WOMEN IN MAN’S DOMAIN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18961, 7 January 1930, Page 8

WOMEN IN MAN’S DOMAIN.

To the Editor. Dear Sir, —A flapper blithely essaying the Channel crossing on her favourite inflated rubber sea-horse, accompanied by her still more hopeful sister with nothing more than a pair of stilts and plenty of self-assurance, was depicted in a magazine issued last month. I realise it was only mere man’s weak satire against Modern Eve, for how thoroughly she has invaded his realm, beaten down the barriers of prejudice, and left him gasping. Yes, literally, even in the matter of Channel crossings. Yesterday’s cables announced that women in 1930 would add further adventuring laurels by means of new world’s records and endurance tests on land and sea and in the air—and they will be successful. Across 6000 miles of hazardous desert from Algiers to Khartoum in a motor-lorry; from Sunvald in the distant north of Lapland to Monte Carlo in ninety-four hours; speed tests in motoring, aviation and speed-boats—in these very special domains of man Modern Eve will blaze new trails. Oh! the irony of it all! Gone are the cave-man days. It seems as though we are to have the last laugh, or are we already laughing up our sleeves (’cause the funny bone’s there) ? There is one plea I would put forward—just a trifling addition to our new year adventures. Could we not include a determination to find time to give a helping hand to the feeble movements of Man to discard his swaddling clothes, his ineffectual struggles for freedom? Just the other day, Dr Jordan commented on the accumulated dirt and sweat of years in man’s evening dress. Surely we have all noticed his abject misery on a hot day, and know of his frantic struggles with ,studs and collars. Poor man! Why not spring clean his wardrobe and give him sensible garb? That, maybe, would give him the necessary impetus to come into line with us. We can at least give him a chance.—l am, etc., MARY.