SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2726, 22 March 1916, Page 2

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

N.Z.N.A. Ladles' Guild. The weekly meeting of the N.Z.N.A. Ladies' Guild was held at the room? yesterday afternoon. Sirs. M'Vicnr was in the chair. The various committees' reports wore heard and approved. Concert parties for Trentliani for this week and next are being organised by Mr. and Mrs. Onlford Bell, ■ and arrangements for the forthcoming burlesque football match promise to bo very satisfactory. Members of the guild or friends desiring to 'help by selling sweets, tickets, or with collection-boxes, are requested to communicate with Mrs. M'Vioar. A social evening and danco in aid of the funds for comforts for returned soldiers is to bo held on' Wednesday, April 5, in place of the usual monthly meeting. In Praise of the Red Cross. Sister H. J. Turner, who returned to Sydney last week, after an absence of five months in Egypt, gives the Second Australian General Hospital a splendid i name for efficiency. 'She also spoke in the highest terms of the Red Cross. "I do not know what tho 6oldiers would have done but for them," she said, "Warm clothing and luxuries of ; every kind were distributed by the Red Cross, and the representatives in Egypt are working liko Trojans. Nurses going to Egypt ought to ho well trained, for there is plenty of work for them to do. But immense help is given by a lot of Australian girls who are in Cairo with their mothers. They visit the hospitals, and do a great deal for us. The French girls, too, some of them.hardly able to speak a word of English, exert themselves in .every possible way to assist the nurses in their work."

Mrs. W. J\ Massey wishes to acknowledge with thanks three cases of books for soldiers in camp or on troopships from Mrs. E. L.-E. Barton, hon. secretary of the Mayoress's Emergency Committee, Hawera; 13 benzine cases from the Benson Motor Company, Foikling, which will be distributed to camps and military hospitals,.or wherever most needed for the soldiers' use; also a donation of five guineas from Mr. and Mrs. Max Eichelbaum, which' lias purchased a croquet set for the convalescent soldiers at the Lowry Bay Convalescent Homo for Soldiers.

Miss J. Todd,, late matron of the Timaru Hospital, is visiting her sister, Mrs. C. Summerill, in Masterton.

Tfio Women of Serbia,

»;riT K h f s bee " 11 " ritten about the posMbility of women in this war, states an Australian exchange. It is now certain that on the Balkan and Russian fronts, at least, women are taking part in the war in considerable numbers and m terrible earnest. Aowhcre are women taking a Greater part in the war than in Serbia. Thev are apparently prepared to bo killed to the last woman m defence of their country. At Kragujevatz, one of the towns winch became a. centre of defence after the Serbians had been driven back from the vicinity of Belgrade, the women and girls were organised under tho leadersnip of a woman of 60. She had already tour sous and nine grandsons in the Serbian army, of whom seven have been killed. When she was asked by a correspondent if she thought it was necessary to fight, she answered: "Of what value is my life when all mv young people are being killed? I do not care now soon I die."

The Serbians are. a primitive people [ofipoasants and shepherds, and, as is common among such people, the women are much more comparable to men- In Physical strength than among more Highly civilised communities. The women are commonly broad-shouldered, rrfiiscu- . lar, hard-fisted, and capable of great exertions. Moreover thev retain their vigour to a very advanced age, so that it is not surprising that a woman of'6o should be fighting. It was tho rieorous old ane enjoyed by the people of Serbia i -i B '"K am t,lat 'ed Professor Metchnikoff to develop his peculiar theories of combating premature old age among civilised people. A prominent Serbian in America, John R. Palandech, has declared that 250.000 Serbian women would take the field against the Germans and Austrians. In the two preceding Balkan wars an organisation of Serbian women, called the Legion of Death, did valiant service in the field. As the present danger of Serbia is incomparably greater, than it was then, >it is only natural that the women should be fighting moie desperately.

Miss Dorothea Spinney is giving a course of Greek recitals in Dunedin.

Professor and Mrs. Dickie and Professor and Mrs. Hewitson returned to Dunediu at the end of last week, the two former from ; a visit to Scotland and the latter two from a visit to China and Japan. ■

Mrs. Martin-Roberts arrived in Palmerston on Monday from the south.

Mesdames Campbell and England, of Ballarat, Victoria, who are on a three mouths' tour of the Dominion, -are at present in Wellington staying at Barrett's Hotel. They have visited the Mount Cook and Cold Lakes District, and are going through to Auckland, spending-soma time s,t Rotorua before embarking for home on May 5. They are much charmed and impressed with tho sights of the South Island.

The only means of permanently removing superfluous hair is Electrolysis. Mrs. Rolleston specialises in this treatment, and is recommended by our'leading rnedical men. Permanent results -without the slightest scar are guaranteed. N Ladies troubled with this disfigurement should arrange for a weekly treatment of either half an hour or" an hour. Very little inconvenience is experienced, and in a Bhort time the growth of hair is entirely removed. Strictest privacy is observed. 256 LamMon Quay.—Advt.

A Painful Past. Ohristabel Pankhurst, the very militant suffragette, was distributing 'flowers and cigarettes among the wounded in a Devonshire hospital one day when she said'in some perplexity to a stalwart Guardsman: "I'm sure I've met you somewhere. In spite .of your bandages, your face is very familiar." The Guardsman cleared his throat and answered from the bed: "Suppose we let bygones be bygones, miss. I used to be a 'Westminster policeman."

Bishop and Mrs. Sadlier (Nelson) are visiting Christchurch. ,

Among the visitors who have been staying at the Mountain House, Egmont, during the past few days, are Mrs. Mirams (Lower Hutt), Miss Barnard, and Miss Hayward, also Mrs. Warren (Napier), and Miss J. Hardy (Wadestown).

Among the delegates who returned to Wellington last eveniM by the Mararoa from the Y.WTC.A. Conference, held at Broad Bay. Dunedin, were the president of the Wellington branch of the association "(Mrs. R. Pearson) and the general secretary . (Miss Birch*. During the hours devoted nt tho conference to technical study all phases of Y.W.C.A. actiyjty were considered. These included ho.stel and cafeteria management, the need_|or physical development for girls, and the work of the foreign department. Miss Mary Geddis, of Auckland, who is working with Miss Barnes as national secretary of the girls' department, gave an interesting address on the needs of the adolescent girl, and how to meet them. Miss Barnes, ,with her usual, forcible enthusiasm,' succeeded in arousing delegates to renewed interest by her vivid descriptions of the expansivenoss of this world-wide movement. 'It ■ was considered that there w'ere evidences that the work in Australasia was growing with the needs of the time. Miss Barnes was stronglv of the opinion that the Young Women's Christian Association has been raised up to meet the demands of the young women of this age.

Hold-alls are still occupying tho attention of the ladies who are working at the Town Hall, and it is rather fortunate that in regard to quite a number that have been sent in. for filling, the spaces that have been left for putting in the knife, fork, spoon, . etc.,. havo not been'larjje and consequently the implements will not go in. The: committee would be glad if everyone when making the hold-alls would try these spaces first with thenown knives, forks, spoons, eto., as it is the ordinary size in these things are given the soldiers. , ' '

Just a few days ago, states the Sydney "Sun," Dr. Henry Benjamin Hinton, of Adelaide, completed his 103 rd year, and Mrs. Mary Crawley, ,of Richmond (Tasmania) reached her 101 st birthday. She ■• was born in Ireland 106 days before the battle of Waterloo, and has lived at Richmond since 1849. Dr. flinton, as Surgeon-Major Hinton, saw active service in the Indian Mutiny, and ho' claims to be the oldest surviving membor of .the Royal College of.Surgeons, England.

There was a good attendance of members of the "Women's Anti-German League at the rooms in Hannah's Buildings last evening, the chair being occupied by Madame Ducleene. A considerable amount of correspondence was read and discussed. Several matters were brought before the. meeting and left to the discretion of individual members. A letter was also read from the National Service, League, proposing that members interest themselves in suggesting to the children in their . different localities that they _ could render. service by making articles to be sold in memory of Anzac Day—to be called "Forget-me-not proceeds of their, sales to go to the building of homes for the children who have lost their, fathers through the war. Tho banner presented by Mrs. T; Lowry was greatly admired by members of the league. Several new members -were enrolled, evidencing the sympathy felt in the movement.