WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 110, 30 October 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

(Conducted by ''Eileen.") ' SPECIAL COURTS FOR WOMEN A number of tlic public women of Victoria iiave given expression to their views regarding "special courts for women." Lady Madden (wife of the Chief .lu>tice). while admitting the advantage of children's courts, considered that equality before the law in all respects should' be maintained—except in instances when definite good might accrue from an absence of publicity. Dr. Edit'li Barrett opposed the idea strongly, claiming that woman cannot enjoy all the privileges of her emancipation without reaping its attendant responsibility. If a woman oHends it is better for her to fully realise that she will be punished according to her crime—the sex question not to be taken into consideration. The vice-president of the National Council of Women (Mrs. Charles Strong, s'enr.) took an opposite view, and considered that special courts for women' would be an admirable idea. She goes further. and suggests women jurors. Mrs. M. E. Kirk, who took a very active part some : time ago in the appointment of police I matrons in lock-ups, favored the innova- | tion, and considered that probation work and surveillance with women offenders could be established with advantage. Mrs Alfred Deakin also favored the establishment of special women's courts.

THIRD IN THE WORLD LADY DOCTOR'S DISTINCTION. Sydney, October 18. An interesting personality, who is at present visiting Sydney, is Miss Alice. Collie, or. to give her her full title, Dr. Alice M. Collie, M.R.C.S., a clever young New Zealauder, who has just returned from England. The roll of New Zealand lady doctors i has already quite an imposing array of names, but the distinction of being the ■ first of them all to secure a M.R.C.S. | | belongs to Miss Collie, who obtained the coveted honor before leaving England, a I distinction attained by only two other I lady practitioners in the world. | Miss Collie, who, by the way, is only 24 vears of age, is a native of Wellington', where her parents have, lived for a considerable time. She received her primary education at the Wellington Girls' College, and afterwards worked for five years at the Otago University. She also" passed her hospital days in Dunedin. In spite of the application and study necessary for her career, Miss Collie is as fond of sport as most girls of her age. She is a keen lover of aquatic pursuits, is a great swimmer, and is passionately fond of walking. Her intentions are to return to her native city, where she proposes to enter into practice.

RICHEST GERMAN LADY. There is no doubt as to who is the richest lady in Germany. She used to he known everywhere in the Fatherland as Bertha Krupp. but she has now reached the dignity of a married woman, and is Frau von Bohlen. It is quite impossible to state what the daughter of the great gun-maker—the Armstrong of Germany—is worth, but it is generally believed that her income is £IO.OOO a week - a sum which would be regarded by the great majority of this luck woman's fellow-countrywomen as a very tidy fortune in itself. Frau von Bohlen is one of the most popular women in Germany, and, like many other wealthy women, including more than one member of the Royal House, is a model of good housewifery as well as in the virtue of liberality. When she was married, four years ago, she wore a trousseau made by her own hands, and made cheaply at that, for its cost did not much exceed a hundredth part of one week's income. Moreover, she still makes her own clothing, and often goes into the kitchen and helps with the cooking and the house-1 work. Her family outside her house is, however, perhaps her greatest care, for she has 40,000 people dependent upon her. or, at any rate, upon the works of which she is the head. On her marriage she gave £50.000 to the workmen's invalid funds, and she is constantly engaged in investigating eases of need and striving to meet them in the wisest way. Mrs. Hetty Green is one of the very richest women in the States, and a cute business woman, too. She is one of the few women who have even been able to hold her own on the Stock Exchange. She is looked upon in Wall streets a perfect ''whale for finance," and is said to be the possessor of a fortune exceeding £12.000.000. Mme. Creel is the richest woman in Mexico—that land of romance, insurrection and fabulous mines! In fact, she must be one of the richest women in the world, for her income is said to be 5,000,000 dollars a year. She owns 280,000 acres of land and (500,000 I head of cattle. Her husband was the Mexican Minister at Washington for | some time, and Madame's- bats were the despair of diplomatic corps. But then I one ouglit to be able to get a decent I piece of millinery for I! 00 dollars, a sum which she commonly gives for a hat. She is really by no means an extravagant woman, in spite of the fact that she buys a pair of silk stockings for every day in the year, for her dresses never cost more than £3! She is very generous, and entertains on a large, if not a very lavish, scale, for it is said that 400 friends—not by any means all of them rich or influential, sit at her table every day.

MUSINGS OF A MUCH-MARRIED MAN A pretty good example, of supererogation is teaching a girl bahv to talk. A fellow who's intoxicated with love doesn't take long to sober up after marriage. The English language contains no feminine form for the word sage. The reason is obvious. Ts it a wonder that when a fellow forgets the date he was married his mind wanders intuitively to April 1. The kindest-hearted' father would hardly refuse an offer to exchange a baby for a well-bred fox-terrier during teething time. When a fellow's wife kisses him nowadays lie cannot be sure whether it is to show her love or to find out what he's been taking. It's always a question with the originators of fashions for women whether to make the sleeves 100 tight or too loose, or the hats too large or too small. Few men who take a better half prepare for the worst. One never knows that any other creature than man wears a wig until he gets married. Science says kissing causes diseases. Tt has been known to cause palpitation of the heart. October is one of the unlucky months in which to get married. There are eleven others. A Liverpool man saved a widow from drowning and was married to her in>ii|e of three months. One cannot be too careful. Every wife should have a dictionary of synonyms. A fellow gets so tired of

hearing the same old words after coming home late from sitting up with a sick friend! Probably Adam would never have married if he had had to stand up in church before hundreds of people, with a frockcoat on, and go through a ten-minute cerumonv that seemed like ten hours.

AN IMPIOUS PERSIAN. Here is an entertaining and extravagant telegram sent by the. London Times' correspondent at Teheran: The supporters of woman's suffrage should be gratified to learn that even in the midst of Persia's present trials and troubles —with an ex-Shah raising his standard and letting civil war loose —a champion of the woman's cause has been found in the Persian Mejliss (Parliament). This is none other than Hadji Vakil e Rooy. deputy for Hadaman, who on August :i astonished the House by an impassioned defence of women's rights. The Mejliss was quietly dis- . cussing the Nil! for the next general election, which takes place in the autumn, and had reached the clause declaring that no woman shall vote. Discussion on a proposition so obvious seemed unnecessary, and the House shivered when the Vakil el Rooy mounted the tribune and declared roundly that women possessed souls and rights, and should possess votes. Now. Vakil e.l Rooy has hitherto been a serious politician, and the House listened to his harangue in dead silence, unable to decide whether it was an ill-timed joke or a serious statement. The orator called upon the Uleina to support him, but support failed him. The Mujtehid, when invoked by name, rose in his place, and solemnly declared that he had never in a life of misfortune had his ears assailed by such an impious utterance. Nervously and excitedly, he denied t' women either souls or rights, and declared that such a doctrine would mean the downfall of lslamism. To bear it i uttered in the Parliament of the nation ' had made his hair stand on end. The cleric sat down, and the Mejliss shifted uncomfortably in its seats. The President put the clause in its original form, and asked the official reporters to make I no record in the journals of the House ]of this unfortunate incident. The MejI liss applauded his suggestion, and turn- | ed with relief to the discussion of subIjects less disturbing than the contemplation of the possibility that women had . ] souls. Yet perhaps some members have I their doubts, occasionally privately ex--1 pressed whether after all woman may not somewhere have a soul.

CURIOUS MARRIAGE CUSTOMS I Wooing is a slightly more complicated matter in Sardinia than it is here. The marriage customs there are very curious, says the Gentlewoman, quoting from •'The Romance of a Great Singer." Tf a father has a marriageable (laughter, the would-be suitor applies to him for permission to see her as she goes to church, or, in the event of her not wishing to be seen, he communicates with her by means «f a species of telephone which has been in use since time immemorial. It is a long string with a wooden knob at each end. The father's permission having been given, the lady drops one knob out of the window, and, the shutters being closed, places the other knob to her car, while down below her would-.be lover pours his protestations into the knob she has thrown into the street. Sometimes this curious form of courtship continues for two or three years, the man never seeing the face of his inamorata.