MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 July 1923, Page 8

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

NEWS AND NOTES. “I wish to- impress on every woman to-day,” says a correspondent, “no matter what her position, that it is absolutely essential to family life that she learn well to cook and wash amt sew. It needs little imagination to realise what such accomplishments, the most primitive in the world, mean for comfort around, and she is put into the world to make the world more comfortable, and her reward the love surrounding her.” We are not told why man should be debarred from this reward ; nor why, if not debarred, he should not earn love by sharing some of the duller work. Nor why women’s part in life should be “primitive” still, whatever the stage attained IjAw the rest of the world ; nor why may not decide for herself “comfort” is the summit of her oH| ambition, or her provision of it highest service to man. “Oh, she’s a blue-stocking,” isflH expression often used in a woman who is unusually but probably not one person infHM| knows what it really means. Ihe stocking movement was started ■ ’’\i number of woman chiei amongst fIKIH were Mrs Montagu and Airs i riiKH wh-> priih d i hemselves upon conventional. In. their day h<>Bh| could inter a drawing-room v.WggH anything but e< remonial clothejM||||| th;. .-Jiiniest black silk stockings.® ing themselves upon their they received all. and Montagu gave a. breakfast to chimney sweeps —and in none of their male guests t awkward or badly dressed, ill

was that all slrnuld come m M ‘ clcthes ami wearing the coarsJH9B| iugs of blue wool worn at t by workmen. The were originally the guests of jMMMj women, ami later the name to I In- women themselves, “highbrows” have held to A famous woman doctor !iasJ|l||jß%aiBB Iv Haled her conviction all do something towards ai(jS| ' '""‘i divine spark of health within A” people, she says, most have a power that makes resistant, than others to infections, food poisoning, and bad temper —which is a form of ill-health. She‘suggests that we might all raise our vitality by “cutting out” those things which are sapping the vital spark.’. Some women are too lazy ; some sit up too late at night; some smoke too many cigarettes. Many others indulge in useless fretting, unnecessary worry. These perhaps are the most mistaken, for “five minutes’ right thinking may be better medicine than iron and arsenic.” Jazz dancing is reported to have fairly caught Sydney in. its grip. There are dozens of dance halls and cabarets resounding to the rhythm of jazz music every day and night, and some even commence at 11 o’clock in the morning and go right, on until midnight or 1 a.m. next day. The biggest jazz hall in Sydney is the Palais Royal, in the Agricultural Society’s building out Randwick way. Recently the management imported Art Hickman’s jazz orchestra (now conducted by Frank Ellis). Though composed of nine performers only, this band is described as the last thing in jazz orchestras, and the nightly average attendance is some 5000 dancers. A recent, visitor says that the Palais Royal is quite one of the big sights of Sydney. As much as £lOOO was spent on special decorations for an “Arabian Nights’’ night recently. A memorial window to the. meniory of “the most famous woman missionary of the age,” as she has been called —Alary Slessor, of Calabar—will be unveiled in September in the Albert Institute of Dundee, Scotland, her native town. The winning design is by Air William Aikman, of Camden Town, and shows various incidents m Alary Slessor s life. She is seen at her loom in the Dundee factory where she. worked till site was twenty-six, and aiso standing between the ranks of armed warriors in Calabar ami stopping a battle by her cool audacity. The gratitude of the Chief Edem tor her courage in forbidding the taking of life, .after his son's death is. depicted, : ml also a scene in which, surrounded Dy native chiefs, she is shown acting as the acknowledged representative ot. the British Government ami permanent vice-president of the. Native. Court at Ikotobong, Calabar, West Africa, two unique honours bestowed on a woman. A “Alary Slessor” missionary scholarship for girls is also being provided. Advice that is sometimes given on walking well seems to suggest that good walking is of only on.e type, whereas, of course, there are many variations of the graceful- walk. The strong, sturdy, naturally upright girl will not move in the same manner as her slighter, more willowy sister, yet both may attract admiration as they pass along the street. Square-shouldor-ness is not to be aimed at by evcrj’one, but an almost, infallible rule, ami test, is the raised chin. A suggestion of a droop of the shoulders is not always ungraceful or weak-looking. Schoolboys walking out on, to the playing ' fields often exhibit the athletic slouch, which has certainly nothing to do with 1 luck o ft raining or ]>hysical fitness. But, no woman ever walked well who allowed her head to droop or jerk forward. ■