WOMEN'S INTERESTS

Hokitika Guardian, 12 October 1933, Page 3

WOMEN'S INTERESTS

THE DOMESTIC REVOLUTION

MORE LEISURE FOR. WIVES

In older,- simpler days, there was no domestic pirobltin whether paid help was kept or not, for the women always did the household tasks, while the men smoked and looked at the stars, or talked politics or read the newspapers, or pursued some other -occupation exclusively suitable to the male. Those were the good old days, when each sex knew its place and kept it—for him the leisure to tread the paths of intellectual and aesthetic pleasure";' for her the greasy dishes. No single fact can more emphatically demonstrate the great revolution which has taken place in -the relation between men and women than that they now take their place side by side at the-washing-up bowl. A social revolution is'also implicit, a whole change of viewpoint in.mankind’s relation to work. Fifty years ago certain necessary tasks were looked upon as menial, as derogatory to man’s dignity. There were things which “a gentleman” c-onld do, such as rat-catcliing in u brim, arid things which must be' done fbr him By others, kuch as cleaning 1 Iris; bdo'tsl Ttf a " riiere - ’ ; Wonian it [■plight'keeiri thiit' 1 'there was nothing more “gentlemanlike” in setting a terrier at a rat than in scraping one’s own muddy hoots, but so it was held, and there are still old ladies who- would sooner take a man’s hoots into their frail and withered'hands than that he should do it himself. At this time, which -seems*to have been the period of the greatest snobbishness and false pride ever known to the English,, nearby all domestic tasks were looked upon as “menial.”

From-domestic work being derogatory to men, it became derogatory to “Indies,” and we see in. the charming pases of “Cranford” how painfully a “lady” .had. to -hide, the fact that many dcmestcc. tasks had to be done by herself or not at all; and when the beautiful Diana ,qf the Crossways knelt -and laid the firs'in her empty house, a heroine of fiction' was shown for the first time in, tlie 19th century exalted by a “menial task.” .

. We have .travelled, far since then. Til? .principle that leisure and beauty and pleasures of the mi-iid should nog he the prerogative of a small privileged class, hut gi ail civilised mankind, lies at- the root cf our social legislation and of all our educational „ endeavours, however much :.j t; may he obscured by superficial changes,-And the logical outcome of..this •principle, that.-, for- woinen- also-' there should be. leisure,and beauty and. intellectual adventure, has profoundly modi led the whole, of sodal arid domestic ife.,l Domestic work is coming to be '•eccgniscd as‘a necessary function in civilised life, -which some do better than others' or more .conveniently, but which is not in Itself better or worse than other forms of work. The lady now who would feel horsfif ‘demeaned” •by laying her own .fire' is an anachronism arid ought- to perish .with the dodo, as also should the man who would feel himself less of a man by taking iiis share in those daily and inexorable tasks which are -necessary for civilised, living.

ROUND THE LONDON SHOPS UNUSUAL COLOUR MIXTURES

London dress designers do not show tlieir creations for another month, hutsigns of coming fas# on ‘arealliready creeping into the important shops, which always look—specially attractive when'.the-isale 'stock has : been' " swept aside:. Several new chats' art "already showing the shoulder interest. Sonic have little rolls of padded cloth round the top of the arm; others show epaulets, formed by strips of material laid along the shoulders, starting from the. neck and standing beyond the sleeve. Blouses have military epaulets for sleeves that cover the tops of the arms only. Polo necks are popular on .woollen, cotton or string “dish cloth’.’ jumpers, but they are smaller than before, being about two inches high and turning over at the top. Summer jumpers are showing unusual colour mixtures—anchovy pink and coffee colour, china and royal blue, mustard yellow , and charteuse green. The favourite design of the late summer is the anchor, with or without twisted ropes. Silk sc-Uwes have coloured anchors printed on pale grounds or embroidered in the corner like monograms. I They are also embroidered on the front of jumpers where a breastpocket would be fixed, and in the corner of chiffon and silk handereh'iefs. Metal anchors will pin clown one side of a cloth beret, .or fasten a scarf, or appear at the waist or neck.

Ivory and composition bracelets are more worn than chromium. These bracelets are wide and heavy looking, and come in many colours. Girls are wearing them with sleeveless dresses, and bathing suits, as they seem to stand sun lid’water very well. I saw a. very smart one that imitated a wrist-strap, quite wide with a buckle fastening. There are jackets to wear for every occasion—odd ones to slip over different skirts and dresses. Some wrap over at the waist; others are worn swinging open, and many are made' of the new bubbly loose-woven'tweed. Silk jerseys have wide calf belts at the natural waistline. These have heavy metal fastenings. A new collar of linen trimmed with a strip of ravelled linen at the edge is

Jiints from

Jiome and Mbvoad.

HAND CREAM

HAIR BEAUTY

worn draped h'gli round the neck and shoulders, fastened at the back. A novelty cape, seen, in velvet and fur, consists of a long straight strip of material with a hole to pass the head through. The wide side of the hole hangs down the back, and the narrow in front; and. the sides are canted draped across the front. Any handsome piece cf material, would make this wrap, which should' he lined to match or tone.

FEMI-NINE ARCHITECT 3

Not long '.ago a. well-known woman remarked at a conference that- if more women were employed in designing houses moke attention would be paid to the needs of the housewife, says -an English writer. Women, as she truly remarked, spend a great- deal of their time in the House, far ino ;, 'e than men do. The easy and economical running of the home depends on the housewife who gains most by well-planned interiors and labour-saving arrangements 0 f many kinds which arc now to be seen in many houses, and in a ve'ry ,targe number in the Tinted -States of America-, where .the woman architect is beginning to. play an important part in civic life."

I It would seem, therefore, that there is a- big field for .women in architecture, and it is - probable she will find her best opportunity in the building of small houses and fiats. There is no Tea son, >of course, why women architects. should not build great buildings, hut whereas wonv'll qua woman possesses no advantages over man in the construction of public buildings, she does perhaps to some extent, in many, forms of domestic architecture. I Until .recently there have been few , women architects, although the profes- ! sion "has always been open to women. | The fi’rst woman architect qualified in j 1900 in Britain, but before ; the WiiV i there were only three women .in in-1 dependent •practice, and a mere hand-i •ful of assistants. But of recent venrs considerably more -have taken the- J braining and are now working on their . own in a 'few instances, o r moke, usually as assistants. ■ !

Possibly the long training, normally five years, followed as a. rule by a period spent in the office of ?.n architect at a modest- remuneration, has proved a bar to many women.

Mutton fat-, which forms the basis of ~fo , many -beauty ..preparations, a,’.w\ys becomes hard in the winter months, but •now-..the WEikmer weather is here this difficulty should disapea’-’. The following recipe-, whi-h -‘includes oairiphor, makes an excellent cream.

Render down four tablespoenfuls of cl rifled mutton fat- (which may have been taken from trimmings of chops or ■any other cut of mutton), ‘rising ?.n enamel vessel -to retain its ' whiteness. -Aid ,'two tablespoons glycerine, .one small cake of camphor, ; arid cne tab,'espoo, n eau de cologne. The camphor should have been ; scraped -befo're adding it to the fat. When the fat and camphor are thoroughly melted, remove from the fire, add the glycerine and eau de cologne, stir till white and thick, -and put i n small jar s .

If your hair is inclined to become greasy a few days after it i s washed, it is best not to let the hairdressek anoint it with brilliantine.

A very .little, applied just before leaving the house, may be permitted if you are going somewhere special] but use it sparingly, and don’t wear a tight hat- *>.

Smear 'a few drops only on to the ■hands and press them gently into the waves. And be_ sure that your ibrillian-t-ine does not clash, with . any; othe’r perfume you are using.. Dry -shampoos are helpful if your hair is greasy; but again they meed to be used with discretion. ' A mere dusting is -sufficient, and it must be well brushed out afterwards with a firm brush.

VARIED SKIRT LENGTHS

It is not long since the “peacock” or “droop r ’ ski’rt was in favour, and now the news comes from Paris that a sensation has been cause'd by the- introduction of skirt ,and blouse styles, specially -designed for ]at e afternoon and cinema toilettes, which consist, of a- black lainage or jersey skirt with a “compromise” hem, shorter in front than at the back, and an accompanying white ok very pale coloured blouse.

CLEANING LIZARD SHOES

When snake or lizard shoes meed cleaning, sponge the uppers first wi.h warm, soapy water, and a soft nailbrush, being careful not to allow the moisture to soak into the sole. Dry thoroughly and apply., the cream .and polish in the usual wav. If'cleaned by thi s method they will not require eleining so often, and will look quite new after each treatment.