Mundane Musings

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 235, 23 December 1927, Page 5

Mundane Musings

Glass House Women “Auntie,” said Feodora. “I wish someone would throw a few stones back at some of the glasshouse women there are about. They do deserve it, don’t they? Because people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, should they?” “No,” I agreed, “they shouldn't. Let us thrpw some back. By the way, what have they thrown at you?” She told me, with much heat and at some length. I realised the justice of her grievance, and here are my stones. A glass-house woman is one of those middle-aged ladies who cannot bear the’ way the modern girl dresses and who tells her so by innuendo. She detests shingled heads; she does not “approve” of this, objects to that, and tells the modern girl how sensibly she dressed when she was young, having entirely forgotten what Auntie and Granny said to her. Well, well! Now for my stones! . I was lunching yesterday in the restaurant of a big' shop. What did I see? Girls of every kind —neat, shingled, small-hatted, made-up, but oh! so skilfully, with beautiful legs and feet well-shod. Now 1 maintain that people show their natures, and even their morals, by their clothes. I looked sadly at some of the middle-aged women and wondered if this really were so. I will describe a few—the worst, I own, but only some of the worst. Number One had on a saxe blue jumper, a black coat and a brown hat. Now what can a woman’s mind be like that can mix those three colours? But Number Two wore a grey dress —oh, such a drab and dingy grey!—and a vilely crude blue hat. lam still suffering from shock about that hat.

Number Three was dressed in a black and white hat, a white jumper, bright blue skirt and brown shoes! Yes, quite true —brown shoes! I looked up as a young girl passed me in a cinnamon-brown skirt. “Fair Isle” jumper, and shoes and hat to match—just the right mixture. She was one of many who were both neat and harmonious, and, above all. wellshod. She had taken great care in the choice of her clothes, and why not? Despite these shocks, I do not want to criticise my-own-age ladies, but why do they indulge in so much carping criticism about the young? Y'ou show your character by your clothes, dear middle-aged lady, by the colours you choose, and by the presence or absence of good taste.

Before you condemn girls, ask yourselves wliethed you have the dress and the colour sense, and, if not, do look in the glass, Mrs. Elderly or Miss Mid-dle-Age—yes, with your specs, on, please—before you condemn the generally tastefully-dressed modern girl again. She doesn’t voice all the unkind things about you!

I-lavo &ou looked? Well, now you will not throw any more stones—at least, I hope not. because you will only get them back; and stones can hurt so very badly. Besides, criticism, like charity, should always begin at home. And I do hope in future you will look on the younger generation with a more lenient spirit, and remember that once you were condemned by the older generation.