WOMAN’S WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 227, 20 June 1921, Page 2

WOMAN’S WORLD.

MATTERS OF INTEREST FROM FAR AND NEAR.

(BY

Imogen.)

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Mrs. David L. Nathan, cf Auckland, president of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Women’s Zionist Society, arrived in Wellington yesterday morning. Mrs. Nathan is visiting Wellington in connection with the movement to send a Jewish Plunket nurse to Palestine. She will deliver a lecture on the subject to the Jewish women of Wellington in the Synagogue schoolroom.

At the monthly committee meeting cf the District Nursing Guild of St. John there were present: Mesdamcs Moorhouse (presiding), Balcombe Brown, Corrigan. Strong, Young, Sister Macandiew, and Miss Howley (hon. secretary). A cordial welcome was extended to jfrs. Strong, who had consented to join the committee temporarily on behalf of the Khandallah Nursing Guild. Reference was made to the honour that had been conferred on Sir John Luke and Lady Luke, and it was resolved that a letter of congratulation be sent to them on behalf of the committee. The nurses reported that the number cf patients on the register was 2810, 24 were registered during the past month, 20 discharged, 7 admitted to the hospital, 2 to convalescent home, and 2d remain on the register. The total number of treatments given was 286, of which 203 were given -at tho patients’ own homes. Gifts received during the month (soup, puddings, rice, sago, macaroni, three cases of apples, a syringe, an ear-trumpet, old linen, and various articles of clothing, boots, and shoes) camo from Allport and Scott, Mrs. Churcn, Mrs. Keene, Mrs. Moorhouse. Mrs. King, Mrs. Young, Two Garment Society- (per Mrs. Philip Nathan), Khandallah Sewing Guild, and several anonymous donors. Donations for purchasing coal and other comforts for the sick were also received from Mrs. Ewing, Mrs. Fisher, and Mrs. Balcombe Brown. Gifts of old clean white rag for bandaging are always acceptable.

In connection with the Catholic Ladies’ Club a registry office has been established. Tho committee has secured the services of Miss O. Hagan, and feels assured of much success in the new venture.

The monthly meeting of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Petone and Lower Hutt branch) was held last week. There were present: Mesdames Kirk (in tho chair), Harman, Hansford-Johnstone, J. Cameron. Haslam, Ewen, Jones, Bird, Chilman, Huthnance, Wyett, and Cook, and Miss Williams. Tho secretary reported that a second permanent Plunket nurse had been applied for, and would shortly be available. The committee placed on record its appreciation of the excellent way in which Mrs. Lodge had ■performed her duties as relieving nurse for the past threo months. The sum realised by the recent jumble sale amounted to JD2 4s. sd. The nurse’s report was ns follows: —Number of visits paid to homes, 289; number of visits paid to rooms, adults, 241; infants, 246; number of new cases, 17; expectant mother, I: mothers shown how to prepare humanised milk, 19; cases under supervision. 435. The following donations and subscriptions were gratefully acknowledged:—Mrs. M’Kenzie, Is.; Mi*. Neave, Jil Is.; Mrs. G. Cook, J 32; Miss Barnieont. .£1; Mrs. Mitchell, £1; Miss Peach. Jll; Mr. G. Cook, JCI; Mrs. Eames, 10s.; Mrs. Gaynor, 10s.; Mrs. Bird. 55.; Mrs. W. Jenness, 55.; sale of clothes amounted to d?2 16s. 3d.; sale of books, 13s. Gd.; sugar of milk, 125.; contents of Hutt box, £2 ss. 9d.; Petone box. dll 18s.

Misp Lyra Taylor, of the legal firm 'of Kirk, W'ilson, and Taylor, has arrived in London from AVellington, and is staying with her sister at Hammersmith (states a London correspondent). After spending about threo months in tho city, Miss Taylor proposes to visit Paris before returning to New Zealand. > ‘

Mrs. Selby Palmer (Hawke’s Bay) and her children are guests of Mrs. Wells, Christchurch.

Colonel and Mrs. Norton-Griffiths have arrived in Christchurch from Egypt on a short visit to Mr. and Mrs. Claude Ferner, after which they will leave for India.

Mrs. W. llelmore has returnedtq Christchurch from a visit to the North Island.

On Saturday afternoon a very, pleasant party was given by Mrs. Hall and Miss Queenio Hall at their home at Ngaio as a farewell to Mrs. F. AV. Bevin, of AAellington, who will leave shortly to live in AVanganui. Competitions and music entertained the guests, tho winners of the former being Miss Bridson and Mrs. Carr. Among those who were present, in addition to Mrs. Bevin, were the Misses Bridson, Buttle, Blakesley, Maudsley (2), Zohrab, Mackenzie, Duncan, Mrs. loiiilinson Miss Warburton, Miss Jean Sellar, and Miss S. Barraud. During the afternoon Miss Duncan played pianoforte solos and Mrs. Carr san£. Mr. r. A • Bevin has been transferred, to the \V anganui b ra Dch of the Bank of New Zealand.

AVhile on the way to New Zealand from England, a passenger 'by the Arawa, Mrs. AV. M’Cormack, gave birth to a baby girl. The little one is named June Arawa M'Cormack, to commemorate the month and the ship- She might have fared worse, judging by some of the commemorative names that have been bestowed upon infants since the war.

Miss I’. Girdler arrived ih AA ellington by the -Arawa yesterday, on route for Auckland.

The wedding took place in the Mount Eden Methodist Church, Auckland, on June 14. of Miss Constance Elizabeth Elliott, third daughter of Mrs. Elliott, Masterton, and the late Mr. James Elliott to Mr. Thomas Ernest Lang, youngest son of Mrs. C. Lang, of Napier. The Rev. W. Slade officiated and Mies Olive Garland was at the organ. Mr. George Elliott gave his sister away, and the Misses Rita, and Isla Elliott attended ns bridesmaids. Mr. J. Justice, of Palmerston North, was best man, and Mr. Me ■Wiseman, of Auckland, groomsman. A reception was held at the residence of Mrs. Elliott and later the bride and bridegroom left for Rotorua.

Mrs. AV. P. James and Mrs. Norman James' (Masterton) are visiting AVellington.

The death took place in Auckland last week of Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, widow of tho late Mr. Thomas Henry Smith, who retired In 1876 from the position of Judge of tho Native Land Court. Mrs. Smith was a sister of Mr. Fulloon, a Government officer, who. with companions, was murdered by Hauhau fanatics at Whakatane on June 17, 1565.

The Misses M. and A. Packard, late of Petone, left Auckland by the Niagara last week for a visit to the United States and Canada. Miss A. Packard intends studying child welfare work m New York.

On AVednesday last, at the Anglican Church, Ngaio, Mr. Oriel Arthur Brisco was married to Miss Lilian F. Saunderson. Both-ere well known in Palmerston North, Mrs. Brisco having been in charge of the Pensions Department there for the last four years. Mr. Brisco’s parents reside at Palmerston North. The wedding was a quiet one, and was attended only by relatives and very close friends. The Rev. Hands performed the ceremony.

Mias Esma North will leave next Thursday by the Moeraki for Sydney. She will be in Australia for a month, and will then join the Osterley for England, where she will remain for about two years.

The following promotion and retirement in the New Zealand Army Nursing Service are announced in the Gazette: — “Sister Margaret Georgina Davies io be charge sister. (Dated June 9, 1921.; Charge Sister Mary O’Connor is posted to the Retired List. (Dated June 8, 1921.)”

An interesting evening was' spent by tho Civic Group (W.N.C.), on Friday, wllen a number of members met Mrs. M’Vicar, the one woman member of the City Council, and discussed civic affairs. Mrs. M'Vicar gavo a brief description of the work of some of the committees, which was enlightening to many present, and answered a number of questions. The lack of means was lamented when the quest@i of more lavatory accommodation fww women and children was brought forward. The parks and. reserves are not well supplied in this respect, and some of those present asked Mrs. M'Vicar to keep this matter in view. The appointing of other women as sanitary inspectors was urged insistently, as the one at present employed cannot possibly do all the inspecting necessary from the women’s jioint of view and the women present were of opinion that this is notably women's work. The Civic Group is keenly interested in every detail of civic affairs, and the woman councillor was assured of th® hearty co-operation of the group at any time.

Mrs. T. Knight (Wanganui) will leava next week for a visit to Java, Singapore, and Japan.

Girls and the University

Commenting upon Capping Day at Syd« ney University a correspondent in “Sydney Morning Herald" writes: 'That n woman should stand fiust this year was, in a sense, typical of the whole university situation. Our girls are so eager now to be really cultured. They must have education, and only the best is good enough for them. They come so thick and fast that all the big wigs and dons both hero and in England are frankly puzzled by the situation, and say as much. The Chancellor said that the number of students, male and female, last year constituted a record. Authorities do not know how to handle their big lecture classes. The teaching machine is in danger of being choked by its raw material, Archdeacon Davies, principal of Moreo Theological College, affirmed that women students are systematically blocked from entering full university membership at Cambridge liecause there is no room for them. TherS are waiting lists at all the women’® colleges, both at Oxford and Cambridge, and a subscription list has been opened here for the building of St. Hilda’s, anew college for wdnien, at Oxford. What is to be done about it all? Many Australiali girls cast longing eyes at th® older seats of learning, as it puts the crown on their intellectual achievements to claim Girton, Newnham, or Lady Margaret’s as their “spiritual home." ■ They stand in the culture-queue and take their turn. Our own women’s zbllege is to be extended. There are several aspects of the question, but boiled down, for women in this State, it resolves itself into, “Are our girls coming on too fast?” “Will there be enough jobs to go round?” The late Sir George Reid could alone have answered these two queries, for the answer is “Yes-No" to both. The girls of this period are too quick to get on. They run too fast to catch themselves up. First-year girls in every course are now too young and. immature (of course, there are exceptions). They are callow. To-day they have not grasped the inner meaning of any of their subjects, nor have learned . to group, to collate, and to adapt their knowlego is to be 100 crushingly “highbrow.” But something like that expresses the mental backwardness o£ the average girl “fresher." She is not up to university standard. The “soft snaps" at exams, partly bring this about. Useless undigested knowledge is mer® cramming. A later age for entrance might be made compulsory. The quest tioa is confessedly difficult. To stop educating our girls in any direction would be fatal. Now, if at any time, and as never before, every citizen must be trained to put forth the best qualities of both heart and head. For we must all help to put the world on it® feet again. Women's Wear.

Every woman in London would havo liked to be at the Agricultural HaU, Islington, during the AVomen’s Wear Exhibition. which was opened this week, states the London correspondent of "The Australasian." writing on April 7. Paris and .New York vied with London in their displays of the new frocks and other feminine “chiffons”; but only the "trade" were allowed a glimpse of the fashions which are to rule during the spring and summer. For the trade and a few favoured journalists there were two and a half miles of shop-fronts filled with models of new coats and skirts, with dress materials, and the jumpers, shoes, parasols, which will be worn during the coming season. As I have hinted, the skirt of 1921 will bo rather longeß and fuller, but will be cut on straight; lines. AA’omen will not be asked to sacrifice the comfort of a short dress, though the skimpy skirt of last year will qo longer be worn by women who know the right from the wrong in dress, AA'aists are to be ent long,* giving * negligee effect in afternoon and evening gowns. As for colours, they are generally bright, orange, and blues being specially popular. The girl who desires to be quite up to date may wear a smoking jumper and a smoking-cap. fha mannequin who displayed this novelty at the AVomen’s AVear Exhibition wore a quain(: jumper of crepe do chine, embroidered w.th medallions royal blue, red, and gold. The smoking-cap. with its pretty tassels, was made to match. Four-foot long parasols, recalling the Empire- period, are recommended for garden parties and regattas, where a touch of tho bizarre is allowable. Hand--painted stockings, warranted to wash, were also on shoo'.) A novelty in sporta clothes was lawn tennis headwear, which z took the form of a brightly coloured silk' handkerchief of bold design, worn in the turoan style, , In. the French gowns of the hour, brick-red is a popular colour. Navy-blue serge, embroidered in red, red embroidered in black, or black gowns with red coats, are colour combinations which are often seen. "So is scarlet and navy blue or scarlet and pale grey, the scarlet being used with care, as, for ex. ample, in the buttons or in pocket-pip-ings.