WOMAN'S WORK & WARS

NZ Truth, Issue 834, 12 November 1921, Page 2

WOMAN'S WORK & WARS

(By ; SALLIE)

When are we to hear' the hint of the lion. C. .1. Parr's flag-Ha.pping' and generally ultra-sycophantic patriotism '! What's ho hoping for. anyway? Some bauble that will doubtless prove sooner or later to be gall and wormwood to its recipient ? Mad the minister sought, to edrn the respect of all our professors and teachers, that, would indeed have, given ' us some hope for the children's welfare m the future. As matters now stand some of the subjects- taught are tackled with books whose authors are quite out 6f date. Little wonder that the teachers know this, and are independent thinkers, rightly dare to impress their scholars with up-to-date facts. It would be interesting to take a secret ballot to find out how many teachers are favourably disposed towards this saluting the Hag andl standing up to sing- "Qorsave" once a week. It reminds one of the anomaly that, exists m .some families o£ saying grace only once a week when dressed up m their Sunday best, and taking meals m the best room. What satisfaction the minister gels out of persistent persecuticnV. of teachers who are of the best type of young womanhood, is surely only known to himself. He has recently 'Instanced one m jthje Wellington district whom he inferred had- come under the influence of Miss Wlfcilzel, and more than, hinting that such influence had .been to the former's undoing. The minister mig-ht have told us at the same time that this young lady is nearly, if not quite, ten years older than Miss Weitzel. Miss Weitzel : entered, the- college, just as the other" lady was leaving. The latter, by the waV. is a splendid type of young Womanhood, having given of her very best efforts to her family owing to much sickness and troubleamong them ; m fact, she is. most capable and her life is unselfishness personified. Could one ask for a better type to train our young ?

A "mere man" writes "Sallie" as follows : — Dear "Sallie", — Please let me send (through you) greetings to your cobber "Wahine". I take off my hat to her. I am. a returned .soldier and. have suffered all the indignities she depicts, except the monument. It is refreshing and a glad surprise to find a woman with so much courage of her convictions, and as capable of expressing the necessary emotions which stirred her while penning her letter. Her humor is subtle, her pathos; deep, and her sarcasm biting. One can but hope that it gnaws and gnaws into the very vitals of those responsible for so many broken promises, until they awake from their torpor and do the right thing by the men who have come back.

J* :: H Have you heard that Miss Nellie Stewart, who holds pride of place m our hearts as a stage favorite, is a grandmother, and- that the name of the grandson is John ? Daughter Nancye, who is Mrs. Lynton, journeyed to Australia for the happy event, so that the welcome stranger might be born an Australian. •

The Master of Kinross, son of the Baroness Kinross, has been married to the daughter of a blacksmith. No one connected w.ith the aristocratic bridegroom's family was present at the ceremony. That bunk of the unity of classes achieved by the comradeship of the war is gradually being dissolved!

"Sallie" was told this week that a well-known Departmental head; m the Government, wihose salary is something over £1000 a year, is engaged with his son during the week-ends, painting the family house. The cry is for economy at the present time, and while there are people who will say of this money- saving- State servant, "Why shouldn't he paint his own house?" "Sallie" would like to make the point that a property owner drawing such a big salary should show a better public spirit. There are many men out of work at the present time who would welcome the few days' work provided by a job now being undertaken by the more fortunately-situated Departmental head. -X all the big-salaried men are going to economise m this and other directions at the present time the plight of the out-of-work man will be made only more desperate.

The public sense of justice is so often shocked at the sentences imposed by magistrates and judges that it does not appear that the world is becoming more civilised. Do) we adopt the best methods of appointing our judges and magistrates ? It is notorious that such appointments are often made purely (or rather impurely) for some political services rendered m the past. This Is a great scandal. What mercy can the unfortunate -wharfle and others, found to, have "Red .Europe," etc, m his possession, expect at the hands of such slavish timeservers of the powers that be ? Touching on the subject of judicial severity it Is interesting" to note that for an assault on a. young gin by a youth of 19 at New York a sentence of 20 years was imposed. "Peai-son's" asks is .Judge Arnold sane ?

"I never put on a new hat without a certain feeling of pity for the mere man who can never 'enjoy the delicious thrill that it g-lves," writes J.M. "But there is much to be gone through before that triumphant moment arrives, for the business of choosing-, a new hat is fraught with nervous apprehension lest our choice fall upon the wrong shape or color. Only moral cowards take refuge m perpetual black headgear. What, then, is it exactly "that we feel within ourselves as we. step into the open street for the first time m a new hat? If the hat is an undoubted success, it gives a peculiar sense of elation — a knowledge. that she if? looking her best always makes a woman feel her prettiest ! . Hats . should be ' indicative, of the moods of the wearer. 'Black for dignity, dark blue for sobriety, brown for calm , days, red for hustling days. The hat with the nodding- roses denotes a gay midsummer mood, the "modest violet" toque makes a. mute appeal to romance. The dash-ing-cavalier of a hat with • sweepingplumes (none of your glycerined travesties, but well-nourished billowy ostrich feathers) precludes an adventure, while the Quaker grey toque with the floating veil goes with demure, downcast eyes. But for i-eal happiness give me the old felt hat that lives at the back of the. -wardrobe and has survived the "turning 1 out" of many years. As we cram this olcl friend on to our head, with a pull at the brim to shade the c3 r es, the cool air of the uplands comes to meet us even as we reach for a stick and pass out through the open door on to the road which leads back to' the land of happy memories."