Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-01-02
YOUNG WOMEN'S TIME.
What IL it That They do which CompeIs
Them to be Always "Busy?"

Docs anybody know what becomes
OF girls time? Was there ever al
girl who could tell whas she did with
it or where she put it, or account in
any reasonable way for its mysterious
disappearance?
Are the girls minutes like the lost
pins. OF which nobody ever finds
trace. though the factories have been
at work SO long that one would think
that the dropped ones would constitute
In themselves an adequate source of
suppyp
There are some things which have
this capacity for utter anuihlation.
Wild animals are never found dead in
the forests; watering place friendships
vanish into wind swept space; the hole
IN the stocking speaks OF a texture
which once was there, but is there no
longer; yet these things get out of the
world no more quietly and unaccount-
ably than the hours and minutes OF
good proportion of young women.
There is theory, which is common
iy accepted. that girls time is all
spent upon dress. Certainly little of
il goes great way, but the amount
must be small. Older women, with
many social and domestic cares, dress
quite rs well as young girls, and usual
ly better.
They cannot give all their time, or
even any apprcciable part of it, to the
planning and purchasing of their raj
meut, SO there is evidently fallacv in
the idea that feminine attire is capable
Of engrossint, the entire attention of a
woman.
There is another theory that girls
time IS spent in entertaining members
of the other SEX but this is absolutely
untenablc. Even the mildest of ilirta-
tious calls for two llirlers, aud, as the
student of our social system is never
weary Of pointing out, we have no
class OF men whose time Is their own.
A girl may spend her evenings and
Sundays in amusing the masculine
half of creation but business hours
are sacred from her invasion. Her
will might be good TO so spend The
hours from sunrise till midnight. but in
the nature of the case her opportuni-
ties are limited.
Is it domestic cares which are so alb
sorbing? The newspaper paragrapher
would say not, and think on the
whole he was right. This is not be-
cause more girls are unwilling TO share
the household responsibilities. but be-
cause during the time of their educa-
tion home life goes on without their as
sistaucc. and once out of school they
tnd no place ready made in which they
can be useful.
1t is about rs easy for the camel to
90 through the needles eye as for the
daughter of well-to do family to find
any domestic duties worthy the name
in her fathers house.
There are yet other ways in which il
is popularity supposed II girls time is
employed, such as study and corre-
spoudence. But did you ever go to
morning class? Ii so, you know per-
fectiy well the formula: Il was so
busy hadn't minute to spare for
preparation!
Have YOU any women among your
correspondents. aud did one al them
ever write letter without explaining
how busy she was and had been for
weeks past and would be for weeks to
come? Whatever the mysterious.
grinding tasks which fate imposes upon
the young women who have apparent
ly nothing to do. by their own con-
fcssion studying and writing are not
among things sought.
Perhaps the subject is worthy of
scientific investigation. 1t would be
as useful 10 the race rs the discovery
OF the north pole. and. though the iu-
quiry might be as long and tedious as
au Arctic exploration. it would not be
so dangerous. Industrially it might be
of value.
Here is vast amount of labor. which
we know. on the testimony of every
girl in the land. is put forth daily, Yet
without visible result. Would not ex-
perinents TO make ii productive be as
legitimate rs those for The reduction o,
aluminium or the utilization of the
solar forcep
Anthropologists might spare little
time from the study OF crania develop
Bent and turn their attention to ind-
ing out what becomes of girls time.
1t ought surely to be doue. if for no
othes reason than to crafty the dear
girls themselves. who certainly are as
much in the dark Oh this question as
anyone else --Kate Fields Washington.