THE NEW MARRIAGE TERROR.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 511, 29 September 1915, Page 4

THE NEW MARRIAGE TERROR.

'' Women are wonderful in times of peace," writes Mr "James Douglas, "but they, are still more wonderful ,iii times of var. Their motto appears to be: Fashions as usual. I am a stupid and ignorant man. In the verdant innocence of my stupidity and the babelike naivete of my ignorance, I imagined that there would be no fashions this year. I supposed that the darlings would go on wearing their old frocks and their old hats and their old shoes. I even patted myself into the delusion that they had nearly enough frocks and hats and shoes to last' till the war was over. What an enormous, gigantic, and colossal fool I was!

"Tqke last year's frock. So far as wear and tear is concerned, it could be worn this year without being shabby. I do not refer to the girl who has only one frock, or only two frocks, if there be such a girl. I refer to the pretty dear who has several frocks, and 9 who never wears out one of them. If necessary, she could . get through this year with last year's frocks. As to her hats, d6es anybody pretend that the average girl ever wears them out? I am not quite sure about the shoes; but I think there are many women who never 'dream of wearing out their shoes. In war time they could wear out their gowns and hats and -shoes. But .they have not the slightest intention of doing anything of the kind. '' Quite suddenly the fashions have burgeoned and blossomed. They, have come up like the primroses and daffodils. I do not .know who set them durhig the winter, but they have come up like the spring flowers. Instantaneously, last year's frocks aud hats and shoes look ridiculous. How can any man ask any woman to face the May sunshine in a hobble-skirt, a pre-war hat, and a pacific pair of shoes? Men are not wearing a warlike kind of jacket or a bellicose brand of trousers. Men are

not throwing their old shoes out of the window and feverishly shoving their feet into Armageddon boots. Men are not shoe-horning their heads into tight hats. No. Men do not do these delightful things. They are too conservative. "It puzzles me - to explain why the war should have inspired our conquerors with a violent passion for short billowy skirts; but I am told that the short billowy skirt is absolutely necessary in order to display the long-legged Russian boots. It is a charming theory. Somebody somewhere secretly decided months ago that women must give up the evil habit, of wearing shoes, and must acquire the elegant habit of wearing boots with tassels. As soon as the secret leaked out, the super-dress-mak-ers sadly but resolutely sat down to create a skirt that would do justice to the war boots. It must be generously

voluminous so that the might be able to blow it about. It must be short in order to allow the tassels on the tops of the boots to vibrate coquettishly. Without so much as saying 'By your leave,' our darlings were presented with the short skirt and the high boot, and with good-natured docility they all got into them. "And my lady is proud of her new boots. They are not like the boots 'of our foremothers. They are theatrical boots. Indeed, there never has been seen in any theatre such a bewildering variety of boots. Stage boots have been completely eclipsed by the boots evoked by the great war. They are multi-coloured boots. There are blue boots and violet boots, white boots and black boots/ pale fawn boots and pale grey boots, mauve boots and yellow boots, pink boots and purple boots. There are girls who have boots tO\match their frocks and hats, arid stockings to match the lot. I do not know whether the dyes are coming from Germany, or whether they are being supplied by the new State Dye Syndicate. But a good many sirens are ready to dye for their country. "I do not say that the orgy of boots ifT a sign or symptom of feminine frivolity. Doubtless, it is good for the leather trade, though I fear the mortality in kids is appalling. No kid has now a chance of growing up into a

goat.' At the same time I cannot help contrasting the boot fever with th« war bill. How can we afford to waste so much money on boots while the war is costing over two millions a clay? Mr Lloyd George tells us that we must pay for the war out of our savings. The darlings pay no attention to the warning. 3!t is a bootless warning in one sense, though not in another. There is only one rnutation. Our elegants with their tempestuous skirts and their Bakst boots belie the newspapers. They boot the war off the pavement. Gazing j guiltily at them we feel tempted to cry, 'There is no war!' "■