WOMAN'S WORLD

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 270, 9 August 1920, Page 2

WOMAN'S WORLD

80CIAL AND PERSONAL

'Miss Roso do Warren, who has resigned from the nursing- ftaff of the Wellmstou Hospital, left by the s.s. Moeraki for Sydney, en route for her homo "t Brisbane, Queensland.

Mrs. Ellinghnm (Pahiatua) is visiting Wellington,

Mrs. Harvey (Hdbson Street) left last week on a visit to Australia.

Ad enjoyable social and dance was tendered by the firm of L. T. Wntkma, Ltd., to the members of the staff. About soventy members and friends assembled at the New Century Hall,, winch was gaily decorated for the occasion, on inday evening Inst, -and songs, dances, games, and competitions were entered into by all present. Musical and» elocutionary items were contributed by the following:—Miss Jacobson, Miss M Leilan, Miss Billie, Messrs. Porter, Irwin, 'Simpson, and Barcham. An interesting competition was won by Miss Nicholson and Mr. Ihlc. After supper the toast »f "The Firm" was proposed by Mr. U Porter and suitably responded to by Mr. L. T. Watkins in a brief and happy speech. The health-of Mr. W.. White, tho last member of the firm to return from tho war, was drunk villi musical honours. Mrs. Oscar Johnson catered, and arrangements were in the hands of the following committee:—Misses lhlo, Anderson, and Irvine, and Messrs.-N eleey, Malloy, Irwin, with Mr. P. D. Barcliam as secretary.

Mrs. and Miss Corrigan leave to-day .on a visit to Hawko'a Bay, and will be away for a fortnight.

Tho Household Orderly Council' is now ready to tako girls for training. Tho hostel looks bright, sunny and attractive. The domestic arrangements are a model that all may envy, 'fill tho full complement of orderlies come forward, the extra accommodation will be utilised as ft guest house, and women working by the day are specially invited to avail themselves of this accommodation for the next few months.

Jazz dancing is on its last legs. Tho "tickle toe" censes from troubliiig.-'fluu the "shimmy shake" is at rest, all crazes, the jazz dance has been killed bv excess. A year ago every dancing hall in London was crowded with jazz dano ors; to-day the samo halls are practically deserted, and nigger bandsmen are seeking passages to the United States. Danc< ing masters who were in London in May for their annual conference welcome the slump in jazz dancing. Already, they 6ay there is a reaction in favour of ..tho waltz, which at present is the most popular dance, while squaro dances are being revived. "The modern girl.cannot dance." says one expert. "She has been spoiled by the one-step craze, and now an effort is being made to compromise between the set dances of the Victorian period and the'ugly shufflings that pass for dancing to-day, young people will have to take lessons from their parents. We shall never return to. the serious and Bedato dancing of twenty years ago, but the new steps will make for grace and deportment, with nothing of tho stiffness and formality of thooldtimo dances and nothing of the ugliness of the jazz craze."

THE WOMAN PAYS

PROBLEMS OF ILLEGITIMACY.

(By "Imogen.") , All over the world the problem-of the unmarried mother and her child has been absorbing the attention of those people who are anxious that justieo and help should be accorded to those unfortunate ones who have infringed tho moral code, and who have tu undergo the penalty or being "found out." In England a Protection Bill has recently been passed ior tho purpose of amending the existing law (which bore very heavily upon tho mothers) and for making further and better provision for illegitmate children. Although it does not go so far as tho Now Zealand toy in this respect it is it great improvement upon'past legislation. In Norway there was passed some' little time ago what is probably the most advanced legislation for. the protection of the mother and. her illegitimate child that any country nosscsses. Not only is the father made to provide for the maintenance and education of the child and 'duo provision made for the mother, but the child takes the father's name, onco its- paternity is proved, hnd it inherits property equally with legitimate children. There are other, very important provisions, but those mentioned are possibly the most outstanding. America also is now moving to pass somewhat similar legislation. New Zealand has her problem, as the daily newspapers have been showing very often of late. Admittedly, her legislation is humane, and sometimes more so in actual practice than in cold theory, but to one who is quite outside the pale of legal wisdom there seems to ho something very wrong when a girl has to bear the penalty of some desperate deed committed in a frenzy of physical lorturo and intense agony of mind, while the man who helped to bring her to that pass goes calmly on his way, with.not a breath of publicity or scandal to sully his "name. True, he has not murdered the child as the mother has done, but is he guiltless of alt responsibility for her deed or for the sequence of events that has brought her to such a pass? Morally, at all events, there is guilt attached to him, and why should not, his share be brought home to him instead of leaving all to the woman to bear? In some cases the law is remarkably elastic. Why is it not more so in thesa CHS6S? J Everyone may not agree with Bertrand Russell that a person's private morality is his own affair, but at least they will agree that when children come into tho affair, private morality has.to:submit to wider issues; it is then a matter for the State, witli the right of the State to enlarge its sphero of action and to con6t3er Both legal and moral aspects.. In these days of what is called democracy it is surely time that the age-long custom of making the woman alone pav was swept into oblivion; and it lies quita considerably in the hands of women to see that it is swept away into the region where many things have been hurled that belonged to "the good old days. We have Norway as an example m regard to legislation in this direction. And to-day, when we hear it said on all sides that the hope and the future of the country rest! with the children, it is sheer madness to otand by and see these terrible things happemng-the most helpless creature.)" this world paying for tho deeds of its parents. Legitimate or illegitimate, they are of equal'valuo to tho State, as Dr. Trilby King said at tho Plunket Conference. ,