Mundane Musings

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 302, 13 March 1928, Page 4

Mundane Musings

Where are We Going?

When first the “woman” movement assumed definite and practical form, and women were projected into professional and. industrial spheres hitherto untenanted by the fair sex, Man raised an outcry. And we pelted him with more or less insults. TV e gave him credit for no more tender or exalted mqjtive than jealousy of our potential prowess, or a cave-man de--1 sire to keep us chained up in the home. ... Feminine evolution has proceeded | apace, and the turn of the fantastic wheel of feminine self-discovery has i revealed many spokes that were not ! individually visible when first we set it moving. In the heyday of our "emancipation,” we saw only freedom, self-respect, and relief from financial irk in those speed-gathering convolutions. We became a facile prey to the fallacy that speed necessarily means progress forward, nor visualised the possibility of retrogression. Now that we have travelled so far on our journey, and the wheel is slowing down, we are able to take a more leisurely view of our locomotion. The journey has proved neither so simple nor so exhilarating as we had hoped. And it may yet be that mere Man, who saw where we were going long before we got there, will be vindicated even in his most acrimonious opposition to feminist zeal by the ultimate verdict of feminine posterity.

One has the humbly increasing conviction that Man was not inspired merely by anti-feminist prejudices when he bade us beware of the course we were shaping. After all, he had petted us and protected us for so long that inevitably he linew a great deal about us, and about our inherent and immortal needs. He knew, above all, since Woman from time immemorial has been at such pains to prove it to i him, that one of the most terrific emotional forces in this hazardous world is mutual feminine jealousy. In the sex sense, incomparably more potently than in the new world of professional competition. And of late, our days have teemed with discussions—some of them alarmingly candid—of the particular matrimonial problem that may be summed up as lady-secretary-ver-sus-lady-wife. Harrowing pictures have been drawn of wifely misery engendered by jealous visions of feminine office rivals, who make themselves indispensible to their masculine chiefs, in a thousand ways that by the nature of things are beyond the wife’s compass. No one in their sane senses could deny the cumulative allure of daily association with a charmingly attractive young woman who shares the livest interests and ambitions of her employer, whose salary permits her to dress with intriguing good taste, and who not only partakes of daily afternoon tea in her employer’s private office, but dines with him later on, because business can be discussed so much more iliuminatingly under such stimulating conditions! May it not be that this very definite and increasingly apparent phase of our social evolution was presaged by the very nicest men, who were most bitter in their anti-feminist outcry? And that they made their protests because they knew us better than we knew ourselves? TAUMARUNUI PLUNKET SOCIETY MONTHLY MEETING Mrs. L. G. Godfrey, president, was in the chair at the monthly committee meeting: of the Taumarunui Plunket Society, with Mesdames Norton, King, Keller. Roscoe-Smitli, I-larris, Wackrow, Powell, Melsaac, C. I>. Smith. R. W. Thomas, Stanton, Johnston, Weatherhog, Perry, Ford, McLeod and Anderson present. Apologies were received from Mesdames Barker, Peek and the secretary, Miss B. M. Helling. The nurse reported that during the month she had paid 190 visits to the office, and 118 visits to homes. One baby had been admitted to the public hospital. It was resolved to reply to a request from the Wanganui branch soliciting a donation for the Stewart Karitane Homes, that the Taumarunui branch supported the Auckland Karitane Home, as it was more conveniently situated for tlie needs of the district. The head office advised approval of tho branch’s action in purchasing properly fitted Avery scales for use at the office. It was reported that the Raetihi Amateur Dramatic Society, accompanied by its orchestra, would give a performance of the play “Billeted,” in aid of the society’s funds, in Taumarunui, and arrangements were left with the executive. The Taumarunui Savage Club's offer to give a concert for tho society’s benefit later in the year was accepted with gratitude. FAREWELL PARTY The Misses Agnes and Molly Darling, of Christchurch, who have been spending a holiday in Auckland, were the guests of honour at a farewell morning tea party given at John Court’s tearooms yesterday morning by Mrs. P. Darby. Blue and rose coloured flowers made attractive table decorations, and were gracefully arranged in slender crystal vases Among those present were:Mrs. Stuart Garland, Mrs. T. Darby, Miss M. Brodie, Miss M. Grevatt, Miss A. Brodie, Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Jack -Casey, Miss I. Brodie, Miss K. Horton, Miss Gwendoline Court, Mrs. Mackav, Miss Kennedy, Miss J. Mackay, Miss M. Arey. TO THE FORE Men are not always to the fore as linguists. At the School of Oriental Studies, in London, some of the most difficult of the African languages are taught by a woman, Professor Alice Werner. RESEARCH STUDENT Lately returned from Canada, where sho attended the Empire Mining and Metallurgical Congress, Dr. C. F. Elam, Britain’s woman metallurgist, is now a special research student at the Royal School of Mines, South Kensington, London, being the only feminine student there. She was recently awarded the travelling scholarship founded by Sir Robert Hadfield. DRAUGHTS CHAMPION The draughts champion of Salt Lake City is a woman. Mrs. Lucy W. Smith, who challenged the holder of the title in 1922, won it and has held it ever since. She was considered a possibility for the United States team which played Great Britain in New York some months ago, but her sex debarred her from entering.

LYCEUM CLUB NEWS ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF FEDERATED CLUBS The annual conference of delegates from the Federated. Women’s Clubs of New Zealand will take place this year in Christchurch, when a record attendance is expected. The conference will meet on March 14. Miss Janet Murray will represent the Auckland Lyceum Clum, and she left for the South on Sunday evening. Mrs. W. J. Stevens, of the Hamilton Lyceum Club, is to represent her particular affiliation, and will probably be accompanied by Mrs. J. Page, of Hamilton. HER EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY DELIGHTFUL PARTY GIVEN IN HONOUR OF MRS. HENRY BROWN A very enjoyable afternoon was spent at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Rasmussen, Otahuhu, on Saturday, the occasion being the celebration of the 80th birthday of the latter’s mother, Mrs. Henry Brown. Toasts were given and exchanged for those present and for the many relatives who were unable to attend. The gathering, which was a family one, included Mr. and Mrs. H. Rollett, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Mitchell, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lupton, Mr. and Mrs. M. Costar, Mr. and Mrs. W. Phillips, Mr. and Mrs. G. Banks, Mrs. H. Everingham, Miss Everingham, Miss Kidd, Miss Lupton, Miss Myrtle Costar, Misses Margaret and Nancy Mitchell, Mrs. W. Brown and Miss Noeline Brown, Mr. E. Harris, Mr. Ross Mitchell and Master Selwyn Phillips. Musical items and pleasant reminiscences concluded a most enjoyable afternoon. METHODIST WOMEN’S GUILD MEETS IN HAMILTON The St. Paul’s Women’s Guild recently had its first meeting in Hamilton for the year. So popular has the guild grown that there was a record attendance. Mrs. Baulf was re-elected president, and Mrs. R. Bell secretary. The Rev. Paris gave an interesting account of the distribution of Christmas cheer to the needy on Christmas Eve, and then followed a short but niost enjoyable vocal and instrumental programme, in which Mesdames Prentice, Lonsdale, Brownless and Webster were the performers. A dainty afternoon tea was provided by the members, and occasion was taken to make a presentation to Mrs. Wills, who is leaving the district. Mrs. Baulf was elected to represent the guild at the quarterly meeting and a very enjoyable afternoon ended in social chat. Among those present were Mesdames Baulf, Bell, Gowanlock, Wills, Prentice, E. L. Wilson, A. W. Smith, JTidd, Gordon, Petheridge, Cave, Forbes, Webster, Yendall, Paris, Davey, Blacklock, Watson, Radford, Johnson, Paterson, Seccombe, Ward. Worm, Pomeroy, Ashby, Fergusson, Brownless, White, London, Lonsdale, Richards, and Misses Booth, Watson, Blacklock and Burgess.

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