THE SCHEME OF THINGS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 6, 6 July 1929, Page 19

THE SCHEME OF THINGS

(By M.H.C.)

' "Tell me where is fashion bredi" is a question asked by a writer in the London "Daily Telegraph," and indeed it is hard to answer. Sometimes styles can be traced to Royalty; others, again, are throw-backs to former times; and come along, possibly, because some elements in modern times fit in with those of former days. Ways of hairdressing bore famous names at times, and men's fashions in cravats and other details of dress came from wellknown people of the past. The question at issue was asked at the Wool Safeguarding Inquiry at Bradford a Httie while ago, and the manufacturers professed themselves as ignorant. One said: "Fashion is born like a colour; fashion is a trend; it follows on and on, and then you get a reaction." Perhaps that is largely an explanation, but not the only one. The shortening of skirts probably was a reaction, for iv pre-war days it was the fashion to have the skirt touching the ground all round, and on dress occasions to have a long trail along the ground. This had to be guarded by I;he wearer, and was the cause of a good deal of irritation to other people who trod on, it, or tripped over it as the iase might be. Then came the Great War, when, women and girls took up all kinds of work which needed brief Skirts for safety and convenience, and then grew shorter and shorter with the exaggerators, who always exist, till paople now are beginning to wonder what will happen next. It hap ■ been argued that men's clothes exist for utiEty, but while starched shirts and collars remain, it is difficult to aeeept that argument. And so the question of fashion seems to get more complicated; it is not altogether one of utility, convenience, becomingness, commonsenso, or beauty—then why? Crinolines were ridiculous, bustles even more (10, followed by long, tight, narrow skirts and starched "shirt-waists," which, in their turn, gave way to the little apology for a skirt often seen nowadays. It looks as if one of the most ridiculous of all fashions is about to be thrust upon a long-suffering world of women, for it is gaining ground fast, and that is the all-sorts-of-lengths skirt, headed by the utterly inartistic .and unbecoming one of short-in-front-and-long-at-the-back skirt. It is- enough to make future generations gasp with wonder; .they will probably refuse to believe that people ever really wore such monstrosities! The "Daily Telegraph's" correspondent remarks that in the 'seventies and 'eighties people "undulated," but that the undulations subsided gently, to be replaced later by the boyish figure of war and post-war times. Now has come the word, from some unknown direction, that people are to undulate again. The conclusion of the story is that the leaction-from-extravagance theory, by Way of accounting for fashion, will not explain, the many changes. The abolition of the lower half of, the skirt, it is stated, has no fore-runner in history, and' it would be wise on the part of cloth-makers not to calculate on any reaction in that direction having a long Mjfe. It is all rather interesting and mysterious. _ A very thoughtful article on "Women in Parliament" in a recent "magazine states that women and men have different experiences in Hfo, which lead each to know different things well and to think on varying lines, and that these need to be represented to the great central House of Discussion of the Nation. Take, for example, the noise, which man tends to regard as a IJlsee of leisure. This iB the woman's daily workshop. Some of this differences of experience are artificial, and, it is to be hoped, temporary, while others are, in the nature of things, permanent and fundamental. And, this being so, it is necessary that both sides o,f ■ life should be brought before Parliament, and as expertly as possible. Not from an onlooker, and entirely nonexpert person. In the second place, women not only bring new thought and experience into Parliament, but, being newcomers into political life, are less steeped in its tiresome ways; that is to »ay,_ they have not yet got' so deeply embedded into the grooves of party politics. Or it may be that the new ijssucs of politics particularly affecting women have not yet become * firmly embedded. The non-party matters with which women's organisations concern themselves chiefly, including public morals, women police, guardianship of children, divorce reform, and others of like, nature, are those in which women politicians have played and will continue to play an active and ever-in-ereasingly large part. In spite of the Stones thrown at women in the way of statements about their not being able to work together, they have shown a great capacity for sinking all sorts of differences and pulling together for the reforms which they know are, not only necessary, but overdue. The magazine writer urges sensibly enough that to y«te for a woman just because she is « woman, might be a disastrous thing. An unsuitable woman in Parliament would be worse to tho cause of women than an unsuitable man, for the women ire so few in thiß limelight that their sayings and doings are of such importance that they must be of the best. TJhey are much reported, and not always from the good-natured or kindly points 6J view. The old catch saying might lie transposed to read: "To my faults you are not kind, while to my virtues •fiery blind." Thus the few women l&P.'s must needs be of the best, as fte men should be, for such heavy responsibility rests upon them all. The writer of the article is of opinion that there is no sense in pushing forward the candidature of women who have no ijeliew or interest in the destiny of their own sex. They will, probably, do little to justify their inclusion, exC, BP* possibly in general hard work. In %at they will insensibly benefit their own sex and show what good things women are capablo of, if, and when given a chance. - A rather amusing article comes from an English source concerning "Girl Robots Who Save the Country's Money." These are in fact typists, whose evolution is dealt with historically. The girl typist was, in the beginning, an experiment; many were ready to.say that she would not last, for ever so many nice and nasty reasons, some of which since have been disproved, while others remain as a problem to employers and to the girls themselves. In the early days, 25 or so years ago, in the British Civil Service, these girls were styled "lady typists," and the service gradually became the dumping ground for the poor relations of important officials who "nominated" them to vacancies in the old bad style. Their wages were from 16s to 25s per week, and,none of the menkind spoke to them if they could avoid it, as they considered that they had no business to be there. People who knew them as "Poor Eelations" sut them because tfeey were demeaning themselves by trymg to earn a living. One condition of 9gsr employment in those days was w| Ijttqr unset Kve at home. No living

followed positions in Savings' Banks and in the -Treasury, but a condition laid down was that they must be '' chaperoned when coming and leaving oflices. But the records later began to display mentions of "female typists" —so the status altered. But all that is of ths past. Now times have altered indeed; it is shown that these "Girl Robots" save the country enormous sums by diligently manipulating machines of various kinds. A large group of "girl robots" has just been installed at Woolwich Arsenal works, and others will be installed at the Admiralty—which formerly refused to have girls or women about for fear they got hold of secrets and divulged them. The mechanisation movement has been carried out in two large banks, and in several famous firms. It is stated that this will not mean further unemployment, as the machine girls, being in a more manageable number, will be passed round' from job to job, and not kept at one task which will never lead them any further. The lesson learnt by employers, it is stated, is that the machine girl must not be kept indefinitely at the machine unless nervous troubles ensue. This means the gradual reduction of the. blind alley policy, and a steady rise in the status of the typist. This is all particularly interesting in a country where the Civil Service statns of * girl stenographer is deeWedly "blind allej"."