The Changing Order.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 March 1922, Page 3

The Changing Order.

j The day before yesterday she was called the Old Maid or the Maiden Aunt ; yesterday we heard of her as the Superfluous Woman or the Odd Wo- ■ man‘; and to-day, although we dub her i the 'Bachelor Girl, the housewifely | mother might appropriately call her ; the V issing_ Woman ; that is, if she ..races incidental domestic discomfort to its. source—or, to be more literal, to contrast present-day trials to those : the grandmothers of the day before yesterday and the mothers of yesterday were called upon to face. In flic hour, of sickness or any domestic crisis, .who proved herself such ian able captain of househild affairs during the rightful head’s temporary : withdrawal from the helm as the family I;Id Maid or Maiden Aunt? Then, later, the Superfluous Woman or Odd Woman, nlthough # dreamily aspiring to stand oil, her own independent foot- ‘ ing, belonged to that species of hu- ' inanity Tin whom domestic virtue and j household ability were supposed to he • inborn j merely because she was a wb- ; man. When the mother was away from i her post, on “sickness, trial, or afllicj even more probably on ple«j sure or recreation bent —the Superi fuous Woman came to the rescue. Toj day the Bachelor Girl, either she of the | flapU-'r stage or her older sister—this i latter in receipt of salary iar beyond i what her father ever earned and rearjcd a family on—would scorn to put I her well-kept hands to the household j v.heel to straighten out affairs ill any j emergency. “Adda is, married, and J marriage being her business she must 1 attend to it” is her comment, expressed or implied. And that in truth I lies the cause of much of the stress • and strain on the woman of to-da\. { The ordinary woman can manage through the ordinary routine of daily life, hilt let illness, or any little extra in the shape of holiday or outing come along, and the situation becomes one of insurmountable difficulty. Hired help is out of the question on account of scarcity of sunpl.v and finance, and to her comes no gay inconsequent hut helpful “Teens” to hold tine fretful baby, put a button on, and assist genera ily, with that smiling, cheerful face that brings healing in itself, as much as the service rendered. Her grandmother had ‘True,” her mother had “Teens,” but the poor woman of to-day just drags through alone, for “Pmc” and “Teens” are both independent women earning their own living. . To-morrow we may be thanklul it is so. _lnit. to-day it sUems an in solvable problem. ______