WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 54, 22 July 1912, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen.") A NEW INDUSTRY. '1 lie magazine, "The Lad)*," gives interesting account of a new industi or, rather, an old industry perfected :■ made up to date. The artiste stoppe;: , formerly only known in France, lias come to London, and is welcomed. To put it shortly, an artiste stoppeur mends holes in cloth, but she mends them so that one cannot lind where the hole began or ended. even with a magnifying glass and an honest thirst for knowledge. She mends . the bole with thread of the stulV itself, and she finds the requisite thread in all I sorts of unexpected places about the garment. She is as much part of French existence as the cleaner or the laundress; over there they could not picture their life without her. If monsieur has bad the misfortune to make a jagged littK tear in the sleeve of his coat, it is sent to the stoppeur as a matter of course. It' madame burns a tiny hole in her tailor-made skirt with one of her incomparable French matches, her stoppeur will return the skirt to her without the smallest trace of an accident to be seen, and if llortense trips as she plays with her hoop, and the result is a hedge-tear on her winter coat, the stoppeur sets to work and sends it home fresh and dainty as ever. So the dear economical French people patronise their stoppeur (in the majority of cases the word should be

Moppeiise) and save money, whilst the stoppeurs make it. As might be expected. French customers came first to the little laily in the window, but even her compatriots only found her out by .chance. She came here alone, unheralded. unadvertised. She did not know a living soul in London; she could not speak a word of English. She just put specimens of her exquisite mending in a glass ease outside her little door, sat down in her window, began to sew—and waited for clients. It was a long lime before English people came. We are a , resigned race, and we have always been I accustomed to regard a tear, a burn, or | a moth-hole as a calamity, to send the coat or gown to the tailor or the dressmaker, and to maEe the best of the re- , suit. The tailor makes a good job of it: still, it is, and always will be, a "job." The dressmaker puts in a piece or takes out a piece, juggles with ribbon, or moves some lace, and the tear disappears. But gradually we awakened to the knowledge that a new and useful trade had come to England, and that it was "up to us" to make it a permanency. The stoppeur showed her visitors some results of her skill. First came a man's evening coat of the finest stuff. It was riddled with moth-holes —or, rather, it | had been, for no trace remained; only white pins showed where the holes had been. For making it like new and pressing it. like a tailor into the bargain, her charge was lfls. A cigarette had burnt a hole in a waistcoat, and her price for making good the damage was ss, but the waistcoat was an old black brocade one, presumably being worn by the great- i grandson of the dandy for whom it was ] originally cut. Then there was a scarlet hunting coat cruelly torn right across) the back, and not only torn, but with the nap gone off one shoulder. Violet and I I went back two days later to see the I results of her labors, for that coat was I her triumph. Even in a cold November light, on a clear morning, we could not lind the traces of that jagged rip, and in some mysterious way she managed to bring back the glossy nap to the 6iiouldir that had seemed so dejected two] days before. Her charge for that bit of sleight-of-hand was 245, and it was well worth the money. Of course, a stoppeur is expensive; she cannot afford to -be cheap. She has a long apprenticeship, the work is terribly trying to the eyes, and she dare not hurry. But the result is perfect. j

I PRINCESS MARY Princess Mary received many congratulations on her fifteenth birthday, which fell in in the last week of April. She was born at York Cottage on April 25, 1807. and was christened in the beautiful little Church of St. Mary Magdalen in the park at Sandringham. Like all Royal children, she was given a long string of names, and had many godparents. These last were her great-grand-mother, Queen Victoria, our late King: Edward and Queen Alexandra (then ' Prince and Princess of Wales), the late I Duchess of Teck, the reigning Empress j of Russia, Princess Victoria (then of Wales), the King of Greece, and the late Prince Francis of Teck. The little Princess received the names of Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary, and, like her mother and grandmother, is known by the last on the list—Mary. She has always been a very bright and charming child—tall anil robust, with lovely fair curling hair and a beautiful skin. She looked 'Wonderfully well at the Coronation with her velvet mantle and becoming little coronet surmounting her flowing curls. Tho Princess is an excellent French scholar, having been in the charge of Mdlic. Dursan since she was quite a child. She is also fond of music and of needlework. She is very sporting, too, in all her tastes, being a good swimmer, clever on her skates, devoted to all games, particularly golf and tennis, and a really excellent "whip," as well as a graceful and fearless rider. Before three years are over the Princess Mary will be taking her place by the Queen's side in the Royal circle at Court, and will be a delightful addition, for we have so few young Princesses, and the daughters of our Princess Royal have hitherto -been little seen, and have, a long period of mourning before them. —The Queen.

CANADA'S CALL TO WOMEN. Here is how Mrs. Simpson Hayes, of Winnipeg, describes the situation in Canada so far as the opportunities for women are concerned: —In British Columbia alone there are 100,000 unmarried men bachelors, who are cooking their own meals, making their own beds and bread, and mending their own socks. In Alberta, again, there are 70,000 males in excess of females; in Saskatchewan (58,000, two-thirds of whom live in hotels and boarding-houses, because they have no homes. in Winnipeg, with a population of 230,000, every eighth woman is a wage-earning woman, whereas they might be engaged in their own homes in the country. With regard to work, there is no sphere in which women are not wanted. For instance, they are badly in need of nurses in the new towns that are springing up in Canada. Nurses received from O to £4 a week, with the cash "down on the nail." There is no credit out there. Teachers are also badly wanted. The smallest country school anywhere pays £lO. and the country board only costs £2 to £3, so the girl who goes out is able to put the rest in her pocket. Turning to domestic work, if any girl or woman is possessed of two willing working hands she is bad ly needed, and she would be splendidly paid. No one receives less than £3 a month, with board and lodging; some get El and even £5 a month, especially smart, intelligent waitresses.