Women’s Topics.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1056, 26 May 1892, Page 4

Women’s Topics.

BY AUNT ELLEN. In taking upon myself the very onerous duty of editing the Ladie’s Pages of the New Zealand Mail I feel I am somewhat courageous. It appears to me that it will be very difficult to satisfy the many wishes and the many tastes of my readers for 1 know they are vary varied. I can easily tell that by my own experience amongst my own acquaintances. One lady, who is strong minded, would like to see far less space devoted to dress and fashionable notes ; another on the contrary, absolutely revels in descriptions of the latest gowns or triumphs of the milliner’s art. A third is great on cookery, and to satisfy her to her full bent I should have to cram the Mail pages as full of recipes as is Mrs Beetonb famous book of cookery. Yet again a fourth rejoices in light literature and would abolish the Ladies’Pages altogether, to be replaced by so many columns of her favourite author, However, although one gannot perhaps satisfy each and every reader, I Bhall endeavour to so vary the contents of the space allotted to me so that I may please the majority. At least Isincerily hope I may be able to do so. So much for a preface.

Lord and Lady Glasgow have arrived at Adelaide and had quite a grand reception. Everybody will wish the Glasgows a pleasant trip across to New Zealand in the Hinemoa and I do hope they will have fine weather. It’s a terribly rough trip at times, that from Sydney to Wellington, as manya passenger by the old Wakatipu can tell, and we naturally want our new Governor and his wife to arrive here in the most amiable of moods, There is considerable curiosity in society circles as to how they will like Wellington and how we shall like them,

As to thefirst we must pray for thesunniast of days for their arrival, and, as to the second, if the Glasgows are half as sociable, pleasant people as those who know them say they are, there need be little fear as to their popularity here.

Wellington is becoming quite the musical centre of the Colony, a title which Auckland long boasted. Really of late we have had almost a surfeit of concerts of one sort or another. I feel very sorry for poor Miss Burvett, who has had so much bad fortune owing to th 9 wretched weather and to there being so many counter attractions. Our amateurs and our resident professionals are so numerous and so clever nowadays that outsiders find it hard work to get an audience.

The approach of the session sets ns thinking of the Ladies’ Gallery. How crowded it used to be last session, and what a keen interest was taken in the debates. It is to be hoped that a good number of members may bring their wives to Wellington thi3 winter, and that consequently the social functions will be plentiful and smart. Some of our M.’sII.R. excuse themselves to their better halves for not bringing them to town by abusing the Wellington climate, but it is hardly fair, for I verily believe we have better weather in winter than in summer. Such was the case last year at any rate, and I am sure neither Dunedin nor Christchurch can boast of a plethora of fine days in winter.

Then again, the Female Franchise question will be sure to be prominent and members’ wives will naturally be interested in hearing their husbands’ opinions delivered viva voce. Not many ladies, however much given to politics, ever read much of that pink backed publication which enshrines the eloquence cf our members for the benefit of future generations—of course, I mean Hansard.

Apropos to Female Franchise I have seen a paragraph in a Southern paper in which it was stated that one of the canvassers who took round Mr Fish’s precious petition against Female Franchise was actually paid 7s a hundred for the names he got. This is a very queer way of getting up a petition, but then Mr Fish is a queer fish we all know and we must not be surprised at what he does or gets done for him by his agents. Can it b 8 that the reason he i 3 so bitterly opposed to ladies having a vote because of a fear that Dunedin women are not likely, to vote for him 1 As a rule I am not a politician and I oertainly take the very faintest interest in the sayings and doings of that august body the British House of Commons. But there are measures and measures, and there is one in particular about whose fate lam very anxious to know. This is The Children’s Liquor Bill, tha secend reading of which was set down for the 11th of this month. I have been reading a Liverpool paper which gives a detailed account of a meeting held in the famous Lancashire seaport in March last. The chairman of this meeting, a Mr Thomas Peglain, told a terrible story of the awful injury to body and soul done to children by unprincipled and greedy sellers of liquor. He related how young children were frequently found intoxicated in the big manufacturing towns of the north, and mentioned ‘that a Catholic priest who worked in one of the poorest districts in Liverpool had told him that the publicans induced children to enter their publichouaes by offering them sweets.’ The sale of liquor to children is, I understand, made a criminal offence by this bill of which I have spoken and the fate of which I am anxious to know.

Whilst on this question of supplying children with liquor, I feel convinced that our colonial publicans would not sell liquor to children kuowingly for their own use, but what is only a too common custom in our big cities is for children to be sent to the various hotels to fetch liquor for their parents. Anyone passing along the streets in the more populous parts of Wellington may see mere dots of children, keg or bottle in hand, going into the bars of the hotels to buy liquor for their parents, Far he it from me to say that a working man should go without his supper beer-~ although, perhaps he would be better without it —but oh why do not these thirsty parents pause for a moment, ere they send their children on such an errand. Think of the foul language whioh, however parefully conducted the house, must infallibly be heard, the degrading sight of men aud women half sodden with drink, Should children see and witness these things ? I am not versed in the licensing laws of the colonies, lam no fanatical teetotaller, but for the sake of the children, the children who are to be the weal or woe of this country in years to come, for God’s sake let us have them kept away from any public association with the horrors of drink. If there be provision made in the existing laws against the sale of liquor to children, then the law should be enforced. If there is no such provision then some should be made. The children ought to be, must be protected against tha carelessness and selfishness of the unthinking parent.

I shafl be very glad to hoar from country correspondents at any time as to

any social marriages, etc., an account of which they may consider to be of interest. Contributions on the cure and training of children, useful suggestions for the household, good proved cookery recipes will always be welcome.