WOMAN'S WORLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18388, 2 May 1923, Page 14

WOMAN'S WORLD.

SOCIAL NEWS.

Mr. and Mrs. A. Harris and Miss Harris sailed by the Tofua on Saturday on a trip to the Islands. '

Mrs, G. Freyberg, who has been staying with her mother, Mrs. W. Bathbone, in Parnell, has returned to Wanganui.

Mrs St. John Clark, who has been on a visit to Wellington and Palmerston North, has returned to Auckland. ■

Miss L'Estrange Nolan, who has been visiting friends in Hawera, Now Flymouth, and Wanganui,' has returned home. .

A' prize for the best handwriting, open to competitors throughout the British Empire was lately won by Miss Gladys Stones, aged- thirteen. She is a scholar of the Hurislet National Schools, near. Leeds, and-the daughter of a steel worker. She as successful among more than 2500 competitors. ~ - '

Recently a list of distinguished women occupying high positions was published. Thus Miss Clotilde Luisi occupies a diplomatic post in a South-American Republic; Mrs. Shelter, is manageress of a bank; Mrs..Lydia Berklay Tagno, judge 'at ! the Court of Eagle County; Miss George' Martin, engineer in the North Pacific Railway. • 5 -. ,-.

Our familiar sewing cotton is .a.more recent thing than one might think. Till the days of the Napoleonic wars linen and silk thread .were used in sewing. ;'■•" The war interfered with the silk industry, and two brothers at Paisley named Clark, who made linen thread in a small way, conceived the idea of making cotton sewing thread. Theirs were the first " cotton reels" ever , turned out, but before long cotton became the usual sewing material.

Mrs. Arthur Sassoon's splendid Albert Gate House, London, and the French Embassy opposite, were once '; known , as Gibraltar 1 " and *. Minorca. They - were built'by Thomas Cubitt, who developed the;.; Duke ■ of : . Westminster's Belgr property, and being;' considered too ; largo for private occupation they were nicknamed '- Gibraltar -and; •■;. Minorca, ' '' because •" they; would '. never -.: be :v taken." .Mrs)?' Sassoon's- v house has '„ a. magnificent ballroom, which has been honoured by. Royalty on many occasions, but the French - Embassy;• is now the larger; extepsive l additions haying been made some years ago.'. '~ ■ '

',-■ Kensington' Palace appears to have .been; the first i building in England 'decorated with'; wallpaper—a form of 'decoration, which, in the ; opinion; of ; some speakers at the ; Conference of Master Painters,t will shortly : become obsolete. William ; Pyne, the ? historian ,i of Kensington Palace, v relates' that Kent, I the architect employed by -George I. 1 to redecorate th'e \palace, made a startling departure ;by., papering "the 7 King's ; great drawing room." 7 ; The effect was much admired, aitJ " the new art of paper-hangings, being ; both cheap and elegant, was generally; : adopted 'in preference to '• the : ; old-style velvet flock hangings." ; -'■ ;:y: '':-' : ':'::yi'J''^-'. : ;'"' : : ; ...

Though' education is compulsory for girls as .well as boys in Japan/ the education of girls is generally inferior to that of boys, and in the secondary schools the i curricula j for .them x are iranged on a lower. • scale".' "The Government ' shows iitself reluctant to "spend: money, ron the n advanced education of - girls, jr. Still/; progress is being made. The marriage age for ; girls is: also advancing from sixteen ,to > the ; early twenties, and public sentiment is growing in .favour of greater freedom ,'in marriage. ■/ So - far, marriages are usually arranged by parents with the help of a middle-man. Usually the young, people are" allowed to see each other once before • the betrothal, but 'sometimes' 1 they "do/not meet till the marriage ceremony.

,'•• ■ The Duke of; Wellington.: who recently '. celebrated his golden wedding, can make the ■'' unusual boast that v the I married < lives of himself and of his uncle, the second Duke, cover together a period of 95 years. The present. Duke married Miss Kathleen ;I3ulkeley .Williams on '\ October 24,-' 1872. The;,second Duke married Lady. Elisabeth ; Hay in 1839, and he died "45 years later, *in 1884. . As ; a Vmatter of fact 65 years '■■;■ between■ the marriage v and the' J »death-of the second Duchess,.for she survived } her husband 20 years. v When King Edward came to the throne there were f three Duchesses of Wellingtonthe widow the second; Duke, the , widow of the |third ' Duke, V who died .in 1900, and J the present Duchess.^

;. ,At one time the finest ostrich : feathers reached as high a figure as £82 "a pound. The price is now only about a fifth of ;whatit wan then,, still ostrich .feathers are a very 'profitable crop ;to grow.fy The • ostrf'clv. is not plucked;. the feathers are cut off some little distance from*the body, Tand the ( stump left is afterwards/moulted baturally. The first " shearing" ,of; an 'ostrich chick is of no great valuer,but at i<wo years the feathers ■ are in good ' condition, and .thereafter they , are ; cut-three times every two years."; The wing >'. plumes of 'the male' bird'; are i the most valuable. ; These .will amount -to fa weight .of - about 60z., and the rest of the body will yield ' about lilb. of smaller feathers. It takes eight' of the biggest ostrich plumes to weigh a pound. '/'••'"

■';■ Lady Elizabeth Bowcs-Lyon's wedding ring was made from Welsh gold. Both the ; ; wedding rings of Queen.Mary and Princess Mary were made X: of ',:; gold: : from Wales, and it was hoped to make /iady. Elizabeth's from the same. vein. . The gold is mined in Mawddach Valley, where 'Ca sensation was caused about 30 years t ago, owing to/,the rich yield from the :Gwynfynydd mine, 'which was valued nt £50,000.' British gold- for .British Boyal '■r personages goes back to the ; time;:h of ?Charles 1., whoso coronation medals were .■struck from British- gold, while one .-of ■the prized possessions- of .Queen Eliza- ' both 'was a golden porrringer made entirely from ; gold washed ; from -the. sands -of Scottish livers, fy ii'Xi ; -■;..,!/-■

* ..'-.Much interest is centred in the " powder ■.« and '. patch " ball which the Victoria i League is holding in the Scots- Hall, Sy- '; monds Street on Thursday, May *24 and j at which their Excellencies the Governor-

General and Lady Jellicoe have signified their'intention of being present. An energetic committee, "of which Mrs. George Bloomfield is president/:Miss Mowbray hon. treasurer, and Mr. Roy Binney and Mr. Hassd Garland hon secretaries, is ; now hard at' work planning and making * arrangements. Last year the Victoria League's Ball -was most enjoyable, as well as a great success, and it is antici- ' pated that this year's effort will be another triumph to add to the league's , reputation as an exceedingly efficient or- - ganisation. The fascination of " powder , and patch " will again ' hold sway, and ; the ball will open with the dancing of the minuet, whereby, to create an atmosphere of old-world charm and grace.

The saving of £20,030 per annum in the , expenses of the Royal Household has been ■; made possible by Queen Mary's economy and practical ability in domestic orgar.isa*tion. Brought up in a familv not too • well endowed with " this world's goods. "Princess Mary (as she then was) . was trained from early childhood in practical J housewifery. This substantial saving in ■: the Royal Household expenses has been accomplished without any limitation of ; the Court functions or any falling off in the efficiency of services. Queen Mary supervises everything in the Royal Households—Buckingham Palace, " Windsor ~ Castle, Balmoral, and homely Sandring- ■ ham. She instals all labour-saving de- ; vices and reduces manual work to a mini- - mum. She was .one of the first to take - advantage of the new inventions of '■; vacuum cleaners, electric cooking, and cleaning machinery. The royal laundries are almost entirely ..worked' by electrical machinery. The Queen ,will not tolerate waste or extravagance in any form. In- .. stead of ■ the system of long credits that ■ used to prevail she has all accounts presented and settled. She is a kind and sympathetic employer, - but a strict disciplinarian.

In every French provincial : town the " repasseuse" (ironer) is a' recognised institution, and she does very good;' business, devoting herself particularly to the finer ' kinds of ironing. y It w»uld ; seem worth while for some •women seeking easy, remunerative employment to set up as ironers. In districts ' with many boarding houses and residential hotels there would be fine openings for such work. Fine articles, as delicate blouses, , vests, laces, handkerchiefs, etc., are apt soon to _be worn v oat if sent . to ordinary laundries, but while they may be easily washed out by the wearers in their own quarters, ironing is a far more difficult thing to manage. A skilled and careful fine .ironer. would be a boon to the numerous women occupied in business cr professionally who need ;to study economy, and : have .-no facilities for doing their own fine ironing.

The National Women's Party.; of New York State has launched . a campaign • to secure equal rights for women by asking the Congress at Albany to pass 25 Bills which will give women every legal right now possessed by men. At the same time, it requires them to share equally men's responsibilities. '~ The new. arrangement will make husband and wife equally responsible to support the ; family :• the husband could sue the wife for non- support of tJ|o children. The property of husband and wife owned before marriage would (not' be ; liable for the debts of the other after marriage. The husband^would be deprived of allirights to the 'services and labour of = his wife ; she may • demand wages and salary ; from her husband for housework. Women are to )be allowed to act as jurors everywhere in the State, and all discrimination against .their. election or appointment to public office should be eliminated. Neither • husband ■. nor wife has any right 1 not : enjoyed by. the other iii- regard to property,: and'children born out of wedlock are to be entitled to the same , rights as : a legitimate child.

Lady Cook, better known a 5..." Tennessee Claflin," widow of Sir.Francis Cook, arid daughter Cof E. B. Claflin,;; of -New York, has just died in London, at the age of ; 77. ■'■'■'-. "Tennessee Claflin" .was one ;of the of the I; woman's suffrage movement, and the efforts made by her arid her sister Victoria (who later married Mr. Biddulph Martin, M.P., the banker) to break down the barriers which a false modesty had,/ ringed round their sex, caused great excitement in America and Western Europe 50 years ago. She studied law, medicine and finance,*' was hon. colonel of a regiment, and at one time edited a weekly newspaper which 'attacked evildoers of; all classes with a persistency and success which ;.' startled New York. She was a fluent writer, and her books arid ": articles covered ;.;' a vwide variety of .; subjects, especially delicate ones, which she handled firmly. AtCintra, in Portugal, where her husband had a magnificent < house . and ; estate,. she main-. tained ;at ; her own expense an ; establishment ;devoted to the upbringing of illegitimate i children. Lady Cook ; did : much' to promote good v relations between * England and; America. She : was the second wife of ; Sir Francis Cook, who died in ; 1901, leaving a fortune of £2,000,000.-•

Although,' of course, men are greatly in the majority as good shots, there -is -:.-. a. long list of excellent women, who can compare very favourably with the sternea> • sex in the ■ shooting : line;: says :an English exchange. Among, them v.Ms.-; Lady ißocksavage, • sister ' of Sir ; : Philip Sassoonj who is considered one of the most brilliant woman shots in •.■•■England:' Lady Douro, who will one day be Duchess of Wellington, ?; runs her very close,; arid she can 5 account ; or.';: several stags Lady Beatrice; Pole-Carew is; another wall-known shot il and i yet another '. is Lady Pentland, the only, daughter of Lord Aberdeen, .who has a grouse moor in Scotland. Then there are several women who have become famous in ; the fishing world, and "foremost among these is the King's eldest sister, the Princess Royal, who; was often !to -be seen, ; while at'. Braemar; fishing in ;; the Dec She ;is • an'adept at landing -the wily, salmon, ; and Has : said more than once that r her S small •• grandson, Lord i Macduff, Prin- } cess Arthur of Connaught's little boy, :is following in her footsteps. Then Duke of Richmond's daughter-in-law. Lady Bernard > Gordon-Lennox, is another keen fisherwoman.

;: Cpuntess Margaret Cassini (who was "the daughter •of ■ one of the ' greatest Russian statesmen) has started a hat and gown shop in Florence. Few of the ; world's; women have had so remarkable career as this same Russian lady. \, Her father was a great ambassador, and her dramatic story really began when she was ten, at the Imperial Court •in ; Peking, where she - was the pet of the dread Dowager Empress and the great Viceroy Li Hung Chang, who taught ;; her \ Old ; Chinese, the classic tongue, in - five years.•.-• At fifteen - she ; was sent to Paris ;to complete: her schooling, although she already eight languages/ five of which slie speaks fluently.',; At Washington, whence she next accompanied 4 her illustrious father;; she "■ was the belle ; . of society and immensely ( popular. Count ; Cassini's appointment ;to Washington ? was succeeded by one to Madrid, wh,ere the youthful ; countess met and married Count Loievsky, "a secretary at the ; Russian ; Embassy • there. ; The reverses of the world war gave a new turn to the countess' always dramatic career. It was when "the 'little Cassini" was reduced to sewing by : the day to support her .two; sons that; she' happily met >a former friend from Washingtonji.ConteVsa Cornelia Fabbricotti, ;; nee Scovel, who helped her to her feet and eventually to the little hat and .gown shop in Florence which the daughter of one of; Imperial Russia's greatest statesmen now runs with good business ability. >,

Are there many, asks a writer in an English exchange, who remember that it was a woman who found the way towards {the. modern art ;of ,: photography? While everyone else was.satisfied with' the crude daguerro-type, .Mrs. Cameron," the friend and photographer of ; Carlyle, Tennyson, Watts,;; and 'other,-; great Victorians; was: producing ?a; series of pictures,; realistic and fanciful, in .which her circle of friends and acquaintances periodically appeared. Many of these 'pictures exist ; to-day,; and all show .'I that' her \ work '- was far ahead of her : time. ;It ; marked a new era in the making of "sun portraits," a"nd earned for her. deservedly, the title of pioneer. Since Mrs. Cameron's time experiments in the use of chemicals, artificial lighting, and the treatment of plates, have enormously advanced the possibilities of photography. As an art, it is immeasurably superior to anything. that was done even in late Victorian days; a's a business its scope is widened so that it supports a whole army of workers for the Press, for business firms, for the films, as well as for the hospitals and laboratories. But with all these developments the studio still -affords the best opportunities for women. It is -true that few good openings await a trained woman as retoucher or finisher in a large business house. Again, the great public gallaries have been known, to employ women on. the photographic work of. their catalogues and postcards. Such appointments afford interesting employment which is not too strenuous for a woman's physique. .

ENGAGEMENTS. The engagement is announced of Miss Louise Forbes, youngest daughter of Lytton Forbes, M.D., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.P., to Mr. George Allen, Kettering, England.

The engagement is announced of Miss Eva Hook, second daughter of Mrs. L. A. Hook, Auckland, to" Mr. O. J. Thedens. Cranes Park, Surbiton, Surrey, England.

The engagement is announced of Miss Jean Malcoimson, eldest daughter of Mr. A. and. the late Mrs. G. Malcolmson, of Feilding, to Mr. Nelson Mason, eldest of Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Mason, of Horahora, Cambridge. -, * '

The engagement is,announced of Miss, Lydia Jull, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Jull, The Retreat, Devonport.: to Mr. Gilbert Meadows, eldest son of Mr. and Mis. A. Meadows, of Devonnoit, Auckland. *,