Our Little Princesses

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 48, 26 February 1938, Page 14

Our Little Princesses

NEW ZEALAND’S DEANNA DURBIN JUNE BARSON Aunt Jane had such a pleasant surprise yesterday morning when a ring on the Den 'phone brought an invitation to see June Barson —New Zealand's own Deana Durbin. June is a slim little girl of 14 with brown wavy hair, two nice dimples and a pair of the smiliest blue eyes you've ever seen. When Aunt Jane saw her she was wearing a simple little white frock with pretty open-work sleeves and white shoes. Even though she is a famous little girl, she is very natural and not a bit spoilt, and did you know that she is ambdextrous —that means she can use both hands equally well? When June went for a walk yesterday morning such a number of children asked for her autograph! WHAT SHALL WE CALL IT ? The way in which the naming of babies is frequently influenced by the trend of current events is again being revealed at the present time in England. Young mothers this year are commemorating the centenary of Queex Victoria's accession to the Throne by giving their babies the name of Victoria. This is a first favourite among many other popular Victorian names, such as Lavinia, Caroline, Katherine, Louise, Frederica, Laura and Ann. And there are several new Jemimas in their 1938 cradles. Another Victorian custom to be revived is the appointing of three godparents at a baby's birth—two godmothers for a girl and one godfather, and vice versa for a boy.

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE ADZE? An adze is one of the most beautiK tools, and it is a great pity that it is going out of use. Years ago men who built the fine timber-framed houses still seen occasionally used to square and face the oak timbers with the adze, aßd did the work amazingly well. In shape the tool is something like a garden hoe, with a longer, sharper blade, and a shorter handle. The men who use it stood on their work and chopped off thick shavings toward their feet. The most skilful craftsmen could face up oak to nearly the same degree of smoothness as with a modern plane. Even about forty years ago there were men so clever with the adze that they would take off one boot, put a penny under the big toe, bring the adze down with a sweeping blow and nick the edge of the penny without so much as scratching the toe. They would only do it for a wager, but it gives an idea of what can be done by the clever handling of tools.

When you want to know whether an old house was built with the aid of the adze, you have only to look at some of the beams. If they have a surface like that of wrought iron, each stroke of the adze making its own peculiar mark, you can be certain that old-time workmen used the too.

The Anglo-Saxon spelling of the word was "adesu," but the origin is unknown, although the fact that the name is a very old one shows that it was used in ancient times, when saws were primitive and most work was done with keen-bladod axes.