The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-01-04

- 81 sibilities- to me that
~-~ woman of sane mind
could make love to man in any way
save with her eyes and her arts of CO.
quetry, which are as old as time and
love.
But during the last two years some
strange cases have come to my direct
attention which propose to relate in
this article, hoping it may fail under the
eyes of those referred to and cause a
reformation.
1t is very well for woman to break
some of the old letters forged by igno-
rance and tyranny, but all right minded
people must draw the line when it comes
to levemaking or giving of attention.
The moment woman is the pursuer
and man pursued sentiment becomes
grotesque and romance ridiculous, and
the sweetest and dearest illusions of life
are destroyed.
A young man of my acquaintance met
a very pretty young lady while he was
on a business trip to one of the smaller
cities adjacent to New York.
Their acquaintance was but slight
when he was surprised at receiving let
ter from her. However, he regarded her
writing the first letter as mere girlish
freak and paid no attention to the mat
ter until she wrote again in a most un-
miEtakably tender manner.
In fact she told him that it had been
case of love at first sight on her part,
and she hoped it was the same with him,
and assured him that her parents would
render them very comfortable in life, as
she was an only child.
The young man knew that she was a
good girl morally; that she would in
herit money, and that she was exceed
ingly pretty. But he never replied to her
letter, feeling only disgust at her bold
ness. Her virtue, beauty, youth and
wealth were all lost upon him through
her having taken the initiatory steps. A
man resents woman's robbing him of
his rights Of pursuit,
Another man of my acquaintance was
somewhat fascinated by a handsome
woman a few years his senior. He was
thinking seriously of proposing to her
when she anticipated his intention by O
bold suggestion of wishing they might
always be together, which drove him in
stantly from her side.
The young women who ask men for
attention and compel them to become
escorts are alarmingly on the increase.
Although the chaperon system is prev
alent in the small, exclusive circles of
our largest cities, there are still hun
dreds of thousands of cultured, charming
young ladies in New York and else
where who attend theaters and operas
and receptions with gentlemen escorts
unaccompanied by a chaperon. 1t will
require another hundred years before
this custom is relegated to the grisettes
and peasants, as in other countries.
Young women who come to New York
TO study for a career seldom come
chaperoned, and depend upon the oppor-
tunities afforded by gentlemen friends to
attend places of amusement.
One of these young women brought
letters of credit to me, and 1 found her
so bright and charming L invited her to
my house. To my establishment heard
her ask a young gentleman in my par
lors to take her to hear popular actress
then playing in the city. The gentle
man o ourse promised to do so, and
during he next month he was her escort
to half a dozen places of amusement,
all on her invitation. This young wom-
an have heard spoken of as $50 enter
prising," $50 popular" and ''such an en-
ergetic creature" by many people, but
for me she had spoiled herself by her
methods of obtaining attention.
Another young woman Of excellent
family came to New York to study
music. She was quite belle in her own
smaller city, and she found it impossible
to live without social life in the metrop-
oils. She complained so bitterly to me
of her lonely evenings that 1 took her
out with me upon two or three occa-
sions. was surprised to find her max
ing tour of all the theaters and places
of amusement after that in company
with gentleman of my acquaintance.
When rallied upon his devotion he
seemed uncomfortable, and finally con-
fidentially informed me that the young
lady had asked him to take her to these
places, and he could not we'll refuse. He
begged me to give her some counsel
Men are such towards about these mat
tiers, but it is their gallantry to the sex
which renders them towards. They
have not the courage to refuse, yet they
severely criticise the women who ask
for their attentions. 1t is the greatest
mistake woman can make.
1t is all very we'll when fashionable
young woman, properly chaperoned, in
yites a gentleman to occupy her box al
the theater or opera; but it is quite an
other thing when q girl with a career
asks man to devote time and money t.
her entertainment.
1t seems to me that no woman with 9
spark of refinement or good taste o.
sentiment could do such thing.
This growing evil is no doubt one O
the disasters attendant upon woman
transition state from useless toy to
more enlarged sphere. She oyerstep
the limits of the present enlightened age
however, when she attempts to be tn
lover.
Because many noble women are pro
crossing into wider fields of usefulness
and liberty, great crowd of unbalance,
girls and women, lacking in refnemen
pna restless with a craze: fol. excitemen
Ind publicity. are elbowing their wa,