WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 117, 7 November 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

NEW ZEALAND LADY AVIATORS

TAILORS' STRIKE. I

(Conducted by ''Eileen.'')

London, September -2. The Mis.tea Katie and Dorothy Finch, of Dunedin. will be able to cbiijn distinction of being tin- lirst, lady aviators from the Dominion. They both bad very exciting and enjoyable experiences at. lirooklands on Saturday on a llristol biplane. and. mi far as one ran {father, no other .New /esiland lady has yet ventured in an aeroplane. A representative of the Evening Post, interviewed the young ladies at SUmlio]>e (hii'dens, South Kensington, a day or two ago. and found them none, the worse for their adventure. in fact, they declared that the living was "simply lovely." and that they had never enjoyed anything so much 'in their lives before. They were going to try and persuade their mother to venture. 'Mrs. Finch, who oame to England with her daughters last. May. assured the interviewer that, she preferred to remain on (inn ground. Miss Katie Fineli was the first to fly, and she was followed by her sister, .Miss Dorothy Finch. Uotli young ladies were | indebted for the experience to Mr. Fleming, of the liristol Sehool. The juaehine \va- a Hri-t(;1 biplane, construe! Ed similarly lo the Farnian. Each wxis iiji for ten minutes, and went, round the lirooklands course f-ix times. Miss -Dorothy. Finch -said . the. day was \\;iiuly. but towards the evening.the wind fell and tliev Hire told they would be able to lly. They had to take oil their hats and wear very tight veils, while it wa» a matter of some ililliculty to climb into the small seat. A hobble skirt, would be ipiite useless for any ladv going in for aviation. At lirst the sisters were is! oni-heil at the noise of the propeller, which made coiiversition impossible, but a- the machine got into the air tliev were absolutely entranced

by the sensation of (light. j "There is absolutely nothing like it."| declared Mi?-* Katie Finch. The ma-J [ chine went as smoothly as possible, and i it was far more comfortable than going ' up or down in a lift. It was very weird | flying over the country and looking at I all the people down below. Pv the time Miss D. >r itliv had finished her journey | darkness had set in. and the many lights at P.rooklanils made a great ellVei. rßotli .sisters admit that they have the aviation fever very badly, but they re-cogni-e I bat the pastime is an expensive one. The cheapc.-t machine costs CI lot), and the fee for learning is more than C.iti. but they hope to go up again, and they are using their persuasions on their friends to do likewise. Nothing but ''aviation" is talked at Pi'ooklands. Should any other t i lie be introduced the ollinder is summarily dealt, with and the conversation reverts at once to living. Mrs. Finch expects to remain in Eng-J land until next March.

WHAT A LITTLE GIRL DID.

A young English schoolgirl who refused to salute thf "Stars and Stripes - ''; ! ami swear allegiance to the Tinted States has sot tlio entire State of Xew Jersey in an uproar (states a Xew York despatch I. Tt. is tlie patriotic e istoin in parts of tlie State for school teachers to morning school by standing on a platform ami unfurling tlie national Hag. The hoys and girls rise and perform a solemn salute and chant. "I pledge allegiance to my and the Republic for which it stands. One nation indivisable, with liberty and justice to all." A few mornings ago a school teacher in the town of I'erlhambo-y noticed. to her horror, that the lips of Catherine King. an English •jiii, remained tightly closed during the patriotic recital. Catherine is the daughter o English parents at lVrtliambov. and her little brother had some time previously aroused the indignation of his schoolfellows In- neglecting to exhibit a proper degree of enthusia-in when the ■•Stars and Stripes" were waved. The I teacher censured Catherine, who. refusing to perform the salute propcrlv, was expelled from the school. Catherine's father referred the matter to the Department of Education, which gravely pondered over the problem for (wo days, while proce-.-ions of schoolboys and girls marched around Mr. King's residence waving American llags. As a result of the department's cogitations the decision has been come to that the regulations made by the local school superintendent with regard to the proper method of saluting the liag must he observed by ill! scholars. j[r. King has given the following explanation:—"My daughter I Catherine asked me some time ago whether she was a ISritish subject, although bom in the United States. I fold her that as long as I was British she also was I'.ritish, Catherine then asked if

sue count mummy salute the Mag and 1 repeat, the oatlt of allegiance. I answered that -die mu-t at all time* lie absolutely n .-peel fill and reverent in her attitude toward?, the United States flag, lint that she could not own allegiance to it.'' Catherine will in future attend a private school, where it is not necessary to swear allegiance to the American flag.

The world of fashion in New York was in a state of tragic vexation last month because 10,000 workers in higli-el'-s holies' t:«i'(>rii"_r establishments had elio-en lite bii-a-r M'ason of the year to go on strike. Thousands of wealthy women are in the habit of coining to New York i'l September in order to replenish their wardrobes, and they then ordi r new dinner frocks and tailor-made dn--c- for autumn festivities (writes a Xew York correspondent) Their unfinished dresses are now hanging idly on in tin 1 work-hops of Fifth-avenue dre—maker-. The ladies are discussing whether it is worth while to remain at their hotel- or to return home without enlarged wardrobes. Many of them are in town with their daughters, mostly boarding-school girls, whose clothe* they tragically declare are ''a sight." The plight of actresses is even worse, for without fresli clothes they cannot make their appearance in the new plays announced for the beginning of the dramatie season. The moct tearful of all. however, are the brides, who assert that is is impossible to be marriid in old clothes. At niimcroii- meetings of strikers, list- of fashionable customers affected bv the strike were circulated, and rcsolntions were adopted to appeal directly to them to support their working sisters. The employers are furious, and state that thev signified their willingness m on till ago to increase the wages (o 1'! 4s a week, and that the workers pretended to agree in order that they might strike for £."> 5s a week at the most convenient period of the year. "We shall be simply ruined," one of them hopelessly declared. Among the strikers are HOO imported experts who earn £l2 a week. They are striking because thev fear thv violence of less wellpaid workers, one of whose grievances is the piece-work system, by which the clever few earn far in excess of the I average wage. At latest advices th» trade union leaders profess confidence that the strike would speedily be over, as the employers woiild be forced by the

importunities of their fashionable clients to concede [he terms demanded.'

A WONDERFUL WOMAN j

LAn aged Englishwoman who died in Servia a few weeks ago played a proI mincnt part in the struggle for Servian I independence and the jiosnian insurrec- | tion of ]S7li. -Miss AdeJine Irby was ; born in ISM, and in the early 'sixties 'she travelled in the northern and west- ■ ern portions of Turkey, including lSosnia and Herzegovina. Iler only companion was a .Miss Mackenzie, anil often the two adventurous women were in considerable personal peril. They returned , to London in LHli.j and formed an association for the purpose of promoting ; education among the Slavonic children, who .liad been almost, entirely neglected in this respect. Lord Shaftesbury gave the movement his patronage and Dean Stanley was a member of the committee. A large share of the financial burden was borne bv .Miss Irby and Miss Mac- , kenzie. In lSlili Miss Irby took up her residence in Posnia-llerzfgovina. and soon opened a number of schools for boys and girs. She was an indefatigable worker and took part in all sorts of . charitable work. In 1875 the provinces j revolted against Turkish rule and some •200,(MX) fugitives crossed the border into . Austria in older to escape from the appalling brutalities of the Turkish soldiery who was allowed to ravage the whole countryside. Miss Irby raised a relief fund in'liritain and strained every nerve to assist the refugees, win were faced with starvation and suffered ter- • ribly. from exposure and sickness. Fully half of the unhappy people died before the. close o( the struggle two years later, when Austria occupied ' Bosnia and . Herzegovina. Miss Irby continued her good work and maintained an orphanage for Serb girls almost entirely at her own expense. She extended her j operations to Servia at the time when | that countrv was winning its independ- ; ence, and King Peter of Servia has' ex- I pressed his keen regret at her death. | It was characteristic of this brave Kng- j lishwoman that few people in her own i

(Country bad beard of her great work.

\ MARRIED 15 YEARS AND NEVER | SAW HIS WIFE.

After walking 203.070 miles through snowsheds for the Southern Pacific Company. battling with tramps and endur- I in" 1 all sorts of hardships. .Manuel K. Silva. a Portuguese. decided last month,' that he'd like to visit his wife. 1 "I've never seen her, and we've been ' married about fifteen years now." he told the otlicials in applying for leave of ab.M-ncc, His application was granted, and hi> was placed on the pension list. The railroad looked up his -reeon! and found that it is one probably without parallel in railroad history. Silva entered the employ of the Sou!hern I'acilic Company in 1870 as a section taliorer. A vear later he was appointed watchman on the night shift in the snowsheds at the summit of the | Sierra Nevada mountains. For thirty years he lias held that position, work- ' ing faithfully and steadily, being alisent from duty only twice, and then lx;eausc of illness. For thirty-one years lie walked "eighteen miles a day, making three round trips everv night over a beat of : three miles. . And this- aggregates. (>730 miles a year, or 203.070 miles in thirtyone years, more than eight times round the world. Xot, siiu'e he began work has there been a complaint registered against, him. Fifteen years ago he married the sweetheart of his youth by proxy—under what is known as a contract marriage. Tie. the grooin. was in America—the bride in Portugal—and on their wedding tiight ln> walked Ms solitary beat through the mountain darkness as usual. :