FOR THE LADIES. GIRLS AND THEIR MANY ADVISERS. The Pinafore Gowns Revised.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 243, 25 February 1888, Page 3

FOR THE LADIES. GIRLS AND THEIR MANY ADVISERS. The Pinafore Gowns Revised.

There is an Arab tradition of a chief so chivalrous in his protection of friendless maidens that he was known throughout his tribe as "The Brother of Girls." Thoro has been no actual disappearance of brothers of girls, even i:i thin amateur or volunteer stylo ; it is often a generous, and sometimes a perilous, relation, bub the volunteer advisors of girls may bo found at ovcry corner. Not a young theologian so callow but ho can at least define the proper sphoro of a woman ; and tho most juvenile journalist, just promoted from tho reporting of college football matches to the preparation of minor editorial paragraphs, feels competent to direct tho manners and morals of ovory young woman who passes by tho dusty windows of his office. If she walks too slowly, she must be checked ; and one feather too much or too littlo in her bonnet may secure for her a reprimand and for him a theme. Charles Lamb, who lost his position as a maker of items when ho was reduced to saying that he met Alderman on the street that day, and that tho worthy alderman had never apeared in better condition, might have begun upon a new career as a journalist had he been employed on a modern American newspaper, and set up in business as an advisor of girls. i I saw tho other day a vehement appeal to young women, in some newspaper, to use more physical exerciso, and the writer eloquently described what running ought to be, and then from personal observation at a woman's college, what the actual running of young girls was. One fancied this youth's sister, or his " best girl," as "he would doubtless term her jocosely, purchasing some manual of "sprint-running" in order to live up to the full demands of this manly censor. The next day, opening my morning paper, I enmo upon a dozen lines of withering sarcasm, charging the young women of Cambridge, Mass., with " always inaugurating some penitential novelty to bo combined with amusement," the specification being that two or three school-girls had occasionally walked into Boston— three miles — on a lino autumn morning instead of traversing the distance in a stuffy horsecar, very probably standing up all the time and holding on by tho straps. Some innocent maidens in my neighbourhood, littlo knowing how exacting 0 is tho demand for daily paragraphs, were seriously disturbed at this. "Only think, the newspapers spoke of it !" I have not since heard of their outraging public Bentiment by a wholesale three-mile walk ; but in thomean time whab becomes of tho " sprint running 1" Could there not at least be aome harmony of counsel among the advisers ? In the same way young women are constantly lectured as to the imix>rtance of independence and enterprise if they wish to earn their own living ; they must not limit themselves to schoolteaching and tho sewing-machine, but should push out j boldly, as men do, to find the naoat avail- | able opening, do the best work they can, ' and aim at a proper remuneration. Acting on this advice, they have spread themselves through all manner of positions successfully j but when they begin to say, " If we do men's work, why not give us men's pay ?" then comes the Adviser of Girls and says: "Do not endanger your positions by unreasonable demands. True, you do men's work, so far as it goes, but what an employer really demands 13 that he should have someone at whom he can swear when he wishes, and you had better accept less pay and stop short of the swearing," In vain the young woman pleads that her employer, as far as she has seen him, is a gentleman, and that a gentleman would not swear at one in his employ, whether man or woman. In vain she says that at any rate she will risk it, and will take the comfort of higher position and pay until the oath 3 come about her ears too seriously. The adviser still shakes his head, and tells her that she does not know what men are. As a matter of fact, I myself think that the young woman has the right of it, and that even the average employer cares more for being well served than for the privilege of behaving like a blackguard. It is curious to notice how many of these supposed disadvantages of women vanish before the influence exerted by women themselves; just as when they were admitted in some places to vote at school elections, everybody wondered how they would endure the smoking and spitting about them ; whereas, the mei-e courtesy of the male voters at once prohibited smoking at the voting places, and so removed the obstacle. Why not admit, once for all, that we are launched upon a tide of social change which is greatly modifying the position of women, and that they are destined to be more and more governed by their own good sense and womanly instinct, but less and less by the manly masculine adviser? If a young girl has character enough to undertake a new and difficult duty, in education, business, or anything else, it is generally safer to trusther to take her maiden namein her own handa, and goon to fulfil thatduty in herownway, than to load her down with counsel, this side and thafe, coming half the time from those who have not the slightest advantage over her except the very dubious one of sex. Moreover, she may be very sure that, as seen in the above instances, no two advisei'3 will counsel the same thing. As, in La Fontaine s fable of the rustic and his boy going to the fair with fcheir donkey, they find people equally ready to expostulate whether they carry tho animal or he carries them, no it is in most of the affairs of Jife. Revised Pinafore Gowns. London— that is, feminine London —is going wild over the exquisite gowns worn by the sisters, cousins and aunts of Sir Joseph Porter in the revived version of "Pinafore." Tho girls all wear marvellous tailor-made dresses. No two caps, no two dresses, are in any way alike, and theladmixture of tints is most brilliant. The skirts are all short, showing trim stockings and shoes. A yellow cashmere has white panels on the skirt, with very narrow braid bordering it on either side, the drapery turned up with yellow, the bodice made full with revers and completed by a silk knotted handkerchief and sailor hat. A blue dress is draped over white, covered with gold embroidery, j has a large sailor collar, a belt, and a j striped cotton shirt, the ribbon on tho hat i matching the shirt. A blue skirt with { a plait, forming a panel at the side, ha« j a yellow loose bodice with collars and j reverp, and a middy's hat. A clever j adaptation of an Admiral's uniform is darkblue cloth,' with epaulets and a short, trimjacket. Grey and pink are happily blended? trimmed with gold buttons, ' a high collar and tie. A dress of white and silver has a' habit bodice with much silver embroidery ; a pink and white has a sailor's sash, front j and cuffs in contrast, while a striped blue and white shirt is worn with a red cap, red I collar and striped shirt front. I Red, white, and blue have been most cleverly combined. One dress had the ; book oX-the skirt and fichu' blue, the front white, opening to show a rod skirt, the fisherman's cap blue. An all-white dress is embroidered wiih gold anchors, and one In

tillcull and white has revera of cloth. A pink tunic is turned up with pink and has an accompanying toque which is most becoming. Dark blue cloth jackets coming only to the waist, with brass buttons, look smart with a white draped skirt ; a white, red and gold petticoat has a striped jacket and short waistcoat ; a blue and silver is enlivened by' a red sash and cap, and a white and brown with gold embroidery. A striped red and white shows a Swiss bdslt and red vet-o, while a blue and whitn skirt is made up with u brown skirt and brown punols. — From "London Timed."