WOMEN IN PRINT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 12, 15 January 1913, Page 9

WOMEN IN PRINT.

To climb steep hills requires slow tonee at first.—Henry VIII., i. 1.

The Hon. C. E. Frazer. PostmaslerCteneral of tho Commonwealth,- and Mrs. Frazer, will bo the guests of the Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes, Postmaster-General, at Bellamy's, on Friday next. The death happened yesterday of Sister Marciello (Mary Small), of the Order of Compassion. Requiem Mass whs celebrated at seven this morning in the chapel x»f tho Homo of Compassion The funeral took place this afternoon, starting from St. Anne's Church. Ne«toAvn. Sir Cecil Moon and Lady Moon are passengers to New Zealand by the Corinthic. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas (Havelock North), Mr. Vincent Barker and family (Gisborne). and Mr. and Mrs. Alex. Roberts (Dunedin), leave for 1 England by the Corinthic on 20th February. Mr. W. D Lysnar and Mrs. Lysnar, of Gisborne, who have been a trip to England, arrived this morning by the Manuka. Mr. J. C. Mackay, Mrs. and Miss Mackay, of Auckland, will leave for London by the Athenic on 23rd Jan. Miss Anson is a guest o[ Mrs. Estcourt. Mr. and Mrs. A. Myere, 'who have been visiting Mrs. Myers, Fitzherbort- • terrace, left for a visit to Napier this morning. Mr. and Mrs. F. 1 Blundell (Feilding) are visiting Mr. J. Blundell, Clontarf. Mrs. and Miss West have returned from Auckland. Mrs. and Miss Dalrymple, of the Rangitikei, are returning to New Zealand by the Corinthk, due about the 21st inst. Mr. and Mrs. M. Caselberg and the Misses Caselberg (3), (Masterton), Mr. and Mrs. Waldegravo (Raurimu), Mrs. and Miss Hart, Miss Allen, and Miss Tulloch (Pahiatua), Mr. and Mrs. Yeats (Lower Hutt), Air. and Mrs. Aubrey Jackson (Masterton), and Mr. Cameron (Wairarapa) are staying at Island Bay House. Mrs. Wilson and her daughter (Miss Freda Wilson) have been staying at the Paekak^liki Hotel for the past ten days. They intend leaving for Palmerston North next Saturday. A general meeting of the ladies' branch of the Swifts Swimming Club was held »t the V.M.C.A. buildings last evening, Mr. W. Skegg presiding. The following committee was elected : Misses, 0. Smith, O. Arthur, O. Moyes. H. Murrell, B. Gibbs. It was decided to hold a carnival at T«J Aiti Baths oh 15th February. The meeting decided to hold three races on the following dates before the carnival: Tuesday, aiet January, 50yds ' handicap j Wednesday, 29th January, 25yds school girls' race ; and Wednesday, sth February, 50yds breaststroke handicap ; the races to start ,at 5.30 p.m. in each instance. Miss Bella Yonng, who has been in tho employ of Messrs. Godber and Co. for eleven years, was yesterday presented with a tea and coffee service by the^ firm. : Her fello^mplojees gave lier 'k case of silver afternoon tea-Bpoons. The first jury of women in Kansas, where women were recently made eligible to serve in that capacity by a popular mandate, has succeeded in Fettling a long-standing case un which a male jury had failed to agree. They began their deliberations with prayer, and then plunged into the issues of the case, which turned on a dispute as 10 some land. "It seemed as if all twelve of us Were talking at once," said one of the wonvan. afterwards. "But we were terribly in earnest. Fot three days during the hearing We had not spoken a word about the case, so .naturally there Was a. good deal to bo said. We paid a great deal of attention to the Court's instructions. Some of the women read the voluminous instructions two or three times." Several jttrors wore hats throughout the trial. They each drew a fee o{ 16s, and they insisted on the removal of the spittoons which are provided for ordinary Kansas jurymen. Perhaps more at this season of the year than at any other (writes the London correspondent of the Sydney Telegraph) the growing tendency to extravagance in all classes is apparent. All classes of the community are vicing, one with the other in elaborate clothes, more elaborate presents, and altogether elaborate living. The big shops are catering for their demands, and it just seems as if this year will witness the climax of extravagance. As Airs. John Lane, wife of the well-known publisher, so aptly puts it, "the luxuries of the past havp become tho necessities of tho present, and perhaps the punishment of too much material prosperity is the universal discontent which has made of the luxuries, of tho past our necessities." Anyhow, it is an all-important matter for consideration, and it is to women we must look for redress. Everyone complains of the high sums charged for gowns and costumes nowadays, the prices being exorbitant. There has been att enormous increase in prices during the past 20 years, not only for the simplest of clothes — the simpler, the higher in price —but also in millinery iind every accessory of woman's adornment. Becently the Empress, liugenie, who in her day was considered one of the best-dressed women in Ji'urops, expressed herself as being horrified at these modern-day prices, and declared that she herself never paid raoro than £>ib for her most magnificent toilettes. It is quite certain that this sum would not purchase v toilette worthy of the consideration of the fashionable woman of 10-day. Not infrequently £100 or £150 is paid for a' Court dress. Feathers and millinery have reached the limit of enduranco ;ii regard to price, whilst furs have increased to an enormous uxtent ; yet women will have them, 'ihis Reason ormine is in much demand, many of the most beautiful opera cloaks Deing made entirely of this lovely but extra*, agant fur. Then again chinchilla for the very wealthy is enjoying a vogue. Recently £3000 was paid lov a coat of this peltry, which is the most delic&to of nil and easily, aifected by fog and rain. This matter of growing extravagance has attracted much attention, and it is interesting to hear and read the many points of view as to the real cause. One well-known writer afiirma that it is not the aristocracy who are the splendthrifts, but the ambitious upper middle classes. It is they who ape the plutocrats and imitate their methods of throwing money away with both hands, and this is A comparatively new thihg. Contrast a typical, well-off young couple, with leisure to amuse themselves, of 40 years ago, and those of to-day. The one lived a, much more enjoyable life every way, and were the happier ; whilst the couple of to-day get no happiness either from their home their many clubs, their trips abroad to "cures, ' and the many other things that eoristilute "smart set"

life. This life of nnrest is destroying the very foundations of English home life, as it <vas known 40 or 50 years ago, and it must inlluence the rising generation of both sexes. It is argued that a reaction must soon set in, and a return to the simpler life must of necessity follow. The restaurant lias quite taken the place of entertaining at homo ; it is so much easier and convenient. The president of a French Court at Paris, giving judgment in a breach of promise case, delivered a homily on modern betrothals. Marriage, he said, no longer responded to the conception of the ceremony in former times. Then it was based on mutual love ; to-day it was simply a financial contract. The real reason for the modern marriage was money ; the man looked for a dowry and the woman for a protector. It was regrettable, continued {he president 1 , sarcastically, that, young couples did not draw up a, formal contract the moment their engagement was sealed, with a clause enumerating the penalties which might bo enforced in the event of the contract being broken. French marriages are notoriously loveless, and the chances of a girl who has no dowry obtaining a husband are Very small. This is, so well recognised that insurance companies have special policies under which parents May insure their daughters to get a sum of money on her reaching a marriageable age. Thefe are also many mutual benefit societies in existence khown as "Dotations de la Jennesse," which provide dowries. A frequent, though not very general, complaint is made by French writers against the commercial nature of French marriages. There is rarely any courtship, in tho English sense, the parents of both parties arrange all the details, and then the children are informed of the choice which has been made for them. Up till recently a man could not marry without the consent of his parents, which could only be overridden by the would-be husband going through many irksome formalities. A writer in the Sydney Telegraph gives the following interesting description of Marie Corelli and her home!- 1 * "Miss Corelli has the most beautiful house in beautiful Stralford. It is seventeenth century restored to comfortable twentieth, without sacrifice of its f-harm and picturesqueness. A gabled front abuts on the street in the oldfashioned manner, with the garden and lawn kept strictly for private delectation at the back. It is an immense chateau for two maiden ladies, Miss Corelli and her companion of 20 years, 'Miss Bertha Vybord, and a perfect setting, one would say, for romance and inspiration. Its mistress received me in her music room, which she told me was, on her taking over the house, a tumble-down barn. Tfc has been transformed into att exquisite apartment, bright with flowers and singing birds, with panelled walls, panelled ceilings, and polished floors, a big open fireplace of the size one sometimes sees in bush huts, bufc with no other point of resemblance to the selector's cooking convenience. Instead of the orthodox overmantel, there is an arched panel, on which is -cafved the monograms of Miss Corelli and her companion, with a sprig of laurel dividing them. The furniture, needless to say, is in. 'antique' keeping. Seeing a harp standing beside the piano, and having noticed the same two instruments in the 'drawing-room, I made some comment,, which drew from the owner the admission, that music was her great relaxation. SKe likes to spend some time as executant every afternoon or evening. To the ,writing of, her books she devotes regularly the four hours preceding two o'clock luncheon— and no more. But it is surely rather rude to describe a room before its owner. I have heard scores of women .wonder what Miss Corelli is like, .so I make an apology for a detailed description. She is a very short Woman, with a habit of standing on tip-too to address those of greater height, and quite comfortably plump. She holds herself very well, and has an air of dignity rather unusual in little people. She might be given rather ( less than tho 42 years she claims, having a good fresh colour and a lot of very light brown, frizzy hair. Her eyes afe blue, and lier expression very smiling and pleasant. Her dress, when I saw her, wa3 of peacock blue chiffon velvet, with a long train, and cut low enough in front to show a plump neck. Into her corsage was tucked a bunch of white violets, and across her chesfc was a large 'Mario' in diamonds. In her hair wore two large rosettes of peacock blue satin, and on her pretty hands were several uncommon rings. She talks freely and eagerly, if hob with a London cachet, yet with nothing to betray either her Scotch or Italian parentage." GET A GOOD PIANO. ■ There are no better or more reliable instruments made than The Broadwood, The Lipp, The Ronisch, The Steinway. Wo are constantly receiving big new shipments of these superb pianos ; prices and styles to meet all requirements. We will make terms to suit any purse. Our name alone is sufficient guarantee of quality. Call upon us, or, on request, we will gladly call upon you. We keep a staff of expert tuners and repairers, and can attend to any of your _ piano needs. The Dresden Piano Oompany, Ltd., Wellington. North Island Manager, M. J. Brookes.— Advt. The following programme of music will be played this week by Godber's Orchestra from 3 to 6 p.m. at Lambton-quay:—-Delicieuse Valse, Dn tho Neva, Urt peu D'Amour, Romeo ahd Juliette, 11 Bacio, Moszkowski's Serenata, Rovelation, Rendezvous Waltz, Dreaming, Liselotte, Salut D'Amour, Violet of Ab-bazio.—-Advt. Engagements. Dainty lingerie, French designs, to your order. Troueeeau work a speciality. Many unique present* for all seasons. Indian Art Depot, Panamastreet (opposite D.I.C). 'Phone 3206.— Advt. Wedding.*, beautiful Shower Bouquets, Posies, Baskets, Empir6 Staffs Crooks, etc., artistically designed and forwarded to any part of the Dominion by Miss ', Murray, Vice-Regal Florist. 36. Willis-st It's good material, good fit, ahd moderate prices, that make our ready-to-wear suits popular. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Manners-ekeet.'-Advl. The young housewife ne«d not fear losing her girlish figure if she insists on getting Warner's rust-proof corsets.-— Advt.