A woman who knows many of them writes to a home paper Knowing as I do so many of the new women justices of the peace, I wonder what sort of magistrates they will make, Will they be "harder than the men,' or softer. "differentiate between the sexes" when dealing with crime And—one more question—are they too old?
Most of them were well known for useful public work before the war and did good work during it. They are known as good committee women, and my own experience is that they are as well-balanced and fair-minded people as could be gathered together.
Lady Ampthill comes first on the list alphabetically as a magistrate for Bedfordshire. I do not think I shall hurt the feelings of the other level-headed women if I say that she comes first in many other ways. If they form a Committee of Women Justices she will make a splendid chairman, She never fails to "grasp her nettles," is firm, diplomatic, and understands the struggles of the poor as well as she does the idiosyncrasies of the upper and richer classes. She is quite sympathetic, never willing. ly hurts anyone's foehn, a good sense of humour, if it bit caustic. She is indy-i ing to Queen Mary, who, it is said, trusts her judgement, The London J.P.'s very much represent the democratic people whom they are to help and judge Miss Margaret Bondfield is an advanced dalist. Mrs. Bramwell Booth knows the submerged tenth. Mrs. Alfred Lyttelton is super-literary, a good organizer, as the Land Army knows, a theorist, sympathetic, but hard as nails if need be.
Dr, Janet Lane-Clayton, dean of King's College for Women, knows the young woman student, either rstmi-educated or university type, inside and out. She is a splendid Poxganizer, a comfortable-looking person in whom one might readily confide; a little emotional perhaps for a doctor—I have seen the tears trickle down her cheeks when a committee has been listening to a tale of woe and hard work. I think a miscreant might appeal to her heart first and then her judgement.
Dr. Mary Scharlieb and Lady St. Helier_are splendid, of course, Lady Emmett is a good committee Woman. Mrs. McKenna and Mrs. Runciman and several others are Radical and Liberal ladies.
The great fault of a woman sitting in judgement is that she rarely or never forgets a previous failure. As a young woman sitting on committee with me the other day said with some feeling of a couple of girls who were trying once more
economic status: "They pop uj persuade. us fo raise their their heads and we hit them down again."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.