WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 185, 3 February 1912, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen.") SOCIAL NEWS PERSONAL ITEMS. Miss E. Gray, of Wellington, is spending a few weeks with her brother, Mr. Cecil Gray, at New Plymouth. Mr. iF. J. Easther has returned to Auckland after his holiday, spent at New Plymouth and the Mokau river. Mr. Hugh Fraser, of Auckland, is on a visit to his parents at New Plymouth. Mr. and Mrs. Fred. Robertson, who have been visiting Napier, have ;now returned to New Plymouth. '■ Mr. and Mrs. J. Noble, of Hamilton, are staying in New Plymouth. Mrs. Arthur Hemptan has returned to Whangarei after spending some weeks with her mother, Mrs. William. Bayly, of New Plymouth. , Last week a party was got up to visit the Mokau river. They left at 11 o'clock on Saturday nignt and returned on Tuesday morning and had a most enjoyable time, although they were bar-bound going up and had to be put off at Wai- : tara in an open boat coming back. Those of the party were: Mrs. Stocker, Misses : Fitzherbert (3), Whitcombe and Doris Bradbury, Messrs Perham, Whitcombe (2), Easthen, Curtis and Fenton, and Mr. Harry Davies joined them at Mokau. It is a pity that more of our friends don't visit this beautiful river, as the scenery ia quite equal, if not better, than that of the Wanganui river. Mrs. Crawford and Miss Amy Crawford, who: have been on a, visit to Mrs. J. Strang, Taumarunui, are returning to-* day (Saturday). Mrs. W. Penn was expected back last (Friday) night, after an enjoyable holiday spent in Christchurch anl Wellington.

SOCIETY WPMAN SENT TO PRISON BRUTAL ASSAULT WITH A WHIP. Mrs. Virginia Evens, a rich society woman of New York, was recently sentenced to a term of three months' imprisonment in the penitentiary at Sing Sing for cruel treatment of her ward, Alice Randolph, a child of 10. Although cruelty was proved; and, indeed, the woman admitted her guilt, the sentence was a great surprise to a court crowded with society women, and the prisoner herself collapsed, and had to be carried tp the cells in the Tombs Prison. It was thought that Mrs. Evers would escape with the payment of a fine, and she and her friends were inclined.to treat the matter in a light-hearted way. The prosecution, however, insisted upon showing the child and her bruises, which had been caused by the prisoner beating her brutally with her riding whip. When the cuts and bruises across the child's back were, shown to the. jury, and the little creature's unwilling testimony was heard, it took the jurors but a, few minutes to give, their verdict of guilty. The Judge who tried the case was exceedingly severe in his remarks when 'passing sentence about the temper shown by "this rich woman who met society with smiling face, but vented her anger, upon her helpless ward.'" Mrs. Evers will be obliged to serve her sentence, as no appeal will be made from the judgment.

CONDON'S NEW OPERA HOUSE A Melbourne girl, writing from London to the Melbourne Argus, says:—"l was fortunate enough to be present at the opening night of Mr. Hammerstein's rather garish new London Opera House, the preparation and decoration of which have been so fully described. In spite of much advertisement, there was only i comparatively small audience to hear "Rigoletto." But such as were there had the surprise of their lives. The part of Gilda was taken by Miss Felice Lyne, an unheard-of American slip of a girl of twenty, who is the most petite and fascinating operatic singer I have ever seen. She is barely sft high, but oh! how she can sing. People who know say it was like the first night when Tetrazzini sang in London. However, I was not there then, but I did hear Felice Lyne. Her singing of 'Sara Nome' was something to be remembered. Not that 1 think she comes up to Melba, but it was the excitement of the audience that was so exjwlarating. Everyone had settled downto hear a young girl to do her best, but at the conclusion of the florid number she was enthusiastically recalled again and again. Her voice is singularly beautiful and fresh, and her compass really marvellous. Added to this, there is the charm' of youth, and now London is captivated by the new prima donna I was so delighted that I managed to go to her second performance, when the huge house was packed to the doors, and now, in less than a week, Miss Lyne has risen from obscurity to be the most-talked-of young woman in this blase old London.