FEMININE INTERESTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18817, 4 March 1931, Page 3

FEMININE INTERESTS.

PERSONAL AND FASHION NOTES. “Be Self-conscious.” Catherine Helen Spence, the “Grand Old Woman of Australia,” has made a very fine appeal to women in the Australian women’s paper, “Dawn.” She was the first Australian woman to be a candidate for the Federal Convention—that was in 1896. Miss Spence speaks of the difficulty and extraordinary interest of the affairs of the world during this coming, and urges women to study these affairs, and not to act ignorantly in any of the important details of life. She asks women to cultivate a national self-consciousness; to be conscious of their power in the world, in the home, in business, as the chief purchasers of the goods of the country and Empire, and to link up the household economies with that of the wider business world. Miss Spence »ya: “These- household economies which link up housewives with politics and our national welfare generally are aptly described as ‘the youngest and undeveloped section of the science of economics,, unrecognised, so far by learned economists. who have no knowledge of cookery or running a heme or who have not applied this' knowledge to the social problems 01 the production, distribution, and consumption of essential commodities.' The writer is of opinion that the young nations must learn to stand firmly on their own feet—to become more nationally self-conscious in the right way. All nations are feeling for this, and when they have set their own business in order they will be ifi a better position to co-operate in the i international field, not as competitors, 1

f as co-operators for the welfare of the world. Miss Spence alludes to the “free-masonry of women” which has grown so tremendously during the past half-century, and shows how “bridges of communication” have been built across to the women of many countries and how at international gatherings women have taken stock of the prevailing world conditions only to realise that there is something radically wrong in the economic, industrial and social spheres. They have learned that the lasting improvement must come by united effort, and that one country or other cannot bear the whole burden, or make all the sacrifice. The women’s international Press shows unmistakably that women are “alarmed for the future of civilisation” if things go on as they are drifting at present. The “Petition of Appeal” presented to the statesmen of the world at Geneva represented the opinions of forty million organised women from 56 countries of the world. All the women in all these countries protest against another war, and appeal to an international understanding and right feeling to prevent such a catastrophe. Miss Spence feels very keenly, according to her written word, that women must “use the tide while it Is flowing, as it will surely ebb later.” and now in the countries of the highest civilisation, it is flowing, towards the placing of women on ecual terms in all essentials with men. She says: “We are only haif-wav to our destination, do not let us. fail now . . . There is a lack of interest shown by all Governments in the unemployment of women. Relief and other schemes are only available for men; educational and other facilities are being curtailed, and maternal services are thoioughly inadequate to cope vith the appalling state of affairs in nearly all the countries with regard to the question of maternal mortality."

Mrs Rischbieth writes interestingly on the question of employment of women on small holdings and farms, as one means of relieving the pressure of unemployment from women, and also urges women to realise that continued and intelligent effort is needed still to consolidate what they have won, and continue the uphill struggle towards equality of both responsibility and privilege in life.

Modern Dancing Spoilt by Long Gowns “Modern ballroom dancing is certainly of a very low standard. The most formless and lazy dancing is to be found in the best hotels and restaurants, while the best can be seen in suburban palais-de-danse.” This is the opinion of teachers of ballroomi dancing who recently commented on the article in “The Daily Mail” by an observer at hunt balls describing the listless gyrations of the dancers.

One busy woman instructor said that the introduction of long gowns had been largely responsible for the lassitude of modern dancing. “Women can no longer take free, quick dancing steps as in the days of short- skirts, ’ she said, “and therefore their dancing is undergoing a change And the men, who are dancing in modern rythm, are unbalanced by the inability of their partners to adapt their steps.” Mr Santos Casani, the exhibition dancer and teacher, on the other hand while agreeing that dancing was extremely bad, declared: “The fault lies m a inly with the men, who imagine that there is no need for them to learn steps or rythm and that it is the duty ot them partners to follow their steps. This means that present-day dancing mainly degenerates into a shuffling round the floor, as the girl must accept the pace her partner sets.” consider,” said another teacher, that the best dancers are men and women between the ages of 30 and 35. A man who has been dancing for several years is usually excellent at the age of 40.”

The Queen’s Household Tasks: n T ? e 5: are man y household tasks cnat the Queen likes to undertake when she has time unexpectedly on her hands, both at Sandringham and at Buckingham Palace, we are cold bv one who knows.

The washing and the examining of the several dinner and breakfast sets of exquisite Sevres and Worchester china at the Palace, which is done by experts in a locked room, is supervised by the Queen. For her intimate friends she has special services taken from their cases that line the walls of the china room.

This arrangement ensures that the beauty of the plates can be seen as if in a gallery, as the famous Napoleonic dinner service is arranged in the Salle b es Assiettes at Fontainebleau. The work of arranging and cataloguing and photographing the Queen’s collections of jade, enamels, .nsLonc'.l objects d’art, lacquer, scent oottles of cut-class, Tunbridge Wells ware and miniature objects, is always going on, and the Queen will be able to get up-to-date with some of her latest purchases.

■ T J be care of the tapestries and embroideries in the Roj il 'palaces is another house-wifely duty which the yueen takes on herself, and much reading m connection with the history of each Royal home and of its belonglngs, especially the pictures ,is done bv the Queen, or by one of her ladies while she knits, crochets, or embroiders. Reviving- 1880 Fashions: The most fashionable colour (for nair) of the present season at Home iLL brown, with the eyebrows and lashes considerably darker, and blushrose face powder combined with a ,? f Carnation rouge and “babyEiSu hp-stick, states a beauty expert, inis is the hair, and make-up, which !f i 5, 01 ?£ lde J ed tllG corr ect thing to go vith the brown furs which are now so popular. There is a suspicion of red in the russet-brown hair of to-day; but this red shade is not seen in the iJ est /brs and dress materials; the ricn, cold brown of costly sable is the reigning favourite. Many smart Parisiennes are adopting a centre parting, with the hair (generally unwaved) softly drawn back from the head le = a | d fh n< i p ; nned flat against the tVm ™J he back ' So in more respects than one, we are reviving 1880 fashions! A Bright, Cheery Place:

One of the brightest "places in Loncon is now the cocktail bar of the women s Automobile Association Club which has wall paintings of hands shaking and rustic cocktail parties designed by a young girl who nad never been near a cocktail bar in ner life h * ns i de j the f ilve r, orange and green bar stands a barwoman. Pale yellow china, with a green rim tJ ?® w , a Us, and green wine lists make the luncheon tables very cheerful. Among the members who attended the opening luncheon were Lady Elibank, the vice-president, and Lady Ins Lapell, who is head of the finance committee. The long cardroom has a rustanri U tr e C ? r h, et th ? t can be rolled back Who ssh to fehce ed f ° r members