WOMEN'S WORK EXHIBITION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 67, 12 December 1907, Page 3

WOMEN'S WORK EXHIBITION.

-THE CLOSING SCENES., (FROM OUlt SrECIAI, CORRESPONDENT.) Melbourne, December 1. Despite air gloomy forebodings , the Women's Work Exhibition finances will probably como out almost, if not quito, to the credit side of the ledger. Tno total receipts are expected to-realise £15,000; tho liabilities. cannot yet be stated with' absolute accuracy, but it is expccted that tney will bo a little under this amount. As the exhibition was not conducted for profits, ■'his result is very satisfactory, and the-execu-tive committee and management, as well as the women of Australia and ■ elsewhere, ■ can be heartily congratulated upon it. No one who has not been connected with aiiVexiM, tion can realise the enormous amount of work thrown on the shoulders of many thousands of voluntary helpers, and; among the most energetic and hard-working helpers, towards tho success of this particular: display may be named the* musicians and singers. During the last eight months the 1000 members of the women's choir, the, 120 members of tho orchestra, the 40 members of tho brass band, and the,so members of the mandolin society havo given their services entirely without payment, for the joy of doing good work. Ono of tho most striking features of the exhibition iias boen the wonderful popularity of the crechc, where thousands of children havo been entertained. Tho creche' was organised without financial assistance, and tho success of the institution so enthusiastically and scientifically maintained lias beon recognised in a fitting maimer by the awarding to it of tho special prize of £25 given by Lady Nurthcote for the best exhibit. THE LAST KINDERGARTEN DEMONSTRATION. The last kindergarten demonstration was given by Miss Semmens, two assistants, and 32 email pupils, none of whom had reached the dignity of six years. Aftor tho greeting song, tho children were invited .to. tell of something they had noticed on the journey to tho exhibition; and so the birds,, and tho sun, and the horses, and tho clouds; and the trees were described in eager piping little voices. The central thought of tho morning was our dependence on the country. A song game was phyed, one small boy representing tho farmer, while ■ tho other children sowed and reaped imaginary grain. A very, very young white-capped-and whitecoated miller ground the grain through a coffee, .mill, and so . the origin of flour and then bread was imprinted oil tho tiny minds. At the close of the demonstration tho boys and girls set tho tables for the morning meal. Snowy cloths and vases of flowers were put on each table, and as. soon as the mugs and plates were noatly arranged a simple grace was repeated in unison. There was no hurry or greed, and each tiny child helped its next-door neighbour to a cup of milk and biscuits with politeness .not always to be found among the older moinbers of society. Aftor lunch each pupil seized its tiny chair, put it against tho wall, and then both boys and girls proceeded to "wash-up," and most daintily and beautifully thoy did it too. This finished, tho plants were also given a "drink," and a marching song closed the demonstration. " SOMETHING ACCOMPLISHED, SOUTHING DONE."

It was with a distinct feeling of rcgrot that many thousands of people attended tho final .naval and military tattoo, took their final meal in tho refreshment room, heard tho final concert, and gnzed for the last time on the many interesting and varied exhibits. To a very large number of Australian women the exhibition has been an ossontial part of their lives for the last few mouths, ancf especially for tho last nix weeks; and no <nae was

more delighted than the women themselves at the exceptional popularity and success of what they rightly regarded as in many ways the most important' feature of the exhibition : the model creche. With all the enthusiasm for the newer fields of women's work, the Australian women have, for the most part, never lost sight of the fact that among the children, in tlieir feedjng and clothing, their training and education, lies tho real, permanent, essential duty of womankind. When all 'is said nml done, the vast bulk of the women of.the world are at heart largely, if not wholly, domestic, whatever their passing fads" and fancies may be. It is because the Women's Work Exhibition has given such prominence to the domestic arts that it has taken so great a hold 011 tho interest and affectioii of tho many thousands of women in all lands who havo heen connected with it. It is 110 light thing for women to give up their time to one interest for six or seven weeks; and frequent ..visitors to tho exhibition cannot have failed to see how, day after day, often nil day long, the mcmbors of the different committees have been in attendanco, helping to make the exhibition a success. In these circumstances it was impossible that tho exhibition -should not prove a success. It has done everything that was expected of it; it has been a means of enlightenment and education and entertainment to all those who were fortunato enough to be able 'to visit it.