WOMEN IN PRINT.

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 82, 16 October 1928, Page 13

WOMEN IN PRINT.

Lady Allen arrived in Christchureh on Saturday from Wellington. Sir Charles and Lady Statham have left for the South. Mrs. and Miss Mollie Macassey left for the South yesterday evening. Mrs. Hart and Miss Muriel Darling, Auckland, aro visitors to Wellington. Mrs. David Caselbergj, Masterton, is visiting Wellington. Mr. and Mrs. Meek hiave returned to Auckland after spending a year in Wellington. Mrs. Maurice Earle, Wanganui, is a. visitor to Wellington. Mrs. Denton Leech has returned to Dunediu, and is giving addresses on the Honolulu Conference to a number of women's societies. Mrs. Leekie, Heretatmga, is the guest of Mrs. Murray Gard*ner, Christchureli, at present. Mrs. K. S. Williams left Wellington for Gisborne yesterday. Mr. and -Mrs. C. P. Agar returned to Christchurch last night after a brief visit to Wellington. Miss Margaret Malfroy is the guest of Miss Mollie Chapman, Christchurch. Dr. and Mrs. Valintine and Miss Valintinc are Wellington visitors to Christchurch. Mrs. G. A. Kiug and Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Knight, Wellington, arc visiting Christchurch. Mr. and Mrs. Holbrook and the Misses HolbTOok (Nelson) are visiting Christchurch. Mr. A. Harper, Mesdames De Latour, Holdsworth, and nptt, were Wellington visitors at Christ's College sports (Christchurch) on : Saturday. Engagements. The engagement is " announced of Eita, only daugjhter of Mr. and Mrs. T. r. Foley, Wellington, to Edward Thomas, younger son of Mr. E. T. Saunders, of Faatherston. Women's Auxiliary Meeting. There was a large attendance of members of the Women's Auxiliary of the Reform Leiague last evening, when a number of matters of interest were discussed, and the president (Mrs. C. W. Earle) gave a pleasant little talk about canvassiing, its difficulties and humours. It was decided not to hold another meeting of the auxiliary till after the election, and in the meantimo all present agreed to do all in their power to assist the enrolment of those who had not had their names put on the Supplementary Koll. Much interest was expressed in the meeting at the Town Hall, when the Prime- Minister was anounced.to speak, with wishes for. its good success. Statue to Barber. No barber did as much to make women's heads beautiful as ASitoinc, the man who earaied the title of "King of the World's Hairdressers," and who called his work '' psychological coiffure" (says an English writer). A statue is to <be placed on his tomb in Paris. It shows an impressive male figure resembling Antoine standing over a kneeling woman who has her neck turned towiard him, as though for his critical approval of her shingle. Visitors from' Abroad. Tourist traffic in New Zealand has been greatly stimulated lately by an influx of tourists ' returning from the Eucharisrtic -Congress recently held in Australia, says the Timaru "Herald." This is. more noticeable in the North Island, but several parties have just recently toured the South Island. This week, a party of Spaniards from America, comprising Mr. and Mrs. Pelanconi, Misses Smythe, Olivares and Vejai, returned from the Hermitage, j where- they have been spending a few | clays. The party were unfortunate in experiencing bad weather, which prevented them from making any long excursions, but they were very much impressed by the service and equipment at the Hermitage. Speaking of the Eucharißtic Congress, Mrs. Pelanconi said that it was the most wonderful sight sne had ever seen. w.c.TJtr. A liMeting of the. Miramar W.C.T.U. commemorating. "Maori Day" was held at the Methodist Church Hall, when Mrs. Evans was in the chair. Mrs. lteid^s report of the Wellington .District Convention held recently was much, appreciated. The treasurer's report was read and adopted. At the close of the meeting the president read extracts from an Australian journal, concerning the Pan-Pacific Conference, describing the delightful entertainments offered to the delegates, and explaining its objects. Flowers were sold in aid of the union's funds. A Quaint Parliament. Probably the quaintest Parliament in the world is that of the island of St. KiWa, the lonely outpost in the North Atlantic, says an exchange. The St. Kilda Parliament is a non-elective assembly, and is essentially a gathering of the wise men of the island. It consists of no' more than a dozen members, and meets every day of the year. The subjects .discussed range from the lassoing of the fulmar birds which make their homes on the island's rocky coast to the digging of potatoes. Every day the small population of tho island meets outside the house of the postmaster, and, sitting in a circle, discusses the day's work before them. The Parliament consists of men, tho majority of whom have never left the island's shores, arid whose notions of what is right and what is wrong spring from an innate love of fair dealing. The decisions arrived at concerning, among other things, the loss of some sheep or the shortness of certain articles of food, are accepted by the island's inhabitants as inviolable. A Pleasant Party. There was quite a large gathering at the Mt. Cook School on Saturday afternoon, when the "After Care" Association entertained the mothers of tho children attending the special classes at Mt. Cook, Petono, and Miramar. Mrs. Strong (president) received the guests, and welcomed them most heartily. She said that they wanted to know each other, so that they could all do their best for the children. The visitors wore entertained with a programme of songs, recitations, etc. Mr. Frank Andrews played and gavo monologues, and his daughter, Phyllis Andrews, danced and sang. Miss Barclay sang, tho Misses Webb gave ducts, and two youug girls, the Misses Henderson, recited most .amusingly. Afternoon tea was served by the secretary (Mrs. Stewart) and members of the committee, and later competitions caused much amusement. Some good prizes were won. Those present included members of the association, Miss Valentine, of the Education Department, Miss Johnson, and other teachers of tho special classes. It is hoped to have other gatherings to bring the mothers and members of tho association into touch with one another. Invitations Issued. Invitations have been issued for tho laying of tho foundation stone of the Assembly Hall of the Samuel Marsdcn School at Karovi, which will take place on Thursday, Ist November, at halfpast eleven in the morning. The annual athletic sports will take place tho next day, beginning at 10 o'clock in the morning.

Cabbage and Its Uses. A recent visitor to New Zealand from overseas remarked on the frequency of the serving of cabbage at all public places where food was obtained. "It is cabbage here, there, and everywhere," she remarked. "You cannot get away from cabbage—and served in the oldfashioned way—well boiled till all the goodness is gone out of it, and then, I suppose, the water which contained the valuable part would be thrown away." This is a "true bill," and those who notice menus will subscribe to it, for cabbage does pervade every list that is presented, and seldom indeed is it that a plate of meat and gravy placed in front of guest or customer is not overloaded with cabbage as well. Now it pears from London advices that cabbage is good for1 making artificial silk, and is being used largely for that purpose; so there is some hope that if another demand is made on its useful properties it will not be served to visitoi'3 ad nauseum, as at present. With the ever-useful rabbitskins, cabbage can be packed in its thousands and sent away from a country which has long ago become very tired of too much of it as a foodstuff. A Sickens Memorial. The Lord Mayor of London, and an even more ardent Dickensian, Sir Charles Wakefield, are . giving their support to a scheme for memorialising Dickens in the village he chose as the birthplace of David Copperfield, the hero who is spoken of as his favourite child (says a London exchange). Blunderstone Dickens called it; Blundestone it really is. '. "I was born at Blunderstone in Suffojk, or 'thereby,' as they say in Scotland," he writes, and goes on to describe the house, the church with its round tower and the high sloping roof under which he and Peggotty sat. The proposed Dickens memorial consists of careful and complete restoration of both the church and the school. The work has been entrusted to Sir Charles Nicholson, ■who has reported on the condition of the two buildings and made the necessary plans for their rehabilitation. It ought to find ready support among the thousands who acknowledge the spell of Dickens 5s writings to-day. The Pudding Glass. ■ The Victorian custard glass, with its V-shaped end, is seldom to be seen' on tables nowadays, yet the want is often feit for individual glass containers, not so much for custard as for all sorts of cold sweets which can be prepared oversight for a party, that may have to be conducted without any other waiting than by the guests themselves (says the "Manchester Guardian"). All sorts of jellies are conveniently served in this way—creams, sponges, and fruit salads, and such simple things as'chocolate mould or creamed rice seem to taste twice as good if offered in glasses to each of which a little fresh cream has been aded. Small tumblers of. the Jacobean shape, now reproduced cheaply everywhere and deservedly popular, are most useful as pudding containers, and whore china plates are scarce arc a great help in ekeing out the dishes for a party. They can be had in attractive shades of amber and green, but the | clear white are as practical as any. They cost a few pence each in the small sizes. : ■'■ "Old Maids." "Where aro they? I am beginning to believe that, like tho Great Auk, they are extinct," writes Horace Vaehell in an English paper. "I havo scoured my own neighbourhood and failed to find one specimen. Passing under critical review the many spinsters I know who arc presumably over forty, I havo missed sadly the lavonderseented exquisitely mannered old gentlewomen whom it was a rare privilege to know in my salad days. Few of them survived tho war—and the short skirt. They were addicted to good works, towers of strength to squire and parson, they cultivated their minds and their gardens, they drank tea out of thin porcelain cups, and were, admittedly, fountains of agreeable gossip, having mastered all the arts of small talk. It was exceptional to find a' mauvaiso langue in their prim mouths, partly per- I ! haps because they lived with blinds down between themselves and everything they deemed offensive. ,The .windows of their minds, like tho windows of their sitting-rooms, opened upon gardens^ They inhaled the scent of the old-fashioned, flowers they loved—ehorry pie, jasmine, honeysuckle, and mig-, nonotte; and they exhaled the perfume of the pot pourri made from those blossoms. The rank odours of tho gutters and the-, middens never reached their sensitive nostrils, because tho windows on what they deemed to be the wrong side of the house were kept hermetically closed. They-found gleefully the I first snowdrop, and' heard . the first cuckoo; they regarded peace of mind and body as an inalienable possession. The old maid of to-day is cut to another pattern. To speak of her in general terms as sour, peevish, narrow minded, ior 'pernickety,' is ridiculous. These adjectives can be bestowed upon many married women—unhappy wives, unhappy mothers, bitterly : disappointed, aggressively resentful of conditions which they aro impotent to control ormodify. There is an increasing number of them. Possibly the middle-aged and elderly spinsters of my acquaintance I look jolly and contented because they have - escaped the disabilites of wifehood and motherhood. I recall a character in one of Tolstoy's novels who thoroughly enjoyed a funeral because he was not in the coffin. Alphonse Dau- !' det remarked that funerals were far more amusing to him than weddings. I can remember when stout matrons wiped away tears as the bride came down tho aisle on the arm of the bridegroom. On such occasions the old maids smiled. They have gone on smiling over since." Children and Letter-writing. Some children need no encouragement to write. They are always happy if allowed to have pen and ink, or pencil, and paper and write long letters to their friends and relations. Unfortunately, some unthinking parents check this tendency. Spelling and good handwriting are, of course, very important, but a little child's letterwriting should not be made into a lesson, and his natural talent for expressing himself should not bo checked because it does not agree with the opinions of his father or mother, says a writer in au exchange. Any lover of children would far rather receive a simple natural letter from a child, describing tho things that interested him at the moment, oven though the letter be- blotted, badly punctuated, and with ,wrongly-spelt words, rather than a stiff correct, formal letter, of thanks. Other children are not naturally fond of writing, and they need encouragement. The gift of a box of pretty note-paper, a gaily-coloured pen, and a little box containing sealing wax and a seal, will make a child's thoughts turn to letterwriting. To be able to write a clear, well-composed, and brief letter is a great advantage to and one cannot begin to learn the art of let-tor-writing too early. Therefore, never write a letter for a child, but always encourage him to do it for himself. It is even advisable to give him letters.to write for you, and if ho is •away from you always answer his letters promptly, as the greatest encouragement to letter-writing is the receiving of prompt and interesting replies.

Englishwomen in Politics. Women are playing an increasingly important part in politics these days, and women Conservatives throughout the country are mobilising their forces in preparation for the next General Election, says a London correspondent. The Women's Unionist Associations are holding large gatherings everywhere, and these aro always very well attended, even in such a stronghold of Socialism as the Mile End road district, where a thousand members were present the other evening at a concert arranged by the Mile End Women's Association. At this time of year, the different associations are all holding their annual meetings prior to the big national conference of the Women's Unionist organisation in May, 'when it is estimated that 8000 women will attend the mass meeting at the Albert Hall, and nearly 3000 delegates will take part in the conference at tho Queen's Hall. Conservative women regard their work very seriously, and their organisation is a thorough and practical one. Especially good work is done by the Women's Canvassing Corps, which is established in the con- j stituencies, and is becoming a very im- i portant body. Members attend can- j vassing classes, and are "put through their paces" most thoroughly, so t!|at their leaders are sure that they will give a good account of themselves in j the next election. The Women's Associations also co-operate in every possible way with tho "Imps," a frivolous nickname which is realy not in the least indicative of the serious work done by the Junior Imperial League. The league is a young organisation, young in years and young in its membership, for all its members are recruited from the younger generation. It is, of course, conservative in its aims and ideals, but it is representative of all classes. The Junior Imperial League holds its big rally in March, when about 8000.Imps, are to assemble at the Albert Hall, where they will be addressed by Mr. Baldwin. Last year, I remember, on the same occasion, there was a scene of tremendous enthusiasm, and Mr. Baldwin was quite overcome at the spontaneous welcome which was given him by the young men and women who had come to the London meeting from all parts of tho country. To Crystallise Fruit. It is not a bit difficult t0... crystallise most fresh fruits, and they make a pleasant change for dessert on special occasions. Plums are delicious treated this way, and so are pears. Orange quarters, too, can be dealt with very successfully, and are always acceptable to those who do not care for the sweeter fruits, says a writer in an exchange. Beat up the white. of an egg to a stiff froth, and have ready a quarter of a pound of crushed loaf sugar. Castor or granulated sugar will not serve nearly so well. If you are using J plums cut them across neatly with a sharp fruit knife and remove the stone. Now dip them into the white of egg, see that they are well covered, and then roll them in the crushed sugar. Dip again in the. egg and re-coat with sugar, and repeat this process until the ; "icing" is as thick as you want it to' be. Children love cherries done this way. For oranges, you can use icing fcugar; the white of two eggs should be allowed to each pound of sugar. After peeling, see that every scrap of pith is removed from the orange, which should be a small one. Take a clean darning needle, thread it with thin silk, and pass a thread through the centre of the fruit. Have your sugar and egg mixture quite ready—it should have been ' beaten until perfectly smooth—and ; dip each orange into it. As you take it out by the thread of silk tie it to a thin stick which will fit into your gas oven, which should be uearly cold. When the stick is comfortably full fix it across the oven so that none of the oranges are touching 1 anything, leave tho door open, and let the fruit stay there until the sugar is absolutely dry. The oranges will look like snowballs when they are ready. Cool Colouring. Make, your table in summer look as cool as possible, substituting white candles in cut crystal sticks and whito cut crystal finger-bowls and glasses in place of the coloured ones you used in the dull days. White and silver, and white and green, are the best colour schemes for hot days, though pink, | lilac, and pale blue can be lightly introI dueed without raising the temperature lof the table. Arranging Flowers. We who are fond of flowers take great trouble in their arrangement and the choice of vases to suit their individual characteristics, but quite as important is the background against which they are placed, says a writer in an exchange. To show their vivid beauty, flowers of brilliant colouring need plain walls of unobtrusive but sympathetic tint. Soft grey, biscuit, pale green, or primrose yellow lend the best effects. Dark paneling, or a rich, dark | curtain make perfect backgrounds for roses, which seem to demand luxurious surroundings. Sweet peas, on the other hand, prefer simplicity. The darker the background for white*flowers the better. - A mirror dnj the wall just above a table is a great opportunity to devise some beautiful flower groupings.' A mass of lovely colour finds repetition, and every pretty blossom is duplicated. Another effetcive device is to. stand a glass rose bowl fill- | ed to overflowing with gay blooms on a circular mirror laid flat on the table. This makes a particularly unusual centre for a large round table. When the autumn foliage takes" on tho rieli reds and yellows of the season, use clusters of leafy branches in tall vases as a background for shorter vases and bowls of chysanthemums and asters. Ferns and bracken also lend themselves as a natural background for grouped vases. Lighting is another consideration where flowers are concerned. Never put them in dark, completely sunless corners. But they will quickly wither if left in a window exposed to the sun. From Grandmother's Herb Book. , "You may not know it, but elderflowers make an excellent faeo cream Our grandmothers would have been appalled at the price wo pay for our lotions and massage creams," says a Londoner. c<They were, however just as anxious to ward oft' wrinkles and improve their complexions as we arc, but t>i<»y made their own cosmetics, and therein they scored both in cost and quantity. This is a recipe for cream which I found in Great Grandmother's herb book the other day. 'She must have been a vain old lady, for there were dozens of other recipes besides—all • guaranteed to beautify. For her elder cream she took 21b of good fresh lard and melted it in a saucepan. Then sho added as many handfuls of cider blossom as the melted fat would cover, a his was simmered gently for threequarters of an hour or so, and then strained through clean muslin into a bpped bowl ready for putting into lit--tlo jars in which Great Grandmother stored it away in the stillroom. But before doing this she added a few drops ot oil of lavender, 'just for sweetness sake.' The old lady made a great point m her directions of picking the blossoms with tho greatest possible care so that as little pollen as possible was shaken off. And to make tho cream stronger, she. would add a fresh quantity of flowers to the fat when the first boiling had been strained off." Woman Becomes "Fellow." _ Dr. Jiistinna Wilson has achieved the distinction of being the first woman to take her seat as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. Dr. Wilson, who is a heart specialist, became the first woman member of the college body in 1924.