Tag: 1908

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1900-1949 Marriage Advice Women

The Salvation Army’s Advice to Husbands, 1908

Nottingham Evening Post, 31st August 1908

A salutory piece of advice to husbands from General Booth, leader of the Salvation Army, in 1908. It is in line with their attitude to women in general, which was cheeringly based on equality, even at that time. William Booth wrote a book “Messages to Soldiers” also in 1908, which stated:

“I insist on the equality of women with men. Every officer and soldier should insist upon the truth that woman is as important, as valuable, as capable and as necessary to the progress and happiness of the world as man. Unfortunately a large number of people of every tribe, class and nationality think otherwise. They still believe woman is inferior to man.”

Nottingham Evening Post, 31st August 1908
Nottingham Evening Post, 31st August 1908

ADVICE TO HUSBANDS

GENERAL BOOTH AND MARRIAGE

In every Salvation Army place of worship yesterday a “Final Message on Woman”, by General Booth, was read out, the General’s instruction being that it should be “read straight through without comment.”

“A higher estimate and a more generous treatment of woman as a wife is needed,” he wrote, and he gave the following advice to husbands:-

“Let him make her realise that he regards her as a being of equal value with himself.
“Let him use all reasonable effort for her support and maintain her as generously as his income will allow.
“Let him have all reasonable care for her health.
“Every husband should love his wife. Without love for her, he ought not to have married her; and if love be there, let him see that he cultivates it.”

Categories
1900-1949

King Papped, 1908

Nottingham Evening Post, 31st August 1908

Edward VII was not amused in 1908. He was “much annoyed on the promenade at Marienbad yesterday,” (Marienbad being in what’s now the Czech Republic) “when he discovered that cinematograph pictures of his early walk had been taken by the director of a Berlin cinematograph company.”

I wonder if this is the first time the Royal Family were “papped”?

Nottingham Evening Post, 31st August 1908
Nottingham Evening Post, 31st August 1908

“The man in question had succeeded in securing an excellent set of pictures before the King noticed his operations, but on the discovery being made, his Majesty took prompt measures….the King keenly resented such an intrusion on the privacy of his summer holiday.”

There’s a slightly sinister undertone as the cinematographer at first refuses to hand over the film to the police, but the King’s equerry, General Sir Stanley Clarke takes control of the situation. He visited the culprit’s hotel, and “what happened between the King’s equerry and the cinematograph operator is unknown, but General Sir Stanley Clarke finally left the hotel with all the cinematograph negatives in his possession, the operator having consented to surrender them to the King.”

Categories
1900-1949

A Disappointing Night’s Work, 1908

Nottingham Evening Post, 31st August 1908

Ha ha! There’s something really quite satisfying about rubbish criminals. Here’s an article about some terrible burglars in 1908 – they missed the painting worth £500 and “ceramic curios” and only made off with the magnificent haul of a stamp and a pen nib.

Nottingham Evening Post, 31st August 1908
Nottingham Evening Post, 31st August 1908

Fair enough, who would know about the value of the ceramic curios, but what on earth was the painting? £500 is an eye-watering amount in 1908 – one currency converter states that the equivalent amount in today’s money is over £53,000!

My favourite part is what happened when they were discovered by the cleaning lady.

“She was met at the door by one of the intruders, who, putting on a mysterious air, said “Sh! There are burglars in the place. Don’t make a noise. We’re detectives and we’ve got one of them.”

They then locked her in the basement but, to be fair, they were nice enough to let her go before they went.

One thing though. Surely printing this in the paper, with the address of the premises and details of the valuable items – isn’t this just asking for less rubbish burglars to swoop in instead? I mean, you even know what time the charwoman is likely to turn up – get out by 4.45am and you’re fine.