WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 190, 21 November 1910, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted )>v "'Eileen'')

A LETTER FROM WAITARA.

On Thursday the Anglican Cliureli garden ]iarty was favored with ideal summer weather, and Mrs. M. Jones' gardens looked at their best for the occasion. A proces-don n f (he decorated go-carts, bicycles. barrow, etc.. was formed, and, headed by two boys mounted 011 decorated ponies, marched to the "rounds.

lhe following were the prize-winners in ' the decorative classes:—Bicycles: Miss M.! Jenkins 1, Miss A. Stoddart 2. Go-carts: Mrs. Kempsall 1, Mrs. Matthews 2, Mrs. Letts h.c. Push-carts: Miss F. Bullot 1. Miss (;. Coleman 2. Baby-carts: Miss Claridge 1, Miss Thelma Andrews 2, Miss A. Hoskin 3. Tricycles: Master H. Harrison 1, Master Ashton 2. Decorated hoops: Master S. Clare 1, Master L. Farmer 2. Fancy costumes: Master Roy Clare 1, Master Cliff Clare 2. Misdames \auglian and Lepper were the judges. During the afternoon a maypole dance by 28 little girls was much enjoyed by the merry-makers. Every praise is due to Mrs. Passau, who trained the children. Besides this, there were bun-eating, golfputting, croquet, umbrella trimming, darning, nail-driving, and various other competitions.

Amongst those present were: Mrs. 1 a»au, wearing a pretty cream gown, relieved witli bands and buttons of wedgewood blue silk, hat to match; Mrs. Lund, white linen costume, black hat; Mis. Ashton, pink floral muslin over pink, straw hat finished with lilies of the valley and moss-green net; Mrs. Ogle, white embroidered muslin, hat with sprays of lihu - ; Mrs. Matthews, turquoise blue muslin, with silk lace and gold motif trimmings, black hat underlined with pale pink; Mrs. Grimmer, white muslin, petunia hat, with daisies of similar shade; Mrs. Wiekham. sea-green, with hat swathed with floral silk; Mrs. G. Xosworthy, white embroidered muslin, white hat with rose sprays; Mrs. Vaughan, tussore silk, hat trimmed with Paisley scarf; Mrs. Harrison, white and black,'hat of cream straw with rose wreath; Mrs. W. Xosworthy, white embroidered coat and skirt, pea-green hat; Mrs. Lepper, heliotrope, with hat en suite; Mrs. Gilbert, green check costume, black hat; Mrs. Stoddart, heliotrope costume, hat <to match; Mrs. hfatley, dark blue gown, 01 earn hat with pink roses; Mrs. Cossar, black, with black hat; Mrs. Putt (Xew Plymouth), green coat and skirt; Mrs. F. Harrison, cream costume., black hat; Mrs! Beckbessinger, white embroidered muslin, black hat with ostrich plumes; Mrs. Scully, cinnamon brown linen, black hat; Mrs. Calder, cream gown, relieved with black velvet, burnt straw hat with shaded pink scarf; Mrs. Dowsett, cream, hat swathed with scarf; Mrs. "Freeth (Xew Plymouth), light petunia costume; Mrs. W. Jenkins, dark blue, black and' white hat; Mrs. H. Joli, white and black muslin, black 'hat finished with moss rosebuds; Mrs. Cameron, black silk; Mrs McAllum, pearl-grey costume, black* hat with red flowers; Mrs. Little, dull brown, hat with lilac bows; Mrs. Redwood, white silk, hat relieved with pink; Mrs. Andrews, black and white check, black hat; Mrs. Farmer, white embroidered muslin, dark green hat; Miss Wheatler pale green striped dress, straw hat with, 1 aisley scarf; Miss Berndsten. white silk, biack and white hat; Miss Putt, white silk blouse, green skirt, brown hat: Miss lutt, wine costume, hat en suite;' Miss Thornton, white muslin, black hat; Miss Thornston, pink linen coat and skirt hat of dull heiotrope with roses to matchMiss Gilbert, pale blue striped gown, straw hat trimmed with blue and fawn flowers; Miss G. Gilbert, pale blue erepe-de-chin.?, with green hat; Miss M. Gilbert white muslin; Miss Jenkins, white muslin, inset with embroidery, black hat; Miss Lepper, pink-striped costume, straw hat with rosebud wreath; Miss Rennie, cream cloth costume, coat with panels of guipure lace and motifs cream and black straw hat, with bows of mulberry-colored silk; Miss Stoddart, white, black hat relieved with pink daisies; Miss Nicholls, reseda-green princess robe, white hat; Miss Bent, cream, with blue plumed hat; Miss Cowles, floral muslin over pink foundation, white tulle hat with pink roses; Miss J. Cowles. white muslin, putty-colored hat swathed with Paisley scarf; Miss Pearce, cream costume, burnt straw hat with spravs of roses. 1

ABOLISH THE NURSERY. » recent issue of "Black and , e ' Emil Reic,1 > a Philosopher, I who unlike so many other philosophers writes m a language that everybody can understand, has an interesting article m which he makes out a strong case against that old English institution, the, nursery. In the course of it he says-—I •It is because I believe that the character of » child is very largely accessible to all sorts of influences that I object to the nursery. For who are the folk that a tender, most impressionable child is surrounded with and influenced by in' the nursery? Poorly paid, indifferently treated, generally quite uneducated servants. With the exception of a few short moments every day—or every sec. ond day?—the child never sees its natural educators, its parents. It is from them that it ought, by mere communion with them, to loam the lessons of life and sundry other object lessons; it is from them it ought to acquire its rocab-j ulary, its little views and interests; it is J finally, from them that it ought to reseive that warm, affectionate tenderness of word, gesture, and attention, which to a child is what dew is to a parched flower. I

The abandonment of the nursery would automatically do away with twothirds, of all femininism. All'—nearly all —the new rampant 'problems' of* the woman question come back, in ultima analysi, to the fact that the modern woman has too much unoccupied time hanging on her hands. If she tpok over the sweet duties of the nursery, if she spent six hours instead of six minutes a day with her children, she would never attempt to think of the rest of the female demands on our time. Instead of going about and pestering strange people with talks about temperance she would spend her time in bringing up Iter own children to moderation. The very fact that temperance is spread by societies publicly conclusively proves that women do not do their duty privately. In France or Hungary, in Italy or Spain, the lessons of temperance and moderation are

instilled daily, minutely, by the mothers in their homes. In the same way, the absurdly large output of shallow novels (averaging live a day) conclusively prove that the women here, or the largest portion of novel-readers, have far too much empty time to kill. If. instead of reading novels 0? the empty sort, women took over the work of the nursery, their children would be better equipped for the struggle for life, and they themselves more contented.

•"The place of children is with their parents, and not in the nursery. Xo other influence can ever replace the mellow talk of a mother, and no man can ever have authority over a child as can his own father. The nursery is injurious to both the child and its mother."

FRENCH AND AMERICAX. Wherever else the American woman looks in vain for a defender, she can always be sure of an unfailing champion in that French member of lier sex who writes her novels under the pseudonym of "Pierre de C'oulevain." She affirms that in hotel circles she always comes back to the American woman with pleasure and interest, even though as she observes them she is not surprised at the increasing number of divorces in their ranks. But she thinks the American woman has found the secret of not growing old, and depicts a little incident by way of illustration: "I delight in bringing French and American women into contact with each other. In the mont simple conversation their difference of character is evident. The other day I introduced a woman belonging to 'Old America' to a provincial woman of Paris.

'• 'Have you any children?' asked the French woman. '"The face of the American woman lighted up prettily. "' Four,' she replied, 'and twelve grand-children.'

" 'Four children and twelve grandchildren aiid you in Europe?' " 'Oh, they don't' need me.' "'No, perhaps not; but if I were in your place I should need them.'

'"What for?' ''This 'what for' caused Mme. de B a visible shock.

" 'I write to my children every night,' continued Mrs. Wilson. 'I tell them what I have done and what I have seen. My letter leaves every Wednesday. Eaeii mail brings me liews from one or the other of them. We are, therefore, in constant communication. God has given me excellent health and I ought to take advantage of it. There are so many things still to see!' "'What things?' "Sweden, Norway—l am going there this summer. I went to Japan at the time of the chrysanthemums and I must go there again when the cherry-trees are in bloom.'

"Oh, the expression of Mme. de B , of the left bank of the River Seine, 011 hearing this woman of fifty-five years ot age, a woman with twelve grand-child-ren. talk of going to Japan to see the cherry trees in bloom. It amuses me whenever I think of it. Much she cared for Sweden, Norway, and Japan. Tlu French woman, like the Latin woman generally, is still entirely absorbed by man and maternity. When love is over she sees nothing else here on earth. When her children marry she clings to them, endeavours to get back her son or daughter, and is always in the way in the new/ home. Most of these women find consolation in the exercise of puerile religious devotions, or in some regular charitable work. All of them grow old very quickly."

FALLING IX LOVE. Girls are often at a .loss to know whether they are in love or rot. Love sometimes proves to be a disturbing element, and a girl hesitates to surrender her freedom and promise to belong for the rest of her years to a man who comes to her to seek this gift. And in very truth a man asks a great deal when his plea is that a young girl shall leave her father's house and her independence and become his wife. If she is a wage-earner, able, as hundreds of girls are, to provide for herself, she aften finds a further source of hesitation in giving up the pleasure there is in doing good work and earning independence for herself. A girl who is a daughter at home, either provided with an allowance by her parents, or receiving from thein all she needs, often feels a precisely similar hesitation.

On the other hand, too, it must be acknowledged that a man also gives up a great deal when he surrenders his bachelor freedom. II he is unselfishly in love, he does not say this to himself, or feel it, in the measure that a girl does, for he is the one who asks, and she the one who grants.

A SERIOUS UNDERTAKING. Falling in love is not a childish pastime, nor a light and trivial affair. It is a serious undertaking, very much like setting sail for an unkown land when the voyage may be difficult, and there may be reefs and shoals to encounter near the shore.

To drop the metaphor and use plain speech, two young people who may be deeply in lore will still have to wait to get really well-acquainted with one another, until after their marriage. In the intimacy of living in their united home and sharing the commonplace experiences of everyday life, they will discover that neither is faultless. If they sincerely and unselfishly love they will not mind little faults and defects, but will day by day be drawn into greater happiness and more complete satisfaction as time passes from the first year until the last.

A girl should not be doubtful of her ability to love because she cannot love the first man who seeks her hand in marriage. Neither need she allow a man whom sh'e does not love to suffer the humiliation of a refusal. She may easily show by her manner, without the slightest exchange of words on the subject, whether a particular suitor is one for whom she can care or one whose proposal she would be obliged to decline. Rv unmistakable tokens also, very slight and almost intangible, a girl may let her suitor become aware that she is willing to encourage his hopes. A girl is often in love with love before slit? is ready to say "Yes" to anv man who claims her devotion. Out of this condition, for both men an 4 women, disappointments sometimes arise, for Charles endows Ethel with characteristics she has never possessed, and Ethel in turn, attributes to Charles qualities

of heroim a fid chivalry which he, poor man, has never thought of displaying. He would be heroic and chivalrous if he could, but he is only the average man. an honest, well-meaning fellow, sincere and kind, not a hero at all. Do not lie afraid of love, therefore, but be sure that yours is the genuine article, and do not be satisfied with the counterfeit.