WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 139, 30 October 1912, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen.") MAD MILITANCY Mrs. Fawcett, as head -of--the nonmilitant branch of the suffrage movement, is rightly severe in her condemnation of the Dublin outrages. She writes: "I liave no hesitation in saying that the crimes encouraged by the W.S. and P.U., and carried out by their members, are fast doing for women's suffrage what the crimes in Ireland did for Home Rule 30 years ago. The leaders of the W.S. and P.U. seem to believe that they can justify themselves by citing the insult-

ing and provocative speeches of Mr. Hobhouse, Mr. McKcnna and Mr. Asquith. That these Cabinet Ministers have made speeches which can only be regarded as direct incitements to violence is no excuse whatever for the criminal folly of acting upon their suggestions

Mr. Asquith's speech on the second reading of the Franchise TJill was disingenuous: he must have known that the defeat of the Conciliation Bill b} r 14 represented anything rather than the considered judgment of the House of Commons. But it 13 obvious that he could not have spoken as he did in the House of Commons on July 12 but for militancy. This gave him the atmosphere and tono I in the House and in the country which rendered possible the immense contrast

between his utterances of November 17 and July 12. On November' 17 there, had been no militancy for a year, and only one specimen of it for nearly two years. The advantage to the suffrage cause was incalculably great, and was shown by the whole tone pf the i J rime Minister's speech on that occasion. Tho militants came to his rescue, and by re- i

I peated acts of violence, as well as by I petty personal insult, have hardened and I deepened his opposition to women's suffrage. The militants are now the most ] J powerful allies the anti-suffragists have."

I The handsomest woman among the J American suffragettes is said to be Miss j Myra Cordes. The convention at which j she was nominated and held at Terrace

(Garden, New York, there being 500 com- I petitors, and, strange to say, the women (would not trust themselves to award the prize, but chose a committee of mere men for the task. The prize was a, blouso lof rare old lace. Miss Cordes is an arjdent supporter of the cause.

A DRESSMAKER'S POSITION A judgment was given recently in a Paris Court laying down tho principle that customers constitute a 1 sort of personal asset of saleswomen, and not of the establishment where the latter are employed. Mdlle. Burton, who had been employed for several years as saleswoman by a large dressmaking establishment in Paris, at a salary of £BOO a year and commission, recently left th* firm >nd entered the employ of another house. When she left she requested that'her correspondence be forwarded to her. The dressmakers refused to do. so, and asked the Court to appoint someone to open the correspondence and turn over to the firm the letters of a commercial character, the contention being that customers' letters'were'the property of the house and not of Mdlle. Burton. Mdlee. Burton put forward the argument that the customers were her clientele as a sales : agent, and that she was'entitled to consider orders from them as personal, to be dealt with through'any firm'with which she might be connected at the time. The fact that they were a sort of personal asset, her counsel asserted, was proved by the large salary paid to her and other prominent sales agents.; The Court upheld this view, and refused the authorisation requested by the firm, and ordered all correspondence addressed to Mdlle. Burton to be forwarded to lier.

A DARING WOMAN The last rivet on the tower of the Woolworth Building in New York; the highest structure in the world, was recently placed in position hy a woman, Miss Alberta Claire, "the girl from Wyoming," who had previously provided ]S<ew York with a sensation by riding up Broadway after an 8000-miles journey on horseback from the West. After the elevator had taken her to "somewhere around the fiftieth floor," Miss Claire got out on the bare steel skeleton. She skipped along the narrow beams till she reached the very top of the mound. There she put in place the last rivet, waved her hands to the thousands below; and posed for the photographers. THE MATINEE HAT. The "matinee hat" problem in theatres and other public places of entertainment seems to have been solved in Athens, where the Chief of Police has recently issued a regulation forbidding the wearing of "hats of extraordinary dimensions, with ornaments of flowers, birds, fruit and divers otlier artificial objects, which hinder spectators in the rear from following the performance." *. The penalties for contravention of this regulation are ■fairly drastic, the punishment being a fine of a maximum of 200 drachmae or imprisonment up to a fortnight. If the culprit be accompanied by a male companion, the latter is to be considered responsible.

WOMAN GIVES NEGRO A BEATING

Ail Philadelphia is talking about the latest exploit of Miss Elizabeth P. Coleman Lewis, one of the Quaker city's most popular athletic society girls. A few evenings ago Miss Lewis went to "her apartment and found the lift attendant, a burly young negro of 17, attempting to hide behind the door of a wardrobe. Miss Lewis did not faint or call for help. She simply dragged the intruder from his hiding-place, and with a clean, righthanded swing sent him .to his knees. The negro arose and sprang' at' Miss Lewis, but she doubled him up with a blow from her left list. All the fight went out of him| and he made a dash for the door to escape. In passing the athletic girl,

however, he caught a swinging blow under the ear, which knocked him over a chair. Miss-Lewis picked him up and knocked him down again, and Anally threw him out of the room. The negro was arrested, hut Miss Lewis refused to prosecute, saying that he had been punished enough, and she did -not think he would attempt to repeat his folly in a

hurry. REAL GOLD SILK~STOCKINGS Real gold sUk stockings are to be tin fashion in Vienna this autumn, according to a fashion paper. They will be procurable from £5 ?■ pair. In silver they will be sold somewhat cheaper. Another novelty will be ordinary black or white plain silk stockings. Above the ankles, however, will be worked various designs, such as a peacock with tail outstretched. In this most of the original colors are preserved. To enable these embellishments to be visible when worn, shorter skirts are to be insisted upon by the dressmakers.