FOR WOMEN FOLK.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 259, 12 April 1915, Page 6

FOR WOMEN FOLK.

" BY EILEEN." " Eileen " will be glad to receive items of interest and J value to women for publication or reference in this column, I

WEDDING. FALCONER—GIBSON. An exceptionally pretty wedding was celebrated at All Saints' Church, jiltli.im, on Wednesday lint, when Hj!«> (Ella) Francis Gibson, only daughter of Mr and Mrs Arthur Gibson, was married by the Rev. G. W. Dent to Mr \V. M. Falconer, of New Plymouth. Mr Gilbert, of New Plymouth, acted as be-.t man, and Mr Charles Gibson (brother of''the bride) as groomsman. The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a lovely frock of chnrmeuse made with a graceful train jtn-1 bodice of shadow lace and pearls,, and wore til© usual veil, looped back from her face with sprays of orange blossom.-., and carried a shower bouquet of waito lillies, roses and asparagus. Miss, Hannah Harre (cousin to the bride), and Miss Marion Thompson, of Wellington, who acted as bridesmaids, wore dainty white voile frocks, rose pink sa9hes, aad black velvet hats, and carried artistic bouquets of pink flowers and trails of autumn leaves. They each wore plain gold bangles, the gift of the bridegroom. The bride's mother was in black satin, relieved with touches of mauve, and hatto match, and carried a purple bouquet. The church was prettily decorated, and the music well rendered by Mr? Blennerhassett. After the ceremony a reception was held at the residence of Mr and Mrs Gibson, where nearly 100 guests sat down to the wedding breakfast in a largo marquee erected on the lawn. The bridal cake was the cenr.ro of attraction, and was beautifully decorated by a friend of the bride. The presents were handsome and numero.is, including several cheques. Amid a perfect storm of confetti and congratulations the happy pair left by motor lor the north. The bride's travelling di-(*s was a light grey whipcord costume will) wedgewood collar and smart hat to match. The glorious weather and !he Infectious happiness of the bride and bridegroom combined to make everyone spend a edlig'iftul afternoon.—(Contributed.) HEROINES OF FRANCE. BRAVERY OF SISTER GABRIELLS. _____ They are very patient, these women of France, and immensely brave, writes Mr Philip Gibbs, in the Daily Chronicle. I have seen their courage. I have seen them walking very quietly and calmly away from villages burning under shell-fire, or threatened by an advancing enemy, where they have left all that made up the wealth of their life, I even though it were a grinding poverty. I have travelled with trainloads of th:«e. refugee women with their children about them, and often, when I have heard their conversation, and seen the tranquillity of their faces, I have said to myself, "These are wonderful, these French women!" It is a credit to the French Government that they have given public honour to some of these valiant women, who are cited in the Orders of the Day There is Mile. Nicolle, who for 12 days preceding the German occupation of Meyenmontier, in the Vosges, tended with the greatest devotion 300 French wounded without the help of a single doctor, and during the German occupation looked after fiOO French and German wounded, besides obtaining the liberty of 60 hostages, deluding the Mayor, out of a list of '.JJ demanded by the enemy. When the Germans entered St. Die, and when there was still fighting in l!.e Rue d'Alsace, Mile.- Sudre, a school teacher, volunteered to act as a parley with the enemy. Afterwards, having taken refuge in a cellar, she went in tho midst of a heavy bombardment to lin;l clothes for a little child who complained of the cold. On leaving the cellar .she was struck mortally by a bursting *\\ :U, and fell a victim to her devotion. Mile. Bouret, public school mistress at Merets, remained almost alone during hot German occupation, and saved the civil registers of the commune in the midst of the battle which caused the en-

emy's retreat, and while the town k.ll was being devoured by fire. She also rescued a wounded Frenchman, whom she tended with the greatest devotion. OTHER BRAVE WOMEN. The story of Sister Gabrielle, a in:i of St. Vincent de Paul, who has not yet been rewarded with public honor, is not heroic than those above. In the town of C!erniont-en-Argonne die refused to leave when tho wounded had been carried off, and the inhabitants had l!cd hefurc the enemy, and, with thrco jtiier nuns, remained in her convent with 4'2 old people who could not be removed. 'The town became a flaming torch about her, and when the Germans entered they pillaged her convent and terrified the helpless old creatures, until the resolution of Sister Gabrielle. and the u',ter fearlessness of her spirit, won tho respect of a German officer, who saved the house from -the fire and from the soldiery. At one moment death seemed very close to them, for a German soldier was accidentally wounded by fit splinter from a burning beam, and his comrades swore that he had been fnv-.l upon by someone in the convent'. A hostage was taken, but once again Sister Gabrielle's influence saved the situation, and the German officer kept his word that no harm should befall her people. The English people have already toid of Sister Julie, upon whom the President of the Republic has conferred the Legion of Honor for devotion to thfj wounded, under shell-fire in a burning . town, but perhaps one little incident related With -that honor had not yet bien reported. I think, perhaps, Sister Julie liked it more than the Cross of the Legion of Honor. A squadron of Chasj seurs passed the house whore this l.idy lived amidst the ruins of her town, and the Captain called for her. When she appeared, smiling upon them, he turned to his men, and reminded them how, when they had passed that way before, they had seen a woman—Sister Julietending the wounded in spite of the shells which burst round her, and the flames which raged across the street. "My little ones," said the officer, "here is this lady again. The President of the Republic has pinned tho cross for htr courage on her breast. Let' us salute her." And drawing his sword from his scabbard, and kissing its hilt with a sweeping salute, the captain of the Chasseurs ordered his men to raise their saints, and to parade before this lady, whose eyes were full of tears. It was a beautiful act of homage, not only to Sister Julie, but to the womanhood of Fran.-e. Dear women of France, there are millions of you who will never gain the Legion of Honor, and yet in your litUe garrets of Montmartre, in the sewing rooms of public workshops, where all day long you stitch and stitch for the French Army and a franc a day, in littk' lonely villages from which all tho men have gone, except the old grandfathers who fought in 1870, but abovo all in this great city of Paris,, so dark and cold these days, so full of hunger and poverty, so empt}' of all joyousness, you do your duty—of suffering—as well and as bravely as those who are in the treadles, suffering, too! Perhaps you have lite greater share of misery, and yet you are uplifted too by this spirit'tal fervor of patriotism, which makes -all tilings seem good and right, so that France may be saved. BEFORE MARRIAGE. Lovers' quarrels arise from different causes; sometimes from mere intensity of affection, making undue exactions, and at others from causes which, properly understood and appreciated, would warn the parties of the impossibility of their ever living happily together. Kor instance, a young man who is engaged finds his affianced very jealous. Whenever they meet other ladies in society she treats him with great coolness. This chills his ardor and makes him discontented, so much so that he is in doubt about marrying her at all. H; has, in fact, come to the conclusion thai if he believed she would treat him after marriage in the same way as she does now he would never marry her. As a general proposition, it may be laid divn that persons will not change essentially after marriage. A belief that they would has been the cause of countless unhappy marriages. They will be just about the same after as before, and, if anything, a little more likely to give way to strong natural proclivities or peculiar-

lties of temper. If you would not marry a young woman provided you belie-cd she would continue to be as she now is, without any very marked change in htr disposition, then you do a very perilous thing to marry her at all. The aa:ne rule, on the other hand, applies to il-c young men. Many and many a ;:\>l has made a shipwreck of her happliv J s for life by marrying a young man iv V\e confidence that after marrying \v would wield s'J'h an influence over ': ■ i as to reform his wild habits. She finds her influence diminished rather than increased after they are married, and disagreements and misery necessarily follow. Marry no one except him with whose present character you are fully satisfied. women a::d CONSTRUCTION. An interesting recommendation lias been made in an important report recently presented by M Risler, at the Musee Scciale, concerning tho steps it is advisable to take in France to reconstruct towns and villages demolished bv the war, that women should be naked to serve on the committees that will consider and accept plan 3 for rebuilding. CORPS RAISED BY LADY. It is not generally known that the ■ Sportsmen's Battalion, which has had tp obtain permission from the War Office to increase its strength twice, owes its inception to a lady who, finding many of her healthy sportsmen acquaintances shut out by recruiters on account of their age, wrote to Lord Kitchener, and, after some difficulty, got permission to form a battalion 1150 strong. Mrs Cunliffe-Owen at once wont to London and established special recruiting headquarters, herself undertaking, with the. help of a competeit staff, all tho duties of * recruiting officer. This is the first lady to raise a regim&nt since the Duchess of Gordon raised the Gay Gordons ("with a kiss") a hundred years ago. WOMEN ORDERLIES. Tho woman hospital orderly originated in the Balkan wars of two years ago, the first seeing service under the command of Mrs St. Clair Stobart, who instituted the Women's Sick and Wounded Convoy Corps, a large body of women who have for years been training themselves in all branches of hospital service. Numbers are at the front now, many of them medical students or Red Cross enthusiasts. Their work consists of making themselves generally useful in the kitchens, as well as the wards, scrubbing floors, feeding patients, running messages, etc, but not nursing unless they are specially trained for that.

WOMEN ON MEN'S DRESS. The opinions expressed by various women in the London press recently rn how a man should dress were borh amusir" and illuminating. The consensus of opinion appears to be that a man's choice should be restricted to;~ Dark blue or grey suit. Plain black or blut> docks. Black tie, with small white spots. No monocle. No jewellery. Black boots (certainly no spats.)

Hair brushed flat and never "frizzy." An irate male who has entered the lists on behalf of the oppressed male writes: —"While we regret the somewhat restricted and subdued choice she offers us, we cannot help respecting her good intentions. We offer in all humil.'y a few ideas on how a woman should dress from a sober and. moral point of view:— "Plain drab costume, entirely disguising her figure. The drabber tlie better. "Black pork-pie hat, with small white spots. "No jewellery. (What a saving!) "Pair of spectacles. "A virtuous umbrella. "Natural wool stockings and an entire absence of embroideries. Good thick black boots with very low heels." LOVE THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE.

Unchanged within to see all changed without Is a blank lot and hard to bear, ro doubt. Yet why at others' warnings shouH'iit thou fret? Then only .might'st thou feel a just regret, Ead'st thou withheld thy love or bid thy light. In selfish forethought of neglect and slight. O wiselier then > from feeble yearnings freed, While, and on whom, thou may'st shine on! nor heed Whether the object by reflected ilght Return thy radiance or absorb it quite; And though thou notest from thy safe recess Old friends burn dim, like lamps in ndisesome air, Love them for what they are; nor love them less, Because to thee they are not what they were. —S. T. Coleridge. AN OFFER TO HOME DRESSMAKERS. Everylady's Journal for April begins a number of new and striking features. For example: A complete range of new patterns suitable for all ages from childhood to grandmotherhood is displayed in a series of pages, with an offer' to supply accurate paper patterns for the.-).-designs. The Australian cut patterns .shown in the current Everylady's Journal are a sample of the 250' designs isMned by this popular woman's magazine in its new Autumn Pattern Catalogue. The Editor oilers to send this catalogue c,i 250 pattern designs free of charge to any reader who uses the coupon given >'n the current issue of Everylady's Jon---nal. But Everylady's Journal is ninth more than a fashion journal. In the current issue there is a'new serial story by one of the best living story-writer*-appropriately enough, a woman-and the glimpse we get of this story in flie opening instalments satisfies us that it will be a fine one. We find some more opinions of notable people on the questions of whether bachelors should be taxed, and are assured that this is no longer a question for smoke-nights and afternoon tea parties, hut is a very serious matter to be debated as so'on as Parliament opens.