The morning news., 1889-03-31

nation, is an courant with what is going
forward, quick, sensitive. He is apt to be
unresponsive. He knows little of what iu-
terests her. She knows nothing of what In
terests him. From June to October they
are separated altogether From Oct Der
to June they lead lives that have few points
Of coincidence
Outside the gilded circles there are many
occupations which make the loneliness Of
women something more obvious if not more
real. That street car conductor who hes not
seen his baby's ewes open by daylight since
her birth turns up with some frequency. A
pretty little woman whom | know very
we'll felcitates herself that she is never left
to herself very long. Her husband is
night watchman or night clerk Of some de
scription, and is usually fast asleep on the
bed all day in one of the two rooms they
occupy. When he is.at work she is asleep
and when she is awake he Is sleeping and
SO they are together all the time The little
creature doesn't 'knew person in the city
except her butchers and grocer's clerks,
and lives life as lonely as if she had not a
neighbor within twenty-1ve miles.
Beautiful weather." said a brownteyed
woman against whom l brushed accident
ally on the ferryboat the other morning.
Fine day, everybody's out to 500 the
openings. Somehow | get rid of the blues
when have a chance to walk out and see
the street so full Of people, She wanted to
talk to some one. She talked to me- Her
people live in Baltimore, her husband is a
drummer gone two months at a tine, she
has not a solitary acquaintance except the
landlord Of the apartment house where she
lives
Every big city holds thousands of women
to whom such division, such lonely lives is
all there is Of matrimony, all there is of
happiness
Ono fraouert eourca NJ unhaDri ra0s ,,,;tb
men women ottener escape. They have not
commonly much acute intellectual disturb
ance. They take their religion with fewer
questions. They may have doubts but they
are not so much harrassed by them. All
their lives they have been used to metes and
bounds, and when an obstacle stops them,
when they come to the hill that cannot be
climbed, the castle of final knowledge which
they cannot storm, they are not tormented
by the shamed athletes despair, they sit
down patiently, If wearily, to wait and
see,
With the possible exception of temperance
women have been said TO be less apt to make
themselves wretched about "causesn This
is becoming less generally true. With the
inc ease Of interest on the part Of women
in all public matters, their helplessnss, their
enforced passivity, sometimes wear on them
till every sensitive nerve is exposed. and
they cannot stir, cannot touch the world at
any point without sharp, singing pain
W omen are apt, nowadays, TO be restless
aud, if ambitious, to fret themselves for
careers. The desire to earn money from what
ever motive, is far commoner than many
suppose. 1t sends women on the stage. it
drives them to leave otherwise happy homes
As a personal experience | may say that /
have never met a woman who had earned
moEey before marriage who did not, before
our acquaintance had progressed greatly, at
one time or another, half in jest or desp r
ately in earnest, express a wish that $ 9
might continue 10 finger her salary. Every
period seems TO the people who live in it
G transition period, but this is pre-eminentIv
time of doubt and change for women.
In old age there is scarce a dissenting
voice TO the opinion that women are happisr
than men. The throwing up of wontei ac.
tivities brings a less decided change of
habit to the woman who holds her accus-
toned seat while the same household duties
are being done about her than to the man
who is routed from his counting house and
tries in vain to find a new interest, new oc-
cupation, but only succeeds in realizing that ,
the days Of his power, of his physical aud
mental act vity are done. The woman feels
that she is sheltered. taken care of, the man
that his scepter has passed into usurping
hands.
When one comes to measure it seems
likely that women are happier and less
happy than men. After all it is an indi-
vidual question and individuals will tell
the world just so much or 50 little as they
may choose. Certain it is that women
have lost in serenity as they have been
quickened mentally in these latter days.
ELIZA PUTNAM HEAToN.