WOMAN'S WORLD

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 225, 17 June 1920, Page 2

WOMAN'S WORLD

SOCIAL AND?ERSONAL An appeal is made by the W.N.Rt Girls' Club for flowers to put on th« soldiers and sailors' graves at Karori. Every Tuesday members of the club go to Karori for this purpose, but sometimes there is a great shortage and only foliage can be It may not be. known that flowers can be sent by mail free of charge provided they are imarked, "Flowers for Soldiers' Graves" and addressed, to the ' secretary, Women's National Reserve Girls' Club, 157 Featherston Street. They can also be left at the ReturhcT Soldiers' Club, the store opposite the Botanical Gardens, and (ho store at Karori near the cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Alex. Veitch and the Misses Veitch leave on a lengthy .visit . to Sydney, next week. The monthly meeting of the Wellington Methodist Women's Auxiliary of Foreign Missions was held in the Northland Church on Tuesday afternoon, Mrs. Johnson Wright presiding and leading the devotional exercises. A good attendance of members. represented the various churches of the city and suburbs. After considering routine busi- . ness the Eer. C. ,C. Harrison (Thorndon) briefly addressed the gathering. Afternoon tea.was provided by the Northland members of the auxiliary. It was decided that the next meeting should be devoted to "Susgcstions" by members for increasing interest in and 'the efficiency of the organisation. ■ Miss Hie Richardson has returned frnra America, where she has been on a ■visit for a year. Her health is. greatly improved by the long Test and change. She, is staying, at present with her sinter,' Mrs. Guy Powles. Heretaunga.i .The engagement is announced of Miss Trixio Holmwood, eldesti daughter of Mrs. A. Holmwood, of Chapel ' Street, Masterton, to Mr. Richard Pilmer, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Pilmer, of South Eoad, Masterton. An event that in pre-war days via always looked forward to with much interest was the Star Boating Club tall, and now that this annual fixture is to bo revived it may lie anticipated that even greater keenness will be iaken in. it. On this occasion- it will bo held in the Town Hall, and very special arrangements are being made to secure its success, * " Mr. and Mrs. M'Nair returned to Wellington this week from a visit to Sydney and Melbourne. , Sister Marsh has resigned her position us relieving sister to the Wairarapa Hospitol and Charitable' Aid Board. , • Miss Daniell has returned to Masterton from Wellington. '-' . • "White Ribbon" Gathering at Petone, : To celebrate the anniversary of the inception •' of the "White Ribbon' a social afternoon was 'held under the auspices of the Women's Christian Tern-, porance Union at the Petono Church of Christ vesterday. Mrs. Peryman, editor of the-"White Ribbon," gave a short address. She stated that that was. the twenty-fifth birthday of the paper, which had 3-MO subscriber.'. Mrs. Pervman spoke of the success of the Ameifciirt prohibition law, and how I the people had been .so satisfied with its , working in individual States that they had voted for constitutional' orolnbition ' over" the whole of the U.S.A. She urged men*era to circulate the White Ribbon" with a view to educating voters for the next poll. . Afternoon tea was 3 wrved, and a hearty vote of thanks to all assisting brought a pleasant-afternoon i. to a close. : ■. , i Items were contributed by the follow- !, ing:-Mrs.'-A. Blair, Testation; . itrs. I, Watkins. song; Mrs. Martin pianoforte i, solpi,Misses;.Creed,duet;;Master..C!eland, i, 'recitation... .... . : ..,!..:.. ~.

ITHE STATE AND THE MOTHER ■• : DEBTOR AND. CREDITOR.'.; .. .(By "Imogen.")... ■ • V ." In the course of his reply to the deputation frenr the Mothers' Help Division of the Women's National Reserve, asking for a subsidy to further the work of .the division in helping. mothers of families,' the Prime Minister said that he would put the request before his 'cblleaguee but he coild . not promise that subsidy. He further stated that the Government would hare to lie prepared to consider if it would do the same for all parts of New Zealand nnd that would involve great expenditure. Viewing the matter from a national standpoint it does not seem that any expenditure- in making, the lot of the mother a little easier in these hard davs would bo at all an -extravagance, but that it would be instead but fulfilling a long-postponed duty to, the inothere of the country. -As things are now the situation is getting intolerable, i and Unless some means of. bringing help to women with- families is brught into effect by the Government, thero will soon be no families at all in the country. \\ ithout the services performed by the women in bringing children-into the-world there can be no State, and that is the .position with which the country 13 gradually being faced, although those at {he head, of the State do not recognise it Nor should any schemo that is de-. vised to provide licln' for mothers rest upon private- subscriptions becauseSin fhe argument-the State rests upon the services of the mother,; and the State owes it to them to help them in that work. . . ' , Few''people are in so intimate a- relation with households throughout the country or are in so authoritative a position- to speak, as doctors and on all hinds thev have spoken iroin-time to time of the frequency of nervous breakdowns of .women, particularly ot mothers of families. No Government with vision would allow such a condign of affairs to. continue, a„d 'it most . certainly would not continue if there were, any women in-that Government. It is not onlv the physique of the mothers that iH -'impaired but also the phyj<P» « the children, and in the work that lies ahead of us all in the world tho test is needed both in mind and body. There has been some vague talk of a bonus or a pension or .an endowment for mother, but nothing would so ■benefit them as an organised scheme *at would bring help to all mothers who needed.it. And the State would I'anoOt by it trebly.. Some of the mos pitiable eases imaginable have been o-rougnt to the notice. of the Mother, Help DLvision.-and.it is time now that the mothers in the country met with the consideration they *«*"*'J£*JP* Hiers' Help Division has worked, out a pcheme, and has had-it m operation for ten months with a success that is selfovident: .All it needs is <v subsidy from the Statc-the.Shtcthat has hitherto been so oblivious of the it owes to its women.