WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 73, 16 September 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

(Conducted l)y " Jiileen THE WIFE'S "UNPAID WORK." Wives have not vet formed unions for the purpose of either shortening their hours of work or of obtaining increased remuneration for their labor, but the subject is apparently simmering in the mind of the emancipated woman. Writing in ''Votes for Women/' Emmaline Petiiiek Lawrence says: —"The wife of a working man supports her home and family by the same means as does the wage-earning man—by her labor. The fact that the labor is unpaid does not destroy its real economic value, though it deprives the woman of labor's due reward, and implies an unpaid debt on the part of those who benefit by the cash value of her work. A married working man without children lives in far greater comfort than an unmarried working man earning the same wage. It would be impossible for an unmarried working man, earning, say, 25s to 30s a week, to maintain four or five young children and keep them decently clothed, and reasonably well fed upon this wage. Yet hundreds of thousand? of married working 'men accomplish this miracle! But let the wife and mother be taken away from the family and see what happens. Every social worker knows the pitiable condition of the widower with 25s to 30s a week left with several young children on his hands. He cannot afford to pay the labor performed by his wife. He is ibound to marry again almost immediately, and if in the interim he did not find some woman relation or neighbor ready to step into the breach with her ministry of unpaid labor his case would be desperate, and the State would have to step in on the children's behalf, and extricate him from his difficulties. He nearly always does find such a woman. "The poor are good to one another." But it is the woman upon whom the burden of generosity falls in almost every case. Neither the wageearning husband, nor the employer, nor the nation has given due consideration to the economic value of this vast contribution of the married woman's unpaid labor." GREAT LADY'S DEATH. "A DOUBLE DUCHESS." STORY OF A REVOKE. "SPOTTED" BY A SUBALTERN". To the general public the late Dowager Duc.hess of Devonshire, who died suddenly at the race meeting at Sandown Park a few weeks ago. was familiar as an intimate friend of the late King and a frequent hostess of His late Majesty and Queen Alexandria. The duchess was by birth a Hanoverian, being the daughter of Count Von Alten, of Hanover. She was born in 1832, and in her father's home was known as Countess Louise Frederich August Von Alten. She was first married in 1552, her 'bridegroom being the seventh Duke of Manchester. There was a whisper of romance about the marriage. The duke, it was said, was in love with the Countess 'Bludoff of Hanover, a younger sister of Countess Louise. When, however, he met the Countess Louise, he transferred his affection and married her. The sister was the more beautiful, but Louise was the more clever, and her entry into London society was triumphant. Her tall and stately figure, her perfect comp- | lexion, and her charming, easy manners, coupled with her high rank, soon gave her a high place in society, which for half a century she was to retain. She became a great favorite in what was known as the Marlborough House set, and her Hanoverian wit and beauty greatly attracted the late King, then Prince of Wales. Of the five children of the marriage, the eldest son succeeded to the dukedom, and the three daughters 1 became Duchess of Hamilton, Lady Gosford, and Lady Derby respectively. The present Duke of Manchester is a grandson of the late Duchess. After the death of the seventh Duke of Manchester, in J8!)0, the widowed duchess went into retirement. Two years later, however, she married the bachelor Marquis of Hartington, afterwards Duke of Devonshire, and the "double duchess" began a new series of triumphs as hostess. The Marquis of Ilartington filled, of course, a great place in the political world, and after his marriage his duchess soon made his place in society no less important. Her grace's house parties and entertainments attracted widespread attention. These entertainments took place not only at Devonshire House, the famous mansion in Piccadilly, but also at Chatsworth, the Duke's stately home in Derbyshire, at Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire, and at 'Compton Place, Eastbourne, while at certain season of the year she also entertained at Lismore's' Castle, the duke's Irish residence near Waterford. 'Her grace on many occasions entertained the late King and Queen Alexandra, and one of the most famous entertainments she gave was the wonderful fancy dress ball at Devonshire House in 1807 in honor of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. A life of almost semi-regal splendour was kept up till the death of the duke in 100 S. The late duchess was recognised as the head of the smart racing set, and attended nearly all the race meetings. Racing was her favorite sport,, and, although the late duke left to her Compton Place, Eastbourne, she declined to retire there, iynd purchased a house in Grosvenor Square, and divided her time between London, Newmarket, and the .Riviera. She was a good bridge player, and one of the stories emanating from Chatsworth was connected with a ''revoke" which was "spotted" by one of the guests, a subaltern in the Guards. The subaltern pointed it out, but the duchess said she bad done nothing of the sort, ami. what was more, had never revoked in her life. The soldier turned up the cards, and, to the annoyance of the dncbi'ss, Lhe revoke was proved. King Edward, so the story goes, remarked that be had often given the V.C. for less.

MISS BLANCHE BROWNE. It is only given t» few imported ,artist* to win immediate popularity witli Australian audiences. Miss Tilauohc Brown, who will be Keen liere as Mary (iibbs in .Mr. J. Williamson's production of '"Our Miss (lilibs" on Monday. September 2~>. is one of the elect. Miss Browne is blessed with ;i large quantity of that indefinable something railed "clia rm.'' You know wheii one lias it and, alas, yon also know when one has it not. .Miss Browne also has the advantages of being a good dancer anil a. pleasing .singer. Unlike many visitors, Miss Browne is modest about her work. She wants her audiences to like her. Although only 21 years of age, she lias nevertheless lieen nine years on the stage, and has had her disappointments. "In hnghuul," says Miss lirowne, "opportunities are few and far between.'' iler chance came at the l.'aicly Theatre, in London. Miss Celtic Millar became seriously indisposed, and the management were at tlieir wits' end to lill her place. The understudy hv a strange, circumstance was unavailable. Someone suggest iml to the great Mr. (ieorge Kdwards to send tor Miss lirowne. lie did. with the result that the clever litlle ladv played the part tli/it night with such

success that she was retained, and appeared in the character permanently. Miss Browne has succeeded in establishing herself high in popular favor on the the other side of the Tasman Sea. At the fall of the final curtain of the eight and a half months' season in that city, the charming comedienne received a send-off that has never been surpassed if equalled. Miss Browne is a native of Seaton, a favorite watering place in the South of England.