The Australian Woman 161 



sertion, and there is nothing for it but to submit. 

 The best way out of the difficulty is that fre- 

 quently followed in Australia. The Christmas 

 season is chosen for the annual holiday to the sea- 

 side or into the country, and the home is locked 

 up for the occasion. Thus Mary Jane is allowed 

 to enjoy her Christmas at home, and repays by a 

 patient and good-tempered service and a willing- 

 ness for work of all kinds which could not be de- 

 manded from the highly-trained British domestic. 



The critics of the Australian woman and there 

 have been many have complained that she both 

 walks and talks badly. For the first charge, 

 there would seem to be less foundation than for 

 the second; for, although the ordinary observer 

 would fail to notice any lack of grace in the car- 

 riage of the women in the cities, the presence of 

 an accent is too obvious to be overlooked. The 

 theory that the hardening and distorting of vowel 

 sounds so common in Australia can be traced to 

 the State schools has been advanced. Those who 

 support this contention point to the large classes 

 common in these establishments, and to the 

 monotonous repetitions in chorus that constitute 

 part of the system of teaching. If this theory be 

 a correct one, the system cannot be amended too 

 quickly, for the accent itself is a sad drawback to 

 the pleasure afforded by the clear and musical 

 voice that is a characteristic of the Australian 

 woman. 



A more serious matter is the decline of the 



