THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 123, 27 May 1930, Page 6

THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES.

There are-two or three items in this week's news to make the old order wonder "what them dratted women will-think of doing next?" .Leaving out Amy Johnson's great achievement, the next most,interesting announcement is that Mrs. Sarojini Naidu has been sentenced to nine months' imprisonment as a reward for assuming the mantle of Gandhi in the campaign of civil disobedience. That; of course, will surprise no one, the chief figure in the occurrence least of all, her plans being ;laid for such an end. It may give her some appreciated leisure to return to literature instead of the public platform, and another volume of the poems that have brought her international' renown .may be the result. °It may hot ibe'generally known that Mrs. Naidu was educated at Girton College, Cambridge, is a .Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and has .written three volumes of poetry that have been, translated into several European languages. So far.from subscribing to. Gandhi's rigid ascetic cism and'doctrine of renouncement, she is a woman of. rich-possessions and assured social poise. That by the way—the interest surround-ing-her-imprisonment- lies in the fact that it has

brought into the Indian turmoil the female of the species. If the women'of India can sustain the high level of genius which inspired,their opening move, ..then .success is already theirs. The stealthy knife,.the.occasional bomb, the mining of bridges, derailing of. trains, spurts of mob violence—these are' expected accompaniments of-Indian unrest, .and when counter-measures have been taken they leave the European residents unperturbed. But when it comes -to. interference with Saturday's football,-and such effective interference that the games had to be abandoned, well, something drastic will have to be done about it. What, can be done with hundreds of women—there is nothing to prevent them making it millions, if necessary— who simply make an obstruction by lyinw upon the ground? They can't be removed by force; ■. that would;, outrage a.fundamental law of Indian conduct, and inspire, an outbreak of avenging fury which; would appal the world. To arrest and imprison 'them in proper order would-be-the signal for multitudes more, to roll in like the waves of the sea until all the sports grounds of the Europeans are permanently covered and the prisons of the land are full to overflowing. Why, they might even stop a fellow's golf! ".-,,.. . .