HERE IND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16749, 2 June 1922, Page 6

HERE IND THERE.

AN EYE FOR EVERYTHING. .TILTED WOMEN. The anti-male movement among women, of which branches were recently reported to exist in luw broken out on the Riviera. The initial meeting is reported of the “ League of Women-Victims of Men.” The proceedings of the new body were held in secret, but it is stated (hat the conditions of membership are that candidate© must satisfy the committee that *hev have definitely suffered in their own interests through the direct fault of men. Jilted fiancees, women who hare been displaced from business poets on the real or fancy ground of sex jealousy, spinsters who have loet their inoomefl owing to th© maladministration or fraud of men trustee©, or solicitors, are all among the foundation members. The purpose of the league is to encourage the final transfer of effective authority in the world to women, to combat male influence wherever it can he opposed, and to attempt to “break down the convention which causes gjrichildren to be taught to aspire to the degrading servitude of marriage with n male whom they are encouraged to reverence as a superior entity.” BRIDGE TRAGEDY. Military and social circles in Washington and the State of Oklahoma were startled by the report of a tragedy that took place early one morning at t-he house of Judge Jean Day, of Oklahoma City, involving the death of J.ieut-Colonel Paul Ward Beck, a prominent airman and commandant of a. military aerodrome in the neighbourhood. Day. who since retiring from the Bench bec-ame a wealthy financier and prominent politician, is detained in custody. According to a statement issued by his lawyers, a bridge party waj given at which Colonel Beck was present. At about 3 am. Mr Day drove home his guests, leaving Colonel Beck and Mrs Dav alone in the house. On his return. Mr Day states, he saw his wife struggling in the arms of Colonel Beck. When he entered th© room carving a revolver, Colonel Beck, he states, attempted to strike him. He hit Colonel Beck on the head with the revolver, which' went off. the bullet entering the other man's head. Colonel Beck was one of the mort prominent officers in the United States flying service, arrd well known in Washington, where he was stationed until recently. His wife died two years ago. WANTED TO SACK HINT. An extraordinary instance of the Cabinet intervening to keep a Member of Parliament in his command in tho Army was revealed in the House of Commons, when Lieut-Colonel John Ward, M.P. for Stoke-on-Trent, treated members to a moment of autobiography. Colonel Ward, who served as a private soldier in Egypt in the ’eighties, went into Parliament many years ago as “ the Navvies’ M.P.” He was a Liberal-Labour member. Tn the war lie raised five I>abour battalions, and became colonel of the 25th Middlesex Regiment serving, among other places, in Siberia. Speaking on a proposal to give Army officers an appeal to “an independent tribunal ” in cases of disciplinary action, Ward said : I have only to mention my own case. Without any charge of military incapacity, but only on the ground of the class to which I belong, I should have had to go. If it had not been that T held such a position in the public life of the country that those above me could notbreak me and that T had the Cabinet to appeal to. I should never have had any career in the Army, not even during the war. badly as men were wanted? There is actually a Cabinet Minister who kept me in the Army: or else old-fashioned officers would have had me out and never given me the ghost of a chance.” But though he had been dependent on an outside in this instance, another five or six years in the Army had convinced him that if a commanding officer could not sometimes deal with a case at once, the position would he hopeless. FIGHTING A BEAUTIFUL PEST. Pests are seldom beautiful. One exception is the water-hyacinth. which for over twenty years has made manv of tli© canals and waterways of tho State of Louisiana, in America, impassable during the summer- and for which after many attempts and many failures, an eradieator has at last been found. Concerted efforts to fight the pest began iu 1897. A special boat was built which gathered in the flowers at one end, mangled them between rollers, and shot them out at the other end on the hanks. An arsenic spray was tried, which wa9 cheaper, but it was dangerous. because the cattle like to eat tho hyacinth, and didnt mind the arson 10 until after they had swallowed it. Two years ago. in spite of all efforts, a Government official sent to investigate came to the conclusion that in a few vears all but the largest rivers of Louisiana would be choked by the flowers. Then, last summer, after botanists had been sent to 1 enezuela to try to discover what fungus or parasite or other natural enemy kept the hyacinth »u check in its native country, a. chance sugestion wn-s* tried, and found to b« successful. It was to use live steam from hoses. —“ Everyday Science.’ GENERAL AS A MONK. A well-known Belgian general, CountFrancois de Hemricourt- de Grunne. who with his four sons played a distinguished part in the war. has just taken the vows as a Benedictine monk at the great monastery of Maredsoua, near Dinant. Formerly A.D C- to King Leopold and professor at the Ecole de Guerre "f Brussels, he took part in. the fighting at Antwerp and was in command of the troops at Havre when, on the Gcr man occupation of Brussels, the real of Belgian government was transferred thither. One of the general’s sons. Count Willy de Grunne, is well known in London, where he was for some years a secretary at the Belgian Embassy. while another son. who was liaison afficer with the British Army, was a popular figure in the Ypres salient during the war. The profession of the general took place at the Monastery of Maredsous 011 St Benedict’s Day. March 21, says the “Illustration.” He will henceforth be known as Brother Dominic. 50 “POPULAR WOMEN.”

Fifty “ most popular women ” of tlieir respective towns in the United States are paying a visit to the French battlefields during the summer, according to the plans drawn up by tho American committees for tho devastator! regions. The women will represent all the important centres of t-Iv* United States, and are being ©lected by vote, the polling being arranged bv the chief newspaper in each State. At Day ton. Ohio, votes polled amounted to 138.000. The women s object is to be able to give tbeir countrywomen unbiased opinions on France. and the chief questions which they will investigatv' include Franco’s alleged Tmperialnnd the progress of the work of recon-