THE ENGLISHWOMAN.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13315, 18 June 1907, Page 3

THE ENGLISHWOMAN.

SEEN THROUGH GERMAN EYES. A special correspondent sent over to England by the Berliner Zeitung to, report upon the manners arid morals- of English ..ociety, has made some curious " discoveries" with regard to the position held by Englishwomen, which will make English-, men smile. He remarks :—Anyone who obseivu> English society superficially, and who sees sweet, dainty women, and gorgeous frocks, and then notices how chivalrously and with what reverence men 'treat ■them, may easily come to the errohout conclusion that this display is all genuine. But this outward chivalry is nothing but a sham. The Englishman refuses, on principle, to women .seriously. Woman is, for the Englishman, nothing more -than a beautiful doll, useful to amuse the maleportion of humanity during their hours of unoccupied business.'. . Englishwomen thus become beautiful, but brainless, dolls, an ' object'*of -sport, and nothing more. "But being a doll Jo;S not occupy all her time, so she takes up all sorts of eccentric extravagances. The hut band soon grows tired of his beautiful doll, and en:irely neglects her. I know a comparatively happy English married couple, with a charming house >in Mayfair, where the husband and wife meet one another about once in six months, when they en'lertain a' large number of guests in their own house. As soon as the visitors have .dispersed, he hurries to Scotland to stay with some friends, and his wife goes'to the West Indies or Madeira, or t,o some other distant part.of the world. There is- no real community of interest- b tween " English husbands and wives. The English wife is frequently ignorant what.'' profession her husband pursue?;, and. the Englishwoman has becomes in character iest . what. BurneJones represents her as beinar. in his pic-ture-—'lifeless, soulless, brainless.' " The Englishman is. to blame for tlii--. He.ban made the Englishwoman what she 'in. .Engli-hwomen are not treated as human beiings, but ae articles in man's possession. Woman is> an object of sale. I have before ni a a. long document, in which a. woman whose hand has been sought in marriage sta-trs h- r r condition*, naming how much pocket-money she desires, whit allowances for clothes, and how many.horses, carriages, servants, etc., she requires to be place') 'at her dimosal after marriage. 'Hie would-bi li'isband fulfil ' fir:re conditions as the price-.-of her hand. It. is a, bvi-in c, ss ' dsal,' pure and simple. It is sad, but truth 1 compel® me to record the fact that woman occupies a degraded position in England."