IMPRESSIONS OF SWEDEN

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 79, 30 September 1933, Page 18

IMPRESSIONS OF SWEDEN

NEW ZEALAND DELEGATES

A DELIGHTFUL MONTH

(From "The Post's" Reprcssntative.) <: LONDON, August 5. « Two New Zealand delegates—Miss t A. E. Jerome Spencer and Miss L:. t Large (both of Napier)—attended the -\ third conference of the Liaison Com- i mittee of the Kural Women and Home- ] makers' Organisations,'which was held ] in the Borgarakola Stockholm,- recently. ; About . one ■ hundred delegates were j present, representing different countries. I The Federated Countrywomen of Sweden } Norway, Denmark, and Finland com- i bined to give the visitors a very pleasant time, and arranged a wonderful i programme to enable'tliem to see-the j life and beauties of their countries. At the formal opening by the , Marchioness of Aberdeen' and'Ternaire, i the Crown Princess of Sweden was pre- ' sent. Mrs. Dragc, .whom New Zea.landcrs will remember at the first con- , ferencc of New1 Zealand Women's In- i stitutes in Wellington, acted as chair- ' man, and tho morning and afternoon ; sessions were taken up with reports ; from each country and with lectures. , Miss Spencer, who was well-received by the conference, gave the New Zealand , report. ~ Miss Large, who has 'given her im- . pressions of the conference, mentions , that Australia had some-thing' unusual ■ to report on the splendid work of the "Flying Doctor" for so many lives havo been saved since the advent of the doctor and tho nurse. Canada was represented by Mrs. Lang, who gave a splendid account of the work they do. They have co-opera- ■ tive doctors, travelling clinics i'qr infant welfare, a car fitted up with necessary appliances, and a nurse in charge who goes round the district. A list is kept, and reports, are made of the pases sjic attends, so that mothers can 'write to the nurse saying if her patient is doing well, or- otherwise. In the'" latter case more advico is sent. Women's Institutes in Canada help the doctors by providing room and bed for children to bo examined. In many places a little apparatus on the telephone, costly to get in baekblocks, is subscribed for, so that people can easily get advice from the doctor. A music teacher has been sent for a. year to places where they have none,, and is paid for by the Women's Institutes. "Could we in New Zealand," said Miss Large, "engage a good elocutionist, who could visit a number of schools to.teach reading? Surely this, if done, would improve the speech of the children, and help to banish the 'twang' which is so prevalent. If all the Women's Institutes combined, we could do wonders—and the children of the future would surely bless us." The women's Institutes a*re t doing splendid work in South and East Africa and Rhodesia. In one place a book is given.to -the'library on a member's birthday. ROYALLY ENTERTAINED. "On the evening of the first day's conference," said Miss Large, "we went to a reception at tho Academy of Fine Arts where Mrs. Alfred Watt made an excellent speech on the work of the Liaison Committee. - Tho Crown Princess of.. Sweden was present with her suite of Ladies-in-Waiting and two gentlemen wearing decorations. The Princess is greatly beloved, and takes a kean> interest in all women's work. After the meeting we went for supper at t.he winter-garden of the Grand . Hotel, a very beautiful garden in the centre of the hotel, glassed in and surrounded by raised arched corridors. "Another .evening we went to a brilliant reception given by tho City of Stockholm, in the Town Hall, a building which greatly impressed mo. .The Mayoress gave a speech of welcome in Swedish, and this was translated into' English by' a lady M.P. . with a wonderful voice. The supper tables were arranged in the centre in tlie form of a huge cross, ■ the highest maypole I have ever seen, with ribbons of pale blue and gold (the Swedish Colours) streaming from the top. This was all in our honour. TOURS INTO THE COTJHTBY. "We had some- glorious tours-into the country, which is so splendidly cultivated and all kept so well. It was strange to see the hay drying on fences, which were placed in lines over the fields. The. farms seemed small, with everything very orderly, and the outhouses so tidy.- The-whole country looked beautiful, prosperous and peaceful. "One day wo went to Wik, to a castle of the Middle Ages, now used as a girk' school. It stands on an eminence, and as our large motorcoaches' arrived, we saw girls in their picturesque national , costumes of varied hues, standing on the steps of the castle. When we alighted and had got near they sang songs of welcome —a most delightful greeting which we much appreciated- We then climbed the steps telling the girls how we enjoyed their sweet singing, and were shown'into the great hall where the four Presidents of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland gave us welcome. They looked so happy and- spoke so ■well. After this ar party of men and maidens in gay costumes led by a fiddler who played well, danced many of their National dances on the green. "Luncheon was set in-the crypt, a many-arched room, and although it was light, the tables were lighted up with candles—a great feature of the ; northern countries. The quaint candle.sticks were of a great, age, and therefore greatly treasured. Our waitresses were very'pretty girls, who had the most charming and quaintest manners. During luncheon a singer sang.twice— a very beautiful voice, thoroughly trained. There was no . accompaniment, yet the singing,was impressive. There was moix! dancing after luncheon, and as we left the girls brought us bouquets of wild flowers. ' . . ' "We went on to • Skokloshar Castle, where.we saw the treasure of the linen iupboauds—a* special privilege. A DREAM CITY. "One evening we wero taken on a motor-launch trip over all the water--ways which add so much to the beauty of Stockholm. We finished with supper at -Skansan, a great park where there is an open-air museum, with farm _ houses from different parts of ,tir3 northern ten'itories Lapps, "j""l3' Esquimaux, and many others —furnished ■with the belongings of different centuries, and there were people from the differemt places in their quaint costumes. ' "Wo spent a few days -in Oslo, ana visited the Bed Cross 'centres in each 'Capital' City. They all were very good to us. They havo built' delightful nurses' homes with the moat complete equipment for their comfort that i have seen.. Stockholm ".'leads the way in this. We left Stockholm by the Gota Canal—a three-day and three-night trip. The weather 'was.very . hot, but the. movement of our pretty steamer created a little breeze, and the banks were ■beautifully wooded for long distances. We felt sad to leave Stockholm, for it is a dream city."

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