“THIS FREEDOM”

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 71, Issue 6142, 28 September 1945, Page 5

“THIS FREEDOM”

FORWARD INTO PEACE WHAT OF THE FUTURE? (Contributed) Once again a war is over. The fighting and killing has ceased and free peoples bow in thankfulness that an era of death and destruction is past and peace regained. What though of that peace? Will the path of peace to be had by the women who have been vital cogs in this huge war machine be fraught with unsuspected pitfalls. Written some 20 years ago “This Freedom,” by A. S. M. Hutchinson, serves to indicate the difficulties experienced by a family whose mother, though a devoted wife maintains that it is possible to remain a “business woman” as well as head of a house. Will the “business women” of to-day, the future wives and mother of our country, settle down to home and children with never a backward glance to the days when work began at 8.30 and the stage was set for fun any time after the doors closed on their carefree heels. The heroine of “This Freedom” brought up with and in truth almost obsessed by the idea that man is by far superior to woman, determines to go to business and do men’s work. Romance plays no part in her life and she proves beyond doubt her business ability. Suddenly and shatteringly she falls in love and from that is shortly married. Despite this she continues her work and then in time she becomes the mother of three children, their advent does no more than her marriage towards bringing her home to tend them. They are brought up very scientifically by specially trained unrses and it is not till after her husband realises that the lack of mother love is making his babies old beyond their years that he finally persuades her to give up her work and go home. This proves unsuccessful as the children have already learnt to rely on themselves and before long all the children being at school, she returns once more to the bank where she is needed urgently as by this time men have all enlisted to fight in the first great war.

The eldest of her family brings disgrace to himself at his father’s old school and after several years as a ne’er-do-well marries a waitress who dies soon after bearing him a girl baby. He is wanted by the police and serves a prison sentence leaving the baby to be brought up by his mother—the brilliant banker. The second child, a girl, leads a gay life but finally dies in very sordid circumstances. In avenging his sister’s death the youngest boy is also killed and finally the mother of these three, appalled by what her acts have brought abov' returns home to devote all her time to her small namesake—her eldest son’s child.

This, of course, is a rather highly coloured account of what placing self first can lead to but a sane realisation by our young people of the situation to-day will help the world of tomorrow through what promises to be a rather difficult time for the war worker woman not only in the services but in factories, shops and offices where she has so ably arid efficiently accomplished work usually done by men. With a firm conviction of the strong characters and steadfastness of the young people of to-day it is certain that they will not fail the peace just as they have not failed the war and from the ashes of the mightv conflagration a Phoenix-like new generation will rise staunch and true—worthy sons and daughters of fine old blood.