WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, 7 June 1919, Page 10

WOMAN'S WORLD

zBESI-OFF WOMAN IN THE WGHEDM

As an individual, the best-off woman in the world is the woman who thinks herself so. As a type, the best-off woman in the world is the Australian -woman (says a writer in the Melbourne Age). A study of woman's history in other countries should make any woman glad Bhe is in this.'. Take even Britain. It is only recently that the British woman has been raised above the level of criminals and idiots, by receiving the vote. Before the suffragette movement temporarily excluded her altogether from Parliament, she saw the rulers of her country through the bars of a grille, like a penal prisoner at interview, or a. caged animal at the Zoo. The Home of Commons lias just decided to open its Members' Gallery to women. Hitherto, there was a women's gallery into which she might go, while her husband got into one at the other end. At one time she could not get into Parliament at all. The famous Duchess of Gordon got into the gallery of the House of Lords dressed in men's.' clothes. Mrs. Sheridan had to dress in similar fashion in order to hear her husband speaking in the House of Commons. Only now is the Britis.li woman entering into the political rights the Australian woman has long enjoyed. One British M.P. voted against any admission of woman to Parliament, on the ground that "Parliament was not a respectable place for any woman to come into." He was an old Parliamentary hand himself, so he probably know what he was talking about. The Australian woman's,' vote has at least made Australian Parliaments respectable enough for her to go into. The American woman's political position is as good as the Australian woman's. But the American woman it' bocoming less a mate and more a playmate. The American man is dying from overwork at the average age of 47, striving to provide his womankind with a foretaste of Heaven. The American woman is becoming luxurious and lazy. Australian women do not get much of that sort of worship. Their men make a fuss with them without making a fetis.li of them. The American husband tips the beam too much towards the latter. The war will leave the Australian woman an embarrassing legacy. The Australian boy has won a European reputation as a soldier. Austral.an women are proud of it, but had no part in it The Australian boy has done more. Ho has achieved success socially. The boy who struck terror in the heart of foes was given an honored place in the hearts of friends. Without his seeking it, Billjim has been set on a giddy pinnacle of popularity. Europe when it meets her, will expect the Australian woman to be worthy of the Australian man. Will she be able to convince them

she is? She should—and have a hit over. If she doesn't she is unworthy of her ancestors. No woman in the world hay such a maternal pedigree. Great souls must they have been, the "buried vanguard of Australia's womanhood. Can the daughters keep the kudos their mothers won? Amid Australia's illimitable spaces.' these mothers displayed a courage equal to every emersity, and an ability equal to every emergency. They had to do things for themselves. And what the mothers learned bitterly the daughters can now do instinctively. Their life is free as no other woman's is. Everything the Australian man does the Australian woman may do. Mrs. Grundy is as real to. her as Mrs. Harris was to Sarah Gamp. There is nothing of the conventional angel about her, but she stands at the judgment bar of the world, with a magnificent equipment of physical, mental, and spiritual energy, derived from her fortune-daring, Godfearing forefolk. Despite her distinctive qualities, the Australian woman, as a type, is not known in older countries. In the touring season the women of France, America, Norway, could be recognised almost at sight. Not the' Australian. Occasionally attention would be drawn to a girl who walked swiftly, who carried an air of independence and self-reliance, and who regarded with amused amazement the social shackles which the Britis.li girl meekly wore. Then someone would whisper: "She's from' Australia!"

That the Australian woman muat be unconventional is inevitable. Consider the diverse elements in her make up. In older lands the old rule obtains;: — "A Romany lad for a Romany lass." But the Australian is a racial conglomerate. Out of wide differences of border, birth, and breeding, the type of Australian woman will now begin to break upon Europe. It is safe to say she will cause surprise by her ipirit of camaraderie with men. Circumstances have compelled her to bear with man an equitable share of life's burdens. She has shared his tasks; she has shared hi?; sports. She is neither his goddess nor his gilded toy. She is his comrade. She is no flawless pearl; but she is a distinctly new type of girl. Europe will be eager to study her. When some people change clime they also strive to change character. It is always a mistake. 'Yilliim" didn't do it. Everywhere he was limply Billjim, like him or leave him. /list because of that spirit they liked him.

Bridal boat loads' have recently lieen arriving. Clirls from the old lands have had to pass under review by the girls of tiie new land. Soon the process will be reversed. When fares decrease and facilities increase Australian girls will 'be going in larger numbers,' Home. There they will be measured by other standards. British customs: are old and mossy. The. British woman does not understand Australian freedom. The Eritish woman pays, the pate money; the Australian woman plays the game. Australia is her queendom. There she is enthroned in (lie hearts of her own men. \C;m she establish herself us securely in the esteem of alien women?

She can, if she is brave enough to present herself to her -critics cv.ictly as (rod, Australia, and heredity have made her. There is no comparison she need dread, either in ornamental qualities or useful virtues. She will stand the strain right through the web.

.loli was ii man (if mniiY misfortunes. But his cliiesf misfortune must have lwsn his "missis." She was a pe:slmist. Slip wired her husband to "throw the towel in" before the fijrht was well started. She would never have done for Australin. Largely, it is the Australian 'woman's spirit that, in his successful enterprises, the Austi'alian man. has embodied. In coming days the Australian woman will he judped by new standards, standards her own men have scl up. The women of the old world have heen kepi in a severe tutelage such as the Australian woman has rover known "and would never have submitted to. For tbet reason the,)' will decide that the

'Australian woman is tlie best-off woman -in toe world. • And we Australian men will be proud »f the verdict. For we arc proud of our ■women—maid, wife, or mother; blonde, black, or bfindle. Unquestionably you are the best-off women in the world. But isn't that because you stay with us? HEALTH v. FASHION.

The road of fashion it not always the road that leads to good health, for both women and men suffer a great many minor ailments through the unhygienic character of their attire; men more in .summer, when their dress is too warm, and women in winter when the clothing over some parts of the body is not warm enough. Women invariably wear too much clothing around the middle of the body and too little over the limbs.

It is not for a medical man to devise suitable clothing for the lower limbs, or even for the upper, but the consequenoeg of undue loss of body-heat from these. parts may perhaps usefully be explain-* ed. Our body-heat is maintained at a constant standard (a little over 98 degrees) by the slow combustion of the food we eat. So abs/olutcly essential to life is maintenance of this temperature that, if we do not eat enough food to supply the. heat, the body feeda on its own fat. It is obvious, therefore, that if a woman loses a largo amount of. heat through the under-clothed limbs ob ehest, she must eat and diges-t more food or otherwise lose flesh. Heat is life. That fat thould never be lost sight of. It may be lost not only owing to insufficient clothing of any, part of the body, but through damp shoes and ttockings, or tight shoes and gloves. ... Dress is primarily worn to keep the body warm, and a sensible woman should take care that fashion does not interfere too much with that function of her clothing. First, as was s.nid before, the clothing is too warm around the middle of the body and too scanty over the limbs, so that they become chilled, while the middle of the body is kept at an unwholesomely high state of heat. Then parts of the dress, particularly the shoes. l and gloves, are too tight, and thus circulation is impeded. Tho neck and shoulders, when furs are worn, are far too warmly clothed, although furs often serve the desirable purpose of keeping the arms warm. The general suggestion is that all parts of the body should be uniformly clothed, or, better, that the tipper and lower limbs should be covered somewhat more warmly clad than the body. Men's dress comes much nearer to this ideal than the dress of women, and m consequence men suffer less from chilblains.', neuraglia, and the other smaller ailments so prevalent among women.

SIGHING MAIDS OF EUROPE. CAN'T I'IND KEN TO MAURY. London, March 8. The dearth of marriageable men iii Europe compared witu me surplus of marriageable women is emphasising an n.'ur-war problem which daily is assuming more lively interest, particularly in Oicat Britain, where it has been estimated there are more than a million and a half women who never will be married, and perhaps never will be as.ked to. There are any number of suggestions to meet this situation, among them a demaud for the mobilisation of bachelors for marriage, with the alternative of pi.ving an income tax for retaining their bachelorhood during these trying time;.. it is pointed out by others that Solomon helped to solve just such a question, but although some suggest that polygamy is the way out they' are quick to add that no one, especially the women particularly interested, would tolerate plural marriages. Some well-known women declare that the shortage of men will put a premium on match-making by mothers. Just now Great Britain is "jazz aance" mad after four years.' of almost total abstinence, but here also the shortage of men is so apparent that the custom is growing of abandoning the formalities of introduction so that good "jazzers" can be secured for private dances. A suggestion is.' publicly ina4e that many of Great Britain's unmarried women should go to the colonies to tind husbands, but the answer has come from' the colonies that their war losses in man-power have created a similar situation, though not so acute as in the Mother Country.

AMERICAN DANCES. ' New York has of late taken up dancing with renewed vigor (states an exchange), but it is so unlike anything that was hi vogue a few years ago. The war has left its calming influence, and the new dances are much quieter and simpler. People now haven't time to learn dozens.' of steps, and the' new dances consist of from three to Ave different steps at most. In this way everyone can master them without too much mental exertion. Dancing should be a relaxation, not a work. The new dunces take their names from the places in which they are most popular. For instance, the Club de Vingt, New York's. most exclusive dancing club, lrfhkos a speciality of the Tango, and they have sifted it-down to three different steps that are simple and fascinatingly alluring. They decided that Tango music was too beautiful to give up, and the Tnngo, being a very dillicult dance of many steps, they picked out the three simplest ones, and in this way the Tango is now again coming into favor. Tlie "Ritz Waltz" is beautiful and rather European, the Ritz being the smartest place for the foreign social element of New York. "The Biltmore Fox Trot" comes from the typically American Biltmore. It is so simple, and yet has a better style than any previous: fox trot. The "Peace One Step" is danced equally at all the.-b places, and is the last word in stylish dancing, The "Tickle Toe," the dance that has set all New York agog, is danced from morning until night. Passing along the streets one hear; 1 tlio music on all sides, on piano, phonograph, or orchestra. New York is really "Tickle Toe" mad. This is (he only one of the new dances tha* mus-.t have its own special music, which is the "Tickle Toe" from a musical coined v.