WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 49, 7 June 1910, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

THE TRUE WOMAN Make not an idol of Her: tlhat iway lies Sorrow, and disillusion, and regret; For though in part divine. She is not yet A goddess of unfathomed mysteries, Nor yet all Angel, nor so overwise But that temptation lures Her; She hath, met Despair, known yearning; on the same road set As are your feet, she strives, she laughs, she cries. But when life wounds, and when to live is good, The sorrow halved, 'the joy of man and woman Together shared, shall all your Heaven 'be, Ah! cherish her essential womanhood, Make not an idol of Her, She is human, But love Her for Her dear humanity. —(J.T. in Westminster Gazette.

Mme. REJANE'S SUCCESS. Mme. Kejane's first appearance on the variety stage attracted great numbers of people to the London Hippodrome. Her entrance on the stage in Meilhae aim Halevy's amusing little play "Lolotte" was the signal for an outburst of applause, which was continued until, with a slight nod of her head, she closured the enthusiasm. Mme. Re jane received *'.7-50 a week at the Hippodrome.

POPULAR JOKES The most popular joke which has been published in any language in the history of the world is stated to ibe that which appeared in an obscure corner of the "Punch Almanac" for 1845. It read: "Advice to persons about to marry— Don't!" It would be interesting to know who was the author. Another, founded on a similar subject, was the 'Advice to persons who have 'fallen in, love'—Fall out!*' i

SIR RUFUS ISAACS' TALENTED SISTERS

Sir Rufus Isaacs, brilliant as he is, has not a monopoly of ability in his family. He. is .proud of his 'two sisters. The younger, Esther, is married to the distinguished young dramatist, Mr. Alfred SutrOj-and is a painter of no small ability. The elder sister, Frances, married one of the (best-known of the foreign journalists in Paris, Mr. Albert Keyzer, who was editor of the old "Gfllignani," afterwards the "Daily Messenger." Mrs. Keyser is not only a frequent contributor to London papers, in which she deals mainly with chiffons and other (feminine fripperies; she is an extremely acute critic of art, and enjoys the personal friendshLp of all the most distinguished painters in Paris. Her charming salon in the Villa Duipont has many valuable (pictures, presentations from such famous men as Carriere and Roll.

THE LORDS AND MRS. NORTON .. There is a striking oommentary on the present British political crisis m the Memoir lately published of Caroline Norton, better known as the Hon. Mrs. Norton, Sheridan's beautiful granddaughter and the author of "Juanita" and many pretty songs that have survived her own generation. In Mrs. Norton's days the law so stood that a woman separated from a brutal husband, without a stain on her character, could be deprived even of a sight of her children. For four yea,rs this unfortunate lady was in such a case. By dint of the energy due to passionate maternal devotion, she dre,w up and got brought before the House of Commons the Custody of Infants Bill. Passed easily ■ through the Lower House again and again, the Bill was contumeliously rejected by the Lords, who finally, 'however, found themselves obliged to submit to public opinion.

THE HAT AND THE STAGE The great hat question is coming up again, and it appears that a court of law will have 'to settle the triangular duel of .the lady in the hat, the man who rudely told her to take it off, and the theatrical manager wlu> asfced her to discuss the matter on the other side of the door. It is not for us to anticipate the jokes of the judge; and: the duty of a woman to keep her head covered is inculcated by that arbiter of women's fashions—St. Paul. But the point to be decided is not whether a woman has the right to keep her head covered—we will all concede that willingly—hut whether 3he has the right to keep the stage covered.—London paper.

DOMESTIC SERVANTS. A correspondent writes as follows to the Christehurch Press on the domestic servant question: —"Here the maid receives £52 a year, has a comfortable (bedroom, good food, same as the family. She rises at 7. A washerwoman is employed for the washing. A boy for the hoots. Besides these, the ladies of the house attend to the bedrooms, the draw-ing-room, etc., et. The domestic has one afternoon off in the week, and every other Sunday afternoon and evening. As the family consists of only four (no children), and the house is fitted with every modern convenience, it is quite clear that the work cannot be arduous, and our maid earns a good wage. Now, how does this compare with a clerk ■whom I heard of the other day who has a wife and five children, earns £2 a week:, works from 9 to 6, and 'as often as not goes back to his office four nights out of the week?"

SITUATION WON BY PLUCK Nurse Shotton, whose home is at Salisbury (says the Daily Express), has won 'the position of assistant superintendent nurse at Braintree Workhouse Infirmary by a notable exhibition of pluck and determination. Miss Shotton, who was one of three selected candid-

ates, travelled from Salisbury to London, only to find that she was just too late to catch a train from uw-iyaoi street to Braintree. She ascertained that she would be too late if she waited for the next train, so she telegraphed to the guardians that she had missed her train and was coming by taxicab. She got off by taxicab, but before she had covered half the journey through Essex something went wrong with the motor, and the taxicab stopped. She was determined to get ti> Braintree, and helped the driver'to repair the motor. After some delay the taxicab started again, and Miss Shotton reached Braintree Workhouse just in time. The guardians were impressed by her spirit of determination, and unanimously elected her to the post.

THE "BEST GIRL." The "best girl"—an innovation at weddings, the feminine equivalent, as it were, of the "ibest man"—made a successful debut at St. Paul's Church, Knightshridge, at the wedding of Mr. Arthur Randolph, son of the late Mr. Arthur Randolph, loth Hussars, of East Court. Malmesbury, and Miss Saffron Pickersgill-Cunliffe, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Pickersgill-Cunliffe, of Stoughton Manny, Huntingdonshire. Certainly she • i vfonned her duties with much grate, "'i 1 made a picturesque figure as she 5t0....l to the left of the ■bride in her c' -, ess of pale blue -a:m charmeuse and large black hat wreathed with pink lwes. bu: whether other brides will adopt the idea remains to he seen.

The "best:g::i'' (Miss Coxhend) arrived at the church some little time before the bride, and at once proceeded to the top of the centre aisle, where she took up her position on the left-hand aide, exactly opposite the best man. and there awaited the coming of the bride, upon whom, during the ceremony, she attended in much the same manner as the bridegroom is attended by his ibest man. She held her bouquet and gloves and generally "supported" the bride by iier presence. . t „. ' , «.,< ' ■■l,]\-WW, WORLD WORKERS FOR YOIfNG " WOMEN.

■ From May 18th to 20th the fourth conference of the World's Young Women's Christian Association, under the presidency of Frau von Bethmann Hollweg, was to .take place at Berlin. Delegates were expected from all the 17 national sections, ami they were to include a number of outstanding leaders of Christian work amongst women, such as Mrs. J. Herbert Tritton, London; Paston BurcMiardt, Berlin; Miss Grace Dodge, Xew York; Countess Knoch, Copenhagen; Mile. Morin, Paris; Baroness Marie Xikolai, St. Petersburg; Mrs. Mackichan, Bombay; Miss Kawai, Japan; Dr. Ida Kahn, China; Mrs. Birks, Adelaide; and many others. Mr. John R. Mott was to give the opening address, on 'The Evangelisation of the World," and several experts on social problems were to ibe amongst the speakers, including Miss Constance Smith, Christian Social Union in Great Britain. Miss Florence Sims, an eminent social worker in New York; Miss Ruth Rouse, travelling secretary of the World's Student Christian Federation; M. Elie Gounelle and M. Boegner, of Paris; Professor Seeburg, Professor Mahling and Pastor Le Seur, of Berlin.

MARRIAGE WITHOUT COURTSHIP. Donna Felisment was a friend and contemporary of my aunt. One fine day —she was then 15 and un.promised, as far as she knew —to her came her mother, bidding her prepare without delay to go to the church, ''for it is necessary that you make confession." At the altar her bridegroom awaited her, and the knot was tied without further aao. Her family were ''Fadalgos," or longpedigreed aristocrats. So, ,too, was that of a certain Doima Amelia Albuerque, whom my aunt well know. She also, at the ripe age of 15,. willingly engaged herself to a man whom she had never seen, the young folks meeting for the first time as she stepped from the 'boat which took her up the river to Coimhra, and from which she walked direct to church. It comes as a surprise to learn that both these marriages turned out well. 'Near Coimbra, 'in the Quinta das Lagvimas, once the home of the ill-fated Inez de Castro, whose blood is said to still stain the threshold, there lived, and not so very long ago ) yet another girl friend of my aunt's who* took her husband without any previous acquaintance. She not only acted of her own free will, but from punctilious courtesy (much admired at the tim», I am told—l fear I should have found a different name for it) declined to receive his portrait beforehand "as he had the delicacy not to ask for hers." My aunt's sister-m-iaw was married under similar conditions; indeed, such instances might have been multiplied a generation back. But now girls, even in Portugal, are growing sadly emancipated and independent, and though God knows it is little enough they ever see of their fiances, they do at least insist on an introduction!— From "Letter from a Portuguese Country House" in the Cornhill Magazine.