THE BURNING QUESTION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 515, 24 May 1909, Page 3

THE BURNING QUESTION.

[Br Oenni WacN.]

Oatoido, a cold, wot. blustering southerly raps and woilmg' through tho city in- «"*>.» waw», tlim room lighted only by tho glowiug firo ithat throws ruddy nickering shadows on eeihngi and walls/ filling the room with Btrango gnome-like unrealities and freakishly revealing tho faces of the three »r four pooplp,gathered round ii. Perhaps tuero 13 nothing so conducive to the airing of one's inmost convictions aa a, comfortable lounge chair, and tho glowing, gleamin" heart of a firo to gaza into, all other light being banished save it. ~" Yo . u , roa y MJ who.' you like," said tho ■ city girl, sitting bolt upright on the hearth- , rug, hands clasping her knees. "Men, whoii ? y ' aro P 9" ticia ns, Premierß, presi-' - dents, doctors-, wise men or foolish, or just ordinary everyday sort of men, talk a great deal about women trespassing on their pre- _ soma in regard to work that is not fitted for thorn, but what would a lot of them say or do supposing all tho women who belonged to them retired into private lifo and loft it for their men-folk to support them? They would nearly die of tie, self-denial they would have to practise." "Probably," camo a girl's voico from the depths of a hugq cushioned ■ chair, "they ' *• would all go off in a body to hunt for tho , Booth Polo, declaring it was imperative for tho honour of tho country that a Now Zealander should discover it. Tho burden would be 100 heavy for. them." "They got along very well in the old days when women stayed at homo , and ' cooked and sewed and darned socks, and ' mado tho homo a comfortable placo," an-1 sirered tho cynic. "It's -whore thoy all ought to bo now instead of elbowing men out of thoir positions," ho added severely. - "Thoy aro-not really as capablo aa men in ■ such work, when all is Baid and dono." • "Arcn't_ yon forgetting, though, tho numbers- of girls who bavo no ono to work for them, and very often aro supporting, or helping to support, other people ?" queried tho city ( girl. "They cannot keep in the grooves of work that onco wore considered ■ sufficient for women: thoro are too many of thorn now, and their 'littlo mild intellects,', if thoy ever were that, have ox- • panded. No business man , would keep an incompetent clerk, and if a girl proves her capacity for tho work by doing it well, why shouldn't sho do it—anything in reason, purely? Thoy must do something." "Thoy try to stop into things that really only-exceptional women aro fitted for," continued tho cynic. "After all, a woman loses much of hor sweetness aud v charm by entering into competition with men. Then by and by whon sho marries and has a homo of her own, sho finds that she has forgotten all. craft, and • lifo becomes a troubled affair unless sho has money." "B.ut what about tho many 'bachelor girls' who ido their own housework and cook for themsolves, in addition to the work by which thoy gain their living, and the girls who mn , round helping in the house before thoy sot out for tho office or whatever it is they aro working at?" inquired the city girl. "As for going in for/professions that n-ro Tcgarded as being too strenuous for them —tho medical profession, for instance—why should she not? As there aro men whose whole heart and soul arc f»ivon up to tho perfecting of their-work as far as can bo, so aro thero women. Whv sliould they be denied, nnd their talonts hidden, used, wasted? That is sin, if.you like, Her brains nnd love of the worit havo won her a placo thore, and if she falls bv tho way sooner than most wonion do, .well, she has ' had tho work she lovod, and has used hor- . self to the utmost of her capacities, doubling her Ope 'surely -has .a,claim to .try. end"earn' , yliai.''oiii?;.'.wsh^:.-for;!ont ; -6'f i Iife^: v A'. , man choos'cs.his profession or trade,'why not a woman, too, ; if:.she''-cari?" X'.i : ,y':''\fi\i\ -"'.', '■:■;'- Just then sparks .were shot out. from the fire,;-and,'in;the.:excitem,ent of find-, inc; out where-.the.v alighted the jaubject was dropped .iLi'jjnts.,' were theri, brought in, ,-and talk tnrncd, 7 u.rion.v'ariori3"thihc;s,i the .dresses worn at the;;daiice:.the\:preyi6iis;evening for ono, the pity .Rirl .taking- a :keen part in the wnversatjon,. more. so. j than'the,others. : ■;,':■