The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-12
A TALK ABOUT OLD MAIDS.
Some of Their Pecunarities Brough
prOr,, n ar+lv n tha Front

from one blDall 6LsL6I II " 10 W htAS
feet that once the young women Of that place
became dissatisfied with the young men.
Now, It is, of course, natural that the aver
age young woman should become dissatis-
fed with the average young man, for he is
-alasl not all he should be. But the young
women in question did not complain OF the
moral character CT general behavior OF their
Young men, only Of their lack OF proper at
tention to them-the young women. They
declared themselves neglected, and they
proposed TO retaliate Well. they did 1t, IN
a spirited manner Although when we
consider it, it does appear somewhat In the
spirit Of the small boy, who, when his
mother denied him some privilege, declared
boldly that If she didn't change her mind
he'd go down the street and catch the scar
let fever.
In order to retaliate they formed them
selves into an "Old Maids Consolation
Association the title Of itself being thought
sufficient to strike home 70 the hearts OF the
young men. And the young men, not to be
outi1ne, Immediately organized an "Old
Bachelors Sympathetic and Consolation
Society and appointed a COMMITTEES TO at
tend the next meeting of the .. II.
c. \. TO propose a consolidation Of the two
organizations under the name Of the 'Mu-
tual Consolation Society"
Thus il appears-that the most deter
mined efforts Of young maids to bee me old
/ ones, sometimes over-reaoh themselves;
that when a woman sees fit to assert her
self. she speedily brings a man TO his senses,
and further more, that the rule is well nigh
! invariabie. that old maids are SO from
choice, and not of necessity.
This is d subject that can be probably
! studied from both sides-from the old maids
side, or from the other. Aud speaking first
! from 1.-THE other, ~ II seems little odd TO tho
students on tins side Of the fence that old
maids are always in such q tremendous
| hurry to declare that they are so Of free
will and not of election. Who doubtsitl
! Certainly not the woman who could have
| been and old maid or not, as she pleased.
| For it is quite as easy-lf not more SOTO
| get married than 10 stay single, il one is not
particular and takes what is in the market.
! 1t is this very soreness which, ranking in
the heart, and sprinRing from the lips Of
the old maid, points the arrows Of foolish
people " no laugh at the estate Of the " omen
who have never married
And, further, that the subject is one over
which the old maids brood longer and more
deeply than the women on the "other side"
proof Is plenty. The woman on the "other
side" laughs lightly, makes a joke or throws
a few testing words-fo0lish and idle no
doubt-and then fOrgets the subject. Does
the old maid look at it in that wayl Not so.
If she is Of lively disposition, as we'll as a
sensible woman, she gives jest for jest, and
enjoys the joke at the expense Of her spins
terhood. Expecting the attack, she often
starts the fight herself TO head off her op-
pouents. II she is independent and sarcas
tic, she scorns the marriage estate and takes
every occasion TO show that she can not
only defend her position but attack the
other side. In every case she has this mat
ter Of marriage or no marriage" far more
at heart than any married woman ever has.
Whoever doubts my assertion can easily
prove it by askinh any ten married women
Of her acquaintance, their opinion of the
maids, and any ten old maids their opinion
of married women. The majority of mar
ried women have few or no decided views
to express. 1t is something they never
thought much about. But nine of those
ten old maids have considered the subjeci
long and deeply. On the principle that
lookers-on see most Of the game, they have
studied the marriage relation and married
people far more thoroughly than most mar
ried people ever do. And after they have
freed themselves by declaring that they
might have got married to II they had
chosen, they will give their hearers
number Of ideas, opinions and thoughts,
more or less profound, and showing conclu-
slvely that the subject is one they have
cared about and pondered over. With the
majority Of married women the subject of
married or single" is lip deep, but with the
mqj rity Of old maids it Is heart deep.
My point is just here Why should they
care for silly words repeated by children,
or the Jokes Of foolsi That they do care is
unQuestionably true.
Here is an old maids opinion:
ITS very we'll to talk about old maids, y
one of the number lately remarked, II
needn't have been an old maid il I'd chosen
long ago And now, honestly, do you
think that any woman who carries her
pocketbook couldn't have man to hang
his hat up in the hall If she hkedl And to
ask, Shall go therep or May l do thisf
and have somebody handle my money! No
indeed.
think providence had nothing at all to
do with mating half the people | see mar
ried. But they must be married, no matter
who il is
l look at it Just this way. Take half a
dozen married women and half dozen I'M
married, any half dozen you pick out among
your friends, and say OF the two sets, which
are the most sensible and independent
! Provel don't know what it proves ex-
| cept that the most sensible don't always
get married. A woman that gets married
unless he's a smart man, very different
! from the ordinary run-sinks down to a
level, into rut and stays there. She hasn't
| got chance to think about raising herself
She's got too many people TO pull along
| with her. But La Anybody, SO long a.
they get married, is what fools think. II I'd
wanted that kind. Therel Perhaps the one
l wanted isn't the one the Lord wanted ms
| to have
YOU'D have made good business WON
an. Miss RI ventured when l got
| chance
Perhaps. But pshaw, never needed tt
do it, and why should II I've got nobody
to do it for"
After all, we each have our compensa
tons.
Miss R. is of the fortunate class Of OLE
maids, having money, position and leisure
Yet at the heart of it lies the same com
plant, nobody to do it for.n
DO it for yourself, said l.
Good gracious, why should Ip' replet
she, Il don't need to-"
After all, it isn't the being an old maid
it's the lack Of an object, married or single
which makes an empty life and the secre
discomfort. That IS the reason Of it. 1t i
pitiful to think OF the generations of pur
poseless women, who, lacking the only OBJ
jects once allowed to women, children, hav
lived and died without definite aim. Blu
the generations Of women that are youni
to-day, and the generations of women tina
the women of to-day are bringing up-shal
they not have first Of all, an object to work
and hope and live for, and after that,
married or a single life as their heart, az
not their idleness, shall dictate'
ELEANOR KIRK
Ra1ta M auaha7 all Np1Cro