WOMEN’S CLUBS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1577, 15 July 1916, Page 4

WOMEN’S CLUBS.

SELDOM SUCCEED

SOME REASONS WHY.

A correspondent of the American Argonaut states that women’s dubs are rarely the success they promise on account of the almost entire lack of desire in most women for the exclusive society of other women. Women have what they call clubs, hut the name is only a. courtesy title, for the club originated in the coffee house among such spirits as Lamb and Goldsmith, Johnson and Boswell. The basic idea, of a club is a common meeting ground of comfort where a man meets those of his own sex, (dials with them, exchanges arguments, or ignoi’es them, as casually as lie puts on his hat and walks into the street again. The very nature of women will not permit of clubs in the real sense of (lie word. Competition is too keen among them for women to ho casual with each other. If the trait he a fault, no hlame can he attached to femininity, for Nature designed us as we are. Why does our hair grow long except that it may grow longer than our sister’s? Arc our hands small for any better reason than that they may be smaller than Mrs .Smith’s, next door? or our insteps arched for any other purpose than that their curves may view with the lines of Mary Jones’ feet? Women are made of comparative values, and so they can hardly ho gregarious, as competition strains relationship, and is a separative raiher than a welding force. . Among what laxly of women could such esprit do corps ns this ho found? A young wife having waited dinner for her husband over long, became anxious, rang up the office, and found he had gone. She waited a while, and then wired to six of his best friends: “George not home, do yon know where he is?” and all six answered: “Gem’ge all right. Dining with me to-night!”

What women’s club would not suffer disintegration with a feminine Dr Johnson ns a member? The rest would resent' wlui (hey considored lier domineering manner, and out Dr Johnson would go before the most intelleetual members handed in their resignations. What woman with any respect for herself could endure conversation with a female Boswell f She would snub the retailer of Johnsonian stories, and the club would be called in to settle their differences. Lamb's witty tongue would cause offence to fluffy Mrs Newlywed because she would feel herself a butt for ridicule, and a Cloidsmith in feminine form would be such a dowd Unit her line finalities would hardly rise abovo her shabby bools. Women cannot be hail-fellow-well-met wilh all members of their own sex in the same way that men can fraternise with men. They have too many distinct ive grades, 100 many sets and cliques. A man can enjoy a good joke with the bool maker, and he oblivious of smell of Australian leather, but a woman can’t. The second statement of that man correspondent in the American Argonaut was not true. “The average woman has never known what it is to lung for the society of other women,” he said. Of course she has! Before and after the competitive stage she is as happy as a lark wilh members of her own sex, and ralbor prefer* them. In Ihe lirst place, she is a lilile girl, and doesn’t know anything of comparative values, and in the second she is an old, old woman —out of the running!