WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 37, 24 May 1910, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

THE AMERICAN WOMAN One cannot ignore the American woman. Her fame is world-wide. She is well-known in Continental countries as the ever-present tourist, strident in voice, decidedly unprepossessing in manners, generous with tips. England sees her not only as a tourist. 'J.'iiere .she has a large social influence, and many of the finest types of American women are to be found in the high places of Englisii society. Here in New Zealaind we know 1 'her chiefly through the medium of the American novel and the pictures of (libson and Harrison Fisher. The modern ■woman —aggressive, independent, beautiful. So the outside world regards her. We visit America with our preconceived opinions, and what is the result? We >tand self-rebuked in that we have generalise,! about a whole nation from a few individuals. The objectionable tourist is still abroad, but, at the same time, there is no one more charming than the cultured woman whom we meet at every turn —charming in manners, ready in conversation, with a wide range of interests. The aggressiveness of one becomes in the other outspoken and each is the result of selfconsciousness. This is due to eariy training. In school, college and University girls are specially taught to express their thoughts directly in words. They are either children or young women. Ali girls put u.p their hair at about U years of age. when they enter the lii-gn School. Never by any chance does one meet a girl with flowing hair. It is refreshing to get back to Australia and see I a few real girls. J We hear a great deal about the beauty of American women. In reality it does not occur to one to notice whether they are beautiful or not. What does catch the eye is their well-groomed appearance and the perfection of their dresses. Across the whole of the continent, m country village or crowded city, it is the same,'no dowdy women. It is not a question of expense—it is a question of taste. Both rich and poor are careful about the neatness of their waist-belt, the iset of their collar, the trimness of their footwear. The result—cities of smartly-dressed women such as are to be seen in no other .part of the world. It is in the worming girl that this is most noticeable. There is none of the tawdry finery so often seen in our streets, or the terrific clash of colors. The business girl lias the dignity of ner position to keep up, so she appears immaculate in her clean shirt-waist and short walking skirt, always neat and well-fitting, ;i>ut not necessarily expensive.

While studying so much her outward ■appearance, our fair American does not neglect her mental improvement. As a matter of course she proceeds from school to University. Here it is the exception. Her culture may not go very deep, but at least it provides her wit'tl a wide outlook on life, and an intelligent grasp of everyday problems. As one very charming woman in Chicago expressed it. "We aim at being companions to our husbands, not merely tneir housekeepers." With all this enlarging sphere she has not lost the deference and chivalrous attention from the opposite sex which the pessimist of to-day tells us are rapidly vanishing. The courtesy of the American man is proverbial. Realising that all these qualities make for strength, it is not .surprising taat women are a power to the community. In Chicago, colossal in corruption as in wealth, women are to be found active in all that makes for social purity. |

When all is said and done, the American woman is as human as the rest of the world. She is essentially modern, and lias the faults as well as the virtues of the modern article. In so large a population, with its varied types, there are many that are vulgar; hut the chief impression one brings away from a hurneii visit is that of alert, interesting, and fine-looking women.

THE NOVEL HABIT. "Why do you waste your time over that rubbish?" I am aroused from pleasant perusal of a lately-purchased story which I am enjoying lying in a hammock under the shade of a vine-covered trellis. The speaker's voice conveys the challenge of an embryo advocate, ready to practice his argumentative powers on me, so I exercise a sister's privilege of ignoring the question. ■Still the suggestion sticks, ft is useless for me to say to myself: "Lord Macauley enjoyed novels. George Eliot wrote them. Scores of excellent men and women are devoting their lives to producing them. Therefore novels are wholly desirable." One must reluctantly admit that what may be termed the "novel habit" pervades kitchen, schoolroom and drawing room. In trams, trains and steamboats, in public gardens, it flourishes even move. From the tardy messenger to the mother of a large family we all have it. For one woman—of course. I except ■students—who interests herself in leading articles and the literary portions of a newspaper, or in books of history, travel,, biography, philosophy, or even poetry, there are hundreds whose only reading is the lightest, of novels and magazines.

What charm there is in romance, too, for the weary and careworn. One would not like to be quite deprived of this diversion, for it is diversion to a tired woman wanting rest. But here is the trouble! For one who takes novel-rend-ing in homoeopathic doses, hundreds fritter their time to the detriment of plain duties, and even deprive themselves of necessary exercise and fresh air. It is only in the reflective or cultured that the delineation of character, fine word-painting, or descriptive scenery in our best novels appeals, and has an educative force. All these are admittedly "skipped" by the average reader. The plot, the romance, or tragedy alone

counts with her. Even those 'with a saving sense of humor are often ignored for the purely sensational. Excessive novel-reading may be lessened by those who have children under their care, though far ibe it from anyone to repress the glowing imagination of youth. The writer has heard of one extremist who banned Hans Andersen on the plea that 'her daughters must nor read "what was not absolutely true." It is in our girls past their teens, aim, yes, in their mothers also, that the •'novel habit" could he with advantage repressed both during the long summer days of our country and the winter nights of colder States —more in the country, where the monotony of lite gives a ready excuse, even than in our cities, where life is fuller of incident and outside recreations.

Yes! admittedly, novel-reading is like other stimulants —it requires to be limited in extent, and, like them, too, aoci not take the place of solid food. Wen, for me this time duty vanquishes inclination. My young brother is deeply immersed in a volume of jurisprudence, so I surreptitiously reach out for a copy of "McClureV and read it energetically, and let us hope .profitably, the articie "Is Laainess a. Disease?" "Mallee Hen." HOW TO KEEP CHILDREN WARM. Don't try to accomplish this by piling on heavy clothing. This does exactly the opposite; for it prevents children tdcing enough exercise to quicken the circulation and increase the muscular activity of .the body. By the action of the muscles a great deal of heat is made. Remember tuis •when dressing childi-cn in winter. Their muscles soon tire when they are laden with weighty clothes. Of all things, avoid "shoddy" cloth for overcoats. Such cloth is very heavy; but. being largely composed of cotton, hemp, etc., it is not anything like so warm as a much lighter material which is composed entirely of wool. A child dressed in a shoddy material soons becomes exhausted and perspiring when bowling its hoop, or running races ■with other children.

It Iras to stand still to rest, and this is a very common cause of had colds, bronchitis, etc., in winter. Remember, too, that fairly loose clothing is always warmer in winter (anu cooler in summer) than that which is tight; for the simple reason that it allows of the circulation of air round the skin—and air is an excellent non-con-ductor.