THE AUSTRALIAN WOMAN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1366, 17 February 1912, Page 13

THE AUSTRALIAN WOMAN.

WHY SEE SUCCEEDS. : ' ! Th» Australian woman generally manages to make hor way in a strange country, if sho is gifted with pluck and com-mon-sense, writes the English correspondent of, the "Age." Our trained nurses are particularly succcssful in every part of the globe. English and American nurses have all told mo that our train- 1 iflg is considered equal to the best that 1 3a to be had in their countries. In London, Paris, and New York.ono meets Australians who have positions in big hospitals, or who are working for the leading doctors. A Melbourne girl told me how she went to New York with no letters of introduction. Sho had nothing but her testimonials, and on the strength of, them was-immediately taken on in a hospital. The second day she was told that the honorary of her ward wished to know where she had been trained.; When «he went up in fear and trembling, expecting to be dismissed immediately, the doctor told her that he had been particularly struck by the clear, complete. notes she had made far him. Ho had rarely received notes that had given him such precise information. "And yet," she said to me, "it was only the,way in which we were all taught to take, notes of typhoid cases at the Melbourne Hospital. The London secretary of LadyMinto's Indian Nnrsing Association told mo that Australian, nurses are in gTCat' request in India. She said, "Their training is just as thorough 'as that of our nurses r they are much more adaptable than Englishwomen, and are thus much more fitted ,to work under unfavourable or .unusual conditions." ... The Australian teacher who wishes to gain experience abroad is equally succosslul, if she is not haindicapped by one defect, which is absolutely fatal in England. I allude, of course, to the Australian accent. I know Australians, with very poor qualifications, who have obtained better positions than they would have got in their own 'country. There are many Australian graduates teaching in good English schools; and yet the teaching profession is so overcrowded that the Newnham and Girton girl often has a long and weary -search for a suitable post. Tho Australian is sometimes given the preference over other candidates, simply'because she has more push, and knows how to make the most of her attainments. One girl told mo that tho secretary of an agency almost refused to listen to her becauso she came frqm Australia. She told tho girl bluntly _ that »he would not have a chance of getting a post in England. My friend calmly agreed with her that it was strange, and went on to say that even tho most eligible candidates for every appointment had some disqualification. Then sho proceeded to recite the list of her own merits and accomplishments. The matter of fact way in which she showed that »he was aware of the difficulties in her path. Bind meant to overcome them, captured tho attention of the secretary. And within a week she was on t£o staff of one of the best schools in London. Her Adaptability. The Australian . professional or bnsiB£ss' woman, is capable, .energetic, and level headed; she has'formed no extravagant anticipations, and is satisfied with a modest reasonable success. If circumstances are unfavourable and success does not como, she philosophically makes the best of- thinga. Sho confidently believes that an able-bodied, sensible Australian girl need never starve, and when eha cannot find the work she seeks, she is willing to take uncongenial employment. Meanwhile' she is profiting, by; all that | •he sees and does, and acquiring experi-' ence and'a knowledge of the world that will, servo her later op. -.- i . Unfortunately, a different tale has to be told of the majority of the musical young women who form one of our chief, if not. most valuable, exports. Theses aspirants to fame, who are generally budding Melbas, too often have all our national defects,-.without many of our national virtues, to counterbalance them. Even in Paris or London they suffer from swelled, head as badly as they did when they were the infant prodigies of Geelong or Bendigo. At first I nsed to approach them with friendliness. Now I ' prepare .tol be bored when-I was introduced'to "Miss F- —, who also comes from Australia, and who' is rtudying singing." Ono girl began the conversation by telling mo that ehe was the best pupil of a certain famous teacher. . Americans aTe inclined to be eolf-asscrtivo; but tho oonccit of the most aggressive American is shrinking'modesty compared with the gigantic self-esteem of somo of these girls. And I may re- - mark in passing that the men who leave Australia to become European stars are not lacking in tho same characteristics. Many of those who are studying in Paris do not, like other students who have ten | times'as much money, live on the' "Rive gauche." They lead you to understand that in this unfashionable quarter they would find themselves so cut off from the smart, wealthy set in which they move. Their, astounding attitude is partly gentune "and partly a pose assumed for business purposes. It is part of the policy which leads to the penning of the laudatory paragraphs which sound _ pathetic when one can read between the lines. Over-estimated. I often wonder .what these girls are going to do.with their lives. If they hod common sense and a fair amount of intelligence, their training would fit them to become efficient teachers in Australia, but many of them are only making a pretence of studying, and wander from one teacher to another. In many oases they must have Tecogniecd how slight their talent is, for owing to our indiscriminate habit of dispatching to Europe, amid a ohorui of emulation, any young person who has a correct ear and some technical facility, the general average of talent among Australian musical students on the Continj, ent, in spite of a few brilliant exceptions, is far lower .than that of the l Englishand Americans. The misguided people who get up a benefit concert to send some young girl off to Europe are only' spoiling an existence that-might have been more happily spent in the humdrum, commonplace tome, routine.. If they have, plenty of money the situation is bad enough. But. when their funds begin to tun out, then the situation becomes tragic. Only those 'who know Bomethini?, and havo personal knowledge of the lives of. women of all sorts and conditions in Europe, can realise how mercilessly hard is tho struggle for existence amon? women workers. A girl needs to have plenty of grit and a level head to venture info a contest where the prizes are few and the blanks may spell disaster. A heavy -responsibility lies at tho door of the pood-nnfiired, open-handed Australian public, which is always ready to enoourivge local talent. Why not change onr policy for a year or two? Let us give do more benefit concerts for departing stars, bnt let us om\niw entertainments to help the poor, helpless failures whom we have lured to their detraction, and to (rfve them a start in 6omo profitable, useful employment.