OF FEMININE INTEREST

Radio Record, Volume VI, Issue 1, 15 July 1932, Page 24

OF FEMININE INTEREST

By |

Patricia

I THINK one of the nicest talks given by Miss Madge Thomas from 2YA was that on Friday morning, when she gave such a vivid description of those lovely models-race coats and frocks -and the new millinery. hey sounded so fascinating that I wanted to rush off to town there und then und buy a complete outfit. Discretion, however, proved the better part of valour, for woe is me! My finances at the moment are too low to indulge in such extravagance, and I must be content to feast my eyes on them and see what suggestions can be obtained for replenishing my wardrobe more economically. Bd ue QNE evening last week I tuned in to 1YA and was interested to hear Mr. E. S$. Macpherson speak on the domestic life of the Chinese. Mr. Macpherson had one of the hardest subjects relative to China that any foreign man could tackle. Although many Europeans become well acquainted with Chinamen, visiting their houses and partaking in a measure of the social amenities of a Chinese household, a man very .seldom meets any of the women-folk, and never has much social intercourse with them. A Buropean,

however well he knowg a Chinaman, would not dream of asking after the health of his wife or daughter, even were one of them dangerously ill. A Chinaman’s women-folk are his own property, and inquiries by males concerning them would be an unforgivable breach of etiquette. With the domestic life therefore closed to the male observer, we can see how difficult it is for any man to talk about the domestic life of the Chinese. It is because of this that the books of Louise Jordan Miln are so engaging, as she supplies this deficiency in a review of Chinese domesticity. Mrs. Miln is thoroughly intimate with Chinese social life, but there are many things she leaves untold, as the telling would be a breach of faith. This applies to all reviews of Eastern life. In India, European women often visit the harems, with the understanding that what they see is not for dissemination, and this is so strictly observed I have never known a breach of faith. * * x A CHINAMAN usually has one or two wives, sometimes as many as four, and if wealthy several concubines as well. Since the war, however. many Chinese women, especially in the Treaty

ports, have broken away from this subjection to their men folk, and have held all manner of posts-professional and commercial-and filled the gaps in their education by graduating and attending lectures. There are definite signs also that these emancipated Chinese women are showing a disinclination to share their homes. with other women, or to accept the status of secondary wives in the homes of others, but the Chinese woman has not turned her back on all things old, which shows how wise she is, and how she can distinguish the wheat from the chaff. * * ¥ HE Pearl River (though anything less like a pearl it would be difficult to imagine), on which Canton stands, is often the scene of what we Westerners would consider a tragedy. Unwanted baby girls are thrown into the water and although the Christian institutions manage to save some of. them, many ‘are drowned. Canton has the-largest population of any city in China, and shows the least Occidental infiuence. Its streets are extremely narrow, and criss: cross in such a way that the ‘city is no thing but a maze. It is also most insanitary, and I am sure that nowhere in the world is there such a stench as

that which rises from the open drains and other causes in the byways and alleys of Canton. ® % * . Now, the Shameen, which is the aristocratic and Huropean quarter, is a direct contrast to the old city.. Here are fine houses, .gardens, avenues of trees, large commercial buildings, banks and hotels, and wide, well-kept roads, which make it difficult to believe that one is so near such a filthy smelling place as that of the "old city" of Canton. Mr. Macpherson spoke a little about Hong-Kong, but as his time was limited he mentioned that further descriptions must .be left until the next lecturette, . * * * Sy AVE you met Mr. Fortune? If not you should do so; you will find him quite entertaining. "Call Mr. Fortune," "Mr. Fortune’s Practice," "Mr. Fortune’s Trials," "Mr. Fortune, please," "Mr. Fortune explains," "Mr. Fortune Speaking." These books are all written by H. ©. Bailey and: are published by Ward, Lock and. Co. There is now another addition to the above list, "A Cash for Mr. Fortune." This volume consists of a number of short stories dealing with mysterious (Continued on opposite cover page.)

criminal. cases, in elucidating which » Mr. Fortune, a doctor-detective, is a great help to Scotland Yard. He is a bland and imperturbable gentleman who seems to have a penchant for ferreting out evidence of which the Yard officials do not think. These stories will Wile away an idle half-hour quite agreeably. _ ‘ 2 x bg THE hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Friedrich Froebel, the originator of the kindergarten sys- | tem, was celebrated recently by German broadcasting stations. Froebel was not in favour of stimulating the intellect of the very young but of their mental development along recreative lines. In 18386, when he opened his first kindergarten, the Prussian Government strongly disapproved, as his anti-disciplinary views were thought to tend toward revolution. The ‘Wireless Kindergarten" is a regular feature at the Konigs Wusterhousen station, and I read that it is one of the most popular of the children’s programmes. It is also a feature which is much appreciated by those exiled from the Fatherland, who are intensely grateful\for such an opportunity of letting their: families learn how the German kindergarten and the German fairy tale-which have found their way all over the world-are interpreted in the land of their origin. ws cg * NIE of the finest novels in the latest shipment of books is "Inheritance," by Miss Bentley. This book teems with interesting characters, and there is not one that is not wanted. The story deals with the commercial development of England from 1813 to 1930-831. > % * % ANOTHER novel by the same mail is "Maids and Mistresses,’ by Beatrice Seymour, and is a very powerful story. There wre certain crudities and vulgarities that might have been left out; nevertheless, it is interesting, and its dramatic quality is splendid. It should, however, only be read by the mature person. It is not a book for the young. There is also a new book by Daphne de Maurier, "I'll .Never Be Young Again." This is a story of hectic youth. A boy runs away from home, and his life at sea, his life in Norway and in Paris, makes good reading. It is a book of real people Jeading a reai life. The forewing books were mentioned from 2a W by the representative ot a leading firm of booksellers. * ry aN Tuesday evening, July 5, a vers bright entertainment Was put over the air from 2YA by Frank Crowther’s Orchestra and the Choral Hight. On this evening, too, Mr. Gordon Short played the three movements of Bach's "Italian Concerto." The first anil third’ movements of this composition are very bright, and in the conyentional Italian style of that day, the second movement is of a devotional nature. The pieces played by the orchestra were light and well done, as were most of the choruses and solos sung by the ‘Choral Wight. I listened to all four stations that night, and 2YA’s concert was easily the best. ; % % a \ [HE B.B.C. have turned down the proposal of a hearty old gentleman of 103 that he should broadcast a series of talks on the secret of perpetual youth. I believe the intention was to associate the talks with a form of treatment for which one pays money, hence the ban; all the same, one feels sorry that a centenarian should be left to nurse his secret in

silence. It is a pity there are no B stations .in England, for I am sure everybody would have been interested to hear whatever this ancient gentleman had to say. * OOR MAN'S oranges are now in, and many housewives will be thinking of making marmalade. Here is a recipe which I have tested, and can therefore recommend. 15 Poor Man’s oranges, 8 sweet. oranges, 131b granulated sugar, 12 pints of water.

Wash the oranges thoroughly, quarter them, and take out the pips, which put in a separate basin, and one of. the twelve pints of water added to them. Slice half the number of oranges to the thickness liked, and put the other half through a mincing machine with the coarsest cutter on it. Put slices and pulp into an enamelled bowl, add remaining 11 pints of water, and leave to soak 48 hours. Put the oranges into a preserving pan, bring to boil, and simmer for an hour or until the peel can

be cut by a wooden spoon against the side of the pan. Strain in the pip water and tie the pips in a muslin bag, allowing room for expansion, and put in the pan. Bring to the boil, and gradually add the sugar, which should have been heated, and boil fast for an hour, or until the syrup jells when tested on a cold plate. Remove the bag of pips after half an hour’s boiling. Keep stirring and skimming during this period, and at the end strain the scum back into the pan as a good deal of syrup will have been picked up ‘by the scum. Pot and cover while hot. FS Fs * "THROUGHOUT Canada Women’s Institutes are finding that broadcasting is an effective means of reaching their various objectives-mainly the achievement of home betterment, Talks on Canadian industries and household economics are -broadcast, and various women official organisers speak regularly on subjects, such as public health, immigration, agriculture, education, and the League of Nations, * % Ef THs versatile writer, Mr. Othwell Binns, has given us many thrilling stories of adventure in different lands, but none more stirring than- his latest work, "White Gold," (Ward, Lock and Co.) In this story he gives some vivid descriptions of the life and customs in Mozambiquue, and the cruelties practised by the Portuguese officials on the men and women in the prisons there. Charles Ferrers, who is home on leave, receives an SOS eall from his friend, Dave Christon, who is gaoled in this filthy hole. Dave held the secret of some platinum mines which a gang of desperadoes wished to obtain. In the rescue of Christon and the race for the treasure many stirring incidents occur which hold the reader enthralled until the finale is. reached. * % Eo NOTHER of Ward, Lock and Co.’s recent publications is ‘"Rosamond’s Ordeal," by L. G. Moberly. This is a clean, wholesome book with some exciting situations, and will be read with pleasure by old and young alike. Rosamond, called by her step-mother to go to her father, who is dying, receives a shock. Up to the age of twentyone she has believed herself to be the elder daughter of Richard Tranby, only to be told by him in his last moments that she is an adopted child. She is so stunned with the news that the man she had adored as her father is no relation, that after the funeral she leaves her home, and seeks a situation. A mystery. surrounds her birth, but she meets some people high in the social scale and eventually her lot falls into pleasant places. * a % "WILD METAL" is a novel by Charles Gilson (Jarrold) that can be warmly recommended. David Haynes is a young man who makes a mess of his life, not through being a weak fool, but the dreamer who merely fails to "fit in." Mr. Gilson is a forceful writer, and creates an interest in the boy almost at once. His childhood’s difficulties, his queer dreams, and the dawning of sex, are all splendidly described. David enters a_ businesg career, which is not a success, after which he goes in for literature. Hig love of women interferes most disastrously with his love for one woman, and finally the war puts an end to hig problems. A very moving and human atory.