WOMEN THE WORLD OVER.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20624, 13 August 1932, Page 9

WOMEN THE WORLD OVER.

(specially warms for tkh tress ) J

[By "Ataj.anta."]

From "The Dawn," Perth, I learn of the opening of Dame Sybil Thorndike's professional tour in. Australia. Dame Sybil, one -of England's greatest actresses, sheds lustre on her profession by the solid worth of her character, and the devotion to noble causes which she has shown during years of general drift in many circles round her." That Dame Sybil is a good feminist is not surprising. Many ornaments of the stage, and very particularly playwfitcrs, stand whole-heartedly , for their sex: j witness Miss Cicely Hamilton. That the l general advance of human thought and conduct interests Dame Sybil may be inferred from the fact of her deep and intimato friendship with Dr. Maudo Koyden. It .will bo remembered that this honoured visitor of some four years back was made a Doctor of Divinity last year by the Glasgow University. •Dame Sybil's broad outlook has attached her as a member to the International Alliance of "Women for Suffrage and Equal Citizenship. Mrs Bessie Rischbieth, of Perth, the great leader of feminism in the Commonwealth, tells us that Dr. Maude Koyden's good report conduced towards the tour Dame Sybil Thorndiko has undertaken this winter, accompanied by her, husband and son. Appropriately, that tour opened at Perth in May, with a play befitting her genius, "Saint Joan." There -has been time since-to achieve her express wish, "not to find England o'ver the seas, but to got to know the personality and the spirit of the daughter Dominion."

I wonder much if the hope of the British Committee working for the Nationality of Married Women has been realised at all at Ottawa. This, important subject is certainly far from the agenda of a commercial conference, but, wisely, Miss Ghrystal MacMillan and her coadjutors would not let slip so good.a chance of informally engaging the private attention of, such a gathering of the leaders of the British Commonwealth. Happily the leaders of Australian and New Zealand women wore able to add their voico to this request and instruct their delegates. Private conversations at Ottawa should certainly go some way to remove an outstanding stigma on British policy. Particularly in war time, but also during peace, the lot of British women who have married certain foreigners has been made inconceivably dangerous and bitter by conflicting world laws that a sense of justice and responsibility should long ago have standardised on right lines. The Motherland has signified in Parliament her willingness to follow America and the thirteen Aher nations which have given this essential right and safeguard to their women. It is the Dominions which have, by their indifference or hostility, hung up a reform long in arrears and productive of cruel suffering to many illstarred wives. England has rested on her oars till the Dominions choose to agree; so New Zealand's supine indifference and insensibility has condemned British women, as well as Dominion women, to & pariah's lot.

It may be news to some of us in the' south that Mrs Rewa Bennett, of the Ngapuhi tribe, Auckland, is the first woman of her race to be made a Justice of the Peace. She is a member of the Akarana Maori Women's Association, and looks after any young natives who find their way *o the Children's Court, being also the official visitor of the association to the Public Hospital.

For nearly a year, Cairo has linked itself with Western civilisation 'by reason of its commandant of police having chosen two London-trainod policewomen to Berve in keeping order in the Egyptian;/ capital. • Both are in their early thirties. One, Miss Hoskyn, conies from Dublin; the other, Mrs Baillie, from Bedfordshire. Considering the location and the mixed and moving population of Cairo, this is good news for many a friendless girl or stranded woman who may have found herself at this great gate of the East. When will New Zealand take a leaf from Egypt's hook in this essential reform?

The year 1931 saw the first International Conference of Oriental Women, held in Syria, and this conference was greatly helped in its novitiate by .an experienced and kindly Greek delegate to many a Western women's conference. This year has witnessed a Conference of' Mediterranean Women, which, if not. composed entirely of non-Western delegates- has touched questions of deepest importance to the daughters of Egypt, Asia Minor, and Northern Africa. The gathering, though much smaller than was hoped for, owing to financial strain, showed the most wholesome and hopeful devotion to the welfare of Mohammedan women in North Africa evinced by their French sisters of the ..ruling castes. Two Italian women gave weight, to the conference, which also admitted a party of Swiss women as guests. Madame Malaterre Sellier, who has made a study of native women's conditions in Northern Africa, made an able president. One strong point of the discussions was the fallacy of the Mohammedan religion being an essential bar to the education and rising status of its women. Evil custom, not the Koran, has placed women so low in the East.

COMING-OF-AGE PARTY. A pleasant evening party was given at the home of Mr and Mrs McConnell, Retreat road, by Mr and Mrs E. Quaid in honour of their daughter Vera. The rooms were decorated with streamers and balloons. The usual toasts were honoured, and Mr Quaid presented his daughter with the customary key. Miss Quaid was the recipient «»i many gifts, including a cake, presented by the Manchester ClubThe "Monte Carlo was wpn by Miss Millie Kane and Mr W. Quaid, and the lucky spot by Miss Mary Hill and Mr L. Arps. Euchre prizes- were won bv Mrs Blackburn and Mr McConnell. ,

Among those present were. Mr and Mrs E. Quaid, Mr and Mrs McConnell, Mr and Mrs J. Blackburn, Mr and Mrs J. Boloski. Mr :<nd Mrs .1. Price. Mr and Mrs J. Jones, Mesdames Borgfeldt, White, and Russell, Misses A" Quaid. K. Boloski, P. Andrews, M. Hill, I. Quaid, M. Kane, M. Quaid, D. Blackburn, P. Blackburn, B. Quaid, K. Quaid, F. Newman, M. Black, and J. Quaid, Messrs V. McConnell, C. McConnell, G. Boloski. D. Boloski, G. TT«nnnn. I-. Arps. R. Pnssiter. I' Blades, A. Cameron, A. Martin, F. Schimanski, L. Kerner. A. Buntin'.. ft. KarrefteiE. Cross, A. Simpson, B. Smith. L. Moore, E. Barrow, and W. Manelow* '•" "■ v " "

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE.

LADIES' AUXILIARY.

Jcllicoe Hall was beautifully decorated with palms, cinerarias, primulas, and greenery last night for the reception to their Excellencies, "Lord and Lady Bledisloo, under .the-.'auspices of the St. John Ambulance Association Ladies'' Auxiliary.

Their Excellencies were met at the entrance to the hall by his Worship the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.) and the Mayoress (Mrs Sullivan), and by Mrs W. Machin (president of the auxiliary) and Mrs Hugh Williams (vice-president). Miss Euth Niblock (secretary of the auxiliary) "presented bouquets of spring flowers to her Excellency Lady Bledisloe and to the Mayoress, Mrs Sullivan. Her Excellency wore a frock of leaf green chiffon velvet made with a slightly moulded bodice with cowl neckline, and fully flared skirt. Her- coat was of ermine, with a large white fox collar. Mia Daniell wore midnight blue georgette and a .satin coatee to match, with a black fur coat.

Mrs Veal's frock was of gold lace, and her coatee to match had a beige tul collar. She wore also a brown fur coat.

Mrs Machin (president of the auxiliary) wore a frock of black georgette patterned with green, red, and gold in Oriental design, with a front panel of black satin, and a white fox fur. Mrs Hugh Williams (vice-president) wore emerald green satin beaute with a shoulder-spray of pink hothouse flowers.

Miss Ruth Niblbck's frock was of shell pink satin with circular hip frills, and her coatee was of black velvet. Members of the committee were later presented to their Excellencies.

Accompanists for the musical programme were Misses Bessie Pollard and Aileen Warren. The programme included a Welsh song, "Ona Bydd a Haf o Hyd," by. Mr E. Rogers; Devonshire.song by Mr T. Charters; contralto / solo, "The Sea Hath its Pearls" (Barstow), by Miss M. Sutton; and a song, "Nymphs and Fauns" (Demberg), by Miss F. ITamerton.

Dancing concluded the evening's entertainment. Duckworth's Orchestra supplied.the dance music, and Mr H. A. Bishop acted as M.C. - Those presented included Mr and Mrs E. Rogers, Mr and Mrs J. S. Neville, Mesdames G. T. Hill, E. J. Taylor, A. G. Jones, Bastion, M. Bennett, M. Cordy, H. E. Wright, I. de P. Manson, A. Edmonds, J. Dick, E. Roberts, !N. Muir, Herdman, S. Chcetham, J. R. Taylor. Fricker, Yoarn, S. York, J. Dalling, F. Dixon, T. Mason, A. Brittonden, D. Penney, J. Wilson, "M. Geohegan, E. T. Deane, T. 11. Baker, Ashworth. F. Rudd, V. W. M. Vollcr, C. R, Woolford, Coleridge Farr, Leech, G. Henderson, T. J. Edmonds, Ron. Clark, Clearwater. D. K. Thomas, Thomas Hartley, A. Shipman, Misses H. W. Brown, E. Knowlcs, W. Thomson, Madge Cogan, Borrie, E. Moroland, Phyllis Coombs, Kathleen Sullivan, Lorna MacCracken, Esther James, Sutton, Harper, Tennent, Wilson, Poulsen, W. nobbs, Hill, Zita Beri, E. Anstey, S. Wood, Cruden, Joyce Lyes, F. M. Brown, Crcsswcll, B. Pollard, Vera Pollard, Molly Kane, Thelma Bruce, Gwen Oswald, Mavis Depree, U. Board man, Vera M. Heney, Monica McAlister, Alice Rudd, F. Clark, A. van Dongen, Marie Smith, H. Tinker, Chrissio Graham, Shadrack, J. Harper, Pope, Alice Poison, and M. Dunn, Dr. Thomas; Colonel Creswell, Messrs W. Hobbs, C. M. Edmonds, E. T. Deane, N. Thompson, F. Rudd, C. R. Woolford, S. Cheotham, Jas. Dalling, F. Ashworth, A. Holmes, H. R. Hastie, R. Ware, N. Bennett, Ron. - Clark, Thomas Hartley, A. Edmonds, Beceonsall, W. P. McKay, Broad, A. Galbraith," V. W. M. Voller, T. Barret, E. E. Roberts, N. G. Milne, F. Moreland, D. H» Dawson,-Lawler, Frank CKishdlm, v and Harper.

FLUNKET. SOCIETY.

LYTTELTON BRANCH. The monthly committee -meeting of the. Lyttelton branch of the' Plunket Society was held in the~ rooms, when Mrs Gilmour presided over the following members: Mesdames Lester, Buchanan, Mahar, Stanley, Sutton, Comer, Shepherd, Foster, Moore, and Christie. A vote of sympathy was passed with Mr and Mrs Lester and family. Mrs Moore (president of the Heathcote sub-committee) reported a very successful opening meeting in the Methodist Schoolroom. Mr Flavell (chairman of the council) had presided and officially declared the room open. Mrs Gilmour (president of the Lyttelton branch) had spoken of the aims of the society and Mrs Cecil Wood (secretary of the Christchurch branch) had given n brief outline of its history. Nurse Twentyman will attend the room on Tuesday afternoons. Arrangements were discussed for the annual street day appeal, to be held in September. jhe nurse's report for work done in Lyttelton, Heathcote, and Akaroa districts was as follows:—Lyttelton : Visits to rooms, adults 100, babies 90. pre-schobl children 19, new cases five (four naturally fed, one partially so), home visits, new cases 26, old cases 49, including 24 visit? at Heathcote. Akaroa and Duvauchelle Bay: Visits to district five, visits to rooms, adults 22, babies 18, pre-school child one, letters two, telephone messages 12. In Akaroa the health of babies had been good, and at Lyttelton .there I wore several fresh cases of whooping cough and the' usual winter ailments.