WOMEN’S WORLD.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 13, 13 December 1932, Page 9

WOMEN’S WORLD.

Miss Gladys Drew has been visiting Mr and Mrs A. K. Drew, “Brooklyn,” Sanson.

Miss Barbara Miller, of Palmerston North, has returned from a visit to Nelson and Wellington.

The Palmerston North Rotary Club, at its meeting yesterday, passed a motion of sympathy with Rotarian C. R. Luko in the recent passing of Mrs Luke’s mother, Mrs Anne Mitchell, of Wellington.

Pupils of Concordia College, under the charge of the principal, Mr Dyer, and Mrs Dyer, visited the Old 'People’s Home at Awapuni yesterday and entertained, the inmates with a delightful programme. Their items included a charming playette in costume, folk dancing, recitations and songs, all of which were thoroughly enjoyed by the old people. Miss R. Lancaster, who has been a relieving teacher on the staff of the Hokowhitu School during the past term, will sever her connection with the school on Friday next. Reporting to the monthly meeting of the School Committee last evening, Mr L. J. Plank, the headmaster, sa.id that Miss Lancaster had done her work in a most creditable manner and the school would be sorry to lose her. Miss Louis, of the College Street School teaching staff, has accepted a position at a “Wanganui school. Appreciative reference was made to Miss Louis’s services by the chairman (Colonel J. H. Whyte) at last night’s meeting of the school committee, and by the headmaster (Mr W. A. Swinbourn), and it was decided to send Miss Louis a letter conveying the committee’s thanks and extending her the season’s compliments. POST-PRIMARY GIRLS. SOUND GENERAL EDUCATION. SCOPE OF EMPLOYMENT. The old idea that the type of education in girls’ high schools is academic still lingers, though a consideration of the various courses of study offered at the Palmerston North High School disproves this. Work there is brought as far as possible into close relationship with life. For this year, the percentages of pupils taking the different courses are: —Home life course, 20 per cent; commercial course, 30 per cent; general course, 37 per cent; professional (with Latm), 13 per cent. The scope of employment tor gins is somewhat more limited than tuat for boys, but the school, though only 12 years old, has now to its credit, it is stated, one doctor, numerous teachers (both primary and secondary), hospital nurses, pharmacists and dispensers, while old girls are in charge of school dental clinics; others are in Government offices in various capacities, and a large number are in offices in the town. Others, again, have taken up ■work in the various shops. Many old girls, of course, have married. A glance at the old girls’ notes in the current issue of the ricliooi Magazine—and these are not by any means complete—shows that six old girls are attending university lectures with a view to secondary school teaching. Three are already teaching in secondary schools. Ten former pupils have just finished their course at the training college. Twenty-one old girls are now teaching in primary schools: Two are cooking instructresses at manual training centres; two are doing Y.W.C.A. work; one lias started a kindergarten; fifty are in offices in this town; nineteen entered the nursing profession, six being at present in training at the Palmerston North Hospital. while others are in the public hospitals at Waihi, Pahiatua, Wanganui, Blenheim, Napier, New Plymouth, Wellington and Auckland. Several have completed their nursing course and have started in private

practice. Two are in charge of school dental clinics. Several have gone in for Karitane work; ono former pupil is dispensing chemist at the Palmerston North Hospital; three are learning pharmaceutical chemistry with pharmacists in the city; one former pupil, who obtained her early training in art at the school, had some pictures hung in the recent Wellington exhibition; she has taken up the profession of advertising artist. Two have taken up florists’ work.

The school aims at giving such a sound general education that girls have a firm foundation for any future work they may wish to undertake. The professional course has always been strong, and this year a considerable development lias taken place on tlio commercial side. Girls are now prepared for the various chamber of commerce examinations in book-keeping, shorthand, typewriting, and tor the Government shorthand typists’ examination. Another development has been the preparation of senior girls for the B.A. and B. Com. degrees, the latter being a very useful degree to hold. A girl taking the course for this has “two strings to her bow” as it covers the ordinary accountancy course, with additions, while at the same time it is a very useful teaching degree, especially for a commercial teacher. To take it, though, a girl must first matriculate. The school is extremely fortunate in having mistresses competent to cover such a wide field. Modern competition makes sound work a necessits'. Employers now demand the best qualifications, and girls at the school are trained to aim high. Apart from other subjects of study, training in intelligent citizenship is a feature of the school work. That this training is good can be seen from the judges’ comments on the essays sent in by the school for the Rotary Club’s essay competition. A number of the pupils do not seek employment, it is stated. They will remain at homo when school days are over. For them the home life course has been arranged—a general education with advanced work in cookery, needlework, artcrafts, dietetics, etc. Work in tlie large, airy, well-lit kitchen is a delight. Quite recently the kitchen was re-modelled, and now, in addition to being taught the management of a coal range, the girls work with the latest up-to-date gas and electric ranges. Cookery, needlecraft, and artcraft are all in the hands of specialists. And everything is done in the midst of ideal surroundings. Certainly the girls attending the school are fortunate indeed, and every possible avenue of employment is explored for them.

MISS PATRICIA NELSON. ACTRESS RETURNS FROM ABROAD. WELLINGTON, Dec. 13. Miss Patricia Nelson, a young New Zealander, formerly of Woodville, returned by the Malcura yesterday, after three years of film and stage work in England and on the Continent of Europe. Miss ' Nelson, who is an actress and dancer, left New Zealand in 1929, joining a Pavlova company, in Australia. She then - proceeded to London, and has been before the public, mostly in France, ever since. Miss Nelson, on her arrival yesterday, had much to say about the revue, theatrical and night-club world, on the other side, especially in France. Paris lias taught her not only to speak in French, but also to think in it. She confessed that on her arrival in New York a few weeks ago she felt somewhat strange in a country in which English was spoken, and had to do a little extra thinking beforo she could bring herself about to converse in her native tongue. Paris lias completely fascinated Miss Nelson, and she finds tire people there perfectly charming. “And the language. . . did you know it before you went?” Miss Nelson explained in English, but in characteristically French style with judicious use of the hands and facial gestures, but when she first reached Paris, her only knowledge of French was that gained as a school girl. “After about tlrree months’ time, I thought I was beginning to speak fairly well,” she said, “but when I tried to speak to the girls in a show that I was in, they threw up their hands and refused to talk to one that spoke French so badly.” It was not long before Miss Nelson was not only, speaking in French, but also thinking in it, but even now she finds difficulty in the south, where a provincial speech is used. “. . . . But you must hear some of the latest records from Paris,” she said to her interviewer, who had sought her out in her cabin before the ship berthed. “You people are not as bad as the Americans. . . there the reporters ring you up at 6.30 in the morning, and want to come right then for an interview. . . But do you like this ‘Les Gars de la Marine” from one of the latest pictures, ‘La Capitaine Craddock,’ and a great hit.”

Talk of films led to a few words on Miss Nelson’s doings since her departure three and a-half years ago. She reached London, after Pavlova’s company had disbanded, and joined a French revue company, “La Parade des Femmes,” which had in its cast a couple of English artists. Her next engagement was with what she called a “legitimate” or “straight” show, “La Vie Atlienienne,” and then she returned to London to play in Edgar 'Wallace’s “On the Spot,” in which she scored her biggest success. Since then she has been constantly engaged in revue, night-club and film work. She toured as Queen Maud in “Les Adventures du Roi Pausole.” through the French provinces to Switzerland and the Riviera for over a year. Quite recently she has been appearing as a male impersonator at Zollcs, one of the smartest niglrt-clubs in Paris, and immediately before her departure for New Zealand she has been playing at Monte Carlo,. Marseilles and in the South of Franoe. She had to go by ’plane to Belgium to mako arrangements for an engagement in Holland early in tire new year in order to bo in New . Zealand for Christinas, and took her departure from Le Havre, Film work, Miss Nelson finds the most interesting of all. She does not take roles of French people —although she did so once—but plays foreigners who speak French with a slight, but noticeable, accent. Just as Maurice Chevalier and Marlene Dietrich made a strong appeal to English-speaking people, and are not popular in Franco and German respectively, Miss Nelson finds that she has obtained a great measure of success in France, on account of her foreign accent. She met Marlene Dietrich, and found the German actress a person of great charm, and of exceeding dignity. Miss Nelson is not in New Zealand for long, for she intends to return in six weeks’ time. She will look in at Hollywood, to see if any foreign roles are available, and has some contracts to fulfil on the Continent. Miss Nelson’s father is Mr W. H. Nelson, of Woodville, and her grandfather was Mr Wm. Nelson, a Hawke’s Bay pioneer, who died recently.