TRAINING GIRLS TO FINAN= CIAL INDEPENDENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3763, 27 April 1926, Page 71

TRAINING GIRLS TO FINAN= CIAL INDEPENDENCE.

Training to understand the value and the right use of money is an important branch of education to which hitherto, unfortunately, very little attention has been paid. In particular, girls of the middle and upper classes have been suffered to grow up with hardly any knowledge of money and ordinary business details connected with it. The story in newspaper humorous pages of the young wife found in tears because there was only one blank form left in her husband’s cheque book is scarcely a caricature of the ignorance really prevailing among many girls and women of the leisured classes up to the last generation. Recently, and particularly since the war, the increased entry of girls of these classes into moneyearning occupations, with economic changes which make parents unable to provide for their daughters’ future, has resulted in young women becoming better informed about money and business matters. In many upper girls’ schools systematic instruction is given in business matters, which fall within the ordinary experience of women’s lives, including, of course, all ordinary technicalities connected with the use of money. And where there is a domestic course of instruction household finance will find place in it. How to finance a household, allotting the right proportion of the family income to rent, food, clothes, etc., buying economically and keepii* household accounts properly, is a most essential branch of domestic knowledge. In the Dunedin Home Science School a very thorough course of instruction is given on housekeeping economics. But the training of young people, hovs as well as girls, in the meaning and right use of money should begin at home in early childhood, just as soon as the child wants pennies to spend, and should progress with the intelligence and growth in independence of the child. Children should learn early that money has to be earned somehow, bv someone, and that it is not to be wasted or misused. Too often, where means are fairly easy, young people are encouraged in extravagance and self-indulgence by being given too much money to spend according to their fancy. It is a very bad thing to give children money, be it only a small sum, as sixpence or a penny, whenever they ask for it. A certain sum weekly shtfuld be given as pocket money according to the means of the parents, and the child expected to keep within it. Of course, for some essential object. out of the or dinary course of the child’s expenditure, parents will make an exception. As the child grows older the allowance should he increased, and the child accustomed gradually to buy more and mere of his or her personal requisites—books, school requisites, material for games and amusements. minor articles of clothing, etc., as well to pay for tram and train fares, entertainment tickets, school subscriptions, etc:, cut of the allowance.

Then when regular school days are passed girls who remain at home and do not engage in outside work for money should be given a yearly allowance for dress and other personal expenditure. If parents’ means do not allow of their making their daughters such allowances a« will put them on an equal footing with similar girls who are earning money, they should not discourage them from engaging in outside work for money. And if girls are occupied in the household work, so that they are practically filling the place that would otherwise demand a paid domestic, they should be paid similarly to a hired helper. One main reason why girls are so often dissatisfied to remain xb home, and why farmers’ sons are unwilling to work on their fathers’ farms, is that the parents think it is sufficient to maintain the young people and allow them a little extra for pocket money. The farmer will say, perhaps, to his sons and daughters that they all have an interest in the place, and are really working for themselves, but he does not consider that they want money 'in the meantime, that they may feel independent and be on an equality with young people like themselves who work for a business employer. Without money received as a recognised right no one can feel independent or enjoy the freedom of action which every person who has reached responsible years should possess. But there are obligations on both sides, and young people who claim to be independent should take heed that they give the just equivalent of money paid to them for their services, and that they do not in any way impose on their parents financially.

Girls are often sadly lacking in a sense of proper independence in financial relations with their parents. It is common to find young women earning fair salaries who yet di not think it necessary to nay their parents anything bv way of boarding expenses, or, more often, who pay one half or a third of what they would have to pay at a hoarding-house. They want the bulk of their salary for dress and personal pleasure, and they do not see that thev are roallv imposing on their parents. Yet often the parents really need the monev that the girls would pay without question elsewhere: very often the mother is overtaxed vith the household work while her daughters, though only paying a pittance for board, do nothing to help her. Such yonng women are really -ponging upon their parents; they have not developed true self-respect, and they are undeserving of the respect of others. Parents should recognise their grown up children’s need of independence but should not allow themselves to be imposed upon. But if young people have been trained from their earliest years in dutv and consideration for others, and if there is real affection on both sides money relations will seldom cause any difficulty between parents and children. While parents should recognise that it is only fair that a son or daughter regu-

larly employed should be paid the standard wage for his or her sei vices, it is not desirable that every service done by children and everything done by parents for their children should be a matter of bargaining. Usually the parents’ home remains open to the children ao long as they have no settled establishment of tneir own; they return thither in illness or lack of employment, the mother tends them in sickness, if trouble of any kind comes the parents will strive to help. There should be no rigid reckoning up of dues by one side against the other, and there never will be if the family relations are happy. But a proper training in money matters will guard girls against the lack of a sense of pecuniary responsibility and the readiness to take without giving that have been too common defects in women.

Mrs George Cran, in her “Garden of Ignorance,” (written just before the war) tells how she trained her own little daughter to financial independence. “Girl-children are brought up to believe that money falls on them by some benign plan of providence through the hands of men ; fathers, brothers, husbands, whatever they may be, but men they are taught it is, who exude money and to whom they must turn when they want a trifle of their own to spend. An outrageous system! When my womanchild grew of an age to like pennies, the whole falseness of the way we teach girls to get money burst upon me. I remembered how I had looked for money from anyone but myself. I wanted my woman-child to feel the sacredness of money, never to be afraid of it, to look at it fearlessly as a powerful friend who can be called to aid always by the magic wand of work. I wanted her to fee! clean and brave about money, because I remembered how I had always been ashamed of its very name, because I never had any. I had not been, as I should have been, decently ashamed of myself for not knowing the way to get it. but I was always anxious to hush up any reference to it as a disgraceful skeleton in the cupboard, as something nice people could not refer to. When I had any, by a chance miracle, I would spend it fool ishly, extravagantly, heedlessly, because I had no idea of what it cqst to earn, and indeed my whole attitude to what big vital problem of civilised life was vague in the extreme. When the only-woman-in-the-world, some years back, came a-begging for a penny, I was thrillingly conscious that now I must face for her the thing that had terrified me all my life, and that if she was to find comfort and not terror in money the task to teach her was at hand; so I said, “You can have a penny when you have earned it. That is the only way to get pennies.’’ We left our dolls that morning, I remember, and helped Nanny shine the silver, for which we earned two pennies and spent them as we thought fit.

In a vear or so came the inevitable moment when a kind relation offered a shilling, but my joy was great to see that already the habit of working for money was settled, and that the little creature hesitated to take it, making the astounding remark, “But i haven’t worked for it yet.” The petrified old lady was about to press the rejected coin, around which (because she had never earned a whole shilling yet) a pair of large eyes were beginning to revolve with intelligent hope, but I intervened, and later on, when the buttons were sewn on great-aunt’s gloves and her packing had been helped, the shilling changed hands.

“And so the seed was sown and tended, till now there is a sturdy plant of independence growing in the girl-child’s heart which it is my constant ioy to see. It sounds quaint enough at times. The querulous vouth.in the seaside hotel last summer who sulked all the afternoon when his mother would not give him the money for the “sweets and bait” he was always crying for. got small sympathy from the young woman when he told her his troubles. “Whv don’t you earn it, then you- won’t have to ask anyone to give it you?” “Presently she will have to face an idea that has never troubled her yet, and that is, that however willing one may be to work, there is not always a job to find. And so by degrees she shall learn how skilled labour is reallv the only labour to take to the world’s great mart with any -urety of wage, and when she has chosen and mastered her craft, whatever it may he. I shall feel at last that I have met and killed for her the Apollyon <sf my own upbringing.” COSY CORNER CLUB. PROGRAMME FOR 1926. Dear Comrades of the Coßy Corner, —I have sometimes felt doubtful the last two or three years whether it were worth while going on with the Cosy Corner Club, as, after one or two good meetings, the number of contributions fell off disappointingly. But I know th.at many of the present members would be very sorry if the club were abandoned. and I frequently meet with testimony that Cosy Corner contributions are appreciated by other readers of the Witness. So T . have prepared a syllabus for the present year substituting a fifth stated topic for the discussion which has been usual of recent years at the close of the session, as of late few members took advantage of it. I hope the five subjects I have set will prove attractive, and that this year’s meetings will be full, and productive of interesting, brightlywritten papeis. I should like to see some younger members joining; surely some exmembers of Dot’s Little Folk will feel attracted by the opportunity for expressing their ideas and developing their literary rwers that the Cosy Corner offers. May advise the less practised writers to study conciseness; try to say much in little space, and say it clearly and brightly. I do not want the meetings to be uniformly serious; a touch of humour, even a bit of fun when the subject admits, will be very welcome * * * FIRST MEETING As usual, this will be a members’ meeting; all members to choose their own topic, or, if they prefer, to send a good selection is

either prose or verse Papers to be ip by May 10

* * * SECOND MEETING.—HOBBIES Surely everyone will find it easy to write about hobbies, their own or other people a. and the subject invites bright humorous treatment. Tapers to be inly June 7

# * * THIRD MEETING .-THE MOST ENJOY ABLE BOOK (OK BOOKS) 1 READ LAST YEAR.

This, again, should prove an attractive subject to all. It is not strictly necessary that the books should have been read within the last calendar year, but they should have been read recently and be fresh in the mind of the writer. Papers to be. in by July b

FOURTH MEETING.—A FOREMOST MAN OK WOMAN OF TO-DAY Members are invited to fix on a living man or woman filling ably a conspicuous place in the world, or who is doing notable work in some direction. Let writers think of men and women who are likely to be remembered with honour by future generations. There is a wide range of choice among puuiic men, scientists, authors, inventors, discoverers, artists, educators, philanthropists, and others doing great work in some direction. Papers to be sent in by August 9.

FIFTH MEETING.—FADS AND CRAZES. There will be no difficulty in finding plenty to say on this topic; for certainly fads and crazes of all kinds abound to-day. There are literary crazes, art crazes, crazes in matters of health and diet tfhe most numerous class of all), crazes in dress and other matters of fashion in the narrower sense, crazes in education, crazes in social theory— everywhere the crank and the faddist are busy. Then ons many write of harmless fads of private life, or of fads and crazes of previous generations such, for example, as the tulip mania of the seventeenth century. Of course there will be great diversity of opinion as to what deserves to be regarded as a fad or craze. To many people vegetarianism is a craze, w'hile a very respectable number regard it as the most rational system of diet. To very many, spiritualism is a most dangerous and pernicious craze; io others it is a religion or a scientific reality The late Sir Robertson Nicoj, editor of the British Weekly, regarded the modern cult of fresh air as a pernicious craze; indeed, as I read the other day m some journalistic account of him, he called it the greatest curse of the age! Naturally the enthusiast for any object does not regard himself as a, crank, and often it is only through prejudice that he is so regarded; the contemporary, crank may be the honoured reformer of later generations. The true test of a ctaze is that it is blindly pursued to extremes, comrnonsense teing lost sight of. This topic again lends itself advocacy of the principle of family endowment. Papers to be sent in by October 4.

SIXTH MEETING.-FAMILY ENDOWMENT.

This is a subject attracting considerable Mtention to-day, and on which great diversity of views exists. The question is, whether it is advisable to pay to heads of families with children a monetary . allowance in addition to the regular salary or wage which is received by married and single a'ike. As this subject demands more thought than tlie rest, with, if possible, some reading of arguments for and against, I hav i left it for the closing meeting of the eession. ‘The Disinherited 'Family," by Miss Eleanor F. Rathbone, which I, have quoted in some of my own articles, is the best book I know in advocacy of the principle of family endowment. Papers to be sent in by October 4. * * * RULES OF COSY CORNER CLUB. 1. Each new member to choose a pen name and furnish his or her own name and address, which will be treated as confidential. 2. Contributions to be legibly written is ink (unless typed). 3. Contributions to be limited ‘ IN FASHION’S REALM. WEEKLY UP-TO-DATE DRESS NOTES. By Margushit*. More or more charming become the little hats —but, “little” advisedly. As a matter of fact they are not little at all. They are probably the highest hats, as regards the mere shape, that we have ever had, and where the littleness comes in is in the brim. At the same time the volume is reduced by the way they are worn. All these little hats are well named as “pull-ons,” and might be better as “put-ons” and “pull-overs.” The little hat is v.vrn well over the head. Hairpins being out of the question, they have to grip, and they do. The charm in the brim is beyond all question. All sorts of fanciful turns are indulged, and in the case of the very good felts the brim is often decorated by means of the perforated design. Little holes go a long way when they simulate little flowers—five dots in a circle with a dot in the centre. The little hat is there in the milliner’s window for the asking, but sometimes a girl likes to be her own milliner, and so the shape. With countless little ornaments to pick from, anyone can trim her own hat in these days. But I caught sight of a line in an advertisement, and I am going to give it a paragraph.

Cast the mind back to the time when, both being rather costly, it was a rare thing for anyone of very moderate means to go in for a new dress and a ’new hat at the one time. Result—either a new dress had to go with an old hat or a renovated one, or a new hat with a dress with the gloss gone short of those touch-ings-up which sometimes were successful and sometimes not. The line in the advertisement read: “Get a hat for every dress.” And precisely, and it is because the hats are so cheap. You don’t need to trouble about your hat at all when confronted with the task of choosing a complete set-out. You buy your dress and Bpend as much as ever you like on it, or it may be a costume or an extra fine coat. That done, you simply go into the hat department, find out iust what Hat goes with it, and you, and there it is—it is yours for a comparative trifle. I

?uite agree that you should “get a hat or every dress.” In fact, I’ll go a step further and say it is good business to get two. The hat in these days belongs to the dress, not the dress to the hat. And a different hat can give the same dress a totally different appearance.

Once more the remark that it is of service to know what is coming. And often enough dresses that are merely or the horixon contain something to jump at

for the present. With winter well enough advanced to cause us to think of spring, the cape-dress will be everywhere demanding general attention. Hence one of these coming modes as shown in the sketch on the left, and all because of its beauty.

and again because of that box-pleated skirt. We cannot be for ever pinning our faith to the flare that is obtained by elongated bells, or indeed by any other artistic trick. The box-pleated skirt is a pleasing alternative, and naturally it flares to some extent in the act of walking. But I show alongside it a dress on the present lines, and when I say that it is from a next spring catalogue there is the indication that certain changes will come and certain things go on.

The newest gloves are not quite like the old ones. The gauntlet that was as generous in its way as the top of a cavalier’s boot has been displaced by one that is short, trim, and often rather crisp. Imagine a pouched band between two narrow ones—that is one style of top. And then with far less difficulty a miniature of the prevailing flared skirt —that is another. The severe gauntlets are many of them turned up iust like a hat brim, and embroidered. The flower is possible, but the smart design is z\\e geometrical one.” The newest gloves cons in suede and kid, and are often with a two-tone effect. In my opinion the glovo should harmonise with the dress. If the sleeve is long, as it is bouid to be. it must certainly not clash with it. Very beautiful are the newest gloves, but it is not foir to say that they are more so. Perfect gloves have been ours for years, and beyond what is fuultless it is impossible to go.

I am not enamoured of the double flare, but fts it is among the decrees I give an example. No matter how we view things, a double "flare means the flohftce, and—observe—while the flounce never suggests anything more than a style where the skirt is long, it at once suggests an addition where it is short. Unless carefully

and then I am not too sure, this .particular dress might be argued as one ;Vlads for Angelina when 14, and added to

' when four years older. In a word, it has a growing-girl look about it, albeit the original was designed by a first-class French dressmaker and declared the usual triumph.

It is now acknowledged by all —we are in for the greatest fur season ever known. The drapers are an unfailing guide, and I go by their advertisements. As often as they get on to the subject of fur there is the line or something like it—- “ Everything trimmed with fur." In which connection so much fur trimming discounts the chance of a successful homemade garment carrying it, immensely. Some of my readers may pooh-pooh this, but I have yet to meet with the amateur who can handle fur as a trimming with that deftness that belongs to the professional hand. So many think they can do things till they try. In a roundabout way I am reminded of a man who tried to trim his house. It was in the drawing room. He could little flowers in water-colours beautifully, and thought how well four bunches would look in the corners of the room high up. By the time he had enlarged his drawing half a dozen times, only to find it dwarfed when up, and otherwise pottered about at the top of a step-ladder, he had to give it up. Fur is heroic, and it needs skill to get the right balance. You cannot afford to experiment, aftd that is why you shouldn’t. So much fur- trimming ought to mean more read-to-wear gnnnent*

Here is an instance of » ..at is in my mind. They are two coats that serve as

coats and costumes together. Can you imagine anything more delightful! The

coat on the left is with a unique touch. The fur collar is good, the cuffs just what they should be, but that “patch” on the side is a triumph. But the coat on the right is the better thing. This is another example of the stole trimming. But note the length of the sweep before the other side is closed, and then that the collar part is a hit wider. This is one of the finest of all the present coat styles.

* * * Fur is in for a very long innings—very long. Spring will not displace it; it will only reduce it. It was spring, as regards the advertisements, when the last mail left the Old World. They were wearing fur all round, generally as confined to the collar, but often with the cuffs, too. It may be that fur all the year round has received a filip from the seasons. There are none, or none on which we can count. They get summer abroad when it should be winter at times, and winter when it should be summer. And what becomes the fashion with the Northern Hemisphere becomes eventually the fashion with the new. Tn these days we have to be ready for more than fine and wet. We have to be ready for hot and cold at unexpected times.

These designs are for the materials that will admit of them. The dress on the left is what I should call a pretty It is none the less this because it is simple. , It is with the fichu effect—neck and skirt together. The dress on

the right is with a touch of the future about it. Patterns will be employed in this way. The idea is smart, as with the arms down the line across may be said to be continuous. Again, the present length of the bodice entails some treatment in order to. break it up a bit.