160 Australian Life 



been content with those pastimes, such as tennis 

 and golf, which have always been considered 

 womanly. But she revels in the less active open 

 air entertainment provided by picnics, garden 

 parties, boating excursions, and open-air concerts, 

 and the frequency of these gives to her intercourse 

 with the other sex a frankness and freedom from 

 restraint which is one of her special charms. The 

 camaraderie between the sexes, and the free use 

 of Christian names, is at first disconcerting to the 

 new arrival, who may be apt to misconstrue the 

 free-and- easiness of the Australian girl and to be 

 snubbed accordingly. 



Among the troubles of the household life in 

 Australia, the servant difficulty is not the least, 

 and this presses most heavily upon the woman. 

 The best servants obtainable are those from the 

 bush, who, although rough diamonds at the out- 

 set, have the qualities of diligence, quickness, and 

 extreme good nature. They have also the Aus- 

 tralian characteristic of independence in a marked 

 degree, and the national love of holiday-making 

 and of celebrating anniversaries. Every house- 

 wife in Australia is familiar with the sinking 

 sensation experienced on learning that "her treas- 

 ure," carefully trained through twelve months 

 of awkwardness or ignorance to something like 

 aptitude, intends to take a holiday from Christ- 

 mas Eve to New Year's Day. Remonstrance is 

 useless. " My mother wants me at home," is 

 the only explanation vouchsafed of this base de- 



