AMONG OURSELVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 186, 8 August 1930, Page 10

AMONG OURSELVES.

A WEEKLY BUDGET,

(By CONSTANCE CLYDE.)

LABOUR WOMEN'S CONFERENCE,

In England, as was shown at their last conference in May, women's organisations suffer as much nowadays from too many members as formerly they did from too few. Such meetings are called for several purposes, for propaganda, for the formation of a policy, and for a demonstration. It is the second object which has suffered lately, it would seem, as owing to the large numbers, many genuine working women complained later that they had not an opportunity to put their views before the assembly. This was due to want of experience in public life, of course, and there is something feminine in the excuse that "unless they learn to push in verbally better than they do, they will always remain unrepresented." To-day there are experienced and well-trained public women who are skilful in keeping out of discussion a subject Which they do not desire ventilated, and, until the women workers of England learn more regarding this technique so as to circumvent it, they must often, as one of them said, "go away, fueling that they have somehow been unjustly treated."

THE SENTIMENTAL JUROR. The sentimental juror is not the woman but the man. According to Imogen Oakley, a well-known Philadelphia barrister' has referred to "the consternation felt by the average attorney when, for the first time, he confronts in the jury box, the unrelenting logic of the feminine mind," and it is because of this logic,_ she maintains, that the woman juror in America will be banished, not by law but by challenge. When the lawyer knows his client's case is bad, he challenges the woman juror. She gives a case in which she herself served. There was no doubt of the accused's guilt—his crime was blackmail with threat of child abduction. The four women were for condemnation, but the six men refused—one because "I have a son myself, and I am not going to put another man's son in prison." The four had at last to give in, and interrogating the judge later, Mrs. Oakley found that he was, as he indeed had already said, in favour of acquittal, his real reason being that "the poor devil had been in gaol three months already." In this and other cases the defendant's lawyer declared that he knew his "sob stuff" was "getting" the men jurors, but lie quite perceived that the women were not convinced. During Easter week, because of the sacred season, a bootlegger was acquitted, this by amale jury only, and where women and men were convened in another case, one of the male jurors declared he would hold out indefinitely because the judge had spoken for acquittal, "and the judge comes from my county." Mrs. Oakley ascribes a good deal of woman s superiority to the fact that a higher type of woman accepts this duty, while men, unfortunately, are too ready to sidestep from the obligation. Mrs. Oakley believes that a raising of the age would be a step in the right direction—young people ot twenty-one have seldom the experience of life necessary for such duties, or indeed the right interest, men suboeaned she received a paper asking information on her politics, her religion, and her drink habits. "On what authority _do you ask this?" "We have no authority, but wo have found that the average juror is reluctant to convict a prisoner of his own party, and of course a juror who is a drinking man will never convict a bootlegger."

HOME TRAINING FOR BOYS. Our pioneer boys in New Zealand hardly escaped a good deal of home training, but perhaps few of our modern lads would quite like to be taken in hand as are boys in lowa and other parts of the American States. Feminine influence is strong in that land, and it is considered as necessary to train the young lad for his future home life as the young girl. However, the lines of education are somewhat different. Like the girl, the boy has to learn how to choose his clothes well and economically. He must know what will wear well, and, as the rather prim phraseology goes, "must learn to clothe himself according to the fashion, but also economically and modestly." In regard to child care, so much insisted upon in the case of the- girls, the boy will probably be relieved to learn that his care is to be mental —he must be fitted to advise and instruct his children from' their earliest age. No man objects to this ideal, as all are convinced that they are splendid at this, anyway. Such training is supposed to prevent the "mismating" of which we hear so much these days. Yet there is still hope for the uneducated male, as the originator of this scheme incidentally remarks: '|If one of a married couple is to be stupid, it is better that that one be the man." The mismating in that case is evidently more endurable.

NO NATIONALITY. Princess Pless, once Miss Daisy Cornwallis West, has 110 nationality. She obtained a decree nisi against her husband as a German, but before the decree was made absolute lie had become a Pole. She could not get a German passport, as the Germans insisted that she was a Pole, while the Poles, 011 the other hand, maintained that he was a German at the time of the divorce. Since she was married to a German (or a Pole), Britain would not allow her to keep her English nationality. Some, reformers are hoping that some day there will be only "European nationality." This is the only nationality some women can already claim.