Women and the Home

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16984, 7 March 1923, Page 10

Women and the Home

CONTRIBUTIONS BY SPECIAL WRITERS j

NICE PEOPLE AND HOW THEY ACT.

travelling No. i. T-n entering a railway car, il a aa attempts to enter at the sain- | time, a man always draws back c*«mr::e- ! *nj>ly and give* her the right of wav. i ver push or shove ymir wav into a j ir. nverarelies? e! the rights o!Others i u:vx nil! occupy i- vimiii an nmouul ! or space as possible. .Do not let tiie.n 1 : • inti; i In- risk' nlid dll mu dr.i;i** j ..lap- over the back ol your seat .so- j tiiat. they are in tlx* wav ol the pers-ri j sitting behind, you. It is bad lornj to pul things in a s.eaf. whieh some other person lias a right to occupy. it shows a marked lack ol' consider.*lion to open a window on that side of the car from which the cinders ami siucke are blowing, so that these ar.no. other persons close to you. Jt is pohr.o to ask those behind you whether they j have any objections tc having the win- } dow opened. li' an elderly person. or a sloopiivT j child, or a woman very daintily gowned j is seated in the way of a possible draught it is not desirable to open tin; | window at all. After a window has 1 been opened and some person near-iv | deferentially asks that it he closed it

should be lowered immediately without a sign of impatience TRAVELLING No. 2. Don’t travel witn the idea that a short, peremptory manner with porters, waiters, eic., will secure better service. Gentle courtesy and u kindly in i paid for the feelings ol others will *.»•- j cure more ano better service than free , tipping, j ->ien can always offer little services. | to women pa.ssengcrs unknown r.«, them i on h»ng trips, such as securing their ! ! lunches at s liort stops, helping them- ’ • open windows, etc. It is customary j j on trips ol several days for them to j exchange names, it they care to do so j **- ' s nut. however, desirable for a. : man to attempt to scrape an acquai.i- ---; lance with a woman on a short trip of a few hours. A woman travelling alone should be extremely reserved, tut it' she accepts 51 ny favours from a man she should, oi course, express her thanks with cordiality. Mothers travelling with children, should he careful to prevent them from rambling about the cars, climbing on j seats, or scattering lunch about, to the J discomfort of those about them. ! A man travelling with a woman buys; j her ticket for her. cheeks her baggage. | sees that she is properlv seated and -,r- ---• ranges her belongings for her in the j car. T nless the tic ket represents onlv j a trifling sum he does not nav for her ticket out of his own pocket, however, if she is merely a friend.

He is privileged to excuse himself oUfc tile trip tc go to the smoker, and slm should not feel neglected if he does not return for some time, as he may have entered into conversation witlt He is careful-to return to her side* however, before the destination ia reached. fn fact, in some eases, the man win goes off to the smoker may be doing his companion a favour, for con ver i lions cannot be kept up hour after i hour. j In the dining car. a man escorting a woman should pay for the meal, if there is onlv one but if the trip is /<» lasi for several days, she should insist upon paying for her own meals.

HOLIDAYS THAT FATIGUE.

(By A PHYSICIAN). Quite n number of people just now nre suffering from what is called “ lioliday nerves.” This is not so much an affliction as a punishment, one of Nature’s effective ways of disciplining us when wo offend her. For the cause of " holiday nerves ” is sheer greed of new impresTho motor-coach has undoubtedly played a part in intensifying the trouble. It mares sight-seeing so easy i hat every possible “ sight ’ in a long route is apt to be explored or at least observed. Gradually the senses, the mind even, grow tired. • Experienced travellers know that condition very well. One of them, I remember, told me that on a certain occasion he saw a party of American tourists at Yokohama in a condition of such sensory fatigue that they were unable to take the smallest interest in that most interesting city. • Their travels,” said my friend, “ had blinded them and deafened them to such an extent that they were physically incapable of noticing anything or enjoying anything.” That may be an extreme case. Yet hundreds of holiday makers at home spoil their pleasure and exhaust their nerves in the same way. Intent on seeing everything they see nothing. Beauty piled on beauty leaves no clear image on the mind. And so, as the holiday grows old, weariness and irritation make themselves masters. The “itch for action ” give*; place to lethargy. The holiday ends in disappointed hopes. That con he avoided only by a resolute cutting out of the superfluous, especially when the time of return to work draws near. The last days of a holiday should be empty days, a kind of mental chewing of the cud of experience. By that process the mind clears itself and arranges the impressions it has received. The blur of many sights and emotions is resolved into its elements. When that i:is been accomplished, but not until then, real, if retrospective, enjoyment is possible. A far better way, however, than this prolonged process of digestion is the avoidance of surfeit in the first, instance. Every holiday-maker should vow. and vow again, that before all things he will place leisure in seeing and in doing. Ruthlessly the programme, of events should be pruned, and then pruned again, until but a few of its features survive. And even then, in all probability, it will be overloaded. For our minds assimilate new ideas slowly, and mental indigestion is an ever-present danger. Once it has set in the best holiday is in danger of