NOTES AND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 795, 19 April 1910, Page 3

NOTES AND NEWS.

At Olympiad where .aviation in all its latest developments is now to be studied, •women are. making a brave show, says a London paper, under: the. auspices or' that extremely sporting society, the Women's Aerinl league, Aliss Dorothy Levitt and Hiss Gertrude Bacon, both or whom have had practical experience of flights in cloudland, will lecture during the ■ coming; week on aerial journeying from ■ a feminine point of. view, and it' aviation is to make headway—or -shallit bo said' skyway?—women's interest',in it.must ; be assured, and maintained. Aeroplaning at best is a sport that is. not'likely, to be vulgarised ipr.some time.' It is expensive bo tar,.but the aim of ■ its votaries is to popularise it',.' and meantime it is. clear that its'attractions must be convincingly impressed upon women..'; ;".'■?. The. production ..of, George • JteredithV posthumous play, "The Sentimentalists," gives ns. another Meredith woman—a creature of air 'and, fire; iill'sparkie andradiance, and. as bewildering as a watorfail veiled .in a-.shaking rainbow '■ of ■spray. One does not meet Meredith wb-nien.nrever,v-day life, it is 'true; but that is because Meredith vlistilled v.omauhqnd; as it. were,-and got a rare and precious essenceto which he gave various feminine names. They are rather like beef essence—one small teaspoon makes a large cupful, and by diluting Meredithian .wisdom, as applied to women, one may get quite a satisfactory woman from any of his glorious feminine creations. There is a."Society of Sisters" in China which has resolved to rebel against tlio draconic laws of China in making of a woman a slave to her father before marriage, a slave to her. husband after marriage, and a.slave to her son if a widow. The membersjof that society are all,women of the "best and. Ticncst: families, and have sworn to help each other. Their plan is very simple. No Chinese girl dares openly to rebel against her parents, as this is punishable by death. So she gets engaged and marries without any protest. As soon as she has' entered the husband's house, she refuses food and drink, and behaves, in snch I .a way that the horrified.husband is at his wits' end. This pleasant stato of affairs'lasts three days; then, according to Chinese custom, the bride visits her ■ parents'' house. Once there she refuses-to returnto her husband, and as the law of asylum is inviolable,, tho husband is powerless to ; . claim>hi« wife. These little Chinese strikers then set to and earn'their ewn livelihood by needlework or any.kind rf work women can do, and remain free ywnen to the end of their dajs.

Ono of the smartest and newest teaplaces in London believes in women to u gratifying extent. The waitresses are unaided by any men, the string band is composed of ladies (the leader -plays the violin most exquisitely), and, in addition, one or tiro soft-voiced, refined attendants are told off to watch-over the general welfare of customers, to show them to their seats, take them to the telephone or telephone for them, choose tables near or away from tho music, according to taste, and so forth. These antics are in themselves small, but their accomplishment by someone whose definite business they are helps very much in giving the guests the comfort they expect. ;

A curious law case has just been de- * t?j. m vienlia - A daughter sued her father for an increase in her marriage portion, as his position had considerably improved since her wedding. The father agreed, when his daughter married, to give her an income of about .£1 a week, payable monthly. Now the daughter wished him to give her a sum of about ■£1200 in one lump sum, as he could afford it. She won her case before the first judge, but lost it on appeal in the second and third instances, the judges, in giving judgment, arguing that once a marriage portion had been agreed upon, there was no possibility to force a father «> increase that allowance, which is 'given at the time of marriage, ,and has nothing to do with /an increased income after marriage of one or both parties to the agreement. '