WOMEN'S INTERESTS

Hokitika Guardian, 11 June 1932, Page 3

WOMEN'S INTERESTS

SOBER-MINDED YOUNG. i “PARENTS MORE FRIVOLOUS.” Children are growing sober as parents are growing frivolous, says a writer in tile “Manchester Guardian.” Despite complaints as to costs and extravagance, parents are the first to insist that their children shall partici- ' pate in all the avocations which formerly used to be thought extuk and usually took the form of a treat. Children must play tennis, lint they must work at it, and parents regret bitterly that they do not work hard enough, and that their stylo is not nearly as good as that of the other child. 'Children skate. But they do not wait for a frost with an anxiety that almost evokes a stomach-ache. They go to a rink with all the certainty of custom. There, they do not scatter a bout, soitii on the sides of their skates; some as best, they can. They do five-finger exercises for an hour together, fjkatiug has become a very hard drill, the turning in a circle for an hour at a time, the practising of curves without intermission. Parents could not hear it i! their children skated less well than their children. This ambition of parents for children is carried, where this is possible, to almost laughable extremes. There are almost more sober-minded young people than parents at the present moment. Winch is perhaps as it- should be. SEX DIFFERENTIATION. CIVIL SERVANTS’ LEAD. LONDON, April 20. The strong protest against “sex dif ferentiation,” made recently by womei civil servants, through their association, was repeated with increased vehemence by the delegates to the annual conference of the Women’s Freedom Leitgue held at .Westminster this weekend.

On the ground that the mental development of the race will suffer in th< long run, Mrs Pethwick Lawrence at tac-ked the practice of dismissing women from their posts immediately' they marry. “Parents,” she said, “will not be prepared to spend money on an expensive training for their daughters, and the inevitable result will be a re vival of the old disparity in the education of men and women and the deterioration of the mental development of the human race.”

What is described as another injustice which was the subject of bittei censure was the recent action of the Bradford Stock Exchange in re using to admit ‘“a woman equally well qualified by position and experience with many of the 10 men already admitted to membership.” Among the many constructive sugges tions made by the conference and dealing with all ranks of society were the. following:— That a woman should be appointed to a now Cabinet post, as Minister of Peace.

That in the near future the Prinn Minister ought to create the first wo man* Peer.

That women should be admitted, t< the diplomatic service. That local authorities should provkb lodging houses for homeless women.

That women {should lie allowed to retain their own ntaionalitv on marriagi to a foreigner.

FASHION NOTES, BIG MID-SEASON DISPLAY. PARIS, April 15. Worth’s, the great fashion house over here, has just shoiVu this week his mid-season collection. Gav. height colours are good lor summer sports .rocks, beach pyjamas and bathing suits. Wool is still much used, with the alternative of striped silks arid printed crepe de chines. Berets and scarves should match, and if you are clever enough to make flat envelope-like bags, see tliat the.* arc of the same stuff.. Finally a licit to match will make you absolutely in the latest fashion.

A model likely to be popular is in black wool with yellow shantung puli', on the sleeves, and a yellow belt wliicl shows below the bolero (c-o Ila r less am fastened with silver buttons). ' Jackets and coatees are often sleeve less so that they can slip on ovei the dress without crushing its *ocoves

Another bolero costume is in dark blue wool with a diagonal side of tin blot’iSo and one sleeve in dark blue and white foulard, and the ompiecemeiit goes below the belt so that it. shows a little below the bolero. This waist-jacket lias wide sleeves with turn-back cuffs showing tb ( . lining ol lie foulard. The sleeves are three quarter length, while those of the "rock are not quite down to the elbow Naturally one needs elegant glove* with this sort of thing, big gauntlet: with some embroidery or long ones in two colours.

LATEST HANDBAGS. SOME LUXURIOUS EXAMPLES. A museum of women's handbags vo u lf | himko !HI interesting collection ''wen t lie last decade lias seen drastic h/mgcs in I heir styles, I lie moroecar bag wildi Idle top clasp giving pine'o (lie pochette mid (die pi.eliel to yield ng in favour of I lie largo flap bag an< ~ ;i revival of Idle large, round, pleal. ed bag.

Jiints from Jiome and Mbroad.

| The fittest- handbags combine beauty, 'utility, and safety in an almost'ideal degree. The more luxurious ones have an inset top corner of burnished metal which serves as a mirror. Others have a double flap, th© first concealing a mirror, the second iorming one side of flic bag proper. Reptile skins have lost ground in the world of fashionable hags. Crocodile, however, is still in vogue, some of the latest hags being in dull crocodile or made half of shiny crocodile and half of dull leather, joined in a .seam running from til© clasp to the bottom of the bag. Sealskin is a popular skin lor bags at the moment, matching a moderate vogue for sealskin shoes. REVIVAL OF LACE WEARING. “THE POETRY OF ROMANCE.” An interesting article on lace has I list been released by a northern exchange. The writer states : There is ever and again a recurring revival of the wearing of lace, for not only does the poetry of romance lie in its Jiiniy meshes, but, in her heart, every woman knows that nothing is more feminine or becoming. Since the first of this year’s drawingrooms] one of these revivals lias taken place in England; which was no doubt the result looked for by her Majesty the Queen in allowing her special admiration of the Nottingham lace at the British Empire Exhibition to be report'd.

“Nottingham lace” has a sordid sound, reminiscent of the stiffly starch'd white curtains at the windows ol ill the boarding-houses on earth. hi "ealit-y, it is the loveliest machine-made imitation of all the finest laces ever known. No wonder the Queen admired them! I saw, the other day, the ropy of a Limerick design in the soft•st- parchment shade that would make i perfect wedding dress, and look like limdreds of pounds instead of less than ■i hundred shillings. Heavy patterns if cluny, too; squares of all sizes to work into table linen or bed-spreads, 'lillow-cases. or smaller things like '’andkerchiefs or nightie sachets. Personally, 1 have acquired a passion or wool lace, which is heralded by 1 oii(1 sounds of approval from English Iressmakers. Its adaptability for blouses, for yokes, and collars and cuffs m dresses of woollen material has

already been realised, but so far there have been very few whole dresses seen mt here. But what a chance wo are leglecting! For afternoon or semievening frocks—for the Sunday night it cinema dross the Americans are so been about--it should he the perfect medium. The colours are lovely: all 'die fashionable brown and rust and green shades; and the all-over patterns are mostly small. Tile texture is light and pliable, and. at the the same time, gives the. warmth we all insist on in these days, when, to be needlessly un--oinfortable is to be stupid. One iinag■iies that wool lace, once having fount! 'ts niche, will remain in fashion in different guises over many seasons, talcing its place among the standing dish's of the textile industry. The reason being that it offers another elmnoel through which won] may he introduc "d to a beauty-loving public. Lace on undies is very much in far>iii*. which niav well mean a return to the needlework wn have laid aside •luring the last few practical years •,vlier. our natural inclination towards stitching has been turned more in the lirection of machinery than hard work We may even find the young asking or information on the making of these laintv trifles we called camisoles, for -hero is certainly a call for their use in lie winter dresses we are wearing now. Most of the bodice constructions are mprovod by an inch or two, at leant, of lingerie to soften the hard V point of lie neck. By the time the summer is here again we shall find our wardrobes bicomplete without a petticoat or two if fine lawn and frothv lace.

The lure of lace on lingerie is not to be over-estimated. The plain tailored styles have their charm, to he sure, hut the v cannot compete with th t > truly feminine softness of net. Popys has a record of a visit paid to Nell Gw.vnne in her dressing-room at Drury Lane Theatre. “Nelly very pretty. Prettier even than I had thought.’' Yliich conjures up an involuntary picture of Sweet Nell in the ribbons and 'aces of her cam brie lingerie; for sinwas a wise lass ad knew the. rules of the game she played. No severe, hard 'iues, no straight tailored slips for sweet Nell of Old Drury!

THIS WEEK’S RECIPES. Date Surprises. t|l> butler! 2 tablespoons sugar, one enspoon soda, two teaspoons cream o' lirtar. two large cups (lour, two eggs Rent butter and sugar to cream : nd iea| In eggs. .Mix in oilier ingredienl a Make small pieces Hat with the bands, 'bit stoned dale in each and roll well ill sugar. Rake about, a. (piaster ol an 'lour. Walnut Meringue. ‘2 cups of brown sugar, white of one ■gg, one cun of chopped walnuts, lie 1 mixture until still', put on greased paper, cook in slow oven like ordinary meringue.