For Women Folk.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11000, 12 February 1914, Page 7

For Women Folk.

By "CHRYSSA."

Mr and Mrs Macallan, of Danne■irke, have arrived on a holiday to tho South Island, and are at present in IJaristckurch. ■„* • « • Dr R. Endlien, of Cairo, i« at proent in this city. • « * ♦ * Mr and Mrs P. M'Cracken, of Ron;iora, are in town. • * » * * *Mr and Mrs E. B. Newton, of Ashmrton, are visiting Christchurch. * » » * » Mrs St John Buckley, "Redcastle," )amaru, is at present in Christchurch. * » * * » Amongst a number of Australians at iresent visiting Christchurch for the vbwlihg tournament are Mr and Mrs jale, Mr and Mrs Morris and Miss 'elfer. #> • • • • • Mrs H. H. Loughnan is nt present n "Wellington, accompanied by . her f oung son Anthony, who will remain here at school. • #'•*• David William Maurice Boyle is the lanie of the three-and-a-half-year-old ;on of Viscount and Lady Kelburn. The name David is called after his p-andfather, tho Earl of Glasgow (on lis father's side), William alter Mr W. A. Bell, grandfather on his moher's side, and Maurice is the name lestowed on him by his god-mother, 3ueen Mary of England. It is tho lame she bestows on all the boys sho stands' god-mother to. Why that is ;o has never been explained. • » * * • Mrs Rouse, of Christchurch, is spending a few days in Wanganui beforo eaving for England via Sydney next Triday. » * • • » Misses S. and A. Nathan, of Welington," are spending a holiday at Mount Cook. • » • • • The Misses Van Staveran, daughters jf the Rabbi of Wellington, will leave to-morrow for Sydney en route to England. They will join their sister, Miss Adelaide, who has made such a success of her singing in London, and aspect to be away from New Zealand for a year. »*• ■ # « Miss Hodge and Miss NeAvcombe, who tvere in Ohristchurch. recently lecturing in the interests' of tho women's suffrage in England, have returned to London from South Africa. A reception was tendered them by the Australasian and New Zealand Women Voters' Committee. • * • • « Mr and Mrs Plumpton, of Christchurch, are on a visit to Wellington. • # * « * Mr and Mrs T. N." Grange, of Christchurch, are at present in Wellington staying ab the Hotel Cecil. •*# . * * It trill he of interest to New Zea*. landers to learn that Lady Helen MuurorFerguson, wife of the ' G-overnor-General-elect, who is to succeed Lord Penman in Australia, is an elder eistef of .Lady Plunket, both being daughters of the first Marquis of Dufferin and When ..New. Zealand defence officers tfeht/to England, some years ago, one-of the first'invitations they received, was to a reception hy Lady Helen Jlunro-Fergueon, who displayed a keen interest in New Zealand, and at tvhose home the New Zealanders met many distinguished people.

One of the most interesting of recent, theatrical announcements is the fact that Ellen Terry/ who was so-long associated" with Sir ; Henry Irving in his Shapeskearean plays, will commence a tour of Australia and New Zealand before • long, and deliver lectures on Shakespeare. • • * # • Mr Cecil Ryan, a. well-known Christchurch vocalist who went to America a, few years ago, is now appearing in the principal tenor role, in Victor Herbert s latest and greatest success, •| Tire Madcap Duchess." which is heing produced at the Globe Theatre, Broadway. New York. It is probable that Mr Rynn may return to Australasia at an early elate with an American operatic company. » » * * • Mr and Mrs Basil Henning, of Akaroa/ are on a visit to Christchurch. •#« . * * Mr and Mrs Raine, of Sydney (of Messrs Raine and Home, auctioneers), are visiting New Zealand and intend touring the dominion, beginning at Auckland, Rotorua, Wanganui River, then on to Mount Cook and the Southern Lakes, returning via Bluff to Melbourne and home again. •*** # • ■ ■ Miss Helen May, who is only thirteen, and who is the youngest ballet .mistress, in the world, is arranging for four matinees of her own at the Little Theatre, London. She is wuiting several new ballets and plays, for which she is also arranging the music, designing the costumes, and; training the other children who will take part. ' • • * *' » Mr and Mrs James Ashton, of Sydney, are visiting New Zealand. * • • 4. * A United States doctor lias pranced into the mixed bathing question with the acrimony one doesn't expect from that usually easy-going profession. lie oonsiders mixed bathing the death-blow to matrimony for the following reasons: "I don't believe," he snorts, "that one young man out of fifty wants to marry the girl he has bathed ■with. .... Do hare arms, bare neck.-', bare legs and ugly skull caps furnish a bewitching spectacle ? What effect has the ungraceful flopping of the female porpoise on the male intellect?'' Well, how does it com© to pass that marriage survives in brown Polynesian communities where people swim much and dress little 1 : that it existed among our own ancestors before they took to clothes so that the race didn't die out; and that the largely unclothed stage siren often marries into the peerage? It may be a bird-faced section of the peerage, with a retreating brow and a retreating chin, but still the footlightlady of scanty garniture often marries it. ' • » • * • The aeroplane skirt, which is said to be finding favour in the United States, makes the lady who wears it look exactly like a kite—the kind of kite any active boy. could fly on a windy day if it didn't kick too much. •.» * * * An amusing ' story is told in the French Press about a presidential dinner given at the Elysee by M. Poincare to a number of his old friends at the Paris bar. The dinner was to be a perfectly intimate affair, and Mine Poincare was to be the only lady present. At the last moment M. Millerand, whb was Minister of War when M. Poincare was Premier, besides being ©ne of the President's oldest barrister friends, was prevented from attending. The President realised that he now had only eleven guests and that there would

"Ohryasa" will be glad -to hear from all Interested In Women's Work and Life, and to receive Items of Interest and value to Women for publication, or reference in this column.

bo thirteen at tabic. Ho telephone! to (ill those whom 1m had invited asking whether they minded being thirteen, and oiferiiv if thev did that his wife should not be present. Thev nil replied (lint the superstition did" not trouble them in the slightest, and that they would nut for the, world ho deprived of the, pleasuro of dining with their Gracious .hostess. *** ' # o SINGING IN FRENCH. One of the. most remarkable- filings about the wonderful success of l>ufanlfc appearances hero has been the appreciation show.ll for the French gongs by audiences that with few. exceptions knew little French. It has been discussed a. good deal amongst local nmsir. lover?! since, and most of them attributed the popular acceptance of songs in a foreign tongue as against the usual resentment to tho perfection of the singer's French and the exquisite clearness of. his diction. Peoplo felt they understood it—and really did to a considerable extent—though they did not know the language. * » * « * CHRISTCHURCH SINGER'S VIEWS. Ono popular local singer who was a, regular attendant at the Dufault concerts (Miss Milicent Jennings) put it, I thought, rather well. Here is what sho said : ' ■

" In explanation to those who wonder why English singers, other than performers of themodem popular ballad, sing more in foreign languages than in their own, I would quote Henry T. .Finck, the American critic, who wrote 'Wagner and his Works,' 'Chopin and Other Musical Essays/ etc., m his 'Songs and Song Writers': 'Most.foreign songs unfortunately—and most good songs, unfortunately, arc foreign —are marred by wretched translations. For this reason singers should never fail to get an edition that has the original text as well as a translation, and learn to sing in the original language.' (October 1, 1000). ''' Apart from the fact of most translations being bad, so many songs—atmospheric songs especially, which are by far the most subtle and interesting of all song literature/' Miss Jennings continued, "depend so entirely for their true effect on their being sung in the original language. The ' Chansons Crises' of Hegnaldo Hahn would mean nothing if English words wore substituted for Verlaine's little poems—and wlio would really enjoy hearing Debussy's songs in English? And again, neither £he singer nor his audience would derive perfect satisfaction from German lieder sung in English. " Happily, however," the soprano concluded, " there are ninny fine English song writers of the modern school, amongst them Cyril Scott, Vaughan Williams, Walfprd. • Daviesj William Hurlstone and, of course. Parry and Stanford, who will be instrumental, perhaps, in suppressing to some extent the unhappily commonplace modern ballad. Trimk of the store of beautiful English verse which these balladmongers neglect for—what?" And there was a world of meaning in the shrug of the shoulders. • * * * a RETURN OP DOLORES. It is natural in talking of the French Canadian tenor that talk goes to another most widely-liked French singer who is coming back to us and is already in Australia—Dolores. Dolores is one of the most delightful women I know, and talk about Damon and Pythias and the rest, ] have never seen a more delightful friendship than that between her faithful companion, and loyal friend, Mdlle Vanclour, and herself.,it has meant a lot to Dolores, who has been through the furnace of the bitterest of sorrows and trials and come out fine gold. They are both really most intellectual, yet the most womenly of women with their minds broadened by the widest knowledge of the world and contact with the greatest minds in it, and with that beautiful simplicity, sympathy and utter Jack of affectation or pretence or artificiality which is the hallmark of really great men or women everywhere. After all it is always the men and women whose position is assured and whose abilities really arc great in whom you find that complete lack of any_ pretence or subterfuge or effort to "impress." Dolores, of course, is a linguist, and she sings in those recitals of hers which have had a more enduring popularity than ony other entertainment of 'he kind ever given in New Zealand. She siugs French, German and Italian freely, and yet her audiences like it.

The two friends have a- little farm place in France, and when they arc thoroughly tired of the world they retire there and lire the "simple life" on frugal fare., barefoot and bareheaded. 'They, in fact, go right- back to nature and the life -and simple foods of the peasant, and spend the days m the woods and fields. It is what Mdlle told me her " rest cure." and when she is done with the public life of the concert platform she intends to retire to a farm.

In her famous -parents and grandparents she saw all that she wanted to sec of the intense- life of great celebrities. After her last tour she was very much run down with the constant •voyaging and singing and sudden changes of climate and country, but after lying bv in her country retreat for months sue says she is now fresh and well and hearty—and, I hear, "looking younger than-ever.''

* * * * » BLACK SOUTH AFRICA. Misses Hodge and Newconib, the suffragist delegates who went on to South Africa from New Zenland, say that the women of South Africa sorely need the protection of the vote. In Cape Province the age of consent is onlv thirteen: State, regulated vice still exists in the- CD. Act, but is earnestly to be hoped that Dr Kerr Cross's ardent protest against the social evil may gain one sex, may be abolished altogether. In Natal women have no municipal vote, and an iniquitious law still exists, by which a white woman who lives with a coloured man incurs the penalty of a year's imprisonment; while a white man may live with a coloured woman with complete immunity from punishment. Of all problems in South Africa the Black Peril, the direct result of the white man's example of immorality, is the worst. Women are really more concerned in this than men, yet this is one of the questions men arc trying to settle. It- is true that after earnest protests against their proposed exclusion women were admitted upon the commission, but this body came to no definite decision. Politicians are now suggesting legislation against the hcuseboy as the most effective means of checking the evil. This means that the white woman will hare to- do all the work of the house, as the coloured girl '•' is not to be thought of." Appalling as are the tales of the Black Peril, no one can fail to realise that the coloured men have -shown themselves apt pupils in the lessons cf immorality taught by the whites, and "it will go hard with theiri if ihey cannot better the instruction."