WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 112, 27 September 1912, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen.") QUEEN ALEXANDRA. A pretty story about (.luecu Alexandra. told by ji lady honored liy intimacy with Hit Majesty, is ]>\il»li.-in-tl by the London correspondent i»l tlic Scotsman. When on Alexandra ,Da v the (,meen was starting <in .t drive round the scene of the • op rations of the llowcr sellers she felt. ;i little nervous of venturing out among the crowd for the iirst time unaccompanied by her late husband. She bad jii'4 remarked to her companion in the 'carriage, that what she sharply missed was the working man's greeting, "(iood old Teddy." familiar when King Edward went among ]<U people, when a roughly dressed man standing- to the carriage remarked in a tone of profomd regret. "Poor old Teddy." The wa.-, deeply aiVected and profoundlypleased at an incident which testifies that King Edward still live.i in the memoi'v and hearts of the humbler class vif his'people. HOW SUFFRAGE WORKS IX FJXLAXD.

According to Miss Edith Sellers, who I has been studying the effects of giving] women a potential voice in framing legis- j jation in Finland, the women of that] ♦ountry hare not influenced legislation for good, nor raised the tone of the debates. Hut outside of Parliament some I noticeable changes have orcured. Many j wouii 'i are more "aggressive," and have "developed the most overweening notions of themselves." Servant girls have become more independent than ever. Should a Socialist orator announce that he will give an address at the hour when most families dine, the mistress and the family must "do" for themselves if the nerva'nts want to attend the meeting, indeed, the Socialist party, Miss Sellers iiiuls, is the only party in Finland which female suffrage' ha* strengthened. "As ,■ it is with servant-maids, so it is" (Miss Sellers adds) "with many other women, I was assured by not a few of those ivitli whom I r>poke on the subject when jin Finland. A certain'section of townj dwelling women, they maintained—es- '. peciaiiy women of the lower middle class, I have undoubtedly had their heads a little turned since" they have had votes, with the result that they have developed the most overweening .notions of themselves and their own importance in the I world. This may, and probably is, a mere j passing'phase; but while it lasts, it does 1 not make for harmony."

LABOR AND WOMEN'S FRANCHISE,

OiH' of the finest of the women who are battling in England for the political enfranihisement of their sex is Mrs De«pard, the sister ,of (ieneral Sir John French, and the president of the Women's Freedom League. On a recent occasion she was presented with a cheque for £SOO, which is to be increased to £I,OOO. She landed the cheque back to the organisation for the purpose of providing the sinews of war in order to contest by-elections against the Ministerial party, who have betrayed the cause of the women. She declared that ia future her organisation intended to. work in line. with, the only party who had given them a, pledge—the Labor party. They were standing on the dawn .if a new and vigorous era in the women's movement, and the future was full of iope. What had been termed the revolt of ; libor was the finest thin* y«t dune in the ciui.se of women. The Labor party were beginning to see more clearly that' thte help; of the" women of England was essential if victory was to be assured, and the Women's Freedom League n'ould give them all the help ia tWr power.

QUIEN MARY AND HER SERVANTS.

A correspondent sends "Lorna," of the British Weekly, some notes gathered from a reliable source on Queen Mary's consideration for lifer servants. Not long 'igo an old and trusted maid was sent by doctors orders to a private nursing Jiome for treatment during illness. She was visited daily by the Queen herself, who saw that the invalid had everything necessary to relieve the tedium of the sick room. When a servant retires the Queen's interest does not cease. A few dais before leaving for India Her Majesty isppiit several hours one afternoon superintending the arrangements of a large house she had set apart for .her old servants and to which one of them was about to retire. A small suite of rooms was provided for each tenant, and the Queen herself saw to it that these were artistically as well as comfortably arranged.

SERVANT PROBLEM SOLVED. AMERICAN WOMAN'S GOLDEN RULES. Mr* John H. Flagler, wife of the multi-millionaire railway and Standard Oil financier, has told in an interview how t»hi manages the 27 servants who comprise her household corps. She says she has solved the servant problem because:

"J. never cheat a girl out of any pleanure she has planned by asking her to work when she has planned to get off. When 1 entertain 1 notify the servants at least two days in advance, so that they won't make any engagements for that day. When I give big entertainments I employ extra help. My servants arrange,among themselves so that some of them, have Sundays off. ~Sly servant* have access to my library, and they take advantage of it, too. They like to read, and they have the time to do it. I should feel conscious-stricken if I thought persons in my employ slaved all day long. The work in my house is so that they are not compelled to do so. I urge them to go out every afternoon and get the air, if they only remain out an hour. I do not know who ever started that half-day-a-wivk oil rule. Ido not know why women, supposedly intelligent and sympathetic, should continue to practice it on their servants. One half-day a week is not enough to popularise a mistress in the eves of the maid."

A WEDDING WHICH COST OVER £12,000. Glowing despatches from San Francisco describe the marriage of Miss Jennie Crocker, tlio "millionaire bride," to Mr Malcolm Whitman, of Brookline, Ma?-sa-chuselts. The only essentia,! in which they (litl'er concerns the bride's fortune, sonie estimates giving it as £20,000,060; bwt all are agreed as to the minimum of £10,000,000 which should be quite sufficient for two. because in the United Slates incomes are not taxed. The weddim,' cost between £12,000 and £20.000. The -11111 of £-1,000 was spent on the decorations of (he wedding breakfast hull; to prevent the theft of jewels, «>rps of plain clothes men, wearing top hats and I'riuce Albert coa,ts, attended and mingled with the guests; the bride's gown cost £10.000; and the little church of Sau Mateo was "solid" with choice (lowers arranged bv an army of decorators, at a cost of £SOOO.