THE MODERN GIRL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 April 1938, Page 7

THE MODERN GIRL

OBSERVATIONS BY PRESIDENT OF W.D.F.U. MISINTERPRETATION OF EARLIER STATEMENT. DESIRE TO RAISE STATUS OF WOMEN. By Telegraph—Press Association. DUNEDIN, April 11. Stating that her remarks about the modern young woman had been misinterpreted, Mrs J. F. Drake, Dominion president of the Women’s Division of the Farmers' Union, to-day issued a statement correcting a wrong impression which she said had been created by a Press Association message covering her speech at the sub-pro-vincial conference of the Women’s Division at Ashburton on March 29.

Her remarks, she said, when taken from their context, assumed an entirely different meaning from that which was intended. For the modern young woman she had the greatest respect. Her criticism was levelled at a section which was much in a minority, and this she had plainly stated at her meeting.

Mrs Drake’s statement was as follows: —“On or about March 30 last publicity was made in leading papers to certain remarks which were reported as having been made by me at the sub-provincial conference of the Women’s' Division of the Farmers’ Union in Ashburton. Owing to my absence from Dunedin upon a tour of some of the Canterbury branches of the Women’s Division, my attention has only now been drawn to these Press statements, and I seek to correct the wrong impression given by the interpretation of certain remarks of mine which, when taken from their context, assume an entirely different meaning from that which was intended.

“I have nothing but admiration for the capabilities of the modern girl, and for the part she plays in the life of this Dominion. In the course of my remarks I referred to certain exceptions to the general rule and made a plea for the raising of the status of women whose lot it was to work in the domestic sphere. To this end I made suggestions, one of which was that home science should be made a compulsory subject in schools for senior girls.

“I am emphatically of the opinion that the average bride makes as valuable a contribution to the average home as does the average young man. The Ashburton meeting which I addressed was attended by over 200 delegates, and it was obvious to all that my remarks were cordially endorsed by all those present.”

A Press Association message from Ashburton on March 29 stated: —A sweeping statement on the helplessness of the modern young woman in regard to her domestic ability . . . was made this morning by the Dominion president of the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union at the interprovincial conference. The speaker, Mrs J. F. Drake, Berwick, Otago, stated that it should be compulsory for all girls to receive some training in domestic work before they left school and said that till domestic work was looked up to as an honourable duty and not looked down upon as at present a dangerous position would be made worse. The hospitals are full of people who should never have been sent there,” she said. “They are ill because they have not been able to get food properly cooked. Girls are getting married to-day and they know nothing about how to keep house, much less anything about bringing up a family. A young man becomes engaged and sets about offering to his bride a nice home. On the other hand what has the girl to offer toward the bargain? Very often she is an indifferent cook, cannot look after her home and does not know the first thing about bringing up a family.”