MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 March 1933, Page 3

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

ITEMS OF INTEREST

going on the stage.

ADVICE TO ASPIRANTS

Choosing n career is always a difficult mailer. Such a choice calls for more than the usual amount of decision (writes Sydney W. Carroll, in the London “Daily Telegraph ). The chooser is usually handicapped by lack of knowledge, absence of experience, short of reliable and trustworthy advisers. To decide an ordinarv trivial point, is hard enough. How' much more formidable is it to come to a conclusion upon the problem of one’s whole future —the life in front, of us? The pros and cons, the arguments for and against, whisk us hither and thither into whirlpools and quicksands of doubt and insincerity, till we settle the question at last by settling nothing, leaving Fate to unravel out destinies and do with us what she will. Heaven help us. But when young people become seized with the desire to go on the stage, they appear to suffer from no such disabilities. They seldom have the least doubt as to their capabilities or the successful realisation of their highest ambitions. The urge that compels them theatreward;; seems demoniac. , The interest they take in the subject of the stage and everything connected with it becomes intense to the point of passion. They are the principal supports of the local theatre. They develop desires so keen that they can only be assuaged by the joining of a theatrical school, an amateur dramatic society, or by the taking of elocution lessons from a. private teacher. And in other ways. It never troubles them that they may have no appearance to speak of. That they may suffer from serious physical disabilities. That they may be unable to speak properly, walk decently, or memorise correctly half-a-dozen lines. They must go on the stage, and that is all there is to it. NOT A SIMPLE BUSINESS.

Acting is. however, not the simple business many young people appear to think it. It is the most elusive, most heartbreaking of all the artistic professions. Even when you have succeeded at it, it is full of disappointments. Triumphs made, the real ones, seldom amount to more than three or four in a lifetime. The rest of the time has to be spent in “resting,” that gentle euphemism for “out of work” in expounding insignificant or meaningless characters, acting as . i’s to more fortunate performers, or buttressing incompetence.

The latter, chief curse of the stage, is often fortified by money into a starry falsity, a sham that deludes almost everyone, especially its possessor, by golden opportunities. Parts make actors. Not until we have joined the ranks do we find out the terrifying truth of that hackneyed but incontrovertible stage axiom. I warn all would-be mummers to forsake the will o’ the wisp of the theatre for a safer guardian. I definitely threaten all stage aspirants with years of striving. I foresee for them however, talented, an old age, grey and blank perhaps with unfulfilled ambitions, unrealised hopes, and a few bright memories. The only compensation I can offer them is the habitual philosophy and cheerfulness, (lie liappy-go-lucky temperament that seems always to accompany the calling of the actor. Hardly ever have I known a true player, one of God's specials, who ever lost faith in himself or his work, or who allowed misery and despair to overcome him. There have been suicides, sad people, young and old, the Dacres, for example, who could nut face their failures, but these have been few and far between.

The feverish excitement of ’the life, its constant variety, the mental and physical exertions it makes for, the glorious sound of public/applausc, the approbation of critical minds —these are irresistible attractions to the young and hopeful. It takes years to disillusion us about, them.

The first recommendation I would make to the stage aspirant is to go in for a, proper course of theatrical training. This may be done under a system of individual tuition from some responsible actor or actress capable of imparting the necessary knowledge, or at one of the many established and successful schools of act-

ing. If an opening is sought through the channels of u theatrical agency, it will be necessary to have some form of introduction or some recommendation other than a mere desire for stage work', but there are a number- of good agencies, the managers of which may be disposed to give information and help/to beginners.

1 must express the opinion that the very best avenue of entry to the theatrical profession is through personal influence. The stage is like almost every other business —it depends for its recruits chiefly upon the personal recommendation of people who are already engaged in it. Therefore the most important thing for the beginner is to become personally and favourably acquainted with some influential actor or actress, or. belter still, a dramatist or a producer. The last named is usually more instrumental in engaging a company ’han anyone else in the theatre.

PLA T O NIC Ffi IE ND S

Advice on platonic friendships was given by Mrs Clare Goslett, lecturing recently at Christ Church, Westminster, to young business girls. “People talk a. great deal of nonsense about platonic friendships,” she declared. “You hear some people say they are all rubbish, and that men and women, being what they are, such friendships between them are impossible. People who say this sort, of thing must know exceedingly little of the present-day men and women. Platonic friendships, or, rather, com rade-friendships, as J prefer Io call them, between two young people, arc p, special privilege of our modern times.”

There were certain types of men and women with whom a platonic friendship was not. possible, continued Mrs Goslett. I know of many a homo

which has been wrecked because the husband lias formed a platonic friendship with another woman.’ ’

knitting in tweed.

WOOL YOKES AND CUFFS

While garments need by no means be made wholly in knitting, this form of needlework cun be happily combined with plain, loose materials such as tweeds (states a writer in the “Manchester Guardian”). With a

tweed skirt of good light stuff as a foundation, knitting may be used as cuffs and collars to the blouse or jumper. It is not made separately, but is knitted into the stuff and forms a continuation of it. Where the tweed is sufficiently soft, a scarf may be cut of it to which knitted ends may be given. Steel needles can be easily poked through the tweed for the firstrow and the- edge that is left can be hemmed down, preferably with some threads taken from the tweed itself, so that the knitting seems to grow out of it.

Sometimes a new colour can be introduced by means of knitting. Thus a. scarf of bronze-brown tweed about six inches wide can be given a knitted end of henna about two inches wide. The whole looks much more complete if to the henna be added cither a narrow strip of the material or a band of brown knitting which exactly matches the tweed or is a shade darker. Where blouses have Raglan, sleeves or yokes, either can be outlined by an inset of knitting. It is indeed used rather as though it were insertion, but. instead of being sewn in it is knitted into the stuff.

Browns lend themselves particularly well to combination with the gayer colourings, such as orange, or yellow ami the yellow-reds. In tweed scarfends a square of knitting may be introduced in a different colour and the tweed cut away as soon as this is completed. An interesting form of scarf can be made, by means of five squares of knitting each about the size of a small handkerchief. Two may be white, and three black or in any other contrasting colour scheme. The three black squares are set in a row, point to point. In the two angles made by the three on one side, the two white squares are fitted. The scarf is then folded along the diagonals of the black square and those of the white. The edges will be found to fit each other and thus a. diagonal scarf of double knitting is made. GREY PLUNKET SOCIETY. The monthly meeting of the Greymouth branch of the Plunket Society was held yesterday afternoon. .Present: Mesdames Dennehy (chair), Iles, Wilde, Mowatt, Smith, Barrett, Trott, Leahy, Meldrum, Garde, Denton, and Boyd (secretary). An apology for absence was received from .Mrs. Wilkinson.

Miss Hoddinot, Administrative Secretary, Dunedin, wrote advising that she would visit the branch, arriving on Tuesday, March 14. Arrangements were made for Miss Hoddinot to visit the sub-branches at Hokitika and Runanga. It. was agreed that the annual ball be held in July, instead of May, as heretofore.

Mrs. F. M. Dennehy was nominated for election to the Central Council, which election- takes place at the Provincial Conference in Christchurch on March 22 and 23. The Nurses’ report for February was received and adopted as follows: — Headquarters. —Visits to homes: New cases 14, old cases 8; visits to office, adults 216, babies 162, older children 4*B. Out-stations: Visits to homes: New cases 10, old cases 66; visits to office, adults 114, babies 96, older children 34. Accounts totalling £26 13s lid were passed for payment. BEAUTY BOXES.

AMERICAN GIRLS’ SECRET

A widely travelled Englishwoman. Mrs W. S. Robinson, when she arrived in Melbourne recently, says the Herald (Melbourne), remarked that the American business girl was the neatest and most fresh-looking she had seen anywhere. “She appears as fresh at the end of the day as at the beginning,” said Mrs Robinson. “And her collars always look as if they had just been ironed, in spite of a hard day’s work.” As a matter of fact, they have “just been ironed.” Miss Leonore Roach, an Adelaide girl who v’orked for two years in different offices in San Francisco and New York, found that the American office girl owes much of her fresh appearance at the end of the day to a little iron and an office beauty box. Most_business girls in Australia keep towel and soap and brush and comb in the office, but how many of them like tire American girl, go further and have a little box fitted up with powder' and cream, cleansing tissue,\skin freshener, rouge .and lipstick, ready to sally forth when the door'.; close, at no disadvantage with her more leisured sisters? The- small cost and trouble of these treasure chests is more than repaid in the tonic effect they have on the tired mind and strained nerves at the end of the day.” said Miss Roach. “Everyone knows how bracing a bath is, and this is the next best thing. Thorough cleansing of the face and new application of make-rip makes one feel a now woman. Wealthy American firms do not object to their office girls using their power points for a. little ironing at the end of the day’s work, ami five o’clock or earlier as it often is in America, sees hordes of business girls lining up to press their collar's land cuffs or ‘shirt’ waists. For their ‘beauty boxes’ many of them save up a good-sized chocolate box, cover- it with cretonne and w T i‘h cardhoard make little compartments inside for powder, rouge, nail file, orange stick and puff, cleansing tissue, cotton wool, skin lotion and face cream. Some, especially those who work by artificial light, even have an eye bath. They dissolve a- pinch of boracic powI dor in half a tumbler' of hot. waler ami I bailie iheii' eyes with it. It refresher; Hired eyes, relieving any strain, ami 'is supposed to be. a preventive of I crow’s feet.”