Miss Okman Again

For the benefit of the enquirers after Miss Tanya Okman "Salient" had another interview with her. Miss Okman was anxious to talk about the Bachelors Club, and "Salient" was anxious to talk about Miss Okman: and on the whole, we received a good deal of information about the Bachelors Club.

It appears that Miss Okman has been doing a good deal of research into these institutions, for which, of course, her experiences in Turkey were invaluable. She felt, though, that examples from New Zealand would be more effective at Victoria, and told us about the first Bachelors Ball in Nelson, on December 1, 1843. The "Examiner," the local news-paper, described how the 22 ladies and the 48 gentlemen danced from 8 p.m. until dawn, with a short break for a heavy meat supper. The ladies retired when the sun became hot but "a merry party of bachelors" kept up the celebrations until they partook of "an elegant breakfast" at 11 a.m. It was not quite as bad as the ball got up by Wellington bachelors at Barrett's Hotel in May, 1840, at which each gentleman, for the payment of £2. was entitled to bring "as many ladles as he may think fit"—a procedure which reminded Miss Okman too vividly of the social structure of Turkey. She feels that If the present Wellington bachelors follow in the footsteps of these earlier ones the consequences can only be dangerous. She is convinced that young men, especially those let loose in a big city and a university college like Victoria, need some restraining and soothing influence.

Miss Okman is no mere theoretician, and It appears that the Spinsters Club, her answer to Messrs. Dalgety and Galvin and others who glory in the state of single blessedness, is moving rapidly into action. She would not comment, however, on our query about the rumours which had been circulating the college as to a combined Spinsters-Bachelors Clubs function, except to remark that she believes that the Bachelors have already chosen as a motto "Sauve qui peut."

As we said, the information we acquired about Miss Okman personally is more meagre. Another member of "Salient" staff, who is to have his turn next week, is confident that he will do better; in the meantime, however, we offer these points for what they are worth: She was educated at the principal high school at Magnitogorsk, where she won a scholarship to the London School of Economics. Owing to unforeseen circumstances, however, she was unable to take It up, and after leaving the salt mines continued her studies at the University of Istanbul, where she graduated B.A., and Loyola, a university run by the Jesuits at Izmir. It is believed that she may lecture to the Socialist Club on "The Decline and Fall of L. P. Beria," but this has not been finalised.