For Women Folk

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11030, 19 March 1914, Page 7

For Women Folk

By "CHRYSSA."

I "Ohryssa" will bo glad to hear from all ■ interested in Women's Work and Life, and to receive J items of interest and value to Women for publicoI tlon, or reference In this column.

" Should Women go to Parliament?" was one of the questions asked at the ■W.C-.T.TJ. Convention at Gisborne last week, "No," exclaimed one lady. "Yes," declared Mrs A. R. Atkinson, in a decided tone, and this reply was groeted with applause and laughter. ■ # # » t> *

i At the Irish national concert on Tuesday night at Wellington both audience and programme were splendid. Mr Dufault was greeted with enthusiasm, and gave genorously of his exquisite voice. He literally " brought down the house," for a portion of the plaster of the ceiling in the corridor fell under the stress of the tumultuous applause. • m » * • Doctor Bernan, of Napier, with the Misses B&raan, have arrived in the South Island on a holiday. I * * * * * Miss Kendall, of Wellington, is at present in Christchurch, as the guest *f Dr Jessie Maddisen. ■ 0 ••■•■' • * • At the annual general meeting of the-Victoria League, held at Harrow recently, an exceedingly interesting lantern lecture was given to tho members of that branch by Miss A. C. Anderson, late headmistress of the Dunedin High School. •#• ■ • • j Tli© engagement has been announced ! in Sydney of Miss Annie Mitchell, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs W. Mitchell,, of "Cambria," Homebush, N.S.W., to Mr Percy J. If mbert, second son of Captain G. Lambert, ot .Wellington, New Zealand.

The engagement has been announced of 'Lieutenant Geoffrey Stuart, ot H.M.S. Encounter, to Miss Cecily Innes-Noad, daughter of, Mr and Mrs Innes-Noad, of Pott's Point, Sydney. «•• , • *

Mrs Blinco White—better known in New Zealand as Miss Amber Peeves, daughter of Mr and Mrs W. P. Reeves —is shortly bringing out her second novel. Its title is to be " A Lady and Her Husband."'

Mrs J. Williams,' of Sydney, who, is on an extended tour' of the dominion, has'beeifspending Some time in Christchurch at the Federal. She left this morning on a visit to friends in Dunedin, but returns to Canterbury next Tuesday. * » , •' *

Mr and Mrs Barrett, of Sydney, who brought their car'over from Australia, to tour New Zealand per motor, have expressed themselves as delighted with Canterbury. They remained soma rlavs in Christchurch at the Federal, and left this morning motoring to Tnnaru. '•'«•' 'V > : '" '»'"• "■''•

, Mr and Mrs J. G. Wright, of -Wellington, are at present in Christchurch at the Federal.

Mdlle Antonia Dolores and Mdlle Vandour, who arrived in Christchurch from the south this morning, are staying at Warner's.

Mrs . Grierson,, of. near Ro'torua, is a visitor to the South Island. She will remain'"for a short time in , Christcliurch, at the , United Service; "•'""': '.,\ '/;..;.; : ',' *"::: * '. #. ••;.■ *■■ ♦.-..

Mr and Mrs H. J. Lowe., -who arrived from the north to-day on a short visit to Christchtirch are. at the Clarendon. ,

' 'Mr and Mrs 0. G. F. Matthews, of 'Auckland, are in Christchurch ;at the United Service.

-..••• ' • • * " Lord Strathcona's title and great possessions are inherited by a London West' End doctor's wife. This/lady, the late peer's only daughter, is the Hon Mrs Robert Howard, who married Mr Robert Jared Bliss Howard, a London surgeon. Mr and Mrs Howard have fire children—three sons and two daughters—and the next heir to the baronv is their eldest son—who is named Donald after his distinguished grandfather. Mrs' Howard will doubtless inherit* a vast amount of land and property„in Scotland and Canada. Lord Strathcona owned much valuable property, including residences in Grosvenor Square, Winnipeg, estates at Glencoe, the island of Colonsay, off the west coast, and at Newport (Essex), Picton (Nova Scotia), and Montreal. •*• # . »

Except that she is the wife of a doctor and that frocks and frivolities are not much in her line, very little is really known of the new Lady Strathcona. She inherits from her wonderful father a fortune estimated at anything from twenty to twenty-five millions, but, though she has always been- with him a great deal, and, of late years, helped him to entertain,-the latest, of peeresses has never taken a prominent part in social affairs. But a large family of &ons and daughters of Dr Bliss Howard and Lady Strathcona will inherit the Smith millions and property of untold value in the country their grandfather made. The future Lord Strathcona, Mr Donald Howard, is a soldier in the 3rd Hussars, and the eldest of Lord Strathconn's three granddaughters was married last year to Lieutenant James Kitson, R.N., a relation of Lord Airedale. As in the course of time all six will be millionaires their choice of families into which to marry will necessarily be interesting. * * * ■ # •

A commission appointed by the German Government to compare the descendants of drunkards with those of moderate drinkers has just made its report. It studied ten families of each class, as a result of which it states that: Forty-three per cent of the children of drunkards die within a fe'w months of their birth, against only 8 per cent of the children of moderate drinkers. Aiiiong the children of drunkards there are 10 per cent idiots, 8 per cent epileptics, 8 per cent dwarfs, and in only 17 per cent of them does the intelligence develop normally. £ # » »■ »

Fifteen young women who readied Melbourne by the steamer Theniistocles from England, last month, arrived at Jjnllanit a lew days later, and by arrangement were mot fit the city holl at noon by prospective employers. By 1 p.m. every girl had secured a situation, and .with one exception all are going to thp surrounding districts. The girls lunched at the city hall. The majority of the girls seemed satisfied to be in the country, but one did not relish the idea. '*l don't see much chance of getting, a husband in the country," was her grievance. She had rot been there many hours when &he made this statement. Miss Anna Brennau has the distinction of being the first, woman barrister in Victoria, Australia, to appear as counsel in a cause. Dressed in white, with the usual professional gow?i over ]n.>r dress, she pleaded her case before his Honor Judge Box in the County Court. Miss Brennan examined and

cross-examined several witnesses, took objections, and raised points of procedure with all the skill of a practised barrister. * » » * *

The Master of Ceremonies at the Vienna Court has been commanded to appoint a women's guard at the entrance to the reception rooms of the palace to exerciso the- strictest censorship on women's dresses, so as to prevent wearers of slit skirts from attending Court functions. The censors, the "Mail" says, are ordered to display the greatest possible tact, but to be firm, 9 • • • *

The silver medal of " Our Dumb Friends' League " has been awarded by the committee to Miss Dorma Morgan, who is playing as principal boy in the pantomime at the Kensington Theatre. Miss Morgan pluckily jumped into the Thames near the Albert Embankment in very cold weather to rescue a dog which was in danger of drowning. *****

Miss Phoebe Cousins, who died recently in abject poverty in St Louis, was the first woman lawyer in America, and at one time was prominent and widely talked of throughout the land. Sho studied law in Washington University, St Louis, and was admitted to the bar in 1871. She became well known as a lecturer, but was opposed to suffrage. Miss Cousins also held the distinction of being tho first woman United States marshal. Her father, appointed to that office by President Cleveland, died during his term, and lii's daughter, who had been acting as his assistant, was appointed to fill the vacancy.' ■ • * # * * *

The Victorian. Minister for Education knocked down a wasps' nest the other day by making a Parliamentary statement to the effect that our of every 400 teachers who retired annually 300 were women, who left the service to be married. Whereupon the Victorian Lady Teachers' Association vigorously and'indignantly repudiated the charge on the grounds that, uncontradicted, it would brand the department practically as. a matrimonial agency. Not content with the usual feminine argument, thiey quoted statistics further to confpvmd the Minister. They stated that of 271 teachers who retired last vear 95 were men and 17(3 women; twenty of these were teachers -with over thirtv years' service, and inferentially beyoiid matrimony, while sixty were "junior" teachers, and while probably excellently qualified for matrimoriv, were not qualified teachers. And 60-they declared that on the facts it was evident that the majority of qualified women teachers had not left the service to be. married. •,* * • •

DOLORES HERE AGAIN. Dolores is to be with us once again to-rtight, when she sings at the Choral Hall. ~ , .. Dolores is one of the most interesting of living women. Besides being a splendid artist, with a most delightful voice arid an exquisite artistry in us use, she is a woman of quite remarkable brain power. I once asked an artist who travelled much with her what he regarded as madamoiselle-'s outstanding Quality." He said, "Well, you know how deeply I admire her voice and her artistic interpretation of so wide a school of music, and you will think that 1 will, say that these are the things that most impress me. They would in any- ordinary woman, but what impresses you more and more with Madamoiselle Dolores is .her remarkable intellectual power, and it is combined with one of the sweetest and kindliest personalities that women could possess. Madamoiselle has always impressed me as the brainiest woman 1 have ever met, and as you know I have been brought in contact with some of ,tlle brainiest and most famous women of the day." And that is quite so. I have known Madamoiselle Dolores well, and I quite agreed with him. You feel it through the interpretations she gives her songs. Tt is wonderful. Madamoiselle Vandour, Dolores friend and companion of years (herself another most brainy woman) told me as they went through that Dolores' rest has made her a new woman, and from the south I hear that the voice has all the great velvety charm that it had when we first heard it with the maturing of her art that has grown with her. There is the same sort of intimate pleasure in hearing Dolores felt by her audience that was one of the great charms with that other French artist who made so deep and lasting an impression here lately. Mr Dufault, and somehow I always think of the art of the two, the tenor and the soprano, together. We are all certainly looking Forward to hearing madamoiselle tonight. * » # .; « *

"BRYAN'S SLIP-ALMOST A SIP." That is the heading chat an American sub-editor gives to the latest story about the prohibitionist- Secretary of State, Mr W. J. Bryan-, who has never tasted liquor. It shows that no prohibitionist" Secretary of State should ever venture near a drink without his wife.

Says the American scribe:— With a glass of champagne almost to his lips, William Jennings Bryan was prevented from drinking the wine by the quick action of liis wife. The incident took place at the first annual dinner given by the Authors' League of America. Four hundred attended, and Mr Winston Churchill presided. In the course of his speech the guest of honour reached for a drink of water. ■■lnadvertently he picked up a glass of champagne. Mrs Bryan, .seeing her husabnd's mistake, sprang from her place, two seats away from the Secretary, and hurrying to him, put her hand over the glass just as it was about, to reach his lips. Bryan looked surprised for an instant, then laughingly picked up a j;lass of water.

BELTED SKIRTS RETURN.

FOOTBALL BLAZER EFFECTS 0> GOWNS AND HATS. FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON. [B'kom Orn Lady Correspoxdext.] LONDON, February (j. London, literally bathed in spring sunshine, clear enough to have been born in New Zealand, after months of as dreary a winter as even London could produce, rises like a giant refreshed. Not yet, for housewives and shopowners distrust spring as precocious as this, are we railed on to risk an outfit by walking under ladders, or our tempers by avoiding buckets bi" water or pots of paint cm the pavements of the West End, in the fever that will, far too roon. set in for the subjugation 'if winter microbes. For there is nothing but tho enjoyment of spring to be considered. MILLINERY. As usual, bats lead tho way in Growing off winter's yoke, and express their exuberance in tulle, lace, light straw

or silk in place of the velvet and felt of a. few days ago. LACQUERED STRAW appears again, the method mainly being applied to chip. VERY VIVID COLOURS,

combined like those on a barber's pole, but mainly in reds, yellows, blues and greens, appear to be'going to run viot over everything—bats, indoor gowns and coats" and skirts—giving the most sedate costume an air of being first cousin to a. football blazer. "When these silks are accordion pleated, as they arc on hats, (ho effect is dazzling m its flamboyancy. They are to be heartily commended as renovators, and added as mock pockets (narrow, slanting panels cut on the cross), as a. back strap to a coat, nnd introduced in tabs on collars, tney will entirely dinnge. the appearance of a dark coat and skirt.

SHOT SILK SPATS in the most diminutive check patterns havo made their appeanice. VERY DEEP YOKES distinguish the latest blouses for both morning and afternoon, the sleeves and yoke being cut in one, and the latter rather bnlero-like, close fitting over the shoulders, and cut, up towards the front in an inverted V shape. WHITE COTTON VOILE

is apparently to be as popular as ever, and many varieties of embroidery appear again in white and colours. It is at once a cheap, useful and graceful material and requires no starching. VELVET CHIN STRAPS

ornament a good many of the new hats. These—perhaps one need not say—should be donned with discretion. Sported by wearers of uncertain years (as they unite often are) they impart an air half-childish and half-ludicrous, that is anything but becoming. NARROW SILK CORD

plays an important part in the newest smart little straw hats for morning or sports wear. Figure eight cabochons set here and there round the crown or at the junction of crown and brim and little buttons of braid in a contrasting colour to the hat arc all that are required. KNOCKABOUT CAPS

for sport or travelling are only for the very young, and arc, unfurled, like scarves with a little skull cap at one end. The whole is of woven fibre, in bright shades, the scarf being wound loosely round the edge of the skull cap and any over used as a scarf. LARGE PINK ROSES

do duty on whatever will admit them, arid ma inly, it must.be acknowledged, with conspicuous success. A rose is such a queenly flower and can be imitated so wonderfully in shaded velvets and silk that it becomes both young and old. JACQUARD ASTRAKHAN is a thin esamnle of drap d'eponge, brocaded on to face cloth. TRANSPARENT CROWNS, that have enjoyed so lengthy a reign, have not yet outrun their popularity. Pretty shot effects are being obtained bv the simple expediency of setting one silk tulle over another. BUTTERFLY WINGS of feathers are so set on felt or velvet toques as to look exactly like butterflies with wings spread. METAL MERCURY WINGS,

shaded to the lights, seen on bronze and perched on the front of a crown are novel notions. Metal is being developed in divers ways as millinery embellishment—rings of metal beads, for instance, form the axle of many of .'he wheel-shaped cabochons worn just now. POMPOMS of all, descriptions, tulle, feather, ac-cordion-pleated ribbon, etc.. enjoy immense popularity. Rome of the latest feather examples On vulcanite stems are worn inside and above tho brim ,4 with the stem protruding through the.; upturned brim, sometimes with a second pompom on the brim end, BELTED SKIRTS

are coming in again and ousting cors-: let styles after their long ran. The; newest are 5.ti1l high-waisted and gathered slightly into a rounded band, about fix. iiiohes in length, which is buttoned on to the skirt. A NEW SLEEVE

is, so far. .shown only on blouses. This in light "silks has a narrow, bishop's cuff, with a graduated piece of silk beneath, narrow on the inside of the wrist and ending in a peak at the outside, about three inches deep. a. * * * •