AMONG OURSELVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 230, 28 September 1928, Page 10

AMONG OURSELVES.

A WEEKLY BUDGET.

(By CONSTANCE CLYDE.)

When an up-to-date American is heard to declaim against the overdone "day" habit, he is alluding to the idea of having special propaganda days which began in America, and which now threatens to become a trouble. Quite literally in some States there is a Bob Your Hair Day and a Brush Your Teeth Day, not to mention a Buttermilk and a Tea Day—the latter being probably propaganda to lead women into preferring this beverage to the coffee which is more usual in that country. Quite seriously, it is said, one man proposed, in addition to a Father's and a Mother's Day, a Kiss Your Wife Day, which, with other extravagances, is creating a reaction against the whole idea. Very few, however, object to the Children's Day. This is the first of May, on which date the newspapers are asked to concentrate on the welfare of children and the health of the young in general. The important -women's clubs and organisations do much in putting the right ideal before the public, more especially the mothers. "Better children for our nation, and a better nation for our nation" is one among several of the slogans for which Americans are so noted. THE WIFE'S CONSENT.

Some years ago a university professor with martinet views tried to decree that when his young men absented themselves from a lecture they must bring an excuse next day from their parents or natural guardians. When it was discovered that the natural guardian of some of them, being married, was the wife, the idea was abandoned, not altogether in contempt of wifely authority, but because the adulthood of the pupils was thereby too clearly in evidence. The consent of the wife, however, is being seriously required in regard to one scheme of 1 emigration now in action. The British Government has been sending 10,000 men from England to the Canadian harvest, and in each case there must be a written agreement from the wife, who, perforce, is left behind. Possibly a husband would know how to make his absence in the home more desired than his presence if consent were refused—but this is perhaps a good recognition of the right of married women to some say in decision affecting their own homes. Whether we go as far as this or not, it is certain that a wife should at least be considered in the matter, so as to counteract the tendency of some few husbands to evade their responsibilities. Yet what a change from the Victorian age with its quite other ideal. One can only wonder at such a complete reversal in the idea of conjugal duty.

RECLAIMING THEIR NATIONALITY

! It is often assumed that when a woman marries a foreigner, even when both live in her country, she should not trouble | much about the fact that automatically she loses her nationality. However, England and also France now permit her, under certain conditions, to apply for reinstatement as a citizen of her own country. That such individuality on the part of the wife does not destroy home affection is shown by the fact that though, in France, such a woman can be reinstated only with the consent of the i husband, yet fifteen thousand such re- ' quests have been made. It is alleged also that difficulties are accidentally or 1 designedly put in their way. One woman : tells of a case in which she had to visit the Palais de Justice five times before she i could get the necessary papers to fill up. , There were other journeys to local ! bureaux, after which, six weeks later, she j was informed that the papers were not I the right ones, and so she had to begin j again de novo. As feminists point out, j many poor women have simply not the j time to fight against such officialdom. j WOMEN M.P.'S UNITED. ! There was some argument in our own j House of Representatives the other day j concerning women police. Our M.P.'s do | not consider them necessary in this counI try, and most of us will admit that there iare reforms more urgently desired. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that it was on the subject of such police that women M.P.'s in England united the other day. women of all parties calling on the Home Secretary regarding the development of work connected with such officials. Since more women have been returned t > Parliament, there has been, naturally enough, less union among them on feminist questions, which makes this collaboration the more | noteworthv. j