WHAT WE WOMEN THINK

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 16, 31 October 1930, Page 32

WHAT WE WOMEN THINK

TW the banqueting hall of the Savoy Hotel, London, a great gathering took place to welcome Miss Amy Johnson. Scores of young men and women, mostly under thirty years of age, champions in aviation, politics, sport or commerce, met together to do honour to the latest addition to their ranks. ‘Three months ago," "Johnnie" told them (during her speech), "I should have been standing in queues for hours to see any one of you, and now I have the opportunity of being among you, and even of shaking hands with you."

Lathe tate, ~ In front of Miss Johnson, suspended above the luncheon table, was a model (in flowers) of "Jason," the Moth aeroplane which carried her so faithfully on her perilous journey. Mr. Hsmond Hainsworth, chairman of the luncheon, in proposing the toast of Miss Johnson, crystallised the thoughts of all present when he said: "You proved that now, as through the ages, where there is a will there’s a way." At the end of the banquet one young man was overheard asking his neighbours what he thought Miss Johnson’s future should be. "I think she ought to marry now, and settle down," was the reply. But his friend shook his head. "She owes something to Bngland, and ought to go on giving us an example." Perhaps she will do both. ERR FRANZ LEHAR, the composer of "The ‘Merry Widow," is now concentrating on songs for a talking film of modern Viennese life, which is to be made near London. There are to be three versions-English, French and German. If the music is as melodious as his previous composition, we can anticipate hearing it, providing that New Zealand is to be favoured with a screening. 'N Russia, the authorities of to-day are trying to liberate women of intellect from all domestic drugeries and petty household tasks, so that they can concentrate on higher and more elevating things. The idea is that the more a woman is taken up with her home and her little ones, the less fitted she will be to assist the Soviet Government. They are, therefore, making efforts to select individuals for purely intellectual work, and not use their virility in other directions. Prisons are being made centres of entertainment. They are well equipped with radio and films, and smoking is permitted. The question is, will the prisoners ever want to leave this comfort to confront the hardships and privations of the outer world? It seems rather an encouragement to commit a crime. * u * UBBER jewellery for wear in the water is both pretty and quaint. Bright necklaces and bracelets of rubber or painted cork, made to match one’s bathing cap and shoes, and shaped like garlands of flowers, add a distinctive note to one’s beach costume. Tiny wooden beads, or beads made of varnished paper, being very light in weight, are popular for wear, either in or out of water. at = ™ NEARLY everything possible centres round broadcasting now. There has actually been talk of a book being published by broadcastingput it seems impossible that man really could enjoy reading by ears alone. s * ™ HAVE just read of a little hotel in a village on Salisbury Plain which has its own private cinema. The owner is a_ retired lieutenantcolonel, who began in business four years ago, and now runs a large farm, a dairy and butchering business, as well as the hotel. At night the writer was astonished to be asked whether he would like to hear a talking picture-a recent one. There was the usual brightly coloured cinema

lighting, which dimmed slowly, and the sound reproduction equals anything to be heard at a big cinema. News reels are included in the programme. The apparatus was installed by the owner and a friend, and it is run simply as a hobby-an attraction to his guests. In New Zealand we have at least one hotel which runs a cinema for the amusement of its guests-I refer to the Chateau Tongariro, which puts on an excellent and most up-to-date programme twice a week, * = 3 DE. AXEL MUNTHE, in one of his articles advocating that doctors should be paid by the State like judges, says:-"What is to the heart of a mother the cash value of the life of her child you have saved? Why should I, who am a fashionable doctor, drive about in a smart carriage, while my colleague in the slums has to walk? Why does the State spend many hundred times more money on teaching the art of killing than the art of healing? Why don’t we build more hospitals and fewer churches? You can pray to God anywhere, but you cannot operate in a gutter. Ld s s (CHILBLAIN S should be nearly over now, like fires, but they are not. A friend of mine to-day told me her hands are stiff and painful on account of chilblains; and I found she had never tried this easy cure. Provided the chilblains are

unbroken, soak the hand in hot water, then dry thoroughly, and rub in made mustard, as if it were an ointment. But you must rub until it disappears. Continue this twice daily. This simple remedy has never been known to fail. A MONG the most delightful attractions of the ™~ hot season in Munich (says an Hnglish writer in Germany) were the weekly open-air serenade concerts. These are held in the courtyard of the Presidenz Palace in the evening. You could hardly imagine more perfect architectural surroundings. The night air is absolutely still, and a fountain plays in the middle of the court. The night I. went a famous soprano from the opera sang far’ above our heads; I mean the phrase literally, for she was standing, illuminated by a searchlight, right on top of the high tower which dominates the palace. HDvery word was heard as clear as a belL

Miss DOROTHY THOMPSON, the wife of Sinclair Lewis, the novelist, tells us that, in spite of extreme poverty in Moscow, the shops and stalls arg always thronged with buyers. She go on to tell us how, in "The New Russia," that the explanation for this lies in the fact that: "Many normal expenses are lifted from the shoulders of the worker. He pays no rent; he gets free theatre tickets, or at greatly reduced prices; he is insured against nearly every emergency. He can even be treated in a free hospital. The factory furnishes

him his club, his recreations, often his free cinema and his books; whatever he earns he can put into food and clothes." . 4 s s T present there is a great revival in England . of the still-room; many kinds of old-fashioned cordials and spiced drinks are coming back ‘into fashion. In London people are adopting the: Gontinental custom of drinking "tisanes"-delicious concoctions made from herbs and reputed to possess wonderful beautifying qualities. English people, having acquired the habit abroad, very often ask for such drinks in West End restaurants, and the different varieties, such as menthe, camomile or verveine, are served as iced drinks. s * a ABouT the second week in December, a big liner will sail from Southampton on a cruise which is surely unique-it will take tourists to the Antaretic! Already the organiser, Commander Stenhouse, has been literally "snowed under" with applications for the trip-mostly from women of every rank and station. It is indeed rumoured that some charwomen were among the first to offer,their services. The cruise will last about six months, and a seaplane will be carried for the use of passengers who wish to combine pleasure. with exploration. It will be remembered that Comags mander Stenhouse was in charge of Shackleton’s ship Aurora, and the Royal Research ship Discovery, so the expedition will be in capable hands. * * * AT ® South Sea resort there is an interesting fortune-telling machine. You lay your hand flat on the plate, insert a penny, and then under your hand is a tickling feeling brought about by something moving backwards and forwards, When this ceases, your fortune is thrown out at you on a piece of paper! But whatever this fortune, and however much we would love it to come true, and to travel to foreign countries, there are few of us who are not under the necessity to live at home, to work in a certain place, and to travel daily over the same ground. In fact, we are tethered to our post; and it, in most cases, would only be selfish to try and make the ~ortune come true, ae + * A.?:H- after his visit to New Zealand in 1925, wrote in his article to "Punch" the wing: "New Zealand is a darling. She is more English than the Wnglish, more loyal than the Crown; she is as small as Great Britain and as hospitable as the United States; she has a population of a million odd, and she produces more per head (including newspapers) than any country in the world; ninety-eight per cent. of her is pure British stock, which is more than can be said of Britain, and there car be no other place where the English tongue is by every class so purely spoken and with so little accent, dialect, or twang. She is beautiful and prosperous and democratic and conservative; she has every virtue and every charm." r s 2 NOW that picnicking time will soon be here, wet will all need as many bottles as possible to take milk. However, if it is found difficult to clean thoroughly, do this. Half-fill the bottle with cold water and add a tablespoon of dry mustard. shake vigorously and stand for half an hour. Then rinse: thoroughly with clean water.

and however much we would love it to come true, and to travel to foreign countries, ‘there are.few of us who are ‘not under tlie necessity to live at home, ‘to work in? a certain’ place, and" to travel daily ’ "over the. same ground.’ In fact, we are tethered to our post, and it, in‘most cases, would only be selfish’ to try" and make‘ the fortune come tr We, « it ® s ‘. iN MEMBER of the past generation was hewailing the lack of witty Women in: society nowadays. "There are many lovely women," he said, . "and many very. charming .ones, but. you never seem to find women with. that gift of repartee that we should: havé called ‘sparkling’ in the old ‘days. Whether it. is due to the pres--day bridge mania or not, the fact Rn mains that; brilliant. islest art, ani. the talent for ‘bons which was considered an indispensable asset for the society woman of the Edwardian age is nowadays practically non-existent." .. ® .® * {aks is an interesting recipe known as Mayonnaise of Hggs:-Shell the hard-boiled .eggs and cut in halves lengthways. Peel and halve some Mipe tomatoes.: °. Put into a baking tin and bake in the: oven till just tender; then let them get cold. Arrange them in a row on a: dish and season with Salt and pepper. Place half an egg, eut side downward, on each tomato, Have. ready half a pint of stiff mayonnaise sauce, well flavoured with Tariagon vinegar, and coat the eggs and tomatoes smoothly. Decorate the dish with beetroot cut into small fancy ; SDloces and a little chopped aspic. ig Ir seems. moat that plays never visit New Zealand now. What’s wrong with the theatre? We have the plays, the players and the producers-and we have the actors, too-and the number of actréste are continually increasing. Cannot the State do something to support it, and let us have a National Theatre? Since "Journey’s: End’ and’ "Younr Woodley" appeared in Néw Zenlanc what have we had? Wealthy men are willing to speculate in other lines. Why not on the theatre?’:.. Are we coing to let the talkies have their own way for nlways-or are we once again to feel the personality of the actor? Is it a question of rentals, salaries of stars, labour and advertising, or just the call of something new? The theatre can be made an uplifting force, and the public are allowing it to die an unnatural death, without lifting oner finger to urge, protest or plead. Just in passing we will mention that £16,000 were paid for the film rights of "Journey’s End." Perhaps this is thé key to fhe situation. ' THE pleasure of a summer holiday is often completely spoilt by the prevalence of insects. But insects detest strong smells, Consequently, if arms, hands and legs are rubbed with camphor or eucalyptus before going out, the insects will not keep you com pany. To banish them from the bed-

room put 4 sponge soaked in eucalyptus in a saucer by the window. If bitten do ‘not scratch. Bathe the bite in water to which has been added a little Serubbs ammonia. Should it develop into a sore, make a: ‘horacic poultice by wetting a piece: OF boracie lint, cover with oiled silk, and bandage. 4 Le e ie . A FRIEND has, -witttfen: me about’ the’ coolest: ‘méal she ever had. It was served itf:a famous wo: men’s club in London. during the recent heat wave. Everything was iced, ‘even the dishes on which the food was served had been standing in a refrigerator for several hours. The menu included an iced ‘fish salad, Served on

ice. The chef told her that they were using 10cwt. of ice a day in addition to that made in their own refrigerators, * Be s Sir FREDERIC COWEN, the famous composer, who was born in’-King-ston, ‘Jamaica, in 1852, when visiting the West Indies was presented by music lovers with a musical box of inlaid native woods. Theodore ChaliaDine received £1250 every night ‘he sang at Warsaw. Yet they say musicians are always poor. A statistician has worked out that: America produces & saxophone every 40 set¢onds, and nearly a million a year, ¢

1 Lausanne: there is a dog university. The idea of this is.to train them to lead blind men. The "course" in-order:.to be thoroughly sticééssful takes séveral months. * * % ‘A COORDING. to Hugh the best book written by an Americaii ‘recently is "Look ‘Homeward’ Angel, ~ by Hdward Wolfe. "This. book: has genius," ‘he says, "and it restores ‘poetry to the American scene." He goes on to say that he advises anyone who is interested in contemporary American Letters.to. watch for its appearance. I saw it this week in Wellington in a bookshop, and: intend ‘to get it. In the ‘same article, Hugh Wal-. pole says that America has only one living poet of genius-Robert Frosta quiet, patient, kindly man who refuses to be advertised, refuses to be hurried, and is not iriterested in’ money. * + ANDBAGS, being so much in ube, soil very readily. To clean those of leather, pig-skin, or lizard-skin, smear them with a little white shoecream, applied with a very clean flanvel. Then polish with a _ velvet pad, Dark brown leather bags can "be ¢leaned with a matching shade. of shoe-polisk. Suede and fancy leather. may be rubbed lightly with a clean chamois leather. If badly stained use benzine and rub‘up the pile or suede ‘with a piece of fine sand-paper. Persian leather or black morocco should have the white of an egg rubbed all over them. This will be found to freshen them up wonderfully. * porary time is the time to guard , against the care-free flinging off ot beauty routine and the slackening of vigilance which goes with it. It is of the utmost importance to realise ana remember that general activity is nv substitute for specific exercises. Both face and figure want special watching while leading the out door life. At many of the crowded seaside resorts nowadays, classes are organised for physical exercises on the beach. Naturally a beach with its wide spaces, its

ozone-laden. air and clear: direct sunshine, is the ideal place for -doing beduty . exercines. * Pa I WAS in a big store near Piccadilly Circus yesterday (writes a Londoner), when I saw a_ red light flash above the lifts. 'Thinking this might be a fire alarm signal, I asked an attendant. I learned then that the light meant that a shop-lifting expert had been sighted, and one of the house detectives was wanted. Within 20 seconds the light went out, which meant that the detective Was on the spot, These lights are on each floor, and as goon as the detective sees the signal he goes to the nearest telephone, and is told at once the floor and counter. ‘Other lights indicate closing time, or that the general manager is wanted. ~ s =" IGNORINA ANITA COLOMBO, ‘who has a marvellous talent for organisation, has been appointed to direct the great La Scala Opera House at Milan. The smooth running of the recent European visit of the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of New York was largely due. to her efforts. * s To those who are collectors and have visited Christie’s, it might be of interest to know that the highest sum ever given at Christie’s. for a picture, or in fact for any article, was when Romney’s portrait of the Beckford ¢children, from Hamilton Palace, fetched £54,000. e * HEN mending the fingers of worn gloves, a quick and neat darn can be made if a round knife-handle is ine serted into the finger before commence

ing.

ALISON