WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 77, 21 September 1911, Page 5

WOMAN'S WORLD.

(Conducted by " Kileen"). NOTES FROM LONDON. HOMECRAFT FOR GIRLS. London, August 4. This is a subject being taken up very .seriously bv the High Gill' School at Scarborough, said to be the first school to introduce systematic training in mothercraft for the daughters of the well-to-do,.with practical demonstration and experience. A special house has been set apart for the teaching of homecraft generally, and a nursery is reserved foi babies, which come at the age of seven weeks and arc placed under the care of a highly-trained nurse. The girl pupils must be lj lears old before they are allowed to take any actual part in baby management. They go into the nursery in detachments of two or three, and for the first few weeks only Iool; on. They are then allowed, under thu nurse's supervision, to bath, dress and feed the baby. During the three or four hours a week spent in the nursery by each girl less'ons are given on all matters pertaining to the care of infants.

SKILFUL WOMAN. MOTORIST. . . At the inter-club motor race meeting held last Saturday, a lady, Miss Muriel Thompson, won the Declaration Handicap (10'/> miles), receiving a cup presented by the Kent Automobile Club. The same skilful driver also won the blindfold driving competition, for which she was awarded a trophy. This event was open to any class of motor car owned by any member or associate of the Royal Automobile Clulj. The driv ers, blindfolded, started their cars on« at .a time from a mark in the vicinage of the fork on track, and drove in * circle on the forward gear, striving to bring their cars to rest on another defined spot, the winner being tho driver whose wheel hub cap was nearest to the proper point of stopping. Each ear carried an observer, who was seated at the side of the driver, and who sountied a bell wherever his driver was running into,any danger, whereupon the driver was compelled to stop.,

A FRENCHWOMAN'S DARING. An amusing story comes from the little village of Brioude, in Franco, this week, in explanation of the trial of a young Frenchwoman, Maria GrenicrBertrand, on a charge of "humiliation caused to a public officer." The facts, it appears, are these:—A fire broke out in the village three ■ weeks ago, and was burning furiously 'before the nearest fire station, some miles away, even heard about it. There was no time to he lost, and in a few minutes all the villagers were at work on the blaze. Maria Bertraml was very prominent in this improvised but numerous fire brigade, and worked like a Trojan, both at using the hose and in urging her fellow-villagers to get on with the work. All obeyed except one severe-looking gentleman, who contented himself with watching operations. This was too much for the lady, and she immediately gave him a bit of her mind, which the onlooker scornfully resented. Unable to contain her feelings, Maria turned the hose upon the phlegmatic personage, and then, seizing a bucket filled with water, she jambed it 011 his head. The fit was rather too exact, for it took three gendarmes half an hour to get it off, and during this time the Procureur of the Republic, for it was no other than lie. was subjected to a volley of ironic comment, amid fits of laughter from the highly-amused onlookers. Thus, wounded in his dignity, the enraged Procureur had the woman arrested. She has just ibeen tried, and when a sentence of three months was passed trouble was expected frrim the crowd in court, but as the magistrate added that the sentence will only be served if the lady is again brought up for any other offence, and therefore meant acquittal, 110 disorder occurred.

A WOMAN SIGN-PAINTER. . A woman sign-painter plvs her trade in iow York in the person of a young lexan girl. Madge Claiborne. Sl;c is a miniature painter, and, since her work Has been pronounced good by competent cntics, has taken up her present Imsiness in order to make suflieient money to enable her to study under good people. h

VICTOR TAX WOMEN ARTISTS. Women are making such undoubted headway in arts and sciences in France that M. Darbonx, the permanent secretary of the Academy of Science, makes 110 doubt that Mine. Curie will ultimately hnd a place among the learned men Ihe Academy of Beaux Arts has just awarded the Troyan prize for paint innto Mdlle. .Marcelie Noyon. The subject for competition was a landscape 'entitled "Two bulls fighting at the ed"e of a wood in autumn." The Rome prize also tell this time to a woman—Mdlie. rleiivolmans. WOMEN 'MEDICOS TO liE.

No less than 28 women's names were conspicuous on the pass lists for the first and second examinations for modical degrees at Burlington House yesterday.

HOUSEWIFERY. J\*«n Education Authority have decided to make provision in two new schools'they are about to erect for instruction in housewifery.

. "PIT BROW LASSIES." : A storm of indignation lias been raised among the brawny women who work at the mouths of the pits in South Lancashire at an attempt made in the Coal Mines Bill to prevent women from working above ground at the mines. The Standing Committee of the House of Commons decided on Wednesday, by 15 votes to 1,3, on the motion of'sir A. Markham, to insert a provision in the Coal Mines 13,11 to the effect that no girl or woman other than those employed on or before January 1, ,1!>1I, should be permitted to 'be employed above ground at any mine. This lunendment, was earned in spite of the protest, of Mr. Mastermnn. M.P.. who is in chaw of the Bill, and straightway there has come to London a deputation of pit-brow lassies to see how matters stand for themselves and plead their case. If (lie Bill goes through, of course., tremendous numbers of women will be deprived of work. At the debate on Wednesday widely dillcrcnf views were expressed Sir A. .Mark-ham said it was not riHit that women should have to push tubs weighing from lllcwt to :ir,cwt. sometimes with their backs against; the tnlw ■Mr. Stephen Walsh replied that the work was the lightest physical labor fhat mi.' could possible be put to. anil Mr. M;Meni];in poistsvely opint'tl Hint the colliery women were'healthier than women engaged in other industries. if tliey were driven from this work they wonhl have to find some other. Mr. Alherlev .lone-;, on the other hand, said the work was foul work. It was a disgrace that the women should be empluv- ' ;i ' '' ■ He '-"l'p'H'l cd I lie amendiiicnl "I 111" raliM' u| ] il 11 (1!,- deeellcy. and civilisil ion, and in the interests of children." Ye-lenlny we heard 'die gn'N" own view-;, and all -eel I inte iH ,.- I'.' I'li'jer in a-■>!'rt Hull their work w;i< ::I| d 1 1! e;l -.;r;, t . ;|i]d their ji;l -(|lisli"'l',n' A ' ;l!l . v " f <'»«•«» I'i'ior til" taking ii?i pit-brow wurk hail worknl in mills, but their heal I It breaking down under ili!' si mi in had been advised to give up

that labor for their present employment, with the result that they are now quite I well again. Their work consists of pick-' ing out stones, shale and dirt from the 1 coal as it passes along endles "belting to the trucks. They start work at {> a.m., finish at 2.30 or' 3.30, with an Itoui j and a-half for meals, and generally work only five days a week. As showing the strides that the question of woman suffrage has made ill the last few years, it must have been satisfactory to all suffragists to find the lack of votes for women openly deplored in Parliament yesterday when Mr. .Masterman, M.P., said, in the midst of a speech regretting the committee's action, that the amendment enforced on his mind the necessity of votes for women. "I think the position unanswerable, that if you have an occupation for women that is in no way dangerous, unhealthy or immoral, a men's Parliament, elected by men, has no right to prohibit women from that occupation," lie concluded.