SOME SPANISH WOMEN TO-DAY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 69, 13 June 1927, Page 4

SOME SPANISH WOMEN TO-DAY

Her head covered by a dainty mantilla. a big fan in her invariably idle hands, eyes demurely downcast—such is the popular idea of a typical Spanish woman. Well, she has not forgotten how to arrange her mantilla and she stills finds use for her lovely fans, but to-day she is learning to do other things as well! The latticed windows of her house have not prevented her from going out and taking a succession of peeps at the big world. She is gradually equipping herself so that she may reach the standard of women in other countries. She is winning her place in high schools and great universities—and this movement on the part of the Spanish woman is growing every year. Ph the past, she was considered to be sufficiently educated when she could read, write, sew and tell her beads. But all this is not enough to-day. Some 30 years ago Spanish women began clamouring for admission into the big educational centres of Spain, the universities of Madrid, Barcelona and Santiago. Some of them won the battle, but only 11 women students were given degrees, and no doubt the Spaniards wondered what they were going to do with them! Women went on fighting, though their successes were few and slow to come. About 14 years ago there were fewer than 40 women students at the Madrid University, but within the last 10 years their numbers have risen to more than 500, and to-day they are to be reckoned with in the university life. One of their greatest recent triumphs was when two students were actually admitted as advocates by the Law Faculty of Madrid. In such an ultra-conservative country as Spain, this victory stands for much. Some branches of science do not as yet attract any great percentage of women students. They go in a great deal for natural science and history, but very few 'bf them choose medicine and mathematics. Besides making progress in the world of education, the Spanish women of today show a keen interest in social and economical problems. They have their own Working Women’s Confederation, which is very active in promoting questions of special interest to the working class. To-day they are fighting to obtain laws which would tend to improve the general conditions of women - workers in Spain. An interesting detail about this confederation is that at one of their meetings lately, a resolution was passed “that women only should be employed in the shops selling articles of feminine apparel.” Pearl-handled knives should be cleaned with fine salt and polished with chamois leather. * * * The juice of a lemon in a cup of black coffee, without sugar and milk, will cure a headache.