WOMEN WRITERS "AT HOME."

Timaru Herald, Volume C, Issue 15301, 21 March 1914, Page 3

WOMEN WRITERS "AT HOME."

READINGS BY FAMOUS AUTHORS. (By Evelyn Isitt in the Sydney "Daily Telegraph. 1 ') The Women Writers' Suffrage League, which has a talent for arranging brilliant entertainments and making full use of the many eminent writers who support its cause, gave a very .successful famous writers' reception at the Caxton-hall, London, on Tuesday, February 3, when the eagerness to see such women as Flora Annie Steel, Mrs Margaret Woods, and Miss S. Macnaughton was so great that long before the appointed time hundreds had to be turned away. A long list of famous writers- had promised to read from their own works, and others, including Mr William deMorgan, Mr G.. R, Sims.. Mrs Meynell, Mr Alfred Sutro, Mr Galsworthy, Miss Braddon, Mr Pe'tt Ridge, Mr Eden Philpotts, and Mr E. V. Lucas, had sent autographed books, which were sold at the end of the afternoon by a well-known and most valiant actor. Other writers sent cakes to be sold at the tea, Mrs Steel, the president of the society, is a notable housewife, and her cakes were in great demand. Mrs Alice Meynell, who could not be persuaded to read, was on the platform—a black-garbed, upright figure, giving, as she always does, the impression that she was a timid visitor from some dream-world infinitely remote.

It was a. great disappointment that Mrs. Flora Annie Steel, who was 'to have read from "On the Face of the. Waters,-' was unable, through illness, to be present. She is a vivid, iricturesque, little lady, grey-haired and brown-eyed, with great charm in her intense earnestness and downright way of expressing herself, while in her inspired moments she is capable of the mystic eloquence of a visionary. Her place was filled by Mr Zangwi'll, who came, protesting, to sit among the famous writers on the platform, but say no word. When pressed to read, he could onlyvfind the book of his new nlay, "The Melting Pot," whicli is now being performed at the Queen's Theatre. He suggested, pleasantly that as Miss Inez Bensusan, the Sydney girl who has made for herself such a prominent place among English suffragists, and who is in the cast, was present, she should read in his place, bijt Miss Bensiisan shook her head, and without more ado Mi- Zangwill plunged into the fine scene where David, the Jewish refugee from Kishineff, tells the American girl whom he loves his dream of the great America which will emerge from the melting-pot, when all the races shall have fused, and then, to his horror, discovers that Vera herself is an alien, a 'Russian? daughter of one of the persecutors in Kishineff. Miss Elizabeth Robins read one of the child scenes in "The Open Question," and Mr Henry Nevinson, the .famous war correspondent, somewhat to the surprise of those who know him only, as a. knight errant riding atilt at all national oppressions and injustices, chose a very lively piece ol domestic farce from "The-Daily Round." Miss Cicely Hamilton,' playwright, author, agd actjress, pale, slender, and

full, to the tips .of her . expressive fingers .with nervous energy, made a brief appearance," appealing.' for new menibers. She had just been giving evidence in. the case brought bv Miss Rosemary Rees, the New Zealand playwright, against Lewis Melville, cf the Lyceum, and probably felt that she had done enough for one afternoon. Miss Beatrice Harraden is one of the staunchest supporters of the women writers, and would have given a reading from "Ships that Pass'in the Night," but she has been seriously ill for some time, and is so anxious to be quickly well enough to resume her active suffragist propaganda that she deputed Miss Bessie Hatton. herself a writer, and daughter of the famous novelist, to read her "piece." Mr W. L. George—he is a man not onlv coming, but well on the wav—read the creed of an Englishman and the creed of an English girl from "The Making of an Englishman," and as the succession or fireworks went on. the searching aud occasionally stinging epigrams people who have not been rcadin"- the reviews of his latest book looked at each other in amazement. . -But who «w ™ lle °' 1 ' tlK> - V asked in ainazelncnt. I hen they took another look at- the very quiet-voiced gentleman, leisurely of speech, rather colourless in appearance and manner, and wondered the more. *S U Zi of the T evonts of the afternoon «?* the reading by Mrs Margaret Voods of one of her poems. She has a polished and scholar]v stvle—she is indeed, of the «hool of Al'ice Mevnell! and reads exquisitely. M/ss Evelyn Sharp, who has risked a distinguished career as novelist and journalist to devote herself to the suffrage cause—she is now assistant editor of "Votes for Women." and one or the finest suffragist speakers—read one of her fugitive pieces, a dialogue, in which the lady of the house applies to purely domestic discussions the circumlocutory form of address adopted by the Home Secretary when anything really important is asked Idm. the indignant brother of the niece obSw°r- me Slmple inr i uil 'y »»out the judduicr being answered in five-times-imolved and absolutely meaningless sentences. Miss Sharps ladv met his protest with the quick "Then, Tow do you supp ose women feel when their questions on matters of life and death aie answered m that ridiculous stvle 3 " I he r audience applauded the thrust. -UU.S h. Macnaughtan read the scene ChriV ker Ar^T^ le , "Fortunes of S1 W% M ? a '?' T liere the economical Scotch lassie. ]iavin K discovered ..hat she is a great heiress", cahnlv jilts a lord Miss Macnaughtan is herself more delightful than her books- she o laS the"s y^ th r h i r - and the '-ender ng nU nt S r d , ,aI ° g,,t '- " ith the ™Lh „ • En ? llsh T Pronunciation, was f'S' + "'was noted curiously n> mam that the non-professioni*l tnely than some of the actresses or more practised public sneaker* reader ?i h(l ? a , ir ? {oh »«> ' mother the Balkans in'V where tl!e T" ** do-it has decided +n^ oC,letr m,Rht should be sent to Fn*rT