For Women Folk

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11755, 20 July 1916, Page 7

For Women Folk

By "CHRYSSA."

Sisters Humphries (Napier), Mitchell (W an g ami i)> and Tuke (Auckland) arrived in New Zealand by tho Mararoa on Tuesday, having returned from Egvpt on transport duty to Dunedin. m * » ■ * Mrs Cook, wife of LieutenantColonel Cook, of the hospital ship Marama, late of Mastorton, accompanied by her son and daughter, is staying at Barrett's Hotel, "Wellington. • « * • Mrfe Radclyffe (wife of Captain D. Radclyffe, NZ-A.S.C.) is in London, after having spent six months in Egypt working at the New Zealand General Hospital at Port de Koubbeh. The hospital is to be moved very soon either to France or England, and Mrs Radclyffe, with five other workers, went to the South of France a month ago to await its arrival. She came to England to spend short leave with her husband (says an English correspondent). 1 * • » • * • Sister Kerr, of the Volunteer Sisterhood, and Sister Mildred Stephens have been sent from Egypt to Salonika to work in connection with tho Scottish Women's Hospitals unit, under Dr Jessie Scott. # * • * * Mr and Mrs Thomas Neal, of Marshlands, celebrated their golden wedding on Julv 6, having lived all of their married life in the Marlborough province. Mrs Neal was one of the first three white children born in Nelson, being a daughter of Mr Busch, of Aniseed Valley. * •*' . * * * Mr C. H. Russell (late general manager of the Union Bank of Australia at Wellington) with Mrs and Miss Russell, arrived from Sydney on Monday night. They are the guests of Mrs Tolhurst, in Grant Road, \\ ellington, for a few days, and leave for England at the end of the week^ Sister Mabel Gray, who left New Zealand in December by the Marama, had tho misfortune, while at the 31st General Hospital, Port Said, to contract enterio fever. At the eiyl or April she was invalided to England, and is at present .convalescing at Sandwich, in a very nice house for sisters lent by Mr Waldorf Astor., * * * * # Recent news of 3>r Agnes Bennett received by a Wellington friend, states that at the time of writing she had just been appointed officer in comniand of a woman's unit, to be sent for work in Serbia. Dr Bennett will have under her charge fifty or sixty women — nurses, orderlies, etc —with facilities for treating 250 patients, and her work, as may be imagined, will havo heavy responsibilities attached to it in these times of uncertainty and stress. Dr Bennett had been visiting Devonshire, where it was hard to imagine that such a thing as war was going on not so very far away. Her sister is in' Franco, attached! to No. 4 General Hospital, and her brother is still in the fighting lines, "somewhere in France.' 3 ' * * • • * The death is announced at Napier of Mrs Harriette E. Oldham, a very ac-j Live member of the W.C.'i.U. She was j instrumental in opening a public reading room in "Napier, and the Willard Hall is a memorial to her energy and work. Mrs Oldham was a capable nember of the Napier Main School Committee, and was for some years editor and manager of the "White Ribson." the official organ of the W.C.T.U She took an active interest n the Pfunket Society, and was secretary to the movement for two years. Mrs Oldham will be greatly missed from ;he Trinity Methodist ChurcE and all iharitable and patriotio societies. . .» * • ' • A Wellington engagement of interest 3 that of Miss Ruby Paterson, daugher of Mr and Mrs R. W. Paterson, of Wellington, to Mr J. J. Hay, son of ihe late Mr P. S. Hay and Sirs Hay, of ' Errolt" Wadestown. * « * • « The ladies' billiard dinner-table tourtament, which has been in progress luring the last week or two in Messrs Ucock and Co.'s showrooms, was ironght to a finish last night, when a plendid exhibition of billiards was ;iven between the finalists, Mrs G. H. jdmonds and Miss M. R. Ostler. The ;ame, which was 150 up, was played in emarkably quick time for a ladies' ;ame. Mrs Edmonds was 15 points ehind and Miss Ostler 10 points bound.. In the. opening stages of the ;sme, both players were fairly ever*, liss Ostler holding a small lead over er opponent. Then Mrs Edmonds nt together two very nice breaks, one f 2S and another of 27, these putting er well in the lead. * Later on Miss Istler compiled an all-round break of 3, followed by one of 10 and one of 1, which, brought the scores again lirly even. Mrs Edmonds then ran j her 150 points when Miss Ostler was , 33. At the conclusion of tho game Mr [. P. V. Brown presented Mrs G. B Idmonds with a silver rose bowl, suitbly inscribed, and to Miss Ostler j [essrs Alcock and Co., Ltd., presented framed "Scrap of Paper" certificate > a special price for the..very credible performance • she had pub ur> •. . » • • NTAROnOL PICTURES. Soma _ views of Antarctic scenery, productions of -Dr A. j E. Wilson's olar expedition, are to bo shown in ew Zealand shortly. Mrs Wilson, ho showed these sketches to ninny of ;r friends when out hero, has now :d ' fifteen of them reproduced so v.-fect'y as to be practically indisnguishable from tho originals, and ie is now selling these reproductions. , is proposed to exhibit tho reproictions in Wellington next week hen orders can also be placed, the •ices ranging from £1 to £1 10s, and iy takings at the ( exhibition and

•'Chryssa" 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 thla column.

raonoy for orders given will go to Mrs "Wilson's fund.

Mrs Wilson hersolf is devoting her whole timo and energy to the needs and comforts of our New Zealand soldiers, desiring, as she says, to repay in some measure tho kindness and hospitality shown her whilo in this Dominion. She has joined Miss M'Konzio in tho New Zealand "War Contingent Association, spending her days at tho oifico in Victoria Street, and superintending the work carried out in tho rooms there. • • * m • BECEPTION TO SOLDIERS. Tho roception to the returned wounded soldiers at Wellington on Tuesday was of a. particularly interesting character, for besides the men who i had just come back from Egypt there were a. party of Frenchmen from Tahiti and a company of Rarotongans oing to Narrow Neck to train with the Maoris to fight for their country. These latter nearly all spoke English, so they were able to enjoy conversations with tho ladies who served them with tea. Tea was, as usual, served at small tables, which were gay with flowers, especially camellias and spring bulbs, and palms decorated the. front of thei stage. There was a specially largo attendance ot Ministers, with the Mayor and others on the platform, there being also present Mrs W. F. Massey, Miss Massey (Auckland), and Mrs Hanan, and Mrs M'Ardle, wife of Sergeant-Major M'Ardle. Mrs M'Ardle is a Frenchwoman, whose father was killed in France early in the war. She met her husband m Cairo, and has now come out to New Zealand to await his return to his I home. Great applause greeted Colonel Hughes's reference .to her in his speech, and also lxis few words of praise to tho Mayoress (Mrs J. P. Luke), whose presence at tho function was much missed. Colonel " Jacky " Hughes was most warmly greeted when the speechifying was over, and, indeed, found it hard work to get away, everyone wanting to have a word and a handshake with him, his popularity with the men being greater than ever, seemingly. Mrs Hughes and her three children, were present, and matoy old friends of tho colonel's. After the formal reception was over, and the official party dispersed, the Rarotongans went on the platform and sang several songs, each of which was accompanied by steps or swaying of their bodies in time to the music, the note being given by the bugler of the company. Tho Frenchmen then sang the "Marseillaise" before the company finally dispersed. The visitors wero the guests of the Reception Committee last night at the dance in the Town Hall to the Fifteenth Reinforcements. » # • » • RUSSIAN PORCELAIN. Comparatively little is known by most people, even if they happen to be connoisseurs of other kinds of china, about Russian porcelain, the chief reason being that a very limited amount of it is to be found anywhere except in Russia itself. Porcelain was first made in Russia in 1744, when the Empress Elizabeth invited German potters from the famous Meissen factory, in Saxony, to come and establish-an imperial manufactory at Petrograd. At first, services for the imperial table, utensils for the palace, and bo on, wero chiefly produced; but, with the accession of Catherino 11., who lavished money upon it, the factory was _ much enlarged in 1765, and - a minister was appointed to supervise it. , In the year 1827, another porcelain manufactory was established at Petrograd, by the brothers Ivorneloffe. A factory was also started at Moscow, the origin of which is somewhat obscure; but, to Ehglish lovers of china, perhaps the most interesting fact in connection with it is that an Englishman, named Gardner, was making porcelain there in 1787, and his productions bear his name in Russian and his initials. He it was who made the dinner services for tho three Russian orders of St Vladimir, St Andrew, and St Anne, which at one timo wero to be seen in the Hermitage Museum in Petrograd. . In 1830, a factory was started in Moscow by A. Popov, whose statuettes of Russian peasants are undoubtedly his most celebrated works; specimens of these works may be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and in the Franks collection in tho British Museum. a * • » • ANOTHER GREEN YEAR. About 1875 there was a green year, sava a writer in the " Queen," London. It seems as though, when the J history oF the fashions of to-day come I to be written, this may be justly styled the same. The fashions at the theatres are emphasising this. The great jewellers tell us that, after the übiquitous half-hoop diamond ring, emeralds mingled with diamonds are regarded with the greatest favour, and that they ajro now the most costly of all precious stones. Irene Vanbrugb informs Leonard Boyne, in "Caroline," that her favourite stones are emeralds. Mdlle Dorziat's black satin and velvet dress is relieved with green revers. Miss Tit-tell Bruno assumes green shoes with her whit© , evening gown, in "The Girjl' from Upstairs." Ere leaving the subject of, the influence of the stage, it is worth noting that Arthur Bourchier as Claude Duval uses a lawn handkerchief edged with lace, each corner weighted with a tassel. The novelty is the'kissel. In less than a week after the production of this play, a largo London shop was specialising in handkerchiefs with tassoled corners and women wero buying them. This firm has now handkerchiefs with coloured tassels to match the prospective wearer's gown.