WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 332, 20 June 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen "). THE RIGHT SORT OF GIRL ax orrspoK.ES" maiden*. '■TOO MANT WOMEN IX ENGLAND." (Sydney Telegraph). She walked briskly up the steps of CliaHis House, her very gait suggesrin!? that here was a girl who possessed selfassertiveness, not of the "new-woman" type, but of the gently insinuating kind, which brings admiration even from the stern business man.

There were three men .011 the top step, With a quick, sweeping glance she singled out the reporter (who at once felt flattered). and enquired where the Government Registry Office was. "The eighth floor, did vou say? 1 can easily run up there. I won't trouble the lift-man to take me up." But the pressman possessed less energy than persuasive power, and the lift-man's word settled it. Once in the presence of Mr. Davies, the official who has the destinies of all these immigrants in his palm, the girl's business-like methods again asserted themselves. The officer had kept tne office open till late on Saturday afternoon to deal with the newly-arrived immigrants.

"These are my papers," she said. "My name's Norah -—. i came ny the Norseman to-day. I would like to go straiglu to a situation. Either town or country, I don't mind which."

"Well," said"slr. Oavies, "we have M applications for girls to send out. So there's no difficulty in fixing you up right away. If you prefer the country, well, we have 10 applications. There they all are, stuck on those Hoards.' "To begin with," said Norah, 'Til try the city. I want to adapt myself to Australian life. I think I can get my bearings better if I don't move too quickly. Now, will you kindly pick out a good situation for me? ' I don't mind how much work there is as long as the wage® are good. You know we all want to save something for a rainy day." "Or a, wedding," suggested the pressman.

In exactly four minutes—a record for any registry office—Norali was being hurtled doWnStairs'again by the lift. She had her future mistress'' address in her pocket, and by means of the telephone that lady Jiad been apprised of the glad news, "We've got'a girl."

Xorah consented, after some persuasion, to tell her story. In many respects it was typical of all the domestics who come here. She was of Scotch parentage, and though , born sound of the liowbells. had years in Aberdeen, "where 'they don't spend anything, either." .She had received a board school education, and hall' haa the ability to make the most of it, so that between her rare characteristics and the widened horizon she was .spurrpd on to make a change in her sphere of work. "The way I looked at it was this: There was I wording in London for 8s a week from, niprrijpg 'till night, every second Sunday most I could aave only 3s a .week!/ Was I going to continue at .that until the work-house gates opened for me?. I could"see no other prospect. I, read in the papers that there are a million more women in London than men. What likelihood was there that I would "get an opportunity to get married? In London most of the men are too poor to get married. And it's better to work for yourself than be tied to a man who can't afford to keep up a home. They say that no man need starve in Australia. If only that could be said it London! But it can't. Men there have to work very hard to keep themselves, and the responsibility of providing for a family Ls so great that most of them are afraid of getting married. Every woman lives in the hope of having | a home of her own some day, but there's very little of that hope being fulfilled in Jingland these days. There are too hiany women compared with the number of men who are in a position to marry. So I decided to come to Australia."

"To got married 1" asked the reporter, with a lack of tact which brought a blush to the maiden's cheelc.

'•'Oh. no," she said with naive modesty,

"I've come here to work, but, of course, if I get an offer of marriage from a respectable and good man I must give it what consideration it deserves. A girl may be a general servant, but in her secret heart she has a longing to be mistress of her own Every girl may not admit, it, but just look how girls are flocking to Canada since the Canadian Government talked about the number of young farmers who wanted wives." "And do you think Australia will come up to your expectations?" the pressman asked.

"In-what way?" she enquired. "As a likely place to find a husband."

"Well. I think so 1 ' —and she blushed again. "Two friends of mine who came out here last year are married, and a third is 'walking-out' with a young carpenter who has a house of his own. And on the voyage I heard that in a previous ship three of the officers had married three of the girls who were coming out to Sydney to get situations." ANOTHER FREAK Parisian dressmakers have evolved another freak garment. This new article of feminine wear is what has been described as the "cut-ofT" skirt, so called because it reaches only half-way below the knees. It was the fashion journal Femina that first suggested this abbreviated skirt, and the costumiers were not behind hand in adopting the idea. Whether it will be more favorably received than that weird creation, the harem skirt, or jupe-culotte, as Parisians call it, remains to be seen, but the forthcoming Grand Prix meeting at Chantilly, when the daring mode will be launched, will afford society an opportunity of pronouncing its verdict. FRENCHWOMEN GROWING TALLER. Like Englishwomen, Frenchwomen are growing taller, at least in Paris, remarks the Paris correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph. The results of the

' "careful and minute measurement of 255 | Tarisiennes, aged from 21 to 55 ye.ids,'' luive been communicated to the Academy

of Sciences. Apparently the women chosen were considered to be peculiarly representative, for the averages obtained, even from so small a number of observations, were held to have soinc general value. tt was found that the average height of the Parisian woman had increased from sft fi-lOOin to oft 1 23-100 in. They are taller my almost l'/i'n than the women of the rest of France. At tho same time, we are told, upon what authority does not clearly appear, that in 1008 1379 English mothers were similarly measured, and the results communicated here. The average height for the mothers was found to be sft 84-100 in, and for the daughters sft 22-sin. Englishwomen had thus grown just over 1% in in a generation. Whether the 255 Parisiennes measured were mothers or daughters, or both, is not stated. The only conclusion to be derived from the statistics in this connection, accordingly, is tha,t the Parisienne or 1911 in height comes between the English mother and the English daughter of 1911. But she is not half an inch talkr than the former, and has still much to grow before she reaches the contemporary English girl. Still, it is surprising to learn that the Parisienne, according to these statistics, is even much a« 9-lOOin taller than the British matron . It appears certain that she Is gradually growing taller than the Parisian man; but no figures are publish-, ed on the subject.

I THE CORONATION j The following items concerning the |Coronation are from the London Times: The pink carnation known as Lady Her--1 mione is the flower selected for the Coronation .bouquet wlVieft the Queen has signified her willingness to accept from the Hardeners' Compiiny, Lady Hermione is an English or border variety, and some hundreds of blooms are being specially grown by various growers for this bou-. quet. Tlie (Jardenerw" Company will select the choicest of these. The bouquet will he offered to her Majesty in a very beautiful 'silver 1 or silver-gilt basket of Jacobean design, being a reproduction oi the design of the basket represented in the crest of the hardeners' Company. A handsome Honiton lace liandforcliief has been worked by a number of ladies of Devon as a Coronation gift to the Queen. The Maries of British Guiana, most of them black women, have subscribed more than £SO as their contribution! for a Coronation gift to the Queen. The subscriptions number over 1000. An illuminated address lias been .prepared for presentation to her Majesty. Ctennahy will be represented at the Coronation liy'the Crown Prince and Crown I'riiieess. PVirfce and Princess Henry of Prussia will go to England as jjnollieial vvitors; . he deputations from tlie regiments ot which King lleorge and (fdi&ti spectively are fVclm the CSermany navy, of which.-Ktpg (Jflong*U is a la suite. oildrm

WEALTH AND SQUAL^^'I T : n Jo lit'M. Miss Jane Perkins WilliahisJ'lbe 1 tuagenarian owner of stocks to the estimated value of £200,000,' once a prominent figure in Wall-street,. [ was discovered recently living alone in a dilapidated wooden shantv in New 1 ork City, and taken to the State Luna MO Asylum, where her sanity will be enquired into. Miss Williams refuses to talk, but several interesting letters were found in the hovel, where she had lived for the last ten years in very poor circumstances.. The financial district had known sjjpr for many years. She, daily visited Wallstreet, speculating largely, and generally with the best results to herself. When she became too feeble to make.tfye daijy pilgrimage to town, she retired' ahd'slmt herself away from tho world; to the report given, she lived' clfiisfty, ow milk, which she heated at a, ble-down stove, and never, onto, the door more tlmn a. few jv, visit' to Miss Williams' shanty discl'ofewanwld niixture of wealth and squafdr.' ThS lloors of the two rooms she ocmipieft.jMi'ft ; covered with empty milk bottles, dust was an inch thick everywhere; jAn* old sofa, covered with newspaper's! jfiVSi'ed iicr bed. Buried benea'tlfWrdliiSrinJil of old newspapers anu triifeh, I the police found stocks, gages (iiid other paper-) value of nearly £IOO,OOO. Evidence tlin't J the recluse has at least £l'oo,W/'fto%B in various hank vaults was iilso'drstfotaft* I ed. Wherever the searchers looked' tihiey came upon valuable securities,, stnclts, ami bonds worth thousands- 'of, <}6lliirs, tucked away in old china, in ancierit mattresses, in holes, in the waltej ind'iuuTer the floor. Bundles of letters,, whiclirtad never been opened, contained' for dividends which the old wojwiu , ; never collected. There were iiewajloper clippings, fondly treasured' 'tor which showed that Miss Williams fai'kw oration ago was known ill'financial' circles as the Hetty Green of lier day/'tTlftTiulk ot her fortune liad apparently been made by judicious investments in the low market shortly after the panic of Miss Williams was taken- to the asyl'urrr at the request of her neighbors, who explained that the old woman Was -lift longer able to take care of herself,.. ''