WOMEN IN THE BRITISH ARMY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 179, 7 January 1915, Page 6

WOMEN IN THE BRITISH ARMY.

The British Army has had its women soldiers, and two of them are bur> ied in the cemetery at Chelsea hospital, One of the these dames —Sarah Snell, truculent-looking person, whose portrait is preserved in the Great Hall of the hospital, served in the siege of Pondicherry, and was badly wounded, her sex i)ei;i 0 ' discovered when she was re- J moved to the hospital. She became a j pensioner and wore, on occasions, the three-cornered hat and uniform coat of Chelsea, and was, at her own request, buried in the graveyard of the hospital. Christina Davis was the other female soldier buried in this cemetery. She is described at a "fat, jolly woman." When she acknowledged her sex, she resumed some of its privileges, for she married, I in succession, three husbands the last

being a Chelsea pensioner. I Another Englishwoman who success- | fully posed as a man and enlisted as a ! soldier was Phoebe llessel, who was a private in the sth Foot Regiment, and fought at Fontcnoy in 1745, under the Duke of Cumberland, being severely wounded. Ultimately she died at Brighton in IS2I at the age of 108. Tile nost famous Englishwoman "soldier,"' however, was ''Dr. James Barry," who joined the medical corps in 1813, and served at Waterloo and in the Cri-

mea. In 1858, after many promotions, she became Inspector-General, and it was not until many years later that the fact tl'.at sue was a woman was discovered.

"The Bureau of Social Requirements" i 3 America's latest fad. It is a sort of

•-.chool for society novices, and undertakes almost anything and everything calculated to make modern life less arduous. New York originated the idea, and succeeded so well in filling the lwsg felt want that not only Washington, hut other American cities, followed suit. The bureau is run by good business women, some of whom have been society postesses in their time, and kr.ow wliat

U wanted by society. They have an-

('.ertaken to choose, decorate and furnish .houses, run them wlien finished, or supply housekeepers, seeretn.nes and servants, permanently or on special occasions. They will arrange and conduct bnlls, weddings, dinners, etc. The bur-' eau is specially designs! to meet the needs of newcomers to Washington, who tremble lest they infringe some unwritI ten law of the country's diplomatic and sorial capital. Mrs. Libcu'ssc, formerly of Xew York, who lias twhe [ married, is chief directre-s 01" the '.'i>r<\iu, and has a stair of qualified assistants, every one of whom is dying to Ml all the needs of much harassed hostesses, or tutor those still untried in ;lie social labyrinth. The Belgian peasant women are not perhaps, a beautiful race, but their rugged and shrewd faces are full of intelhgT.V) and character, and it is these qualities that have attracted artists 1 since the days of Pieter de Hoos and lleiiibrandt. They appear essentially picturesque in conjunction with mediaeval surroundings—the umber and grey houses, half-timbered dormer windows, and wonderful orange and velvety brown roofs, mellowed by the greatest artist of all, old Father Time! To complete the picture, imagine thees houses reflectcd in the still waters of the canals! Kverybodv attends the markets, where all sorts of things are sold, including antiques and valuable curios. English

and American visitors make bargainhunting a hobby, and are often well satisfied with tile result.

When anyone happens to feel faint in a public place, a crowd of people flock to help the victim by keeping away the i're.-li air and hastily propping lip the •hooping head. This is exactly just the wrong thin,to do. Three people, or four at the very most, can lie of uso in a case like this, and the others will be showing a finer courtesy and more good feeling by paying as little notice and creating as little disturbance as possible over the woman v.'lio faints. The first aid to the woman who Tiegiiis to feel faint is rendered by her leaning forward as far as possible, b"nding her head down on a level with her knees. This draws the blood away from the heart, and will often stop the fainting spell from coming on. When a woman faints in a. theatre or other public building, her head can be bent forward without attracting any particular notice. The blood with gravitate to the brain, andj consciousness will be restored. When the patient can lie taken out into ft free space place her flat on the floor without pillow of any kind. Loosen the clothing, collar-bands, corsets, and sprinkle water on the forehead. When administering smelling salts, be careful not to touch the unconscious patient's face with the salts themselves, or the skin may lie burnt. In using aromatic ammonia, the quantity is thirty drops to a glass of water. Never al-

!<>w a fainting pi rson to let the head fall backwards. Have as few ipeopT l around the patient as possible, for the eveiti-niejit of the curious crowd communicates itself to the patient, who, as she slowly regains consciousness, develops a nervous and hysterical state.