A NOTED JOURNALIST

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2700, 21 February 1916, Page 3

A NOTED JOURNALIST

The death of Mrs. Crawford, so long the Paris correspondent of the "Daily News," will be heard of by many with keen regret. Mrs. Crawford came of an Irish family, but on the deatlv of her father removed with her mother and sisters to Paris. Her connection with our contemporary began in 1864, through her marriage with the Paris correspondent, Mr. Crawford (from •whom Thackeray is said to have drawn his sketch of George Warrington in "Pondenriis"). For many years_ Mrs. Crawford helped iier husband in his work, and, together, they passed unharmed through the troublous times of the war and the Commune. On Mr. Crawford's death, in 18S5, Ins wife succeeded to his appointment, and held it for many years.

Mrs. Crawford's introduction to journalism was very simple. "Owing to the fact that my mother hail some very good connections," she once said, "we were, soon after onr arrival in France, invited to tho Tuileries. Naturally I, as a young girl, was very much 1 impressed and amused, and may I add shocked, by much that went on in tho Imiisrial circle, . the moifc so that I noticed how garbled were the accounts in English papers of that jlav both of the political and social life in Paris. A letter of mine, written to a. pnvats friend, was shown by her to a' London editor. He was amused by my fresh style, and wrote to ask for an occasional article." Her industry in later years was remarkable. In addition to tho "Daily News," she wrote for "Truth," the "Pall Mall Gazette," and the New York "Tribune," to say nothing of frequent articles to tho magazines. ■ Mr. Crawford's sudden death, after manv years of signal happiness, brought out' Mrs. Crawford's indomitable will and prompt resource. She said, "When ho died I felt as if the world lwl come to an end, hut I sat up_ by his dead body the whole night, writing an account of his career, in order to send it of! at once to the paper he bad served so faithfully. For the sake of my children I determined to try and obtain a continuance of the work, and after a short delay I was offered tho reversion of his post." She choso as her journalistic motto, "Observe, reflect, bo genuine." The only big thing slio ever missed was the siege of Paris. She went out in the last possible train, shovelled out by Mr. Labouchere, who announced that no one. would care twopence if he died, but lots of people would bo sorry for the death of Emily Crawford. "Billy" Gifts. ' Mrs. Montague Lewin, who is now in Cairo, writing to a relative in Christiihurcli; gives an interesting account of ihe distribution of tho Australian 'billy gifts" to tho Australian battalions. She says: "We were asked by iUajor Taylor, who is on the staff, to assist in the distribution of the 'billies.' Two ladies were set off to a battalion, and as the men passed us, wo handed a billy to each. The billies were about 13 inches high and six inches in diameter. One of the officers opened his billy beside me, and in it.was a big picco of plum cake, cigars, a pack of cards, small cribbage board, notebook, writing paper and envelopes, tooth-brush, powder, shaving soap, seawater soap, small bottle of scent, bottle of brandy, bottle of castor oil, .Epsom salts, pencil, scissors, reel of thread, case of needles, chocolate, chew-ing-gum, 1 khaki handkerchief, anil a small-tooth comb. A most, remarkable coincidence was that one man got a billy packed by his own mother with her note, "To one of our soldiers.' Many billies contained money, and I heard of one with a£6 note in it. There were 12,000 Australians in the camp, and each one received a billy. The New Zealand parcels were not in time, as wo have lieard nothing about them."

At the Patriotic which will be-open at the Town Hall all this week, addresses will bo given in connection with tho crusade against German goods by Madame Booufve, Misa Beatrice Day. Mrs. A. R. Atkinson, Mrs. M'Vicar, Mrs. Boden, Miss Holmes, and Mr. Payne, M.P. To-day the speakers will be Madamo Boeufve and Miss Day.

In acknowledging receipt of the balance of the subscriptions and donations collected for tho Hamua Bed Cross Committee in connection with a garden party for tho benefit of wounded soldiers, it was made to appear, by the addition of a stray cipher that Mrs. Payne, of Hamua, had handed over £20, whereas the balance was £2.

Miss Hurstfaouse (Hutt) is the guest of Mrs. Dillon (Marlborough), and later she will stay with Miss Chaytor.

The knitting revival has brought into being the "knitting apron." A Christchurch lady showed one the other day. It was a charming little trifle of white lawn, embroidered in the corners with bunches of forget-me-nots, and finished at each side with loops of pale blue ribbon, which had been sent to her from over seas. It was not much larger than a man's pocket handkerchief, but should admirably serve the purpose for which it was intended.