LONDON CHAT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10781, 29 May 1913, Page 4

LONDON CHAT.

rFTvOii Our Lady Coreespokdent.] April 11. London—if all goes well—is, in October next, to see the opening of its first feminist playhouse, under.tho auspices of the Actresses' Franchise League. Though a political organisation is behind the movement, and though those who will run it are suffragists, the scheme is to be rather feminist than suffragist, and another plucky attempt to successfully run a repertory theatre—the only one beloved of artists —is to be made. Brieux's play, "La Femme Seule" and Bjornseivs "The Gauntlet" are to be produced in the first week.. An amusing decision was arrived at ,-iomo months ago and is to be put into effect immediately by an Irish rural council—that of Trim, in Meath. It 's a matter of great difficulty in this •jlace, as in so many others in the Jnited Kingdom, to get working men's cottages at anything like the only rent such men can pay, and it was pointed out to the rural Council in question that a large number of their labourers' cottages were occupied by bachelors, while married men were thus deprived of the opportunity to secure good houses at low rents. The Council appears to have risen at once to the seriousness of the position, and ordered all lis unmarried men tenants to either quit single-blessedness or their houses within a certain period. An extension of time, has been pleaded for, but been summarily refused! What would have been thought a few years baoli, before the woman's movement made its appearance, of the announcement that an interesting woman's review is now being published, edited and entirely staffed by women in Constantinople? This is an established fact, however, and " La Gazette des Femrnes" (issued in French) gives promise of a long and useful life since at least four directors of its.staff are celebrated women writers, one a distinguished sociologist, another a wellknown journalist, a third an able essayist and fiction writer, and the fourth, the moving spirit in the enterprise, widely known 'as a feminist writer.

What is said to be the first club of its kind was opened at Willesden. one of the London suburbs, a few days ago, on a capital system. Each of the members has a furnished bed-sitting-roorn, with separate arrangements for cooking, light and meals, and there is also a common dining-room where meals are provided. Each room has a separate slot gas meter,, and hot baths may be obtained by placing a coin in the slot meters attached to geysers _ It was on Monday of this week decided by the Dublin Corporation that women sanitary inspectors who have to take the same examination, work the same hours, and do equally important work, are in future, subject to the approval of the Local Government Board, to be paid equal salaries to men inspectors.

Plumbing for girls is a novel item that has recently been included in the curriculum of the Girls' High Scli-ol at Los Angeles, since it is held t<> be intimately concerned with household management. The elementary "jobs," at which the girls will be made expert include attention to stopped-up sinks, the ability to attend to escapes of gas, leaking water-taps, etc. Many a clergyman in the East End, as anyone who knows that quarter well could vouch, would be "doing time" now if the caital measure that is now before the Ontario Legislature could be made law and enforced in England, for this provides, in addition to other things, for a fine of £IOO or twelve months' imprisonment for any clergyman who performs the marriage ceremony if it is known that either party is an idiot, or insane, or under the influence of liquor. For the fourth time in twelve years a proposition to allow Belgian women admission to tho Bar is to be introduced. Last year, when this was done. the number of antagonists to the Bill was found to have greatly decreased; tho principal objection seems to be that tho inherent bashiulness and reserve of woman unfits her for the profession of advocate '. A remarkable woman passed away this week in the person of Miss Mary Kornbv, who had made herself known in half a dozen beautiful ways to the. poor about her in Liverpool, where til! the last she lived in a. small house in a small street. . Trained as a nurse in a London hospital, Miss Hornby tcok ■part as a- volunteer in the FrancoPrussian war. While in England she wsw a very angel as a district nurse. never sparing herself, her time, money nor homo at any hour of the day or night when phe could be of any service to others. She al?o adopted a number of poor children, brought them up and assisted them to pmierate when thetime came. Perhaps the most lasting of nil her good works, however, wf>-« her loving toil for blind children and grown-ups, for she learnt Braille and actually producer! more than five thousand volumes In the preparation of she arranired thnf numbers of blind people should bo employed.