MRS HAWEIS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1403, 19 January 1899, Page 11

MRS HAWEIS.

A London correspondent writes under date December 2: —Mrs Haweis, the wife of our mutual friend, the Rev H. R. Haweis, who died recently at Bath, was a plain, plucky, pertinacious and hardworking little scribe, who knew her own special subjects thoroughly, and also confidently believed she could write well on anything under Heaven. This was not quite the case. Her handbooks on "The Art of Beauty," " Tho Art of Dress" and " The Art of Decoration " are admirable, but when she tried to play " London correspondent " she came to grief. Her artlees belief in the potency of the name of Haweis was pathetic. She showed me once a column of trivial "piffle" which she was about to send out to an influential Australian newspaper, which had engaged her at a rate that made me envious to do some letters. I told her bluntly that the "copy" watt unworthy either of her reputation or that of the paper. Mrs Haweis admitted that the article had been hurried through in an odd half-hour, "but," she said, "our name will carry it off." In the hey-dey of the Rev H. A. I T aweis popularity, drawing-room meetings on women's work were frequent at Qiecn s House, Chelsea, Mrs Haweis invar, ably taking active part in them. She was very charitable, but a poor manager, and luvst, I fear, often have been pressed for mone'. Latterly illness harassed, and her husbandV difficulties perplexed her. Since his return from his trip round the world, Mr Haweis'' preaching has fallen off sadly—eccentricities increasing, power decreasing. This has somewhat affected the attendance at the little church in Marylebone, and diminished the collections. The " Westminster Gazette " says: ', " The news of Mrs Haweis' death comes with a shock to most of those who Knew her. She was still in the prime of life: she never complained, and, though she had grown quiet and just a little s;ul of late, she was still full of energy. Her interest in women's work of every kind was, perhaps, Mrs Haweis' strongest characteristic, and she herself was never happier than when she was quietly at work with her pen. 'I am a working woman myself,'' she often remarkwd, ' and though I lire in a large house, ray real life is passed in two rooms, and if i had these only I should be just as happy.' Mrs Haweis never settled entirely down after the removal from beautiful Queen's House, Chelsea, but up to very recently she was making no enH of plans for future activity. A large number of needy mortals, especially women, will find the world an emptier place sinc« Mrs Haweis is no longer in it."