WOMAN'S WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 132, 21 February 1918, Page 2

WOMAN'S WORLD.

MATTERS OF INTEREST FROM FAR AND NEAR

(By Imogen. )

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Entertaining Miss Collisson. Yesterday afternoon the graduates and iindurgradiiiites of Victoria University entertained Miss Uollisson, M.A. (lecturer at Sydney University and assistant to Sir. Meredith Atkinson, Director of the Workers' Educational Association, in Australia), and her friend at a tea, given at tho residence of Mrs. Hunter (Kelburn) who had kindly lent her house for tho occasion, in all thero were between twenty and thirty at the gathering, including Miss and a very pleasant afternoon, full of interest, was passed. A brief speech wafi mado by Miss C'ollisson, dealing with tho splendid opportunities that were opening out before women to-day. She told her hearers that it was in their power to dictate the terms upon which they would co-operate with men. The best services that were rendered to the State, however, were those, secured by the hearty co-operation of the sexes. Miss Collisson further touched upon the need of careful study of all forms of soeial problems before work could be ■undertaken in connection with them. Merely to belong to some, society or other was , a waste of force, unless accompanied with knowledge. Miss Collisson further urged that university trained women who possessed the power of sympathetically importing knowledge slioultl aim at sharing their knowledge with women of the industrial classes whose mentality was. in many cases equal to their own, and whose interest in social problems was often even keener, but who had lacked opportunities of mental training. Training of Children. A very interesting address on "The Training of Children in Purity" was given by Nurse Chappie at Khandallah on Tuesday afternoon. Tho chair was occupied by Mrs. Dale. Lady Stout and sovorai other ladies from Wellington were present. The speaker, who has had a wide experience in England jimong the submerged tenth, and who has since worked with tho Pln,nket Society in New Zealand, emphasised the paramount need for woman's work and influence in the re-moulding and elevating of the race. The motlie" was the sculptress of the race —the architect of humanity, and the future of the world lay in her hand. The facts of life should be imparted by the mother to Tier child at an early ageIn noceuce was not destroyed by imparting of knowledge, but many peopie confused ignorance with innocence. At the age of twelve years, not more than.s per cent, of children arc ignorant of the facts of life, and unfortunately the knowledge has imially been gleaned from unwholesome sources. It was an insult to the Creator to consider sex as something impure- when it applied to humanity. Girls and boys would have, a deep respect -for all women &.,they were taugTit as children the wonderful creative power of the mother; and Nurse Chnppel contended that if mothers trained their boys now to live, lives of purity and abstinence, tho wholo race could be practically re-mado in less than two hundred years.

Miss Uouper (Hawke's Bay) is visit; ing "Wellington. Miss Dorothy Greenish has returned to Wellington from a visit to Sydney. Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Luccna ("Nenagh," Toko) arrived in Wellington yesterday from a visit to Dunediii, They left for Masterton the same day, en route for Taranaki. A wedding of Christchurch interest took place in' New York recently, when Alias Drfisy Warner, elder daughter of Mr. .and Mrs. F. Warner, of Linwood, 'Christchurch, was married to Mr. S. Brooking, younger son of Mr. andjilrs. S. Brooking, or Lyttelton. The'marriage was colebrated in Eighteenth Street Church, a church that dates back from New York's .earliest history, its socret passages and crypts having been used as hiding places during the War of Independence. The ceromony was performed by the Itev. B. C. Warren, and tho bride was given away by Captain Howe, of the bridegroom's ship, on which ho was an engineer. Mrs. Brooking will live at Staten Island while her husband is carrying out his war duties.

The weekly dance which was held in the Sydney. Street Soldiers' Club last evening was attended by a very large number of soldiers.. ■ Mrs. Coleridgo and Mrs. Earle were in charge of the dancing arrangements, and the Hutt ladies were the hostesses in the ■tearoom. Mrs. Massey (president), Mrs. Salmorid, and other committee members were present, and a number of officers also visited the club during 'thoj course of the evening.

Miss Rothenberg (lion, librarian of the Soldiers' Club) thanks all who kindly sent books for tho nurses' library which sho is establishing at Feathereton Military 'Hospital. Nearly 100 books wero packed and dispatched yesterday) and as ■ Miss E-othen-berg is anxious to. extend tho library for the use of convalescent patients there also, more books in good condition will hfl welcomed. These may bo sent to Miss Rothenberg, Soldiers' Club, Sydney Street, who will duly pack and forward them.

The swimming sports of the Wellington Girls' College are to be held at the Thorndon Baths on Friday, weather permitting. The "old girls' " race is arranged to take place at twelve o'clock, and it is hoped there will bo many entrants.

Ths Woman of TO'day. During tlio course of her lecture, givi'ii in the .Emerson Hall last evening, Mies C'ollisson said that, it was timo to put out carefully for inspection all the okl prcconcoivnd idens of the woniiinly woman. The old notion of the womanly woman was she whose ideas wniß confined to the home alone —who bakpd and washed, aiid saw to it that hor good man's slippcre were warmed by the fire. Now, if we annepted that notion,- what to-day was to Iki done with the thousands of women who have not, and never will, have homes of, their own ? Many a wnman hud sent off tn the front the man slio loved, receiving nothing of the joy of true married life. Siioli women would in many cases prefoi to cherish a sacred memory rather than to marry someone else. Then the birthrate showed 'is 'that about! onethird of our women cannot marry unless polygamy were authorised. How about Ihcso women? Thero were no fires for them.to tend, no warm embraces to nnso a days work, no home to care for. It was tho mission and privilege of thn Workers' Educational Association to offer to womon the widening experience of free mental expansion. If there must bo a generation of bachelor women, see to it that they ivtre trained mentally, that they got Die cbanco of going to tbe mountain peaks, and were not bound to the valleys, where the ''womanly" so-called careers Would not help them. The true womanly qualities were. Miss Collis--601! considered, ivide tolerance, deep understanding, everlaeting sympathy, and eternal love.

The monthly meeting of the Soldiers' Club Committee was hold yosteiday morning, and there was a large attendance. Feeling reference was made, to the death of the late Mrs. Hordman, a member of the committee, whose readiness to help on the, work of the club, and whose sweetness of disposition had endeared her to all those associated with her. A good deal of business was transacted, and a record of steady and successful work presented. Numerous letters from soldiers on active service continue to arrive, and one and nil express their pleasnut memories of kindnesses received at tho club.

The Committee of tho Patriotic Cake Room thank tho following donors of cakes, subscriptions, etc.:—Mes- . dames Smitton, Holmes, Meek, Isaacs, Gavin, Hurst, A. Williams, Fulton, "Anonymous," and the Misses Wheeler (2), Didsbury, Macintosh, Kirkcaldie, Gavin, and Von Dadelszen.

To Wash Crepe de Chine, Crepo de chine underwear is easily laundered at home (states a writer in the "Sydney Morning Herald"). On tho care with which it is washed depends its resistance to wear. Only dissolved soap should he used. This is tho important point, because by the dissolution the alkali in the soap is dispersed, and alkali, including ammonia, weakens the fibre of silk immediately, and also spoils the colour. AVarm, not hot, water is used, and the garment must be well shaken to free it from dust before being washed, but uover allowed to soak. All that is needed is to make a' good lather of the soap in warm water, put tlie well-shaken garment into it, and knead and squeeze it about in the suds. Some parts, such as collars, may have to be rubbed, possibly with a. cake of soap, to get them clean, but otherwise there must bo no rubbing. When clean, rinse out in warm water to free the garments from soap, and then in clean water, to clear them. Roll up as dry as possible in a bath towel, extracting all possible moisture; shake out, and let dry. in the sun. Crepe de cliino dries very quickly. When nearly dry press with a cool iron on the wrong side, and the work is done. It is sometimes desired to stiffen crepo do chine blouses after washing, and this is done by rinsing the garment in gum water after the clearing cold rinse. One dessertspoonful of gum water to half a pint gives sufficient stiffness to a good quality crepe de chine; the addition of a little methylated spirit makes the material glossy, i . ■ •■ ■ I

Mrs. E. Powell, of Grant Road, is visiting her daughter, Mrs. E. Wiffen, Golden Downs, Nelson.

' The members of the Pioneer Club are holding a reception this morning for Miss Collisson and.Mrs. Shaw.

Last Monday evening the W.N.R, Girls' Club was addressed by Mrs. Seville, a member of the W.N.R. executive. Mrs. Seville, who has recently returned from a visit to Australia, gave an interesting account of some of the patriotic work that is being done there. ■. Sito spoke especially of tho magnificent work being carried on by the A.C.F. . This organisation not only provides comforts for the Australian soldiers while in the firing line, but looks after them when on leave. Mrs. Seville also gave a short description of the work done by the Babies' Kit Society in Australia, which provides out/its for war orphans.