For Women Folk

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11207, 13 October 1914, Page 7

For Women Folk

By "CHRYSSA."

Mrs Montgomery, of Canterbury, is visiting Wellington, at id staying with lior father, tlio Hon James Allen. I # # * V # I Mr and Mrs John Beamish, of ! Hawke's Bay, and their children, who have been spending some timo in Christchurch and Sumner, have decidi'e'd to extend their holiday for some j weeks. Mrs Beamish is one of,-, the : finest croqnet players in New Zealand, ; and holds the championship of the Hasi tings Tennis and Croquet Club, as well as the Dannevirke Club. • * # * 9 Mrs and Miss Goring Thomas, of Christchurch, who are at present in England, had to postpone their projected trip to Guernsey, as it is reported that there is only food in the island for the residents. • » * » • Miss Florence Sheard, Miss Violet Mills and Miss Eyre, all of Canterbury, who have had to abandon a visit to the Continent, are touring in Cornwall, and later go to Scotland, where Miss Mills will stay with her sister, now Dr Amy Gibbs, in Glasgow. * * • # • "I understand there, is a war between England and Germany. I am a Boy Scout, aged ton, and shall bo pleased to offer my services. So please send a rifle and ammunition, and when the war is over I will return the rifle and what ammunition I have left." This extract is from one of a number of letters the War Office has received from diminutive volunteers, the majority coming from Boy Scouts, says the " British Australasian." • • • • * Miss G. Morgan, daughter of_Mr G. H. Morgan, formerly manager in New Plymouth of the Union Company, has volunteered as a nurse for service in Fiji. ♦ . Miss E. Rennell, the matron of the recently destroyed Hanmer Sanatorium, has been transferred to Rotorua. Her many though pleased that she has been appointed, to a better position, are sorry to lose her. Miss Rennell, who had lived in Hanmer Springs for over five years, was held m great esteem by both residents . and visitors- ,•• « ' * MARRIAGE ON A TROOPSHIP. A wedding ceremony in unique surroundings took place m Wellington on Saturday afternoon, when Sergeant Arthur Field was married to Miss_ Elsie Webb. The place was on Troopship No. 3, lying at the _ King's Wharf. "Weilington. Tli© is a British reservist, and has been living in New Zealand for some time. Arrangements had been made for his fiancee to come out to New Zealand, where the wedding was to take place, and she left England before the war broke out. She arrived by the Ruahine, to learn that her prospective husband had been called to the colours, and was on the point of leaving for England. Nothing j daunted, the couple decided to go on with the arrangement, and yesterday afternoon Chaplain the Rev J. A. Luxford performed the marriage ceremony. At the conclusion the_ sergeants and soldiers on the boat wished, their comrade every ■ happiness,, and the bride and bridegroom walked under an arch of crossed bn vonets, as is the' custom on such occasions. • • • * • SELFISH SYDENHAMITES. Residents of the Cashmere Hills are very indignant at a peculiar custom of a number of residents of Sydenham. There are trams which leave for Tennyson Street at the busy hours just before the Hills tram. These trams repeatedly go more than half'empty, while the people for whom they are provided, living on the town side of the Heathcote River, deliberately let that tram go by and wait for the Hills tram from Christchurch, and crowd out the Hills people, who have to stand often as far as Tennyson Street before the Sydenham people vacate the seats - The Hills people have to pay special tram rates, and are naturally disgusted that they fti'e ousted from their own trams, and several of them have asked me to urge that the tramway authorities make the Hills tram a through tram at such hours, with a minimum charge of threepence. Then the people for whom the Tennyson Street car is run would use it instead of letting it run more, or less empty. * # * ft ft LONDON WEDDINGS. My London correspondent, writing on August 28, reports that Mis 3. Marjoria Michie, elder daughter of Mr Alexander Michie, of Dunedin, a member of the London Board of the of New Zealand, was married very quietly last week to Mr Belfield Woollcombe, of Singapore, son of the late Mi* B. Woollcombe, of Tiruaru. The bride wore a simple gown of white muslin embroidered in pink rosebuds, with a white lace picture hat trimmed with rosebuds, and a bouquet of pink carnations and lilies of the valley. She had no bridesmaids and was given away by her father. Mre Michie was in "reseda green silk with a hat to match. After the ceremony at Holy Trinity Church, Prince Consort Road, at which the Rev H. B. Coward officiated, a luncheon was held at Mr and Mrs Michie's flat in Kensington Gore, and later the bride and bridegroom motored to Richmond before setting out on Saturday for Singapore, where they will make their home. There were many beautiful presents, the bridegroom giving to his bride a pearl necklace. Mr'and Mrs A. Michie and the rest of the family intended to have left for New Zealand last week, but their are uoset by 'the war, and they ' will probablv be here for some little time yet. They leave their flat, however. shortly. Miss Janet K. M. Anson, who lived in New Zealand for several years, sister of the late Sir Denis Anson, was married very quietlv ibis at St Bnrtholomew's Church, to Mr G. K. T. Fisher, eldest son of Bishop Fisher, of Burgh House, Norfolk. • • * • • A NATTER TRAGEDY AND A CHRISTCHURCH EXHIBIT. I wrote something about the very artistic and beautiful leather work which is being shown at''who arts and crafts exhibition bv Miss Ida Locking, of Napier, and fully intended to write more about it. Yesterday I was shocked to hear that the lady referred 'bo had cast herself over the Bluff cliff at Napier, having apparently .lent her reason over the war. She declared that she had done! all she could to protect the forces from the Germans an-1 could do no more. So ended her life at thirty-one. It is one of the saddest things T have heard, and it gives quite a fresh interest to the two glass cases full of hor that are r.'t the exhibition. It is I exquisite work; in fact I have never j pr>cn 'more beautiful leather work., | There are book covers, ladies' handI bags, motor cushion covers, blotters ' portfolios, purses, address books, pocI ket-books. cigarette cases, and ever so , many other things made in leather,

"Chry&sa" will be giad to hear from all Interested in Women's Work and Life, and to receive Hems of interest and value to Women for publication, or reference in this column.

each articlo displaying tho highest skill and the finest, taste. _ One portfolio' which is embossed in high relief with a Dutch scene in such warm colouring is one of the finest things of- i'ts kind I have ever seen. So is another with a Maori head with the old-time tattoo, most cleverly done. Miss Locking had evidently qufte n genius for suoli work. She was a. daughter of the lato Dr Locking, of Napier. i ■ » » » • WOMEN AND THE ARTS. Tno art union at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition is to be drawn to-night, and tho exhibition is to bo closed on Saturday. I have been having another good look at tho women's contributions to it, and they are certainly well worth looking at. Strangely enough, in the case of the, sketchers merely initials are given, and there are no addresses, as there are for all the other exhibits, so that except in the caeo of people that one knows personally it is impossible to tell which are women exhibitors. Miss M. 0. Stoddart, of course, is one of our best-known artists, p"- 1 ' she leads the womenkind with hor English sketches, but there is plenty of clever women's work in this section. There is tho impressionistic work of Hilda and Vera Chapman, clever sketches by Helen Spencer (Geraldine), Maryßowen (Kaikoura), Flora Scales, Beatrice. Wood, Saidie Osborne, Millicent Tcdd Mid Esme Lawrence. Vio'et Nelson's quaint Pierrots and Pierrots, femmes du monde and children are delightful. Then there) is Dagmar Huie's very clever black and white cartoons and de-igns. Mrs Huie's artistic gifts are known throughout Australasia, and as an animal painter she might have become another Rosa Bonheur had she seriously continued her work. In the photographic section there do not rmnear to be any feminine representations, but Mrs J. Barker has some most dainty crystoleums on that wall, and Mrs M. Daniells' "poker work" on wood' and other mediums is particularly good. Then there are the jewellery and copner and leather work exhibits of the Elani School students that I previously noted, and the artistic basketwork of Miss G. Hockley and her pupils. And, of course, there is the most charming Vt of Maori' carding in the wrif"'n<* cabinet of Miss 0. Packer. What a pity, we don't see more effort to renroduce the be-nitif il Maori designs. Then there is the bit of stone carving by Mrs E. Munday, nmd I should 1 have mentioned their place the etchings of Miss Hermina Arndt, wh : eh have attracted more and more a+tention from the nrtists who know what is what artistically. « • • • « TO WOMEN. And through the. boundless night of tears. That have foreknown the utter price, Your hearts turn upward as a name Of splendour and of sacrifice. For you. you too to battle go, Not with the marching drums and cheers, But in the watch of solitude And thx-ough the kiudless night of bear 3. Swift, swifter than those hawks of war, Those threatening wings that pulse the air, Far as the vanward ranks are set You are gone before them, you are there 1 And not a shot comes blind with death, And not a stab of steel is pressed Home, but invisibly it tore And entered first a woman's breast. Amid tho thunder of the guns. The lightning of the lance ana sword, Your hope, your dread, your throbbing pi'ida, Your infinite passion it outpoured. From hearts that are as one high heart Withholding naught from doom and bale, Burnmgiy offered up—to bleed, To bear, to,break, but not to raiL —Lawrence Binyon, in the "Times." • « c * * DEMON OF DISCONTENT. One often finds the modern young man dubious about asking a successful business girl to share hiii fortunes. There is reason ior this, too, perhaps. He realises that she can afford to dress as her fancy pleases, and to pay for her pleasures as she chooses. He realises that if she marries him her expenditures must be curtailed very considerably, and he fears that discontent may arise. Many of these men. however, reckon without considering that one great, feature of the average business girl—adaptability. In the course of her career she has to adapt herself to various environments. Her experience has given her a, widor outlook pn life. A business girl who is happily married sends a very interesting letter on the subject: "In my wage-earning capacity, like every other business girl, I learned to look facts in the face. Method, , confidence, and a cheerful demeanour were part of the discipline. " I learned, too, the value of money —just how far a shilling would go. _ 1 had no delusions that married life would'be one long, pleasant holiday. " A business girl's instinct forces her to realise that she will have to provide for two on an income that formerly sufficed for one. " Many a girl has considered this question, and. foreseeing that dissatisfaction would arise on her part, has very wisely admitted the fact and has remained unmarried. "But, just like every other business girl who truly loves a man, I was quite willing to forsake my career in order to make a home. And J. found, too, that a real deep love can' compensate for many of the lesser things cf life. " I don't think any man need worry as to the future of the business girl as his wife. Her adaptability and her sense of fairness will put to flight the demons of discontent." , • • • « LONDON PERSONALS August 28. ; Nurses M'Leod and Buckler, of Christchurch, and Nurse G. A. Hodson, also from New Zealand, have all gone tp Brussels under the Red Cross Society. a ♦ « * * Miss Dormer Maunder, of Rangitikei, and Dunedin, has been accepted for Red Cross work and is going to Belgium within the next few days. * « . • * * Mrs Hocken, widow of Dr Hocken, ; one of Dunedin's most prominent benefactors. is in London with her daughter and son-in-law, Captain and Mrs Le Francois. • * » » ' » Mrs Edith K. M'Adam. of Timaru, with her three little daughters and MisvS Earl (Brisbane) arrived by the Ceramic a few days ago. Arrangements had been made to live in Switzerland for some years in order that her children might be educated there, but owing to the crisis they are staying at present in London and seeing

the sights. Mrs M'Adam is trying to get a residential flat in Kensington and to arrange for her children to attend school or classes. She expects to go to a warmer climate for the winter. It is her intention to remain on this side of the world for some years until her children's education is completed. Mrs M'Adam is the widow of the late Dr M'Adam, of Oamai;u, and sister-in-law of Miss Constance Clyde, of Christchurch. » * • • • Miss Gem Witt, of Dunedin, is at present acting as honorary secretary at the Enquiry Bureau of the Royal Naval Friendly Union for Sailors' Wives, at 37, Rutland Gate. * * « « « Mrs Gillman, of Wellington, and her Bister, Miss Grubb, and Mrs Houlton and Miss of Christchurch, were this week the victims of a daylight burglary and all lost a great deal of jewellery. # » « # « Miss Minnie M.'Tatley, daughter of Mr William Tatley, C.E., of Auckland, has come over for a nine months' trip, and hopes to go to Paris in October and after that to Italy. She h'as been studying the violin whilst here. * » # * # Miss E. M. Rowley, of Wellington, has spent three months on the Continent, chiefly in Switzerland, but visiting as well the principal cities of Italy, Germany, Amsterdam, Brussels and Ostend. Since her arrival in London she has made a short visit to Scotland and the English lakes and she hopes to reach New Zealand by Christmas. * * » * » Mrs W. B. Fisher, lady superintendent of the Wellington Nursing Division, has applied to the War Office, through the High Commissioner for New Zealand, to help with the Red Cross work, and in tno meantime is attached to the No. 2 Division of the Prince of Wales Corps of the St John Ambulance Brigade. This corps has the exclusive right of meeting at St John's Gate, and members are to be selected from it to form "Voluntary Aid Detachments " for nursing wounded eoldiers sent from the war. The principal of the V.A.D.'s for women at St John's Gato is the Duchess of Bedford, who presides at meetings held there in connection with the work, and among the members of the Prince of Wales Corps aro two daughters of tho Earl of lianfurly.