MUCH MALIGNED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19897, 16 March 1928, Page 7

MUCH MALIGNED.

feminists and frocks. For some unkown reason the term "blue stocking" 'is synonomous with the dowdy intellectual woman. How this came to be is not easily understood, for the earliest blue stockings were such women as Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Fanny Burney, Mary Astell, Mrs. Thrale, Mrs. Chapone, Mrs. Vesey—these three famous hostesses —and Hannah More. And even Dr. Johnson himself joined in ,the chorus of compliments. paid to the blue stockings. The name was taken from one Benjamin Shjllingfleet, the leader of a little cultured coterie, who wore blue stockings. , , . 1 - . These women ef history were the first women of the feminist movement and there is nothing to lead us to suppose that they were in any way dowdy. Always, however, the criticism that they do not give enough cars for their appearance has been levelled against the intellectual woman and Miss Chave Collisson returned to the attack when she besought the leading feminists in Melbourne to put oh tneir best frocks and their latest hats > when attending meetings. Dowdiness, she asserted, went with a frumpy mind. And there is little, doubt that a feeling of efficiency and self-con-fidence iB helped by being well turned out. t . . A leading schoolmistress, when discussing the question recently, declared that when she wore her latest and smartestfrock she was sure of holding the attention of her class. And apropos of this, it is amusing to read in an oversea journal that the pupils at the Girls' High School of Newport, Oregon, in the United States of America, had gone on strike because the newly-appointed principal wore skirts down to her ankles and had not shingled her hair. They declared that it was not possible to get modern teaching from a mistress who would not wear modern dress. Though deprecating thetf methods, one must admit that there is something in their assertion. In these very efficient times the stamp of cultured i men and women should be a well-groomed I smartness.