WOMEN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 298, 9 May 1913, Page 6

WOMEN'S WORLD

ARISTOCRATIC LOVE INTRIGUES COUNTESS USES THE STILETTO. In the Rome Supreme Court, packed with fashionable society women, the Countess Marchella de Rancamar had recently to answer a charge of the attempted murder of the Marquis Souchc de la Deboussicre. The husband of the accused woman was the director of an important bank, and the marquis who was nearly killed was interested in railways. The latter met the countess at a society ball given on the occasion of the conclusion of peace between Italy and Turkey. He became an admirer of the countess, and soon acquired the habit of spending a large portion of his time in her company. The suspicions of the husband being aroused, he hired the services of a lady detective to watch the marquis and the countess. Curiously enough, it happened that the detective was a former friend of the marquis, and, perceiving from her investigations the relations between the marquis and the countess, determined to revenge herself. She bribed the marquis' butler and got into the house just a few minutes before the arrival of the countess, who was on her way to an appointment with the count. When the lady detective appeared before the marquis he became very angry. She demanded on pain of exposure that he should discontinue his relations with the couritess. : The infuriated marquis tried to hustle the woman out of the room, and' a fight ensued. The countess arrived on the scene at this stage, anu, seeing the two struggling together, misread the circumstances and conceived the incident to %e a meditated insult to her by the marquis. She seized a stiletto from among a trophy of arms displayed on the wall and stabbled the marquis on the breast. The marquis did not die, and on that account the countess was acquitted; The Count de Rancamar is separated, however, from his wife, and a duel betwen him and the marquis is pending. PENALISING MOTHERHOOD New York, March 18. Widespread discussion has been evoked by the action of the New York Board of Education in refusing, by a vote of 32 against 5, the application of Mrs. Katherine Edgel, a teacher of physical training .at the Erasmus High School, for a year's leave of absence while bearing and rearing her child. The New York Tribune denounces the Board's decision in a leading article entitled "Penalising Motherhood." The correspondence columns of the newspapers are filled with letters, the writers of whiclv- demand that, as the law has forbidden the Board of Education the right to dismiss women teachers for marrying, it shall also prohibit the dismissal of married teachers for absenting theniselves from school after giving birth to a child. CENSORSHIP OF FEMALE DRESS Drastic censorship of female attire is proposed under a Bill that has been introduced I 'into the Ohio Legislature,, the objeqt of the measure being "to prescribe -the fashions to be worn .by women in the State." If the measure secure the approval of the Legislature, the designing and manufacture of women's clothing in Ohio will be Bubject in future to the censorship of- a commission of three members/of whom",'it is ; stipulated, one is to be ah ordained minister of religion, one a parent with not fewer than three children, ,and the third a social settlemenl worker. These sartorial censors will b< empowered to "prohibit each styles anc patterns of garments as they shaii deem after a hearing, to be detrimental t< virtiie or chastity." The discretionary powers of the censors, however, will bi strictly limited,, "pneumonia" or open work blouses will be in future considere< illegal. The Bill fixes an exact limi for decollete gowns, prescribing tha "not 1 more than two inches of the neol below the chin shall be uncovered." Th Bill 'makes it unlawful for women t wear any outer garment trimmed or com bined with' a- lace insertion, or ne through which the color and texture o the skin may be determined. It fui ther prohibits the display of "transpai ent stockings in public places," an makes it' a punishable offence for shoj keepers to exhibit in shop windows ur drapfed artificial figures'. "In introducin this sweeping Bill, Mr. Louis Capelle (n presentative for the City of St. Louis declared: "The immodesty in the attii worn by women in the streets is th cause of the great wave of immoralit now sweeping the country." The thre members of the censorship commissio must be selected from men and wome bat ween the ages of 30 and 50. Eac member will receive an honorarium c £SOO per annum. DISAPPEARANCE OF THE COUNTEI PANE A point of interest to old-fashione housewives is the gradual disappearanc of the counterpane from the shelves c linen-press, Probably the news that i is being discarded will come as a surpris to hundreds of women, who have hithei to accepted the old-fashioned bed-eovei ing as an essential, like sheets and blai kets. As a matter of fact, the doin away of the quilt or marcella, "honej comb" or cotton "terry," has not bee introduced as a sudden change of fasl ion. It is merely a form of evolutioi Nowadays it is the custom to use a smai covering of linen embossed and decorate with embroidery and lace, and draw thread work. That is known by th American name, "bedspread," and as sue takes the place of the counterpane. A night the "spread" is removed, just a many people take off their spotless coin terpanes, and the cosy eiderdown is sul stituted, while in summer even a singl blanket is often found too warm. Ever change.of season sees a fresh develoj ment in the luxurious appearance c botli bedspreads and eiderdowns, and jus now the shops are showing very thic down quilts, with coverings of plain on< colored satin or silk arranged with slol placed near the edge, through which wid ribbon is threaded, and this is finall tied in handsome bows at each corne Then, again, there is a new kind of ru which is of pure thick and fleecy woo as light as possible, yet beautifully warn These are to be obtained in any colo and some of them are printed in moi artistic designs.