WOMEN IN PRINT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 79, 30 September 1914, Page 9

WOMEN IN PRINT.

Go often to the hill-tops. From there you will see the mist in tho valley ot your mind.— Oyier.

The croquet players of Thorndon have gained an acquisition in three lawns on the Thorndon Bowling Olub's ■ grounds, for years of care and attention have made them well-nigh perfect, the situation is extremely central, and tho arrangements excellent. It ought to prove a most attractive place for those who have no time for golf and prefer the more leisured delights of croquet to the strenuousness of tennis. It is a pretty nook, too, with its lawns and border of blossoms, and even though y_es- v terday was not ideal for play theiie was much enthusiasm voiced. Mrs. W. F. Massey drove the first ball through the hoop to inaugurate the opening, and then various games were played, the lawns proving very time. Tea, on flowercentred little tables, was served in the pavilion, which is to be at the service of the croquet players, the bowlers being able to obtain refreshments when they wish. Mrs. Massey wore dark blue, black furs, and a small black hat with red poppies. Mrs. Laurence Taylor, her daughter, white serge, white fox furs, and a white felt hat with plumes, and Mrs. Triggs, the captain, navy blue, and a toque massed with pansies. A saddler's shop on the Quay was yesterday guarded by two grim sentinels on either side, in an attitude solidly belligerent stood a fine bulldog, dressed in a trim regimental coat of khahi, with gold braid and buttons. They were evidently on guard, waiting for the men who were in charge of them, and while they blocked the doorway there was little business doing. They endured the admiring gaze of the bystanders with superior indiffenece and never moved a muscle. ' Miss Janie Petrie, tho Wellington elocutionist, has just completed a successful tour of Gisborne and Palmerston North, in both towns winning the elocutionary championships. At Gisborne she secured no fewer than nine first-class awards. This makes three championships Miss Petrie has won this year, having won the Napier championship at Easter. She is now visiting her sister, Mrs. W. Parker, of Masterton. Mr. Salmond gave an interesting -lecture to the girls' branch, Victoria League, last' evening on Florence Nightingale. Mrs. Salmond dwelt on the great reforms that Miss Nightingale had brought about in hospital nursing, and especially of her great services to the sick and wounded during the Crimean war. Mrs. T. Barton, of Ferguson-street, New town, has returned to Wellington fiom a visit in the Wairarapa district. Mrs. Morris, wife of the Secretary to the Post and Telegraph Department, who has been with her husband to America, returned by the Moeraki yesterday. Miss Perry, of the Wairarapa. has been staying with Miss Hardy, of Wadestown, and returns home to-morrow. Mrs. Harold Beauchamp is at present visiting Palmerston North as the guest of Mi'E. Maurice Cohen. The only woman coachman of tho present day, as disclosed by the census of occupation, lives at Bembridge, in the Isle of Wight, and bears the name of Mrs. John Bull. She may be seen any day on the rank outside Bembridge station, attired in blue coat and skirt and hard bowler hat, plying ■for hive with a small landau, the Mail says For twentysix years she has held a license, and it is her boast that she grooms her own horse and can harness him, and be in attendance at any residence in the parish within ten minuses of receiving an order. For funerals and weddings she assumes the additional dignity of a top hat. The Wanganui Chronicle has some interesting details of the experiences of Mrs. J. H. Upton, of Wanganui, on her voyage from England by the Otway. Mrs. Upton left England by the Otway on 31st July, just after 4he war had been declared between Austria and Servia, and while the statesmen of England were striving their utmost to avert a world conflagration. The vessel passpd through the Bay of Biscay in a dreadful fog. For two days she just crept along. Fog-horns were sounding in every direction, and the passengers on the Otway, bearing in mind the Empress of Ireland disaster, were in an uncomfort' able state of mind. Many of the womenfolk were frantic. On 3rd August, the clay before, Gibraltar was reached, they had fresh cause for fear. The passengers learned that war had been declared between England and Germany. On arrival at Gibraltar they were informed that they would not be permitted to land. Only a number of soldiers, whose furlough had been curtailed, with their wives, landed. Another order was re* ceived that the sailing had been indefinitely postponed. This mandate caused a great deal of consternation, for there were many families on board who were on their way to new homes abroad. A rumour was circulated that the vessel was to put back to London. Another was to the effect that she was to sail via Cape of Good Hops. Finally, after 6ix and a-half days' delay at Gibraltar, the ship w^f allowed to proceed on her course. The announcement was made on the receipt of news that Italy had declared her neutrality. During the Otway's stay at Gibraltar 52 English and French vessels were moored in the harbour for safety. Two German merchant ships were captured and brought in. Mrs. Upton says that the sight she witnessed was one to give an individual a full realisation of the deadly seriousness of war. The grim battleships, the gaunt Rock with its great forts and death-deal-ing guns, the continuous patrol of torpedoers, and the quiet and hurried preparations for war, filled one with feelings of dread and yet inspired one with emotions of pride and admiration of the greatness of the British Empire. At night the sight was magnificent. In every direction there were huge brilliantly-lighted ships and across the broad waters of the harbour powerful searchlights from the Rock and several warships sent their sweeping and all-seeing rays. The Otway was escorted from Gibraltar by a convoy of battleships." Although the passengers felt somewhat relieved at leaving Gibraltar, they were still anxious, for they were not certain of the next port of call. All lights were extinguished on deck and the port-holes were screened. There was considerable danger, and the passengers learned subsequently that had the vessel been a few hours earlier she would have met German ships of war. The Otway did not call at Naples, Taranto or Toulon, and she went a good Way out of her course. Finally she reached Malta. It was dark, and the mail steamer left again at 2in the morning. Before clearing port the passengers had an opportunity of seeing a section of the French Fleet preparing for action. There were battleships, cruisers, and submarines to be seen. From Malta '.he Otway proceeded unaccompanied by convoys. Tho ship was short of water and there was evidently a lack of food, and the passengers suffered various discomforts, until Port Said was reached. At Port Said only a few hours were spent. Those on board tho Otway heard at Colombo, the

I next port of call, that a German ship j had come in flying the Dutch flag. She was made captive. They were also informed that a Japanese warship had captured another German war vessel about the same time. The remaiader of the voyage was uneventful, with respect to the war. The heat was terrific in the Red Sea, and many passengers and stewards fainted. Many stated that it was the fiercest weather experienced for years. In the Indian Ocean a monsoon was raging and the Otway had a very trying time. The passengers were very glad when Adelaide was reached. Mrs. Upton arrived in Wellington on Wednesday. She feels that New Zealand people have cause to be the happiest in the world. The death ia aunounced of Mrs. Greensill, a well-known and much-respected resident of Picton, aged 75 years. Mrs. Greensill was predeceased by hex 1 husband about nineteen years, the latter passing away at Picton on the 16th January, 1895, a little over a year after the arrival of the family from Queensland. The late Captain Greensill — who was a brother of Mr. J. A. R. Greensill, of Picton, and Mrs. W. H. D. (Captain) Baillie, of Wellington — served his country in the Crimea 1 , under Lord Fitzroy Somerset, and was present at the Battle of Balaclava and at the Siege of Sebastopol. In 1870 he retired from, the army, leaving the Royal Kentish Artillery with the rank of captain. His wife was also a member of a military family, her father being the late Captain James Christie, wliiie some of her brothers also held high rank in the army. The deceased lady leaves five sons and four daughters, eleven grandchildren, and two great -grandchildren. The following resignations were accepted by the Wellington Education Board yesterday afternoon : Miss Gilpin, sole teacher, Mangapari ; Miss V. Bodell, probationer, Island Bay ; Miss S. Mellor, pupil teacher, Terrace ,• and Miss Martin, sole teacher, Weiaiti aided school. No home, especially "where there are children, should ever be without olive oil. For a weakly or a rickety child, or one who is recovering from typhoid fever, olive oil will sometimes work wonders. Rub in the oil over the whole of the .■child's body, especially about the upper part, taking a few drops at a time into the palm of the hand. The nourishment thus absorbed through tho ■ skin will be of immense service in i building up the child's strength. When 1 a child is suffering from a severe cold, i it is a good plan to rub the back and ; chest with olive oil. A threatening of i croup often will end in a threatening only if oil and camphor be applied to the child's chest. Saturate a piece of flannel with oil, sprinkle it with a little powdered camphor, and apply it to the chest and throat as warm as it can! be borne. Cover with a piece of dry flannel, and change as often as it gets cold. The British Journal of Nursing, id it* ' number of Bth August, says : "Now is 6een tho value of preparation in time of peace. Of tho 250 trained nurses provided for in connection with Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service Reserve, Class A has been called up, and ninety-two nurses from some of the principal civil hospitals in the United ' Kingdom proceeded, on Monday, 3rd • August, at twenty-four hours' notice, to various naval hospitals, to replace the sisters of the Royal Naval Nursing Service ordered elsewhere, or to augment the present staffs. Class B will bo ready for duty in a fortnight, and Class C will be available if wanted. Hospital 'car- ' riers' are in readmeee, hospital ships will follow the fleet." At the War Office the matron-in-chief was busy, and members of the Territorial Force Nursing Service had been notified that they must be ready for duty at very short notice. As an instance of the spirit inspiring trained nurses in Great Britain, it may be mentioned that the superintendent of a private hospital went to the War Office to put her hospital and the services of her staff at tho disposal of the authorities. The Dunedin papers record that the executive of the Women's Christian Temperance Union has placed oii record its grave disapproval of the action of the Otago Ladies' Hockey Association in arranging a Sunday excursion down the harbour for the English hockey team. The resolution deplores the increasing encroachments upon the sanctity of the Sabbath, and states that the executive is convinced that the use of the day for organised pleasure parties will act disastrously upon those for whose benefit the weekly day 1 of rest is most designed. It greatly regrets that a woman's society should have organised an excursion for Sunday since women owe unspeakable advantages to the Christian Sabbath, and should be eager to keep it inviolate. A Melbourne girl, who was in Switzerland on 6th August, writes: — "We are now in the midst of war, and though we are on neutral ground, the situation is thrilling enough. As this town (Yverdun les Bains) is close to the frontier, th& excitement has been intense, because we have seen so much of the troops, and, in spite of all our discomforts and. anx- 1 ieties, I would not have missed it for anything. Being holiday time the pla«e was crowded with foreigners, who, directly war was declared, made a rush to get back to their own countries. More than half of them were stranded halfway, for the trains they were travelling in were commandeered for the troops, who were of far more importance than ordinary passengers. We did not attempt to move, for we foresaw difficulties, . and now we are thankful, for most of those we saw depart have returned with stories of loss by theft of both valuables and luggage. Some are almost penniless, i and are without necessary clothes. } am beginning to think Australians are the only travellers who keep their heads . in times of emergency. Ido not make this boast without reason or knowledge, for any more excitable than foreigners I ■ have yet to meet, aad even the English are not so unruffled as you would imagine, j We are near to Lausanne, _ and that J town is also in a state of panic. There, ; as well as here, the shops and banks ' have had to be closed, so most people \ ha.ye no money. English cheques and - bank notes are not accepted, so here am \ I. with only 27 francs, 20 of which I ( won at the casino before the trouble be- , gan. However, lam better off than a South African who is at our hotel. He is without a cent, and smoked his last , qgar this morning. But, in spite of , our lack of gold and silver, we are com- , fortable enough, and the hotelkeeper has implicit faith in us. All the German ■ and French waiters, porters, chauffeurs, and chasseurs have gone, but, fortunately, there were some Italians on the < staff. I can assure you that luxuries do ; not figure od the daily menu. The i bakers are not allowed to make cake, only j bread, and that, together with other ] provisions, is doled out by the authori- < ties. Our little paTty still makes tea over a lamp, but our supply of methylated spirit is becoming low, and there i is no chance of getting more, and in any ' case money is tight, and very precious. ' ■We see no English papers, and sO'.we ■

wade through the French ones to get news. We have no idea when we will be able to get to London, nor when the exchequer will be replenished. All depends on tho development of the trouble." We enjoy the boon, particularly during the summer, of a. variety of abundant, fairly cheap vegetables (says a Melbourne writer). Still, our ideas about cooking them are generally limited to boiling them in water, and we do not show much skill in dealing with left-over vegetables. Yet these remains can be utiSsed to make a ragout, a- gratin, or a puree. The word ragout means "to give taste." It implies a combination of materials used together to give taste to each other, the blend being secured by the manner of cooking. The ragout presupposes the casserole, because close covering is essential for keeping in the vapour and the fragrance of the materials used. To the other contents of the casserole you may add savoury herbs and trimmings of meat, a* the ragout is not strictly vegetarian, although it may be made so, if wished. Where meat v is not added, additional lichness of flavour is obtained by taking vegetables that have been slightly boiled, and, after sprinkling them with flour, fry them in hot fat until slightly browned. All root vegetables are improved by this preliminary treatment. Here is a typical ragout of summer vegetables. If the casserole is flat bottomed, turn a small plate face downwards in it to begin with ; this lessens the chance of the contents boiling fast. Then pack in layei'sof parboiled carrots, potatoes, small white onions and green peas. Sprinkle with x salt and pepper, and on the top place some strips of bacon or little pats of butter, if preferred. Pour in a teacupful of the water in which the peas were cooked ; put on the lid, and cook gently for two hours. When the root vegetables are old, it is better to fry them before putting_ them into the casserole. When meat is used in this ragout, the breast of veal or lamb should be chosen, cut in strips a finger length and width. Potatoes and white roots only may be chosen when using veal, and before serving a little cream may be added to the gravy in the casserole. A little bunch of savoury herbs, tied together, may always be put in, and removed at the last. Cucumbers pared and cut into lengths are a great addition to any ragout where veal is used, and if they arc added very little liquid should be put in. Tomatoes and carrot trimmings should predominate where beef trimmings are employed. A simple savoury ragout, most wholesome for children, can be made without meat of any kind, using sliced potatoes, onions (sliced and fried brown in dripping), minced fresh herbs, and some seasoning. Fill the casserole_ in layers, and pour in a cupful of thin stock j then stew for a couple of- hours.