NEW ZEALAND LADIES IN ENGLAND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1704, 28 February 1888, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND LADIES IN ENGLAND.

An Englishwoman has supplied the Auckland Bell with an article on New Zealand ladies in England; It is at once the foulest, the meanest, and the most disgraceful attack on our fair colonists we have come across. The slangy language denotes that it has not been written by a lady accus* tomed to move in refined or enlightened society, while its fearfully splenetic and bitter tone would suggest that it had been prompted by its authoress having been slighted and snubbed by the New Zealanders in London. We are thankful for one thing, and that is that she admits that the ladies of New Zealand do not conduct themselves like the pink of fashion—English society women or American belles. That accounts for the fact that New Zealand ladies are seldom the subject of scandal, and that their husbands are scarcely evexf known to seek to be divorced from them. It is not so with English and American society women. How could the remarks of this vulgar virago apply to New Zealand ladies, many of whom go Home to be educated, or have been trained by English governesses, or in many of the convents of the colony. The article is disgraceful, and ought not to have been published by the Bell. To give our readers an opportunity of judging for themselves we give the following extracts from it:— “THEIR DEESS.

“Of course the first thing is to discard all New Zealand habiliments. The services of a first-class contouriere and modiste are enlisted and to the intense amusement of her apprentices (many of whom are in every way more presentable than your aspirant to high-class society-) Mrs and Miss New Zealander are attired as ‘ quality folk.’ Now their ignorance and total distrust of their own taste is shown by the helpless way in which they band themselves over to these people. Ladies in English society, from Royalty downwards, certainly patronise them, but still only have occasional gowns from them. • The gowns and bonnets of the most charmingly-attired ladies in ’London, including H.E.H. the Princess of Wales, are often suggested or designed by themselves and their ideas carried out by a private modiste. It is only your New Zealander and les nouveanz riches who rush off and hand them* selves over bolus bolus to their dressmaker on every occasion, from whose hands, alas, they too often only emerge an expensive guy. However, having obtained her dress, the next thing is to show it off. This she has numerous opportunities to do, but is vastly disappointed that every time she steps outside her door she is not known to nearly everyone by sight and name as she would be in any New Zealand town. This being the case she invariably adopts various forms of affectation to ‘engage attention’ and attract attention she does. Oh !if she only knew how insulting such attention would be considered by an English gentlewoman.”

“ THEIE MANNERS.

“ In the railway train, at the exhibitions and all public functions you may always pick out Mrs and Mis* New Zealander, if standing talking, by uncultured pose and loud tones, if sitting, by the knees always being crossed, if walking by their uncertain and untrained gait,. in short, by a soupcon of vulgarity, however high in their social status (mind I am describing the wives and daughters of representative New Zealand men, supposed to be ladies, for vulgar people are of course the same all the world aver), finally by a strong determination to always engage attention, forming a marked contrast to the nobility (with whom they are mixing), who glide about simply dressed and quiet in demeanour. At the play the same thing is apparent—loud dress and loud manners, varied only by dowdy dress and mawkish manners.’" # # # #

“ Those of them who were ‘ presented ’ of course went through the preliminary coaching in learning to ‘ make ’ a courtesy. But these poor young things, when brought face to face with Her Majesty, blushed, wriggled, squirmed, and finally ‘ made * their courtesy in the old and easy style. Nor would you wonder if you saw the mothers when surrounded by grandes dames and their daughters. They are so painfully conscious of their short* comings and total unfitness to be there (solely, mind, from want of training and deportment) that their confusion either renders them helpless objects of pity, or they make up in brass what they want in knowledge of etiquette, and brazen it out. Tes, brass helped a lot of them through. At different public gatherings, and indeed, private receptions, they stand about in groups by themselves staring—oh, yes, always staring and sometimes being curiously stared at. . . Now, to follow them home. Tour New Zealand maids are sweetly innocent of the etiquette and requirements of a formal dinner in high society. Suffice it to say, that they cannot dine in the true sense of the word—they devour, eat, feed—-

but dme ? no, never,'well hardly ever. The conversation that accompanies and succeeds the meal is distinctly New Zealand. Gentlemen who are good judges say they can always pick out the New Zealanders by the way they pitch their voice, never by chance in the true conversational tone, that they can never.sustain a conversation, that their English on the whole is purer than many an Englishwoman’s, and that they, in their most guarded moments, drop a little slang. Indeed, a few mashers have quite a little stock of New Zealand slang from this source, Such a thing as one of these girls shining as a brilliant, cultured society conversationalist has not been heard of, nor has one made a marriage of any note, and why not? American girls do both year after year. In bold flirtation, such as sometimes to draw a rebuke from ‘ma ’ and silent rebukes from eyes of the English ladies near, the New Zealand girl is an adept, but in any of the delicate nuances of harmless coquetry she is wanting.”

“ THEIE EDUCATION.

"Now, to descant upon them educationally. Some who consider themselves good amateur piano players when seated in a London saloon are the veriest school-girls ,* the same thing applies to their singing, though in natural abilities they are far superior to London girls, and beat them hollow. In singing, especially if their training were only half as good as their voices, they would generally pass well, and often score a success. But they have no style, and, sad to say, are somewhat deficient in first principles. Take dancing again. Dance they most certainly do, and*promenade also, but —but shall I say it ?—-not as ladies should. In none of these accomplishments did anyone shine, and some did not pass muster,”

“ THEIE APPEAEANCE.

“Nor was there a New Zealand "belle; no, she is the thing of the future, though most of the girls were comely and some pretty —if you only looked at the face. The hands of a New Zealand girl are her heie noir; they are never by any chance pretty, and sometimes tell a tale of honest toil. I am told the want of servants out there accounts for it. Be that as it may, the fact remains—hands bad,”