THE MODERN GIRL

Hokitika Guardian, 20 July 1926, Page 3

THE MODERN GIRL

AS EXPRESSED BY FLAPPER OF TO-DAY. ‘ AUCKLAND, July 14. “Our Mapper girls are very beautiful. They have many excellent qualities, and I am sure will make wonderful mothers.” said Mrs Nibloclc in n spirited defence of the modern girl at the annual meeting of the Mothers’ Union. “While we admire their beauty of form, their shapely legs and sensible way of dressing, however, we need to teach them there is something more than external training for physical culture. There is that imvnrd culture which is also necessary for them to strive for: how to possess their bodies in honour and to build up noble personality to mould a character that will stand tests of to-day.” To keep on harping hack to the days “when we were young,” continued-Mrs Niblock, was a false move, and betokened a narrow outlook. There was just as much good in the world to-day. as there was then, and it was for the older women to bring it out by working with the young people, not against them. Were this attitude adopted, it would not be necessary to, worry about dance balls and other questionable places of amusement. “ Let us bestir ourselves and again chaperone our young people,” said the speaker. “ and make the home and church life the attraction it should he. We have been! caught napping, and in the meanwhile | our young people have been growing and developing, and have got ahead of us, but I feel sure that if we adopt the right attitude they will respond.” Dealing with the formation of the Mothers’ Union fifty years ago, Mrs Niblock said that tbe type of women that tbe founder of thq Union, Mrs Sunnier, bad to deal with in those days was vastly different Irom that of the present day. If the Union were to reach the young mothers of to-day it would have to change its tactics, and get a new vision. The young mother of to-duv was tetter educated and had ail enlightened understanding of many things of which their oun mothers were kept in total ignorance. She was independent, resourceful, had strong love of life, and all that appertained to it. “ She is free where we were prisoned; she is independent where we were afraid. She is true to her ideals, and hates sham and pretension. We often deplore the wilfulness of own young people, but we must not forget, we who are mothers that our daughters arc the product of our thought and upbringing. They are only expressing our repressions. They do the things we would like to have done, but hadn’t tbe pluck—we were too closely watched and guarded, atm while we submitted, we resented it and it has reacted in our children. They have come from under the iron yoke of bondage into a glorious life of freedom, and the pity is that because of lack of home training, many oi tbe young people have regarded this freedom ns license and have gone astray. . Tim basis of the appeal to the young must be along intellectual lines and due account must be taken of tilings that counted in their lives. An -appea must be made through every avenue of expression. One thing that might be done was tbe drawing up of a syllabus of lectures to be given by experts in such subjects as physiology, home nursing, hygiene, mothercraft literature and travel. Most important of all. however, was the religious aspect. The sanctity of home hte an the influence of prayer must be brought home to the younger women If some of the older women would take up this work of intercession it would be a splendid thing, she eonclud-