OCCASIONAL TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13235, 21 July 1906, Page 6 (Supplement)

OCCASIONAL TOPICS.

— * ~ : — Evil arc the ways of some of She gentlemen • who live on India's coral strand. Never many a man from the tribes of the Kangra district. That; is. if you are pretty. A man. of Kangra having married a pretty wife incontinently cute; off her nose, so that ho; one else shall fall victim to her charms! Even worse" are the ways of the men of ; Muscat. They do not cut off your nose. They put you in a muzzle.;•; And little or ; ; nothing :'• is" heard of women's suffrage in Muscat. : '-V .-.; : A -philosopher, philosophising upon the ballroom, expresses a wish that " the fair sex would, boycott incompetent partners." But sorrowfully recognises ; the difficulty . that "a girl who refuses to dance with any man who cannot dance is in danger of not dancing at all." That sad truth is no doubt true. : But '■.'there is here an omission ; to recognise another; to wit, that' a. partner ■ for a dance is not always chosen to dancewith. ' " Someone complains that " courting is out of fashion with; our modern gilded youth. Whether the superfluity of handsome girls : ■ which -.-"': we possess tends to • callousness ,on the part of their possible [admirers is a moot point, but if you would ; I hold the attention :of the modern youth | you must discourse to him of contangoefi and copper mines rather than of the arched eyebrow or rosy lips." Surely it never was tie lady's business to talk of rosy lips. They should talk for themselves. ; ' , ; Mr. -Sims] considerably impressed with the" virtue of ; his own sex; ; contrasts the .behaviour of man and woman-in - whops. •■-" woman," says he, "does not care how much trouble she gives ! assistants,, male or female. A man, does. •■>> jj man would never dream of harrying, a male shop-assistant, as many women hairy female shop-assistants. His', chivalry, towards his own • sex Jis greater tlla; a ; wo- ! man's towards hers." Is -it chivalry? .Or :, is it, as a shopgirl was -heard to say, "the : men wouldn't be ho better if they'd got the cheek?" ' .- * i "The position 'occupied by ■- woman in England;in these days is;'', we;; are told, " startling." " Seven : shops out • of every ten in the West - End; now are for the benefit of woman; the great newspapers devote more and more of .* their space every year, to matters which will interest her. ,*,- ;. v . v . The'great increase in the number of theatres and restaurants might also probably be connected with this development." Here is a nob'.e empire! West End shops, great newspapers, theatres,;' and restaurants all yearning to do what woman; wants! What ; more could: mortal-creature desire? The wonder is that, thus exulted,* woman con- : descends to have any dealings with man; Women,' we are told,';have adopted one i more male fadthat of standing in front [ of the fire arid; reclining gently against the mantel. ,; Some few; occupations, one cannot help,, thinking, should be left to men. There are men who live long lives warming their backs before , the fire. If even this is taken; from them by all-conquering woman they will probably expire.. Moreover, the .'women who are adopting the fire-screen's profession are unwise; it is certainly. more y heal thy: than : smoking, and • , (unless your dress should catch fire) less expensive than - bridge. ■■ But it is not beautiful.-; It can never he made beautiful without coat-tails and trousers pockets. Observe the male fire-screen. . * : '