suzanne Lenglen is engaged to be married to Jacques Brindejones Offenbach, poet and writer, and grandson of Jacques Offenbach, the composer of "The Tales of Hoffman," says a writer in an exchange. The temperamental queen of the courts chose her intended husband outeide the ranks of tennis players, but M. Offenbach is considered one of the most delightful poets of the younger generation of French letters. In spite of official denials, Mile. Lenglen is known to have frowned upon the proposals of dukes, counts, earls and American millionaires. This engagement is hailed as a real love match. Suzanne was 27 years old on May 24, while Offenbach is 3fi. Offenbach, unable to wield a racquet, and seldom seen about, the tennis courts, was smitten with Mdlle. Lenglen during the hard court tournament at St. Cloud jn 1921, in which the French champion defeated Mrs. Molla Mallory. During the intervening time, while reports of Mdlle. Lenglen'e engagements succeeded one another, the poet kept well in the background. Recently he and his wife were divored by mutual consent. The announcement of the betrothal came as a great surprise to Paris. Offenbach has been accepted by the Lenglen family, but it has not been decided whether the wedding will take place before the Wimbledon tournament this year or after. Mdlle. Lenglen's fiance i« a poor man compared with the distinguished noblemen poesesmJng lofty titles who in recent years have offered to lead Suzanne off the tennis courts into matrimony. He is a reporter for the newspaper, "Le Gaulois," acting as musical and literary critic, with an income of not more than 1200 francs (about £10) a month.

AROUND THE TEA TABLE

MATTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST.

(By SHIRLEY.)

We New Zealanders have been agitating lately concerning the purity of the English language, and how it is faring at our hands. In Wagga Wagga, it seems, they have taken the matter even more to heart. In the State schools they are placing a mistake box, into which children are invited to place errors of speech which they hear made by grown up people. As a result Dad dare not open his mouth at meals except to put therein the result's of Mum's culinary geniue, while Mum herself is becoming so nervy at watchful ears that the culinary efforts have not so much genius as usual. All their offspring are anxious to get the most errors for the mistake box, and for the first time the young in some famili* s are willing to be listeners and not speakers. They fall into an obedient and instant silence when the parent raises his voice. The only old pereon who is enjoying it all seems to be the teacher. But supposing his errors find their way into the mistake box! Pedagogues have sometimes descended very much from their pedestal.

This same Australia, has, here and there, a Housewives , Association, some branches of which are making trouble over the expensiveness of eggs. We in New Zealand cheer them on. We, too, are lamenting the price of these products. No use a correspondent sending mc, as she once did, a list of recipes cheerily headed "Why Buy Eggs?" Golden eyrup it seems, mixed with milk and water are substitutes when making a cake. Sapo again will bind rissoles together, while powdered gelatine has also uses in this way. One small carrot, it 6eems, finely grated, is as tonic to the system as two eggs. Substitutes everywhere.

Unfortunately, what does one do when one wants to eat an egg not disguised in any way. There is no responee. I have dined in vegetarian restaurants on substances that I could hr.ye sworn were meat, but never have I or anyone else sat down to anything resembling a hard-boiled egg, unless it were a real hard-boiled egg. And, alas, what ie the price of one at present?

This did not happen in New Zealand, but it is alleged to have occurred in the island continent just mentioned. "Quite all right, Mary," as they sped along "Yes, George, quite." "Are the cushions nice and comfortable?" "Couldn't be nicer," she purred. "You're riot being jolted, wifie?" "No. no, none at all." "Then, Mary, you change places with mc, old girl," said the attentive husband.

A fairly long list is that of the various occupations followed by some of our women migrants. Mill hands, dressmakers, clerks, teachers, as well as the more reassuring 146 domestics. Says the compiler of these facts: "Whatever their former avocation, that is no guide to what each individual woman will follow in New Zealand." But it is. Whatever she did in England, one may be pretty sure that that occupation is the one she won't, adhere, tojij.the new lan/L Woman, being newer to' bread-earning than man, is etill somewhat in the polygamous stage as regards occupations. When men come out to a new country, they, are rather disgusted if they cannot follow their English calling. When women come out, they are rather disgusted if they are obliged to do so.

However, the younger women are settling down a little more than did the pioneers of their sex in bread-earning. It is the older women that can tell tales of all the avocations they have followed, from tearoom manageress to cinema piano player and that sort of thing. They liked forcing their way into new occupations, and boasting of their adventurousness. However, that old piratical spirit eeema dying out. Women are taking to their vocations almost in the same humdrum way as do men. When the adventure sense etirs them, however, they come out to a young country, in order to have an excuse for "doing something else," which is at once our drawback to success and our consolation when success does not come. • • • •

Who is the last bather of autumn, excluding, of course, boys in whom hardihood is taken for granted? Rumour tells mc a couple, a man and hie wife, who tempted the waves at Devonport only three weeks ago. Except for this, however, the eea is empty of humans. When the bathing season comes round again, will any of our belles imitate the Los Angeles women bathers, whoso latest fad ie to take their parroquet with them, the bird perched on the shoulder? The pet, usually a macaw, does not enter the water, but is placed on the shore to guard the bather's cloak, and also to make himself disagreeable to beach censors who have strong views on onepiece costumes. The macaw has usually strong views on the pleasantness of ankle pecking when the censor comes round, and it is hoped that the latter will be duly discouraged.

What I like about our historical films is the manner in which they paint the real medieval times. These ages seem to come out far more realistically than in the historical work which is adapted, great as that work may be. Thus the pictured version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was more socially correct than Victor Hugo's bitter novel. Similarly, in the pictured version of "Romola," we have less of George Eliot's absurdly English puritanic hero-. ine, with her complete absence of Italian tact. Also we do not see herself condemned to perpetual widowhood, a state impossible to a young woman of that age, unle.se she chose to spend it in a convent. And, oh, that last scene in the novel, and Romola residing wifch her peasant girl rival, the morganatic wife, to put it politely, of the dead Tito. And she, Romola, an Italian girl and also a woman of high standing! And then Tessa, the peasant girl herself, so much more true to type in film than in novel. The film admittedly does keep the geniue of a book out, but it does manage to get the history in, which is, after all, something to the good.