St. Paul daily globe., 1892-03-13

~ ~ alsds1:a ing her; as if ths{ 1 E :
she was about to commit some breach of
street manners, or even of public pro-
priety.
The other morning." said a lady
friend of mine, "the ruffle of my under
skiIt caught in the car step and was
ripped off for an inch or so. 1t be-
came necessary for me to pin it together.
and in order to reach it | was obliged
to raise my dress and display bit of
the white skirt-and my feet. maybe,
too. In an instant every man ceased
reading his paper and began to watch
me. 1t was as good as farce to see
that half dozen graybeards with their
eyes fixed upon my movements. You
would have thought that was commit
ting some dreadful otfense.
Men should Mind Their Own Busi-
ness.
Another class, usually young ships
from the clubs, make it point 10 call
Ilady'S attention to anything wrong
about her or her toilet. Excuse me,
madam," said one Of them to me in a
lhorse car, but your dress is
ripped in the back. | thought
you would like to know it,"
One of them informed me that piece
of my dress lining was hanging from
below my skirt. Think of it! How did
he know that dresses had Innings?
Ought to have been grateful to him? l
don't think SO. We are not living in
Paris. American women here have
some modesty about them. and they
want to be let alone in the streets.
They don't want to feel that every man
has his eyes upon them and their dress
and their shoes, their buttons, their
UnderSkirtS, or that he is examining the
way their dresses are fastened at the
neck OF their skirts puffed at the back.
We women want to come and go
without being noticed any more than
men are. Why should we be? We are
not living IN the Orient. A woman is
no longer curiosity. She has the right
TO come and go almost as freely as the
men themselves. and for the lie of me
can't see why she should be scanned
and stared at by every man who sits
down opposite her. So long as she be-
.1aves herself with decorum she should
be let alone. 1t is really getting
worse and worse. The very mo-
ment woman puts her hand be-
hind her to reach for her pocket
book that very moment you can see the
men begin to watch her. l feel at times
like hanging a placard around my neck
with some sucn legend as this: 81
mind my business, and expect others to
mind theirs, especially the men,"
Husbands That Are Dear TO Women
wonder that some maker of curious
books does not write one about hus-
bands. Just think what a delightful
array of chapter heads he would have:
Husbands IN general, husbands in war
and peace, thes crank husband, the
Over-fond husband, the mean husband,
the fault-fnding husband, the intem-
perate husband, the over-temperate
husband and the Self-sacrifcing hus-
band. This last-named type is a very
rare type indeed. In a few years he
will cease to exist, he will have become
as extinct as Il pleSiosauruS.
He belongs to the category of self
sacrificing husbands; he'd try her soup
for her and burn his mouth; he'd stand
one hour in line to buy her the best seat
in the house; he would not smoke be-
cause she doesn't like it, although he
doves it; he would sit around the house
and yaWn because when she is busy up
stairs she likes to know that he is there;
he'd suffer from indigestion rather than
drink little claret because she is tenn
perance; he'd give up his best room to
her mother; he'd listen to the long
vars of the old gentleman because he's
her father; he'd drop this or that old
friend becauseAe smokes or cheWs, or
uses swear words; all of which she dis
likes.
HOW About the Old Folks.
What is done with the old folks? This
Is question that is often asked by
strangers visiting this great center of
wealth, and taking part in its social
distractions. One sees few old people
in the drawing rooms. Where are they?
Does the rapid pace which it is neces-
Sary 10 keep up in New York society
break down their health, and kill them
off at sixty? One rarely sees. as in the
old world, men and women of seventy
and seVenty-fye sitting about with
smooth br0ws shaded by silver locks.
a few years ago prominent divine.
now on the editorial staff of one of the
great dailieS, made the bold charge from
his pulpit that we Americans are
ashamed OF our old folks; that their
hard hands, big knuckles and crude,
honest manners unfit them for the ele-
giant drawing rooms Of their children;
hence their absence. 1t is not to be
denied. We are vain and artificial peo-
pie, delighted with empty show, and
pleased with tinkling of cymbalS. We
many people across the Atlantic who
never are ashamed of the ''old folks,'
no matter how plain. coarse and home
spun their looks and manners may be.
The reason is obvious. We are young
nation; we are very new; fortunes are
made in few years. and the children
are actually ashamed of their humble
origin, and hence the ''old folks" who
proclaim and testify to this humble
origin are kept out OF sight, instead OF
being, as i'll the Old world, pushed for
ward, petted, coddled and made much
Of
Rather Ashamed OF Her Mother.
am assured that it is quite COM
mon thing in this city for the ''old folks'
to be relegated to the second table,"
Jest their rough hands and big knuckled
Joints should not seem to be in keeping
with the elegant accessories of their
children's dinner service. "Why, have
you mother" lately heard society
woman cry out i'll aStonishment to
friend at whose house she was calling.
The lady colored up and made some
ridiculous excuse. But happened to
know the real cause of this old mother
never appearing in the drawing room,
for had known the family before they
had made a fortune selling a washing
powder.
The old mother was supplemented
person, plain and ard-lool1ing, and
who wouldn't be after thirty years of
toll and skimping and doing without
the very neceSsaries of life in order to
make both ends meet. On my way into
the country last fall ran against such
another old lady, whom [ had known
since my childhood. She was sitting
alone by herself i'll the car. and appar-
emily perfectly contented. "HoW is