THE PERFECT GIRL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21022, 10 May 1930, Page 18

THE PERFECT GIRL.

There is scarcely a man, who, at some time or other, has not set out in quest of the perfect girl,(says “a Mere Man,” in an exchange). Even after marriage, ho may possibly be still convinced that she is still waiting, for him somewhere the only thing is, he has taken the wrong turning. He may even be quite happily married, but sometimes in his heart of hearts he feels that the perfect girl has just escaped him, and that she is being reserved for some other lucky fellow. But does the average girl set out in a whole-hearted search for the perfect man? A thousand times no, especially when marrying men are at such a. premium. Someone presentable and able to keep her is,all she asks, and having secured him, goes down on her knees to thank the gods for having smiled on her. A man, sound in wind; and limb, is regarded as a. treasure by the fair sex in these days, and we have the feeling that, at last, we are coming into our own, , However, to hark to my subject of the perfect girl. Her definition is very simple, and, like all perfections of simplicity, she is extremely rare, and her price is above rubies. She is the girl who can make a man feel he is wanted, that he is of some consequence, and completely at home in her society. Now, don’t run away with the idea that I mean she should flatter him up to the hilt, sink her individuality, continually tell him how Wonderful he is, and be absolutely devoid of any dependence. Not at' all, for the perfect girl has no need to assert her independence any more than Kreisler, Pavlova, or any other great artist. Her perfection is recognised and accepted without any fuss or bother, and though fashions “ feminine ”- may come and go, she stays “ put." She may not possess beauty, but she, has a definite charm, and is not peculiar to any class, race, or creed. She Is a wonderful little person, > and explains why the owner of a big chain of department stores marries one, of his shop assistants. and why the lord of the.manor chooses the daughter of the candlestick maker .for his. lady. Each man, from his own standpoint, ia convinced that he has married the perfect girl, and to him she is the embodiment of charm. Now, this is the secret of her success. Every man longs to be a king in his own country, supreme in some respect, and leaving out the deplorable number who go through life clothed in elephant ’hide, and the. wretched few who will never . realise how miserable they are, the average man is quite aware of his own shortcomings.. He is—in spite of what you may think to the contrary—fully alive t 6 his own “ordinariness.” •He realises that he will never fly the Atlantic,* hit up a century at cricket, make a break of a hundred at'billiards, work his way from being the very junior buyer in his department to a seat on the board, but, if he can meet the girl who will make him think that he could —well, he is to be envied. It is but a short step from the word charm to charming, and. it is strange how many women seem to think it is their privilege to look charming part of the time. Now, my perfect girl will look charming all the time, either in mob cap and overall when she is busy with ben household tasks, or in her dainty drese ae • ehe smtlea at me at night over the tea-cups.- So charming, in fact, that ! shall mot dream of allowing my manners to fall below the honeymoon standard. By the bye, it must not be supposed that my perfect girl has any illusions regarding her man. She would cease to be perfect in my eyes if she was not fully alive to all hie imperfections, for it would show that her sense of perception was considerably dulled, blit she is sympathetic, skilled and knowledgeable with men; she hae inherited (or acquired ) a wide experience of them; she loves them in spite of their faulty-and their r weaknesses are plain to' her. Nevertheless, she likes themi ' The ’ perfect girl always has liked and always will like'men, no matter how often they disappoint ; her, probably because she realise* that it ie impossible to gild the lily or to Jnake a silk purse out of a sow’s ear—in short, to perform Hie impossible and make a human male a perfect creature. She realises; that she will get more lasting satisfaction from making a good job of one man than from any other pursuit. A career or profession,may be .most absorbing, but you cannot , murmur sweet nothings as you run your fingers through its hair,- and the task of moulding a man to meet your own requirements, must be rather a wonderful business. . . r Again, the perfect girl will readily sense the limitations of her material and make the beat of what the, gods have given her. Tbue, she will not reproach her mate for not having an ear for a Beethoven sonata, but will make him feel that he Is no . end of a good fellow to. be able to fit leaking bathroom taps with new washers. Above all, the perfect girl knows how to be restful. Nagging is relegated to the dark ages, and she rightly assumes that if she can’t make, the wheels of life run smoothly when just two are concerned; she" isn’t carrying but her part of the contract. Just as the engineer reinforces his bridges where necessary, so she manages to build up and strengthen a man who comes home exhausted from a weary day with his nerves in tatters. She\is wise enough not to bother with “why” or "wherefore,” but, after ho has dined and smoked the pipe of reflection, and feels inclined to snare a few of his burdens, she is ready with a sympathetic ear, ready to console or advise as occasion requires. Also, when there is a case for jubilation, a ekilful sale, or a rise in salary, she will not . bemoan the fact that two chops are already grilled, but put them carefully .away in the larder and be bright and ready to go out to a little celebration dinner. Frankly, the perfect girl concentrates on \ ministering to that little kink in the average man which is impanted in the heart of every small boy—the desire to shine. If you call that vanity, you will be greatly mistaken, for it is really the spirit that wins races, football v matches. and battles. Think what a pity it would be <if the celebrated goal-kicker or the. champion runner came off the field, bowed down with honours, - if the perfect girl was not there to share with him! “What does the perfect girl get out of all this I” Well I admit this a little difficult to estimate in hard cash, but she gets the - immense amount of satisfaction of knowing that she has dime her job to the beat of her ability, has demonstrated to a cynical world the fact that two people can be supremely happy has compelled her husband to unconsciously keep up his standard of thought, word, and deed in her honour and has proved herself a helpmate in every sense of the world. In fact, she may be regarded as the salt of the earth,, and without her charm and influence,‘ life would be a very flat thing indeed.