TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 143, 20 June 1925, Page 15

TOPICS OF THE DAY

(By "M.H.C.")

It is most refreshing and cheering to Sad that there is a change in the pubJic pronouncements about the modern girl. The up-to-dater of tho feminine pursuasion has been the target for any amount of hard and often quite unjust criticism. She reads the papers and magazines, but 4oes not take up her own cudgels, this requiring a special '"bent" of mind, and a senior encouragement which she would be very little likely to get. But "at home and abroad" it is found that some good champions have arisen who, perhaps, roalise that the most deadly blow to deal to any class of people is to decry it, in season and out of season. The solf-rcspect is sapped, and a "don'tc.ire" attitude of, mind engendered, which probably has arisen in some of fiu young ones as the result of this most i nv.'ise and unkind decrying. Here a much-respected divine gives a very wise ;i nd kindly, as well as uplifting, talk about the girls of the Dominion, which s lould put them in good heart and give Ihum an ideal of life.

At the other end of the world a writer in "T.P.'s Weekly" says that all the young people, irrespective of sex, are restless, for we are living in an age of vapid development and youth is merely iittuning itself to changing conditions. The girls find home life unremunerative, mid the girl who stays at home finds herself at a disadvantage with her sister who follows a career in the outside world. This is developed in a recent novel, where the stay-at-home sister—a compendium of the old"-faahioned virtues —becomes engaged to a charming young man. She is a most admirable girl, but «o thoroughly domestic that she is not intensely interesting. A younger sister who is out in the world of work comes home for a vacation, and is so bright and attractive that the young man, after much struggle with himself, transfers his affections. The story is not an unusiial one, with many variations, and in the present state of the matrimonial market the modern girl wants to see her future provided for in other ways than the precarious one of marriage. Tho writer is of,opinion that if .some portion of the family income and property belonged by law to the wife it would "lift housekeeping out'of that relentless and soul-killing groove -which has proved the despair of so many generations." The writer also speaks of the increased capacity of work -of the modern girl, her good sportsmanship, and her cheerful facing of a not 100 attractive future.

How many women, ara taking an interest in the question of tiio Wellington War Memorial! It is a most import-ant question to those who care for the memory of the departed soldiers and sailors, and to those who build for the future. It is, naturally, the wish of most people that the great sacrifices which will be memorised should be done in a beautiful way.. Nice,-iiseful. ; hospitali'or-,galleries, or the like, should be part of tiie equipment of;every:city, and the.memory of the supreme sacrifice of thousands of sons and parents, husbands and wives, should be a thing apart. from anything oi the kind.. The last suggestion which has been made, to have a carillon, a "singing .tower," -which will peal forth the music made sacred by the war; the hymns and homely! tun.es which were so inseparably connected, with' the time ; more classical' music at times to elevate and delight, should appeal-to'the imagination of all who love beauty of sound. Those who have heard the bells in the famous "singing towers" of, the world cannot speak without emotion of the , v^-nderful effect of bell music in a city. If Wellington should be the first city in the Dominion to possess itself of a carillon, it will be tho envied of all other cities, there is no doubt, and, it is io be hoped that others will make an eli'ort to have something equally fine. The fact that a certain further sum of money will be necesswy should not stand in the-way of-such a joy to thecity as the possession of a carillon would prove.

How often the old adage, "Look at home before you look out o' window," comes to the mind, both in daily life and in reading public print. Just lately the excitement displayed because some of the Dunedin women have been found taking liquid refreshment' (other than tea) in licensed houses has caused the "unco quid" in that city to display much, energy, and many attractive headlines to be set up. The way a mere woman looks at the matter is, firstly, that the number_ of women who drink in public houses is extremely small in comparison with the total number in the Dominion; secondly, that the large, majority wonld consider it derogatory to their" dignity and self-respect to do anything of the kind; thirdly, that those who do so should bo approached in other ways than by a "forbidding" on the part of any of the men in authority, for tiie liberty of the subject. should be as sacred in the case of women a3 it is in that of men. A great deal could be- accomplished by example, and if the "best" men jiiive up th e practice of taking liquor at hotels, and none but the "down-and-outs" 01 society did such a thing, this v.onld go a long way in making women realise that drinking under such circumr.fjinees "simply is not done," to use an ordinary expression. To treat such women as children and forbid them, on the samo.lines in which little Jane is told, '"You must not eat any more sweets, June; you will be quite "ill," is not the way to build up self-respect, but rather to rob them of a valuable asset of which they already have too little. One'wonders how the other sex would feel if some authorities hunted through, the hotels with comments as to the numbers—increasing at times, perhaps, and got up an excitement about it. The sauce which is cH.shed up for the goose wonld be very unpopular-with'the gander in all probability.

Our next-door neighbour cannot gel awny '.from the habit of regarding and talking of New Zealand as a "State," and. a little kindly chaff is indulged in v.-hen the New Zealandera insist on the "Dominion," of which they are jnstlv proiid. Then "double government" of f-?.;tc and Federal is rather confusing to r.ew-comers, and seems to make tln'rips rather complicated. JTot only are p;:"|ile coniptilsorily obliged to register as voters—'.rith a possible fine to tho ■Aiiers of "flats" if every denizc-n does :i.--t do .115 or her dnty in TegisterLo).' •■■'l Miey are liable to a fine if they do \ _v..t6 for one of tho elections. " On '■-:ng why this was done, it was s lat- ' -'.hat there is an idle, supine class : h was too indolent to even ko and :*lcr a vole, wlijlc another voted to >::/.■. and a. worn.™, sr. it was Xournl • ■cs.sarv U. try and even things np /,] ... : :!sonab!« sk-'reo by' maldng'tlis oub vulo tomiuusory;..