The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-08-25
THE SOCIAL GAIL
a Cynic who Throws stones st womansp
lII FAvorito Dfverator. fT

THE SOCIAL GALL.
A Cynic Who Throws stones 1t womanss
i Favorito Diversion.
The cynic wants to know what y
gained for any rational being whep
city full OF women undertake to mako
and receive formal visits with persons
whom for the most part, they do not
wish to see. What is gaiped, he asks,
by leaving cards with al]these people
and receiving their csrdsp When
woman makes her tedious rounds, why
is she always relieved to find people
not IMP When she can count upon her
ten fingers the people she wants to see.
why should she pretend to want to SEQ
the othersp Is any one deceived by itp
Does anybody regard 1t as any thing
but sham and a burdenP Much the
cynic knows about 1t! Is it not neces.
sary to keep up what is called societyp
Is 1t not necessary to have an authentic
list OF past board acquaintances to in
vite to receptionsP And what would
become OF us without receptionsp Every
body likes to give them. Everybody
Aoclss TO them with great alacrity.
When society calls the roll, call know
the penalty of being left out. Is there
any intellectual or. physical pleasure
equal to that Of jamming so many peo.
pie into house that they can hardly
move, and treating them to a babel Of
noises In which no one can make her.
self heard without screamingp There
Is nothing like reception in any un-
civilized country. It is SO exhilarating!
When dozen or hundred people are
gathered together in q room, they all
begin to raise their voices and to shout
like pool sellers in the noble rivalry of
various langwidges," rasping their
throats into bronchitis in the bidding
Of the conversational ring. II they
spoke low, or even in the ordinary tone,
conversation would be impossible, but
then it would not be reception, as we
understand.
But does society-that is, the inter.
course of congenial people-depend
upon the elaborate system of exchang-
ing calls with hundreds of people who
are not congeuialP Such thoughts will
sometimes come by a winter fireside OF
rational-talking friends or at dinner
party not too large for talk without a
telephone, or in the summer time by
tho sea, or In the cottage in the hills,
when the fever OF social life has got
down to q normal temperature. We
fancy that sometimes people will give
way to a real enjoyment OF life and
that human intercourse will throw of
this artificial and wearisone parade,
and that If women look back with
pride as they may, upon their personal
achievements and labors, they will
also regard them with astonishment
Women. we read every day, long for the
rights and privileges of men, and the
education and serious purpose in life
of men. And yet, such is the sweet
self-sacrifice of their nature, they
voluntarily take on burdens which
men have never assumed, and. which
they would speedily cast off If they
had.
What should we say of men if they
consumed half their time in paying
formal calls upon each other merely
for the sake OF paying calls. and were
low-spirited ii they did not receive as
many cards as they had dealt out to
societyP Have they not the time?
Have women more time? and If they
have, why should they spend it in this
Sisyphus task? Would the social ma
chine go to pieces--the inquiry is
made in good faith, and solely for in
formation-if they made rational busi-
ness for themselves to be attended to,
or even If they gave the time now
given to calls they hate, to reading and
study, and to making their households
civilizing centers of intercourse and
enjoyment, and paid visits from some
other motive than "clearing off the
list?" If all the artificial round of
calls and cards should tumble down,
what valuable thing would be lost out
OF anybody's life9-Harper's Weekly.