Week-end Chat

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 37, 27 February 1937, Page 15

Week-end Chat

"ANTI-PANT".

"ARTIST."

'"THANKFUL".

[a]

country and town.

Dear Everyone, — Again I have some intjeresting leiters to thank you for. ! 1'hppe more and more readers will join in *this weekly discussion column, and ■ send' jn short letters so that ideas may be exchanged. All letters should be addressed to Cousin Rose, and sent in before Thursday o| each week. Names wifl not be divulged. Please do not send social notes to Cousin Rose, but to Penelope. Here are two letters agreeing with "Mere Man" and "Hush George", who> wrote against women wearing men's elothes : — Dear Cousin Rose. — Hurrah for yoiur correspondent who takes' exception to the trousered f emal© I "Them's my sentiments, too". It is strange. how persistent w« women are in- f ancying . ourselves in bifurcated garments, but until nature endows us with snakes hips I'm afraid we ought to leave such alone. Now girls, .use your eyes ; don't you agree that only the very young and very slim wear trews and "get away with it?" Not long ago I was watching a bevy of maidens attired jn shorts gnd slacks cavorting happily about, bless them, their billowing "backs" (shall w« say) bulging aiid wobbling in the breeze. A man at my Bide-rumi-nating on ihe scene, remarked thoughtf ully : "Now I know why women have to wear skirts."

Dear Cousin Rose, — I should like to give "Mere Man" a pat on the back for his letter about the unfortunate effect of men's elothes worn by women. If the girls could but see what it looks like fore and aft; I too have seen scarlet pants as well as bright. blue, but the out is worse than the colour scheme. An how self-conscious the girls look. Real girl's clothea are so very charming, too, at present, one wonders any girl can help wearing them. I saw 'a pioture in Punch of a cocktail party and most of the guests in weird cocktail suits, with just one couple quite out of things as they were wearing evening dress. It was very informar tive. I too can see no reason Why, women in men's elothes should not be "run in".

In New Zealand there is an EnglishSpeaking Unjon, to which belong people who believe that the people of America and England should be friends so that by their friendship and strength the peace of the world would be maintained. It ;s interesting tp read in a book by j. Y. T. Greig, M.A., D.Litt., about some of the differences in language. He believes that language can be enriched by being receptive to new words, and he is against the people who protest against allowing American words into. the English of our day. He gives an ainazing list of words we commonly use which are from America, though we do not realise it. 3?o quote from his book: "A language in a healthy state is perpet.ually changing, since it is being perpetually brought up to date. The only languages that do not change are those already dead, like Sanscrit, Latin, and classical GTeek. Even Publio School Standard English still shows signs of life, despite the players for its early death put up iby millions of English Speakers all over the world Changes in a language then are nearly always conscious and deliberate to begin with . . . it does not requir© very many people to will a new habit of speech for this to catch on and sp'read through millions in a month of two; the prevalance of special piecos of elang ('dope', and 'the answer's a lemon'), cliches ('the acid test', 'all in the day's" work', 'in the ascendent'), and what Mr Fowler neatly calls vogue-words (amazing, unthinkable, forerword, and vision) proves that. . . . , It is therefore not so fantastic as it seems, to propo-se that the English-speaking people of the British Empire (eBti"nated af something' like 100,000,000) should agree with the English-speaking people of the United States (estimated at .about the same figure) on the general lines that the developing language shall follow All that is. necessary is that a f-ew hundreds in each country should consciously desire to preserve the unity, without sacrificing the diversity of English speech, and should liberally and intelligently adopt improvements of it that originat© no matter where."

Now, for readers information, here are a few words we have taken from America: Bee-line, bogus, crank, cowcatcher, dug-out, Indian summer, goatee, lengthy, level best, bury the hatchet, non-committal, - p/ersimmon rowdy, size-up, stampede, whole-souled. Would any reader care to write on this subject of words, and language? What do educationists think of thiB interesting letter written by a wellknown citizen:— Dear Cousin Rose. — "We can't afford it"- is what Mr Farmer will say to your ' snggestion that he is not so public spirited in giving as his town oousins to civic improvements. This gloomy expression gives him the liveliest satisfaction. When an admiring friend eongratulates him on his new car he piills an imaginary beard and a long . face and says: "I really can't afford it, old man, but my other car literally "chewed up ihe juice", Likewise wben his wife, after angling for three months, at last succeeds in getting a cheque for a new fur coat "You know I can't afford it my dear", he says, "but ta a rogn or £h • brink of ruin a fetr

pounds more or less don't, count." I know one farmer who has earned the deep gratitude of many. Mr Huchi--son, of Rissington, who has given a precious gift of a piece of native bushi within easy distance of Napier. The amount of pleaure this will give is incalculable. Everyone loves the sweet humid smell of the bush, its bird life and native flora. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Mr Hutcjbison who has made this pleasure possible "fca inwn rlw^llAro

Dear Cousin Rose. — Poor "O" sits, rebuked for "bickering". She apoitv' . gises anI asks l^v® quote soroe

more poetry: — .. , 'Tis the voice of the lobster; 1 heard him declare, "You bave baked me too brown; T must sugar my hair." As a duck with its eyelids, so he with his nose ' Trims his belt and his buttons, and turns on his toes, When the sands are all d/iv, he's as gay as a lark, And talks with the utmost contempt of the ohark; But when the tide rises, and sharks arearound, His ^av^^'^&onii^ii^tzemu-; lous ' s'bnnd.'^ ~ .... - f

I With hearty congratulations fo^. "Unbiassed's" future hopes for Has# tings blossoming into a Northersl Christchurch (I see in the papecs th» fountain started this week). ««C" For the information of those wh* wish to write to this column: Your*letter need not be long, in fact shorti, letters are best, as space is linuterL, lf you feel you are not ablq to> wrife^ even tbough you 'have something y(jfn wish very much to say, then jot dmpt your idea and send it to Oousin. Bossu and it will be typed and -fot„you.— Your iriendL.