WOMAN’S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 November 1922, Page 10

WOMAN’S WORLD.

A DRASTIC ORDER. MAKING MOTHERHOOD IMPOSSIBLE. Extraordinary interest has been aroused throughout the United States by a decision of Judge Royal Graham, of the Children’s Court of Denver. He has ordered a married, woman to submit to an operation to make motherhood 'mpossible, because of the undernourishment of her five children and the habitual insanitary condition of her home. This is the first time any American Court han imposed such conditions. Judge Graham could not legally compel the mother to agree to the operation, but he told her that if she refused he would commit all her children to a homo. She then agreed. The woman explained that her husband, a. notary and Italian interpreter, did not earp enough money to provide decent home surroundings. The husband did not attend the Court, but later accepted Judge Graham’s order concerning his wife. 'Social workers had constantly explained to the Court the foul conditions of the home, and Judge Graham was much influenced in his decision by the testimony of Dr. Sutherland, who attended the woman since the birth of her first child. He described the progresive insanitary environment as more children came, and declared that, in hie opinion, the home condition was not due to poverty, but, too frequent child-bear-ing. Denver women "who were interviewed support the decision, since both parents agreed to the operation, but express the belief that jurisdiction does not rest with the Children’s Court. Judge Graham overcame this objection by adjourning the case to January, and if the operation has not been performed by then he intends to take the five children from the mother.

A JAPANESE WEDDING. MARRIAGE OF PRINCE REGENT. The Prince Regent of Japan, who recently visited England, is shortly to be married to Princess Ngako. An announcement has been made that the ceremonies in connection with the event will 'be conducted on lines of rigid economy, instructions having been given to the Imperial Household Department to limit the expense of the marriage to a minimum. Eoßowing those instructions, the Minister of the Imperial Household has an. nounced that not more than 5,000,000 yen (about £500,000) will be spent, which, although by no means a small sum in itself, is little in comparison with the event. It is less than half what it cost his Imperial father, the present Emperor, to be married, and that at a time when everything cost not more than a quarter of what it does today. Two-thirds of the amount estimated is to be spent in preparations for the Imperial wedding and in the purchase of gifts. The remaining third, about 1,000,000 yen (£100,000) will be -spent on the ceremony itself, the erection of special buildings, purchase of carriages and automobiles, and banquets. As a betrothal gift, the Prince Regent is to present to his fiance the Princess Ngako, an amulet sword, the order for which has been placed with a famous old swordsmith of Osaka, Teisho Gwatsusan, one of the few expert bladewelders left in Japan. This sword, which will have a blade of 12 in, will be exquisitely decorated as to handle and scabbard, its presentation signifying a sharing of his honour and dignity with the bride-to-be. In older times the ladies of Japanese nobles invariably bore arms, for defence, -when such was possible or necessary, and for self destruction when that might be the one way to escape capture by the lord’s enemies. Princess Ngako is now having her trousseau made, which includes both Japanese and foreign clothes for all occasions. The ceremonial garments to be worn at the wedding are being made in Kioto, at a cost of 20,000 yen,(£2ooo), while leading jewellers are now fashioning her crown and creating a necklace to foe worn with it, the jewels in these being valued at 1,000,004) yen ( £lOO,000).

SYMMETRICAL HAIRDRESSING. ■lt has often been rightly affirmed that “a woman’s glory is her hair.” Iler appearance to a large extent depends on the way she arranges her hair. Unfortunately only a very few women take th'e trouble of studying their profiles in relation to their favorite mode of hairdressing. Any defect of feature should be taken into consideration when choosing a style. The most common mistake is made in entirely covering the brow. It will be readily seen that if the lower portion of the face is longer in proportion to the rest of it. by covering the row over with hair the defect is accentuated. A thin-faced woman with a pointed chin should, never dress her hair with a pad or chignon high up at the back •of her hair, as this will exaggerate and lengthen her features. Above this type of face the hair should be swathed round the head and dressed in a knot at the nape of the neck, with small waves over the brow and at. the sides of the face to soften sharp features. In the case of a plump face, which is often accompanied by a short neck, the closer the hair is dressed without a fluffy effect the more becoming it will appear, and the face being round and not very distinctive, a more sharply delineated coiffure will greatly add to the contour of the face.

BARE ARMS IN CHURCH. "I have noticed with concern a tendency of late for the girl candidates at confirmation to appear in expensive dresses, and sometimes with low-neck-ed frocks and bare arms,” states the Bishop of Liverpool in the Diocesan Gazette. , “I believe it is often due to a mistaken wish on the part of the parents to show their regard for this great rite by spending too much money on the dresses of their children. To these parents I appeal to aim at the most -perfect simplicity and modesty possible, that their girls may not be distracted at one of the most solemn moments of their lives by thinking of the clothes they are wearing.”

NEW ZEALAND AUTHORESS.

A very great compliment was recently paid to Mrs. Middleton-Murray (daughter of Mr. Harold Beauchamp, of Wellington) by Princess Louise, -who asked the New Zealand writer to contribute a book to the miniature library which is to form part of 'Queen Marys doll's house, designed by Sir E. Lutyens. The idea is to embody into the tiny model house the work of the best living artists —whether designers and makers of furniture, painters, writers, etc. For instance, the water colors that are being painted by a .well-known artist are each the size of a postage stamp. The books in the library will be correspondingly minute. Mrs. MiddletonMurray is, of course (writes a London correspondent), accedng to the Princess Louise’s request. This unusually gifted writer and her husband are regarded by the literary editor of the Times as two of the ablest reviewers the paper has ever had, and he considers that they should be given the cream of the work. Fortunately Mrs. Murray’s health has benefited greatly recently, and should there be no set-back in this respect, a brilliant -future in literary circles awaits her.

MARRIED IN CAPTIVITY. BRIDE AND GROOM KIDNAPPED. Details of a little romance of the Irish war have just been made known, reports an Irish correspondent or the Daily Mail. Colonel-Commandant Ignatius O’ Neill, who is known as one of the best fighting men of the Free State Army, had obtained leave to get married, and was travelling with his bride, Miss May Lehane, of Lahinch, and her bridesmaids to Roscrea for the ceremony. Just outside tire town, and when the party were practically within sight of the church, the motor-oar was surrounded by a large body of rebels. The colonel was captured, and the whole party compelled to turn and drive off in the direction of the Silvermines Mountains, County Tipperary, where the women of the party were permitted to go, but the colonel was held prisoner.

A few days later Miss Lehane received a message to say that if she would present herself at a certain place she would be escorted to her bridegroom and the interrupted wedding ceremony would be allowed to proceed. She cheerfully took any risk that might be involved, presented herself at the appointed time, and was escorted to a farmhouse on the mountain-side, where a priest was waiting to perform the ceremony. Colonel O’Neill was married in the presence of a party of his enemies. Husband and wife were allowed a little time together, 'and then Mrs. 0’ Neill had to return to her home in Lahinch, where -she now is, leaving her husband a prisoner in the hands of the rebels.

THE PERILS OF HIGH HEELS. A great fillip has been given to the campaign against high heels by the tragic death of a London woman. She stumbled and fell on the doorstep of her house, and owing to the height of her heels- could not recover her balance. Her skull was fractured in falling, and she died soon afterwards.

“Although no accidents due to high heels have come to my notice, they are very likely to happen,” the casualty doctor at the Middlesex Hospital told a newspaper representative. “Coming down from the top of an omnibus or stepping off a kerb, a woman with high heels is very liable to slip,” he said. “Her foot goes over, and she thinks she is clear when she is not. Any kind of accident may happen in con-sequence, the most common being a sprained ankle. From the health point of view also high -heels are bad,” he continued. “A woman wearing them is more easily fatigued, and more liable to foot troubles.”

The correct height for safety and health depends, the doctor considers, on the way the shoe is made. The bottom of the heel, he considers, should be on a level with the sole. A heel of 2| inches he -considered “getting a bit high. The fashion for very high heels is actually changing in London. According to the manager of one firm, shoes with heels 3A inches high are still sold —but not often. “Even on the stage,” he says, “a more ordinary heel is being worn. The Louis heel is still favourite, but the usual height at present is from Igin to 2|in. The 2iin heel is going out. It is not, however, because it is dangerous! It is merely a change of fashion.”

WOMAN’S CHANCES AT FORTY. Men may be too old at forty, but with the present wave of late matrimony it almost looks as if many women only come into their own at that age. Contrary to settled ideas, several educated women known to the writer, who in their youth never attracted the opposite sex. have suddenly married when out of the thirties men who in several cases might be considered quite good matches. If each case is examined in detail one finds the woman is usually not living with her parents —in fact, they are often dead—and she has a small private income. Forced to hold her -own and live her own life, she has developed a kindly tolerance and good will and has ceased to expect too much of life. She ’has not the nature that gets warped and embittered by neglect, but has striven to improve what talents 6 he has in ways that attract, yet the striving has not been intentionally aimed at attracting men from a matrimonial standpoint. In many cases it has been natural development. There is no doubt that many men who are not eager to see a large family growing up round them incline to a ‘ woman no longer young and without parents or even near relatives. Where a couple have means enough and only themselves to think of life can be very pleasant as long as they have tastes in common- II often a relief IO a man who is getting on in years not to have to dance attendance on a young, capricious creature, who he well icnows will get admiration elsewhere if he fails to offer enough. Where a girl i« always overlooked she is apt to get self-conscious and selfdepreciative, 'but as she gets older con fidence grows. She can refuse dance invitations without secerning perculiar. She can go to entertainments and restaurants alone and can enjoy life in a hundred way® which were denied her in her youth. Not only that, but people expect nothing of her. Her family have ceased to be disappointed at her failure to attract.

Then, to the surprise of everybody, when she least expects it, someone comes along and finds in her what he needs for his happiness. His adoration completes her education; it brings her out and reveals much. Life opens before her as a flower, and she finds in it a raising of self-esteem, an intense happiness often denied her younger sisters. So girls entering on the thirties — that period of seeming failure for those so far passed over—need not despair. Just when everyone has ceased to contemplate the possibility their friends may read with astonishment in their newspapers that “ a marriage has been arranged and will shortly take place” between someone quite of importance and Miss Blank (“who must be forty, my dear, if she is a day’.’’).—C.M.P. in London Daily Mail.