A "WUNNERFUL" TIME.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 234, 2 October 1937, Page 1 (Supplement)

A "WUNNERFUL" TIME.

FOR EVER AND EVER. " WHAT WOULD YOU DO 1 » (Ry LADY A DAMS. > "TTlmt would you do if yon had ag much money as you possibly wanted, ovnr md nhovp wlmt you usually have?" Being in America, that question does not sound so personal—and impertinent -+a it would at Lome. Questionnaires are meat and drink to Americans. Lately I have asked the question a groat many times, and as I have happened to meet numbers of teachers during this summer, naturally I have found out what their desires would be, made millionaires over night. Nearly all of them say one word"TraveL" They go into details, of course, later, and, undeterred by the ■war, many of them "would take the first boat to China." Curiously few even think of India, but Bali looms high in the desires of many. M o3 t of them want to travel by air, in spite of the hideous accidents that have marked this year of gpaca. Several said they would like a planned tour, personally conducted by somebody who knew everything that was worth knowing; it all depended what their favourite subject wad, ol course; one eager woman said that with all the money there wa« at her disposal she would like to visit "every historic spot in the world and not have to be anywhere at any special time. I here spoke the woman whose lite was ruled by a watch.

I was surprised by the number who told me that they would like to sleep for a week, then go round the world, and then just go oil teaching, with more comfortable holidays; and several said that if they could just get all the equipment they needed for their class-rooms they would be satisfied. In fact, out of six and thirty teacher® I found only two who said definitely, and with emphasis, that never in their lives would they go into the schoolroom Again,

The remaining 34 wanted to travel, or otherwise employ their money so as to come back to their classes with wider experiences and a fresher outlook. (By the way, I asked no men the question; I can find common interest* with women at once, but in men'a minds there are such large tracts marked "unexplored country," that I prefer to keep to wellworn paths.)

A flood many of them w*ntcd to take a selected group of their pupils with them on their journeyings, and one lively lass said it would be fun to take her band to "all the best zocw and aquariums in the world;" she reeled off quite a well-thought-out list, tooi. Give Milk To Children. None of them even thought of giving their children "fresh air fortnights;" but several, having been off to Bali themselves, or just returned from Clippers and Queen Marys, said that the first thing they would do would be to have provision made for every child in their city to drink a quart of the best milk daily; the passion the Americans have for milk is amazing.

One of my husband's old students ha# an excellent post now m exponent of a ccrtain beauty face cream at a big shop. Her complexion is flawless; she demonstrates on her own face all day long. She told mo that she puts on the tiniest sketch of her own specialty, dozens of times before lunch, and even oftener after lunch, but that it is wiped off almost before it is on. Said she, ■with some abruptness: "If I had enough money to keep me from doinfr beauty parlour work I'd never tell another lie about my complexion again. I say my complexion is due to my specialty; as a matter of fact it's due to soap and soft water, enrlv hours, and plenty of fruit nnd vegetables."

Another woman, who nsed to be a teacher, is now n waitress in a restaurant. She came to tea with me lately, and another teacher came in; the second visitor begnn talking about my question, which, it appears, has been of interest to ft good many slimmer school people; she hates her work and her life, does the waitress, and T was not, too surprised when she said. "T would have three mcnls daily at different restaurants all over the world till the end of my life, with » different waitress for each meal."

Please don't be too hard on her; #very circnm"tnjicc of her life is difficult and she is really a scholar, embittered by fate.

Few Would Cease Teaching. Not one or my 30 wanted a yacht, or a Polls Fioycc, though they all wished for a now car, and one of them added, "with an endowment fund;" she could not believe that the money was to be hers for always. A sitting room with a fireplace, and, of course, somebody to do all the house work and cooking, was a common desire; none of them wanted to enter Congress, or -to endow hospitals, or Iniild churches, or put stained glass •windows into cathedrals; as a matter of fact, their desires lay in wanting to improve their schools, to give other teachers an easier time, to bring happiness to their pupils. None of them •wanted a different kind of life —-except the two 1 spoke of already. Teaching, for them, was evidently what they enjoyed doing. Perhaps I was fortunat.e. in coming across so many contented people. Anyhow, they all were enjoying their lives so much that they were spending their holidays learning more about the art of teaching.

I asked ii very wealthy friend what slip would fin if she had just as much money us slip wanted. Her reply was C|11ick : "f would give as much money us everybody asked me to give, for one month, without weighing one ease, or making one investigation, or giving it one second's consideration. Bv then, 1 really think there would be no more spare money left in America." Three full time secretaries look after her charities, and her investigations, and most of her days seem to go in reading the results of their labours, in deciding just what should l»e done about each case, and in visiting all the institutions — and private eases —in which she expresses her interest in a- practical way. Xo need to enter into the way in which my voting friends would spend their unearned increment. The girls want to flv, and dance in palaces, and meet Queen Elizabeth and the little Princesses, and marry ambassadors, or princes. They want yachts, and swimming pools, and villas on the Riviera, "an r oh just, a wunncrful time fur ever and ever." A few older women wanted to do constructive work: to help cancer research, to rebuild slums in big cities, to provide maternity hospitals in certain districts that tlu-y knew. And out of all the women whom I asked not fine of them >sked me what 1 would do if 1 had all the money I wnnted. Yet I know.