NOT WHAT SHE SEEMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1014, 2 January 1911, Page 9

NOT WHAT SHE SEEMS.

Under the heading of'"The' Dfeath of the Eternal Feminine," M.'Joan Finot discusses, in "La Revue/', woman- "shorn of those qualities which- have rondered her the . desired and adored objoct of man." Her charm, y.-o are told, has come from her removal from active life and from tho devouring activity of her companion. ' Having now entered tho lists, will she . not lose her womanliness? "Yes," continues tho writer, "the eternal feminine.' is in'< process:' of changing 'in form and essence; . Political and social woman, will, no doubt,, distinguish herself from domesticated "woman, just as man, during, the palaeolithic period, differed from 'tieolithio man; but she will not cease, for aU. that, to bo a woman." And vthen,'; like tha genial philosopher that ho is, M. ;Finot proceeds-to analyse the mental■, make-up of what we might tom ; the.- hisWrib wonian. It is 'compounded: of cinceit and falsehood—on the debit side'of the account. Thesfe feminine defects"- are diio Sto" womanfs ■ weakness; they are her .arms against the oppression of the strong. ' "Her cat-like graco seems to synthetise ,: ':the'''mysteries of her soul and the-directidn- .of. hoi - life; . l . . But man accustoms, himself with disdain to woman's' lidsj as we ■ accustom ourselves to inevitable companions of the rose."' vßitt' as wonian rises in tho social scale, hsj'j] soul expands. Doctor, lawyer, employee/ principal' of a business house, writer, journalist,'she exhibits solid qualities that-'earn ; .the-- respect' of - man, Womon ifjll'understand better and better that" her? equality with man ; can only exist in a higher and more, serene morality. All masculine careers . should- bo' opened to. her.. . Modern- Frenchwomen, are misjudged, M. Finot declares... "In my youtti I was always taught to look upon the Parisionne zf, a creatiiro. of' tho'utmost frivolity; and ■■ .whenever '.-France was mentioned I saw .in my mind's eye a fluttering crowd of. gay'ladies ,and' bowing gentlemen bent solely npop the pursuit of pleasure. That -these, illusions vanished., long ago- it-.ig neediest , to say, but .even to-day hear people talking'of the frivolous French, especiallyVwhen, women and fashion . aTe under, discussion; and, knowing them as I do, l am always tempted to deny the .impeachment on. their behalf. In reality the,- 'Frenchwoman is vory serious. She thinks'much, earlier in life' than the average .Englishwoman, and she has not a, quarter'.'of the illusion; in fact she is a little oynical,' l , and shows.'.., it iii' all she does,- even in"tllis. way she dresses. ..For iiistanCCi'.'vsho. makes : it a rule. to appear 'intensely'.:- feminine,; knowing that in. so • doing, she : deprives man of a certain strength.of will to fight against her;"but actually she'is. quite masculine in mental capacity, anrt : tho writer .who said that France .was "just one"woman" had some reason to say so. f Her sartorial wiles might possibly . fail with men of another nation, but. in dealing with' her own countrymen she can generally .count upon drees being a strong factor on her side;. indeed, "tho cleverest" of theni know to a nicety the power of dressing ,'to fit tho occasion; and I have heard , a Frenchwoman -declare.'that Englishwomen were ■not women, simply because they do not as a rule: dress with any 'emotion, probably because they are .-too shy or too self-conscious'to do'so ;,whereas a Frenchwoman is very' cither ono or the other. . . .. ■ -