Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/569

 545 WORLD OP WOMBN A The Duchess of Abercorn Lafayette the World," " The Merry Widow," " The Duke's Motto." Miss Valli Valli says there is no city like London, and no country Hke England. THE DUCHESS OF ABERCORN OMAN who has used her wealth and posi- tion for the benefit of hundreds of others, the Duchess of Abercorn has gained much popu- larity, particularly in Ireland, since her marriage to the duke in 1869. Prior to her marriage she was Lady Mary Curzon, daughter of the first Earl Howe, and at one time lillecl the position of Lady- in-Waiting to Queen Alexandra. For many years the duchess has spent a great deal of her time developing the local industries around Baronscourt, her lovely Irish home. Her great hobby is a model dairy, run on strictly business lines, which supplies several large Belfast firms with butter and cream. She also encourages home knitting in the cot- tages, and thousands of pairs of socks are sent annually to the army clothing department. The duchess, too, moves largely in society, and was long a close personal friend of King Edward and Queen Alexandra. The latter was godmother to the duchess's eldest daughter. Lady Alexandra Hamilton, while King Edward stood as godfather to the Marquis of Hamilton, the Duke of Abercorn's heir, and to Lord Hamil- ton's son, who was born in February, 1904. MRS. HERTHA AYRTON A T an age when most girls are puzzling over the ■**■ toilettes of their dolls Mrs. Hertha Ayrton was showing an aptitude for deep and serious study in various directions, and she had only just turned sixteen when she was earning her own living as a teacher at the famous college of Girton, near Cambridge. It was while at Girton that Mrs. Ayrton began original scientific investigations, and she ultimately returned to London for special study. She entered the Finsbury Institute, and there met the distin- guished scientist who afterwards became her husband. For many years Mrs. Ayrton and her husband worked side by side on electrical investigations, and since Professor Ayr- ton's death, in 1908, his wife has continued those experiments which have made her so eminent in the world of science. She is the only woman member of the Institute of Electri- cal Engineers, and was the first woman to be honoured by the Royal Society, which four years ago awarded her the Hughes medal for fier investigations on the electric arc. And yet this lady scientist who has so many inventions and discoveries to her name confesses that she cannot " learn things easily." " I am very bad at examinations," she says, " and I only got third claos in mathematics when I was at Girton." She Mrs. Hertha Ayrton Mendelssohn believes, however, that women are particularly gifted for scientific work. " They have a great habit of putting two an<l two together, she says, " and they have quite as good powers of observation as men, and greater p wtience." MRS. ELINOR GLYN It was in the year I9(V that this w«ll known world with her book, " Three Weeks," and since then she has written " The Sayings of Grandmamma," 1908, and " Elizabeth Visits America," 1909, the latter being the outcome of a tour she made in the United States the previous year. Mrs. Glyn is of Canadian birth — Toronto is her native city — but in 1892 she married Clayton Glyn, J. P., and made her home in Essex. And at Harlow in that county she has built for herself a charming cottage, with a pavilion in the garden, where she does most of her writing. Her first book, " The Visits of Elizabeth," was published in 1900, and was really written to pass away the time while suffering from a severe attack of rheu- matism, which made the authoress quite a cripple for the time being. After placing the book in the hands of a publisher, she started with her husband for Egypt, and on reaching that part of the world found that " Elizabeth " was famous. The criticism which Mrs. Glyii's books have aroused does not affect her one bit. Her independence is her most notable character- istic, and for public opinion she says she does not care one straw. MISS ANNETTE KELLERMAN iss Annette Kellerman began winning swimming championships when she was fifteen years of age. She is now twenty-four, and, although she has not yet succeeded in her great ambition to emulate Captain Webb's feat of swimming the Channel, many of her records have never been excelled, even by man. Born in New South Wales in 1886, she first distinguished herself in the aquatic world by easily winning the 100 and 440 yards and i mile ladies' cham- pionship of that colony fifteen years later. In 1904' Miss Kellerman swam 2 miles in the Yarra river in 46^ minutes, and the fol- lowing year she swam o miles in 4 hours 52 minutes. In each instance Miss Keller- man had very little assistance from the tide, and her times remain records for Australia to this day, for they have never been beaten either by male or female. Shortly after her arrival in England, in 1905, Miss Kellerman swam from Putney Bridge to Blackwall, a distance of 13 miles 550 yards, in 3 hours 54 minutes — a feat which compares more than favourably >ith the very best performances in Thames waters. M" Miss Annette Kellernuiii fouiskatn &• Banjitlti
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