WOMENFOLK

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17037, 10 May 1923, Page 4

WOMENFOLK

A CHRONICLE OF SOCIAL 1 EVENTS I

By

STELLA

Mr and Mis J. A. Park and Miss Park returned to Dunedin to-day. Miss Al’Lean-Alnir, oi ! Wellington, is | visiting Christchurch Mr and Mrs Claude Potter, of KaiMrs Telford and Mrs H. P. Don arrived from Wellington by this morning's ferry. Mr and Mrs W. A. Forgie. of Auck- | land, arrived in Christchurch this | Mr and Mrs A. J. Smith, of New i Plymouth, are on a visit to Christ- | church. A prize for the best haudwriting, t open to competitors throughout the | British Empire was lately won by Miss j Gladys Stones, aged thirteen. She is a scholar of the fiunslet National Schools, near Deeds, and the daughter | of a steel worker. She was successful j among more than 2dOO competitors. Recently a. list of distinguished j women occupying high positions was published. Thus Miss Glotiide Lmsi occupies a diplomatic post in a South American Republic; Mrs Shelton is manageress of a bank; Airs Lydia Berklay Tagno, judge at the Court of Eagle County; Miss George Martin, engineer in the North Pacific Railway. Countess Margaret Cassini (who was the -daughter of one of the greatest Russian statesmen) has started a hat and gown shop jn Florence. Few or the world s women have had so remarkable career as this Russian lady. Her father was a. great ambassador, and her dramatic story really began when she was ten, at the Imperial Court in Peking, whore she was the pet of the dread Dowager Empress and the great Viceroy Li Hung Chang, who taught her Old Chinese, the classic tongue, in five year's. At fifteen she was sent to Paris to complete her* schooling, although she already read eight languages, live of which she speaks fluently. At Washington, whence she next accompanied her illustrious father, she was the belle of society and immensely popular. Count Cassini’s appointment to Washington was succeeded by one to Madrid, where the youthful countess met and married Count Loievsky, a secretary at the Russian Embassy there. The reverses of the world war gave a now turn to the 1 countess’s always dramatic career. It was when ** the little Cassini " was reduced to sewing by the day to support her two sons that she happily met •l former friend from Washington. Ckmtessa Cornelia Fabbricotti, nee sk*ovel, who helped her to Tier feet and eventually to the little hat and gown shop in Florence which the daughter of one of Imperial Russia’s greatest statesmen now runs with good business ability. The Beckenham Nursing Division met on Tuesday evening. Mrs M. Gordy, lady superintendent, being in charge. Mr J. B-ecconsall, corps superintendent, gave the division a most interesting general talk on FirstAid and Transport. It was explained how, by just looking at the position of a patient the trouble could to a great extent be defined. Air B-eccon-sall gave the various ways of transporting a patient and the cases for which they should be used. It was also pointed out that while in some cases it is absolutely necesary to call the ambulance, in other it would save considerable time and be just as effective to enlist the aid of any nearby motorcar. At the conclusion of the meeting Air Becconsall was accorded a ! hearty vote of thanks In every ‘French provincial town the [' repasseuse (ironer) is a recognised institution, and she does very good business, devoting herself particularly to the finer kinds of ironing. It would seem worth while for some women seeking easy, remunerative employment to set up as ironers. In districts with many boarding houses an>d residential hotels there would be fine openings for such work. Fine articles, as delicate blouses, vests, laces, handkerchiefs, etc., are apt soon to be worn out if sent to ordinary laundries, but while they nra v be easily washed out by the wearers in their own quarters, ironing is a far more difficult thing to manage. A skilled and careful fine ironer would be a boon to ness or professionally who need to study economy, and have no facilities for doing their own fine ironing. The saving of £20.000 per annum in the expenses of the Royal Household has been made possible by Queen Mary’s economy and practical ability in domestic organisation. Brought up in a family not too well endow** I with this world’s goods. Princess Alary (as she then w r asj was trained from early childhood in practical housewifery. Tliis substantial saving in the Royal Household expenses has been accomplished without any limitation of the Court functions or an\ falling off in the efficiency of services. Queen Marv supervises everything in the Koval Households—Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral, and homely Sandringham. She instals all labour-saving devices and reduces manual work to a minimum. She was one of the first to take advantage of ers. electric cooking, and cleaning machinery. The loval laundries are almost entirelv worked bv electrical machinery. The Queen will not tolerate waste or extravagance in any form. Instead of the system of long credits that used to prevail she has all accounts presented and settled. She is a kind and sympathetic employer, but a strict disciplinarian.

Oiir familiar sewing cotton is a more recent thing than one might think. Till the da\R of the Napoleonic wars linen and silk thread were used in sewing. The war interfered with the silk industry, and two brothers, at Paisley named -Clark, who made linen thread in a small way, conceived the idea of making cotton sewing thread. Theirs were the first “cotton reels” . ever turned out. but before long cotton became the usual sewing material.