WOMEN'S FORUM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 115, 18 May 1933, Page 13

WOMEN'S FORUM.

WOMEN ON JURIES. The National Council of Women in England is promoting a bill whose object is to obtain a greater proportion of women on juries. At present the qualification is, broadly speaking, a property one, so more men form the panels from which jurors are selected. Another valuable point is that the present practice of challenging women jurors off in order to get them replaced by men shall be frustrated by exacting that when a juror is challenged she shall be replaced by one of the same sex.

NUMEROLOGY. There is a great vogue at the moment in the study of numerology, writes our London correspondent. You write down certain dates, as of hour, day, month and year of birth, and then, apparently, find out a lot of useful information about yourself. Alternatively you write out, your full name, attach itt? special figure to each letter of it, divide the result, and learn whether you hava great creative ability, tact, or business acumen, or if you are likely to become the "backbone of the nation," or will merely be a "rolling stone." So popular lias this .ancient art become among "moderns" that some seriously talk of changing tlieir names in order to improve a doubtful diagnosis I IN MAYFAIR. Mayfair's best dressed no longer shimmer in silk, writes our London correspondent. The craze is for cotton, and the new dresses are transforming the appearance of the smart dance clubs. Striped cottons, organdie and spotted muslin gowns gave a summery air to the place I visited. Lady Edward Hay, lilondest of natural blondes, had a dress i>f stiff white muslin with pale pink and green stripes —a lovely frock for Ascot on a really hot day. Mrs. John Barran wore string-coloured organdie, peppered with blue and green .spots. Large pinafore puff's were carried over her shoulders. Another- example of a cotton was provided by Lady Phyllis Allen. She wore striped black and white cotton.

WOMEN AND WAR. Is there no method of organising the political woman power of the world to-, wards peace and against all this war fever and armament jingling? I know of all the societies that do exist and have worked more or less with or for them, writes Helena Normanter, in an English paper. Unfortunately they usually tend so towards definite party political views inside each country and do not confine themselves sufficiently— at any rate in controlling personnel — towards a neutral party attitude. Is not the. sight of all that is to-day menacing the peace of the world enough to arouse the average woman ? It is she who matters,, not the few cranks, who are in for every known aspect of socalled eocia,l reform. But the average woman remains just the.average unit — and she may be seeing the war trains off ■at Waterloo again if she does not bestir I herself more vigorously in the near future.- . . <r >.

DISTINGUISHED AUSTRALIAN. One of the ~most notable Australians in California, Justice May D. Lahey, is one of the judges of the Municipal Court of Los Angeles (and one of the few women justices in the world). She was born in Queensland, and educated at the Brisbane Girls' Grammar School, and later at the Sydney University. Leaving Australia for the U.S.A. 1910, she entered the Law School of the University of Southern .California in Los Angeles, and, after graduating, took up professionally the general practice of law. Two years later she was appointed referee of the local Probate Court, which position she held for more than ten years. Her record being so good, the Governor of California selected her at the close of 1928 to fill a vacancy on the Municipal Bench, and she was duly assigned to the Civil Division. This appointment (unique for a "foreigner") was celebrated by a grand luncheon given in Judge Lahey's honour by the leading women of the city. Indications are that this Australian woman justice will go still further in her profession. VICTORIAN BEAUTIES. A remarkable exhibition of the portraits of famous beauties was held in London recently. One thing which struck an observer was that many of the dresses appeared quite fashionable judged by modern standards. The white tulle dress, with white- roses stuck here and there on the skirt, is, very like those favoured by some of the modern society girls, and the white satin dress worn by the Duchess of Portland in the portrait painted by Sargent differed little from many of the Princess evening dresses made to-day. Violet, Duchess of Rutland, still wears a cap headdress of the kind shown in her portrait by Shannon. One of the loveliest of the portraits was that of Mary, Lady Curzon, of Kedleston, lent by her daughter, Lady Ravensdale. John Charlton's picture, lent by Lord Spencer, of the Empress Elizabeth of Austria, on her favourite hunter, did not show a great deal of the Empress, but quite enough to enable one to realise, states an English paper, to what great advantage a well-cut old-fashioned riding habit showed off a beautiful figure.

LATEST IDEAS. Among new fashions noted recently at a fashionable London restaurant was a dress which was royal blue in front and a vivid cherry red behind. Its owner wore bright red gloves, with cuffs of chased metal bands. Another woman had on a shoulder cape of long black and white ostrich feather fronds. American actresses on the London stage are always right in the vanguard of fashion—in fact, a well-known English dress designer has just been saying that American' women wear their clothes better than any other women in the world. Carol Goodlier, who in "Dinner at Eight" is the common but smart little wife of the big business man, wears a minute black hat, enveloped, in a full coquettish eye-veil that has taken everyone's fancy, states a London correspondent, and Mary Ellis in "Double Harness" has an enchanting hat, tip ■ tilted up at the back and down over the rio-ht eye, for all the world like a "creation'' of the 'eighties, which promises to be the very newest thing in spring millinery. The new hats make eyes even more important than usual, and one of the latest ideas in eye makeup is a shiny eye-shadow which i*. applied to the eyelid. This is supposed to give a thoughtful, deep-set look to the-cyas.