Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1882-06-29
The Troubles Of Being a Woman

Upon tho whole, it is o dreadful thug to
DC woman, aud do the business up in
good shape.
In tho first place, you've got to look VOL,
or else you're nobody. A man may be
homely, and still DO popular. Whiskcrs
covers up tho most of his face, aud if he
has got large mouth, nobody mistrusts it;
and, if ho wrinkles bad on his forehead,
his friends speak Of his many cares, and of
his thoughtful disposition, and tell each
other that his wrinkles ure lines Of thought.
Lines of thought, ndeod! whcu, in all
probability, his forehead is wrinkled by the
habit he has got of scowling ut his wife
when tho coffee isn't strong enough.
A woman must always bo 10 good order
throughout. Her hair must be frizzcd and
banged us fashion demands and she must
powder if she has shining skir; and sho
must manage to look sweet, 20 matter how
sour she may feel, and she must hang just
80, aud her laccs must be always srotIcss.
and her boot buttons ali in place, and finger
nails clean, and she mustn't whistle nor climb
fences, nor stone cats, nor swear when she
is mad.
She cant 60 out alone because ladies must
DO protected. Sho can't 20 anywhere whom
il rnius because her hair won't stay climpcd
and she'll get mud OH her pot'coats, aud
things She can't bca FrccmGson, because
she would tell their secrets, and everybody
would know AL about that goat and that
gridiron. Sho can't smoke because it
wouldn't be feminine. She can't go court
ing because it is unwomanly But she must
get married before she is twenty five or
everybody will feel wrougcd People will
Sigh over her, und wonder why it is that
men "don't seem to take" aud all tho old
maids ahd widows will smile Significantly
aud keep quiet.
Oh, these smiles, and these significant
looks! They are ten times worse than open
ISLANDERS!
1t is tcrriatlc thing to be an old maid
terrible! Everybody knows it is, and tho
women who nrc married to drunken hus.
bauds, and who manage TO quarrel with
them six days out of tho seven, will groan
10 agony Of spirit over the single woman,
and call her that poor old maid!
~ woman must marry rich, or she doesn't
marry "wcl." To marry we'll is the end of
woman's existence, judging from the view
which people in general take OF this matter.
1t is cvcrybody's business who a woman
marrics The whole ncighborhood put their
heads together aud talk over the pros and
and decide whether she is good enough
for him. And they criticisc the Shape Of
her nose, aud tho way she docs up bcr hair,
and relate anecdotes Of how lazy her grana-
father was, and how her Aunt Sally used TO
sell beans and buttcrmilk
n woman must wear No. 2. boots on NJ.
8. feet and she must manage to dress well
on seventy five cents week, and she musn't
to vain, aod she must be kind to the poor,
and 20 regularly to the sewing society
meetings, aud be ready to dress dolls, and
mukc aprons ard tides for church fairs.
She must be good conk, and she must
be able. to edo up" her husbands shirts SO
that the Ecathcn Chinese washcrman
would Sroan with envy and gnash his teeth
with the same unhuly passion, at sight of
them.
She must hold herself in continual readi-
ncss to find everything her husband has lost
and II man never knows where anything
is. lie will put his boots carefully aw,y on
tho parlor sofa, aud when ho has hunted
after them half an hour, he will appear to
avcnsng angel, and demand to know
" IlhI III tue lUu.lucl SHC nus HUuC VIII
his boots?"
She must shut ali tho doors after her lord
aud master, and likewise the bureau drawers,
for married. man never was known to shut
drawer. 1t would be as unnatural as for
hen to 20 swimming for recreation.
She must go to bed first in cold weather,
so as to get the bed warmed. Ier husband,
ifhe be wise man never asks her to dc his,
but lie sits up ''to iiuish piece in the pa,
per-" and waits while she gets the sheets to
comfortable tcmrcr4turc
All, there are II good many tricks in the
trade of what is called living together!
woman is expected to take care Of The
baby, even after the first infanti'c wonder
mu.iplics into u roanl dozen Aud if he
doubles up with the coia, or the trials Of
cutting teeth, necessary evils of the mumps,
and measles and '.Shoopng cough and
scarlet fever and rash and throat distem--
per and short sleeves :Ed bare legs and pirs
sticking into him and too much candy und
a bad thmpcr, why her husband tells her
that Che does wish she'd try aud quiet the
baby" Ard he says it just as if he fully
believed that she alone wos responsible for
its being in cxiscncc nud as if he Thought
she was considerably to blame for it too.
And when she has tho headache, nobody
thinks Of mnding it! y woman is alwoys
having the headache! Aud if she is "ncrvons
enough to n.y. nobody shut, the doors any
easier on account of it, or tucks her upon
the lounge with a shawl over her or cod
dies her to death; like man has to be cod
died in such circumstances.
We might go en- Indefinitely with the