THE PERFECT GIRL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1995, 28 February 1914, Page 11

THE PERFECT GIRL.

HER SPLENDID ISOLATION,*[Br IMOGEN.] In the course of his leoture dealing with the education of girls, Dr. Truby King had much'to say upon the harmful effects produced by the carrying out of the present system upon "their constitutions, and he made a pica that it should he carried-out upon .lines that inade more for home life, and, in fact, for the greater emphasis of. sex. Home, life and preparation for future motherhood were the ideals to,be held in,view, and. with that end, he advocated more domestic science training, and less of the other- of learning at present shared by boys and girls alik6.

It is. recognised that numbers of girls are. forced by circumstances. to earii their own living, and, to do that, they must choose (if possible) the most con-genial-way in which it can he done. If a girl chooses to go in for a commercial or professional career, as many do, all the t\me at her disposal and. all her strength is taken up in fitting herself to hold hor own in an open market, ana unless almost superhuman, intelligence is brought to bear, upon the subject, an added burden will be placed upon her shoulders, if, in addition, she. is made to undertake training in homo science/ while fitting herself for her ohosen path in life. The idea of establishing host-els where girls and women can voluntarily, acquire, acknowledge of domestic science at the time most' suitable ..to them —an idea that has already been mooted—is one that might well be supported with enthusiasm by all women, uut-that is quite a different thing to bringing it into the primary, and secondary schools, and forcing girls, willy nilly, to go through .with it to the exclusion of other lessons that are of use to them in their future career as wage-earners. What is learnt at fourteen or fifteen is very apt,to be forgotten by the time a girl is in her middle twenties— possibly when she is just going into a home of hor own.—and she nas-to begin,-all over again. . That the education system, at present in vogue in New ; Zealand ,was not, responsible for nervous and mental debility in- girls was the opinion of four prominent tutors in ' Auckland—the principal of tho Boys' Grammar School, the Girls' Grammar School, the Director of. Technical Training, and Dr. Thomas, of Choral Hall. Physical unfitness lay in causes outside the school education, causes such as inadequate ventilation, and lack of proper.-appli-ances for ensuring; a ■ good atmospnere in classrooms, lack of proper light, and, last of - all,- the. girl's !mad' rush for pleasure after school hours were over. It is possible - that, where there are cases of mental and physical overstrain, the fault'lies, with'the parents for not watching over , the child's health.-and seeing that the lessons are not taxing her too much.' The parents have- their responsibility. in that direction, as well as the teacher, arid, if'they rush, or allow her to rush herself, (through her work, the fault is theirs, not'the fault of the system.-

By the time that the girl is turneS out, "with the best'all-round-equip-men in'body, mind, and morals and.inclination for home life; "etc., eto.," it seems to one there wijl have to be 6ome levelling up, on the other side, to be fitted for-such perfection.: . '