JOTTINGS FOR WOMEN.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9110, 22 May 1895, Page 4

JOTTINGS FOR WOMEN.

THE DANCING QUESTION. A " Noisy Sister " writes to us as follotw: —*• I have just been readinp your coloma under the heading • Search Lights' ie today's Pb£S3. Our friend Bohemian baa «° many anawere to giro to the vexed question of • Why men don't danoe ?' They are ee£ tainly amusing to read, and evMenWy ■» , thinks he has solved that question. I** o ™* greatly like to hear what he has tofiay opon the other vexed queation, • Why men &»« marry.' He would solve ifc to everywe* satisfaction, surely? Now, as to «»£ men don't dance/the question Xβ sunp*/ absurd, because men do dunce, and the pow deara enjoyitverymachto. j<o doubttßeyaw a long-suffering lot—l mean the men wu go to dances. My fexperience of toe bb» room has taught mc that as a ml? f .«* "JS " one meets at dances are not over giKeaww» brains. They make tae same sihy oomp" ments over and over again. Girl \ wl ™_*if. •; •savee , always know a worn-oat cofflpu ; j ment, tndeorae of them - j not the girls) are very threadbare, jjg f\ seen pretty girls Pitting out «fe duees to«e _ ... after time, and if you « k y°« "S vA acquaintances 'Why Miss A. <Jo« i» dance, , your answer will be, -f\ such a blue etookiD&;b«r talk is quite beyww

„,„ • Menral observation, ' I suppose so. , a. to the girU who 'Don't let you go, is • h»t to be wondered at when men are bo dwmiag. io witty, cay such pretty things, to help them to trad a 'nice Sfv coS.- or perhaps they've got one. f!*L to take you io ? How cat. you expect2ri/ to wish to go and sit demurely by n aroma! Certainly ifs very inconsiderate "X girls ; they should take • Bohemian's bint to ho»rt in future, so that nobleman Specially the ballroom type) may have Us •breather. . He must need it so badly after dancint? so energetically with that daraty Jittle cirl in pinK. Oh, no ; 1 mean the lady with No 9 boots, who treacle ou his pet corn Ind le av e s her brand ° a hi " delicalc arm ; Aid then, poor thiu.es, they have each delicate nerves. Can't stand any noise ! Hush, girls, happy merry girls, in future noble man must be considered ; please don t luieh so boisterously. My dears, you re positively shrieking. You must remember • the men don't tike a noise. . My mind wnders. I picture many ballrooms. I jutve ieen men noisy in the ballroom. Yea, «ntle reader, • very noisy, - and often those Ls? men have not been evidences of the •oathfal spirit 'happiness,' but evidences of I toirit of which they partake during tncae necessary breathers, quite a different sort of MDirit but it has the same effect— , noisiness.' Tnote men are quite as plentiful at dances and balls aa the girls who are noisy and boisterous- And then again—often when the poor dear man returns from the gentle stillness of the garden, and hie comforting lolace cigarette (is it always cigarette?), the fragrance of the weed seems to cling lovingly to him. But I won't expatiate upon that, for we all know it so well. The wonder is not • Why men don't dance ? but • Why the girls are so foolish as to dance with the men? . If you ask mc ' Why men don't dance 'C I should say conceit and laziness of those under twenty-five, and those over, well, a stiffcese about their joints and a shortness tbout their breathing machines. HO wonder they want frequent' breathers. , " CHIVALRY FOR WOMEN. We have received the following from #*p.D.":— '• For centuries now man has yielded his gracious protection to her whom he deemed his inferior—to woman. All must be made smooth for her, no rough wind must blow anon her, all trouble must be saved her (except wJiat he caused her). He protected and pitied her weakness. But air things changed, and with them the relations of man and woman. The " New Woman " has come, loudly proclaiming her superiority to all created being*—the "Old Vvoman " itjcladed. Yet still she claims from man that assistance of which, if directly questioned on the subject, she would flatly deny her need. Is this consistent ? (Should she not rather extend her protection to the men ? Surely she would do away with all traces of the degradation of woman. At least she may be sure of a man's thanks when she opens the door for him. Yet it has been noticed that the "New Woman " is apt to demand the services of the inferior male rather more loudly than the " Old Woman," aud to return thanks very seldom. la she, then, to permit man—that vile creature— to surpass her in magnaminity, afler her triumph over him in all else. But perhaps she wishes to soften his defeat, to let him keep up the appearance of protecting great* cess. ' New Women !' how is it 1" SOME BLACKIE ANECDOTES. A lady correspondent, signing herself •* Umbra," kindly sends us the following anecdotes about the late Professor John Stuart Blackie :— When Mrs Gordon Baillie (well known in New" Zealand) was tonring Scotland she completely captivated Prolessor Blackie, and he lirmly believed in her splendid scheme for the benefit of the crofters. After she had created some romantic stir by forwarding to one oi the crofter agitators a broadsword wherewith to " defend the Highlander's hearth and home," Blackie, anxions to possess her photograph, sent her one of his own inscribed on the back—

•' If you love mc as I love you You'll send mc your love and your photo too."

(Fho inscription, which included a verse from the New Testament in Greek, wae signed in full, " John Stuart Blackie," and Mn Gordon Baillie turned the photo to good account. But imagine the Professor'e chagrin when " revelations " appeared in the Press! "If that woman deceived mc, then she could take the devil in," said he, in high dudgeon. Yet he was not alone in being taken in. dome years ago I gave a garden party, and among the company came Professor Blackie. The afternoon being damp, and with outdoor amusements ouc of the question, I asked a lady present to favour us with a eong. She sang " Loch Lomond," and the Professor went into raptures over tny young .friend's beautiful voice. He demanded an encore and joined in the chorus with his accustomed enthusiasm. At the conclusion he made a stately bow to the young lady, and said, " Madam, pray excuse an old Profeieor'e eccentricities, but your sweet voice would melt a heart of stone."

There was no truth whatever in the famous " Aeses Claasee " etory. Mr Carter, F.R.S.A., wrote to the Professor a fortnight before his death and received the following reply in the well known handwriting:— " 1 BrunknGeld Crescent, Edinburgh, Febraary 13th, 1895. Dear Sir, —The columns of tho daily papers are full of fancies changed into foots. There is not a word of troth in the story so far as I am concerned. —Yours, John 8. Blackie." A MOMENTOUS QUESTION. "Hopeful Harriet" writes to us as follows :— "Weare &U looking forward eagerly to the time when we shall be publicly and ouiverually acknowledged man's superior, morally and intellectually, and no doubt, as thU acknowledgment gives us confidence and courage, and as it gradually forces ua from our present habits and ways of subjection, we eball be recognised ac his superior physically. Then how proud wo shall be to protect and cheriah him in turn, to look down upon him from our, superior height with reverence and devotioD, to pet him and to pay him courtesy. But there is one thing that always puzzles me—What on earth shall we do \\ith our hat pins? X can't imagine a woman without hatpins— four, three, two, or at any rate one. If she has to wait to unfasten all these before she can raise her hat to do due reverence to the ' weaker vessel, , will it not be rather an elaborate operation, especially in High or Cwhel streets, of an afternoon when we •hall meet so many of our gentlemen friends out doing their shopping? The question has been for a long time tne one stumbling block in my vision of the glorious future ; Jt has met mc at every turn ; and I should be glad if any kind person would take pity and suggest a way of getting over THE OSPREY. The following is from the Girl'a Own Paper :—•' How many of you have first admired and then worn that most delicate •nd beautiful spiral plume known es the •Osprey? , But do you know at what a co«t it has been obtained for you ? A writer ■ays, 'The original owners are the egrets *nd smaller sort of heron, who wear them in spring and breeding season.' To obtain them the old birds are • killed off in scores, while employed in feeding their young, who *re left to starve to death in their nests by hundreds. . Their dying cries are described •» heartrending. When you have seen that beautiful feather waving with your •lightest movement, or the least breath of »md, did you not hear a cry, the cry of a dying, famishing bird for its mother? When Sou have worn it on your breast, or in your ne&d-dme, have you never considered that *l the outer dress reflects ♦as in a mirror' the inner apirit, no one could think of you M loving or gentle." A NEW LIGHT. Is the Old Testament against the New Wosuan ! An advertiser in a contemporary dearly thinks so. for in it appears tho following mystic advertisement:—

Deuteronomy, sth verse, 220 d chapter. •-J.be woman shall not wear that which Pertaineth to a man . . . for all that do Cod , *'* 11 * bomination unto the Lord thy

Wβ are afraid (remarks the Daily

Chronicle) there can be no doubt that the Lady Bicyclist and the Lady Footballer are the criminals aimed at, and that " Thou ehalt not wear the —— "is the new commandment which this theologian would appoint to be read in all the churches. ~ WOMEN AND EDUCATION. At the last meeting of the Gisborne Women's Political Association, the President's address was then given, and was listened to with much interest throughout. The distinction between training or education prop.r, and mere teaching by rote or cram, wai clearly shown, aud many illustrations were given both on the intellectual and moral sides. Horns training was all important, and a large increase of teachers in our schools was necessary if larrikinisra is to be overcome and if the schools are to perform well the work for which they were designed, because it is impossible fot a single taacher to treat personally and individually each of a large number of children, so as to influence aud shape their habits aud tendencies towards good. The existing school system was explained at some length, and its great future possibilities pointed out. An animated discussion followed, in which several women and men took part. All of them took up some question or questions raUed, and showed an intelligent iuterest in the subject. One or two specially urged the need of altering or modifying existing social conditions, before it was possible to reap the full benefit of education. This could not be gained under an industrial and mercantile system founded on extreme individualism. Men and women must not be slaved, worried and harassed in the effort to find bread for themselves and their children, if they are to find time, and possess any reasonable fitness of mind and body, for the proper training of their children. A hearty vote of thanks was voted to the President for her address. AN OLD SERVANT OF THE QUEEN. Our London correspondent, writing on April sth, says :— An old lady who died a few days ago poisessed the dual distinction of being the oldest Royal servant in Europe and the oldest inhabitant of the Royal borongh of Windsor. Mrs Cook was born in 1797, and consequently had attained her ninety-sixth year. She had been for the greater part of her long life in the service of the English Royal family, and had acted for many years as telegraphist in the little private office ac Cumberland Lodge. Indeed, she only gave up this duty a few years ago, when her age had far exceeded the proverbial limit of human life. She was a wonderful old lady, and retained her bodily faculties in a surprising degree. It goes without saying that she was the proud and gratified recipient of many graceful little acts of kindness and consideration from the Queen and her family, with all of whom.it is a natural instinct to be "nice" to those in their employ. [We ehall be glad to receive in this column brief contributions, both from the " New Woman," and also from her sisters who do not lay claim to " advanced " ideas. Contributions must not exceed sixty lines in length, and may be either original or selected. Iα the latter case the source should be stated.]