NOTES AND NEWS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 151, 1 August 1914, Page 7

NOTES AND NEWS.

Their Excellencies tjie Governor and fiady Liverpool will be amongst the visitors to Christchurch during National Week. They will arrive on the 11th ins't., and will be the gptesis of M? and Mrs A. E; G. Rhodes over the gaieties. Miss Knight was a passenger to the north by last night's ferry steamer. Mr and Mrs Lupino, of the Pantomime Company, are staying at Warner 's. Mrs Keith Ramsay and Miss Ramsay have left Dunedin for a visit to Sydney. ~Mr and. Mrs Allan, of Blenheim, passed through Christcburcn this morning, en route for Barry V Bay. Mr and Mrs Taine, who arrived in Christchurch yesterday from Wellington, are staying at Warner's. Mrs Hanmer has returned to Christchurch from a visit to Napier, where she was the guest of her daughter, Mrs Percy Wilder. Mrs £id Miss Luttrell "Were ,passengers by the Maunganui,-which left yes--terday for Melbourne, Svia the Bluff and Hobart. ; News from, London states that the first weekly luncheon of "Australasians, held atv'the-Hotel .Cecil by the Australian Colony in London, .was a.pronounced success, the Indian room being well filled with Australians and New Zealanders, who are endeavouring to remove the, stigma of London being "the most lonely city in the world." The Australasian section of the Royal Colonial Institute had made all the arrangements, which gave great satisfaction. The presence ladies, although not contemplated in the original programme, was welcomed as showing how thoroughly the Australasian meeting ground has succeeded.

A most successful social function was held at the Alexandra Hall last evening, the occasion being the annual progressive euchre tournament and dance in connection with Derry's Private Band. The dance hall was bright with festoons of artificial flowers in two shades of rose, hung diagonally from the ceil: ing. Those who preferred dancing to cards, danced to the music <of 'Mr L. Cusworth's Band. Great interest was taken in the euchre tournament, the prizes for which were "silver-mounted umbrellas. The lady's prize was won by Mrs Biggs, and the gentleman's by Mr- Ben Jeffries. An excellent supper was served, and the social was unanimously voted the best ever held by the band.

* Miss Marie Eaton, who plays the part of Abdullah, the principal boy in "The Forty Thieves" to-night, has been in Christchurch several times before. When seen by a SUN representative yesterday morning she was just contemplating going out for a game of golf, for she confesses to a great regard for sport as well as the stage. Tall, slim, darkhaired, and vivacious, Miss Eaton should make a most attractive "boy." She says that she loves the suit in which she appears as a commander of the British Navy best of all—"it looks so tremendously smart, and is so very comfortable,'' to use her own words. •—if there be any monotony in pantomime parts for quite a while, and says she would rather welcome a change to comic opera, just to vary the monotony •—if there be any monotony in patoniime, that is! When Madame Genee was in Sydney last year, Miss Eaton played a part in the ballet "La Camargo,'' and is an enthusiastic Genee worshipper. Great artist that the latter was, Miss Eaton says that she was unfailingly kind and encouraging to novices, and she speaks gratefully pf many little.acts of help and kindness which Genee showed her when studying for her new and unfamiliar role. The company have just come from the North Island, and will move on further south at the completion of their Christchurch season.

The controversy in England whether the Anglican Church shalLpermit women to enter the ministry is likely to wax hot and long. It is of interest to remember that Sir William Macgregpr, lute Governor of Queensland, is a-keen advocate for the introductioiir6f women as preachers. He declares it a proper and suitable profession for women, and predicts great and lasting good of their ininistrv.

Among'those who have promised to help are the Countess of Islington, the Countess'of Seaiield, Lady Mills, Miss

Geraldinc Mills, Mrs Beswick, Mrs and Miss Willis, Mrs A. G. Fenwick, Miss Orbell, Miss Williams, Mrs Cecil WrotigHtpn, Miss Brandon, Mrs Church, the Misses Reynolds, the Misses Witt, Miss Bell, Mrs Houston, Miss C Williams> and many others, says the ''British-Australasian \' of June ,18.

During his visits to Homburg, King Edward (then Prince of Wales) took a great fancy to Professor Corrodi, the famous Boman artist. Flowers were very <cheap exceedingly fine in Homburg, and out of that there grew up a habit of what was known as ''bunching," i.e., presenting bouquets in the morning, whilst the promenade was on, to the ladies, and sometimes the women returned the compliment by presenting the men with buttonholes. One morning dear old Corrodi was carrying around a bouquet of serious proportions of fine tea roses, which he proposed presenting to an American lady, for whom he was eagerly seeking in the large mass of promenaders. All at once he unexpectedly came across the Prince, accompanied by Lady Cork. "Good morning, Professor Corrodi! " exclaimed his Boyal Highness. "How very kind of you to think of bringing Lady Cork such a'beautiful bouquet \" Of course, there was nothing left for the genial Italian to do than to part with his flowers and go and buy some more for thp .fair American;.—'' On the Track of the Great." ,'

In point of fact, coloured wigs are not as they seem. In the time of Queen, Elizabeth wigs were so popular that they were actually stolen from their owners' heads. The Queen herself had eighty wigs, of brilliant and divergent hues. She favoured especially one of glaring red. It is claimed that-her famous rival, Mary Stuart, -wore a' wig even to' her execution. After the introduction of false hair, the ladies made ,a great discovery. Instead of hiding tbeii own hair with false hair, why not hide, false hair with their own hair, thought they? The coloured wig was used no longer. Instead, false haid to match the owner's was added.in great carls, bobs, and ties, all lavishly powdered.

One of the most prosperous women in Germany at present is Frau Ewers, who is likely to be known to fame as the WiJow of Zabern (writes a Berlin correspondent). During the "Army v. People" episodes in Alsace-Lorraine last winter, she eked out a humble existence as a tobacconist. Her shop was near the public square in which Colonel von Reuter's troops overawed the populace, after arresting the town judge, public prosecutor, and thirty other civilians. At the court she gave evidence in favour of, the officers, and civilians boycotted her shop. A statement to that effect was published broadcast in the German Press, and Frau Ewers began to receive cheques and orders for cigars and tobacco from aU parts of the fcfuntry. Most of them came from &|§iy officers or ex-officers, and were accompanied, by words of gratitude for ;;ker patriotic conduct. Each of her customers seemed to take it upon||j*nself to secure orders for the with the result that she had to enjg£|ge assistance. Now she has come'a wholesale dealer, as most orders come from outside Zaberri, and she has found it.necessary.to establish branch shops in neighbouring AlsaceLorraine towns.

In the long list of extraordinary callings where women have intruded |hto the domain of men, that of a firey inspector is certainly not the least remarkable. It is the occupation followed by Mrs Sarah W. H; Christopher, of New York. She is an Irishwoman by birthj and holds her position, which is worth £250 a year, under the Fires Prevention Act of tlie Legislature, an Act whose passing' was due to a terrible fire a couple' of -years ago, when 150 lives were lost through the burning of a blouse factory in the city. Every morning at 9- o'clock Mrs Christopher reports at the headquarters of the fire brigade to which she is attached, after receiving her orders from the chief of the department, she starts out to search for places which are likely to be dangerous in the congested- parts of the city, for her duties are directed to the- prevention of fires and not ; to putting them out when they have occurred. The work is not only hard in itself, but it necessitates a considerable knowledge of human nature in meeting and dealing with large numbers of men of varied character. A not insignificant

proportion of these factory managers have been in the habit of trusting to luck rather than supervisioia to prevent fires in their establishments. Even now many of the less conscientious endeavour to hoodwink .the keen-witted woman who has made it her mission in life to circumvent the carelessness of the employers, or their callous indifference, and so prevent the helpless women and girls being done to death through being caught in a fire' trap with the doors locked and the fire escapes blocked. That there is plenty of room for Mrs Christopher's work is evident when it is stated that there are in New York alone at least one hundred thousand people employed in making cloaks, suits, and skirts, and most of them are women and girls. The funny sayings of a judge who never joked form one of the finest collections of judicial humour ever lished. This is "Arabiniana," a selection of-the dicta of Sergeant William Arabin, who sat as a judge at the' Old Bailey from 1830-1839. They savour somewhat of Sir Boyle Roche. For instance, his remark to counsel: ''lf you can show precisely at what moment the offence was committed, and prove that the prisoner was not there when he did it, not possibly have done it." And he sagely added as an ' afterthought::. "We cannot divest ourselves of eon'imon sense in a court of justice." Another axiom he delivered himself of has been fathered on many occupants of the Bench: '"lf ever there was a case of clearer evidence than this case, this case is that case.''

Coatee's : are with us again, and iii'a far more : alluring form than when they

first came out a few seasons ago, says a Sydney society paper. Then they extended below the waist-line, but nowadays they scarcely cover it at back and sides, and not at all at the front. In fact, they are glorified expressions of the demure Eton jacket, made up in one of the new rough-surfaced fabrics of a vivid shade like sapphire blue, carmine red, or lizard-green, and lined with hand-embroidered shot-silk gauze, .re-' sembling brocaded materials* Piafded and Roman striped soft silk coatees rare" being mde up into adorable little garments, lined with a solid-.bright colour. And to go with these mere aroiogies. for wraps there are belt-vesta' broad enough to extend well below the waistline and far enough above it to give an Empire effect to the transparent blouse worn beneath the jacket. This belt in Tuain-coloured. corded silk, is severely: 'tailored, appears to closo iu,.front' (it actually hooks at. the back) with a double row of tiny silk-covered buttons,, and at either side has a small lapeled v.atch-poeket. Miss Davis, lately appointed Commissioner for Correction in New York, has been meeting with many difficulties in her task. A plot formed to kidnap a woman detective whom she employed to investigate the condition of the of BlackweH's Island was fortunately frustrated, but a terrible state of affairs has been revealed in the prison. One„ medical man has already been arrested on a charge:of selling drugs to woman

prisoners, and other - officials are said to have'acted as procurers for the white slave traffic.

The case of a woman who has taken to the woods, and is living the life of a primitive human being, is puzzling the police and people of Charly-sur-Marne. During the night of April 13 Madame Sebastian, the wife of a local farmer, a woman of 40, and mother of three childrenyieft her home wearing only a petticoat and slippers.:- It has now been repoTtedi jthat the missing woman had been 's'e'eix. wandering in the forest near Charly-sur-Marne, and it is now known that she spent' 54 days in-the woods, miserably clad^-ih; living like a primitive human being on herbs and roots and sleeping in thickens. The first person vfho saw her was a woman who lives in a hufjon the edge of the forest. She .saWyafliuman form, covered only with from, the wood and come towards her. The stranger, who was thin ■and .haggard, ran into the wood and dis- .'.._ ''■•■'"-■;-;■ -■'-■-.