For Women Folk

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11507, 1 October 1915, Page 7

For Women Folk

By "CHRYSSA."

" Ohryasa", will too g!ad to hear -from all interested in Women's Work and Life, and to receive items of interest and value to Women for publication, or referenda in this column.

The annual meeting of tho Christ- , church Creche and .Kindergarten Association ivill be held oh Friday. October 8, in the Concert Uall of tho Y.Ii.C.A., Cambridge Terrace, at 7.4"». Mr Caughley will speak on the work of the Council of Education, rwid on kindergarten work. Miss Inkpen a\ ilr speak on " Montessori " methods in the three kindergartens. • » ' • • • .Mrs Cyril Ward, accompanied by Miss Henderson, of Invercargill, left Jast evening en a short visit to Wellington. • • ♦ * • Mrs 3nd Miss Evelyn Wright, who Jiave spent. the winter months .'it the Convalescent Home, Cashmere Hills, liave returned to their home in Holly Road, St Albans. ***** Mrs M. Bethell motored home V> Pahau Pastures yesterday, after a. visit to Miss Pvne, Bealey Avenue. * » *' • • Mr and Mrs Alistor Dean?, of Morven, are visiting Mrs J. Deans, Riccarton. Miss Ruby Moon has returned to Christohurch from a visit to Mrs H. Roseoe, at Wanganui. » a • • e Mrs Muloock, of Sumner, left last evening for " AT HOME " AT ALDINGTON. A very pleasant "at homo" was given at St Mary's Schoolroom, Addiugton, .yesterday afternoon by Mrs W. S. Bean. The schoolroom had been converted into an attractive reception room with pot plants and lilac taste- j fully arranged. Refreshments werej served by a band of little girls attired ; its Red Cross nurses who were a feature of the gathering. An enjoyable musical programme was provided. Mrs Bean,' who is an admirable hostess, saw to it that her very large number of guests who packed the schoolroom quite enjoyed the function. The object of the "at home" was to raise money to buy Christmas gifts for our boys at the Dardanelles. Each guest contributed towards the funds, and quite a good sura was collected. Amongst the largo number present were noticed:—The Mayoress (Mrs Holland), Mrs Bernard Wood, Mrs Hugh Buckler, Mrs J. Williams, Mrs Carey-Hill, Mrs Cyril Ward, Miss Constance M'Adara, Mrs W. H, Cooper, Miss Elsie Cooper } Mrs C. J. Morris, Mrs (Dr) Duncan, Mrs Ell. Mrs M. L. Beading, Miss Tessa Reading. Mrs Matson, Mrs J. Nixon, Mrs Free, Miss Mina Ward, Miss N. Bonnett, Miss Tosswill,' Misses Strnthcrs, Willis (2), Miss Henderson (Invercargill), Mrs Terence Bell, Misses Parsonson (2), and Misses Wilson (2), Mrs Denniston, Miss Morkane, Miss White (Hoon Hay), Mrs Hunnibel, Mrs Morrison, Mrs Fisher, Mrs Inkson, Mrs Keith Gar neb , Mrs Duncan B-auohop, Mrs F. C. Raphael. The refreshments were provided by the Addington branch of the Red Crass and the parishioners of St Mary s. Miss Williams acted as secretary for the Roldiers' gift day, and' Mrs Merry has done verv good work as general secretarv of the Red Cross at Addington., with "Mrs W. Bean as president. 1 » • * * 'XHE- SOIiDIER'S GIRL, England the employment of .en by the railway companies has -en extended since the call to arms. There aro now plenty of girl ticket collectors, telegraph operators, clerks and cleaners, though, we have not heard of any fair engine drivers or carriage shunters. Pictures to hand show classes of women being taught the intricacies of electric traction and tho principles of running the electric trams, rroups of women railway employee*, and (in one case) a smart-looking girl on the front platform of an electric car collecting the fares. Seems to me the suffragette in the nex' few years'll get All she's agitatin' for, an 1 plenty more. 'Cause we'll hev to ruu the show, Since tho menfolk has to go j Every month a half-a-million to the war. ! look at ma at twenty-three— I'm an old maid. I can see. i Every decent boy I know ha*» been an' ' gone. An' tho chaps wot stay behind. They ain't quite my sort of kind—jWy fell or d hev to light when fights ! ~ is on. I So I'm luokin' out for work j As a p'leeceman or a clerk; j ; An' there's plenty women like me to j ! be found, t j For to drive a cart or drill. ! '■ Or to pass a Homo Rule Bill. j Or anyways to make the world go 'round, j Then there's one-—'e might, come 'ome, j ' Never, never more to roam. I By reason of not 'avin' Ires to go with, j Then fM like a patch o' ground , I could run the plough around : | j An' *e could hev a little hoc to hoo with. | i i I 'Cause in place o' toes an' heels ! Fit* could hev a- box on wheels. ! '• An' I'd let 'im make believe he's; i Ylpin' me; ; f>r l*'d I'.ev 'im read aloud, "Wot to do w'en once you've; ploughed''— _ _ ! His bnok upon 'is sole surviviii' knee. 1 Rut if T could gil a job j Shmitiu' train-- at fifty bob. j Or a-jnippin' raiht ay tickets h\ the day.. j s'oon I'd pay the ambuliii)"c < For -ome iers to walk Mr dance; i Mv chap 'ud never know e d been a way. ) j >o I v:tint- a. bd.'et ftuiek. An' I'll learn to do the tra-k. ■! To turn out work a -- good a- .-mv man. j Then .w'en V come* marehin' 'ome, j Xever, rvir»r<■ to roam. I j II 'e can't rnii t.be bie.-sed show. I can. j | —l.'diatt V,'oo>tcr (ircave-. > : Wougnn Kill:- W.A. ! ! • L • • • • : T'O.MB XKAH .iruia's TOM!!. " f,a t!ie/.el t'i lb \ ouezia. ol \ Clltee. i states that on Au.strian aeroplane. of ! the ]ltt.r'ch upe. l!?w ev<-r Verona aii'l ; dro)sni"'d li\o inver.d'iM y lioinlv-,. <eic ~-a | the f'rmnofiore iJarraeks. and ; h.e oili- ! ♦<rs in the iiii y of JulietV Tomh. i Slight, fortunately s ivre vtc mo vici :ni>. An j ;tii'■nf-.-- r■'f{<- ;:t:d aMilh'i'y lire force.) tic ; r.eropl;n«c t.o ri v 'c 1 " hee.'lit ol' titH»t) ■. rictr'c/ and to disappear j;<;rthward. AVDMFX POLlCE(>rearr* t<> the ol those '.' fi'i bad of!"red '!! 1 :-erviees, | and tlio;--? vv I>onc :rv.e- -; had '"'en al- j ready io a limited taJuju. utilised. S'.r J Edward Hcurv, the Cidei <'.»uni'i--sioi!or 1 >1 Police in Londc::, bos o'ecidud. iljat, j in the TiTctvopobtfin it'i'e". eannor. j .-.anction women police, lit» reaM>ns are ! •that there is *«!'» p"v.ri ••••■ ear in i v orucn as constat)! '.-, .aud : nm the au- j ♦ i".>riti- , s ar • nor y ;, i. eoii\ i ?!•.*.• p | j*- iicj-'iraMo. It tSj *.- ill"' special : Ac!., under loch "ec are «-n- ! |-r.]i «d eotitemnh'.t!' the u -i oi only, j mid uonien e mid ofdv bo hk*ltuts d hy j IM-aiis of v.peci''.! 1 i i;.t; ".u. AnnoniiecDient is made from ; :me to time of tla> #ppfii:itt!t-'til of v omen eohsttdilcs in tin l pro'i'ince.-t. 'hi! i.in : re is soine doubt

whether they are actually enrolled and sworn in, or aro only appointed es police helpers. If the former is tho case the appointment could he challenged. To' the value of women assistants to the police 1/ondon pays constant tribute. Apart from the matrons and female searchers appointed to every police station, .some hundreds of women aro employed in tho metropolitan area on special, work. In eases in mlnch girls and young women nre concerned the statements are always 'taken by women. » * • • • SOLDIER COOKS. No less than 200 women domestic, economy instructors, under the London County Council, have vohinteered in their holidays to teach 3000 soldiers how to cook, and r.re already hard at work. H'o-v gallant, a sacrifice this is may bo realised when it is remembered that teachers had to return after shortened holidays last year, that we are at the beginning of the hottest month of tho year, and that the teachers must face a future even more trying than the year past. Many of them are giving half, and many tSi» whole of their holidays, and owing to their action the London County Council has been a bio to opeu afc once a hundred training centres. Fifteen men aro allocated to each of the one hundred centres, and 1 are billetted on the school premises, and the instructresses are allowed from the War Office Is I'd per day to provide materials for the cookery lessons and for the feeding of the men. 8 * • • « FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON. August—usually London's used'Up" month, when all tho world that can turn a back ou its stuffiness does so—has this year come in with the tears ! and caprices of April; and, apart from | the fact that no one now wants to j make holiday, the fashion world is in ! as uncertain a condition as the ba.roj meter. Shops that one day are alight I with light summer finery, the next must perforce on account of fog and dismal rain—make the best ehoiv they can with dark eerges and furs. Millinery, perhaos, is in a less flulidj stage than other details of attire, and though tho new fashions aro inclined to hark back to those we've known before, they are at least fresh-looking and a change. White kid is to he much used for tho crowns and upper brims (tho under brims being generally dark) of small hats and also for imitation wings, bands and hows. Without exception these hat?* are all worn tilted to the richt side. Tassels, unless wo aro very careful, will be here again ad nauseam, piquant as they are when employed with discretion. Nothing oould look at onco | more business-like and smart than a 1 jaunty black tassel on a black velvet hat, hut unfortunately we have started to plaster ourselves higgledy-piggledy with great coloured affairs,- cream, purple, pink, etc., made of mohair, lumpy and uninspiring. M itre-shaped toques, rather large and made of panne velvet with a tassel hanging from tho centre and over one side are novelties. Owl trimming, that is an owl's head made of small feat here, with two glass eyes, is again to be popular. Very pale pink feathers with great yellow eyes is the most popular medium. •' Mufflon hats of a. description of woollen straw, made of the fleece of tho wild mountain sheep of that name, and modelled for country wear, are new ideas. They would be very use*ful in New Zealand : eino© theyre at once light, shady and snug looking. A smart renovation could bo effected at home by copying a new model (on an old one!) that the writer saw yesterday. It was a hrimless toque of black velvet with, round it, seven or eight handmade " roses." These wero of dark blue and green shot taffetas, the round narrow petals round tho outside being cut round and double and gathered in at the ba.se. Tho petals just overlapped each other round a centra made of the same silk very delicately rucked over a fat round jwd. A great deal of silk would not, bo required, and a quite stylish hat might ho made thus from an old one. Bark blue and red shot taffetas on a dark blue panne velvet or idlk hat would be distinguished looking. , ... Cart-wheels'' of ribbon, than which surely there lias never been a more fashionable embellishment, are actually here still, and have managed to lind ir new way of looking charming- One very smart hat of this week was <>• wide French sailor shape with a round crown and made of good dark blue taffetas. with, right on the top ot the crown, set, slantingly, a cart-wheel of blue and red. alternate rows of close pleated ribbon. 'There, is a- shade of blue ribbon, warm vet subdued, neither wedgwood' nor pastel, that has the virtue ol making a Mac!; morning hat look very well ihough tho hat has' seen its best days. Ribbon toques are riot impossibilities for the home- dressmaker, though •% good buckram -diape is. a necessityOne sprightly model of this week.brim-je-xs. was obioiig. rather like Belgian ■-oldier's ''kepis" wjt.li the sides a pni'el of white satin and the. crown composed of i'o«,>, from hack to front, of very narroiv white corded' ribbon, edged whit black and gathered at> it' was attached- 10 the- crown. A few hm<: strings still arc .seen, some on o?<peti>ive iuus, but the j>iy!e is really 'lead. Transparent hats are certainly the most L>')iO:';)iiy ftcci) of any. when, tho «cat her permits, the brims only transparent . the crowns or or tagel Miuv,. '-ct on the brim, are the almost invariable trimming ! _ • !o>t t,o touch on other fashion det;ji■ : or Tlru>>ok net or laen coatees, 4.bback and frer.r. ami not connected' under rhe ;irms. arc very orpny. T1 • v generally aiv finished a: ihe hack of I lie neck with .-I !of.s-e square collar of e!tihroidt.-vci! net. and are. ot course, sleeveless. A very bontit'.iu! gown of this, weetv v, ,i- oi ,-axe-hine ,>;lk a.ia! cream da!ehai.i crepe- The top of ihe skirt was of the crepe niiion, plcn-ted, while front j.i*i above the knees there was a lull deep !.:u:d of tee taffetas to the hem. j flie joining was of special nitciost. The j ...il).; jlounce faggotcu' oil lo tho j ninon, i'.bile, Jir-l below this, with a I two-inch interval, w;i- a row of " port-I hole-." in the blue silk through w iiicli. j sour, en to the noion lining, .-bowed J -.on e very line si.lk 'ace. The •' port- j holex" Imd a oieot, edge. Tito coatoe, j to the hips, wfi - of full dalghali crepe, , the sleeve•> gathered in U> vwo narrow J '•"lids of blue R-iik. while round the ; hips wore two more bands of the silk' wotked iu zigsag liners with sewing silk oi the same colour. The little black colhir wns also r.itehed, and the whole made a, singularly picturesque and beautiful eo.-.tumo tor mid'snmnier. ;