Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-15
ARE WOMEN HAPPY?
AFTER ALL Is SAID 1T REMAINS
AN INDIVIDUAL QUESTION.

On Fifth Avenue They Are Occupied with
Pleasure, in the Tenements with Toll
and TriaIs-Society Ladies Are Lonely
without Their Husbands.
Who does not believe in evolution, under
standing how the liberties of women were
hedged about, and especially the women of
the poorer classes, whether under Caesar,
Charlemagne OF any other emperor, pagan or
Christian, before the French revolutioni
Who is not ready to write down at least one
considerable success On the credit side of
civilization, remembering how the requisites
of happiness. security in property rights,
personal independence growing out Of null
DUPLICATION of money getting employments,
education, broader outlook on life; have
been showered on women in the last forty
years.
THE SOLID TRUTH
But this is looking at it from the outside
How to get at the inside, the truth. the
whole truth of the feminine situationl
Women en- masse do not hang their banners
on the outer walls rcr employ heralds to
trumpet forth their happiness or their
misery. Did one ever tell the truth about
ones selfi Would it dos Women and men
prevaricate, exaggerate and satirize them
selv IS, and generalize about the rest of hui
mainly. To generalize is to mire ones self
in swamp or to run ones head against a
stone wall.
The pessimist queries whether civilization
has ever spelled bliss for anybody. He has
got past doubling to positive denial that for
women it has formed single character of
the word. The poor of the cities would back
him up in his orthography
The hand to hand struggle with the wolf
has left most scars ON the feminine counte-
nance. There is no exuberance of joyousness
about the man, but when one days work is
over he does not lift the next until next morn
ing. The women look depressed Lines be-
gin to show on their foreheads and crows
feet to come about the eyes before they have
reached 25. Their role in life is more intri-
cate than that of the sex masculine. They
marry before they are mature, their children
come too fast, they work at household labor
or in the. factory harder in proportion to
their strength than their husbands and broth
ers, they are more closely confined to the foul
air and cramped quarters of their lodgings,
they struggle monotonously with the minuti9
of the task Of making dimes answer for dol
lars, at many periods of their lives they suffer
more for want Of nourishing food. There is
a bright spot in youth when the lover comes,
sometimes bright sunset when the children
grow up and do well, but often enough long
gray stretch between, sometimes windy like
q March day. The faces one sees in the tene-
.l-~l< oil 2
and strain. These women are less happy
than men.
IN COLDER SETTING.
Sprinkling ones clothes with white violet
as one escapes from the east side, is it not safe
to set down the well to do American women,
the envied of women of all other counties, as
the happiest creature that ever lived or is
now Gvinga Has she not reason to be dis
tinctly happier than the mani Has not
civilization been her servant as it has been
that of no other sort of personl
Look at her. Has not life used her wells
Secure in her drawing room she looks out
smilingly on the world. She is growing taller
in proportion, better developed, a fper speci-
men of physical humanity than the over
worked, nervous business man, her husband.
She regulates her own hours. She eats the
best that the market affords She pleaSes her
eye with dainty gowns She has a world of
delight in hunting bric-a-brac for her parlors
She is not weighted by heavy burdens of re-
sponsibility, and yet with her household her
children, her society, her church, her chart
ties, her reforms, her interest in this fad and
that ism, her pleasant share-the share of re-
captivity and enjoyment-of intellectual
progress she never knows the sense of being q
drone in the hive.
Look at her on the street, at the theatre.
She usually seems gayer than her escort.
She enjoys whole heartedly, he has some re-
serve of this afternoons anxiety or to-mor-
rows proposed deal She is full of the arti-
Gle On Tolstoi in the latest magazine or the
music at last evenings recital. He Is self eb-
sorbed, has no time for such fooleries. She
is mistress Of the pleasant art, almost I'M
known to American men or INDUCED In only
at the cost Of conscience pangs which kill
pleasure, the delightful art of sauntering.
And yet there is no boredom in her leisure
She has time for friendships, she can choose
and enjoy the company Of men and women
whom she likes and understands.
Women find the world interesting They
read the newspaper and enjoy the gossip side
~
upon the stage 1t is to them a spectacle,
something to look on and be amused by
They are taken care Of. Come veal, come
woe, they pat their hands or hiss, knowing
that short of financial panic all these things
are one to them
HAPPIER IN OLD AGE
Women are lonely. They miss their hus-
bands What amount of partnership ex-
lists between the American woman and the
mani He starts for his Office as soon as his
breakfast is hurriedly swallowed He does
not come home at the lunch hour. He is
barely in season for late dinner. They
have callers or they go to opera or theatre.
1t may easily happen that they do not spend
ten minutes In conversation with each other
during the day. American men are always
in hurry. They seem to live for the sole
purpose Of catching trains a man past the
romantic epoch who honestly enjoys talking
with women is not an average mortal The
everyday sort OF man takes pains TO be de-
tanned somewhere until all the guests have
departed from his wife's 5 O'Clock tea The
couple live in different worlds
She goes in fDr Wagner or Greek plays
He does not dabble in art or literature She
finds an occupation in society; he gets more
comfort out of fast trotter. She keeps
close up to the minute with her information,
is gu coursnt with what is going forward.
quick, sensitive; he Is apt to be unresponsive
He knows little Of what interests her; she
knows nothing Of what interests him
In old age there is scarce dissenting voice
to the opinion that women are happier than
men The throwing up Of wonted activities
brings a less decided change OF habit TO thx
woman who holds her accustomed seat while
the same household duties are being done