WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 45, 15 August 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen"). WOMEN IN MEXICAN REVOLUTION Women seemed to have played a big part in the recent Mexican revolution. In a description of the llight of President Diaz, the Nation say: "The whole palace watt in confusion. Servants hurriedly packed, cramming the necessities and treasures of sovereignty into cases and portmanteaux. In one room a new-born grandchild wailed; in another the ancient centre of authority lay gasping. Outside the populace yelled. For two days and nights they had howled' and rioted. Women led them on—unreasonable women, whose place was the home, ignorant of higher politics, careless of financial interests, rushing in where the angels of speculation feared to tread, mindful only of the starvation wage, the bony child, the shameful life 'on the stones,' the imprisoned husband, the tortured brother, the family that disappeared, the plantation slavery, aild other personal and petty grievances. For two days and nights they howled like she-wolves around the palace, instead of starving decently at home, as they had starved for years." And, agaili, the rising against him (Diaz) is said to have been led by the untamed dwellers in scatterer pueblos and ranches of Chihuahua, a northern frontier state. Wild riders and ranchers, such as Mr. Cunningham Graham loves to describe, brought him to ruin—they and a few women, for we hear of a Margarita Neri, "the Mexican Joan of Arc," among his most dreaded foes. ENGLAND AND THE ENGLISH. "On entering an Englishman's house, the first thing one notices is how well his house is adapted to him," savs Mr. Brice Collier, in his interesting book on "England and the English." "It seems ( to have grown up around him, as in so manv eases it lias, and to have taken in the folds of his character, as a coat often worn moulds itself to the figure of its /iwner. On entering an American's house, the first thing one notices is how well he adapts himself to his house. In England the establishment is carried on with a prime view to the comfort of the man, aild this applies to rich and poor alike, and to all conditions of society. In America the establishment is carried on with a prime view to the comfort and exigencies of the woman. Men are most selfish than women; consequently the English home is, as a rule, at any rate from a man's i point of view, more comfortable than the American home." A FARMERS' CLUB The idea of a farmers' and settlers' club was submitted to the Farmers' Conference in Sydney last week. It would be the only club in Australia where men and women could meet on equal terms. ] There was, said a delegate, not enough ma trim n 'iy in the country. He did not| advocate a matrimonial «lub, but it' would be a great gain if young men,] from one part of the country, could I meet young women from other part's. I They could thus select better life-part-j ners than at present. Cooking classes] could be held there, and fanners could send their daughters there to have the finishing touches put upon the plain cooking of the bush. Despite eloquent pleas on these and other grounds, the conference threw the scheme out. DEATH OF A CENTENARIAN Mrs, Ann Jano Quinn, up to the time of her death at Petersham recently, at the age of 104, was a hale old lady, who was capable of doing the most delicate needlework, and whose only health difficulty was rheumatism, from which of recent years she had suffered (says a London correspondent). She was born in Dublin In July, 1807, and was the daughter of Color-sergeant Clark, one of those who fell at Waterloo, where her uncle, an adjutant in the British forces, also, gave his life for his country. Her only brother died in the China War in 1539, making the'contribution of the Clark family to the cause of Empire a liberal one. Miss Clark arrived in Sydney about 1840, and thus she lived in this State for over 70 years. Her husband was Charles Wellington Quinn, son of Colorsergeant Quinn, of the 3rd Buffs, with which regiment he took part in the battle of Waterloo. Color-sergeant Quinn came with the regiment to Port Arthur, soon after the return from Waterloo, and settling subsequently in Australia, he died at Parramatta in 1848. His son, who married Miss Clark, was the first •white boy born in Wellington (N.S.W.), and his father being "with the colors," the boy was designated "the child of the regiment.'' Mrs. Quinn had five sons, four of whom are alive, the eldest, I Mr. John Quinn, at 68 years, being a fine, stalwart, hearty man, straight as a gun barrel. He was born at Hartley. WOMAN MASQUERADES AS A MAN ' DECEIVES HER OWN HUSBAND. A remarkable story of a young married woman who masqueraded for two years as a man has come to light in Chertsey (England), where for the past two months she had been lodging. Under the name of "Teddy Mayce" she obtained employment as a man at a local foundry. Here she usually did light work, such as helping the ironmoulders or plate moulding, but she was advised to obtain an easier occupation, and left her situation.

Among her other occupations has been fish haw,king and selling boot laces. Of youthful appearance, the woman kept her hair cut short, wore masculine attire, and was a heavy cigaretto smoker. Her identity was established only when she met a Chertsey platelayer, who recognised her as the wife of a man named Mark Smithers, whom ho "gave away" at their wedding. When challenged she stoutly denied her sex, and she maintained the same attitude when the platelayer sought the advice of the police. At the police station subsequently she admitted to Superintendent Mears that she was a woman and the wife of Mr. Smithers. She explained the reason for her masquerade, and was liberated by the police on pro-

raising that in future she would wear women's clothes. It is stated that. while in male attire she met and con-1 versed with her own husband without j being recognised. ( LADY NORAH NOEL I Lady Norali Noel, one of the soprano soloists who toured New Zealand with the Sheffield Choir recently, receives rather rough treatment from the Melbourne lady correspondent to the Bulletin. In the words of the writer: "But the audience reserved its attention for the appearance of Lady Norah Noel. There was a hush as she came forward; wrapped in pink silk and a pained expression; then she proceeded to turn over a small, gilt-edged volume, from which she sang a well-known Hiibernian air, and contrived to make the melody another injustice to Ireland. Afterwards she warbled a familiar foreign piece, and showed that she is privately convinced she has a voice, but is determined never, to divulge her awful secret." HATPIN AS A WEAPON Putting a highway robber to flight with a hatpin is the latest exploit of a young Englishwoman in Paris (writes the London Telegraph's correspondent). She had been visiting friends at Passy, i and wvis driving home in a cab about midnight. As the cab was crossing the Place de l'Etoile a man who was standing on the footpath made a sign to the cabman to stop. ,The cabman, believing that the man was acquainted with the lady, drew up and waited for him to approach. The strange individual was an impudent apache, who asked the lady to hand him her purse, and threatened her if she did not do so. Fortunately, the lady in the cab did not lose her self-possession, and before the apache was aware of it she had put her hand up to her hat, drawn out a hatpin, "and buried it in his arm. "There is some-; , thing for you!" she said, as she was about to plunge it in a second time. The | man had enough of it, and yelled with pain. The cabman, having understood; at last, whipped up his horse and drove away. The incident is a revelation, and proves that a hatpin may be a formidable weapon in an emergency. j DEFRAUDING THE CUSTOMS. A carefully organised conspiracy between Customs inspectors and wealthy Americans, by which jewels, Paris gowns, and even furniture to the value of sev-1 eral million dollars have been smuggled into the United States during the last two years, has been disclosed by the investigation into the ease of a millionaire-smuggler (reports the New York correspondent of the London Daily Mail). The ramifications of this conspiracy are so extensive that the Customs officials decline to speak excepting in the vaguest terms. The prosecution of several millionaires for fraud will depend on the outcome of the enquiry. I learn that the activity of the Government detectives was caused by the woman friend of the Leather Trust millionaire, who had imported £50,000 worth of jewels for her. She made a confession throwing on him the onus of smuggling the jewels, and he in turn declared that he had discovered the means by which it was possible to smuggle in valuables from a New York banker. Following on .this information, the detectives discovered importations of enormous value which had not paid a penny of duty to the Government. One woman confessed that she brought into the United States in June, 1900, a diamond necklace valued at £15,000, pearl earrings ( £5000), forty costly gowns, 500 dozen pairs of French gloves, the entire shipment being worth £30,000. Her trunks were not inspected by the Customs officials, who received bribes of £2O each not to examine them. Mr. Loeb, of the Customs, said the other day: "It is impossible to tell the extent of this at present. The entire case is in the hands of the Federal Prosecutor, j who agrees with me that several prosecutions are desirable."