WHAT WOMEN ARE DOING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 410, 20 January 1909, Page 3

WHAT WOMEN ARE DOING.

-;'i' : ;' ! ;-.:':-?- : ;;;AiNOTA^L^^ •- .One.- of-, the: most., interestingvamong.-ithe man/,'.intellectual '.Italian .women ofj.'therpre.sent..day J is.;M_ariaiilontessori,;:-whp-holds-^ri , appo'intoentoasotectriii'6r'fe'rthe ;f Uriivefsity i ' < bT Borne.-Her.;'rare 'gifts of. ;-atM : elpqUeni6e' , lecturer; 3 ; of : .Rome, :;especially : yfor>ieK'.b"fig&al imethbd ;of■..teachmgv'.-childreri'ito-read-khdi'write by ingenious; playthings, instead.of'.by'-'the'usiiai' laborious.'methods. ■•Th'is-'s.ysjim sheh'as intrpduced; in; tie ..Casa; dei/Bambuu' .reii's ; Bouse)],.lilw;'' i .Jset: apa^t^fb"r.".childien: in ihe''modeii ! .dw,eliings. : -!of. .the.-' p00r".'..-'-'Here : -the ,• children •".have-i-.th"eir hpme;;;they;.play arid:'kam'almost : uricon-sciously..:e,t.-.,the'.same .time, the ,varioris ; rudiments'.of; knowledge, ilWqnderfuljfe.ilie.-TYay' .in.;wliich , ;t|ie/art""qf-/wnting-lcbine's'-.''£bV'tnem ; urider;..Signbra;Montessori'3.- ; systemV 'almost as,the'art',of walking. cbniesV ; ''j][ilari, ; .'";the '-'intellectual capital!,'.;of;; v ltalyp -has-,"iust :under.the'-auspices v of the .Uman : itaria.,.v.The ideas..'cf. Signbr -Mpnte'sspri have .been'c'arried. out, ■;h<3r'o under ie'r town genial .sup ir-visiPri)-;.'and.'the;:Casa;''de'i i 'Bambini: : prpmises ■tp.be a- ; happy ; :prac^'for'the ; ]itt]e v o'hes; : '. r

;-.Some; Parisian ' ladies have Started , oh; their ;own- a ■■ society really very similar .to ■ tHe New' ■Zealand, Babies''Ald;-Spciety.;whidh: : rejoices ;in;sucli; ah unwieldy.name.. These ParisienheS ■ rent.-a room in one;6f : the'poorest'•quarters ;°J ; ?TO s »,S h^;e ?.ery_ Sa'turday, : v-'.withi' ~the.'aid';ofl a ..do,ctpif,'.':vhq gives; his advice'for nothingj' : weigh'and examine- from/ fourteen to twenty habies arid , ' supply_:their,'.mothers, with'-. tickets :'to cbt' ':riecessary-hourisMng'food'.-' l ' ; •.'-'---■■.' ; j lThe:;helpers;.say M they -are- fully Repaid ; for : :,their- trouble;;by sthe •pleasure-ihey. , ; have in ■iseemg.: r the.ir.;patients:-impro,ve' under'. their' : care, "and =the niqthbrs fill them'with adinira-:' r tion .by:their.courage,' their ; self-re3pect/ ; and' tjfeir.Readiness'to learn.how-to: care,for- the i J babies,- .who, 'Com.i , far. too fast for their yoo V j ets, ; f ;if .i not for/ their ..'aft eationV.; Seven - ; child-"' ren often have'to be ; kept'on'a'wi"o'of one' that- not/reguTar; 'The ■Bboiety undertakes to'look after'the'mbther ..a'mo.nth befqre. the., baby is born, as-far as it' ;can:; ;It pays/for her. to have her.:washing-. ! ; done; : ohd : : so .saves, her from;'going io the ;public'.washhouse,;which : is ajregular .deatli.ti;apj and' thei.same.: thing' is:done''a , : moiith jafter : the 'birth "of the.child, , .,and" 'every ! :pp_ssible"care-is"ta'kdn' : :of -both '.mother- ! and ; child : for, the next /eighteen : months.," ; After' ;this:time : they;have. : the : -privilege.of-■ using;' ;.the cdispensary,:'which".has"beeri'.-founded.'•'■'for' ;l 'their u.se-in anbther'-part'of the-district.' '".. H\, A .FRENCH^OMANJMAGISTRATE^^ ■ Like, an .encroaching gradually;.pushing, their'way .^nto'i::places' ■hitherto-strictly: -barred ■ -to; them. "'.''From l Paris cbines the .news ..that a .;Jusselin,'..has-' been-' elected • as-;comm'ercial (magistrate^; br : .-.'• pni'd'ho'ih'me, :■ : 'means:, .that, she'.i.will,sit! on^.the'.bench of a ; ;special, tradesmen's court which; tries ..disputes . Ke;tweerii employers: and ; employees.-. ' Her- .contention that womenjought to be- 'on'.-.tho as', last year 793. cases; in .which wpmeii ivere.; concerned were, tried , in this Court; was madein a' short -electoral ..'speech' which 'won her .the :seat-.by ,a large'., maibrity j lit is 'said, bw-''| 'ing' to -the.brevity of ,her -remarks. •■':■' ; . ':'j' U; ; OTE LA^Irf'pLEPULPJT.,;^ Vlri; Paris', the -Courts,....iii . .England.'' the': Church; for Miss L. :: B.: Gi.Smith, j'sister-,"of* the ourate-of All Saints', Sbuthpbrt. has received :a -."call"- to' an important. Cong'rega- -■ tional Church-in the'south, which■ if she' ad- ! jcepts—and from all accounts she js well fitted for the post—-willmake her the first lady minister in thev Congregational Church. , ■'