QUO VADIS?

Grey River Argus, 15 July 1922, Page 3

QUO VADIS?

(By Phyllis Beckett, in “Labour Leader. ’ ’) We are realising’ daily that one man’s “ wants” are another’s waste, whether we refer to armaments versus education or to bicycles versus beer. Economy, w r e all know, is a relative term. Who among us is not roused to wrathful denunciation of a neighbour’s pet extravagance, particularly when that form of thriftlessness or wasteful expenditure makes no appeal to one’s self? An unemployment dole of a pound or so appears “wasteful” disposal of the national revenue to the man who winters at Davos and who fails to see why he should contribute to the support of parasites and won’t works! 1 for my part, may protest at the vulgar and wanton waste involved in the staging and dressing, so-called, of some, recent theatrical production, or the payment of fabulous salaries to simpering cinema stars; - or even, if you like, the receipt of pensions, measured in thousands, to retired Government officials of approved docility. My neighbour in the ’bus pours into the sympathetic ears of her neighbour of “The Laurels” or “Pinehurst,” Suburbia harrowing tales of the extravagance of her daily help, who “ jazzes” at the cost of 1/- every Monday, and ]»ationises the cheaper seats at the cinema on Saturday. The friend, exchanging horrors, wonders how the milkman can afford to keep two sons at a secondary

school, although they are scholarship boys (and, incidentally, partly responsible for the heavy rates which cause her and hei* husband so much distress and deprivation). “Quite unnecessary for the children of a man in his position, my dear!’’ T'he waste' most to be deplored is not that of the patrons of the expensive lingerie establishment and beauty parlours, nor even that ot the untrained and untaught household ei-s, whose simple domestic arrangements cause tin* canned-meat firms’ dividends to swell. No, th(* lamentable waste is found among women of a type that, considers itself greatly superior to both these sinners, among women who dislike extravagr nee and despise thriftlessness, who pride themselves, quite often, on being useful ami public spirited members of the community. Nevertheless, they are guilty of a more vital form of waste, namely, that involved in misdirected and misspent energy, accompanied, ns it may be. by some measure of intellectual ability, or social and humanitarian sympathies. Think of the enormous amount of on grgy expended by women on voluntary work of cverv description; married women in comfortable circumstances with light domestic claims bury themselves in nil manner of public and semi-public activities, ami : re aided by unmarrie-1 women with similar leisure and inclinations. Their spheres are manifold: Women Citizens' Association, Girl Guides, Girls' Friendly Societies, L’lav (’entre.s, Temperance Association., It is one of the saddest and perhaps ’east recognised of fc- fanes of modern I activltv that so much of that inval- j uable commodity, energy, is wasted because it is both misdirected and limited in range. How many of those earnest and active women over look

beyond their narrow sphere oi interests, or try to relate their work to any scheme of things? Where do they imagine they want ? They seldom seem to « suspect the vast area of problems ami j evils left untouched and more, unrealised, after their worthy efforts at cleaning up one corner of the world; in I fact, then' is a marked disability r nd i disinclination among quite sincere and estimable women to see far or clearly, and a particularly strong aversion from anything that savours of politics. Nothing of an unconventional character, is permitted to approach their chaste portals; on their hearth burns no undying flame; their energies are sapless from the blight of caution and strict propriety. How few women, comparatively, are prepared, to go far enough belov\ the surface to take an interest in politics, to attend political meetings or sit on political committees? ('an women not realise that meie tinkering is just waste, th-.'t desperate diseases require drastic and effective remedies at whatever sacrifice of polite inessentials? They must bo persuaded that a philosophy of reform is required, that political moans of attaining social ends an* open to many women, and must be more widely adopted it effective action is to be taken; ami above all that in ihe Socialist Labour Party alone w ;il be found any constructive policy of social reform. The world cannot afford io wait much longer for this realisation on the part of women; those who are already in the field must strain every nerve to stop this wasteful : ml futile energy, and divert it to constructive ami effective effort.