WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 260, 24 March 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen"). MOTES FROM LONDON. WOMEN AND VOTES. London, February 3. A meeting of the supporters of the Conciliation Bill which was introduced into the lust Parliament by Mr. Shackleton, with the object of uniting all the advocates of women's suffrage on one measure, was held in a committee room of the House of Commons yesterday.) Lord Lytton presided, and all parties in the House were represented. As a result of the meeting the members favorable to the movement are to be asked to ballot for a place for the Bill in the present session. The measure will be substantially the same as that of last year, except that it was resolved to drop the £lO occupation qualification, which led J to a certain amount of hostility on the discussion of the Bill last July. The result of this change will be that the Bill will propose to confer the franchise on all women householders. The title of the Bill is also to be changed; but of this more later, when a definite decision is arrived at. WOMEN WORKERS IN FRANCE. Within the last forty years the number of women workers in France has almost doubled, rising from 4,500,000 to nearly 7,750,000. The increase is chiefly in trades and manufactures. In domestic service the number has decreased from 1,250,000 to 1,000,000. MARRIED TEACHERS. Miss Clara Grant, in a booklet called "Married Women in Our Schools," drawa attention to several problems that she considers worth notice. It is evident that the writer is not inclined to view with favor a state of things that has existed for years past. "Every moment of the so-called ample leisure of the teacher," she says in one paragraph, "is needed either for study, or preparation for school work, or for recreation, a»d it should be absolutely free, if possible, from extraneous anxieties. This freedom of leisure is practically denied to a married woman with a home and family, be her domestic resources what they may." "From the point of view," she says again, "of that natural reserve which is the true inheritance of refined womanhood, the presence of prospective mothers amongst elder girls and young unmarried teachers is not desirable. The youngest children, though happily more' (Unconscious, provide for her greater nerve strain, with fewer opportunities for rest. The same conditions of modesty and reserve render her presence difficult amongst the many men officials, inspectors and so on, and it must be equally painful and embarrassing to all jmen worthy of the name. And here we may reflect on the difficulty an inspector must feci in assessing the work of a teacher obviously laboring under a serious physical handicap; so much so that it is reported of one inspector that he never enters a room under these circuu.^nnees." WISDOM OF WOMEN. Women do not want any loosening of the sanctity of marriage, but they feel that the partnership should be equalnot with all the duties on one side and all the rights on the other.—Dr. Ethel Bentham. How many ministers there are who preach good sermons, and how few who preach good sermons well! —Marguerite Merington. The chief danger of girls in commercial life is the hardening of character, the loss of that humility of mind and gentleness of manner which give dignity to womanhood.—G. L. Fanner. GEORGE ELIOT TO BE HONORED. At Nuneaton, George Eliot's birthplace, it is proposed to perpetuate Coronation year by establishing a permanent memorial to the celebrated creator of Adam Bede. A SERIOUS MATTER. A well-known weekly paper this week has an article on "The Muddle of the Poor Law," in which the writer draws attention to a very serious matter in connection with the birth of infants in the workhouse, which affects Scotland only. In Scotland, says this author, an expectant mother, who is the wife of an able-bodied man, cannot legally be given medicine or midwifery assistance, or food or other necessaries, so long as she is living with her husband. The grant of relief in such cases is contrary to the Scottish Poor Law, and if it is given, even with the consent of the Parish Council or the Local Government Board, it may be surcharged at audit. On the other hand, the expectant mother who is unmarried, or whose husband has deserted her, can obtain such assistance as she require either in her own home or in the poorhouse, without any bother whatever. There is a growing practice in Scotland for respectable men, unable to afford the cost of a confinement, to feign wife desertion, with the connivance of their wives. Some of the parish councils evade the law by getting the medical officer to certify that the perfectly healthy husband is suffering from some sort of illness. MR. BERNARD SHAW ON QUEEN VICTORIA. In addressing a meeting of the English Association at University College recently, Mr. Bernard Shaw made some interesting observations concerning Queen Victoria's English and capital speeches. Mr. Shaw, as is well known, is ardently in favor of a reform in spelling, and told his hearers that if they had gone to work in a sensible manner they would have settled the system thirty years ago. At that time there was an extremely good speaker, whose speeches were entirely presentable in all sorts of society —the late Queen Victoria. Tf her Majesty had gone all over the Englishspeaking world, her English would have been recognised at once as thorough!y presentable English, Mr. Shaw contended. DELIGHTFULLY UNCONVENTIONAL.

Mr. Yoshio Markino, the writer of a most delightful book, "A Japanese Artist in London." has a series of articles on "My Ideal John Jiulless'' runninj; in the English Review, and many ot liis opinions in these, as in his other essays, are fascinatingly unconventional and interesting. Here is one of them: "Now let, me write my first impression nhrmt the

John Bullesses. They looked to me bigger than the Japanese women, of course, but much smaller than the Californians. Anyhow, I thought, their figures are more well-built. Their muscles are perfectly developed. One of my Japanese friends told me the same opinion. He has been all over the world. He said: 'Comparing the English women with others, I find out the former's meat looks much harder.' It is all through their daily exercises outdoors." A THOROUGH BUSINESS WOMAN. Miss Elizabeth Robins, the writer oi the successful comedies, ''Pot Luck" and "Makeshifts," is a good specimen of an "all-round" being, and describes herself as a, "hen merchant, dog fancier, and dramatist." She was the originator of the Marionette Theatre at' the White'hall Art Gallery, and is a practical aviator. She is also a farmer in a small way, and goes in for pedigree cows, pigs, poultry, etc. LONDON FASHIONS BLOUSES. London, February 3. Blou.-o frills are again shown on the spring models, and very pretty and dainty these look in soft silk, muslin or cambric. Nearly all, it is to be noted, are goffered, and many are edged with very narrow real lace edging. The Magyar style is still a favorite, though it is not so prominent as it was last year. Jabots of cambric and narrow lace insertion and "cascades" of lace are much worn still. FICHUS. There is no doubt about the return of fichus, and some particularly graceful specimens are being exhibited in the shops. One that I was shown was of fine white lawn, delicately embroidered. Of course, in this cold weather they will only be worn in the house, and few are seen in actual wear except on evening gowns, when they are of ninon or some clinging, soft material. FOOTWEAR. Footwear alters very little, save that I high heels—fortunately for the health and safety of the women of fashion—grow less popular. Colored boot-tops are still to be seen everywhere, and colored stockings, with elaborate clox, are just as fashionable as ever, though one notices them in the winter only in the evenings. A smart pair of boots I noticed in an Oxford-street shop this week were of morocco, the golosh black and the top dark purple. These are rather more serviceable than the suede and velvet samples, that would seem to be for carriage folk only. SHOULDER SCARVES.

Shoulder scarves are evidently determined not to go out of date, aud now still another way of "serving fchenv up" has been discovered. All but the ends, of the sirf arc the same as last year—that K to say, black or colored charmeuse is lined with white or colors; buti about a foot from the end the silk is now held in by a cord, and the bit below, which is allowed to liang straight, is elaborately embroidered in silks. Without a doubt we shall see much hand embroidery in the coming season, so the clever home-girl will have her chance of being in the forefront if she chooses. Great flat bags of velvet or silk, to match the costume, and in shape somewhat like an envelope, sometimes six or eight-cornered, are a mass of elaborate embroidery studded with imitation jewels, and are the very fast thing in bags, those now indispensable adjuncts to a woman's toilet. REVERS.

Rcyers are evidently to be important features in the new styles, and one model coat and skirt shown has the extraordinary innovation of large revers on the back of the coat. They are of fine cloth, like the dress, at the waist are caught in with a buckle of the satin, and two long ends fall to the edge of the coat. The front is similarly arranged, but with smaller revers.