An Auckland Lady’s Travels

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 6, 10 February 1909, Page 41

An Auckland Lady’s Travels

SOME INTERESTING EXPEItIEXt ES. Mrs. King, wife of the well-known Auckland medico of that name, who returned by the lonic fioni a tour of England and the Continent, extending over two years, had a number of interesting experiences to relate when I renewed her acquaintance the other day says a writer in the Wellington "Times.” Mrs King spent the New Year of 1907 in London, and in February went to join her lirothnr, the Rev. Grantley Martin, of Stoke Rectory, Guildford, who, with his daughter. was about to set out for a long tour of the Continent. Paris, Lucerne. Milan. Florence, Genoa, Naples, Nice. Mentone,. Rome, Venice, were in turn visited by the party. “At Rome,” said Mrs. King, “we had an audience of the Pope, and were present at the Vatican on Candlemass Day. Never shall 1 forget the impressiveness of that seene—the pomp and ceremony—the kissing of the Pope’s ring and toe and the obeisances of the faithful; and then the picture gallery at the Vatican; and, above all. that wonderfully impressive picture, ‘ The Last Judgment.’ I cannot explain how I was affected by tire whole experience. Then there was the great gallery of Florence, with miles, as it seemed, of the most costly pictures, including the Madonna, for which the American nation has offered a million pounds sterling. It was carnival time when we were in Rome, and we saw King Carnival duly incinerated with all the traditional rites. At Venice we saw jhe famous glass works, and the ' Bridge of Sighs.’ under which our gondola passed several times and saw everything I think. there was to b? seen.

Our Continental trip concluded we went to the Isle of Wight, and were present at the great review by their Majesties of the Home Fleet at West Cowes—a splendid pageant. We also went through Carisbfooke Castle (where Chaiies I. was imprisoned—Carisbrooke by the’ way, is my husband’s birthplace) and spent an interesting time at Osborne. where Queen Victoria died.” Questioned on the suffragist movement, Mrs. King said: "1 know all the leaders personally, including Mrs. and Miss Christabel Pankhurst, and Mrs. Petherick Lawrence. I was present at a.good many of their meetings. Yes. 1 admire them immensely: they are grand, grand women. even if their methods are not all one could wish. I saw Mrs. Pankhurst on her release from prison after serving her first term, and her story of the awful treatment she had received at Holloway made my blood boil. The' lack of privacy was her chief plaint, to which the prison clothes and clogs and coarse fare sank into insignificance. To send delicate women to herd with common criminals, nor have one of th? privileges accorded, male political prisoners is one of the things that, alienates much of the sympathy the Home Government might have in their refusal to grant the suffrage to women. Mrs. Pankhurst looked ill and worn, having just coin? from the prison infirmary, but her spirit was more unconquerable than ever. 1 was also present at the great suffragist, meeting in the Albert Hall, attended by ten or twelve thousand people. That is another scene l am never likely to forget. Mrs. Pankhurst was then serving her second terTn, and .was not expected to be present. Her vacant, chair, was, however, decked out with . flowers, and every speaker had something to say in honour of their absent colleague. Judge of the seene when in the middle of the proceedings Mrs. Pankhurst, having been released from prison twenty-four hours earlier than w’as expected, walked in. and took her place among the sneakers! The whole house rose, and rent the ’roof. and. when the demonstration had subsided, Mrs. Pankhurst, looking very frail awl weak, for most of her time hail been spent in the prison infirmary, and. besides, the welcome had been very trying to her emotions, rose, and. after thanking the assemblage proceeded io amke a speech, the fiery eloquence of which might have scorched her opponent had they been there Io hear. Not all the imprisonment and degradat on she had suffered had quenched her indomitable spirit in the least. At that meeting over seven thousand pounds were liaised for the cause, Mr ami Mis P. Jaiwfence heading the subsciption list with a thousand pounds. An interesting feature of the meeting was a tier of boxes containing released prisoners (suffragettes) from which hung a banner setting firth

that this was so.” Mrs. K*gg was also present at the great no-license meeting in the Albert Hall, when the Bishop of London took the chair, and many notable people were present, including the Archbishop of York and l»rd Crewe. In the middle of one of the speeches a little gentle-looking lady rose and said. " Let the women help you.” She was prompt!v hustled and ejected by several men. “ When are you going to give votes to women?” was another question propounded to one of the speakers by another suffragette who was present. • ho met. with the same treatment as the forme, interrogator. "This was too much for me,” said Mrs. King, “and I joined in the cries of ‘Shame!’ from all over the building. The great suffragist demons tration in Hyde Park I too attended and was also present at the Albert Halt in September when Christabel Pankhurst pleaded for her mother, who was then again in prison.” Stratford-on-Avon was included in Mrs King’s itinerary, and she was present at the Shakespeare Festival, and visited Shakespeare’s house. While there she saw Marie Corelli, who has a beautiful house in the vicinity, and who looks artificially youthful. She was also a witness of the Romsey pageant, pourtraying old English life. In fact, the whole visit appears to have been crammed full of interest and incident—such as very few who dr. the grand tour are privileged to participate in.