WOMEN’S WORLD

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20184, 29 February 1940, Page 11

WOMEN’S WORLD

In and Out of Town

News items intended for publication in tliis column cannot be accepted unless accompanied by the signature and address of the sender. Notices of engagements require the signature of both parties, and a charge of 5s will be made for such announcement. Mrs. E. Harris, Kelvin road, has returned from a visit to Wellington. * * * * Mr. and Mrs. N. S. Thomas, Tolaga | Bay, are visiting Wellington. # * * * Mrs. K. M. Palgrave, Palmerston road, is the guest of Mrs. A. C. Steele, Tahunga. * * * * Mrs. E. Adair, Stafford street, is the guest of Mrs. L. T. Burnard, Russell street. * * * * Mrs. R. Chaplin, Tokomaru Bay, is staying with Mrs. C. D. Armstrong, Iranui road. * * * * Mrs. Faulkner, Gladstone road, left last week on a motor trip of the North Island. * * * * Mr. and Mrs. T. R. Saunders have returned to Palmerston North after visiting Mrs. Phillips, Ballance street. * * * * Mrs. D. E. Chrisp, Iranui road, intends returning from a visit to Wellington to-morrow. * * * * Mrs. F. Fenwick, Russell street, has returned from a visit to her parents, Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Vincent, Carterton. * * * * Miss L. Hood, Kanakanaia, paid a brief visit to Miss J. Tietjen, Bushmere, this week. * * * * Miss Margot Morris, Tolaga Bay, will arrive in Auckland to-morrow to spend a short holiday. * * * * Mrs. McDonald, Bloomfield road, accompanied by her sister, Miss Watt, matron of the Huntly Hospital, has left on a holiday visit to Rotorua. * * * * Miss Millier, Bushmere road, left last Thursday for Auckland to meet her brother, Mr. B. Millier, who returned by HiM.S. Achilles. * * * * Miss Dorothy Watt, Stout street, who was the guest of her sister, Mrs. Colin Perry, Lower Hutt, while attending the Centennial Exhibition, returned to Gisborne yesterday. ♦ * * * Mr. and Mrs. Henry Brown, Harris street, left on Tuesday for Taumarunui, where they are staying with the latter’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe Smith, prior to continuing a motor tour. * * * * Miss N. Stubbs, Whitaker street, left on Tuesday on a visit to the Centennial Exhibition, Wellington. In addition she will attend the marriage of her brother, Mr. Claude Stubbs, to Miss Morsee, which will take place in Wellington on March 16. * * * * England’s first woman police officer is retiring after 22 years’ service. She is Sergeant Mrs. Evelyn Miles, of the Birmingham Constabulary. Before becoming a policewoman she was a matron at tire lock-up. Birmingham was the first city to have policewomen officially recognised. Now 16 are attached to the city force.

St. John Ambulance Baby Contest

The initial meeting of the women’s central committee of the St. John Ambulance national centennial baby contest was held in the Plunket rooms recently. Mrs. Burns presided, and members present included Mesdames J. Blair, Allan McKenzie, K. A. Woodward, P. Beale W. E. Goffe, Keany, Doddrell, jun., Misses W. Lysnar, L. Tgylor, and H. Humphreys, hon. secretary. It was decided to canvas the district for nominations for the contest, and Gisborne was divided into six sections, each under the direction of a member, as follows:—Town, Mrs. Allan; Victoria Township, Mrs. Beale; Te Hapara, Mrs. Burns; Mangapapa, Miss Lysnar; Whataupoko, Mrs. Woodward; Kaiti, Mrs. Blair. The members will meet again next week, when progress will be reported and further arrangements discussed. Miscellaneous Gift Party On Saturday afternoon, Miss L. Hill, whose marriage to Mr. D. G. Gordon, Hawke’s Bay, will take place on Saturday, March 9, was the chief guest at a delightful miscellaneous gift* tea given by Miss I. Phillips at her home in Ballance street. Marigolds in lemon and gold tonings' were used with artistic effect in the decoration of the drawing-room, and the tea table in the dining-room was beautified With pink belladonna lilies. During the afternoon Miss N. Williams was heard to advantage in several pianoforte solos, and community singing also was enjoyed. Tiie parcels, containing a varied assortment of gifts, were opened by the bride-to-be, who thanked her friends. Mrs. Phillips welcomed her daughter’s guests, wearing a graceful frock of brown eloque printed in a floral design in orange and gold and relieved with touches of beige georgette. The smart frock of black sheer was accented at the neckline with a posy of violets. Her sister, Mrs. T. R. Saunders, Palmerston North, who assisted in the entertainment of the guests, chose an elegant frock of navy blue corded sheer with red trimmings. Miss Hill wore a becoming frock of lime green and white patterned Liberty silk, with a large hat of white felt.

* Daily Round

Supper Party

As a wind-up to their participation in tire girls’ inter-house sports competition, the members of McGruer’s team were entertained by Mr. and Mrs. K. R. Waite, Clifford street, last Saturday night. The room was attractively decorated with dahlias and hydrangeas. After a dainty supper had been served, all present joined in community singing. Items were given by Misses K. Morris, N. Miller and L. Sheen. Those present were Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Clare, Mr. and Mrs. E. Priday; Misses L. Waite, J. Jackman, L. Sheen, A. Pocock. N. Miller, E. Doyle, B. Sheen, M. Armstrong, Y. Richardson, L. Miller, M. Metcalfe, A. Metcalfe, M. Sheen, V. Clarke, R. Robinson, K. Morris, and J. Paterson; Messrs. R. Richardson, P. Radstone, and G. Sutton. Handkerchief Party For BrideElect On Tuesday afternoon Miss R. Witters, who is being feted by her friends prior to her marriage to Mr. R. Orchiston, was the guest of honour at a delightful handkerchief tea given by Misses J. Tietjen and L. Hood at the home of the former at Bushmere. The weather was all that could be desired, knd the picturesquely-placed tennis court was the centre of attraction, the keenly-contested games being thoroughly enjoyed by both players and spectators. Indoors the rooms were gay with flowers, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums' and asters predominating. Afternoon tea and ices were served informally in a shady corner of the garden, and later the parcels were opened by the bride-to-be, who acknowledged the gifts in a charming manner. Mrs. Tietjen was wearing a graceful frock of blue cloque printed in a floral design in autumn tonings. Both Miss Tietjen and Miss Hood looked smart in white linen, and Miss Witters also chose a white frock. Experienced War-Worker Madame Gripenberg, wife of the Finnish Minister in London, has lost no time in giving assistance to the sick and wounded of her country. She sent an aeroplane to Finland loaded with anti-tetanus serum, morphia, evipan, pneumonia serum, and other drugs. She has also organised the collection of donations from friends of Finland at the Finnish Legation, Madame Gripenberg is Englishborn, and this is not the first time she has taken an active part in wartime relief work. During the last war, as Miss Joan Mosley-Williams, she drove an ambulance in France as a member of the Nursing Yeomanry. After the war, she went to Albania fur the American Red Cross, and helped to organise a Boy Scout movement there. Three years in Albania were followed by the study of sociology al Columbia University, New York. Then the American Red Cross sent her to the Red Indian reservations in the South-West. She lived with the Reel Indians for two years and a half, greatly honoured by the natives AfteF a year’s work As curator of the Red Cross museum in Washington, she went to Spain. There, she met her husband, M. Gripenberg, then Finnish Minister in Madrid. Shortly afterwards they were married in the British church in Paris. Women’s Christian Temperance Union The monthly meeting of the Gisborne branch of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was held in the Methodist schoolroom, Bright street, on Tuesday afternoon, Mrs| W. E. Goffe presiding over a good attendance. In the absence of Mrs. Morris, the devotional exercises were taken by Mrs. Thomas. As February is kept in memory of the founder of the movement, Frances Willard, an article on her humour and very human qualities as a teacher was read by Mrs. Goffe. The following remits were submitted to the meeting and approved: “The Women’s Christian Temperance Union of New Zealand, appreciating the Government’s action in seting up_a_nalional council of physical welfare and recreation, urges that steps now be taken to establish, in conjunction with the New Zealand Medical School, a national school of physical education, where teachers who will be responsible for this work will have a special scientific and uniform training, thus bringing the ohysical education of the people of New Zealand up to the standard of he people of other countries.” A remit from the North Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Red Cross Society was as under: —“That the Christchurch branch of the National Council of Women be urged to make nquiries into the exorbitant retail orice of citrus fruits and bananas. In ;iew of their medicinal and nutriional value, these fruits, which are easily obtainable in this country, ;bouid, in our opinion, be available at prices and quantities within the means of all.” The cradle-roll superintendent, Mrs. Stockman, reported that birthday cards had been dispatched to 10 children and that several new members had been enrolled. A discussion op wet canteens resulted in the members agreeing that servicemen were not physically or mentally better for the introduction of wet canteens into military camps, as liquor undermined their stamina and health. Mrs. E. G. A. Reynolds mentioned that a young girl had been sent from New Zealand to study W.C.T.U. work in South Australia. A pantry stall under the direction of Mrs. E; G. A. Reynolds was well patronised. Afternoon tea was served at the close of the meeting by Mesdames Mackintosh and Stockman.

Many Women of Finland on Active Service News of Finland’s heroic resistance of the Russian invader tells the world of brilliant strategy and personal bravery in a land of ice. But the world must hear eventually of the part the women of Finland are playing behind the Mannerheim Line and in the home. To-day, in Finland, 80,000 women are on active service. They belong to a great national organisation known as the Lotta-Svard, which is guided and inspired by the Baroness Mannerheim. These women are on active service as cooks, as nurses, as makers of warm clothes. They are Finland’s second line of defence. But every woman in Finland not a member of the LottaSvard is also an active enemy of Russia. And Finnish women who live abroad, realising that all they have ever held dear—freedom, education, religious tolerance, kindness, and the ability to realise one’s personal ambitions—is in danger of being obliterated forever, have also gone into action. Long before Russian troops crossed the border hopeful that they would crush a small nation in one cruel blow Finnish women in Sydney clamoured for wool for knitting. And on a recent night, they met together so that their effort might be speeded up and made more effective.

Preparations in the Home “We women know that the preparations made in the home quietly and steadily for many years now are having a tremendous influence in keeping our men active in a climate that seeks out weakness in a man and quickly strikes him down,” said Miss Aano Potinkara, a Finnish woman now living in Sydney, in an interview. “Cable messages have told the world how the ice and the raw Arctic wind have been fighting the Russians. There has not been one word of the death of a Finnish soldier by exposure to the cold. We would have been surprised if there had been such a word.” Miss Potinkara said that for years the women of Finland had been preparing for the day when their men would go out to meet the Russians. “It has been a real fear with me ever since I was a child,” she said, “a real fear with everyone. We all knew that some day Russia would strike. As a child, I lived at Wiipuri, which is only about 10 miles from the Russian frontier, and about 120 miles from Leningrad. So that the Russian bear cast a shadow over our lives from the start. “In 1917, when I was a child just able to understand things, the Bolsheviks came to our home. My brothers fled. All the men fled. They took away our cows and our horses. But they left us with our lives. “To-day, I have three brothers fighting for Finland. If I could be of use, I would gladly go back, but I am only one. I have determined to do what I can for the Finnish cause in Australia.” The Lotta-Svard Before she left Finland for Aus-

tralia, Miss Potinkara became a member of the Lotta-Svard. “We gave our .services voluntarily just as the men offered their services for the volunteer army,” she said. “The volunteer army and the members of our organisation were like brothers and sisters. We knew that the mission of the men was to fight; we decided it was the mission of the women to take away from the men all details not associated with actual fighting. “So the women were trained to become cooks for the army and to accompany the army on its manoeuvres right up to the front line. They were trained in army ambulance work, and in nursing. Women learned to become doctors and engineers. There are, perhaps, more women doctors in Finland than anywhere else. “Finland is small, and her manpower is limited. Thus, to defend herself, Finland had to train women for jobs hold by men ia most other countries. Women took jjobs as stationmasters to release men for the army. They became architects, and the number of women dentists grew rapidly. Part of Defence Machine Women learned to become tailors, and to look after the clothing of their soldiers. Years of experience taught them what the soldiers should wear to keep out the cold. So that to-day, Finland’s army is well equipped to fight in the ice. “Finland realised fortunately that preparations on the home front were just as vital as preparations on the field. To-dqy, Finnish women are near the front line. They are part of our defence machine.” Miss Potinkara said that every Finnish home with an able-bodied man in it had for years had a precious corner where uniforms, rifles, ammunition, ski, and other gear for the men in the house had been kept. The rifle and the ski had been kept in repair by the men, but the women overhauled the clothing and added to it frequently. “No sacrifice has been too great for our women,” she added. “They have given their time and their skill liberally. They had faith that when the terrible day came, Finland would be able to offer such resistance that the invader might regret his mission.” When Miss Potinkara was a member of the Lotta-Svard, a Finnish woman was Minister for Social Services in the Government, and with her help, the organisation leapt ahead in power and numbers