AN AMERICAN VISITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21647, 13 November 1933, Page 4

AN AMERICAN VISITOR

LIFE IN HAWAII A lengthy trip abroad is being onjoyed by Mrs. Larson, of Los Angeles, who, with her husband, Mr. David Larson, trade counsellor to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, was a visitor to Auckland last week. Although Mrs. Larson has lived for two years in Hawaii and lias also been all over the United States, sho has never before been abroad. "Women do not realise what it means completely to change their viewpoint," sho said. " A lot of American women, who have the means, need to get away from their own country and find out that there are other wonderful places in the world as well as their own. Speaking of American women, Mrs. Larson said club lite was veij picvalent in the. States, almost every woman who was not completely absorbed bubonic ties belonging to some club of an educational or social nature. Women there went in for much study of diiferent kinds and entered public life and public positions very freely. No criticism seemed to exist among men when a women occupied a high and onerous position in the business world. I hey took tho view that if she was capable of handling tho position sho had every right to it. "Many American women manage important positions in the city and keep their homes going satisfactorily as well, and it appears that the better educated a woman is tho better home-maker sho makes," Mrs. Larson said. Life in Hawaii appealed strongly to Mrs. Larson, who lived thero for two years. A custom on tho island which attracted her very much was that of decorating visitors with floral laiis as a gesture of welcome or farewell. On Mrs. Larson's departure from Hawaii she and the members of her family were decorated with over 100 laiis, an incident upon which she will always look back with pleasure and pride. This Hawaiian custom had also proved an industry in the island, considerable sums of money being made by the sale of the flowers and the making of the articles themselves. Before returning to Los Angeles Mr. and Mrs. Larson will visit Australia, Singapore, Sumatra and Java, the whole trip occupying about six months^