May 15, 1915 
LAND AND WATER 
FEMIN A 
THE BREAKING OF BARRIERS 
By MRS. ERIC DE RIDDFR 
SLOWLY, but very unmistakably, a change is coming 
over our entire social system. We are undoubtedly 
growing less aloof. The icy remoteness that clothed 
us as a nation generally and as individuals in particular 
_ . is visibly melting. Of that there can be no shadow of 
doubt. Asking questions is apt to be a profitless game, when 
there can be no satisfactory, or at best only a partial, answer. 
Nevertheless, it is a fascinating pursuit, and we are likely to 
continue asking them. Many 
people are asking many ques- 
tions at the moment, but 
only a very few are finding 
any solutions. These, when 
found, generally admit of in- 
finite argument. It is plain 
tliat the England of the future 
can never be the England that 
existed before August 4th, 
1914. We have been brought 
out of ourselves, forced to 
look at things through un- 
prejudiced eyes, shaken and 
battered out of preconceived 
habits and ideas. It is all 
profoundly interesting, but 
how and when will it all end ? 
One of the immediate 
results of the war has been 
the bringing together of the 
classes. Men of vastly differ- 
ent social position are fighting 
side by side in the ranks of the 
army. Great ladies and tat- 
terdemalions — the feminine 
gender — have worked in the 
same room, cutting-out, bast 
ing and making the historic 
shirts for soldiers and sundry 
other garments. The upper 
ten have come into contact 
with the submerged ninety 
more closely during the past 
few months than at any other 
period of their lives. This, 
perhaps, is particularly true 
where women are concerned, 
for schemes for the common 
weal are occupying most 
people's attention just now. 
People, who formerly had little 
thought beyond themselves, 
go out of their way to bring interest into the Uves of those 
less fortunately placed. It is an astonishing mix-up, brought 
about by the forcing-house of events, the result of which 
cannot at present be even remotely seen. 
The New Charity. 
Many women must have recdised for the first time in their 
lives that there are no more severe critics of the well-to-do than 
their poorer sisters, and that great efforts must be made and 
maintained to keep these critics' approval. For that reason 
the old system of charitable help is over and done with. Ladies 
spending their time making " ugly garments for the deserving 
poor " can no longer be satirised. Charity to be of any use 
at all must be clothed in an up-to-date guise. It must be a 
workable and welcome proposition, otherwise it must fail to 
hit the mark and be worse than useless. The most successful 
charities at the moment are those which do not mask them- 
selves beneath a charitable cloak. This may be paradoxical, 
but, like many paradoxes, it is undoubtedly true. One of the 
most successful works now being done in the East End amongst 
people affected by the war is that of a weekly entertainment 
and tea to which a penny admission is charged. This, of course 
by no manner of means covers the expenses of the entertain- 
ment that is provided for by private enterprise, but the idea 
of getting something for nothing is forthwith abolished. From 
all points of view it is an excellent proposition ; both classes 
meeting are giving something. The people who sing, play, 
act, supply the tea, and make all necessary arrangements, not 
only provide a certain amount of money, but give a consider- 
able slice of their time. Not only does it mean an afternoon's 
occupation, but the difficulty of reaching the spot is no small 
matter. By no manner of means is it within the shilling 
taxi-fare radius. 
Ccpjnitk: Aita Mmrtin 
LADY MURIEL PAGET 
Who has made a successFul atudy of Invalid Cookery, 
and U busily engaged looking cfter the 
tick anl woundei 
One main factor affecting charitable enterprise is the 
prosperity of the working classes at the present. It is not a 
matter of providing material necessities and little else. It 
is a far more subtle thing than that. The object behind all 
works of this kind is that of education. It is hoped that those 
benefiting will gain a sounder outlook, and be able to stand 
firmly on their feet throughout all the changes or vicissi- 
tudes fate may have in store. This education does not begin 
and end with the penny visi 
tors. Those in control are 
always learning, they say, and 
many are making careful 
study of a matter to which in 
days of yore they hardly gave 
a thought. 
The Criticism of the East End 
One effect of this small 
admission charge is the fact 
that the audience thereby is 
entitled to criticise. And criti- 
cise they certainly do. It is 
far more difficult to please an 
audience in Lambeth or Hox- 
ton than one sitting on 
spindle-legged gilt chairs in a 
house in Grosvenor Square. 
The reason no doubt is the 
forcible one that while the first 
listen the second in all prob- 
ability do not, but whatever 
it may be, the result is the 
same. The consequence is 
that infinite care is taken by 
those responsible for the en- 
tertainment. If the enter- 
tainers do not please the 
entertained, they feel they 
have lost the main object of 
their lives. It is one of the 
signs of the times, and yet 
another proof that " the old 
order change th." People in 
one section of society are learn- 
ing to respect and consider the 
opinion of those in another. 
And those in " the other " are 
proving that the leisured 
classes are by no manner of 
means so selfish as they are 
made out to be, but willing to 
be sympathetic and helpful in a wholly unexpected way. 
Numbers of women will never forget the lessons the last few 
months have taught. 
The great factor at work behind the scenes is that of the 
common burden. Every woman in the country to-day, be 
she high or low, rich or poor, has the same hopes, the same 
fears, the same maddening feeling of powerlessness. It is 
fortunate that there are outside interests to which we can 
devote outselves ; that we can do a great deal of useful work 
for the country, indirect though it be. Otherwise we are back 
in the position of the lady of medieval times, who, having 
bade farewell to her lord departing for the wars, sat down with 
folded hands to await his return. Inaction and the twentieth- 
century temperament are bound to be at variance. 
Cosmopolitan London. 
Our insular character is also departing. London, and 
indeed the whole of England, is the home for countless j)eople 
of different nationality to our own. We hear French spoken 
almost as generally as English, we are brought into daily 
contact with people of different customs and ideas. It is also 
worthy of note that we are willing to help other nations as well 
as our own. Some of the best supported works are those 
intended to benefit one or another of our Allies. We have 
proved that though charity may begin at home, it is not by 
any manner of means obliged to stay there. Insularity is 
being slain on every side, and there must be few who will 
regret its burial. 
We have often been warned, frequently with great truth, 
against the dangers of undue optimism. The most confirmed 
pessimist, however, will surely admit that there is a marked 
spirit of friendship in the country to-day. We are fortunate 
in many things, but in none more so than this. 
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