Shook The Foundations Of Society Of Their Day

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19106, 29 August 1936, Page 10

Shook The Foundations Of Society Of Their Day

VP/ERE oih' to visit Llangollen, that ** little village in the north of Wales, one would see amongst .other old headstones in the churchyard the tomb of The Ladies of Llangollen. In the village an old house would be shown to us with great pride as Bias Xewydd, the home of The Ladies. In “Chase of the Wild Goose” Marv Gordon tells the story of these two famous “Ladies of Llangollen” — Lady Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby. Intelligent, spirited, and beautiful, they created in their circle and their day a sensation and a scandal by their refusal to accept the conventions which surrounded the women ol the period. No Desire For “Reform”

Neither Eleanor Butler nor Sarah Ponsonby had the slightest desire to “reform” the status of women; they simply took the law into their hands regarding their own lives, and in doing so shook the very foundations of the society .of their day and unconsciously paved the way that women a century later would follow. As they were members of two ol the most powerful of those noble families that made the destinies of Ireland, nothing they diil could pass unnoticed. Eleanor Butler, descendant of the Earl of Ormonde, lived in beautiful old Kilkenny Castle with parents who were rich, ambitious, and stupid. Their attitude towards their only unmarried daughter made it plain that they entirely agreed with the general sentiment of the day that a daughter’s cm duty in life wits to improve her family’s position by marrying the most eligible of all the eligible suitors at hand and become the mother of a robust brood of sons and daughters. To their consternation, they found that their daughter did not share then plans for her future. Sarah Ponsonby was the fifth daughter of the fifth Earl of Meath. Left an orphan before she was five, Sarah belonged to nobody, and was brought up by very rich near relatives, who considered-that a girl .without ties should be willing to go like a land) to whatever fate was chosen for hei. “From the time she was 12 years ohl Sfirn.h hoard so much about mailing [hat hv tho time she was US she was ignoring it as Eleanor Butler had done. •’

Friendship That Lasted 50 Years. Unknown to each other, these two girls rebelled against the old .order. Each longed to brush aside and flout her appointed destiny, though neither knew that anyone else in the world was thinking such revolutionary thoughts. It. was natural that when the girls met they should form a friendship in the very fullest meaning of the word —a love that was to let them live together for ;>0 years without being separated from each other for a single day. When their families found them immovable on the subject, they gave them the choice of marrying men of their families’ choice, going into a convent, or being turned out of the house! The girls’ answer was to make one last and most impressive appearance in Irish society tit the exclusive Dublin Ball, and then to nm away together to Wales, where they settled themselves in the charming little cottage of Bias Newydd in Llangollen. Their innate good taste in dress extended to their home, and the little place soon achieved a style of its own which quickly attracted attention. Season Aluminium

Season an aluminium frying pan before using. Cover the bottom of the pan with salt and place over fire or gas till very hot, shaking well so that salt covers all the surface. Empty pan and wipe out thoroughly with clean, soft paper. Saving the Tray

A large sheet of blotting-paper placed under a tray cloth saves the trav bv absorbing anything that is split, prevents the polished surface from being marked by hot dishes, and deadens tiresome rattling and noises which annoy a sick person.

Jo Clean Suede To clean a suede belt or bag, rub ti e surface with a coarse flannel, dipped in sawdust or bran; afterwards raise the nap with a piece of coarse emery-paper. Shake oil whatever dust remains, and the belt and bag "ill look like new.