WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 98, 3 August 1910, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

WOMEN THE WORLD OVER. A pleasant function at American colleges for girls is for the young women, prior to the break-up for the holidavs, to pay annual "homage to Cupid." *At Vassar it takes the form of a supper, to which only the elders go, and sitting in solemn conclave they call a roil of those who have become' brides-elect during the term just past. Fifteen shv confessions were made by fifteen blushing seniors in June fast, and each girl who pleaded guilty to the indictment showed her tell-tale ring, if she had one. Among those found guiity was Miss Edith Taft, niece of the President, who " 'f essed up," and with the other blushing maidens was showered with congratulations. Twelve other seniors were described as "suspects," but were too shy to own up, and received a mild "ragging."

The heroism of a Spanish nun (Sister Alegiria) recently received public recognition at 'Melita from the commander of the Spanish forces there. In the presence of all the military and civil forces he decorated her with the Bed Cross of the Order of Military Merit. Sister Alegiria had only just recovered from an operation she underwent on behalf of a wounded soldier, who was in a desperate condition, after an engagement with the Riffians. It was necessary to graft ok him some skin .taken from another person, and the sister offered herself as a sacrifice, saying that the life of the soldier was of more value to the Fatherland than hers. The operation was successful, but for a long time the sister's recovery was doubtful.

The attention. Of the authorities at St, Petersburg ha* been directed to the fact that Volga Maholiiedan girls have lately sold in the open market. Enquiries go to show that .these girls were forcibly abducted, and sold to agents from Turkey and Persia at prices ranging from £5 to £25, according to age and personal charms. The local officials did not raise any. obstacles to the sale. And this is "Holy Russia" in the twentieth century!

Madame Yvette Guilbert, the famous French actress, is an ardent suffragette. She was not able to take part in the great demonstration at London on June 14, and in her letter of apology wrote:— "It is impossible for me to take part in your procession, toeing professionally prevented from doing so, but be sure if I am not with you *vith my feet I shall be with my heart. I hope our cause will be victorious one day."

Mrs. May Goddard, of Durham, Mo. (U.S.A.), is said to be the oldest Quaker preacher in the world. She has just celebrated (in June) her 100 th birthday, and has been preaching for eighty years.

In the Bookman there is an interesting article oil Mrs. Alfred Sidgwick, who made such a success last autumn with | her novel, "The Severins." Mrs. Sidg- ! wick is one of the few living novelists ' who can make quite ordinary "nice" people She has the gift resembling that pf the Dutch painters, of i making domestic interiors the material of a very fine art. Herself of German parentage, though brought up in England, she has the advantage of knowing intimately the home life of the' two na° tjons and some of her most successful novels, such as "Cynthia's Way" and "The Professor's Legacy," deal with the situations arising from- the clash of English and German domestic traditions. Her most serious work, "Home Life in' , Germany," is almost a classic. I

| "The Electric Mary Ann" is the name I of a curious little electric motor which has been invented by Mr. R, Borlase Matthews to hedp solve the perennial servant problem. The "Mary 'Ann" in question is as small as an ordinary typewriter, but is possessed of extraordinary powers when put in gear and set driving at those tasks which are the dispair of the maidless housewife. This pleasing substitute revels in black-leading, plate- , cleaning, potato-pearing, washing, wringing, and so forth. She never strikes for higher wages, wants no nights out, and never leaves when unexpected guests arrive.

The Italian Chamber of Deputies has just granted women in .trade the right to vote.

The well-known authoress, Mrs. Elinor Glyn, is writing a hook which deals with life in Russia, and it is being eagerly looked forward to in St. Petersburg, where Mrs. Glyn spent two months with the Grand Duchess Marie-Pavlona, widow of the Grand Duke Vladimir . The Grand Duchess met Mrs. Grlyn abroad, and explained to her that the higher circles of Russian society were usually quite wrongly and prejudicially represented in foreign novels, and she invited the writer of "The Visits of Elizabeth" to become her guest for a long period, so that she might study at firsl hand a few aristocratic families, and portray them truthfully. A sister of lElinor Glyn is Lady Duff-Gordon, who has made a name for herself by her lovely dress creations.

In February, 1909, Mrs. Meredith, one of the English suffragettes, was sentenced to a term of imprisonment in default of finding sureties for an attempt to obtain, an interview with Mr. Asquith. While in prison she was ordered to take exercise in stormy weatheiywith the result that she fell and fractured her thigh. Her condition was grave, but the prison officials did not appreciate its serii ousness, and refused her request to conIsulttsa doctor. Next the X-rays were. ; applied, and it was found that she had j sustained a fracture of the thigh, and ' that owing to the treatment she had received she would be lame for life. The matter,was reported to the Home Office during Mr. Gladstone's administration, and a demand made for redress, but no result followed. Mrs. Meredith there- & t,

upon consulted a solicitor, on whose advice an action against the prison authorities was commenced. Mr. Churchill, having gone into the case, has agreed to pay Mrs. Meredith £SOO, as well as the whole of her.costs.

The late King left a considerable sum of money for Princess Victoria (says the World), who will ultimately become owner of a small property near Sandringham. She is very fond of country life, and is' credited with having en, taste for horticulture, which she will be able to gratify to her heart's content.

In the graduate class at Willesley College, reports the Springfield Republican, out of 226 girl students only eight are counting on marriage as a vocation. It adds: "You might as well nowadays require all the men in a college to choose marriage as a calling as to ask the women."

Mrs. Scott, the wife of the leader of the coming (Antarctic expedition, and who is eoming out with him via the Cape, is an expert mountaineer. She has done a great deal of Alpine climbing, says Mr. Taylor, physiographer to the Federal Meteorological Department, and also a member of the expedition. "She has done more in that way than any woman I have heard of," he said to a Sydney journalist. "She is also interested in social problems and the work of the Fabian Society."

About twelve months ato the first woman accountant wt.s admitted to membership of the London Association of Accountants, and in May of last year she was the .only lady member present at the annual dinner of the Association. Since then, however, about five other women have j>een adinitted to membership pf the Association, which confers' on them the privilege of writing "Certified Accountant" after their names, and, the right to use the letters F.L.A.A. or A.L.A.A, All these ladies had been in practice as accountants for some years prior to receiving their certificates from the Association. The London Association of Accountants is the only ineorporal body which has granted certificates to women accountants. The Institute of Chartered Accountants will not recognise women, nor admit them as members of the Institute. They base their refusal on the fact that while their charter states the conditions on wh'ieh "a per- 1 son" can be admitted to membership, the 1 definition of the word person is "a male,"! and they are therefore prohibited fromj extending the privileges of membership! to women. In order to do away withj this anomaly, the women accountants at; present practising in London are peti-j tioning Parliament to declare that the word "person" in the Institute's charter shall be interpreted to mean either sex. j

Mrs. Gateman, a bride of three months, is being applauded (says the N'ew York correspondent of the Daily Telegraph) as New York's bravest woman. A burglar entered her bedroom at four o'clock in the morning, and commenced to collect articles of value. Without disturbing her husband, who slept heavily by her side, or even two young men lodgers in an adjoining room, Mrs. Gateman crept from the bed. With a hatpin in one hand and an iron spittoon in the other, she fell upon the man. The burglar was in full flight, and backing towards the kitchen he grappled with the lady. They fought ferociously. The woman clutched the burglar's throat, and with her other hand grabbed a rolling-pin from the table, belaboring him severely. The man tried to escape by the window, to which a fire escape was attached. Mrs. Gateman saw her chance, and hurled her weight—she is nearly 12 stone—against him. The burglar fell to the stone-flag-ged court 60ft below, and was killed instantaneously. Still lightly clad, Mrs. Gateman now explored the roof, believing that the burglar bad a companion, but this theory proved fallacious. Meanwhile Mr. Gateman and the lodgers were still sleeping soundly, and the former did not wake till the valiant wife returned. "What's the matter?" he asked, and for answer Mrs. Gateman leaned out of the window and pointed to the body below, saying, "That's a man I caught in our bedroom and pushed through the window." )

The Nippon Women's University, popularly termed the "Japanese Girton," is in many respects the most remarkable college in the world. Its ideal is to combine the higher scholastic education, such as male students receive at the university, along with a special training, for women as the wives and mothers for the I nation. There you may see a sweet girl ! graduate engaged one hour with a prob- ! lem in Euclid, and the next hour making a pudding, learning hoitPeVeeping accounts, or practising the etiquette of the tea ceremony (says Sarah Al Tooley). It is assumed in Japan that every girl will marry; the sexes are so equally divided that tltere are few unmarried women, arid the term "old maid" is scarcely known., Upon this supposition the education of women is conducted in schools of all grades, and the university is no exception, On 20th April,. 11*01, the university was opened with 300 students in the University Departments, and 500 pupils in- the Girls' High School attached to the University. New the students number 1300, and of these 800 are boarded in the college. There is a teaching staff of 80. The Empress gave the Uni-I versity a grant of momey, and it possesses a total endowment of 500,000 yen. The girl graduate of Japan is distinctly bright and clever, and is very much in earnest. (Her new life brings her many pleasures. One must fiave been reared in the seclusion and l strict family discipline of "a Japanese home in the provinces! to realise the joyful independence and so-1 cial delight of student life in Tokio. The girls find plenty of time for healthful recreation* in the grounds of the University. They play tennis with great zest, and are now learning to play croquet, while some of the more adventurous spirits are toying hookey, tat their favorite game of all is a modified form of the American basket-ball. They practise th.a Swed&h system of physical culture. The ■.dents are beginning to form little

clubs and societies amongst themselves, and are rapidly developing a social college life.

Two or three Sundays ago a lady known to a writer in the Spectator was walking in Regent's Park. She paused for a few moments on the ouskirts of a small crowd which had gathered round a preacher. The sermon was not interesting, and her attention was soon distracted by the conversation of two working men standing near her. "I don't 'old very much with religion myself," said the first. "My 'ome is my 'eaven, my wife is my Gawd, my children are my angels," ''Darned good religion, I call it," ejaculated his friend; and they walked on out of earshot. It is rather startling that such an uncompromising expression of domesticity should have come from the mouth of a man, and should have been warmly approved by the man to whom it was spoken. That a woman's ideals should be bounded by her home is what we all expect. But this workman went further than we think any woman would go. Substitute the word "husband" for "wife" in the second clause of this man's creed, and ■where could you find a woman to say it? We commend the story to the stuii'ragettes and to all upholders of the rights of the down-trodden woman of the working class! The truth we believe to be that men and women are very much more alike than it is the fashion to suppose in these days of sex problems. An immense number of men live entirely for their families. Still, woman no doubt is .on the whole the more domestic of the two creatures. The matter is provable. If a ■woman has no home life of her own, she can make a"*centre of interest in the home life of some other woman. This is beyond the power of the most domestic man. Mrs. Geqrge Wemyss has just written a remarkably pretty book called "The Professional Aunt." The character she depicts is common, but there are ho professional uncles!

The superintendent of the culinary department of the new club in London will be Mr. Henri Prugefy the celebrated gastronomic artist who was engaged about eighteen months ago at a salary of £BOOO to manage the Cade do l'Opera (the "Millionaire's Restaurant,' as it was called) in New York. That venture failed to maintain its original aim, mainly, it will be remembered, through its exactions in the matter of evening dress, and Mr. Pruger came back to London and civilisation (writes a correspondent). The failure in New York did not affect him professionally, for he had previously made a European reputation by a display of his "genius" at the Savoy Hotel, where you can run up a bill of £2O in a couple of hours. It is one of the ironies of London that the splendid Sa-! voy restaurant immediately overlooks the precise spot on the Thames Embankment where hundreds of shivering men j assemble in double line'night after night' throughout each winter, and wait under j a police guard for soup tickets supplied' to them from a Salvation Army shelter. j Last year, according to an official return, | there were 0644 homeless men and wo- j men in London,