WOMEN'S FORUM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 114, 17 May 1933, Page 13

WOMEN'S FORUM.

* DISTINGUISHED HOLLANDER. . A very interesting personality was entertained recently in West Australia, when Mrs. D. G. Swartz passed through, en route to Europe. Mrs. Swartz qualified as a lawyer at the Leydpn University, and for a time was employed as legal adviser to a bank, ylie then became interested in international work, having met Miss Rosa, Manns, a prominent Dutch international worker, and for some time acted as her private secretary. Miss Manus is at present honorary secretary to the' Women's International Disarmament Committee at Geneva. Prior to her taking this position she was for twenty years associated with Mrs. Carrie Chapman, the founder of the Women's International Alliance. When she was Miss Manus' private secretary Mrs. Swartz was stationed for three months in Geneva, and was directly concerned with the sorting and preparation of the signatures collected by women peace workers throughout the world for presentation to the Disarmament Conference. She spoke ivitl , . pride of the fact that -Mrs. Corbet . Ashby had been appointed a permanent delegate for Great Britain to the League of Nations Assemblies. Women were playing a great part in the world's move for peace sho considered. When questioned about languages, Mrs. Swartz said that Dutch schools specialised in languages, which were taught very thoroughly, especially English. She speaks fluent English, German, and French, in addition tojier mother tongue, and also knows a little Italian. The Dutch educational standard is very liigh, and in spite of Holland's smallness there are no fewer than six universities there.

WEARING THE TROUSERS. ' The autocrats of feminine fashion are doing their utmost to popularise trotjeere for women. That fact is demonstrated by several Tecent fashion displays in London, where trousers in many different and some esoteric styles were a marked feature of the parades. However, the retail buyers are fighting rather shy of these garments. They reason that the occasions for their wear are limited, and that only women -with the slimmest figures dare attempt to don them. However keen advanced feminists may be, in every sense, to "wear the trousers,'" it will speak poorly for feminine taste if women abandon skirts for trousers. It there is one department where women are superior to men it is in the way they dress, and even men admit that trousers are the ugliest jiart of their apparel.

PANCAKE HATS. Among the joyous symptoms of spring we may expect a new feminine idea in headgear. It is, I believe, writes our London correspondent, known ■to the initiated as the "flap-jack hat," and resembles in some ways that worn by our gallant bluejackets. Evidently this resemblance appeals to the inventors, because the usual bit of ornamentation is an anchor pinned on. the front. The flap-jack has a veil attachment, and its essential poise is just over one eye. To say that it imparts a skittish air to the wearer is actually understating the real effect. Though manifestly suited only to the young and frivolous, we shall most likely see it worn by demure and elderly ladies. In which ca«e life ought to be very gay indeed, and Victorian survivors will have fresh cause to predict the downfall of post-war civilisation.