WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 17, 14 July 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducteu oy "Eileen") ENGLISHWOMEN

'flu; Daily Mail has successfully inveigled Lady Ward into placing on record ber opinion that Englishwomen neither talk nor dress well, and are unduly retiring and shy. It is a pity of pities that Lady Ward, who is a woman of some character and charm, should let herself be tricked into talking such nonsense (writes Prank Morton). Englishwomen maintain a decent reserve when they come into contact with strangers, and as to the shyness, in this country we have permitted our women to put their pretty noses into the stinking-pot of politics, and the accursed ordure has tended already to destroy or disfigure their proper sweetness. In manners, some colonial women are prominent among the hardest and most blatant in the world. That is the price we pay. and must be prepared to pay, for this crowning id'ocy of indiscriminate enfranchisement.

But when it comes to dress, people who know will tell you that Englishwomen of to-day dress better than any women on earth. That statement applies, of course, to the better class of Englishwomen; for, taking them right through, they do not dress nearly so well as the French. Lady Ward quaintly complains that Englishwomen follow the Paris fashions. What fashions does she expect them to follow? The women of the whole civilised earth follow Paris. Lady Ward should not let herself be drawn by the Daily Mail. However good a woman may be, she cannot allord to expose herself to ridicule. She invites retaliation when she discusses her hostesses to their detriment. These Englishwomen of good family are gracious in their hospitality, even though they may not gusli and jabber as much as a good colonial would like. They can be trusted to exercise perfect delicacy and tact; out women are human, and Lady Ward should not provoke ,a rebuke from the gentle dames who are generous to her. I am a mere man. but I have studied these matters, und I hive tried to study all general matters that have ai bearing on the world we live in and the] life we know. lam honestly and soberly of the opinion that I have visited no other country in the world where: women dress worse than they do in New Zealand. Wellington is full of showy dressers and dressers shoddysmart, but it is a rare tiling indeed to see a woman dressed well.

THIRTY HOURS' VIGIL AT DRURY LANE THEATRE. A grcy-haived little old woman settled herself comfortably on a camp stool outside the ampitheatro doors of Drury Lane, cheerfully prepared to wait thirty hours for the opening of the doors for the recent command performance of "Money." She was provisioned for an all night and day sitting. "I wruldn't miss this performance of 'iM/mey' for anything," said the old playgoer enthusiastically. "Forty years ago I saw Marie Wilton, who, is now Lady Bancroft, in the Tevival at the old Prince of Wales' Theatre, and I determined if I had to wait two days and night I would see it again.

"It is not the first time I have waited all night outside Drury Lane Theatre. I was here for the Nellie Farren benefit (which was a matinee), and I came then before midnight to get a good place. I went to poor Nellie's funeral. There are few of the old players left now.

"Sir Charles Wyndham and Sir John Hare when they passed into the theatre just now for the dress rehearsal of 'Money' stopped to speak to me. I have seen them many a time, and I told them so.

*I shall not be cold through the) night. I have a fur here to wrap round my throat, and a good warm cloak, and I have some refreshments in a bag." As the afternoon passed the three early arrivals were joined by others, and a line of patient playgoers spread along the iron railings in Russell street towards the stage door. At <5 o'clock nearly a score of people were gathered outside, arid there were still 25 weary hours of waiting in front of them—a prospect which did not seem to daunt them in the slightest. I

SLAUGHTER FOR FASHION. Tragedy of the Osprcy Plume" —in other words, the havoc wrought amongst birds*in order that thoughtless 'women may beautify themselves—continues. The Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia distributed last year SOOO copies of a leaflet-on this subject, hoping thus to "awaken the pity of those women who still persist in wearing such plumes, it is to be hoped in ignorance of the terrible cruelty and wholesale slaughter of old and helpless young birds which such a fashion entails." i Notwithstanding this, the report just published admits it as a painful fact that the present winter shows, if anything, an increase rather than otherwise in the number of ospreys worn 'by women of all ages, whereas, formerly, it adds, "they were principally affected by elderly women." The report points out that unless the women of Australia decide to give up their feather adornments (which is unlikely) it is obvious that, since the demand will not be satisfied from abroad, a lucrative occupation will be created for local bird-lcil]prs,and the. position will be worse than ever. This feature has already been placed before the Customs authorities with a view to, their approaching the State Government to bring about some prohibition of the sale of such goods, and to make effective the action of the Federal Government in putting certain birds and their plumage on the list of prohibited imports and exports.

SOME CURIOUS COURTSHIPS. Some customs prevailing in certain parts of the Soudan have been described by Artin Pasha, who recently made a journey up the Blue and White Nile. The gentleman is Minister of Education in Egypt, and in his letters to im wife

gave an account of his experiences, which is now published in a book called "England in the Soudan." He came across certain tribes where tho women, he says, "seem to have passed tho limits of even American women," and he naively adds that but for the distance from Cairo and the wildness of the country, ho "would willingly pass several months in the midst of these good folic an order to learn the meaning of virtue in both the ancient and the modern sense of tho word.

"One girl may have, as many as from seven to fifteen wooers, who court and flirt with her for a whole year in the sight of ihcr jwirents. They not only visit her in the daytime, but remain at night near her dwelling to mount guard outside her room, going so far even as to keep watch within her room in order to be at her service in case she should awake.

"If she asks for water, as many calabashes of water are offered to her as there are lovers in attendance. Should she desire to pay calls on her friends, tne whole of her lovers offer to carry her palaquin, and again it is the aspirants for her hand who undertake to iinnoint her with butter every morning. The period of courtships lasts "for a year, at the end of which period the beauty must make her choice. When she does so, the unsuccessful wooers go off to repeat their performance with another girl." These maidens are black and .nominally, at least, Mohammedans; but in the matter of rights and liberties they have little to learn. The Shilluks of the White Nile, on the other hand, arc as far as possible from oeing Mohammedans, yet their women have similar privileges. '•With the Silltiks it is the women that rule the household, the young women themselves that chooso their husbands, and that, once married, assume the post of command. Tho strongest and most hot-headed man dare not beat his wife, for he would be looked down upon immediately, and would bo unable . to find a second wife, to succeed the first. No missionary effort affects the Shilluk woman; it is practically impossible to convert her either to Christianity or to Islamism, for she is the guardian and depository of the Shilluk traditions, religion and historical customs."

ELOPEMENT BY THE CORINTHIC. FRUSTRATED AND HOW. There was a dramatic scene-at Plymouth, when R.M.S. Gorinthic was about to leave for Wellington. It seems that, at Rochdale, Sarah Elizabeth- Briarcliffe, a mill girl of about twenty, was reported to the police as missing, and it was believed that a man engaged at the same factory had disappeared at the same time.

On this trip at London the Corinthic •hud 'been fitted with •wireless," and, suspicion in the matter stated above having been aroused, communication was established whilst the vessel was at sea between London and Plymouth, The enquiries made and the answers given resulted in the pair being located on board, and, at the last moment, the girl's father, who had hurried to Plymouth on receiving a wire from the police, was taken on board, and then, just as the final whistle was sounding, the missing girl was confronted, and after a somewhat painful scene Anally agreed to go l»ek home. The man, said to be married, and named Bridge, bade farewell to the girl, and, although she was deeply distressed, he seemed unmoved at the whole afiairj and evidently intended to continue his voyage, but Captain Hart ordered him ashore, and there, perforce, he had to go-

The officers state that the unhappy girl was astonished to see the man again on land, but consented to accompany her father home, and thus the episode concluded as far as tne ship's company was concerned.—Dominion.