WOMAN'S WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2698, 18 February 1916, Page 2

WOMAN'S WORLD.

[By Imogen.J

MATTERS OF INTEREST FROM /AR AND NEAP*

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL '

The King's Message and the Widow. There is a sequel to tho cable itev.i published last week concerning the interview of Sir Thomas Mackenzie and his son Otutha with the King the Kltham "Argus"). It will be iemem toed that .Sir Thomas related .jn instance of a patriotic widow who had '"'four sons killed and three wounded, and yet she went to Wellington to wish Hod-speed to her eighth son, jylio was going to the front." The King instructed Sir Thomas Mackenzie to convey his admiration of the widow's patriotism. Sir Thomas had related tlif story ou the strength of a letter in had received from the Rev. Featherston, of lngle-.vood. And now tho tviSow is not to be found, no one seems to know who she is, and the "King's message" cannot bo conveyed to hev. We understand that the police are looking for the widow, and will he glad to receive information as to her address in order that the ltoyal message may bo conveyed to her. She is supposed to reside somewhere in Taranaki.

Nelson Countess of Liverpool Branoh. At a special meeting of the Nelson branch of the Countess, of Liverpool Fund held on Monday it was decided io forward £50 to the oilicer commanding the Nelson regiments, to be expended in luxuries for the Nelson men 'in lietf of forwarding goods with the next transports. This, with £20 sent to Capiaiu-Chaplain. Taylor last week, makes tiie sum of £70 sent for tho present month. Tho usual spcciaily-ad-dressed gilt parcels were to be packed the next day. Mrs. F. J. Stopford, Hawks's Bay, is visiting relatives in Ghristchurch. A branch of the Women's National Jicserve was formed in Sumner on Tuesday evening. Members of the Women's Service Corps in Christchurch have decided to individually join tho National 'Reserve. An Old Industry Revived. ' » In view of the shortage of drugs which, though accentuated by the war, has been felt for a considerable period, an organisation of women farmers and gardeners has just been formed to promote the culture of medicinal herbs in the villages (states an English newspaper). This ia an old.English industry which has gone out of favour in'modern times, but tho opportunity is being taken of reviving it. The new society of women hcrlj-growcrs held its iirst committee meeting at tho offices oi' the Women's Farm and Garden. Union in AVcstminster,'' -which is providing facilities for the preliminary work of organisation. The Hon. Mrs. Norman Grosvonor, chairman of the union, states that it was intended to promote, the culture of medicinal herbs on a co-operative basis, since it did not pay to devote the whole of one's lidding to tho enterprise. Particular kinds of soil aro needed if the herbs arc' not to lose somo of the properties which render ttieni of value. The plan proposed was io use parts of small holdings for medicinal plants, the various herbs to be collected and classified for salo afterwards. Cottagers are to he instructed how tt> make the best use of their gardens through the formation of classes and clubs in the villages. In oup instance - a woman farmer has formed a group of fortv-t\yo women in two villages, and early in tho New Year a start is to be mado with the cultivation of medicinal herbs.

The hostesses at the Soldiers' Club in Sydney Street, for the coming week, are: 'Sunday, Mrs Joseph Joseph : Monday, Mrs. Earle; Tuesday, Mrs. Bodcn ; Wednesday, Mrs. Kernot; .Thursday, Mrs. C. Johnson and Mrs. Davies; Friday, Mrs. Martin Kennedy; Saturday, Mrs. Coull and Mrs. D. Findlay. Among the visitors to tho Masterwjn Show on Wednesday wero Lady Ellisonliacarincy and Miss Macartney, from Tasmania.

Women in Fiji. All interesting address dealing with the lniluc-iice of missionary women upon the natives of Fiji was given yesterday afternoon in the Women's Christian Temperance Rooms in Constable Street bv the Rev. M . 11. Poole, who has been doing mission work in connection with the Methodist Church for the past twelve years in Fiji. air. Poole has been visiting America and England, and is spending a short holiday in Now Zealand before returning to Fiji. The Rev. Ivnowles Smith presided, and there \vas a very good attendance of members of tho union and their friends present m the rooms. Mr. l.'oole told his hearers that the women missionaries had done very hue work amongst tho people of Fiji, and their influence in the moral uplift of the natives had been very marked, liaciically all the churches were represented in missionary work, and they had their schools, their native teachers, and their churches. In Fiji, as in so many of these South Sea Islands, tho natives made their own intoxicating drinks, which were very heady, and against this evil the missionaries had been fighting very energetically. As ,a matter of fact there was not the crying need for missionary enterprise that there had beeu, as tho missions wero now well established, and there were so many native teachers who were under the direction of the white people. The obliterating path of civilisation was responsible for the disappearance of many- of the native customs and beliefs.

Mr. Poolo referred t-o tlie rumours which had been travelling around as to disloyalty among the Fijians. He ventured to say that the< Fijians were as loyal a people to the British Umpire as were any of its subject races. There were always now some people ready to raise that cry, hut in this case he was sure there was no foundation for it. During the afternoon two solos wero sung by Mrs. Patience, and much appreciated, and a vote of thanks passed to tbp speaker for his interesting address. Red Cross Tea at Hamua. Mrs. B. ■ Carruthers was hostess at u. lied Cross tea, held at her residence on Wednesday. A very interesting afternoon was spent by the ladies of the committee in making bandages, many-tailed and otherwise, for fne wounded soldiers. The Bed Cross Committee acknowledges with thanks a donation of £20 'from Mrs., Payne Hamua, which was the balancc of monies received' by her for goods sold since her garden party, wlncl) was held'l for the benefit of wounded soldiers I some weeks ago. The next Rod Cross tea will be hold at Mrs. A. V. TJdy's, Hukanui, on Thursday, February 24. The Mayoress (Mrs. Luke) left on Wednesday evening for Ashburton. Next week she will attend the lied Cross Conference at Christ-church. At- St. John's Presbyterian Church, AVaipaiva, the marriage took plac« <t: Tuesday of Miss Olive Lowe, i!a!iyhtoio'f Tvlr J?. Lowe, of AVaipawa, to Mr Albyn C-ollins, son of Mr. A. V. Collins, of Otiuie. The Rev. J. 13. dm'itii performed the ceremony. The bride-groom-has been accepted for active service, ana goes into camp shortly. The oaily means of permanently removing superfluous hair is Electrolysis. Mrs. Rolleston. specialises in this treatment, and is recommended by our leading medical men. Permanent results without the slightest scar aie guaranteed. Ladies troubled with this disfigurement should arrange for a weekly treatment of either half ah hour or an hour. Very little ■inconvenience is l experienced, and in a short time the growth of hair is entirely removed. Strictest privacy is observed. 256 Lambton Quay.—Advt;

'IN THE FIRING LINE CHRISTMAS ON A HOSPITAL SHIP Christmas time on board the hospital ship Dongola, which took part in the evacuation of Anzac and Suvia Bay, formed the interesting topics of letters recently received o.v her family in Wellington lroin Nurse Jv. Clark, formerly ol the Wellington Hospital, who nursing the wounded in one of the Egyptian Hospitals, and had then been transferred to the hospital •ship. \Vfiting on December 19 from Imbros Island, wlicrc tile ship was stationed at the time, she saysj "We arrived at Lemnos on the 17th, and yesterday morning wo got word to come to this place and lie in readiness lo be off in live minutes if necessary. Last night wo were all ordered olf to bed at 0 p.m., expecting to be called up at two or three in the morning. Humour has it that we are evacuating the Peninsula, but of course long before you get this you will, know whether that is true or otherwise. An,v\.ay, something big is taking place, and things are very mysterious.

"As I sit here writing, I can hear a big bombardment going on, but we are unable to see anything, as we are right in Imbros harbour, and it blocks the view of mosL of the Peninsula. There seems to be dozens of aeroplanes here. They have_ been flying all day long. Just opposite us there is a big observation balloon anchored, evidently directing the firing of tho guns. "Really we are on- the edge of some big thiiw, and none of us will be very surprised if the hospital ships come in for some shelling or being torpedoed, once the Turks find out that we are really evacuating the place. Anyway, by_ the sound of things at present we quite expect to. be most frightfully busy- any time now. It is just too ghastly to feel that we have to give it up after all this place has cost us. Still, I suppose there must bo some very good reason for it, and it is only since Kitchener's visit that things have been taking place." .<

On December 22 Miss Clark writes: — "Since my last letter we have had quite an exciting time. We got orders on Sunday night to go to Ansae, and wo arrived there at 6 p.m., and stood by all night. AVould you believe it—we only got two pptients on board. One was badly wounded, and died next day, but the other had a bruised ankle only. About three a.m. the last of the men, five medical officers and fifty' orderlies came on, and there -as great excitement to think that both Anzac and Suvla had been evacuated with hardly any loss of life. They had. been expecting such heavy casualties.

"While we were lying in only about half a mile from the beach, the bullets were coming in all round us as tliick as possible, and after several had come on board the captain thought it was time to put off a bit. Before the last of the men loft Suvla they set tire to ! all their stores, and it was a great sight to see the whole place in .a blaze. The naval people did the same to Anzao after we had left it the next morning. Wo got down to Mudros Bay at 10, a.m. on Monday, and liavo been lying here ever since.

"It was a great sight yesterday. Thero were no fewer than 14 hospital ships in here, and countless destroyers, monitors, and submarines. Really there seemed no room for the boats to movo at all without crushing into each other, though it is a huge harbour." On the 28th she writes:—"Since last I wrote to you we have been up to Cape Holies. We went there on tho 23rd, and started taking on patients that night, and on. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we were still taking on patients, nearly'all wounded. Thero had been a lot of fighting up that way, and of course now that Anzac and Suvla liavo been evacuated, everything is being concentrated upon . Holies. While we. were lying about half a milo off the shore, we were getting a good many bullets on board, and wo had to be careful where wo walked. One that was embedded. in the deck has now a littlo brass place to mark the spot, with the date engraved npon it. Several others struck different parts of the boat, and things were somewhat exciting, as you may imagine. We finally upanchored and got out of range. Wo saw quite a lot of bombarding, and it absolutely shook the ship several times on .different nights. "On Christmas Day the weathej was simply perfect, but- it' did not seem a hit.like Christmas till ten a.m., when the 'destroyer Ribble sailed round and serenaded us. . It was really 'sporty' the way the crew had got themselves dressed, their fancy costumes being striking to the last degree. They sang

songs, and generally made things as gay as possible, for our benefit. Later the captain and officers of the Lefroy sent oil a big packet of boxes of chocolate 'for the Matron and Sisters,' also a chart, a hat-ribbon, and a most elaborate label to the parcel. There was great excitement opening tha parcel. We each got a box of chocolate, and we drew lots for the chart, the hatribbon, and the label. I had the hick to draw the ribbon. About five p.m. the commander of the Lefro.v, two officers and Jlio commander of tho Kibble and his troupe came on board the ship and hadten with lis. Afterwards they paraded the wards for the benefit of the nationts. It was so nice, and brightenert things nn quite a lot. It was the only hit of Christmas cheer that we had. We did not even hare our Christmas dinner, because we •were still taking on patients, so we arc to have it the first spare day wo have after losing them.'' It ivas in one of the Egyptian pitals that Miss Clarke came across her brother, who had been badly wounded at the first landing of the troops.

French Resolution and Fire. The "Matin" publishes an open letter to General Gallieiii, French Minister for War, written by a conscript of the class of 1917, and typical of tho splendid patriotism which animates tho youngest- class of French recruits. _ "With strong hearts and uplifted heads we go to join onr elders," says the writer. "The death of our fathers has filled onr hearts with the ardent desire to avenge them, and with a deep hatred of the The knowledge of the righteousness, the justice, and the grandeur of our cause goes with us. Like our valiant elders, we shall be strong—like them, we are ready to give our lives to preserve for the world the ideals of lull justice and complete liberty. Like them, too, we shall maintain the French traditions of glory and heroism, happy and proud to participate in tho destruction of a barljaroun 'civilisation' which delights in infamous conduct.

"Mothers of France, good .mothers, who hare already given so many of your sons, bo bravo or._'C again—wo shall leave you more bravely if we seo you strong. Oh,- grant that we may return with our elders in the dazzling glory of victory, and grant that we may lovo our dear France, with all the strength of pur hearts. Lift up your hearts; Germany is dead; long live France."

Mrs Firth, lion, treasurer of tho Military Hospital Guild, acknowledges the following contributions:—Mrs. Fitchett, .January and .February, 10s.; Miss Skerrett, February, 10s.; Mr. Q. D. Bell, January-December, 1916, £12; Mr. J. G. Duncan, January-December, 1910, £6; Mrs. Litchfield, Jflriuary-Fcb-uary. 10s.; Mrs. L. Blundell, £1; Mrs. Jtidah Myers, January and February, £1; Mrs. J. G. Fulton, February, 2s. Od.; Miss I. Evans, February, 10s. Gd. Donations are as follow:—M.C.M., 10s.; Mrs. M. Myers, £1 Is ; two working girls (per Mrs. Luke), ' 10s.; Mrs. J. V. Firth, £1.

The wedding took place very quietly in St.' Matthew's. Church, Masterton, on Tuesday of Mi:. Kichard Cleverden to Miss Eleanor Carter,- of Wellington. The 7{ev. J. Walker performed tho ceremony.

Yesterday, afternoon, at the meeting held in the Constable Street rooms, the Women's Christian Temperance Union made arrangements for a Red Cross tea which is to be held on March 8.