WOMEN’S NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 107, 6 April 1926, Page 11

WOMEN’S NOTES

The condition of Princess Victoria, who is ill with Pneumonia, shows a slight improvement, states a London cable. Among the students w?io entered the newly-opened School of Architecture at Auckland were two women, including one who had been awarded a scholarship of the value of £IOO a year by the Canterbury College authorities.

Mrs G. M. Wynyard, whoso death is announced at the age of 84 years, at her residence at One Tree Hill, Auckland, had been associated with tho history of tho Auckland province from the earliest days. She was born at tho Cape of Good Hope in 1842, the daughter of Major J. H. England. She wns married in 1864 to Mr Robert McDonald Wynyard, youngest son of Major-General R. H. Wynyard, C. 8., of tho 58th Regiment, who commanded the New Zealand Forces from 1845 to 1858, and who was acting-Governor for three of those years, until tho arrival of Colonel Gore Brown.

Prior to the Longburn School closing for the Easter vacation opportunity was taken to make a presentation to Miss M. E. Pratt, assistant mistross, who has accepted a position with the Wellington Education Board. In a neat little speech, Miss May Allen, senior girl, presented Miss Pratt with a handsome travelling rug on behalf of tho teaching staff and pupils. The chairman, Mr Mollors, ,

also made a presentation to Miss j Pratt of a well equipped dressing I case, suitably engraved, on behalf of 1 tho School Committee. Both speakers made special reference to Miss Pratt’s i great popularity and voiced the re- j grot felt at her severing her connec- . tion with tho school. Afternoon tea J was provided by the teachers and f senior scholars. •'

SOCIAL FUNCTIONS.

The Oddfellows’ Hall was packed to overflowing last night when tho sixth

dance of the season held under the auspices of the M.U., 1.0.0. F., took the form of an Easter carnival, there being, in addition to regular patrons, a large number of visitors present. Many and varied were the novelties provided for the amusement of patrons and everybody had a most enjoyable time. During the proceed-, ings fancy paper hats wero distributed and these, worn by the dancers, gave a festive appearance to tho scenes. Tho hall, which was beautifully decorated for the occasion, presented a cosy and pleasing spectacle, and the work reflects great credit on the committeo who must have taken considerable pains and given much of I their spare time to have achieved such a splendid effect. Coloured lights, placed at intervals overhead shed multi-coloured, mellpw hues on the decorations and showed to advantage the beautiful dresses of the ladies. At various times novelty items were introduced, while “excuso me” foxtrots and waltzes added variety, and tho evergreen twilight dances were, as usual, very popular, several encodes being necessary. Tho lucky spot prizes wero won by Mr J. Owen and Miss T. Chatfield, who were tho recipients of useful presents. Folj lowing the supper adjournment, extras were contributed by Mr G. Matthews and Miss E. Jansen, who responded to several encores. The M.C’s. wero Messrs Dilks and Hill. Mesdames Hill and Bruce chaperoned tho assembly and a professional orchestra supplied tho music. At 1 a.m. to the accompaniment of parting showers of confetti, a most successful and enjoyable function was brought to a close with three hearty cheers for the committee.

GIRL CITIZENS. CONFERENCE AT PALMERSTON NORTH. The weather on Monday lent itself more favourably to camp life, and as far as possible all meetings were hold out of doors. On Monday the usual programme was adhered to. Study circles and discussions follow quickly upon each other, leaving little time in between sessions. Tho various committees elected for house, music, recreation, publicity and records,

health, cup events and World Fellowship meet daily, planning the particular piece of work for which they arc responsible. The whole camp is divided into nations, the head of each nation being known by tho same name as the actual ruler of her group. Tho cup events committee found Monday an extremely busy day with the sports contests eventuating in the afternoon. Tho keenest interest in

all cup contests is being manifested, and the winners of tho much coveted cup will not gain the trophy easily, for each community is putting forth its best effort for all contests. In criticising tho storytelling contest held on Sunday afternoon the judges remarked on tho high standard of storytelling, which was a great improvement on last year’s work. The Citizens’ Council hour under the direction of Miss Nonie Hardfe, girls’ work secretary of Christchurch, proved a very interesting one. The candid opinions of tho girls and their ideas on programme was enlightening to tho leaders. Messrs H. 'L. Young, president of the local Rotary Club, and Mr C. T. Salmond, the secretary, were the guests of the conference on Monday evening. They were welcomed by n Palmerston North girl citizen, and original songs of welcome wero sung, which had been composed by other citizens. The results of the original song contests, posters, sports and uniforms are not yet hand. The following are the results of the storytelling contest: —Auckland 1, Palmerston North 2. .

On Monday evening, Mrs Burton, wife of Mr 0. E. Burton, M.A., well known in temperance and Bible class circles, gave a talk. Tho day’s programme closed with vesj>ers icd by Miss Bridgman.

THE GIRL OF TO-DAY. A LIFE OF FRIVOLITY. MANY CAUSES OF "NERVES.”

DOCTOR’S SCATHING CRITICISM

LONDON, Feb. 24. V hat he considered to be the causes of many of tho nervous maladies discernible among young people to-day wore tho subject of a scathing diagnosis by Dr. J, S. ltisien Russell in a lecture at the Institute of Hygiene. Ho dealt with tho ultimate harm that may be sustained by children in falling from porambulatois; tho mischief causod by importing phycho-analysis into the training of children; and the hectic round of the girl of to-day, with her freedom from tho chaporono, and her resort to drugs and drink to induce tho artificial sleep to which she has lost tho natural key. Tho title of his lecture was: "The Prevention of Nervous Affections in the Y’oung.” "People,” said Dr Russell, "spoak of thoir ‘nerves’ being affected, or of their frionds suffering from ‘nerves,’ without having the faintest idea of what the nervous system is. So many children are born with abnormal conditions of their ner-

vous systems that wo must look fur-

ther back in their life history if we are to search for a means to prevent these abnormalities. One of the chief scourges in this connection has been alcoholism. It is still with us, though appreciably less in evidence than hitherto, and I am persuaded is likely to become less and less as time goes on, unless the present tendency to excesses of all kinds is allowed to continue unchecked.

“Knowing as we do what serious oonsequences may follow knocks and blows to the head in adults, who can say how much that is abnormal in a child’s nervous system in later life is to bo ascribed to frights and biows to tho head, deliberately administered, or the result of their being allowed to fall from a pram or chair. SWING OF THE PENDULUM. “I view with horror tho introduction of anything so abnormable as psychoanalysis in tho training of children, and regard this as deserving of the strongest possible protest on tho part of tho public. Every means should be taken to put a stop to the evil and enucleate the canker which has taken root among some of those responsible for the training of the young. Apart from this much to be deprecated method of dealing with children, the whole modern tendency of studying tho child’s whims and pandering- to them for fear of harm resulting from upsetting their complexes, and thus allowing them to do much as they please and to go undisciplined is responsible for much harm. From the perhaps too strict discipline of the Victorian era the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction, so that the modern child lias become quite out of hand. An undisciplined child is one whoso nervous system cannot fail to suffer. Hygiene of body and mind are much needed in these days, when children are allowed to read tho most baneful literature at will. There is a happy me'an to be aimed at, but it would be far better for their nervous systems wero youug people compelled to return to the strict discipline of tho Victorian era than that things should remain as at present, with all the laxity and indiscipline responsible for so much harm.

"Among the subjects which are actively engaging public attention at the present time, spiritualism takes a prominent part. There are many who are highly neurotic and unbalanced, and who cannot possibly dabble in matters of tho kind without serious risk of disordering their brains so seriously as to cause them to become insane. COCKTAILS FOR. GIRLS.

“There are evidently still sources through which some women are able to secure drugs to keep themselves going with little or no i'ood and next to no sleep. Whether or not the war is to be blamed for the change, the fact remains that the girl of the present day, even while still in her 'teens, has a freedom of action and liberty which is fraught with more than one danger. The chaperone.. is, in the main, a thing of the past, and young girls are free to go out with young men, not only to restaurants and dances, but to night clubs, with no sort of restrictions put on their actions, and with no limit of time when they, must return to their homes. The result is that the whole, or the greater part of the night is spent in frivolity, with no time left for sleep to refresh the nervous system, so that a day following this full of social and other engagements can only be .got through with the assistance of 'alcohol or drugs. Girls not long from school are to be seen drinking cocktails, champagne and liqueurs, while in time whiskies and sodas are added to the list of stimulants required to keep them going. “Scarcely has the age of twenty been reached before the lines that belong to the face of a woman of middle age have become evident in such girls. Nature, deprived of her normal hours of sleep, begins to forget the habit, the nervous system, overtaxed by the strain of so abnormal a life and poisoned by alcohol, tobacco and perhaps drugs, falls into a state of neurasthenia with insomnia, which demands the increase of drugs to bring sleep. Is it to be supposed that when girls of this kind reach womanhood, and become mothers, they can produce men and women with anything hut the most miserable physiques and of the neurotic type?”