WOMEN'S OLYMPIC GAMES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 212, 1 June 1908, Page 5

WOMEN'S OLYMPIC GAMES.

ARCHERY COMPETITION FOR ENGLISH -r - AND FRENCH; In spite of • the reputation for\ athletics that English women have won, they will have only.a.limited, part in the Olympic Games place shortly in 'London, Women •will only be' ( allowed to compote in lawn tennis, archery, and-.skating.,;, • "We have had to / exclude women: from many : competitions,'' R. ~c!o Courcy .Lattan/'hoh.': Secretary of the'games, tbld ,ah ," Express",''/representative shortly .•before the':'last mail left London. '4 that/we'- aim at perfec-' !tion in and. alt hough womon. are good at golf, hookey,''or"fencing, it is acknowledged_that men are better. u\ _ " Tennis' will be the first competition in which women will appear! The'competition ;will be played on the Queen's, Club covered courts, beginning May 6. The"best of three advantage sets will decide' the' winners of the gold and silver medals,' and tho ( two players beaten in the semi-finals will play eaoh other .for the;bronze medal." ''We , have invited ten women to play," ■ Mr. Mewburn, lion; secretary of tlib Lawn Tennis Association, said; . " From these ton there will be six selected'to play. " The names of. the ten, aro the Misses Morton, M. Coles, Greene, Boothby; V. Pinckncy, Eastlake-Smith, and Mrs. Sterry, Mrs.' Chambers, Mrs. YVindj, and Mrs. Luard.; We have not yet- selected the lawn tennis players, i Tho matches will be played ■on the grass v courts.6f the AllJEngland Club at Wimbledon, beginning July 6." The women who will compete in archery will mot selected until .the last moment.' . "The choice will be made by a committee of the ; Grand National Archery Society, and ;the competition will be in the stadium .at' Shepherd's Bush," Colonel ' Walrond, sec-' rotary, of tho Royal Tox;ophilite Society, said. ■' • "There will be thirty Englishwomen, and ;I ."understand that., :a ' number of -Frenchwomen are: coming over to compete. ~': The : women . competitors will shoot four dozen .arrows at sixty yards and two'dozen arrows at. fifty yards each day. This is known as the 'national round.' ; .'"The prizes will be a gold, silver,.''and. i bronze medal. These medals will go to . the ladies- who make'_ the first,' second, and' ■third largest scoro in the two days." ' , Women will be allowed to compete in figure skating, at ' Prince's, Rink on October- 19. . _ _ . ' • , v : V Non-competitive gymnastic displays will be given by women on July 14, 15, and 16, :wheri commemorative medals will be presented. ' V

• ''Travellers on the platform, of the railway station at Atalanta, Georgia,, were greatly surprised to see a soccial_ train rush through' the station with a girl with flying hair upon the footplate. The girl engine-driver,-it .was -learned .later,, was Miss' Ethel Roosevelt, second .daughter, of the President.' She is travelling with her mother in the southland had leftj the' Presidential saloon at a small station and asked the driver to let her take charge'' of the train. He consented, and for 'two hours; Miss Roos'ovelt . drove ; at fifty miles .an hour, the train' 1 ' shrinking through' tho plains and valleys like ono possessed." Miss Roosevelt reached Atalanta six minutes ahead of time, having lost her hat, her veil, and every hairpin.' The engine-driver' was delighted with his pupil, but complained that .she went a little'too fast round the curves.' ;.- The first female inspector of: prisons, in England has just been appointed in the person of Dr. Mary ; Gordon. Her appointment has' been received with universal ap-proval-by the Press, many of the papers having for a long time advocated women inspectors for women prisoners. One paper attributes it directly to tho imprisonment of tho suffragists last _ year, who protested loudly ,±hat'women prisoners should have the services of a medical officer of their' own sex. Hitherto all gaol inspectors have been ex-governors of prisons, who were naturally biased on the subject of prison system and managemont, and never looked for the need of reform., It is generally hoped and expected that Dr. Mary Gordon will show up and improve abuses. So far there is no word of any women inspector being appointed, but as there are about 50,000 girls and women passing 'through tho English prisons each year, surely Dr. Mary Gordon cannot bo expected to attend to all.