HEROES WOMEN LIKE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 246, 14 October 1908, Page 8

HEROES WOMEN LIKE.

If plays, like laws, were made by men for men, w e should get a dizzy-looking i collection of dramatic heroes." write! ; Mr. Ala n Dale in the "Cosmopolitan Magazine" of New York. In fact, the , legitimate drama would suffer as musical ! comedy suffers, for musical comedy, as ' we all know, is made relentlessly by , men for men. The result is that in musical comedy ' we are treated to galaxies of exultant - women, choice specimens of fi_n_inine . pulchritude, artistic managerial selections of exotic girl—everything to cater - sensuously to the ma_culine idea. Man, t in musical comedy, is mere stage-padding. i If women insisted upon musical comedy • made for women by women we should be treated to choruses of picturesque . yonths clad in gymnasium suits, and to - exhibitions of masculine neglige that J would appal us. Woman is superior. She , asks for no such terrifying sacrifices. _■ She does not demand the indignity of our • sex, as we clamour for, and receive, the " indignity of hers. 1 The feminine threatre-goer is satisfied . with the drama in all its subtleties, and ! t I she asks for a hero that shall appeal to . her ideal of masculine interest. I To us a woman's idea of a hero is ex- - tracrdinary, because it is so entirely s opposed to cur own. But the plays that > fre<piently succeed ar e the plays that , contain the feminine notion of masculine ' interest. I have studied the question very t closely. My discoveries do not coincide ' with the results that men would prefer. We are inclined to believe that a woman's hero in the drama is the same as our a own. A hero to us is a man who is j "good to his mother," who is faithful to t his wife, who is beautifully attached to . bis domestic hearthstone. We know f w_nderf__ly little about it, for the reason that we are more interested in the 5 heroines. As long as a few tabby virtues r are piled upon the hero, we are quite -' sattisfied. Therefore, we are very surprised to find i that a woman's hero is frequently direct- } 'y opposed to our own conservative male J ideas. We are horrified, says Mr. Alan Dale, - _o discover that the monster who openly ■ confesses th-rt he has "lived," aend who , also makes no bones about admitting t his conquests and his "lai-y-fc-mi-ng," is s intensely ■popalaT. It -is impossible to doubt Trig ancccss i -with the feminine theatregoers. They

see in hi m somethhS ,„ vT * Tortuously fossilised sAg^L^ 4 " 1 $ "at business" all *■*» & few innocuous remarksW 0 emit -" table. These fossiH_ed S • tbe di good as gold, but infernal.? 11 - 6 ? . The man c_ the "^ag* matter how many tin__s Iw_-v loves -* . or well—is the hero to tL _L' r wisel y> audience, who regard hiTrE „ m tha: so many signs of his humaX""" 065 a3! Women, when ,the y so t_\v '__■ elect as their very heroit*J? #Sg__ we should carefully avoid&' 7 hom them. We should .ike to J^ masculine ideals selected '* W)m * a V.M.C.A. That is our «S m ing at tt-our h_r Z . £__- ™t fh * Anybody with one ounce 0 f "4_. - ; call power of observation can Jf. ' ' theatre any time and see that.* *° the tremely otherwise. ' .* '•* Something "dashing" and vivid'\. m the pursuit of women—not ke?B neferioSs, if y OU "gfr sinful, and utterly opposed goody-that -is de _W_'s _Z _*£ is exquisxtely disposed to -CL V shortcomings; she will shut fi*2."£ dulgently to his escapades.' _J 2^'. ab his heart is a lively heart, as his pulses throb rhythm _allv-.« i& erth r com^n *:ofi-Sv Where we see nothing but impropriety that deserves a good H| perceive a gentle compliment. |wl„ amazed to discover that Don J ua _ i. __t so detestable to the feminine play he is to her escort. - ..- ™S§, ft,™**" i !_ no . m ° re *<> be reasoned about than 1S the fact that men go, time __! time again, to watch some fox-eyed _itt_» siren m musical comedy,-wham Wom * would instantly set down as a "cat" Our idea cf a hero is a nan' wouldn t mmd inviting to dine with us _, famine. The woman's hero, on the contrary, is generally the man we shanli ' l_-_e to see.at our own bit of mahogany Women do not gange a hero by. his abiliw to fit into domestic arrangements.-, .-. . The observer is confronted inesprahli' with these curious facts. They are "'facts, he is bound to admit. He sees" such weird, heroes favourably received by his fetain, ine belongings, 2nd notes suelfniM respectable men scorned! . His knowledga of women is not very colossal., '.7 -7^. EO-JS___tOXiD HUTTS. . ' ■ j INK ON CLOTHING. ~ " | Saturate the spots with spirits oftnr. j pentine and let it remain several-hoing; then rub between the hands. .They''willerumble away without injuring the.colour or texture of the fabric. Then -ash "off with warm water, with", little ananonia in it. -.] _, ... EARACHE. •_•••-_. There is scarcely any ache to'wjjdi children are subject so hard to hear as earache; but there is a 'remedy never known to fail. Take a little coitoi.bat. ting, spread it out, place upon it a pinch of black pepper, gather it up and. tie it, saturate thoroughly in waria blrye I <*&, and insert into the ear. Place a flannelbandage over the ears to keeg. them warm. • .-.. ,-_.. -.;-: STEAM FOR THT. C©__Pl___aOK.', ; A thorough steaming has a wonderful.' power occasionally in-clearing, the'coniiplexion. It may he accomplished .by holding the face over- a -basin __.„i__ , j water and keeping in the steam-with a ' towel which covers the head and the.... basin, forming a sort of tent.; "After ■ a short waahjjie fiee. well with a good superfatted' soap, and warm water, and then" doiidie the face with cold water. The' snip does lie work of cieansing, the hot water removes the suds, and the cold closes The pares'of the skin, which it braces so thvt it is not." made too sensitive to 'bear -lie effects of cold winds. ' ■~'-. CLEANING WHITE FEATHERS. : V I According to an authority, ■vspte' o_.. ! trich feathers can be cleaned of dust j and dinginess by a' very simple jo-ess, ! Take pure white soap and shave t into i small pieces, and pour boiling waer on it. Then add a little soda." Let_Kmix- ' I ture dissolve, aad then cool off. Uvthe i feathers in the soapy water, and haw. : them through the hands gently. _&a_ this operation several times. Ifjthe water gets dirty from the -operatipja. new mixture made of clean water sh<__ be made to finish the" feathers. Hnjly rinse the feathers thoroughly in cl_i water with just a trifle of blueing addi Then shake and dry perfectly, and' at| by drawing each separate fibre betwet the thumb and the edge of a, dull tafi knite. The feathers will look, aho-sta* white and fresh as new. . r,.