WOMEN IN THE FIRING LINE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2984, 23 January 1917, Page 3

WOMEN IN THE FIRING LINE

TRUE TMj]?is OF HEROISM. 'A graphic staity of the work of two crave women "inutile 'firing line is told in "The Cellar Vloiise of Pe'rvyße" from the journals & jid letters of Baroness •T'Serclaes and Mairi Chisholm. ' "... a cnlnabling house with every pane of glass ;s)ftattered to splinters and the walls gapuag. The light was always dim, for the o.'/llar was only lit by gratings in the jj&vement above. It was •perhaps ten Jeiet by about twelve feet." Envisage t'hht scene. Set it in the imidst of tha jlittle wa.r-wnacked corner of Belgium ir'Jiereon the Hun foot has Jiofc trodden, • Imagine bombardment, 'bitter weath.ijr, scarcity of food, absence of usj'/ble water—and d'eath in every horriftlb' shape day and night. Hat was. the little Cellar House of ' iPerVyso. Tkfat was the little advance post of which two women held valiantly against all assaults of the enemy,,and of officialdom, throughout the bitjlferesfc days of 1914 and 1915. It is a wo'ilderful tihat has been pieced togokher from the diaries aaid letters of those two women, the Baroniess IPSerc'/aes and) Miss Mairi CMbholm, knOSTO throughout as Gipsy and Main, fbr 'idiey achieved'miracles of Strength ;tod endurance. There lip, for example. Gipsy's night idrive wijth a heavy ambulance full of (men: — J The r|;|ads were abominable; never Iliad aha '(known them so bad. Sometimes tlite steering wheel was jerked right out of her hands, which, for all itheir skill, had not the strength to (bold up:'the weight sb suddenly.thrown on the Wrists. The skids were almost oontimyfe, and jerked 'the living freight from side to .side.. .At-:any momenVtJilG wliolo ambulance,might topple rig'irt over. She had been driving off and] on since seven that morning, and wtjs 'already tired. ' "All/at ,once - a shell. burst, • i as it seeim«d, ; right, overhead 1 , and in the blinding light she saw something strai&lit across the track, something Jug a);id bhclc, which made her shut down tlio brakes and pull up. The

body of a great carb-horse was lying across the way. It was far beyond her strength to move, so, groping in the mud, she measured the space left in which to pass, and found she could d'o it with six inches to spare." She did it. " The object of tho Cellar House was primarily to help wounded men to recover from shock, to bo fed and wanned before they started off in, the ambulances to face such a ride as that. Much more was done, however, by thoso two women, one of whom . was only a girl of eighteen. They supplied soup and hot chocolate to the men in the trenches near them, and to sentries' during the hitter nights :— "Every man who came to ask for the ladies' assistance had to bring a letter from his commanding officer warranting that lie was in need of it. Such varying needs, tool One had caught his hand on a nail and the wound was festering; another was in agony with swollen, inflamed feet; a third was quite done up, nothing to show except that he was incapable of the smallest exortion. Him they fed and put into what they called tho 'blesse ned' in the corner, because it was devoted to the soldiers. They piled up hot-water bottles round him and let him sleep the clock round, after which he rose a new man." There were horrors, too, all too many of them, and some of them almost too horrible for tho telling. la one letter the baroness says: — "1 saw at once the poor brave little soldier was past my aid. I said to them, 11 est mort. . They turned to me with an • incredulous look as if I had .spoken from inexperience,: but ■ I have seen so many—t3io number runs into thousands—that I could make no mistake." , . . ' As a protection against hot, rough, blustery weather, "Sydal" finds universal favour. A daily necessity to the woman who wishee to preserve unimpaired the beauty of a clear, soft, velvety skin. Hands, face, neck and arms—all can be kept in perfect,condition by the constant use of "Sydal." Start using "Sydal" today. 2s. at all chemists and stores.— Advt. Wedding Announcements.—Beautiful roses and the choicest of flowers only aro used when designing wedding bouquets, which I make a speciality of. Packed and forwarded through the Dominion. Miss Murray, Vice-Regal Florist, 36 Willis Street.—Advt.

New Goat Frocks. Whatever changes are occurring in fashions in England to-day are in tho direction of making dress at onco neater and moro serviceable, says a London fashion note. That is why tho width that is necessary in skirts for rapid and comfortable movement is now being pressed into flat pleats. Everybody knows that a pleated ekirt wears well and permits of alteration when necesary more readily than.a ; plain skirt, and most of us have realised of late that a flaring skirt gets dirty much moro quickly than a naower, straight hanging one. So wo are to nave pleated skirts, which . will take up less room and attract less dirt than flared ones. And tho desire for useful ratEcr than purely ornamental clothes is responsible also for the popularity on tho other side of the world of tho coat frock. Pleats lend themselves admirably to this type of dress. I have seen one or two very attractive coat frocks in pleated , styles. Where a woman is fairly slender and possesses small hips the pleated coat frock may he made all in one, but women of more generous proportions will need to have the skirt portion, cut separately'in order to allow for the greater width of material needed about the hips. The belt is then arranged to conceal the waist join, and the all-in-ono effect is enhanced if the waist is made fairly loose. It may indeed be accepted as a general rule that a tight waistband spoils tho effect of a coat frock. A fairly firm material should be used for coat frocks. Linen, for example, looks -bettor than cotton stuffs; taffeta silk looks better than crepe de Chine; and a good woollen stuff looks better than either. Velveteen has been much iised during the autumn in England for these frocks, but we have not had any of thoso on sliow here as yet. Dr. Margaret M'Cahon and Dr. Ada Paterson, who havo Been staying with Mrs. Wallace Mackenzie, leave to-night for Dunedin. iFJio first Italian woman surgeon, Filoinena Corvini, has been appointed to tho Ninih Army Corps for sorvico at the front. Prejudices that have passed away.— Not so lopg ago the use ef face powder was considered injurious to the complexion, but now its .use is essential. The daintiest touch improves the appearance of almost every ekin. Mileom's Hygienic Face Powder in Creme, White, Buff, and Pink, 2s. 6d. and is. 6d., a pure skin food in Powder form, wholesome and good. For a lasting protection against sun and wind use Cultene Balm, 3s. 6d. Invaluable for motoring and outdoor pursuits, preventing tan, sunburn, and freckles. Culteno Skin Food for night application, 3s. Full directions on jars. Many other skin salves; and all hair preparations and latest and lightest hair work. Orders promptly attended to. Miss Milsom, Barnett's Bldgs., M Willis Street. 'Phone 814—Advt. Ladies' silk hose for ivear at Trentham —and after—may bo purchased to advantage at Price's Store, 54-56 Willis Street. . Silk-ankled hose, &. lid., 3s. 6d., is. 6d.; pure silk, 6s. 6d. and 7s. 6d. up.—Advt. Ladies! We have just opened up 20 dainty and exclusive sample blouses. No two alike. Price's Store, 54-56 Willis Street—Advt. Boys need ligM-weight underwear these summer days. Singlets and Knickerdrawers, 2s. lid. to is. Gd., at Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Manners Street. —Advt.