THE SPOIL OF 1919.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19878, 20 February 1920, Page 7

THE SPOIL OF 1919.

THE FEMINIST TRIUMPHANT,

(E.L.C.W.)

LONDON, January 2. It may be habit at which tne cynic sneeis that of making New Tear resolutions and casting up the profit and Joss account for the past year. But cyuie or no, for the feminist the year t'JRJ is one to which, in England, she can look back with pride. Iho dire years of war were years of promise thuo women should get their uue, the year that followed one of performance, of some performance in the ordinary English sense of some. The English woman gained much in that year, but there are still some iields tor uer conquest.

Her victories have been in the political sphere the crown and symbol of. it tlie successful invasion of the Bntisn 1 ailiaincut, the Mother of Parliaments. Inis was achieved close on the heels of the passing of the Sex Disqualifications (.itemoval) Act, which has opened to women many positions in the State fium winch they nave hitherto been barred.

But economically, the year has not been quite a success for women. it has really been 0,10 with a tendency to reaction which is not yet stemmed, litis was caused by her being thrown in wholesale fashion out of employment, which tor some years has been more tlian usually lucrative. It is not too much to say that to some extent women iu inuustiy are almost in a. "worse posttiou than before the war. hat had been gained before . that time by laborious and collective action was to some extent lost to them by the passing of the Pre-War Practices Bill. In the Civil Service, for example, the highci positions are still preserved for men officials. In the Labour Ministry, where from its inception women were largely employed and in the newer Pensions Ministry the position of skilled women now on the staffs, both permanent and temporary, is by no means what t.ioir set vices and their capacity entitle t.icm to. Sex disability is openly used as a weapon against her. This, however, is the worst that, can be said, ior if "woman Uad to fight over again lor some ot her industrial rights slio is anyhow so much to too good, that she lias been awakened to a lively realisation ot hor own powers, and no one will again convince' her that there is any tasx beyond her powers—physical or mental.

ine end of 1919 has been signalised by the admission of women to tno legal piofession. At the other polo, in tue realm ot sport, a i< return woman showed herself in tennis able to put herself in the same class as men players. Between these two extremes of brain power and physique lie a grand range ot human activities in which woman herself feels every confidence she will make good. It is idle to say that only stress of war and tho high pitch of enoeavour which it called forth made women achieve a "for the duration onl\ effort. Yt hat she has done once sue can go on doing, and through that very action will acquire the practice v> iiicli goes to make perfection. A special word should bo said about women on the land. There seems to ho still a fair weight of opinion against her general employment in farming 1 have written before about the dampmg down process which is being exercised to prevent women from going on tho land in new countries. 'While 1 have every respect for the motive which is governing tnis clamping down—and there are, of course, large numbers of women, and for the matter of that men also—who should never go on the land in the lonely and remote parts of the earth’s surface—l am convinced that woman herself will show it to have been somewhat excessive. The wiles of the emigration agent are, of course, to bo wholly condemned, and rosy pictures of the simple life in the. back grounds should be severely censored. But there are women now v in England who know by real experience what°farm wpi'k means—its long hours, its conditions of discomfort, out-of-door work in all weathers, and yet there are many women enthusiastic about work on the land. T ask, should thev bo discouraged from going further afield, if they feel that it holds out to them either better material prospects or a more congenial life, and environment than that which the old countries provides, flint the land woman has made good in this country is quite clear from the fact that of all the women’s war services, tho land anny alone is to be continued at its old strength, it is hoped at, even a greater strength The -National Women s Land Association is setting to work for this specific object of keeping on the land those of the old land army who wish it. and to bring in cx-mcmbers of tho W.AACS W.B.A.F.S. and W.R.N.S. whoso experience in out-cloor life encourages them lo think that they will bo happier in a calling in which they will not be immured between four walls during their working day.