WOMEN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 273, 10 April 1913, Page 6

WOMEN'S WORLD

A FARM DOMESTIC'S DUTIES '•.> Jo wonder country mistresses find difficulty in getting decent girls to do their housework." Thus writes the father of a girl who has taken a place as 'general" in a "well-to-do Canterbury farmer's home" in order to supplement a rather slender family income and to crain experience. "She is a strong, capable girl/'- the indignant parent says, "and she has had a good home training, being a good cook and a willing worker." He finds no fault with the wages, though 10s ft week seems little enough for a° competent "general," but he objects to the long hours and the absence of the most ordinary comforts. "The girl is about from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and during the whole day she has not a minute to call her own, often having to leave her own meals to brush Master Tommy's hoots or to get a cup of tea for the young ladies in the best parlor." And this is not the worst trouble. "There are no holidays, no time for church, no chance for her own sewing or reading." The girl, so the father says, is often left in charge of the house and the small children when the master and the mistress are away with the older daughters, and at such times she has to provide mealg for rough farm hands, who are not a> ways nice in their behaviour. Th« strange part of the story is that she clings to her place rather than take employment in town, because she prefers life in the country to what she imagines life in the city would be. If (says the Lyttelton Times) this case is typical of domestic service in the country the wonder is not that farmers' wives find difficulty in getting girls, but that they manage to get them at all.

INTELLECTUAL LOVE "1 forgot my earlier interpretation of love and learned a new interpretation with Mr. Rimirill," was the frank admission made by Mrs. Lois Burnett Rantoul, granddaughter of the poet James Russell Lowel, who is suing her husband, Mr. Edward S. Rantoul, for divorce at East Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... After counsel for the defence had cross-examined the plaintiff regarding her motor trips with Mr. Rumrill, a college friend of her husband's, the judge said nothing improper was either understood or alleged in these relations/and permitted Mrs. Rantoul to furnish the court with a full explanation of her "intellectual affection," in order that the jury might view the case in its proper atmosphere. "Mr. Rumrill," explained the plaintiff, "helped me with my philosophy. He topk me to lectures and w.e discussed various subjects together. When I wrote a philosophical paper he read it and criticised it. In short, he offered me intellectual sympathy such as I have never known before.

j'His love gave me such' happiness that I could not bear te give it up, but when I learned that it wa„s_causing my husband pain I, pu,t ;i|t|Out of my mind in the truest' sense. I never saw Mr. Rumrill again. Do I love him now? I cannot, saj., .He js out of my life entirely." , -

Rantoul., informed the jury that after the disclosure was made she tried toi please her-husband in every way, but added, "His treatment of me became intolerable, so I leftJiim."

(WEDDING STOPPED BY THIEF j . jMlel Marie'Roehefi, a voung and pretty brWe,"haa"am^t"i l hiJlgarfa , nt e'x-' ; perience the other aay;She was dressed" "hr-th?~traTlitional bridal robe, veil and wreath of orange blossom. . The- equally traditional bridal > carriage, with its pair of prancing horses, ' wais at the door. The bridal party had assembled at the church. All that was ladking was the bridegroom. An hour passed. -The bride began to grj>w hysterical, while the distracted father-in-law was telephoning all over Pajris to obtain news. After three hours hall passed the bride used the bridal carriage to make a tour of the hospitals, the police-station, and finally the mdrgue, but found no trace of the miss-.. ing bridegroom. In the evening, her fiance, M.August Patequet, turned up at the house of his despairing fiancee, fatigued and dishevelled, but happy. Half an hour before the time fixed for the wedding he had gone to buy a pair of white glovas. Wjiile in the shop he noticed an ele-gajitly-dressed woman who was making purchases at the same counter.

When lio went to pay for the gloves he; found that his pocket-book, containing .i'4o—the money he was '.eeping for his honeymoon—was gor.p. \nt during lo.face his hride with the disastrous ini.figenee that* their trip to London was "oli"," lie rushed to the Prefecture of Mice. , ~

Jle was able to give, such a detailed description, of,, the.jpickpocket that she was at ( once recognised' as Louise Pimaret. Two detectives were placed at his disposal, and aftu- a hard day's work they rail her to earth.

I'he bridegroom, to his great joy, recovered his. £.40, so that M. and Mme. Pasquet will now be able to go through the marriage ceremony and take the train for London. " "■■

WOMEN IN MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS Women are taking a large part in actual governmental' affairs in Great Britain and 'lreland. Under the various local government qualification of women Acts they participate to a very considerable extent in local affairs. According to figures gathered by the National Municipal Review, there are now in England and Wales three Women serving'on county councils, 17 -on town councils (two of whom arc mayors of their cities), eight,.on urban*.district councils, 14,") on rural district councils, and 1175 women are,£.cting as poor law guardians. In addition-to tlie 145 women district councillors avlio act as-guardians for the unions in ■which- their districts lie, the number of'parish councillors is considerable, although exact figures are lacking. In Scotland there are two women serving on town councils and seven on parish councils, while in Ireland there are three as town councillors, four as urban district councillors, together with Gfi poor law guardians. 'Women have been utilised to a very considerable extent in'putting into force aii'd effect the recent National Insurance Act. There arc also, according to the National Municipal Review, two offices open to women —health visitors and sanitary inspectors. Most of the ''health visiting" in London is done by women who are qualified as sa li i ta'ry i nspeetors.